SilkySal
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Posts posted by SilkySal
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I hate to say but actually, you waited too long to make your dining reservations, as earlier times for MTD go quickly. You've already emailed the dining venue but could try that again, if you feel it would help (don't think it will). I don't think the reps will be much help over the phone either.
In my opinion, when you first get on board (hopefully, you've got an early boarding time slot), go straight to the MTD room and try to get it sorted out. Make sure you have all of the room numbers for your table. Please remember to smile, remain calm and be nice (not demanding as some are). I believe they will do their best to accommodate you. Don't let it ruin your cruise. Good luck and happy cruising! Cheers to you and your cruise friends!
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I made some of my MTD reservations several months ago and they still aren't showing up on the app. I wouldn't worry about it. Yes, always confirm any restaurant reservations as soon as you board the ship (at least we do). I do believe that the MDR can make your specialty dining reservations but, if not, just stop at one of them to do that, as well. Happy cruising! Cheers!
Oh, and be sure each of you does the safety briefing right away on the app, and visit your muster station to get checked off, so you can relax and enjoy your cruise! If you're a couple, only one of you needs to go to the muster station to have them check both of you off as completed.
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Wow! So glad you avoided the stings! Good thinking @ATG!
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5 minutes ago, ATG said:
I came home from work one Friday to find our house filled with bees. We ended up at a hotel that night calling to find a beekeeper. He came out on Saturday and got them out by smoking the house. For weeks I found dead bees, including some in the ceiling lights. We had to have some drywall replaced where they had been building a hive. Not an experience I want to repeat.
OMG, how terrible! However, it's a shame that the beekeeper couldn't relocate them. When we bought our Florida home a few years ago, my husband was remodeling our kitchen and, when he took out the exhaust fan above the in-cabinet stovetop, a beehive fell out onto the stovetop! Luckily, for us, there were only a few dried up/dead bees. Whew!
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45 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:
We had 2 dozen crickets on our last balcony on Brilliance. We put up with it until one showed up in our bed. It apparently snuck in when we were going in and out. We got our steward involved after that. They did not relocate them and they met their end.
Great fish treats!
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Forget which ship we were on but DH and I saw a small hawk fly onto the pool deck from one side, attempting to do a "fly-by" by exiting the other side. Unfortunately, the poor hawk hit a closed window on the other side and was knocked unconscious. I picked up a cloth napkin and placed it over the hawk, picking it up to see if it was alive or dead. He was unconscious but breathing. A young woman came over to me, explaining that she was a wild animal rehabber and asked to check it out for physical damage. I handed her the little hawk and she proceeded to check out it's wings for any damage. No damage found. She then promised to take it up to the higher open deck and sit with the hawk until (hopefully) it regained consciousness. Lo and behold, the little hawk woke up and flew off of the ship. The little hawk circled the ship (as if to say thank you) and flew away. It was a really wonderful thing to see! I would do the exact same thing again in a heart beat!
Another time, while on a cruise, a queen bee decided to leave the island and brought her worker bees with her to the pool deck, where she decided to nest under one of the deck umbrellas. It was amazing to see how quickly so many bees nested under that umbrella! We notified ship staff, who quickly roped off the area, donned those white (Covid) suits, and brought Henry (the ship vacuum) with them. They proceeded to "suck up" all (or most) of the bees. We asked them what would happen to the bees and we were told that they would be taken back to the island and released. I hope that happened. Luckily, no one got stung!
Happy cruising! Cheers!
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1 hour ago, BecciBoo said:
And today priced a Central Park cabin, (no Surfside left) for our Sept Icon and that room is $4400 per person! twice what we paid way back in Oct. 2022 Yikes! Thought to maybe upgrade from our interior...nada!
Wow! We booked an infinite CP balcony on Icon for November, 2025 and we paid around that amount total for both of us! So glad we booked Icon early!
