Sizzlechest

6 minutes ago, la_croisiere_s'amuse said:

Is this the "Daddy's Little Meatball" guy? I remember reading that and thinking ... wow ... if that's your idea of an icebreaker ... 😬

Confirmed.

https://archive.ph/lUfQn

Here's the article: https://12ft.io/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2024/05/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-icon-of-seas/677838/

He's the actual CHUD meme face.

On 5/21/2024 at 8:04 AM, PG_Cruiser said:

BAHAMIAN SKY JUICE
Hideaway Beach
Perfect Day at Coco Cay

 

 

NOTE:

This is one of the new cocktails served at Hideaway Beach on Coco Cay.

I want to try this one, but I usually don't drink gin. If I were to modify it, what would I replace it with?

I went from NCL to RCL in part because of the crowding on NCL's newer ships. I don't have any issues with RCL mega ships getting seats at shows, dining reservations, etc. The adults-only areas are truly adults-only.

A good metric for food quality is to compare the MDR/Windjammer to the specialty options. I would expect a gap, but not very wide. The gap has widened. You might say, "Then get a dining package and pay for it." Yeah, you could say that, and that might not be a bad idea for the large ships like Oasis class that has lots of specialty options. What about Freedom class ships? I'm going on a 7-9 day cruise on the Liberty with only three options: Chops, Giovanni's, and Sabor. That's not going to work for anyone. I paid for Chops and Giovanni's individually for the MDR menu nights that I can't stand.

Other cruise lines have more Chinese food* options. RCL has no wok station. They do have a lot of  Indian food options. I assume it's because RCL can kill two birds with one stone: offer different food options that are also vegan-friendly. OTOH, I noticed the dining staff is over-represented by Indian employees, so maybe it's just that simple.

*Yes, it's technically Americanized Chinese food, but the point still stands.

I've gone through this entire thread and I nominate PG_Cruiser as the best posted in Cruise Critic history. This was an incredible effort.

Some of those drinks only available on Icon of the Seas look great. I'm assuming if you asked for them on another ship, they'd have no idea how to make them. Now with the recipe, they can.

If you run out of official drinks, I suggest continuing this thread with off-menu drinks. A "Berrys and Cream" is something most RCL bartenders know how to make, but it's not on any menu in the fleet. A "Pistachio Martini" is another one the bartenders on the Liberty of the Seas knew how to make that was outstanding. (Sorry, I didn't get the recipe.)

I also have a couple of drinks I instruct the bartenders to make that I have memorized. If anyone else does, maybe we can share them.

On 4/18/2024 at 10:03 AM, OCSC Mike said:

 

Sounds good!

 

My wife has a hack for something similar... She grabs a banana from WJ or wherever and asks a bartender (usually at the Solarium Bar since that's where we lounge) if they would mind adding it to her strawberry daiquiri. No one has said no yet. It's a bit more like a smoothie but she's not really a drinker. And as an added bonus, the banana usually winds up producing more than one drink's worth so they usually give her the extra on the side.

I get a small amount of real heavy cream from the espresso area. Order a black russian and then turn it into a white russian.

On 11/5/2023 at 1:32 PM, PG_Cruiser said:

BLACK RUSSIAN
Fleet Cocktails

 

Add a shot of Frangellico to make a Nutty Russian. It's amazing.

I asked my TA about making dining package reservations pre-cruise and here is what he said:

RCL is currently trying it out on the ICON and will be on the Utopia.  There’s no word yet when they will be rolling out pre-cruise reservations at Specialty restaurants again.

4 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

It's a shame we have to pay extra for decent ice cream. 

I get it, but every cruise line has its pluses and minuses. RCL: Pay for popcorn. Free pizza. NCL: Pay for pizza. Free popcorn. 🤷‍♀️

5 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

RC has some of the most tasteless ice cream I've ever eaten. 

Yes, but the ice cream you have to pay for is excellent. I'm GLAD the contract with Ben and Jerry's expired. The Sugar Shack stuff on the Oasis class ships is now on the Freedom class (from what I heard.)

BTW, if you are on an Oasis-class ship and have the UDP, don't pay for ice cream at Sugar Shack. Go to Playmakers and get it for free (but without the cone). And yes, they have all the same flavors as what's in Sugar Shack. You don't have to stick with the Tahitian Vanilla just because that's what's on the menu at Playmakers.

5 minutes ago, loman said:

There was hard ice cream available at the buffet on the Harmony . 

