Royal “allures” carnival girl: A comparison story.

I have it on good authority that she has been whisked off to undergo a full intervention. You see, a group of Carnival funatics got wind that she might be going over to the dark side. Amsred2... I am your father. I did it for your own good. :cool:

When they found out about her traderous ways, they sent spies to intersect her. Sheis now undergoing full detox. Once her re-education is complete she will once again be welcomed into the fun-ship fold where she belongs.

While I recognize that she will forever be a cruise-a-holic... a sickness which can never be cured, I believe she will be brought to her senses and never stray again.

Ok… I really do have it on good authority that she is well and had to go back to work only a handful of hours after she got back home.

On 9/13/2018 at 8:35 PM, amsred2 said:

CHAPTER 2: The year that changed my mind and my life.

Warning: This part of the story does not carry with it my usual satire and you may even need a tissue. Feel free to skip to the live review starting September 29. However, it is important to me to tell this part of the story. I promise it will be the only part of this voyage that isn’t filled with fun facts, fabulous information, happy memories and possibly/probably a few drunken tall tales once the cruise begins.

I never felt the need to take any grand adventures or big risks. After all, we were a military family and every move, every new duty station, was already more of an adventure than I was comfortable with. By nature, I am not a risk taker and do not like to do things outside of my comfort zone. Although initially excited, that first cruise was a big step for me and of course it BOMBED!

After the cruise from Hell, I recovered and went on with daily life, cemented on the idea that I was meant to stay, not only on dry land, but also in my nice cozy, safe lifestyle.

Really there isn’t much to tell in the ten years that followed. We changed duty stations every couple of years, our kids turned into teenagers, hubby grew in his career and I held down the fort while he was deployed. We enjoyed all the necessities, and a few luxuries, but never another real vacation. I was to scared to spend the money on another catastrophe.

In the meantime, my parents had discovered a new zest for life and a new hobby: cruising. Most of my adult life I lived far away from my parents but I regularly spent hours on the phone with my mom. Once she found a love for the sea, she wanted to share it with everyone…all the time. Pretty much every conversation was how great the food is, how you get “one stop” for entertainment, gambling and shopping. She would coo over how relaxing a cruise is and how it made my parents feel like kids again. I would roll my eyes as she droned on about how I should give it another shot and how I can’t judge a whole industry on one incident that was “pretty much your own doing”. Mom never nagged me to make her a grandparent (maybe cuz I made her one at 44 and by this time she had 13 grandkids) but now I kind of know how those childless children feel. She nagged me relentlessly to take a cruise with her. I always mumbled a “No. It cost too much” or “The Seasickness” or “Too much time away from the kids” (who were old enough to take care of themselves).

During one of our visits home, I sat facing her at the table were she implored me to go on this fancy ship with a fancy cabin and a… BUTLER! Her face was radiant as she lamented how great it would be for her and I to get pampered while my dad and hubby went scuba diving (like me, mom was not adventurous and scuba was not our idea of a good time). She would pay for everything; flights, scuba qualifications for hubby, cabin, tips, spa treatments and even a night at the steakhouse (this made me begin to crack a little).

Seeing the look on her face as she practically begged me to go…I caved. I gave hubby the look that said “be quiet, it’s done!” and it was decided that we would cruise with them in five months’ time. She was so over the moon that within five minutes (not exaggerating) mom had booked flights, cruise, pre-cruise scuba certifications and hotel.

Now all our conversations would be about upcoming tours, ports, spa packages and pre/post cruise fun. I loved doing all the dreaming and scheming with her during the time “in-between”. A few months later, hubby was scuba certified and my parents were off to a “pre-cruise” cruise.

She wasn’t feeling great during that cruise and did not come back bragging about how wonderful it was. We new something was wrong and finally convinced her to go to the doctor, but it wasn’t good news.

Her first thoughts after hearing her devastating diagnosis were about our cruise together. She demanded that we NOT cancel and made us promise to continue the voyage…no matter what! We cried “nonsense” and insisted that she would make the cruise just three months away.

Six weeks later mom was gone!

As a tribute to her, we went on the cruise that she had so excitedly booked. As promised, we embarked the ship with heavy hearts. But as the smell of the salty air and the crackle of sail-away excitement overtook me, it was as if I was seeing it all though her eyes and my love for the sea was forever rooted in my soul.

