sushitex

I am glad that Allure and Explorer are now on the list and are green. We have Explorer booked out of Galveston in May, and Allure out of Port Canaveral  in June,  and hopefully, both will sail. 

https://abcnews.go.com/Health/fda-authorizes-1st-covid-19-vaccine-united-states/story?id=74665712&cid=clicksource_4380645_2_heads_hero_live_hero_hed

It will be awhile before I can get the vaccine (I believe) but I am thrilled for all the medical and other front-line workers, as well as the elderly. 🙂

22 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

We did "home alone" for Thanksgiving and I really enjoyed it.      Christmas without seeing family is just too strange to me so I came up with a great plan (at least I think so). 

We are doing a Garage Christmas!   WooHoo!!     We have a large 2+ car garage and I have come up with a plan on decorating the garage and setting up chairs for our 2 adult sons and their girlfriends to visit on Christmas Day.     After they leave I plan on making a nice surf and turf dinner.

My Brother and his Wife will come the following day.   

We have not seen any of them in months.    I'm excited just to see our boys.

Everyone will wear masks and no eating or drinking as my DH is one of those high risk people due to being immuno-compromised, etc etc.   

One  of my 2 daughters has a big house, also with a 2- car  (or larger) garage, and we had our most recent Thanksgiving meet-up and meal in the garage, with the big garage doors totally opened. They used card tables and chairs to set up socially distant tables. We did have a buffet setup for the food in their dining room, but because their house is so spacious, we were able to stay safely away from each other’s immediate family members when serving up the food. 
 

Normally, my daughter’s in-laws are also present for these holiday gatherings, but this year, she had all her folks over for Thanksgiving lunch, and the in-laws ( and nephew and nieces) went to the same house for dinner, with the same garage setup. 
 

Thank heavens, no one got sick. No hugging, etc. but it was so nice to see my daughters and their families all in one place ( but all spread out, lol.) 

We all Iive  in the same city, so there was no traveling other than driving in our cars. 
 

I don’t know yet what our Christmas plans will be, though. If we don’t have a meal, I’m good with just dropping off their presents if that’s what is decided.

Quote

 

I haven't replied to any Cruise Critic comments in quite some time, but I have to agree with the previous poster...in at least 2 recent news articles, Biden said (emphatically): "No lockdowns."

https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-national-shutdown-lockdown-says-he-wont-shut-down-2020-11

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-11-19/biden-says-he-will-not-order-national-lockdown-to-fight-virus

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

 

Carnival should have automatically refunded taxes and port charges; therefore, the CC company should not reimburse you for them.

I just checked online using my app and the statements do not go back that far in the past, so I can’t verify about the refund details. I am fairly certain that Carnival gave us nothing back. The inherent irony is that the credit card that I used is a Carnival- branded World Master Card! 
 

Like the OP, at the time that this was happening, I was tending to my husband (who was in a great deal of pain because of his ribs) and may have been preoccupied with his care. As a bonus, our cat became very ill a few weeks later and we had to say goodbye to him. 😕

2 hours ago, Another_Critic said:

In addition to travel insurance, many credit cards have trip cancellation coverage.

Our World MasterCard has this coverage and we received a refund from Carnival via the credit card after we had to  cancel our cruise. 
 

Backing up a bit, dh had earned a comped cruise at the casino in the summer of 2015. We were only going to pay taxes and port fees, but we also paid the fare for our son to go as well. 
We decided not to pay for travel insurance for the cruise, although we had done so for a few previous cruises. 
 

In early December of the same year, dh unexpectedly suffered a heart attack. Thank goodness,  he recovered, but due to the CPR, he had several very sore ribs and was in no shape to go on the cruise, which was scheduled for around Christmas. 
 

When I phoned Carnival to cancel the cruise,  of course I asked for a refund due to the circumstances. We were well past the final payment date, and had no insurance, so, nope, nothing. They were sorry, but we were denied. 
 

