smc99

We’ve done two cruises in a Boardwalk view balcony cabin, though without any kids. We loved it the first time for all the activity to see and for all the people-watching. By the second cruise  we found all that constant activity and commotion to be somewhat annoying.  Next time we’ll do an Ocean view balcony.
it all depends on whether you prefer non-stop activity or peace and quiet.

It can be either way, depending on the cruise, I guess.   We brought some bottles of wine aboard from one of our stops in Spain.  They said they'd be delivered to our cabin on the last night of the second leg of the B2B. We asked the Bar Manager if we could get them delivered earlier than that to share with family members joining us for the second leg, and it was no problem.  

When in doubt, just ask!

Don't know about Camp Nous, but we did Sagrada Familia on our own during our layover day on a B2B. We pre-booked the tickets online, then took a cab (4 of us) to the tour office right across the street from Sagrada Familia. We originally booked tickets for the 11am tour but we were able to get off the ship early enough to get there in time for the 9am tour.  Good thing we did - the tour operator told us how crowded it gets later in the day, and he was right. By the time we finished the tour the streets were absolutely mobbed with people. 

But - getting there and back to and from the ship by cab was quick and easy. 

We were on the 8-night Cuba itinerary on Empress in March.  She is showing her age, and there was a lot of maintenance and painting going on just about every day. But "stinky and dirty"?  Absolutely not. 

Yes, the cabins are tiny. (We've been spoiled by the balcony cabins on other ships) But there was certainly NOTHING that would warrant not cruising on her!  The staff and crew were great, the food was good. Even the entertainment was pretty good.  

We're aboard Empress now.  I don't know what, specifically, was updated, but it's still a work in progress! 

The interior of the ship seems to be in good shape, but the exterior is really showing her age. The entire upper deck forward was closed for a couple of days for cleaning and repainting, so everyone had to crowd around the pool deck. They did add some hammocks up on the top deck, which are nice. 

Most of Deck 7 was without working toilets for over 12 hours one night. I can live without having to flush for a few hours, but the noise of them trying to fix it (snaking out the lines, etc) made sleep impossible. They gave up at 2AM and started again at 7AM.  They finally got them working again by around 10AM.  

There seems to be a lot of new furniture throughout the ship, but I had trouble finding any that was very comfortable. They seem to have focused on  the low, sleek modern look instead of comfort. Most of the carpeting seems new. We saw rolls and rolls of the old carpeting stacked up on deck waiting to be disposed of. 

The absolute worst part?  THE ICE CREAM MACHINE WASN'T WORKING FOR THE FIRST 3 DAYS!   

She is still a nice ship, the food is pretty good, and the staff and crew couldn't be more friendly.  But - she is getting old..... We talked to more than one couple who said this was their first RCCL cruise and it would be their last.  They have a point given the limited options available onboard Empress compared to the newer, bigger ships and it's sad that it's reflecting badly against the entire fleet.  

 All in all... Empress is all about the itinerary, not the amenities.  She's a good ship. She's just small, and old, and due for retirement!  

We had four people spread out over different cabins all share  a “one device” plan. No problem as long as just one was signed in at any time.

 Because once you leave the bar, no one knows what you do with the drink(s).

We've done TA's on both Navigator out of New Orleans and Vision out of Barcelona.  Loved them both!   

One thing to consider if your timing is flexible - Due to the time zone changes,  any TA from the US to Europe will have at least 6 days where you lose an hour. A TA from Europe to the US has 6 days with an extra hour. Sounds minor, but very nice having that extra hour to sleep for those 6 days!   We also liked getting the long boring flight out of the way before the cruise rather than having to do it after.  

Sharkees;  10 minute walk from the ship on the main drag. Excellent cracked conch!

We've done a few b2b's, and each one is a little different process. On the last one we had the option of getting our new seapass card and "in transit" paper before 9AM at Guest Services on transition day. That way we had all day to go ashore and explore, and didn't have to wait in the lines to check back in. 

 The drink cards were available the last 4 days of our transatlantic in October. 

You’ll get $100 on board credit just by getting the card and using it once, even if just for a couple of dollars. 

If you also use it to pay for a $2,500 cruise you get another $50 OBC.

That’s $150 OBC just for using the RCCL card to pay for what you were going to buy anyway. 

 One warning: the card has high interest rates and very high late payment fees, so only use it for something you’re paying off right away and on-time.

The official RCCL line is that both passengers in the cabin have to purchase the drink package.  I've seen several people on these boards comment that by calling and asking they have had that requirement waived. 

 Can't hurt to ask! 

 It will probably be on in most of the lounges, but probably not on your cabin TV.  Last year’s Super Bowl was shown on all the big screens and on the outdoor screen on Serenade. 

The OBC doesn't just "show up" all by itself.  You have to redeem the rewards and apply them to the specific cruise you want to use them on.   

Now you've got me worried!  

We're scheduled on the 8-night Cuba cruise on March 3rd   Hope all these upgrades/refurbishments get done on time! 

 That $89 price is probably the price for an in-port day, less gratuity.  Spa treatments on at-sea days are always higher. 

We were on the Vision in October. Balcony cabins do have refrigerators.

We spent a lot of time there in October on two b2b cruises. Very small (probably seats about 20)  but we (almost) always found a seat.  It gets busy at 5pm when it opens, then thins out a little when the early dinner seating guests leave. Gets busy again around 7pm when the second seating guests filter in. 

  Bartender when we were there (Shivom) was excellent - refilled our drinks as soon as they were empty without us having to ask and always remembered what we were drinking.  Concierge was Carlos - always ready to do anything he could to help.

  Appetizers were very good, but nothing spectacular. We were never there for the Continental Breakfast. 

  There were so many D members on board for the Transatlantic they had to convert the Some Enchanted Evening Lounge to the D Lounge. It was a madhouse at times!

Definitely carry-on. 

[Ok...so do you just go back and forth on the web site looking for the same cabin to be open both weeks or do you call Royal?   What’s your method?]

 We’ve always chosen the itineraries on our own, then called Royal to check to see if the same cabin was available for each leg.  Even if we do end up having to change cabins it’s not a big deal.

3 minutes ago, FLACRUISER99 said:

I'm on RH right now and no drinks are allowed out of the lounge. Strictly enforced!!

 

Wow! That’s either a recent change, or it varies by ship. We were on Vision for 26 days in October and never had a problem taking drinks out of the DL. 

Additionally, you can get unlimited drinks IN the Diamond lounge itself during the same hours, including bottled water. And you can take those drinks with you. We usually took a glass of wine from the DL to dinner.

 Note that the Diamond Happy hour menu is somewhat limited: it included Miller light but not Coors light, Bacardi Rum but not Captain Morgan, wine but not champagne (though they did include champagne on our last cruise.)

Yes - both canned soda and bottled water are included. 

We were just on Vision for both the 13 Day Med/Greek Isles and the 13 day Transatlantic. It is one of their smaller ships so it doesn’t have ALL the amenities, but we had no problems at all with the ship. The food was the best we’ve had on any of our cruises.