yuvraj

Not sure which ship you are on. If it is the Navigator or one in same class then there is an area with windows where you can look into the Bridge.

Wheelchair assistance - Other family members are able to accompany. Each terminal has a different setup so look out for dedicated check-in desk, or ask a staff member when you enter the terminal or at any check-in desk.

Muster Station - Some are in lounges. Others are out on deck where you have to stand. Best thing to do is work out where your muster station is once you have access to your cabin. If it is in a lounge then get there early and you will find plenty of seating. If it is outside where you might be asked to stand, query at guest services ahead of time so that they can make alternative arrangements.

No matter what advice you get on CC, it depends on so many things that it is best to be prepared for the unexpected. On one cruise (Allure), our muster station was the Aquatheatre so we got there early and grabbed a seat. As it started to rain, they decided to change muster stations and there was a chaotic rush to the new location.

Plenty of people around to guide you and provide assistance so it is probably best to seek their help in these situations.

No harm in asking the waiter or head waiter. I can't imagine them saying no. Might complicate things in terms of process and ordering as they tend to have a record of special dietary requirements and need to pre-order. I suspect the problem would not be one of refusal but the likelihood of messing up their system and the resulting confusion meaning that you don't get what you pre-ordered.

Various members of my family are vegetarian so we have gone through this process of pre-ordering from vegetarian menu on a number of cruises. Overall, I am very impressed wit the effort they make.

Everyone has their reasons why they do or do not book cruise line sponsored excursions - it doesn't add anything to this post to waggle a judgmental "told you so" finger at the OP. Things can go wrong on a private excursion too (although less common).

I agree. (y)

Not been on Thomson (Marella) but feedback from people who have seems to be positive. Definitely on my list to give them a try.

Big differentiator for me is that even though I am not high on the loyalty programme, the discount on top of reasonable on board prices for speciality dinning and drinks tips the balance in favour of P&O for me. Also, while Marella may have many positives, I suspect they cannot match P&O on food and wine options when you consider celebrity chef backed speciality dinning.

Could this have anything to do with where you sit? I always thought it was down the sound man to get this right. Not had an issue myself but I tend to sit right at the back.

I have done the behind the scenes tours and they are really great. Plus I would book speciality dinning as a special celebration. You get a really good restaurant type of experience which would be a step up from eating in the MDR. You can order a cake which can be delivered to your cabin or presented at dinning and the waiters can sing happy birthday.

I have learnt a lot of lessons after thirty years of cruising and many ship organised excursions.

Some excursions are a waste of money and you would be better off doing the same activity yourself. It would be cheaper and less stressful. You learn this the hard way and with each bitter experience you tend to get smarter in your choices.

While I agree that cruise lines should take more responsibility in making sure that excursions they organise are well managed and properly run, sadly this is not usually the case. I have come to accept this so again I am a little cautious and manage my expectations. I take the choose wisely approach.

Now that doesn't mean that RC is any worse than other cruise lines when it comes to running excursions. I have been on many that were well run and on balance offered more convenience and reassurance than organising something myself. It depends on the port, the tour you choose and so many other factors.

There are times when I actually prefer the menu in the Main Dining Room over the Coastal Kitchen.

Before you enter the MDR restaurant, there is a podium where you can go if you are in a suite. You do not need reservations. They will seat you right away.

I love this because even if you have my time dining...there is usually still along line for that.

I like this as well. I like trying different dinning venues so although CK is a favourite, I do like to eat in the MDR from time to time if the menu appeals. Also with the CK you probably need to pre-book but with MDR you can just turn up and get seated straight away.

Probably annoys other guests standing in the line but that doesn't trouble me.

Awesome awesome.

Now is there any benefits that aren’t listed? Like only someone who has done suites knows? I have read you get a day in the spa?

I have been in a Sky Class suite on Oasis class ships twice in recent years. Definitely no day passes in spa or other unlisted benefits.

It is true. Plus soda.

And bottled water. I mention this because on our first cruise in a suite on Oasis, we weren't aware that you could get bottled water from the suite lounge. Also we have found that this is not generally publicised.

As not everyone knows or prepared to look it up, it would helpful to say which embarkation port. I assume it is FLL but don't know if that has changed.

We stayed in the Renaissance pre-cruise as it is close to the port, dinning venues and water taxi stop. We found getting around by Uber really easy.

Post cruise we booked a day room at Miami airport as we were flying out of Miami. We spent the day at Bayside.

Right?? Some people here have such terrible attitudes.

Agreed. I am surprised by the number of pendants that decided to jump in on this thread.

First I got addicted to cruise holidays. Then I got addicted to CC. Now I am addicted to tipping threads although lurking is more fun than participating these days.

BTW made a personal note. Do not enter into a conversation with strangers about tipping while on a cruise. Politely walk away, run if you need to.

I have been going on cruises for over 30 years. Tried quite a few cruise lines including P&O and RC. Other cruise lines I have tried are Cunard, Princess and Celebrity. P&O and RC are my favourites.

So here is my honest answer ...

There is a difference in demographics and overall experience between the smaller P&O ships (like Oriana) and large ships like Ventura.

With each P&O cruise they seem to have slipped more and more into the budget cruise market. Low fares and a decline in quality of service to match. I don't consider the service in MDR to be sophisticated. The entertainment is ok but not of the same standard as some of the premium brands.

On a positive, the drink prices are reasonable and the bar service in the lounges is excellent. The speciality dinning venues are also great and IMO reasonably priced. People do make the effort to dress up on formal nights and P&O do enforce the dress code.

