RoperDK

On 4/23/2023 at 10:05 AM, nelblu said:

Does it have to be a new booking.  I have a booking for October and was wondering if I can apply the annual free sail to the booking.

We booked a refundable rate for Wonder in Jan. 2024 to hold the cabin we wanted.  We were able to apply our annual certificate and reprice at the non-refundable rate while keeping our original booking number and cabin.  I don't think this works if it is after the final payment date.  

We like to visit Coco Cay.  We might get off the ship or we might not.  It is relaxing to know we don't have to get ready for or rush to get to an excursion.  We play it by ear according to the weather and our mood. It's nice to enjoy the empty ship. Also, the casino is always open during the port stop. For us it is a win, win situation! 

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe that the phone on the other side of the bed has a USB port.  I know they are that way on other ships.

I was on an Oasis cruise during Yeshiva several years ago.  While we didn't have unruly children issues, it was very crowded.  Are Yeshiva cruisers only on Oasis or Quantum class ships?  We are looking at a Mariner 5 day in late January 2024 and it has limited cabins available.  Could it be for Yeshiva or are there other school holidays in late January?  Trying to figure out why the limited availability.  We can cruise whenever we want to, so would like to avoid the crowds.

We have friends on a visit to Key West right now.  She just texted me this morning that their favorite bartender at Sloppy Joe's told them that since cruises have been restricted that businesses have suffered.  I know the locals don't like the masses to overpower the town.  I don't really blame them.  However, cruise passengers buy trinkets, drinks, food, and do tours.  I believe that Royal always docks downtown. I'm sure it is more expensive to dock there than the old Naval base.  It might be more limited and expensive in peak tourist season, also. Perhaps the price is what limits them.  

17 hours ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

I felt Wonder had busy moments sometimes, but wouldn’t describe it as too crowded overall. Always found a seat everywhere we went. We had memorable times at a couple bars all to ourselves and chatted with a friendly bartender who recommended his favorite drinks to us. Enjoyed late dinners uncrowded. Can’t wait to get back on Wonder.

We were on Wonder in early March.  Probably a bad choice on our part.  There were 7000 passengers onboard.  We are pretty good at avoiding crowds at meals.  We never ate in the MDR for dinner.  We only ate at Windjammer after the lunch or dinner rush.  We ate in Coastal Kitchen 4 nights and had specialty dining for lunch and dinner a couple of times.  We ate breakfast several times at El Loco Fresh which was great until it was "discovered" mid-week.  We were able to reserve all of the shows we wanted before the cruise and had priority seating, so no real problem there.  We also stay on the ship during port stops most of the time and enjoy the quiet.  We aren't new to Oasis class, but the level of crowds on this cruise was just mind boggling.  It was a slog trying to get from one area of the ship to another.  Everyone was nice and kids were mostly well behaved, it was just too many people in a confined space.  We are retired and can cruise whenever we want.  We will be more aware of busy times in the future.  

I grew up in Coral Gables.  It is an upscale area. Mainly residential with some business and shopping areas along with nice restaurants.  It is not touristy with beaches and such.  There are very interesting sights, too....The Biltmore Hotel, Venetian Pool, and the Miracle Mile.  I gather you will only be staying one night, though.  Access to the airport will be easier than South Beach.   

Both of our Prime free cruise certificates are coming soon.  We have zoned in on Wonder 7 day or B2B Mariner 4/5 day in January 2024.  We would book a junior suite on Wonder or a grand suite on Mariner.  We just got off of Wonder a few weeks ago and were in a JS.  We had a great time and ate in Coastal Kitchen several nights.  However, it was soooo overwhelmingly crowded.  We have cruised on Oasis class several times and truthfully, while I enjoy all of the activities, having the same layout on the ships gets a bit repetitive to me.  We cruised on Mariner last March and really enjoyed ourselves.  We were in a GS on that cruise and enjoyed the suite experience on the ship.  I know the GS experience on Oasis class is better than other classes of ships.  I guess we are wanting to sail on other classes of Royal ships for variety.  The Mariner cruises would end up being a few hundred dollars more than Wonder.  Any thoughts on our dilemma would be appreciated.

3 hours ago, Anton said:

The tier cruise for 2023-2024 just posted, but now it's gone from my casino account.  Others reporting the same problem.  It was probably posted prematurely and they took it down. 