I then reread the fine print concerning our MasterCard, called them, did all the required documentation, and eventually received a credit for the cruise fare for our son ( don’t recall about recovery of the taxes and port charges.) 

After this happened, I did some research and I have been booking travel insurance from independent companies online for our cruises. The cost has been less, while the coverage is better, than either Carnival or Royal. While we thankfully haven’t needed  to file a claim yet, at least we have peace of mind while cruising. 
 

As a matter of fact, this message string reminded me to obtain travel insurance for upcoming cruise in November  ( which I just did.) 
 

So yes, we learned a hard lesson, and being denied the refund and going through the process with the credit card company only added to the enormous stress our family was dealing with because of the heart attack. 
 

As much as I grumble about paying for travel insurance, I now realize that my husband and I aren’t getting any younger, and we probably should pay for it. 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-deals/2019-jingle-mingle
 

I believe it’s from this offer. Dh didn’t receive it himself but I believe  that he is eligible. We can’t go because we work around the local school calendar, but I would love to go if it’s offered next year ( we hope to be retired by then!) Hopefully, next year there will be another Galveston sailing included! 

3 hours ago, rusty nut said:

I keep hearing this and it has not been our experience with 11 cruises with RCI. I've been on Viking Serenade, Monarch, Majesty, Navigator, Voyager, Adventure, Oasis and Allure. All of them (don't remember Viking Serenade, it was too long ago) had actual working refrigerators. They kept our bottled water ice cold, not just "cool". I'll be bringing a thermometer on our next cruise to document.  

Like I posted somewhere in this thread, we have been on only 1 Royal cruise so far. We didn't request a true refrigerator at the time of booking because we didn't need one then. However, a few months later, dh started to give himself a nightly injection (not insulin, another drug) and he needs to keep the med at a cool temperature. He even hand-carried an insulated bag on board the Liberty. We thought about requesting a true refrigerator, but it turned out that the "chiller" kept the med cool enough for it to be safe to use. Not so with the 1 can of Diet Pepsi that was also in his bag, lol...I had to get ice to get my Diet Pepsi "fix" up to speed, lol. 

Are you saying that other Royal ships may have true refrigerators? I hope so, because we have future cruises booked!

Ah, that is why there is still an expectation of chocolates, lol! 

On our last cruise on NCL (November 2016) there were no chocolates on the pillows at night. On our last cruise with Carnival (March 2019) also no chocolates on the pillows. On our first cruise with Royal this past June/July, no chocolates on the pillows, either.  We haven't sailed with any other cruise lines, so after not seeing them on the last Carnival cruise, I wasn't expecting them on Royal. Are other cruise lines still providing them?

Personally, I don't care much for the chocolate mints; I used to give them to either dh or ds, or just leave them on the counter.

I have only been on 1 Royal cruise, and  I feel that when comparing Royal with both Carnival and NCL, each line has its own pluses and minuses. I really liked the O'Sheehan's on board the Pearl...I think that I requested that we eat lunch there every day! On the Carnival Glory, dh and I loved eating at the BBQ place which was above the regular buffet restaurant. I believe that we also ate lunch there every day. Strangely enough, we have eaten Guy Fieri's burgers before, and maybe they just weren't for us. However, on Royal's Liberty OTS, we used some of our OBC to go to Johnny Rocket's twice; the first time, to try it out, the second time, because we liked the food so much. We also thought that the Windjammer on the Liberty OTS was better than any buffet restaurant on the Carnival and NCL ships that we have sailed on. 

I have a suggestion about laundry and clothes: try rolling your clothes and place them in packing cubes. We didn't want to use the laundry service on the Royal cruise because we thought it too pricey, and simply brought enough clothes by rolling and using packing cubes. The only clothes we didn't roll and place in cubes were the suit jacket, slacks, and dresses meant for the formal nights. 

