jewel825

Thanks for sharing your experience. I would be frustrated too if I was in your situation. I am a little bit nervous about what we are doing before our Freedom cruise next month. We are spending 3 days at Disneyworld and I know it's going to be crowded. The more I research it, the more discouraged I am! At least mentally I'm prepared now for what to expect. I've always heard that Universal isn't quite as crowded as Disney which may not be true especially after reading about your experience. Sorry you had a cruddy time. I hope your cruise was good though. :)

My husband goes in there everyday too! He loves the steam room the most and will spend forever in there after working out. He also tends to use the showers up in the gym to get ready instead of using our shower in our room. Yay for me!

Hello all. I thought I’d document my experiences on the February 8th sailing on the Freedom of the Seas. In a word, “fantastic”. The cruise was absolutely perfect. That’s it, you can stop reading now. I’m just going to ramble nauseatingly on how perfect this trip was, so you might as well stop reading. I mean it, stop! Oh my, you’re still reading. Ok, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

 

 

Let’s start from the very beginning. I was conceived in the backseat of a 19….wait, that may be too far back. Let’s fast forward a bit. We booked this trip to celebrate my wife’s birthday and found an inside cabin on deck 10 mid-ship. We picked mid-ship because I suffer from seasickness and cabins mid-ship rock less than those on either end of the ship. We picked an inside cabin because we be poor. It was the night before the cruise when it dawned on me, “where do I park the car”? The ship will be leaving from the new Terminal 1 in Cape Canaveral, so I could always pay full price and park at the pier. Yeah, that sounded ridiculous even as I typed it. Since Google is your friend, I did some research and found “Park N Cruise”. It was half the price as the Port Canaveral pier. “Half Price” is also a friend of mine. I saw some good reviews and I also saw some bad reviews. I’m thinking, how bad can it be? I’m parking my car on dirt. How can they mess that up? So I reserved my parking spot online and paid the discounted price. Now all I have to do it pack. Fast forward 15 minutes. I’m all packed. Now let’s pack the wife’s clothes….Wholly smokes, is she moving on the ship? Look at all those clothes!! And Shoes!!! Where am I going to put all those shoes? Fast forward 90 minutes – I finally finished packing my wife’s things.

 

 

It’s now the day of the cruise. I entered the address of Park N Cruise into the GPS and began my 2 hour and change drive from Tampa to Port Canaveral. Found the parking lot, unloaded the luggage, and then parked the car as directed. I went inside, checked in with the girl behind the counter, then waited about 10 minutes for the bus to take us to the ship. Easy peasy. The bus got us to the ship in about 5 minutes, the guy took our luggage off the bus and another guy immediately took the luggage to load onto the ship. All we have to do now is enter the terminal and check in. That was easy too. Here’s a little tip. I also wear a backpack, since we didn’t know when our luggage would make it to our room. In the backpack I carried some jewelry that the wife didn’t trust to leave in the luggage, some water, sunglasses and a couple of cond…uh…let’s just say some other miscellaneous things. We got to the ship about 1:15 and I think we were checked in by about 1:30. Boy, that was painless as well. And our room was ready too, wow. Let’s get on this bad boy. You know, we used to hate those picture takers but you know what? We now embrace them. I don’t know why the change. Maybe we’re more mature as we got older. Nah, that can’t be it. Anyway, not only do we take every picture, we even end up buying a few. Yeah, they’re expensive, but it’s a nice way to memorialize our trip. I mean, I don’t think twice about spending twelve bucks on an adult beverage that I basically rent for only a couple of hours, what’s another few dollars for a permanent memento? Oh, and I learned that they have some silly rule that the pictures that you purchase have to be of you. The “if the beautifully buxom blond wanted her pictures then she would have picked them up by now” excuse just didn’t work. Neither did “ah honey, I thought these pictures were of you”.

 

 

Ok, getting back to the cruise, let’s talk about the food.

 

 

Dinners: We did the “My Time Dining” thing and thought it worked out great. Each day we would look at the daily Compass then made our dinner reservations based on the activities we wanted to do. Then we would go to the My Time Dining dining room, went on the “with reservations” or “with or without reservations” line (whichever was shorter) and was usually sitting at our table within 5 minutes. I think there was one time we waited 10 minutes, but usually it was under five minutes. Worked out great. They usually put us with other “table for twos”, and while we’re not the chatty type, we usually found ourselves sharing stories with our tablemates. Once, however, the table on our right was in a fierce battle with the table to our left on what seemed to me a “who’s-family-member-had-the-more-debilitating-disease” contest. There appeared to be only one rule to this contest: Be as descriptive and graphic as possible. I don’t know who won, but I know who lost: My appetite. Fortunately, the waiter brought out the next course which brought the game to an end. Thankfully. We ate in the My Time dining room most nights and the food was great. We always found something we liked on the menu. The second formal night even had lobster and garlic shrimp. We asked for two, and the waiter gladly brought them out.

