negc

I don't understand that either, they are telling you to go when the alarm sounds which is what would happen in a true emergency. We always wait until the alarm begins sounding, then quickly go. I've never been "scolded" but I do feel a few "glares" from people.:D

 

Sherri:)

I believe that the persons who are being criticized are those who stroll casually into the muster station fifteen or twenty minutes after the alarm sounded. It shouldn't take that long to get to the muster stations from even the farthest corners of the ships.

It has been a number of years since wearing life jackets has been a requirement on any RCI ship.

Last month on the Jewel we actually had muster in Portofinos (that was a first for me). We got to sit at tables with table cloths and everything. Everyone showed up on time - it was awesome (especially since there were several disabled people in the group and it would have been a hardship for them to have been standing outside)! But when muster was over the staff hurried us out quickly so they could get ready for dinner! LOL

On Radiance class ships many of the muster stations are inside (schooner bar, Chops, Giovanni's Table (or Portofino). Much better and I think it is much easier to pay attention to the instructions when you are not distracted by outside weather conditions. Some outside stations still exist but our staterooms usually include an inside muster station assignment.

I've always loved how those who establish smoking and nonsmoking sections of public areas seem to believe that smoke actually observes their arbitrary boundary lines and that staying in the non-smoking section will prevent the smoke from reaching and bothering you. Still don't understand why RCI casinos that used to prohibit smoking at least on formal nights no longer do so.:confused:

To whoever was asking about the revolving bar, i have not found one yet. I will ask a crew member before the end of the week.

 

 

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revolving bar is in the Vortex on Deck 13. I don't believe that it starts rotating until around 7 pm. That section is sometimes used as an overflow area for theDiamond Club. Across the hallway is the Hollywood Odyssey, the private lounge for evening cocktails for Suite guest, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members.

There are actually a number of ways that people are invited to the Captain's Table (either with the captain or another officer). It varies from ship to ship and cruise to cruise. Some captains enjoy hosting a table, others have no desire to do so. Apparently, John Denton is one Hotel Director who enjoys hosting a table. There are just so many variables that there is no hard and fast rule.

I think that you have hit it on the head. We have been fortunate enough to get an invitation on a number of occasions and I think that there have been various and different reasons for the invites. Well before we attained a high C&A status we were invited based on several different occasions. and as you mentioned sometimes the host has been someone other than the ship's Master including the Staff Captain, hotel director, food and beverage manager, Chief financial officer etc) We don't concern ourselves of the reasons and simply enjoy the experience. Now that they frequently offer lunch or dinner with an officer for all C&A members who have accrued a certain number of membership points, I think many more guests will get to share a meal with someone of rank and that can offer some fascinating conversations and experiences.:)

Everything the previous posters suggested and one more thing to ease your worry......

Oasis is the MOST stable ship I have ever been on, even in very rough waters. I never felt the ship moving until I saw the wake.

 

Enjoy your cruise and don't think about being sea sick.:)

While Oasis class is the largest of all current cruise ships and likely among the most stable. it is still far tinier than the ocean on which she sails. so it is impossible to guarantee a person who is extremely sensitive to motion that they will not suffer from seasickness if the seas are heavy when they sail on her. We are fortunate not to be subject to motion sickness and have sailed on every class of RCI ship, but I have still felt movement on each class depending on the sea conditions. Anyone who is especially prone to mal de mer should take whatever ameliorative measures are available to them and not depend solely on the size of the ship.

Hi Sal, try going when the Casino first opens and it surely won't be as bad as when it gets more populated with more folks that are smoking.

The problem is that, in our experience, at least, many smokers go into the casino merely to smoke and not to gamble. They are there even before the machines and tables are open and smoke doesn't observe artificial and arbitrary boundaries between smoking and non-smoking areas.

We were just on the Freedom at the end of August in a suite and had an over the water cabana on BB for $250. Looking at our Allure cruise at the end of August 2016, the cruise planner shows the over the water cabanas at BB for $495. You cannot book them online.

