Gardener5b

Too funny. We had a wicked smart basset hound (emphasis on wicked). We had to put a baby lock on the drawer that held our garbage can. He sat and watched us until he finally figured out how to open it. He was sooo smart, but only used it for evil.

Some of the older ships also have interior rooms that overlook the Promenade on the inside of the ship. While not a balcony, they have a great window seat that makes the room feel a little larger, and is fun for people watching, and the rooms get some additional light from the Promenade. You just need to be aware to close your drapes at appropriate times as the cabins across from you can see into your cabin. I've always found these to be a great bargain when cruising solo.

Brilliance Grandeur Freedom My all time favorite ship was Legend.....So sorry she is gone.

Thanks for mentioning this--we are also on this cruise and I haven't booked a hotel or air yet either.

My Mazda CX-5 works the same way. Don't use it often, but it is handy occasionally.

Fabulous dress, and you look amazing.

I kind of dislike having to deal with receipts again. On Adventure in August, I used to just tell the bartender I didn't want to use a voucher and never had an issue. The bartenders were really good about telling us how many vouchers we had left. By day 2, the bartender in the Windjammer knew to charge me for my fresh squeezed orange juice and saying it was better to save the vouchers for wine, etc. But, it's still a great benefit so we'll do whatever is needed to keep it as such.

What a great review. Thank you!

Thanks for an amazing review. Loved all of your photos and videos. Stay safe and well on your trip home.

That's a lot of garlic!! Do you do something to preserve it once harvested?

We were on Adventure last month and breakfast was on deck 3 of the dining room.

We won a bid an amazing 7 weeks in advance of our 8/18 sailing on Adventure. We went from a JS to an OS with just a middle-of-the-ground bid. We were notified just a couple of days after we placed our bid! Hope you are successful and have a wonderful cruise.

We enjoy the smaller ships because they tend to visit more interesting ports. And the service has always been outstanding. The Radiance class ships have the most amazing views to the sea. Lots of good reasons to enjoy the smaller ships if you don't need all of the newer entertainment options.

I'm not sure if the earlier MTD hours were any better--we didn't think to ask. Perhaps MTD was just more popular on our sailing? Hope you can find a happy solution for your sailing.

Apparently the MTD dining line was overwhelmed, and we had available tables so they moved people there (this information was from our waiter). One night, we left at 9:45 and the two tables seated late still hadn't gotten their appetizers. A few mornings, the Windjammer was so crowded that the waiting line curved out to the pool deck. If you ate breakfast much past 8:30, you were going to have a wait for a table.

Coming out of lurking mode temporarily to give a brief review of our recent cruise on Adventure. We were on the 9 day sailing departing 8/18. Ports of call were Bermuda, San Juan, St. Martin and Labadee. Overall, it was a great cruise. We won a reasonably priced Royal Up bid from Jr. Suite to Owners Suite. The suite lounge concierge was amazing. She held a sail away party from San Juan on the helipad. We loved the extra space in the OS. We had late seating; the wait staff was just overwhelmed. Our assistant waiter was responsible for at least 2 waiters stations. The staff was working so hard, but it was complicated by people coming in at least 45 minutes after service started. They also had to deal with people from MyTime dining coming up to empty tables up to an hour after service started. I felt so bad for them trying to keep up. Food in the dining room was good. Windjammer was a mixed bag, but perhaps just not to my personal taste. A shortage of waiters to clear tables here was also evident. In both venues, the baked rolls/breads were absolutely addictive. Bar service was quite good; we didn't experience any shortages of preferred wines or bourbons. Ports of call were good, although due to the itinerary, times in ports were quite short. We did shore excursions in Bermuda and SanJuan. We stayed on board in St Martin; it was quite rainy there. The ship was in great shape. Lots of maintenance being done--all of the railings on deck 12 and 10 were being re-varnished. And finally, since everyone is posting cute pet photos, here is our recent addition (we do basset hound rescue; she was a foster that we adopted last year.). We also have a camera shy senior golden that was also a rescue.

Thank you --that's good to know!

August 18th. We received our travel authorization approval today but everytime we try to print, it cuts off the initials/timestamp.

Has anyone had luck printing the approved Bermuda Travel Authorization form? It keeps cutting off the initials/timestamp (and not even printing them on the second page).

Love all of these beautiful china patterns. I think your pattern is the same as my older sister's.

It was definitely our favorite ship. We tend to prefer the older or smaller ships. The SS Norway was one of a kind. On one sailing, there was a pretty strong tropical storm. Lots of rocking and rolling. We were the only ship that made it back into port on time.

We were fortunate enough to sail the beautiful SS Norway 3 times. And every cabin was different!! One cabin we had was not only a large bedroom, but a huge bathroom with a big claw foot tub. It was amazing how large the bathroom was!! And they had a crazy hallway with a porthole window that looked into the pool. So weirdly amazing. Best of all was the Roman Spa in the lower decks of the ships. It was an amazing space.

@Biker19 Oh, yes......although pre-COVID does seem like a long time ago. Thank you both for your replies.

I feel like a newbie asking this, but after many cruises, this is our first time in a suite (Owners Suite on Adventure). I read somewhere that drinks/appetizers are available certain hours. Are those included, or do you use a voucher/drinks package/charge sea pass? Thanks in advance for your replies.

Our first ever cruise was our honeymoon cruise in 1989 on NCL Seaward. It definitely got us hooked on cruising. Our first Royal cruise was probably our 2nd cruise, on Song of Norway in early 1992. I can't remember the Caribbean itinerary, but I do remember the treacherous staircase to get to the Viking Crown Lounge. You had to enter via staircase that was outside. Quite the experience in a dress, heels, and windy conditions at night!!