 

 

 

We also ate at Sabor. That was really good as well. They make the guacamole tableside, you have no choice, every table gets it. I recommend this place, the food was very good. So was Chops. The meat was done exactly how we liked it, tender like butter and well seasoned. Why do I eat the bread? The more bread I eat means the less meat I eat, yet I eat the bread as soon as they put it on the table. Will I ever learn? I guess the big question is, was it worth the extra money for Sabor and Chops? I think so. I would definitely eat there again.

 

 

Buffet: We love buffets. We buffeted breakfast and lunch. We always found a table and we always found something good to eat. No complaints here as well.

 

 

Promenade: Free pizza! How good can it be? Well, it wasn’t bad. Wasn’t great NY pizza, but wasn’t bad Tampa pizza either. Plus, it was available all hours of the night. I also tried the shrimp salad on a roll that was very good. The cookies were good, but they had a slice of pie, like a Willy Wonka pie, something like that which really wasn’t good. No problem, I’ll have another cookie.

 

 

Bars: Our goal was to have a drink at every bar and while we tried really hard, I don’t think we did it. We really liked the Olive and Twist, spent lots of time at the Schooner Bar doing those trivia things and realizing how stupid we really are, and spent lots of time at the Karaoke bar as well. I never been to a Karaoke bar before, but it was fun. Lots of country music (not my cup of tea), but enjoyable nevertheless.

 

 

The Cruise Director was Casey. I came home and read reviews about Casey and people seemed to be very harsh. I honestly don’t know what people expect from a Cruise Director, but I thought he was great. Every day was chock full of entertainment. He kicked off each venue and he was funny and entertaining. But boy, those reviews were bad. What else is he suppose to do? Well, maybe he could’ve done something about the hot tub. Because it was, if I could sum it up in one word, HOT! Ridiculously hot! I tried to get into it, dipping myself one inch at a time, and man that was not working. So I decided the only smart thing to do was to completely submerge myself. Down I go. Now, I’m trying to recall the exact time I concluded that this was a really, really bad idea. When my knees hit the water? No, that wasn’t it. My thighs? Nope, not then. AHAH, I know when! But it’s too late now, I’m totally committed. Keep going down, buddy. Now I’m down where my chin is touching the water and boy am I hating life right now. People enjoy this? I can’t feel my tongue. I think all the hair on my body has been burned off. Hey, how did my wife seamlessly sink into the tub like it was a bowl of whipped cream? Ok, try to look cool. That’s right, I’m cool. How is it possible that I’m sitting in a tub of water and I’m sweating? Ok, I’m done, I gotta get out of here. I almost yelled for my mommy out loud. I honestly think years have been removed from my life expectancy as a result of this experience. Ok, stand up slowly, look cool, nonchalantly step out of the hot tub and …..wholly cow it’s freezing out here. Boy I just can’t win.

 

 

Regarding the shows, there was a comedian that was funny, a magician that was great, so were the musical numbers, the Love and Marriage show as well as the Quest, which is a silly game that I wouldn’t participate in but loved watching those who did. Oh, they also had a Boston cover band. They were great!! I’m a big Boston fan and this was an unexpected surprise for me. . Ok, let’s digress a little here. This cruise seemed to have an older clientele. I’m guessing more than half of the cruisers had seen Babe Ruth play in person and may have actually voted for Woodrow Wilson. The remaining 40% or so probably ranged from their 20s to their 50s. Now, while my age group was in the minority, this didn’t bother me in the least. I really don’t care about anyone else on the cruise, as long as I’m having a good time. Ok, so there weren’t that many bikinis for me to gawk at. However, I have to admit, some of the old broads did have some rockin’ bodies. Hmmm, that hot tub may have caused more damage than originally thought. Anyhoo, the Boston cover band was LOUD and rockin’, which may not have been to the liking of most of the audience, but I kind of fault them for attending this event in the first place. The rest of the crowd loved it, as did I!

