negc

Well, your post says "no access to the diamond lounge". Perhaps it should have said "no specialty coffees available to diamond members.

People immediately see your post and panic that the diamonds are being kicked out of the lounge.

The coffee machine in the concierge lounge was not working last week, so no cappucino available there, either......in fact, no coffee or hot water.

This is the first I've read of this issue of Diamonds being kicked out of the lounge.

 

We are also onboard Serenade and have been for this cruise and the previous fjords cruise.

 

Diamonds have not been kicked out of the lounge, they have the entire safari club as a diamond lounge on deck 6.

 

Diamond plus are using the Diamond Lounge on Deck 13, and suites and Pinnacles are using the Concierge Lounge on deck 13.

 

We were onboard last week also, and concierge lounge was open for suites, pinnacles and diamond plus. However, over 500 diamond and over 300 diamond plus boarded for the transatlantic, so they had to separate the lounges. All lounges have the same drinks and the same hors'd'oerves, and both the diamond lounge and safari club have better views.

 

No one would be happy to squeeze 800 diamond, diamond plus into the diamond lounge,

 

I think it was a great solution, everyone has a place to go and enjoy a cocktail and conversation.

I've always liked the request for a sock with a hole in it. :D

Amazing how few people realize that all socks have a hole in them or you wouldn't be able to put them on your feet.;)

Thank you, I was late to the game and 1 is closed and 2 is way too late..

We've found that with mtd, diners can be seated as early as 5:30 pm even though first seating frequently doesn't begin until 6pm

In some aspects of daily life you don't have a choice, but in buying a cruise you do. I know what happens when I get crappy service and I have a choice to spend my dollars elsewhere.

 

I believe you would be better served waking up and smelling the coffee for yourself.

What you say is fine, as long as you can find another cruise line that doesn't have the same problem with its call centers. If not, you may find yourself on another cruise line thread voicing the same dissatisfaction. If you should find that top notch line that can provide you with the quality service you expect, please come back and share your information with us.

Where are you getting this? Freedom docked there today, but there is nothing on the schedule going forward that substantiates what you posted.

Isn't it interesting(?) how some can take one example (such as Freedom docking at CB) and conclude that this is proof that all of the ships in the fleet will now dock at CB when in St. Thomas.

Barefoot Beach is much better than the beach at CocoCay, IMHO. Also more private, as only suite guests/pinnacle guests and cabana guests are allowed at Barefoot Beach, so less people.

The beach is also closer at Barefoot Beach, where as you have to leave the cabana area at CocoCay to access the beach.

My understanding has been the same as one of the other posters, namely, guests in junior suites (not regular staterooms) can make dinner reservations for Coastal Kitchen) but not for breakfast and lunch, and Pinnacle Club members have access to CK for breakfast, lunch AND dinner. Obviously things are always subject to change, and RCI's IT department can often post incorrect info, but until there is some information that is more reliable than the "some unidentified insider who has made this claim", I expect that the OP should find that his reservation will be honored. Bringing along a printed confirmation is definitely a good idea.

Yes, whether or not the wait will be a long one may depend upon the particular dining venue and the time you show up but we were able to be seated and served fairly quickly on those occasions when we arrived without making a reservation

We have our next three cruises over the next five months booked on Serenade so I guess you can conclude that we love this ship and this class of ships, though we would not turn down a cruise on any other class of RCI ship.:D

When we sailed with him a few years ago, the CD was Dan Whitney and he brought back a number of the old cruise standbys including horse racing and the famed skit "If I were not upon the Sea...". Not sure if Dan is still reprising the favorites of times past, but perhaps someone who has sailed with him recently can let us know.

So, did the ship arrive by 7am in Miami. It took an hour for check out? I guess no breakfast is served at the last day of the cruise.

Have never been on an RCI ship where breakfast (even if only in the Windjammer) hasn't been served on the last day of the cruise. Arrival time in the port doesn't mean that debarkation will begin immediately but those doing express checkout and carrying all their luggage usually are allowed off pretty quickly.

Just off Allure two weeks ago, had suite/pinnacle luggage tags, walked off with the concierge at 8:15, at airport by 9 for a 10:10 flight.

BUT, we had TSA Pre check so no wait at FLL, checked our bags outside

Also, we could not locate one piece of luggage, spent about 10 minutes looking for it and finally filled out a Personal Loss Report, so probably would have been to the airport sooner if that hadn't happened. Lucky for us, they found our luggage and mailed it home, so all was good. Having the suite/pinnacle luggage tag also got us to the front of the line at Customs/Immigration, and that saved a lot of time as the regular lines were very long.

If I had a choice, I would book a flight after 11:30, but Jet Blue changed our flight to the 10;10 time and we opted to take our chances with the 10:10 flight, so it worked out this time.

I'll start with The Good:

 

-Brought cake and sang to 1 person who had a birthday.

One family member had a birthday the second night and we had ordered a cake to be brought to the MDR. Though the cake looked nothing like the one pictured online, it was delicious and they even had candles and several staff and nearby cruisers sang. Since we'd ordered dessert, they wrapped up the cake and it was still delicious the next day.

 

-SNF show. Enough said. This show is great. 1 tip: they say it is not for children though I wish they would give it a rating. We are a conservative family and several in my party were embarrassed and even walked out torwards the end. If you are easily offended I suggest you look up the story synopsis and decide if it is something you wish to view.

 

-air show. Very well done Cirque de solei type acrobatic show.

 

-cafe and pizza place in promenade. Already forgotten the name, but it was one of the only places open late at night. The kids in our party had pizza and pies to their hearts content.

