wikoffclan

I see 13 shore excursions listed for Rome. Use this web address and then choose Rome from the list on the left under Port/City:

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/cruises/12NightMediterraneanGreekIsles-BR12M450/excursions?currencyCode=USD&sAccessibility=false&sDateMin=2016-06-01&sDateMax=2016-06-30&sailDate=06%2f19%2f2016&singleSailingMode=false

I noticed on a Navigator Cruise Compass, from November 2015, posted by "Deptacon" there is a listing for "Rapid Fire Wine Tasting" repeated several times on Day 1. Can anyone provide information and more details?

Try this:

http://elliott.org/company-contacts/royal-caribbean/

Looks like a scam/phishing site. AVOID

a lady sitting next to us in the pub handed me her flashing light glass and asked me if i knew how to turn it off?

 

And i promptly turned the glass over to show her the switch...and poured the small remainder of cocktail and ice into my lap! :d fortunately it was a finished drink. :p

lol!!

My favorite "free-ish" souvenirs are the "free" glasses you get to keep when purchasing specialty drinks. I use my blue-rimmed cocktail glasses just about every night, have most colors of the shot glasses and the light-up tall drink glasses were a hit with the grandkids.

Been a year since we've cruised Royal. Hope this hasn't gone away.

Sailed with Mike Pack on the Conquest this past January. Absolutely the BEST Cruise Director we've ever encountered. I would book a cruise just to sail with him again. SO much fun, So much energy, So engaging! And the Egg-Drop Contest was such a hoot, I hope he has continued the tradition.

It sounds like you had more of an issue with Any Time Dining vs American Table Menu. The menu had nothing to do with the wait or the slowness.

 

I don't want to wait for a table, want to know exactly where I'm going to sit, and like having the same waiters each night without having to request them so I always have assigned dining. It's also a bonus when they have my drink waiting for me at the table upon my arrival.

 

I actually liked the new menu. Had it twice - last May and October both on the Glory. The one in October was improved over the one in May. Can't wait to try it out again in about 10 weeks!

Have to disagree. Had AnyTime dining on both cruises. Food in Jan. 14 with American Table was below mediocre, service was slow. Service on Conquest Jan. 15 was faster, food was better, rated Much higher than Liberty's American Table.

HATED it!! On Carnival Liberty last January (2014) the service was SO slow, the food was SO forgettable that given the choice we will NEVER sail on a Carnival ship with American Table menu in the MDR ever again.

Granted at that time the new menu had just been rolled out, but it was so bad my husband describes it as the worst cruise ever! He will never cruise on Liberty again. And I will not book a cruise if American Table is the MDR menu. We had the same problems that you did, including a minimum 1.5 to 2 hour time for a very mediocre meal.

I did express our displeasure in our post-cruise survey and also wrote to the company. Thankfully it has not been incorporated in other than the original 4 ships (as far as I know).

We just got back from 8 day Southern Caribbean cruise on Carnival Conquest and thoroughly enjoyed our MDR Anytime dining with the regular menu. The bar/drinks staff was a bit limited and seemed to be stretched a bit thin, so waits for ice tea, drinks and coffee were a bit long, but otherwise Great service. Loved our January Cruise again!

We sailed Conquest out of FLL Jan. 24 - Feb. 1 and had Mike Pack as our Cruise Director. I have to say he was the BEST Cruise Director we have ever had. His energy is contagious, his humor is fun for all. He got my husband, who NEVer gets in on the fun, involved. We joined "The Inaugural Egg Drop Contest" and had the most fun. Mike had all three floors of people overlooking the atrium dancing and singing along with a music trivia contest. His suit of British flags is a hoot. He starts the cruise by saying he wants to meet everyone on board - and I believe he does. With a grin and a hug for all. The rest of the crew all pick up on his friendliness and energy and we were impressed by how personable, friendly, energetic and helpful All the rest of the crew were.

Absolutely the best. I would choose our next cruise just by knowing he would be our Cruise Director.

San Juan for us! Right inside the port building was a shop (January 2014) with Buy One Get TWO Free!! Bought 1 bottle of Canadian whiskey, got 1 free, then 1 free bottle of a flavored liquor (Coconut rum, Vanilla Kaluha, etc.) We took our 6 bottles on ship and then were so thrilled with the deal, we went back and got 6 more.

We declared all on our customs form, but were not asked to pay duty.

My wife and I had a great experience with "on board" credit during the Maiden Voyage of Quantum of the Seas.

 

..... because of glitches during the first two days of the cruise, RC added $650.00 in "on board" credit to my account. :)

NOW I"m jealous!! We were on the Voyager TA in April of 2012 out of new Orleans and the Casino was closed for the first 6 days for "renovations". The total OBC given was $100 per Cabin (not per person)! Quite a few upset people on that one and comparatively measly compensation (IMHO)!