It will always haunt me that we never got to share those precious memories together, but now I take her in my heart, and feel her with, me on every voyage.

Next Up:
Happier times and how I got to be a Carnival girl!

Sorry about your mom.  Happy cruising

Funship Freddie told me that Amsred2 has completed the intervention and detox. She is back working hard to pay for the next cruise. Funship Freddie also told me that he stole the charger to  her laptop so she couldn't post stuff about a "Rockwall and Ice Rink of the Seas" ship.

Fear not... the Flowrider of the Seas gang is sending her a new charger and she will be back online soon. Now if the big bad wolf at work will give her the time, more of her exploits will be posted.

or not

Very funny Kokomo_Man aka Dad to her.  I hope she fills us in on the rest of her cruise.

Hi guys!   No I wasn't abducted by aliens!   Thanks for staying tuned in.  As Kokomo-man said, I got sidelined by a couple things. 

First and foremost I was off having a grand adventure!!!  Secondly, I managed to misplace my laptop charger somewhere between home and the ship.   I could have continued on my phone but being the dinosaur I am, I really hate writing on that little screen and minuscule keyboard.  I was too busy having a blast to break away for the extra time it takes to type on the dang thing. 

Since I didn't have my laptop, I decided to forgo the internet package.  I saw it all as a sign to totally disconnect and go with the flow. 

 Lastly, I was back at work for the last eight days to catch up on all the work that piled up while I was away.

I have a couple days off this week to catch you all up on my adventure. 

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Oh!  What happened to the website while I was away?

Yay. Glad to see you back. 

Not having your great review to read, CC IT techs were bored and decided to change everything. 

A hop, skip and ....drink (or ten). 

So much to catch you up on but I guess I will start where I left off. 

We flew JetBlue to Fort Lauderdale at 7am.   I didn’t think I’d sleep the night before, but we got a full eight hours and were bright eyed and busy tailed getting on the plane.  I must tell you, this was the most pleasant coach flight we’ve ever taken.  Can you believe we had a full eight inches of legroom, free in-seat tv and movies and very pleasant flight attendants?  I usually fly Southwest since it includes baggage and last-minute cancellations, but I took a gamble on a good deal this time and won (well sort of …wait for my return review)!

We stayed the night before embarkation at Rodeway Inn & Suites.  I had done my research and found the rates to be reasonable that also included round trip transportation to and from the airport/cruise port.  After reading some reviews on TripAdvisor by the cantankerous owner (who cannot take criticism apparently) I was a little worried.  Again, a winning gamble.  We were picked up by a nice driver within twenty minutes of calling the front desk (as instructed after picking up our luggage).  The motor-style lodge was quaint, clean and comfortable.  The staff was pleasant enough, but the big draw is the sports bar and restaurant on site.  The service was super slow, the food just okay but we felt the atmosphere was the perfect way to kick off our vacation.   It was great meeting up with some of our fellow FB group members and throwing back a few (too many) cold adult beverages.

This will most certainly be our go-to spot for short stays whenever we are in Fort Lauderdale.  They offer a day use option that, in hindsight, we should have used on the return trip, and will keep that in mind for next time.   We probably would not use them for longer stays in the area as it isn’t really near…well…anything and doesn’t offer much else besides a clean bed and the sports bar.  

Next up:  A fuzzy embarkation day!

A fuzzy embarkation day!

We had scheduled the free shuttle to the port for 10am on embarkation day and wanted to take advantage of the free breakfast so our alarms were set for 8am.   Usually I can't sleep before a cruise but again, we were surprised when I blinked and eight hours had gone by. Hubby couldn't believe that I hadn't jumped up and down on the bed to wake him before sunrise.  However, this time the alarm was way to loud in proportion to the number of drinks I had consumed the night before. 

We dragged ourselves to breakfast for some light vittles and loads of coffee.   Captain Morgan was greeting guests in a much to cheery way!   Really, it was a nice touch that I would have appreciated if a tiny lumberjack with an ax wasn't picking away at my brain.

Over the [very] loudspeaker, came the announcement that the shuttles would be leaving early for anyone that was ready so we gathered our luggage and set off for the port. 

A short ten minutes later, we were walking into the terminal.  "Please don't make me remove my sunglasses" was all I could think at first.   Then my hangover was almost forgotten as I was pleasantly greeted by a lady with an i-pad to check us in.   Seriously, there was no line,  no "I'm not sick" paperwork to fill out, no taking our photo.   Point to RCL for being able to take care of this before leaving home. Being a newbie to RCL, I didn't get express check-in nor priority boarding,  but was through the entire process and heading to the waiting area in about three minutes. 