 

-Windjammer buffet. This is the first cruise ever where we preferred the buffet to the MDR. By night 3 this is where we had all dinners. We found the food to not only taste better but there were more options. The service was far superior as well. Much faster and always with a smile. Each night they would walk table to table with some sort of "extra" (chocolate covered bananas on one night)

 

-The parade: all adults and children in our party loved this

 

-I had a massage and facial in the spa which was quite good. Other women in my group had massages, pedicures, and hair done. Everyone seemed satisfied with their appointments.

We've seen the Saturday Night Fever show and also thought it was pretty much on par with many other shows we have seen on cruise ships though not the best one we have seen.

With so many relatively positive comments, I can't wait to read the "Bad"points. They must have been horrific to make you swear off RCI after one cruise.

According to today;s Boston Herald, Anthem of the Seas will be making its first-ever call at the Port of Boston this week. Hope that it is the first of many.:)

If there is one thing that entertainment is NOT, it is " standard cruise fare." :eek:

 

 

 

That is funny, because she is modeled after Solstice class!!!!

Exactly. My first impression of both Quantum and Anthem was that they were designed by the people responsible for Celebrity's Solstice class ships. Much more understated and elegant, especially the various dining venues.:)

We are about to set sail on our cruise in a couple of days- Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Falmouth/Jamaica... However I keep looking at the weather for these 3 ports (maybe I shouldn't).. and I see rain :eek: But the weather report also seems to change daily... Is it typically the quick afternoon showers then sun.. or is there lots of rain hanging out in the Caribbean? We have beach excursions for all 3 ports. (maybe I should stop looking at the weather reports)

That's probably a good idea. Weather anywhere can vary considerably from day to day and in the Caribbean, while frequently you will experience occasional and reasonably brief showers, there are also times when a weather front stalls and you have days of rainy weather that sometimes seem to follow your ship. We've often found that packing an umbrella seems to help ward off any but the briefest showers, but there are no guarantees. Its always good to have a back up plan in the event that a rainy day interferes with your enjoyment of a beach day. Think positive thoughts and don't spend too much time checking weather forecasts.:)

So I am paying $41.50 per day for dining 'services' automatically, and eating at CK, and tipping them how much extra?

 

What would you say is appropriate?

 

Assume the service is excellent.

Are you eating every meal (Breakfast, lunch and dinner) in CK? No meals whatsoever in the Windjammer or in the main dining rooms? If so, ask them to not charge them to your onboard account, tip in cash to everyone who serves you and let your conscience be your guide. If, however, part of those dining room gratuities go to anyone other than the waiter, assistant waiter and dining room captain, they are being shortchanged by your action. In the greater scheme of things, the gratuity amounts are minimal in comparison to your overall cruise costs.

Liberty.....I looked everywhere for one. Maybe there WERE hidden. :(

"Hidden" in plain sight. LOL

Liberty.....I looked everywhere for one. Maybe there WERE hidden. :(

Not sure where you were looking or how you missed seeing them on Deck 8 of Liberty. We were just on that ship a few weeks ago and had no such problem finding or using them. There were at least a dozen available :)

RCI fairly recently eliminated the requirement that gratuities be prepaid and they now add the gratuities to your account daily in the same way that they do with all other passengers. I believe that, if you wish, you can still choose to prepay them but it is no longer a requirement.

Just 7 straight days, and wished we had more sea days.

Same for us and the same reaction. 7 days from Harwich, UK to Boston, MA on Brilliance of the Seas in 2002, no ports of call and it was terrific. :) Clo was our CD and she did a fabulous job including holdin a very moving commemorative ceremony on the first anniversary of 9/11.

I suppose it depends on your experience. My brother-in-law tried it and disliked it immensely. He planned out every day, reserved all the time slots he wanted based on shows, time in port, etc. And yet still spent a lot of time standing in the MTD line to get in to eat. Not sure which ship. It may have been when it was first introduced and they could have been still working out the kinks.

Based on our experience with MTD and on the many posts that have appeared on CC, your brother-in-law's experience may have been the exception that proves the rule. We were skeptical when it was first introduced but quickly became converts because of the flexibility it offers and the fact that the dining room staff almost always manages to sit us with our favorite servers regardless of when we arrive in the MTD section of the dining room. We, too, would find 5:30 too early and 8:30 pm too late so we can find a time in MTD that still permits us to see the evening entertainment on our schedule.

I am a chicken. Someone smoking next door I am hoping another guest staying nearby would report. You never know about bad tempers/action these people will do. I am nervous they would be really angry and find ways to get back at me.

My response probably won't calm your nerves. If that other nearby guest reports the offender, how do you know that the smoker won't blame you? If you are bothered by the smoke or by the fact that they are disregarding the ship's smoking policy, just report them to customer service and don't depend on someone else to do it for you. They will only get themselves in more trouble if they try to retaliate.

Makes me wonder. I booked our Allure cruise one year out (booked on 10/28/15) for the 10/23/16 sailing. We booked through a TA. We were told ONLY MTD was available. No traditional early or late seating available, which I found odd, since we were so far out.

 

I have never followed up or waitlisted, but we are a party of 8 and would like to sit together at least 4 out of the 7 nights on board.

 

Should I make a fuss? Is it typical for traditional seating to be unavailable so far out from sail date?

There shouldn't be a problem dining together in MTD as they make every effort to accommodate guests and there are tables that will seat 8 in My Time Dining. Just speak to the staff in the MTD section when you board and they can reserve a spot for your group. You can even dine at different times each evening if you so choose, and elect to dine in other venues on the nights when you don't want to eat in the main dining room.