I was also a little wary about checking out towels to use in the pool areas on the Royal cruise, but I just made a point of handing the towel(s) back to the attendant before I left the pool area, or after we returned from the beach. As for the towels in the stateroom, I think I recall a posted sign asking that we either hang them or place on the floor if we needed new ones, but I could be wrong. 

I missed the robes (got used to them from Carnival) but in all honesty, I rarely used them, and neither dh or ds ever wore them.

As for clothes being put away, I actually had some shorts and shirts lying (neatly) on the sofa that was provided in our room. I had changed to go to dinner and was going to put them back on afterwards. Our room steward must have decided that they needed to be put away in the laundry bag that we had left sitting nearby, because that's what he did. Oh well, luckily I had brought plenty of clothes due to the packing cubes, lol. 

We were too stingy to buy the Key (I think that it was sold out, anyway, when we used the cruise planner) so I don't have any comments about that. I know that the one or two times that I walked by the flow rider, it was mostly empty, and this was on a holiday cruise. I enjoyed watching the ice skating show,  while dh was bored and almost fell asleep (he didn't like most of the music.) I wouldn't attempt to ice skate - I have broken bones while roller skating, lol. 

In summation, will we cruise with Royal Caribbean again? Yes! We have discovered that the casino club treats its members very well with its comps, perks and offers,  and look forward to another RC cruise in 61 days (but who's counting?)

4 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

Take your own tea bags.  Cafe Lattetudes will give you hot water for free.  (although sometimes, grudgingly 😉 )

 

(or take a couple of tea bags when Park Cafe is open)

I almost did that on the first Royal cruise, but took my chances and tried the London Tea Company bags. Good stuff -they were available at the Cafe Promenade, Windjammer, and in the main dining room. I was happy. 

I am hoping London Tea Company bags are on all the Royal ships. I know that there is another brand available, too, but I believe that they were herbal and non-caffeinated teas. I prefer good ole black tea. 

I probably should just pack some of my favorite tea bags, they certainly do not take up much room.Thanks for all the replies.

Thanks for answering! Yes, looking at the deck plans online, I saw the Cafe Latte-tudes, but I figured that it would be at extra cost. It was the same set-up on our last Carnival cruise in March; in order to drink tea besides the regular and decaf Lipton available in the dining room and buffet area, one had to pony up and pay for "premium" tea bags at their "Starbucks"-style cafe. Luckily, towards the end of our cruise, my husband who likes to gamble in the casinos onboard, somehow earned enough points to merit a certificate entitling him to 15 drinks a day, in the casino or elsewhere on the ship. So I had some premium tea after all, lol, but it wasn't free by any means.

Hi - we will be going on our second cruise with Royal this coming Thanksgiving week.  The first cruise was this past June/July on the Liberty OTS, also out of Galveston. While on the Liberty, I took full advantage of the Cafe Promenade  (and the Windjammer, when open) to enjoy some hot tea (London Tea Company's English Breakfast tea.) I am wondering, since it appears that there is no Cafe Promenade on the Enchantment, will there be hot tea available during late hours (after 9 p.m.) and in the early morning hours at the Park Cafe? I tend to wake up earlier than my husband and would love to sneak up on the 9th deck (we'll be on the 8th) to get a cup of hot tea to sip.  

If not in the Park Cafe, is there (free) hot tea available elsewhere on the Enchantment, and if so, where? Will it be the London Tea Company brand?

Finally, has anyone tried the famous kummelweck sandwiches there on the Enchantment recently? I have never had them, didn't know they existed until I was looking at a message board sometime after our first cruise. I don't believe they were offered in the Cafe Promenade, or if they did, they must have disappeared rather quickly.

Thanks! 