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Ditto to what @Biker19 said. As far as possible boarding times, I found this thread talking about cruises from Galveston:
You can also go to the roll calls for Harmony of the Seas; find a cruise that's current or recently completed and ask that question.
Welcome to CC and happy cruising! Cheers!
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We always use our VISA redemption money for on-board OBC. If we don't spend any of it, RC puts a credit back on our VISA. No hassling with long phone calls. Perfect for us!
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18 hours ago, kearney said:
I kinda hate to hear this. the last time we were on this ship was 2002... back when DH was fully mobile.... he now needs a scooter, walker or cane depending. I we have only been sailing on newer ships...for this reason... but sailing to Southern Caribbean from a port that is a one day drive was too tempting... plus.. and this is key... we were able to get a handicap cabin. On newer ships we have been able to manage a regular cabin... but I thought that given the age of the ship and likely tighter quarters..the only way to do this is an accessible cabin. I assume that restaurants and other areas will be tight... I have fingers and toes crossed that he will be able to access the elevator... I can do stairs...but he.. impossible. So we shall see. I am curious about experience in public areas of others who have mobility issues.
I can now walk with (sometimes without) a cane but cannot walk/stand for a long time, so I've been taking my scooter on board. We cruised on Adventure this last February and will be on her again for this NYE. I booked an accessible room (and have the same room again for NYE), which had plenty of room for us; however, the cabin doors are not automatic, so, if he is unable to push/hold the door open while he enters with his scooter, he may need your assistance going in/out of the room. We usually avoid the WJ due to the crowds (maybe some rude cruisers) and eat most meals in the MDR or a specialty restaurant.
We both have lung issues (never smoked) and cannot breathe freely around any kind of smoke (including vaping). When we were on Adventure last February, smoking was only allowed on one side of the pool deck but my husband would get up several times to report to the staff that someone was smoking/vaping on the no-smoking (our) side. Sometimes they would confront the abuser (if they actually saw him/her smoke) and sometimes they did nothing; that's when we would need to leave. It didn't ruin our cruise but it was quite annoying. I don't understand why some people think that rules don't apply to them. On the other hand, I wish more people would complain to the staff about these things, so more would be done. If you don't say anything, nothing will be done.
Sorry for the rant. We have 5 more cruises booked on Adventure but will start cruising on the big gals (Oasis and Icon class ships) next year. I didn't realize how nice the automatic cabin doors are until I didn't have one. Enjoy your cruise! Cheers!
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Guess I'll add my 2 cents. Our favorite drink package is the Refreshment Package, which is everything to drink without the alcohol including frozen mocktails at the pool and fresh squeezed OJ and other juices in the morning and/or throughout the day! Take a bottle (per person) of champagne (or wine), add some of the fresh squeezed OJ and, wallah, a wonderful mimosa!
The ship's free wifi is fine for us to keep in touch while on the ship. If you book a full suite, they include some really nice perks with no need for pricey packages. If you'd like to chat with fellow cruisers who will be joining your cruise, go to the roll call, find your date, and join in! Find your roll call here:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2463-odyssey-of-the-seas-roll-calls/
Welcome to CC and hope you all have a wonderful first cruise! Cheers!
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Didn't see the ICON listed on their CC thread:
https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/735-friends-of-bill-w/
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19 minutes ago, Cigar King said:
I have not seen flavored creamers in the suites. They do have (at times) these latte packets. If flavored creamer is important, I'd bring some. FWIW, I consider the Lavaza just wasted space. The coffee is terrible, and I usually do not use it. I do like what is in the lounge. My wife likes her instant and she askes for a kettle, as the Lavaza machine is too loud.
We probably won't use it either. DH likes to get up for his daily morning walk around the ship, then meet me for breakfast (in the CK for our suite cruise), so I'll need to drag my BA out of bed to shuffle just down the hallway and into the CK. Woe is me! NOT!! However, maybe I'll check out the room coffee maker to have a relaxing cup of hot tea before bed. That's a thought.