Nevermind! :-) I see my answer. The TA was in April 2012. Mystery solved. Thanks to all, Ann

You are supposed to get an extra cruise point per night if you are a single in a stateroom than normally holds two or more, no matter the supplement.

Your statement got me looking back at my points. I noticed that I did Not get double points for my first cruise with RCCL which was a 16 night Transatlantic.

I guess at the time I assumed it was because it was my first cruise and I had no standing. Now I'm wondering... should I have gotten double points?

Your advice and opinions are welcome. I'll call if it looks like it may make a difference. Thanks in advance, Ann

We'll, I guess I was right the first time. I'm confused though because when you look at the new menus they have Grand Turk port of call and then the American Feast menu looks like it is the last day. :confused:

Hope you have better luck with the new menu. The wait staff was under-trained and over-worked in delivering the new menu when we sailed Liberty 1/25/14 out of Miami. We had "Your Time Dining", sat in 3 different stations and it took a grueling 2 + hours to be served a 3 course meal. None of the meals were memorable. The fish was dry, the veggies were cold, the "prime rib" was tough and sliced very thin and it took at least 3 requests each night to get coffee served after dinner.

We have always enjoyed our Carnival cruises and have raved about the food and service to friends after each cruise. Unfortunately, not this time. Don't know if it was the new menu, the dining room management or the kitchen staff, but it was one disappointment after another. We enjoyed the lobster, the ribs, the escargots and the ice cream. Other choices were, at best, forgettable. Service was harried and unsure of how to get food out in a timely fashion. They admitted it was new to them and they were still getting used to it. At one point we asked repeatedly for coffee and the server insisted on taking dessert orders before serving coffee. Training? Dining room management? Who knows, but unacceptable.

We'll continue to hope they seriously reconsider the new menu and service style and get back to the standards we enjoyed previously.

 

We left for Rome on Tuesday, 10/23, flying overnight and landing the next morning. Luckily it wasn't a full flight. We each had our own row to completely lay out and get some sleep.

 

 

http://www.romapass.it/

WONDERful review so far! Can't wait to read more. We're going to be doing essentially the same trip next year. Could you please tell me where you flew out of to get to Rome? Did you do a multi-city round trip? And how reasonable (or un-) was the airfare? Thanks!

We just returned from a cruise on the Fantasy on Monday (3/2) after a rough ride home. However our day at Playa Uvas was the highlight of the trip. We were a family group of 15 with ages 7 - 82. Because the cruise shore excursion wouldn't let us sign up the 7 year old for snorkeling, we reserved the "Playa Uvas Snorkel, Lunch and Open Bar Pass" directly through email. Check their website at http://www.playauvas.com

We had a prompt reply from Eduardo Esquer confirming reservations. $39.00 per adult, $27 per child under 12, and $7 for the entrance fee (it's part of the National Marine Reef Park) for Grandma. They didn't tell us that $7 fee included a free drink - Grandma chose the margarita! We took cabs from Cozumel (prices are posted and are per cab not per person) for the short ride to the beach and were quickly signed in by Carmen at the front desk. She watched out for us the whole time and made sure everyone was happy.

After a swim in the incredibly clear water, we were all gathered together for the snorkeling. There were about 20 people total (including several who were there through the cruise excursion). After a walk down the beach, (with a picture on the way) a quick and easy lesson in use of the equipment (which even the 7 year old mastered), we headed into the water for an amazing guided tour of the reef. Our guide dove and brought up giant star fish, showed us eels and stingrays, led us to a fresh water cenote' underwater filled with bright yellow fish, and much much more. It took about an hour to get back to the beach and was just the right amount of time for beginners and those of us who don't walk as much as we should, much less flip flippers on a regular basis.

As soon as we returned we were handed the first of many drinks (margaritas, pina coladas and beer on tap). The waiters were very attentive and our glasses were never empty. We sat down to our lunch (fajitas, fish, and burgers and fries for the kids) which was very tasty and as the drinks kept coming, we relaxed on the beach, swam some more and took walks along the shore to collect shells and coral and sea urchins.

Several of us were not thrilled with our pictures but we asked to have him take it again with the whole family and we were quickly accommodated. That picture came back very quickly and was very good - we bought 4 copies! We headed out at around 2:30 to get in a bit of shopping at the pier. Everyone agreed it was a great time and totally worth the money. It took a bit of a leap of faith for us to venture out on our own but it was to sooooo worth it.

I'm sorry I don't remember the names of the guides and waiters and other helpers - they were all wonderful and deserve mention. The beach was quiet, clean and family friendly. Carmen was available to answer questions, guide us and make our stay enjoyable. Cabs were waiting for us as we were ready to leave. I don't usually write such long replies but this place was special and deserves to be mentioned. We all agreed that if we could spend a whole vacation at Playa Uvas we would be happy.