Once in the waiting area I was less impressed.   It was lined with rows and rows of chairs for the masses.   Cattle class was seated in order of arrival and priority was sat in another area.  I managed to get a look at the priority waiting area and it didn't seem like much to me.   

I nearly cried when we took our seats and found that right next to us was a children's play place.  I think this would be a total win for people with small children anxiously waiting for their adventure.  However, for us middle-aged party-going empty-nesters, it was torture!!!

The next bit of torture was the attendants keeping everyone in order and up-to-date over their bull horns.   Again, I probably would have appreciated this if not for that nagging Lumberjack. 

Is it a win for RCL over CCL?   There are some terminals which really bite bullets and some that are great on CCL.   I usually dread New Orleans embarkation but the last time I was in CCL's New Long Beach terminal, I was completely blown away (It helps that I am Platinum with them and might be biased). 

Cruise Tally:  

Ease of Check goes to RCL +1

Priority Lounge goes to CCL +1

Cattle Class area and Process - Can't make this call due to unfair bias of a) Lumberjack and b) having platinum advantage on CCL

Next Up:  First Impressions and Hair of the Dog!

Next Up:  First Impressions and Hair of the Dog!

Disclaimer: Some of the opinions I will have in the coming pages may not sit well with everyone.   I promised the good the bad and the ugly.  I realize that a lot of things are not apples to apples but I intend an honest comparison of my own experiences of RCL and CCL. Remember these are my own opinions and everyone should seize the day and make their own impressions and memories.

The usual jittery excitement began after about an hour as we started to see rows stand and make their way toward the shiny golden entryway. We waited. Then we waited some more. Finally, after about what seemed like a third of the terminal with priority boarding was gone, the [loud] bullhorn announced it was cattle class's turn.  We just needed to get through the golden gateway and our vacation could really begin and I could get a drink to kill the Lumberjack!   Wait!  Stop for the usual photo op then onto paradise!  Walk the long gangway and just around the next corner lies the bliss of a frosty cold concoction to help me hang on.   Oh!  Maybe just one more corner until I get my first glimpse of my new home.   Several long hallways and corners later, in Florida heat/humidity, and we we had pretty much sweated enough to detox from the night before. 

After this long trek to board, I realized the enormity of the ship we were on! We walked into the blissful cool of the Promenade and were ready for the awe to set in. Honestly, it really didn't.   Don't get me wrong, it really was beautiful and unlike anything I had seen on other ships.   I think a couple things contributed the the lack of "wow" factor for me.  

a) I had watched every You-Tube video, google walk-through and scoured every CC post with millions of pictures. It was no surprise what I would see.   My advice to newcomers: If you want to be surprised, don't peel back the wrapping and peek at your presents. 

b) We were so hot and yucky from sitting in the terminal, head-achy from the previous nights' antics and the kids' play-place, hungry and in much need of a drink-of-the-day.

We wanted to put our deluxe drink package to use right away so we headed right for the Sky Bar on deck 16 to get some Hair of the Dog before starting our ships' exploration. The view was amazing and we finally felt that sense of awe as we looked down over the central park, across at the four pools and all the activity already taking place on the aft of the ship. 

Next Up:   To Elevator or Stairs:  Battle between evil and EVIL!

Loving your review!! We are team CCL but often ponder over some RCL itineraries.

OP, thanks for coming back. Looking forward to your review. 

Next Up:   To Elevator or Stairs:  Battle between evil and EVIL!

Drinks in hand, we decided to start exploring the ship.   My goodness she is massive.   We walked forward and aft on deck 16 and then the Lido deck.    There is so much here to see and do that we were already overwhelmed.   By the time we had transversed the entirety of the Lido, we were two drinks in and ready for a bite to eat.   I had learned to avoid the main buffet (Windjammer) so we settled on the Solarium Bistro for a light lunch.  The food there was a scaled down version of what was in the Windjammer and was tastier than what I have experienced on Carnival.  We enjoyed our lunch along side a beautiful setting, a babbling brook, some nice shade and a stunning view of the surrounding area.  

The solarium is a really nice place and blissfully child free.   However, I must add that the solarium buffet does allow children but they were well behaved.   We ate here a couple times and it was pretty good for buffet food.  

