livingonthebeach

7 hours ago, seasidemama said:

what is the F&F flier?

I believe they are referring to “Friends and Family” rates. I don’t think you get C&A points with those unless it has changed. 

4 hours ago, feeloftheocean said:

If anyone knows how to have free bottles of Veuve Clicquot or Moët et Chandon (real) champagne randomly delivered to our stateroom on our upcoming cruise, please share. 🍾

I will only get excited when they offer a Krug Grande Cuvée Brut or a Louis Roederer Cristal Brut. 🥂

If zip lining is your thing or on your bucket list, then it's Labadee hands down. Labadee has 

The Dragon’s Breath Flight Line which is the longest over the water zip line in the world. It's 2,600 feet over the ocean — with speeds of up to 50 mph. I have to say this has been my most exhilarating RCI shore excursion in the Caribbean. The Parasailing looked awesome as well and I will try that next time I'm there.

Coco Cay offers more variety in terms of activities, i.e. Thrill Park and all the water slides plus all the different venues. The hot air balloon is cool too but if you're on a ship such as Odyssey that has the North Star - you can get higher than the hot air balloon for free while you're docked at Coco Cay. 

Each private destination (Coco Cay, an island and Labadee a peninsula), has it plusses and minuses -- IMHO, they are both equally enjoyable. 

8 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Haven't seen Cachaca on ship in forever

I remember drinking kiwi caipirinhas made with cachaca in Boleros on Oasis class ships but it's been a while. 

2 hours ago, Barbara60 said:

What are some drinks you like to order on board that are not on the menu? Mohito Cosmopolitan, Caiparinia, are some of my favorites.

Classic Mojitos, Cosmos and Caipirinhas can all be found onboard. Tequila Mockingbird Paloma not so much. 

13 hours ago, BND said:

Just an FYI, The actual quote is "love of money is the root of all evil".  

There are many versions of the saying all of which are way too lengthy to put on a tip jar 🤔

King James Bible
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many 

New American Standard Bible
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

On 5/10/2023 at 2:12 PM, LoveCruise71 said:

You mentioned that you buy bottle of water, do you bring them with you or do you buy their water package  "Blue" water?  Too bad is not Evian, I love this brand, in the past they have this brand but change it to Blue.   Thank you soooooo much!  

I had Evian with the water package on Rhapsody a few weeks ago. The ship had been in Barbados since pre covid (2019) and was the first time she went to the US post Covid so maybe that explains it. 

I wonder how long it will be until RCI changes the word gratuities to something like Princess which changed from gratuities to “Crew Appreciation” and Cunard to “hotel and dining service charge”.  Or simply just put out a tip jar like this one:

4 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

We’ve got 10 yr PRC visas. However, they were issued pre-Covid and all of those have been “suspended.” So, unless that changes, we will have to reapply for our trip next February.

Will they refund us the extra $$ we paid for for the 10 year?  LOL - I'm not holding my breath!

3 hours ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I wonder if that's something arranged through your TA.  We've always paid standard gratuities ahead of time, never gotten a discount.  

 

I believe when MTD first came out, you had to pre-pay your gratuities, not sure that's still the case.

I believe you can get MTD and not pre-pay grats. I don't think it's fair for the UDP people to have to pay MDR servers. YMMV

7 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

It’s also a PRC requirement right now.

Yes and the price is hefty. It costs just a little more to get a 10 year multiple entry visa so that's what I did even though I don't think I will be going back there anytime soon. 

If your cruise stops anywhere in China, you will need to get a Visa on your own - the ship does not provide visas for China - this is from personal experience. 

14 hours ago, TeddyR said:

May I ask what room you were assigned. 

Cabin 6524

I'm a bit behind reading all the posts on this thread but wanted to chime in to say that I booked a gtd balcony on my Odyssey cruise this past December and was pleasantly surprised to have been given a deck six balcony with no obstruction -- it was way forward past all the tenders.

19 hours ago, F19810 said:

I'm thinking of doing the Taste of Royal lunch on my up coming cruise on the Explorer.  The first course is tuna tartar.  I do not eat raw fish, would I get something else?  Also, is the wine pairing full glasses of wine or half glasses since it is a pairing?

Judy

The wine pairing is extra as some have said and they are not generous pours but depending on the ship and the wine sommelier, you can certainly ask for more and will be accommodated. The same goes with the food substitutions -- I've witnessed many requests for variations of the menu which have all been granted. 

Maybe this has been mentioned before but I admit I haven't read through all 13 pages.

If someone purchases the UDP and the DBP which already tacks on 18% gratuity plus one leaves a cash tip directly to the room steward, why in the world in that situation would it be fair to ask one to pay the auto grats on top of all the other "gratuities", i.e. tips? Just mildly confused...

Surprisingly, no one has mentioned the room and board aspect the crew get as part of their contract. While they are certainly in cramped quarters and the food is different and probably of lower quality than what the passengers get, there is some value to the complimentary room and board. Fast food workers on land do not receive free room and board. Maybe this is an added incentive for workers from lesser developed countries, as they would receive more in wages that they could send home to their families than what they get earn in their home countries? Just a thought. 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports

1 minute ago, Cruise5life said:

Yeah harass them back seems like a smart idea.   Easy to say from a keyboard.   And not going isn’t an option.  You shouldn’t have to worry about vendors. 
one of the reasons I don’t like Cabo port.   So many rude vendors there too.  

I've been to Labadee many times in person and not from a keyboard. I've also been to many developing countries where the harassment is much, much worse. As far as I'm concerned, the vendors there are tolerable. YMMV

How about a B2B? Has that question been answered?

28 minutes ago, neverbeenhere said:

Royal: give it up, it isn’t the cat’s meow, it’s the dog’s ****.  The space would be a quick remodel to a ??? 
 

Of course, I would like real beer. But anything has got to be better. 

I totally agree -- anything but the BB in that spot would be much better. That's a ginormous waste of space and $$$ as they have it now.

2 minutes ago, njsmom said:

The bionic bartender isn't using artificial intelligence, it's simply a robot. 

True, it's an extremely overpriced robot that is programmed to fail. AI is used to perform a task that typically only humans can do. Been there, done that and got the T-shirt and will never go back. 

The vendors in Labadee are tame compared to most third world countries. Yes they harass you but you have options -- either don't go or harass.back. 

It's a crapshoot when you book GTY.  I was extremely lucky on Odyssey -- when I saw I got 

deck six I nearly freaked out -- that's where all the obstructed balconies are due to the tenders being there. I got a cabin way up toward the bow and had a perfectly unobstructed view --- YMMV

I don't think I will ever cruise on Grandeur again. 

She is the oldest ship in the entire fleet and showing her age. 

The Jr. Suite bathtub was the grossest thing I've ever seen. The ship doesn't have a lot to offer and should be scrapped IMO. She's not as bad as Empress but getting there -- YMMV