Hmm, we sailed on the Liberty on the June 30th sailing a couple of months ago. It was our first cruise with Royal, so we don't have anything to compare with, other than 7 cruises on Carnival and 3 on NCL. Anyhow, I don't remember it being hot in the terminal back then. If it was very warm, my husband would probably have complained, lol. Maybe the ac started acting up just recently?  As far as getting on the ship first, we were pre-gold, so definitely the lowest of the low. Husband grumbled that we were going to be dead last in line, but honestly, once they started calling the groups in order of priority, it seemed like there was a difference in maybe 5 -10 minutes before the groups being called went from the  Key Club and Pinnacles to the pre-golds, and this happened to be with a full ship (holiday week.) So we weren't far behind  the rest of the folks and  we managed to make our way to Guest Services and then to Windjammer for lunch, in a matter of minutes. 

Now comparing the buffet restaurant to the ones we visited on the Carnival ships and NCL, the Windjammer won in both taste of food and service provided by the staff, as well as the iced tea! I don't recall the iced tea on NCL  being good or bad, and I learned to mix Carnival's free iced tea with lemonade and lots of Equal to make it tasty. Royal's free tea tasted liked raspberry tea to me, and husband and I both enjoyed it. 

I don't recall dirty or worn carpet on our deck, but maybe we weren't assigned to the same deck as the op.  We were up on the 10th deck, which was good, imho, because it was only one level below the Windjammer. I didn't see anything wrong with the carpeting on our deck or in the public areas, anyway. 

I don't know about the windowsills, because we usually sat rather far from the windows in the Windjammer. 

The only real negative thing about the cruise was the delay involving both of our shore excursions. Fortunately for us, the one that made us return on the very last tender  to the ship before sailing was sponsored by Royal, so at least we weren't left behind. It was the boat that took us to Stingray City - they must have had engine trouble because it was slow-going on the way back from the sandbar.

Because husband did well enough in Liberty's casino to earn us 2 comped cruises, we are likely going to stay exclusively with Royal for awhile (unless their great casino perks go away; let's hope not.) 

Finally, I recall using the Carnival terminal several years ago for a cruise, but don't remember issues with the ac there (it may have been winter, however.)  In any case, we are usually so excited about going on a cruise that we will put up with quite a bit!

8 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

We use these.

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E4SQNLS?pf_rd_p=183f5289-9dc0-416f-942e-e8f213ef368b&pf_rd_r=EWRQPVS0B1DQBB51ASJY

I had been debating to buy these a few weeks ago - as a matter of fact, I had them in my shopping cart for several days. One day I happened to open up my shopping cart and they were a lightning deal for a few hours, so I saved maybe $2 by purchasing them at that time, lol. Not a big issue in the grand scheme of things, but it was enough for me to go ahead and buy them. Now they are packed away in my nest of packing cubes, awaiting our next cruise. 

My next cruise-related purchase is whether or not to spring for a new toiletry bag. The one I have is a little battered from many years of travel but still serviceable. Maybe I will mention a new toiletry bag around my birthday or Christmas time to my family, they usually ask me what I might want...

Brillo,

Thank you for clearing up any misunderstanding, and all is forgiven and good. 🙂

I didn't realize that I could turn Bluetooth back on, and yes, I will do so next time I put my iPhone in airplane mode.

I guess I am lucky in one sense - normally, I do not need to adjust my hearing aids very often. So, when I didn't use the hearing aid app while on the cruise, it didn't make much difference, because I never actually needed to make adjustments. 

I am grateful that message boards like these exist. Not only have I just learned how to keep my hearing aid apps while cellular service isn't available (or viable), I also recently found, through a recent message board, how to enable and use wi-fi calling using my iPhone. Since I plan to buy Voom on our next cruise, I believe that wi-fi calling will be my new method of placing and receiving phone calls while at sea.  🙂  

Thanks for letting me know - I guess the only "lessons" that I received regarding the hearing aid app were when I first received my hearing aids, from the hearing aid specialist/technologist, several years ago. Live and learn, please don't make me feel bad just because I didn't know a fact about Bluetooth technology. 😞