For those that got a peak of the yearly tier cruise offer, was it limited to 7 days or did they expand it back to 8 days?

All right, I'll chime in.  We avoid drinks with ice in certain ports unless we trust that they use purified water. We also avoid salads and other items that are rinsed with local water.  We thought we were safe until DH got sick from what we suspect was a contaminated cut lime in a beer.  It hit him a few hours after we left port.  He was pretty miserable for a couple of days. He was mildly sick for several weeks after that.  He only improved with 3 weeks of antibiotics.  While we are tempted to try local foods, we are very cautious now. 

Any truth to the rumor that Prime drinks will only be while playing starting on May 1st.  This is a deal breaker for us and the reason we gave up on Carnival.  I can count on one hand the number of times a waiter offered a drink in the casino while playing slots.  If you are playing tables there is more access.  I can cruise on Carnival for a lot less and buy the drink package.  Hope it isn't so.  

On 4/2/2023 at 7:50 AM, island lady said:

IMHO..it could possibly be JS  not listed any longer as a suite on set sail pass...since technically they are not "full suites".    JS pax had suite priority check in and boarding probably a bit longer than they were meant to be.  

 

You will not have keyed access to CK or the SL either, and no guarantees to dine in CK (dinner only on available basis).  

 

On last check JS still had priority embarkation listed as an amenity.  Haven't seen anything to contradict that fact.    

I used to buy internet and shared it with my DH.  I wanted to keep in touch with deployed military family members, elderly parents, and fur baby sitters.  It gave me peace of mind and worth every penny.  We now buy internet for both of us and I can text and call my DH instead of using the inconsistent chat feature on the app.  Not really necessary but we are used to instant communication.  

3 minutes ago, Ret MP said:

Star class as you stated but much more, tangibles and intangibles.

 

Your suite is stocked every day, all day with non-alcoholic drinks and beer, no limit.  The suite is stocked on regular bases or as needed with cold cuts. sandwiches, cakes, ice cream sundae bar, finger foods, pizza, meals from whatever restaurant you want.  All handled by the Genie.

 

Some of the intangibles:  Priority access to almost every activity, and reserved seating in almost all activities, shows, and events.  Genie is always there to sort out any and all issues that may arise.  Escort to events, shows, and off the ship at ports of call.  Need to do something with the Customer Service desk, Genie will take care of it.  Genie will meet you upon embarkation day in front of the terminal with a ship's porter, not a port porter, who takes your luggage directly to your suite after security.  That is done while your Genie escorts you to your suit and giving a little tour of the ship.  Your suit and luggage are waiting on you when you first get on the ship and several welcome fruit plates (including chocolate cover strawberries), cold cut plates, and whatever you specifically asked for to be there.  And so so so much more.  Every Genie we've had so far gave every member of our party a fairly decent gift, not just a key chain type thing.  On Symphony each of us got one of those ceramic models of the ship.  Can't remember the others right now.  And, from what we've experienced, the word NO isn't spoken by a crew member, that would be handled by the Genie, but they are there to say yes.  

 

Thanks for adding in all of the extra details.  We will hopefully be able to try Star Class one day!  

9 hours ago, Pandamonia said:

I often wonder who pays 20k for a suite on a floating budget hotel (which is what cruise ships are) 

 

You essentially pay 20k for the almost same experience someone who paid $600 gets. 

 

 

 

 

I disagree.  Suites on Royal have more amenities than inside cabins. On newer ships ( where you are more likely to pay that $20k) suites have many amenities that add dollar value to your cruise.  Star class has included drink packages, ultimate dining package, internet, a private Genie to cater to your wishes, the private suite restaurant, the private suite lounge and pool deck.  The suites are spacious and have luxurious added touches.  We personally have never splurged for Star class, but we always travel in at least a Junior Suite and mostly Grand Suites.  We look for bargains and have a dollar limit for our cabin costs.  That works for us.  

8 hours ago, mcurban said:

Do they every do the beef tenderloin- just for one? My husband would get it with me just because he's a kind fellow, but I'm sure he would enjoy the lamb or lobster more. 

Yes, I had the tenderloin for just one on Wonder 3 weeks ago.  My husband wanted the Halibut, so they brought me out the tenderloin for one.  I also mentioned that I was curious about the lamb and they brought me a small portion to sample, also. 

