Jimnbigd

OP...Sounds like you haven't tried any RC ship with the ice rink -- voyager, freedom, and oasis class. The ice show is fabulous. Plus, Cafe Promenade (free) is open just about 24 hours (close for a half hour or so in the wee morning for cleaning) -- A previous poster said they could not find free food late at night. Sorrentos pizza (also free) is also open until 2am or so, on ships that have it (freedom and oasis for sure). Room service has a fee, but I think Carnival does also now.

Carnival does have Guys burgers, Mongolian grill, and made-to-order sandwiches, but these lines move very slow. My last Carnival was the Conquest. I was 4th in line at the Mongolian grill and it took 15 minutes before I had my food.

Dining room:  Carnival = neon lights; RC = chandeliers, especially on larger ships like voyager and freedom. I don't know about oasis and other RC large ships but these probably have elegant dining rooms also.

Music: RC had 23 musicians on my last cruise (Liberty of the seas, Halloween 2019) -- a 4-piece dance band, 3-piece salsa band, 4-piece pool band, piano bar, classical guitarist, pub singer/guitarist, and 9-piece ships orchestra. The Carnival Conquest (my last Carnival cruise) had maybe 12 -- 5 piece ships band, 3-piece dance trio, piano bar, 2-piece pool band, and maybe a couple of more but I can't remember so it might be only 10. I've heard Carnival has done away the pool band and uses a DJ.

Carnival cabins are bigger, but for me does not hold as much as RC.

I really like RC voyager and freedom class ships much more than any Carnival I've done.

You can have some bottled water in your cabin (a pint I think) per diamond member. It should be there when you board. And I think you can now bring some bottled water with you -- not sure exactly how much but I remember reading you can now bring water and soft drinks on RCI. Also, I find the ship's tap water to be as good as most bottled water.

Good to know if the machine is still down I can get cappuccino at Cafe Promenade. Maybe it might be fixed or replaced when I board this Sunday.

When you sign up, have everyone come that needs sign-in / sign-out privileges.  Also, while not required, it is nice to tip the AO counselors the last full day -- $5 or $10 is fine per child. You might hand the money to the child and have the child tip the counselor (while you watch of course).

I've been on the Rhapsody many years go. I am heavy to start with and always put on more weight overeating on the ship. And please don't call me a dumbbell. Oh...You meant weight in the gym. Nevermind. 🤗

My RCI Galveston ships have always been 6:30 and 8:30, unless they did only one show (sometimes done on the first day and last full day -- then usually 7:15). Love and Marriage was always late night, as were the adult comedy shows. I'll find out in a couple of weeks if this changed. Does the AOS have the 70's disco party in the promenade? If so, what time? Ours from Galveston is usually 10pm. And the Quest is usually 10 or 10:30pm. Of course, neither of these are in the main theater.

I'd be disappointed with 8pm for Love and Marriage show, since we usually have late fixed-time dining and would miss it (unless we eat other than the MDR, such at the buffet).

I was happy with the coffee from Cafe Promenade -- better than the buffet or dining room I think. Being an RCI diamond member, the best now for me is the free capucinno in the diamond lounge -- really good.

The video mentioned liquids. Liquids are OK and not limited to 3oz in carry on when boarding the ship. It is the airports that restrict this. Same for scissors. After all, your checked luggage is delivered to your cabin, so you end up with the liquids or scissors in the cabin one way or another.

I would add: Stop mail delivery.

Thanks.  Leaving on LOS on Oct. 27. Phil Anderson should be in the Schooner bar then. As for Bubba Feathers, I don't think he's been back since his wife died a couple of years ago. And -- I wish Derek Lewis would return. We had him back once a few years ago after an absence from Galveston cruises. I miss his "Adult Day Care".

Ideally you should have fixed time dining and several tables that all have the same waiter and assistant waiter. That way you'd all finish about the same time. One reason I recommend fixed time dining for large groups: You can be seated without waiting for others to arrive. BTW: Forget about having everyone meet for breakfast or lunch. I've tried it. There are always some who choose not to come, and don't tell anyone they are not coming -- so everyone else stands around near the entrance and waits for the "no shows". Tip: Ask the waiter to have the cheese & fruit plate (no extra charge) on each table for dinner so those who arrive first have something to munch on while waiting for the stragglers.

One reason we get late dining is to enjoy the DL longer. It thins out just before early dining -- before that it can be hard to find a place to sit.

I should add after I unpack, my wife and I usually go to the RCI Diamond Lounge since by then the free drinks have started.

4 hours ago, leaveitallbehind said:

We have also done different 7 day itineraries from San Juan several times and enjoyed that as well.  Old San Juan is a good departure / return port that is worth some sightseeing as well.

Good point. If you want lots of ports, consider flying to San Juan and doing a Southern Caribbean route. And of course Miami / Ft. Lauderdale have lots of options.

I prefer RCI over Carnival, mostly for the entertainment. Food can actually be better on Carnival. Are you or your parents RCI Diamond members? If so, the free drinks each evening and other Diamond perks might make a difference. Are there any RCI voyager or freedom class ships available?  These might be a little cheaper.