The best part of the Solarium area, and maybe my favorite area of the ship, are the cantilevered hot tubs that hang from the side of the ship. They are super large, just the right temperature, close to the action, adults only and totally empty in the evenings. The best part, and massive points to RCL for, there are hot tubs open 24 hours a day.  They close one half of the ships' tubs for cleanings and rotate  port and starboard each night. 

After refueling with lunch and grabbing another frosty drink, it was announced that our rooms were ready.  We went to the forward elevators to head to our room on deck 7.   We watched several elevators go right by us, up and down, and then shrugged and decided to take the stairs to walk off lunch.  We chalked up the elevator situation to first day crowds as it always is on other ships we've sailed on.  That day we took a lot of stairs.  Little did we know that this would be a theme throughout our cruise:To elevator or not to elevator.  

The elevators on the Allure are only forward and aft.   This ship is so massive that you have a long trek just to get to an elevator.   Once you get there, there are some that are all glass with a beautiful view as you ride to your destination.   However, we had so many problems with theses rides from hell, that it became a running joke between hubby and I.  First, like before, we constantly watched the glass elevators move up and down right past our floors.   Then the wait for any elevator would feel like an eternity, especially when you needed to be at a scheduled show, dinner or had to pee.  Lastly, the passengers on this cruise were extremely impolite and ungracious.   They would pry bar their way into the (always) over-crowded elevators without and "excuse me" or "thank-you".   They would refuse to move when you needed out (or to breath).  They would rush over to an elevator and take the last spot even though you were patiently waiting there first.  They would stand directly in front of the opening doors trapping the other passengers inside .   

We tried to take the [evil] stairs whenever we could, but the ship really is massive and after two days, my bad knee started to give out. From day three, there was no more option for me and we were forced to take the [EVIL] elevator.   Oh how I wish I had brought my robo-knee (my brace which I hadn't needed in some time).  

I did have a slight fear of spending eight whole days...alone...with hubby.  Not to worry!  Every time we would start to get annoyed with each other, we would bag on the "elevator situation" and recite our witnessed "sardine can" antics. 

The discourtesies weren't  only in the elevators.  We had people push past us during shows without a "pardon me" or "gracias", cut in front of us in line and order loudly over us at the bars when we were already there getting drinks.  

Luckily, hubby and I are easy going people and didn't let any of this ruin our trip.   I cant really blame RCL for it's passengers' behavior, but we hadn't ever experienced this kind of lack of courtesy on other voyages. 

Tallys; 

Buffet food Royal takes this- +1

Solarium/Adults only- Royal +1

Hot Tubs-  TOTALY ROYAL - 24 Hours...need I say more.  +1

Elevators- Even though not great either, Carnival wins  hands-down based on the largest CCL ship (Dream) vs.  Allure.   I realize shes a much bigger ship and other RCL ships might be better but I can only go by my own ...really bad...experience. 

Cruise Totals:  CCL-2 :   RCL-3  To tough to call-1

Note: From this point on I am going to just be talking about points of interest and areas of the ship in no particular order.  I would have to write a novel (as if I haven't already made a good start on one with this blog so far) to really describe our day-to-day events. 

Next Up:  OH MY:  I have to fit all this where?

Next Up:  OH MY:  I have to fit all this where?

Even though it was tiny, I have to devote a whole page to our room.   

Every time I sail, I swear that I am going to pack lighter:  "Just the necessities this time!"  I really intended to stick to it as we weren't flying Southwest and had to pay extra for bags.  I had the bright idea that we would share one big suitcase and just take our carry-ons.  We did our "practice pack" about a week ahead of time and it quickly became clear that one just wouldn't do.   I had hubby lug down a second large suitcase from the rafters and resigned to paying for the extra bag.  Even though one suitcase wasn't enough, "just the necessities" only took up half of the second one.  Once we figured out that we had more room, we decided that we just had to have more things: beach towels, that great pair of heals, a couple extra shirts for "options", books to read, light-up sneakers and snorkel gear.   

Our rooms were opened promptly at 1PM. We were very happy to see that our bags had already arrived and were waiting outside our door. 