 

 

Complaints? I guess I did have a couple. The bathroom light switch. I know the bathroom is small. How small? Well, I’m certainly no large guy, but when I took a shower there always seemed to be one part of my body that was in contact with the shower wall. No matter how careful I was, something was touching the wall. I tried to make a contest out of it, but I always lost. Ok, so we established that the bathroom was small, however, there was plenty of room for a light switch. Who, in their right mind, thought it made sense to put the light switch OUTSIDE the bathroom? Also, who approved this idea?? Here’s my typical bathroom experience: Open door. Enter bathroom. Lift toilet lid. Turn around. Close bathroom door. Curse. Open bathroom door. Walk outside and turn on the light. Seven days people. I did this for seven days.

 

 

 

My second complaint? The TV. Yes, I know, the story goes that you hardly spend any time in your room. But in actuality, you do spend time in your room. I watch TV before I go to bed, no matter the time. I’m watching TV while the misses gets ready for dinner. I watch TV when I wake up. There must be 20 stations. 12 have my favorite shows (e.g., Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, etc.) in a language other than English. Five stations are cruise related. That leaves only a couple of channels that would entertain me, including one that always seemed to show men who tried to kill their wife and get away with it. I should mention that taking notes while watching said program does not provide the spouse with any level of amusement whatsoever.

 

 

Let’s see, I think I covered everything. On the last day, we decided to get up early and carry our own bags off the ship. We got on line at 6:15 AM, were about 20th in line and were off the ship sitting on the Park N Cruise bus by 7:15. We sat on the bus until it was full, about 15 minutes, and then was dropped off at our car. Perfect. Just like the cruise.

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. It's funny that you mentioned that the hot tubs were too hot. Usually the complaint is they aren't warm enough! I'm glad you had a great time!

Loving your live review! We are sailing on the Freedom in 45 days! You have me so excited for this cruise. I love that you are taking the time to give us the play by play. I'm finally caught up. I just got off work so I think I'm going to have a Corona with lime to and toast it to you. Your picture inspired me. :)

That's crap! I would be so mad if they did that. You have every right to be angry and they really should be doing more for you. I hope your travel agent is able to fight for you and get you better accommodations. i can't imagine having 4 people in one of those tiny inside cabins!

Keep us updated what they decide to do.

This link will take you right to the page that shows the levels, benefits and points for each level.

 

You will need 30 points to reach platinum so yes you are most likely still gold.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/cas/benefitsLoggedout.do

 

 

 

 

Awesome thank you!!! That's exactly what I needed!

I have a question regarding Crown and Anchor. How do the levels work? I'm guessing you get a point for each night you spend aboard a cruise ship or something along those lines.

I went on the C&A website and it doesn't show how you accrue points or how many points are needed for each level. Having only sailed on 2 RC cruises, I'm guessing I'm still gold but what is the next level and how many points do I need to move up to that level? I know the top is pinnacle and below that are the diamonds and diamond pluses but I've heard the term emerald thrown out there too but not sure where Emerald falls into the ranking.

Help!

Looking forward to hearing how your cruise is going when you return back to Florida. Nice "meeting" your family online. Have a fantastic time. We will be on the Freedom in April and can hardly wait!

Harry, I'm really enjoying your review. I was on the Allure 2 years ago and had a blast. My kids are the same ages as yours (11 and 13) but girls. It's funny how different our experiences were on board! My kids loved the zipline, the rock wall and at the flow rider and the kids club. However, they only saw 2 of the shows the entire week. It just goes to show how many different activities are available and how crazy different everyone experiences can be. You have me curious to try new things I never thought of!

We are going on the Freedom for Spring Break this year and I really appreciated your tips on different ways to save money. I had no idea that the kids card didn't have the same discounts as the adults. That's cruddy! Sad to see your review coming to an end. I feel the same let down you felt when it was time to get off. Thanks again for taking the time for writing such a fun review.

My Comparison:

Royal Caribbean ships: Navigator, Allure

Princess: Golden

Princess wins:

Pizza! Yes, add me to the list of pizza lovers on Princess

The grill outside on the pool deck

The layout of the room with the closet in a separate section

Rooms available at boarding

RCCL wins:

Everything else, lol!

MDR

Promenade Cafe

The layout of the ship (big plus for me)

The entertainment

Kids Club

Flow Rider/Climbing Wall/Zipline (on Allure)

General stuff to do

The other passengers (to be fair to Princess, it was a Alaska cruise and not very many kids on board)

I'd take RCCL over Princess any day but honestly every cruise I've been on has been awesome.