If you book with moderate expectations and pick one with competitive prices then you will be pleasantly surprised by the VFM and the many hidden positives. If you book expecting the sophistication of 30 years ago then you could be disappointed.

BTW one thing that hasn't changed with P&O is technology. While other cruise lines have gone Hi Tech, you can't even check your account on your TV, you have to go to guest services. Internet access is rubbish and the general experience around the ship is Lo Tech. Perhaps the retro experience might appeal.

I prefer MDR for breakfast and lunch.

Dear Annelle,

 

Thank you for your recent inquiry into the operations of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. Below please find the answers to your questions:

 

1. There are significant structural and logistical requirements around docking a large ship in port. There must be sufficient infrastructure and local vendors to allow the ship to restock fresh goods. Transportation networks must exist to allow for smooth debarkation and movement of passengers away from the immediate port area. Cruise ships have a deep draft and thus the harbor must have enough of a deep water channel to allow for safe pilotage. These conditions do not exist everywhere, and often must be constructed at significant capital expense. RCCL is continually re-evaluating our ports of call and when interest exists we would consider investing the needed resource into opening up new ports.

 

2. Most cruise departures from the US are on Saturday or Sunday as this is when most people start and end their vacations. Given currents, prevailing winds, and geography, there is only one feasible route that can be taken to allow stops of sufficient length and without excess speed which can be uncomfortable. Thus all many ship depart the same day and sail the same route, leading to many ships being in port the same day.

 

3. We pay our vendors for fuel and supplies in US dollars, and invest US dollars in our new ship construction. Thus if we charged Canadians the same fare in Canadian dollars at par we would take a loss. Perhaps if you could convince all our vendors to take Canadian dollars at par we could make it work. But don't tell the Indonesians, they would be able to cruise for a buck (14,500 Rupiah per dollar.)

 

Please do not hesitate to contact my office with any further questions.

 

Sincerely,

 

CEO, RCCL

I love this reply. In fact I love CC because of replies like this :)

Suggestion to OP. Twitter and facebook may be better means of communicating your thoughts to RC. You might even be able to engage in a conversation with the CEO if he is on either of these platforms.

Note to OP. If you are going to post on a message board then expect people to jump in with all kinds of replies including ones you don't like.

Interesting thread. Didn't realise so many people were into this.

Is this a thing just in US or elsewhere as well? Do people do this in Europe? Just curious, I am not one to judge. :)

Thank you for the review. I did the British Isles cruise with another cruise line and your review brought back fond memories.

I would recommend the British Isles cruise to everyone. It really is good.

Hi All,

 

Also any advice on what else I can/should request from a concierge in advance?

 

J.

I have not found the need to request anything in advance from the concierge. Almost everything can wait until I board the ship. With CK reservations, I find it easier to wander over to CK and speak to the restaurant manager and do my bookings that way.

There are 2 concierges normally and you will find them in the suite lounge.

Things to look out for while on board :

a). Invites to special events eg. behind the scenes tour, meet and mingle with officers etc. The concierge will usually organise something and you will get an invite in your cabin.

b). Concierge may make special arrangements to give you priority when getting off at some ports. So ask about this or just keep a look out for any messages left in your cabin.

c). The arrangements for escorted disembarkation are not always clear so best to have a conversation with concierge ahead of time so you can plan your exit.

Other than that, best to make your own arrangements and cut out the middle man. For example, easier to go to shore excursions, look through tours, ask questions etc. than getting the concierge to do this for you. Same applies with dinning, easier to speak to the restaurant manager if you have any special requirements.

Main benefit of having the concierges is that they can trouble-shoot if there is a problem with the minimum of fuss.

I have not been on Symphony. Above info is based on recent cruises on Allure and Oasis. I am assuming it is similar on Symphony but could be wrong.

I don't believe the little mishaps amount to a negative start. I have done a number of celebrations on cruise ships in recent years. Didn't expect anything special but any token gestures were appreciated. Sometimes little mishaps have occurred and I just accept that this might happen. Not enough to ruin the celebration or the holiday.

Looks like there were one or two problems with booking and some kind of compensation was offered. Best to have that in writing (email) and query this with guest services if you don't get what was promised. They will usually sort this out.

Based on my experience, I don't believe loyalty status makes any difference. What would make a difference is booking a suite, then you might feel justified in expecting a VIP experience and usually they go the extra mile to deliver this.

I have done quite a few cruises with 3 or 4 sharing. The cost for 3rd/4th person has never been free for me.

My experience is that the 3rd/4th person price has a significant discount but there is no consistency so you have to get quotes for individual cruises. Sometimes they have a promotion with 25% off 3rd/4th person and that is on top of the usual discount. I have found this type of offer to be genuine and the cost is a lot cheaper.

Some thoughts on this thread and many others like this one which seem to lead to heated exchanges ...

If a very small number don't pay the auto gratuities or tip then it doesn't matter. Swings and roundabouts and there is no need for anyone to get excited about and the system remains as it is.

If a large number and an increasing number are opting out then there is a problem. The cruise lines will need to think again and change the system. Perhaps make the service charge mandatory, include in fare or come up with some other clever idea (collection tin at security on disembarkation :) ).

Whatever we think on CC makes little difference IMO.

There is a practical problem of not having a dinning table and chairs in the balcony so for this reason only it doesn't seem like a good idea.

If you can find a way to make this work for you then a quiet word with the head waiter and a generous tip might do the trick. No harm in asking.

Better PR is to add a little extra to the cruise price so everyone contributes to the tip pool and claim ' Tips Included.

I agree with you. Time for P&O and perhaps other cruise lines to adopt a "service included" pricing strategy. There was a time when I didn't think this was a good idea but now I have changed my mind.