RazorbackIslandGirl

It has been my experience most reviews need to be taken with a grain of salt. If I took heed to most of them I would never want to cruise. But, I believe vacation is what you make it. It's more of a state of mind than anything else. It takes quite a bit to upset me while I'm on a cruise or any other vacation for that matter. I choose to see my glass 1/2 full. I keep my eye on the donut not the hole.😉 Maybe I'm just lucky but, I've never encountered a bad cruise. Some have been FANTASTIC & out of this world. While others have been just plain old fun. But, I don't go into vacation expecting perfection nor do I look for things I don't like. I realize life happens. People have bad days. Maintenance problems happen. As long as people try to resolve the issues, I don't let it upset me. I could be home working! In all of my cruises (over 30) I can count on one hand any people or issues that bothered me enough to address them. Go & enjoy! Just keep things in perspective!😉 JMHO Happy cruising!

34 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Don’t feel obligated to bring a suit for the formal nights.  Royal does not enforce its dress suggestions and you will find a wide variety of attire and the specialty restaurants are always smart casual even on formal nights.

True! I didn't think about the fact that they are only doing specialty dining. 

What a beautiful family! Thank you for sharing with us! It is an incredible feeling when you walk into one of those suites. They are fantastic & there are no words for how wonderful the Genies are! We will be in a 2 Bedroom Aqua Suite on Harmony in Sept. We have always been on the 17th floor. We are super excited to try the Aqua suite!

44 minutes ago, ScreamWithMe said:

Hi everyone - I'm taking my first cruise in 10 years - I've been on a bunch, but I know a few things have changed and perhaps could use some tips.   Specifically...

 

Sailing May 5th from Barcelona on a 7 day Med cruise on Oasis in a crown loft suite - thanks for all of the updates on the ship from the repairs!

 

• How do I know if my cruise has a formal night(s)?  I don't see anything on the calendar and don't want to bring a suit that I'd never wear if there isn't a formal night.
• Tipping
  • I am doing the pre-paid tips
  • Will give a bit more to the cabin crew in cash
  • Tip for drinks in the Suite lounge in cash?   Is USD ok, or should I go with EUR
• We are doing specialty dining on most nights - I dont think we'll ever go to the main dining room.  I know my tips under the pre-paid plan go there, but I assume nothing else is needed and we will tip for dining at each meal?
  • When we do Specialty Dining only we don't tip extra in the DR only at the restaurants.
•  
• Entertainment
  • It looks like they save seats for the suites, so should I just cancel my reservations and we can go when we want?
• Has anything else really changed in the last 10 years that I need to know about?

I did the same cruise a few years ago. There will be 2 formal nights. Usually night 2 & either 5 or 6. Tips are welcome in either USD or EUR. I used USD mostly but used up my EUR tipping to get rid of them so I wouldn't have to exchange them when I got home. They were fine with both. When we do Specialty Dining only, we do not tip extra in the MDR. (only pre-paid amount) We tip extra in the restaurants we dine in. You will need to make reservations for shows! When you go there is a reserved section for suite guests. You will LOVE this cruise! The ports are wonderful. Enjoy & safe travels!

Thank you for taking us along! 

We were also assigned Chill Island Cabana E for Sept 29 sailing.

35 minutes ago, wolfganghowell said:

 As far as elder respect, some of the rudest, nastiest behavior onboard has been from seniors.  So on the flip side, we shouldn't assume that all elders treat the crew well.  I've seen some horrible behavior towards crew from people old enough to know better.

Point well taken! I too have witnessed this first hand. I am always taken aback by it! I was always taught that manners were king with that generation. (maybe it's a southern thing) But, on the other side of that coin, I would NEVER disrespect someone old enough to be my parent regardless of their behavior.

I'm sorry that happened to you! Yes Star class is expensive. We have been lucky enough to have WONDERFUL service. Last time we had a genie, someone with a different genie was receiving subpar service. I spoke to our genie on their behalf about the matter. The very next day the people told us their genie apologized & made a 180 degree turn around. After that their service was as it should have been. Our genie spoke with their supervisor & clearly took care of it. If you give Star class another try please, don't wait to speak up. They are serious about the level of service expected! In the future a simple conversation with a supervisor or even the concierge should help IMHO. If you don't mind me asking who was your genie? I hope you give it another try. Once you have a good genie you will be blown away!