I'm usually still unpacking my luggage.

2 years ago it took about 3 weeks. (USA). My big complaint is that there s a period of time when we do not have a passport because we have to mail in the current one. I wonder what people who have to travel outside the USA do during this time when they don't have a passport? It takes time, even if expedited. Be sure to use certified mail to send in your current passport.

On 10/8/2019 at 12:28 PM, GTO-Girl said:

When we get our luggage unpacked and finished muster drill!!

Ditto.

Maybe a Halloween costume, if you want -- Do Canadians dress up for Halloween like we do in the states?

Note that there is a time change on Sunday, Nov 3 -- back one hour.

Also I see you are in New York City on Nov. 11 -- that is veterans day, a holiday for some, and I think a parade.

Note that for breakfast and lunch in the main dining room (MDR), it is open seating but group tables. You'll be seated with others who have arrived just before or after you. At least this is true on cruises I've been on (Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian). When we started cruising over 20 years ago, even breakfast and lunch had assigned times. And, as you may know, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) has open seating all the time. (I think you can have a fixed time, but it is not quite the same as Carnival or Royal Caribbean fixed time). Also, if you are traveling with others in different cabins and you want fixed time dining, you should have your reservations "linked".  This links all of you to the same dining table and time.

We've had some great table mates for evening dinner, and we've had others who moved after the first night. I think they try to match age groups, but this has not always happened with us.

Suggested gratuities have gone up.

5 hours ago, kateg said:

Ah, I can't understand those who do dining room breakfast ha ha.  I LOVE even the most abysmal breakfast buffet.  I can eat as much fruit as I want and pick the crispiest bacon.  3 types of breakfast potatoes on one plate-yes please!

You can order as much as you want in the dining room. RCI (at least the ships I've been on) have a buffet area set up in the middle of the dining room for breakfast (except the debarkation day -- not sure why as it would probably speed up the process). Want more after you have finished your plate?  Order more.

As for debarkation breakfast -- We find the MDR to actually be faster than the buffet. But we drive, so we are not in a big hurry to get off the ship.

I just viewed a video of the Watefront on NCL. It looks nice, but I wonder if it is windy when the ship is moving. Deck 4 on RCI can get very windy when the ship is moving. Still, with proper wind screens, maybe something could be done on deck 4 on the voyager and freedom class ships.

6 minutes ago, ileys said:

Having cruised both lines, I would definitely like to see something like the Waterfront on NCL in place on the Oasis class ships.  Royal has great ships, but they tend to separate you from the water, while the Waterfront allows that connection, and it is so nice to have a drink outside and in such proximity to the ocean.

 

Carnival has copied this on their newer ships, and I would not be surprised to see Royal follow suit.

Not sure what the waterfront is, but deck 4 on the voyager and freedom class has nice outside areas to see the water.

I've done 4 NCL cruises, but not since 2003 (Hawaii). My ships have been the SS Norway, Norwegian Sea (twice) and the Norwegian Star. The flow was fine on these. It sounds like NCL messed up on their new ships, but I can't speak directly about these ship. My wife and I don't like the freestyle dining -- we prefer fixed time because we like the shows, and shows are scheduled around fixed dining times. Plus my wife has MS and flying is difficult for her (more so lately). So usually we sail from Galveston. We definitely prefer RCI over Carnival, so we sail RCI.

I've gotten red wine at a bar with my 3-free-drinks. I had already been in the diamond lounge and had a few drinks. So I took the wine back to my cabin, poured it in a bathroom glass (because the wine glass is somewhat unstable if the ship starts rocking). Later, after happy hour is over, I'd go back to my cabin, pour the wine back in the wine glass, and have a "free drink" after DL happy hour is long over. I use red wine because it does not have to be chilled. The fridge in the cabin is not always very cold, and there is not always ice in the cabin, so chilled wine does not work as well. Mixed drinks that I order are often served with ice, so that does not work since the ice melts and make the drink watery. Anyone else taken a drink back to your cabin for later consumption?

Also, does anyone know the official rule for "time between orders". I don't think we can order 2 DL drinks on the same ship card at the same time at a bar. Also, on my last cruise, the DL drinks were no longer available in theater. So, I' d go to another bar (usually the Schooner or the Casino), get a drink, and take it into the show. I wonder why they stopped doing DL drinks in the theater, and is this true for all ships now?

6 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

I think it is unlimited in DL and 3 in other bars.

Correct. I'm just not sure if all RCI ships do the "3-drinks in other bars". When we first became diamond, the voyager class ship (Mariner I think, but might have been Navigator) did not yet have a DL. We got beer and wine and appetizers in the deck 5 front lounge or in the then "cloud nine" section on deck 14, but no mixed drinks and nothing in other bars. Later they converted the golf club bar on deck 14 into the DL with full happy hour drinks. When the DL got too crowded (often overflowing into part of the main Viking Crown area), they started putting the 3 drinks onto each card.

BTW -- Even though the sign says something like "drinks in the DL are to stay in the DL", I've never had a problem taking a drink from the DL with me outside the DL. Has anyone been stopped from doing this?