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Different prices on different ships, so specify which sailing. If booked, this info will be in your My Cruises app. We have cruises booked going to CocoCay, so I could tell you the current prices for the ship we will be on. Not sure exactly what you want. There are also different locations for cabanas on CocoCay, Hideaway beach, Coco Beach Club, South Beach, Oasis Lagoon, etc., so you need to be a bit more specific to get your answers. Thanks!
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Thanks for the tour of your CLS! We booked a CLS on Oasis (our first full suite) and I am very excited to be in it for 8 wonderful nights! The in-suite coffee maker is a nice perk; are flavored creamers provided or just milk or powdered stuff? DH is a black coffee drinker but I take mine a little sweeter. Thanks!
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Here's another live review from a CC'er on Liberty of the Seas, if you want to ask that question; oh, and another one from Odyssey!
Enjoy!
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We have a CC member currently on the Symphony of the Seas and she posted a current show schedule on her "live" review:
Scroll down to the bottom of page 6.
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20 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:
Just curious why you would do a B2B on a 3 and 4 day cruise? I would book a 7 day cruise every time instead of doing a B2B 3/4 day cruise.We did this because we really want to see Utopia in person and the 3 or 4 day itineraries were only offered. We wanted to be on board Utopia for at least 7 days; maybe just a one and done but ya never know, since we really like the Oasis classes of ships!
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12 minutes ago, 2chiefs said:
Glad to hear they are still doing it. Our "non-B2B lunch" on Harmony was in December 2022 and we thought it was just another thing that went away after covid. Glad to hear they are still doing it. I remember the by-gone days when it sometimes included wine and some officers.
I remember getting wine with our "lunch with officers" perk from our D+ status. Officers showed up for the toast, then left. Nice gesture.
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Here you can see your cabin locations:
https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/icon-of-the-seas/deck-plans/2250/02
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Be careful of the addiction! We (mostly me) got hooked on having a balcony (or at least a window) and now we almost always book B2B's! Very enjoyable to stay on the ship when lots of others are leaving, and it also enables you to be some of the first back on the ship. Be sure to take your ID/passport and sea passes with you when you meet to get off and re-board. Since you're keeping the same cabin, you can leave it all in there (or at least we always have). Easy peasy! Hope you enjoy your first B2B!
@2chiefs Our recent cruises have always provided us with a very nice B2B lunch but, since Utopia cruises are only 3 or 4 days, I am not sure how they will do it. We will be doing a B2B on Utopia in February, so I will know then, if not before.
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On 4/18/2024 at 9:55 AM, RobInMN said:
Discovered a new tip:
If you order a BBC (Banana Baileys Colada) in the MDR, the galley bar will make it with real banana! Yum!!
If you like it with the banana liqueur, you'll love it with actual banana
I made a note on our upcoming September cruise to ask for that BBC in the MDR! Yum! Thanks!
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We'll experience our infinity balcony on Icon next year and I am very much looking forward to it! You know the old saying, "Don't knock it until you've tried it!" We have never spent a lot of time on an open balcony anyway but will like the nice light in the room, the ability to determine the day's weather, and people watch in general. It's doubtful that we will open that window much, if at all. Personal preference definitely applies!
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Thanks for the great picture of the team @Lloyd555!!
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Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" 😁 day in lockdown... how was yours?)
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
Tom and I just booked another Celebrity cruise today! We tried Celebrity Solstice last February and loved it! Got home and booked a week (kinda pricey) on the brand new but not out yet, Celebrity XCEL. A few days later, Tom asked me to make it a B2B, so I just now booked the week before the original one! We'll be experiencing the XCEL in April, 2026 and can hardly wait for it! It's not the Retreat but, hey, it's for 2 weeks vs one!! Whoop! Whoop!
Ken, OMG, what beautiful suite!! Cheers!!