It seems that most ships have started putting your Sea pass/Sail&Sign cards on your door.  We had been using our paper boarding passes to get drinks and had no problems.  Likewise, we had zero problems with our sea pass on our door. We entered and got a look at our digs for the week.   On first impression: the room was very inviting.   The calming blue hues and serene artwork were definitely more modern than we are used to on Carnival.  We never care much about the cabin decor as we don't spend much time in our room but it was a welcome change. 

We have alternated our CCL cruises between ocean-view/balcony and inside cabins as a compromise.  Hubby likes natural sunlight and feels safer in case of a power outage.   At home, as a retiree, he usually wakes up sometime long after I'm at work.   However, on a cruise in a room with sunlight, he seems to wake up at "oh my gawd it's early".   I, on the other hand,  need pitch dark for a restful slumber.  My windows at home are blacked out and hubby says it's like a crypt.  I wan't to sleep in on my vacation, so I like the crypt-like nature of the inside room.  

I won the "rock, paper, scissors" game and we got an inside.  I have sailed all the classes of Carnival Ships inside cabins.  Even though CCL claims they are all 185 SQ FT, they are not all equal but we've never felt to cramped.   This cabin's size was comparable to the other inside cabins we've had on CCL. 

The bathroom was also about the same size as CCL: small.   We loved the glass shower.   CCL's cold shower curtain sticking to your butt was NOT MISSED!   Total point to RCL!

Unlike most CCL insides, this cabin had a couch and lots of plugs.  Another point to RCL.

It had the usual desk/vanity area, nightstands and cubby holes.   RCL claims the cabin is 175 SQ FT and we were amazed that even with the missing 10 SQ FT, the room didn't feel crowded at all.  That was until we looked in the "closet".

You can barely call this thing a closet.   There are several shelves and a safe on one side of the teeny, tiny not closet. On the other side there is about 2 feet of hanger space.  Are you kidding me?  My belongings from my two large, stuffed suitcases will not fit in here.  I always guffawed at the people saying to bring all these fancy space-savers and over the door hangers as I never needed them before, even in the smallest CCL inside.  That extra 10 SQ FT of closet space, that CCL provides, makes a HUGE difference. 

We ended up leaving our suitcases, with extra stuff in them, open under the bed so we could slide them out for easy access. 

Even though the bed was butted up against the not closet, it was extremely comfortable and even had a thick foam pad on it.  As with CCL, I imagine this can be hit or miss depending on the ship/cabin.   I also suspect that the extra pad was a carry-over request from the previous weeks' passengers. 

All-in-all it was a nice cabin and RCL gets points for a few things.  However, the lack of closets might be a deal breaker.  I have to give this point to CCL as I know I will never be able to stick to my mantra of "Just the necessities this time!"   

Hey, ten pairs of shoes are a necessity!!!

Cruise Totals:  CCL-3 :   RCL-3  To tough to call-1

NEXT UP: Around and around we go, where we stop we'll never know.  Dinner time!

So glad you found your way back and I found you!  Never stayed inside as I would want light. Friends stayed in one with the video that brought in the outside. They loved it. 

Now a commercial break: An FYI:

We were in cabin 7195 which is sandwiched between another smaller interior (I can't imagine the closet) and a promenade view interior.  The deck plans show this room as being the same as the other interior with a bed against the wall. However, it's the same set up as an room with a view.   I think we lucked out.  Also, it was a great location with easy access to Promenade (down two), Boardwalk (down one) and Central Park (up one).  The ability to avoid the [EVIL] elevators insured we spent a lot more time at these places than most of the ship (more on them later). We were nearest the forward elevators and it was easy to pop up the stairs for some fresh squeezed OJ and Latte at the Park Cafe.   

Public Service Announcement:   If you are taking the aft elevators to deck seven, only take the ones that are on the same side of the ship as your room.   We learned the hard way that there is no way to cross from port side to starboard at the back of the ship on this deck. 

Back to your regularly scheduled programming.

I'm not even sailing on this ship (I'm going on the Mariner of the Seas) But I'm so enjoying this review/blog.

I’m surprised by the size of the closet.  I’ve been in other interior cabins on Oasis, sister of Allure, and they have always had full sized closets, at least 4 to 5 feet of hanger space as well as the shelves.  I’ve always been in the ones forward of the forward elevators, I guess I’ll avoid the midships interiors.

Interesting comments about the elevators.  I got off Allure this last Sunday and outside of a few busy times, I was highly impressed with how easy it was to get elevators.  We have done Oasis and Harmony and my memories of the elevators were that they left a bit to be desired, but on this sailing we almost always got an elevator pretty quick that wasn't overcrowded.