On 7/22/2022 at 8:04 PM, Ozark_Kid said:

Has anyone eaten there for the Halibut? 

My husband had the Halibut on Wonder 3 weeks ago.  He said it was good.  Not fresh off the boat in Alaska good, but just fine. 

Is this benefit for any D+ or when you reach 340?  

6 hours ago, Pratique said:

Out of curiosity I spent a few hours researching Celebration. Although the Excel ships have added many suites, they are all modest in size. The forward and aft suites have incredible balconies but all of the cabins are somewhat ordinary for a such a large ship. As far as I can tell, there is no dedicated suite lounge other than Loft 19 which is open air (?), and not much more in perks other than concierge services, free soda, and free room/laundry service. Overall it would be a step down from Royal's offerings.

Mardi Gras/Celebration have 2 levels of suites.  They all include priority embarkation, 2 large bottles of water, a dedicated guest service line, and priority debarkation.  The upper (Excel) suites also include laundry, soda package and free room service.  The room service is only from the very limited room service menu.  Excel suites have access to Loft 19 but have to pay for cabanas.  Loft 19 has a pool, hot tub, and drink service.  The benefit of booking with Carnival is price. Royal has better perks especially on Oasis and Quantum class ships.  We prefer Royal, but Sky and Star class is soooo expensive right now.  

12 hours ago, Thisguylikestocruise said:

On Wonder they did have breakfast, it must vary by ship.

They do have breakfast, but it is American style.  Think eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, and waffles.  It was good, but not like Blue Iguana.  There you have empanadas, breakfast burritos and huevos rancheros.  They also have the Mexican fixins bar set up, too. Quite good!      

If he enjoys Dad time and is active and fit, then Wonder has soooo much to do.  We just got off the March 5th Wonder cruise and it was full to the brim with young families.  I saw so many Dads spending time with their kids (suspect Mom wanted some quiet time 😉).  Saw many Grandmas and Grandpas spending time with their grands, too.  The ship was maxed out and while there were lines at mealtimes and when shows let out at the elevators, the crowds were pretty well spread out. The trick is to go to the venues either early or after prime time.  I truly hope that he decides to go and has an amazing time. Wouldn't that prove him wrong.  

We just did lunch a couple of weeks ago on Wonder.  The only green cooked veggie was asparagus.  They did have a wedge and Caesar salad option.  The other sides were mac and cheese or fried, mashed, or tot potatoes.

We are booked on Wonder on Jan. 28, 2024. Since Wonder did B2B Yeshiva cruises last year, where could I find info on what will happen in 2024?  We accidentally sailed on this week a few years ago on Oasis.  We didn't have any venues (Solarium Bistro) closed and really had no issues.  Perhaps the group is much larger now.  I don't care to cruise with any extremely large group on a cruise.  Too much of a chance that they will impact the venues and enjoyment of the cruise.  

9 hours ago, Sun Lover said:

What is the main difference between the main dining room and Coastal Kitchen?  We will be on Anthem in a few weeks and have a JS booked for the first time.  We are thinking of trying to book dinner in Coastal Kitchen at least one night just to see what it's like. I assume it's much smaller than the main dining room but is the food or service upgraded?  

Coastal Kitchen is an upgrade from the MDR.  Perhaps not quite specialty dining, but we are a fan.  Look at the CK menu on the app and you will see what they offer.  We enjoy the filet on night 1 and the veal chop on night 7.  The old everyday menu is still offered in CK.  It's a smaller venue with better service.  Hope you enjoy it!

On 3/11/2023 at 5:18 PM, ZoeyVictoria said:

This is not exactly what you asked about, but I think it is related.  I wanted to book a cruise in advance and convert it to my Prime cruise once it becomes available. I was told that I had to use another casino offer to book the cruise initially, then switch offers to the Prime offer once it becomes available.  A booking with no casino offer could not be converted.  

How confusing.  We just called and booked a refundable cabin on the Wonder for next January.  There were limited cabins in our category.  I asked every conceivable version of the question of whether we would be able to convert this booking to our prime free certificate (it would involve an upgrade fee).  The representative confirmed that all would be okay. I guess we will see how it works out, but I have been a victim of the fine print recently.  During the early COVID cruises there were no restrictions. Now it seems they change the rules all the time. We will see.....