On my first few cruises, I loved, loved, loved the beds. This was between 2 different cruise lines (Carnival and Royal Caribbean) and 4 different ships. All of them were awesome. Then on my last cruise (on Princess), the bed was awful. I was so excited to sleep on a cruise ship bed knowing how comfortable they were in the past and I was so disappointed. I asked for an egg crate which sort of helped but it was nothing like the previous cruises I went on. I don't believe it was the cruise line or the ship. I just think I had a bad mattress which was just luck of the draw. Next time I'll speak up and ask for a replacement if I end up with another lemon of a mattress.

Jewel you have no idea the buzz saw that your team is about to hit[emoji14] . If you think you can survive again what happened yesterday think again! You will be steamrolled. Our D is beyond good at hunting down balls in the air[emoji12] ! 2 caught yesterday and 7 almost close to caught! Our special teams has caused at least 1 turnover in every playoff game[emoji12]. Oh yeah your little immature team won't be home! [emoji41].

 

You barely squeaked by and we schooled Luck in a pure schooling blowout. Only team to put in their back-up QB in the 4th qtr., because it was a blowout!

LOL! I agree yesterday, we would have been steamrolled.....but another day another game. How we pulled out a win yesterday is still baffling. :) So much fun for the hype of this Superbowl! Would love to see back to back wins. Go Hawks!

Hello. Just wanted to share my thoughts and opinions on our recent week on the Allure. I'll try to make it short, sweet and to the point. If you have any questions I will do my best to answer them.

 

Check in: Check in was fast, efficient and very friendly. We were in a JS, went through the suite line and were on ship in about 20 minutes after arriving at the port at 11:00 am.

 

Stateroom: We stayed in Junior Suite 9240, steward was Reynaldo. Suite was lovely, very clean and well maintained. Balcony was outfitted with two chairs, a round table, a lounge chair and a reclining chair with stool. Reynaldo kept things sparkling for us. Previously we had only cruised with Carnival and were used to a towel animal every night. However, we had come back to the room only three nights to towel animals. Oh well! He was a busy guy and near as we could tell did not have an assistant as he was the only person we ever saw doing rooms in our section.

 

Shows: We obviously dropped the ball with reservations as we never were never able to get any. Should have called sooner, I guess. Not used to reserving shows on a cruise.

 

Casino: What can I say? The pay outs are not good :) They have a lovely large casino and we had fun there. We are non smokers and found it to be a bit overwhelming even on the non smoking side at times.

 

MDR: We ate in the MDR the first 3 nights. Then we gave up, and I will explain why. I have Celiac disease and must refrain from eating gluten. There are selections on the menu daily that can be ordered gluten free. I went to see the maitre'd upon boarding. He told me to order from the menu that first night and then after supper they would come take my order for the next day, breakfast, lunch, dinner. Anything I wanted. After the meal, I waited for someone to come. Finally our server came and I asked him. He said oh no that starts tomorrow. We'll tomorrow same deal followed. I had virtually no selection besides creme brule or sugar free vanilla ice cream that could be considered completely gluten free every night. At the WJ buffet, the chefs brought me whatever I wanted from the back to avoid cross contamination, but my dessert selection there was poor too. Jello or a cookie. Yay.

 

Sorrento's: Pizza was great. GF pizza was OK too. Thin, and only cheese and sauce, but better than nothing.

 

Johnny Rockets: They rocked with gluten free!!! Couldn't have the fries or onion rings, but they had GF buns and the burgers were GF.

 

The Allure is a beautiful ship. Some of the staff were wonderful. Some were downright miserable. The ports were ok, we did Jamaica, Haiti and Cozumel. I wouldn't care to go to Labadee Haiti again, it seemed more of a Royal Caribbean money grab to us, and as my DH put it, we went a long way for nothing there. We toured Chichen Itza in Mexico and that was pretty amazing. In Jamaica we did the Hope Plantation tour, also very amazing.

 

Prior to this cruise as I mentioned previously we'd cruised with Carnival. We've done Eastern, Western, Southern Caribbean, Hawaii, and Panama. We are in our very early 50's. Carnival has always done their very best to ensure I get to eat like everybody else in a safe manner and they seem to have more to offer us in general with shows that interest us. They really are the fun ships! We tried RC, really wished we'd liked it better but could have done 14 day Panama with Carnival for the same price if they still did that cruise. Anyway, that's my experience with them. Flame if you must, but be gentle with me :)

Thanks for your review! Why would anyone flame you for writing an honest open review? I don't see anything wrong with preferring Carnival. They have taken care of your needs better than Royal. I have been on 3 different cruise lines and loved every cruise. There are certain things I liked about one line that were better than another. I love the variety of trying new lines and checking out what's out there. I'm sorry you weren't able to see any of the shows. Royal really does a great job on the Allure with Chicago and the water show. Amazing really.