 

Why would we pay twice as much for exactly the same thing 1 year later?? I guess that was our last cabana on Labadee....:(:(

 

I am sure there are others who will pay it though.....:eek:

I would hope you are wrong about that. Unless they meet sufficient sales resistance and cabanas go empty, they will believe that this move was a wise one. Only if all of us who have been fans of the Labadee cabanas refuse to pay outrageous price increases do we stand a chance of seeing them decide against implementing this change.

We are considering booking a sailing on the Anthem of the Seas. In many ways, it represents a significant departure from other ships that we have sailed. (Note: We have not sailed Oasis class)

 

Based thing that I have read and CC member reviews, it would appear that for all of the technology and glitz, there are some questions about the Anthem, and Quantum class in general. It makes me wonder if this class of ships is for us.

 

Here is some background about us and our cruising "style". Is Anthem a good fit for us?

 

1. We are a 50 something couple.

2. In many ways, we cruise to get away. We don't have a great desire to "stay connected."

3. We like food variety and options and the ability to select our own dining time.

4. We choose MTD when sailing Royal and our experiences with MTD have been good. From this, one might think that Dynamic Dining is for us. But, Dynamic Dining has not been well received. Are there issues with making and honoring reservations and long waits? We only very rarely had any issues with Dynamic Dining on Quantum and they were more related to tech problems in the early period when Quantum was first carrying passengers

5. Do the indoor and outdoor areas have a "connection to the sea"? Are there outdoor lounge chairs away from the main pools with ocean view and breezes (preferably shady), or will we have to retreat to a balcony for this? Do public rooms have sea views? A number of public rooms have fantastic sea views, especially 270 lounge and the CL.

6. Does the ship handle crowds well, or are there a lot of lines?We experienced fewer lines than we did on some of the smaller cruise ships but obviously when shows were ending there might be some crowding, and if you wanted to eat in one of the dining venues at an especially popular time and hadn't made a reservation you might have a wait. Nonetheless we frequently decided to dine at a prime time (just two of us) without reservations and had no problem being seated promptly

7. Does the ship allow for spontaneity, or do you need reservations for all meals, shows, and activities?[COLOR="rgb(46, 139, 87)"]Reservations are suggested or recommended but not "required" While we made reservations for Mamma Mia and a few dining venues we pretty much otherwise made our own schedules and encountered few, if any, problems

We are looking forward to our next cruise on a Quantum class ship and I suspect that many of the early "problems" will have been addressed.:)

During westbound TAs the time was changed (moved ahead) at 2 am each day until the ship's time matched the time in the US port you are sailing to. On eastbound TA's it was our experience that the time change took place at noon. One reason we prefer westbound TAs - extra hours of sleep ;)

Yes, it is entitled 2016-2017 ADVENTURE Vacations. Not sure if it is in wide circulation yet because it just came out very recently. Great cover photo of a young snorkeler surrounded by colorful tropical fish.

There were sixteen of us on the Oasis in August (10 adults and 6 teens) and we all had MTD. We were seated at two tables and whenever we all chose to eat in the Main Dining room, we had only minimal waits to be seated and we had the same wait staff each time. My wife and I recently made Pinnacle but even when we were not dining with the rest of our group, they experienced no problems in being seated promptly even at the supposed peak times.:)

I read it all; paperbacks, hardcovers and my kindle. I love the cover for my kindle making it seem like I'm holding a book. One side is empty, the other side has the kindle. I wouldn't be happy holding a kindle without it. There were instances that I had some down time and since we usually book insides and PR cabins, the library provided a relaxing place to read. Sorry to read that the on board libraries might be phased out.

We have yet to be on an RCI ship where we couldn't find a quiet location where we could relax and/or read, whether that be in a library or elsewhere. Frequently we have noted in the Cruise Compass that a particular lounge has been designated a "Quiet Zone" for a certain number of hours.

For the past few years at least, RCI ships have shown the national games (not the regional games) on Fox and CBS on Sunday afternoon, NBC's Sunday Night game, the Monday night game on ESPN and they have been available on TVs in some of the lounges and on your stateroom TV as well. I expect that the new Thursday Night games will be shown as well.

It was still there in January but they had chairs in front of the bookcase. So, if people are sitting in the coffee bar area, they are blocking the books. Not a very good set up.