I didn't purchase Voom on our first cruise with Royal this past June/July, and I wore my Bluetooth-enabled hearing aids during most of my waking time. I had put my iPhone on airplane mode to try to access the free Royal app (the app didn't always work, btw) and when my iPhone is in airplane mode, the app for my Resound hearing aids does not work at all. I can change the setting from restaurant to all-around, and back, on my hearing aids by touching a small button on each aid, but everything else is on the app. I decided against taking my iPhone off airplane mode because I noticed that my carrier (Sprint) was starting to set up roaming while we were at sea. Oh no, I'd rather do without the use of my hearing aid app if I can avoid those roaming charges, lol.

BTW, I probably needed hearing aids in my mid to late-thirties, but kept ignoring my husband's complaints until a physical needed for my new job brought my hard-of-hearing condition out from "under the rug." I think that I got them when I was about 43 or so; they make being hard-of-hearing bearable. I just wish that insurance companies would help more to pay for them. 😞 

Hello! I received my set of eBag packing cubes as a Christmas present from my daughter almost 2 years ago. I used them for the first time on a 5-day cruise this past March, then again on a 7-day cruise in June/July. I love ‘ em!!  Somehow, I appreciated them more during the latter cruise ( probably because we needed more changes of clothes ) and I ended up ordering another set of eBag cubes for my husband during Amazon Prime  Days. In fact, I was so excited about them that I convinced my son (a college student  who seems to travel quite a bit for his studies) to order some cubes, although his were a different brand and included matching laundry and shoe bags. 

I think that my daughter probably gave me a set because she also travels quite a bit for her job, and realized their value. My other daughter has cubes as well. I guess the next step is packing cubes for my 3 grandchildren, lol. 

Ok, thanks. Our one cruise so far - with Royal - has been on the Liberty of the Seas. We are booked to sail on her again next January and I visited Cafe Promenade at least once daily, usually to get some hot tea, especially when the Windjammer was closed. We are excited about sailing on other Royal ships in the future, and I enjoy learning anything I can about them. 

On 7/24/2019 at 1:26 PM, travelplus said:

Drats too bad Liberty does not have an express option  I made a promise to myself to never sail on a ship that does not at least have a Park Cafe or Cafe Promenade especially those Wecker sandwiches at Park Cafe.  How could Liberty not have an express option?  I know she is an older ship so at least the Solarium Bar could offer a complimentary Bistro menu.

 

Also I think Royal should open their MDR for their Bistro Lunch on embarkation Day even if its just the Tuttii Salad Bar and three Hot Item Choices with three appetizers and a dessert selection on the upper deck like they do for the Galley lunch.  Another section could be the "Make your Own Gourmet Sandwich Bar" and other Grab and Go items. 

 

No servers the first day MDR lunch but offer drink stations and even some complimentary  wine and beer to make up for no servers.

 

Thoughts? 

 

 

 What is a Park Cafe, as compared to a Cafe Promenade? Does it offer more variety of food or drinks? Also, what are Wecker sandwiches? 

On 7/24/2019 at 2:06 PM, HBE4 said:

 

Liberty does have a Cafe Promenade.

 

And while I know the chances that the Solarium Bar will offer some kind of food option are slim-to-none, it seems that even on the busiest of sea days, the bar is empty while the Pool & Sky bars right around the corner are packed.  I just feel like it could be better utilized.

 

In fact, right on either corner of the Solarium Bar, at the entrance to the Solarium from the main pool, are two table-top structures that look like they were meant to be some kind of food/buffet type station.  They are always empty but maybe at one point in the past, Royal meant to serve food there??