I can't even imagine the stress of eating a GF diet when you have no control over someone else making it and hoping it comes out to you the way it should be. I hope you enjoy your next cruise wherever it takes you. I would love to do the Panama Canal one of these days also. :)

Wow I was right of who we would play against in SB 49, but man those Packers choked!

 

Patriots are AZ bound to ground the Hawks! See you in 2 weeks Seahawks!

 

Bring it on!!!! Those Pats have no idea what they are up against. :)

Go Hawks!!!!

Nail biter of a game yesterday - still not sure how my team pulled it out and actually won. :confused: I think I was just as stunned as the Green Bay fans but a happy stun. No complaints from me!

We've stayed at Gallery One twice. Once in 2012 and the second time a year later in 2013. Our first visit was awesome! Loved our room, the staff (exceptional service!), the grounds, the pool, the mall nearby, the water taxi, etc.... It was perfect! It was so perfect that we booked it for the following trip.

Our second experience was not so good! Our room had everything broken in it from a broken shower head, to a clogged drain, to a broken microwave, busted up deck furniture that was unusable, no TP (yes, you heard that correctly and what we had to go through to get some), flaking dining room furniture that got all over our clothes, missing coffee cups for our morning coffee, dirty dishes all loaded up in the dishwater from previous guests, terrible service in the restaurant and bar and a dirty pool. We are easy going people and didn't cause a fuss when we were there but did get a laugh out of everything that could go wrong at once.

Then even the proximity to the mall burned us our first night. It's a very easy walk to head to the mall and no car is needed. However, we managed to get caught in a major downpour heading back from dinner (who knew it could rain like that and I'm from Seattle!). It was raining so hard that the roads were flooding immediately and we had to walk through several inches of water to get back the couple of blocks to our hotel. Cars would drive past us on the main road and splash up buckets of water. I have never seen anything like it! It was kind of scary being stranded out there on the main road with no where really to take shelter with the thunder and lightening added into it on the blocks in between the mall and the hotel. This was obviously no fault of the hotel but it added to the comedy of errors we had with that hotel. Whenever we think of that hotel, the first thing we remember is our crazy walk back. Again, not a hotel issue at all but be aware when heading out to the close proximity places around the hotel that you may encounter a freak rainstorm so be prepared!

I love your reviews! I went looking for a Christmas review knowing you'd be on another cruise. Your reviews are my favorite to read because your family reminds me so much of my own and what I can expect from my 2 daughters in about 10 years. :)

We are doing the Freedom for Spring Break this year and spending a few days in WDW beforehand. My girls haven't been there since they were toddlers and have no memory of it. I will have to find your trip review of the Disney portion too.

Thanks for taking the time to entertain all of us. I'm sorry to hear about that terrible car accident your mom and sister were involved in. My heart also went out to you on missing your flight to Florida.

Excited to read more!

Supply and demand "excuse?" "Stupid"?

 

It's called the real world of business. There are only so many cabins on these ships. If people find these ships very desirable (and apparently many do), then Royal can charge what the market will bear. If the prices turn out to be too high and too many cabins are unsold, prices will eventually come down.

 

I'm not sure what explanation you are expecting to hear.

I'd rather hear what some of the people so kindly did respond with. Someone responded that the Allure is doing the European route and that left just the Oasis here during the summer. That was a great response because I also was not aware of that and it would affect pricing.

The general snotty response that it's supply and demand and just deal with it is not helpful nor friendly. If you truly don't know besides, "it is what it is" then don't respond. It's not the response the OP is looking for. Not all of us live and breathe on Cruise Critic and know the routes of every Royal Caribbean ship. Have a little respect for those posing the question or choose to not respond at all.

Hello, can somebody please explain to me why I should pay $2000.00 USD per person to sail on the Oasis/Allure of the seas over summer. When I could pay around $500.00 to sail on a newer Carnival, or Norwegian shipon the same date to go to the same port. Also in a NICER room. $2000.00 USD for an Interior room on Oasis class vs. around $500.00 USD on Norwegian Getaway or Carnival Glory to sail to the same ports in a balcony room or a mini suite.