The location you refer to is where the library was moved to when the ship underwent its revitalization. Before then the library was a relatively small location on Deck 9 overlooking the Centrum. That area is now a new stateroom.

Headliner last week was Abbacadabra.

They were also the headliners on Oasis, August 1st cruise. We have seen them on Oasis twice in the past four or so years.:)

...

 

Never tried ordering liquor that early we do order OJ & tomato juice off the menu at no extra charge. There's always the minibar if you wanted to mix up a bloody mary or memosa. ...

Unfortunately the contents of minibar don't include the alcohol that would allow you to mix a bloody mary.

We were on Jewel a few months ago and didn't notice that the ship's temperatures were any different than they have been on any other ship on which we have sailed. Some guests are clearly more sensitive to temperature variations than others, so if you are concerned that the interior of the ship may be too chilly for you, a light jacket or sweater may be in order, regardless of where you are sailing. We have sometimes noticed that elevators and some hallways are warmer than other areas of the ship,but that may vary from one ship to another or one itinerary or another.

Bowser was on Jewel repo from San Diego to Vancouver earlier this year. Over the years we have seen many including Frankie Avalon, Herb Reed and the Platters,Joanne Worley from Laugh In, Robert Klein, Marty Allen etc. mostly entertainers who are in the twilight of their careers but who still put on a great show.

The Concierge Lounge is restricted to those actually IN a suite....so that's gonna be a "no-go" for your adult kids. No worries...you can get a drink or two and THEN meet them somewhere.

You are correct about access to the CL not being available to non-suite passengers or to Pinnacle Club members, but Suite Guests and Pinnacles ARE able to invite otherwise ineligible guests to dine in Coastal Kitchen with them. Reservations and mention that you are bringing guests are required.

Talent chief - another first post wonder. I know that everyone has a first post but not everyone has such negative experiences that he has to find CC to regurgitate everything that he finds lacking in his very first post. Since many others have disputed the accuracy of his claims, I won't respond except to say our most recent experience on Liberty did not match his. Fortunately, since his experience was so bad, I think we can safely conclude that we do not need to fear encountering him or poor Harriet on one of our upcoming sailings.

If there is a very large M&M, and we have attended some of the largest, there should also have been a very large and active roll call thread. Check out the roll call and see if there aren't a good number of folks that you would like to meet onboard. If you haven't actively participated in the roll call, the M&M may not be worth your time, but if you have been active online, chances are that you will probably want to meet some of the others who you have gotten to known online, Look them up at the M&M or other organized activities that will take place during the sailing (slot pulls, shore excursions, trivia competitions, etc.) Sometimes the door prizes are better than the standard RCI stuff that they give as prizes at trivia, so you might not go away empty handed.

We will be on the Grandeur the end of November and will using MTD. Do we need to reserve a time for each night or may we just walk up and be seated when a table is available? There some nights when we want to take our time before dinner and don't want to miss our reservation. Please advise.

 

Thanks Joe & Sally.

One of the beauties of MTD is that you don't "need" to make reservations, You don't have to dine at the same time each evening and even if you wish to reserve a specific time for some nights y you can also just walk in on other nights at a time convenient to you and expect to be seated fairly promptly. You can also request to have the same servers if you find a team that you especially like and they are available at the time you wish to dine. You are pretty much in control of your dining schedule with MTD.

Junior suites are not normal in the suite class of extras, so I would say no. You don't get all the suite perks in a Junior Suite, so C & A points would probably be normal unless changed recently.

Two points IS normal for sailing in a JS and it is not a recent change but has been the case for quite some time.

MTD is on deck 3. When they open (I believe at 5:30), you will be just fine...it isn't until around 6:30 that wait times start to get crazy. The best thying to do is to make a reservation for each night. We didn't do this in advance of sailing, rather we did it after we left the dining room each evening. Or, you can just stop by the first day and set it up for the entire week if you choose.

 

I love MTD, it's far more convenient when cruising with little ones.

Our party of 16 had MTD on Oasis in August and it worked out quite well even though we ate elsewhere on some of the 7 nights. When we did eat in the main dining room we were always able to dine at the same tables (10 and 6) or tables close by and had the same wonderful wait staff whenever we were there. Most nights we ate at some time between 7:15 and 7:45.