Better to have it & not need it than need it & not have it! I always carry around $2000 just in case. Most of it goes right back in the bank when I return home. Maybe I'm just paranoid!😉

LMaxwell- I have been in your shoes & I empathize with how you are feeling. It is NEVER ok to be spoken to in that manner! There is a discrete & respectful way to handle such situations. I feel certain if that had happened to anyone they would feel outraged as well! Some people just enjoy being antagonistic. The reality is their opinion doesn't matter. I would handle the situation as you see fit & don't engage with those trying to wind you up!😉 JMHO

Thank you for sharing! We also LOVE Palancar! Great beach, drinks & food. It's always less crowded than the all inclusive beaches. We travel to Cozumel several times a year & always spend at least one day there.

I am another NEVER!

When mine were that age ( grown & married now), They had charging privileges. At the time I had to go to GS to get a print out of all charges daily. They were given a budget & knew one penny over & they lost ALL charging privileges for the week. We never had to remove them. At 10 they were old enough to be responsible. We saw it as a budgeting lesson for them. We would look at their spending together daily. They also knew consequences were real in our household.

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Age has nothing to do with how anyone should be treated no matter who you are or by who you are. Like your experience and the OPs the behavior of the DLC was unacceptable and needed to be immediately reported to her/his boss. I would also have stopped by the C&A loyalty desk and spoke with the LA about the DLC. The DLC would also have been mentioned in our PCS. 

I agree it is un acceptable at ANY age. But, I was raised to respect my elders.😉 Although you are totally right in saying it is unacceptable to all!

I had a similar situation happen several years back on the Serenade. While showing my mother's BF around the ship, we wandered into the CVL which was being used for DL overflow. Keep in mind she was 85 at the time! The way she was spoken to was appalling! I had no issues with someone asking us to leave, although I was D+ at the time. What I was highly offended by was the loud, rude & demeaning way an 85 yr old woman was spoken to by a man less than half her age! I immediately went to the CL & spoke with the concierge about it! I insisted she received a formal apology from the DL concierge! She was sent a bottle of champagne with a hand written apology note. There is a discrete way to handle such situations. Humiliating someone regardless of their C&A stat or cabin type is NEVER ok! To speak to someone that age in that way is shameful!!!  

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us! Such a beautiful family!

Thank you for taking us along! It's scary to think what could have happened with your phone had you not found it when you did! Do you by chance have any photos of your cabin you can share? I also enjoy spending port days on the ship. It feels like you have the whole ship to yourself.

We love deck 7!

On 4/3/2019 at 2:26 PM, CanadaCathi said:

Yes, he was so nice! 

It was funny - we were in the Windjammer at some point later in the cruise, and I heard his voice and WHIPPED around - I would never have recognized him, but his voice - oh, yeah!

He is the BEST! He gave us money from his homeland of Trinidad & Tobago on our last Harmony cruise. He is the sweetest thing!

I used to always use my TA I use for all my land vacations. But when I did, I already knew the room I wanted & that it was available. I finally realized I had already done the leg work. So, for the last several cruises I have just booked directly through RCCL. Quite frankly I find it to be just as easy. Unless I am booking several rooms & want them all connected, I will just book myself from now on. If I am booking a large crowd I would rather someone else be responsible. 😉

Congratulations on scoring a suite! Enjoy every single perk!! And yes IMHO it's worth it.😄

LOL!!! Happy Fool's Day! You had me going there for a minute.😂

8 hours ago, Grenouille21 said:

 

Thank you!  The photos are still showing up HUGE to me, so hopefully they are normal size to others.   

They are normal size on my end.

Thephantomsgirl... Thank you for educating us all on what a true service dog should behave like. I love that dogs are given a chance to make a difference in the lives of others. I am glad to hear your perspective of the bogus animals. I have always thought it must have some sort of negative affect on the legitimate service animal. By the way yours is absolutely beautiful!

15 hours ago, thephantomsgirl said:

OMG! Beautiful dog! I totally understand a service dog is working. Other than complementing the dog to the owner, I would never approach the animal.  As you know, a true service animal does not just use the bathroom anywhere. It is my understanding that is part of their training. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I have no issue with service animals. My issue is with owners that are too lazy to properly train their pets. If you are going to pass your pet off as a service animal you should, at the very least, potty train them. Just out of curiosity, as a service dog owner, do you find it offensive when pets are bogusly called service animals or ESA? Just wondering. In this day & age when people are taking advantage of the system, I wonder if it affects the actual service animals & their owners?