Yeah. They have very generic vanilla in the MDR (sometimes), too But NCL has a whole sundae station in their buffet.

On 4/25/2024 at 9:34 PM, Smitty815 said:

Falmouth, Jamaica: we did the river tubing and beach club. It was a bit of a let down. We only spent a little over an hour at the beach before they said we had to get the bus back. The excursion said it was 5 hours but the whole thing was a little less than 4 (including 1 hour of driving). I figured we would have had a lots more time at the beach. It felt like a sea day because we were back in time for lunch and then had 5 hours before the ship left the port.

You should ask for a refund. That's unacceptable.

On 4/25/2024 at 9:34 PM, Smitty815 said:

the aqua 80 show is the best show I have seen on a ship by far. It was insanely good.

 

CATS: we skipped it. Been there. Done that. Easily the worst musical known to man. I don’t know how they haven’t changed it yet. Everybody who has seen it skips it and everybody who goes says that they hated it (aside from a few exceptions).

Aqua 80 is great not because it's "80s music set to diving/acrobatics." It's not because Gen Xers enjoy it. It is because they created an entirely new soundtrack using multiple 80s songs simultaneously. They're going to make a new Aqua 80s show on another ship. I just hope they go the extra mile for the soundtrack of that one.

I hate Cats, too. However, I met someone who loved it. I think it's because they read the book many years ago. I had no idea it was a book.

2 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

FYI, the waiters only get a couple of dollars per meal. Most of the 18% goes into the overall ship pool.  We always leave $10 extra for the two of us. 

Oh goodie. A tipping post. Welp, this thread was nice while it lasted.

5 minutes ago, sfaaa said:

And the cakes at buffet.

And hard ice cream, not just soft serve.

5 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

Carnival has 2 pay pizza they added to their pizza menu and not even a whimper. Royal acted like the roof fell in. Still the same free choices. Just 2 additional not free.

Carnival has better free options than Royal. Guys burgers, stir fry wok station, etc.

The MDR/Buffet food is subpar compared to Specialty Dining. Yeah, that's not a surprise, but the difference shouldn't be so glaring.

I was shocked RCL floated the idea of charging for pizza. Pizza is the backup plan if dinner in the MDR is so-so. They start charging for Pizza and the MDR ratings are going to plummet.

I always put in lowball bids. The only way I can justify the terrible deal is if somehow the 4,000-5,000 other cruisers are too smart to fall for it. Never won a RoyalUP once. 🤭

There was talk about RCL allowing dining package customers to reserve before boarding. Anyone hear any updates about this?

2 hours ago, Scottdalfonso said:

What ice cream? the stuff they sold in the candy store? I feel like that's what's going to replace the Ben And Jerrys.  OR are you talking about that weird soft serve yogurt stuff? 

The hard ice cream/gelato in Sugar Beach. UDP tip: Sugar Beach is not part of the UDP, but Playmakers is. Buy the football helmet full of ice cream at Playmakers and specify whatever flavors you want.

On 12/4/2023 at 8:01 AM, time4u2go said:

I hope not! They make some great ice cream, with some interesting flavors! 

Not anymore. They're nothing special. The ice cream on the Oasis was WAY better than anything sold from Ben & Jerry's on the Liberty.

I was on the Oasis scouting for a receptacle to plug in a laptop. I found a 120V US plug near NextCruise, but all of the other ones looked like the picture attached.

I believe this is a CEE 7/7. I see there are adapters that I can use for CEE 7/7 to my C5 three-conductor receptacle on my laptop's power supply.

Yes, I'm aware that the voltage and frequency are 220V / 50 Hz compared to the US plug, which are 120V / 60 Hz. Laptop power supplies support both.

Has anyone tried this? Any advantage to getting the right-angle plug? Do the other RCL ships use these receptacles, too? What about other Cruise companies in the USA?

I have the same question.

1 hour ago, tennislvr8 said:

Tonight we are doing the BBQ place and the water show which is amazing. 

Aqua 80? One of the best shows I've ever seen. They could have just slapped together a show with a bunch of 80s tunes, but they took it to a new level by creating a new soundtrack using 80s music.

20 minutes ago, Sizzlechest said:

I'm sailing in 10 days and I don't see any Entertainment options yet.

Well, correction. I am seeing it on the app, but not on the website. Not every show is appearing and the ones that do have the reserve button grayed out with a message below the button that says "Add to calendar after you board."