 

I just want to know what makes it so expensive just to sail on "The Biggest Ship in the World". And I dont want to hear an answer like "It costs more to operate the ship because it's bigger". I've been on my share of cruises and know you can still have a good time on a smaller ship.

 

Thanks again!

I always wonder why they raise the rates so high on some of these cruises. It's so frustrating when you're trying to plan and there's really no good reason for it besides "supply and demand". I hate hearing that excuse! I sailed on the Allure 2 years ago and had a fantastic time but it wasn't that much better to pay such a premium price they are currently offering. No way.

I'd pick another ship if you are set on going during that exact time frame or try and choose another time to go. If you're like me, changing the time isn't really an option. We always cruise during spring break when it's also high but I have no choice since I have school aged kids and I don't want to pull them from school for a week.

I was going through the same thing as you when planning an Alaskan cruise. I was getting so annoyed looking out expensive it was but again it was that stupid supply and demand thing. After doing an Alaskan cruise, I prefer the Caribbean cruises and not paying that premium for Alaska.

Good luck on whatever you decide!

I've been on cruises where the door is left open and the TV is on and people are milling around in the hallway looking for their rooms. I never thought much about it. Most of the time, the doors are shut and locked though.

My parents were on a cruise with another couple several years back and the women went to go find their rooms (they had connecting balcony rooms) while the men went to the bar. When they got to their rooms the doors were open and ready for them. They noticed a few things were not the way they wanted things set up with their bed arrangement, their ice bucket, and a few other odds and ends. They met the room steward and gave him their requests. They used the bathroom and started getting comfortable in their digs. They were sitting in the rooms waiting for the men to arrive and the men never showed up. It turned out that my mom and her friend were in the wrong room(s). They were a digit off on their room number(s) and were in the opposite corner of the ship of where they should have been. They were so embarrassed and took off to the right room(s). Nothing was intentional or stolen but I can't imagine what the people thought who really had those rooms when they walked in. It happens. :eek:

We always cruise over spring break and I love it! It's just after the bad weather and I'm in such need for a sunny, hot getaway. People seem to be friendly and there are plenty of kids on board for my kids to mingle with (I have 2 daughters 11 and 13). It's my very favorite time of the year to go anywhere.

It's drawback is cost. Yikes! It's so flippin' high for airfare, hotels, the cruise itself. That's what kills us everytime but we will continue to travel during this time until my kids are out of school. Then I'll find a new favorite time of year to go that is less expensive. :)

We got ourselves into this same situation for our upcoming cruise. My daughters are 13 and 11 and we've always sailed in one room. This time we opted for 2 rooms (connecting balcony rooms) and the price was only about $200 more for us so we jumped on it.

With the kids getting older it does get a bit squishy in the room. However, if I was saving a bundle of money, I'd have no problems putting all 4 of us in one room.

Spring break cruises are spendy! This is the only time of year that we go and it will most likely be this way until they graduate!

Just keep checking it, it should open up online 3-4 months out give or take. I had MTD on FOS on May and we were always seated in the same general area with the same servers. We didn't specifically request that, they did it automatically. We booked a standing reservation for 7:15 because that was the earliest we could get online at the time. However, there were always a bunch of empty tables when we arrived so we probably could have changed it to be a bit earlier without issue.

That's good to know. I'm going to think positive that we will be able to get what we want. I was kind of hoping they were switching over to Dynamic Dining for something different but it looks like it won't be until sometime after our cruise - if at all.

Have you been put on the waitlist for Early dining? If not, ask to be waitlisted...many times you are able to change to your preferred dining time.

No, I asked for that and I was told they weren't taking waitlists. Maybe bad info I was given?

Be aware that the most popular times (6-7:30) tend to fill and then they block them out from reservations as you get closer.

 

We book late (well after final) and we are never able to get the 6:30 preferred time we like. So we go when on board. The last 3 times, we have been told that they cannot accommodate reservations for that slot and we just have to arrive and hope for the best. Not going to work with my mom (who cannot stand for long periods) and my 12 year old when he's hungry.

 

We contacted the diamond concierge and he was able to secure us the same time each night. We only waited a few minutes to get into our preferred dining team's area each night. We like having the same waiters, but we don't want to eat as early as the first seating, nor as late as the second seating. So this works out for us.

Well crud - how do I get some kind of reservation that works for us if I can't get into traditional dining and I can't book it online?