Hello! We were on our first Royal cruise this past 4th of July week - we sailed on the Liberty, because Galveston is not too far from our home, only 3 1/2 hours or so ( not bad in Texan terms, lol.). Anyway, while husband was busy in the casino during  the sea days, I made my way to the Solarium to relax in a hot tub and then read in one of the loungers. I remember seeing those table- top structures! The first time in the Solarium, I think they were empty. During the second and third visits, I noticed people seated next to me were eating small hoagie sandwiches, so I glanced back at those structures, and some one had set out trays containing a couple of different types of sandwiches, plus one or two type of dessert bars. We had already had lunch, so I didn’t try anything. I believe that there may also have been punch on my last visit.  

I have no idea if food was available at these stations on sail-away or port days. I do know that our ship was full that week, so maybe food is put out there when the crowds warrant it (Solarium was definitely full of people every time I was there.) 

For that first Royal cruise, I know that I booked, then cancelled and re-booked, our beverage packages and at least one shore excursion, because the prices went down due to an online sale. I guess I will be doing that from now on, although it looks like as long as husband remains prime, he won't need a package...he can head over to the casino for something to drink, and if it's closed, there's always the Windjammer (we liked the iced tea) and on the Liberty, there was also tea or punch at the Cafe Promenade. 

I like that the casino host on the Liberty gave husband a brochure explaining the tier system. He did earn a casino certificate for a free cruise on Carnival during one cruise,  as well as free drinks while drinking in the casino on our last Carnival cruise, but we honestly have never found out what triggered him earning the certificate or free drinks. He doesn't know what level he is with them (their whole system is one big mystery to us...) We have been on 3 Norwegian cruises, enjoyed them as well, but their casino reward system is yet another mystery that was never explained to him.  

Hello, my husband and I are also RCCL newbies - we went on our first cruise with them during the week of July 4th. 

I don't gamble, but husband likes playing the tables in the casinos and he earned Prime on the very last night of our cruise. When we called (a few days after our cruise ended) to redeem the certificate earned for a free cruise (2400 points) we spoke with a very nice Casino Royale agent,  Donna Hillderbrandt. She was kind enough to email us both a nice letter explaining exactly what husband had just earned, and what he will earn next April, when the comp cruises become available. Getting to your question, she also noted that Prime members receive a 30 % discount for the Unlimited Surf & Stream Wi-fi packages, which must be purchased onboard.  Signature members get 1 device for free, Masters get 2 devices free, both  are Unlimited Surf & Stream packages. 

I don't know much about the wi-fi packages in general, because we have always avoided using those during our previous cruises. So I can't help you with multiple-device packages, other than telling you that the email said Prime members receive the 30% discount, but no free devices. 

I hope this helps! 

Hello from Texas!

My husband (who is the gambler) and I recently went on our first RCCL cruise out of Galveston, and we were thrilled because he earned enough casino points to receive the free cruise certificate (on the evening of our last night onboard!) Imagine our surprise when we called to book that cruise the following week, only to discover that we also earned another cruise because he made PRIME tier! We still are rather dumbstruck, and naturally enough, I turned to Cruise Critic for information and advice.

My question today is: I have been reading over and over, again, on this thread, that in order to ensure that casino members receive the coveted offers from Casino Royale, we should check our settings to make sure that we are allowing emails from RCCL. My husband and I have both done this on the regular RCCL account, and we have been receiving normal RCCL emails offering their latest cruise sales, etc. Is this the proper place we should be checking our email settings, or is there another one (maybe from Casino Royale?) I have also entered spouse's Crown and Anchor # and last name in the casino's offering webpage, and it says that he has no offers (well, maybe the free cruise certificate was there for a day or two, but we redeemed it almost immediately.)

Any ideas or suggestions?  

Thanks, and I have enjoyed reading through this thread, scouring it for any possible details to help us further understand the casino program and RCCL in general. I have to say this, also: we have paid for several Carnival and NCL cruises in the past. If this program is as good as we hope it is, RCCL may have just caused to no longer sail with the other two cruise lines. Sorry, Carnival was never as upfront as to how or when one earns the perks inside their casinos. Our RCCL host gave us their neat little brochure, and BOOM, hey, there it was (in plain English...)