One trick you learn, especially if you are on a high or low deck, ride the elevator up, then back down.  So if you are already up on deck 15, just take the elevator up to 16 and back down.  Or if you are on deck 5, ride it down to 4 then back up.  Works like a charm!

I didn't use the cantilevered tubs on this trip, but are you SURE they are adults only?  On previous sailings, there has always been children allowed and I'm almost certain I saw families using them this trip, too.  But I didn't read the signs this time.

On the beds, the extra pad isn't a carryover request, there has been a TON of complaints about hard mattresses on Allure and I'm pretty convinced they put the pads in every room now.  They were on bed in all 3 cabins we booked last week, obviously yours, too.

Enjoying the review 🙂

LOVE this review!!!!!!!!

Great review! Team RCCL here, doesn't matter which line wins I find your unbiased opinions refreshing. We did a carnival cruise last year and were not impressed,  we took the pride out of Baltimore. the ship is a bit outdated and that bothered me, my big issue was the drinks. we don't get the package since my wife doesn't drink much but when she has her strawberry daiquiri she wants to taste the alcohol. I had to get an extra shot with each of her drinks. that cost way more and I heard a lot of complaints about the 15 drink max as well if you had the package.

3 hours ago, CarpeCerevisi said:

I’m surprised by the size of the closet.  I’ve been in other interior cabins on Oasis, sister of Allure, and they have always had full sized closets, at least 4 to 5 feet of hanger space as well as the shelves.  

It's more likely that Im just spoiled with 3 closets on CCL...we managed with the space provided. Though I'm sure it wasnt anywhere 5 feet of hanging space. 

3 hours ago, BNBR said:

Interesting comments about the elevators.  I got off Allure this last Sunday and outside of a few busy times, I was highly impressed with how easy it was to get elevators.  We have done Oasis and Harmony and my memories of the elevators were that they left a bit to be desired, but on this sailing we almost always got an elevator pretty quick that wasn't overcrowded.

One trick you learn, especially if you are on a high or low deck, ride the elevator up, then back down.  So if you are already up on deck 15, just take the elevator up to 16 and back down.  Or if you are on deck 5, ride it down to 4 then back up.  Works like a charm!

I didn't use the cantilevered tubs on this trip, but are you SURE they are adults only?  On previous sailings, there has always been children allowed and I'm almost certain I saw families using them this trip, too.  But I didn't read the signs this time.

I think the elevator situation may have had more to do with the lack of courtesy by other passengers on this particular voyage but I dont (yet) have any other RCL trips to compare. 

As for the hot tubs...I actually just assumed the ones near the solarium were adults only as I never saw any kids in them...thankfully!

Around and around we go, where we stop we'll never know.  Dinner time!

One of the things I was looking forward to the most was trying new dinner options.  I love some of the dishes on CCL but have literally tried everything and am getting a little bored with their menu.   Except Warm Chocolate Melting Cake...I never get tired of that.   I literally have WCMC every night and never even entertain other desert options.   I have even been known to book a short cruise just to get my fix. 

While exploring the ship on day one, its our habit to go check out our seating assignment.   We located our table and much to our chagrin, we were seated at a four-top with only one other couple.   We really like sitting at the large tables and meeting new people.    We have made some great memories with table mates and have had some duds. It's part of the "adbenture" and always a gamble.  Although a bit disappointed, we resigned to the accommodations because you never know when you might meet your new best cruising buddies. 

We had late seating and arrived promptly at 8PM to the dining room.  Having experienced really slow drink service on CCL, hubby ran to the Casino bar (conveniently right across from our assigned dining room) for a beer while I went in to meet our new table mates.  

I sat down across from our two new besties and they blankly stared at me and said "Habla Espanol?".  Now I have nothing against anyone of Latino decent. As a matter of fact, if you have seen my embarkation day photos, you know I have a fondness for dark and handsome men.  However, the only Spanish I speak is "Cervesa" and "Gracias" and said as much.  Either they didn't understand me or they didn't think it was funny.  I immediately thought this might make for some difficult, if not awkward conversation, and excused myself from the table. 

I grabbed hubby before he entered the dining room and approached the Matre D.  I explained the awkward situation and that we would really like to be seated at a larger table anyhow. He kindly placed us at a new table, marked it on our set sail pass and called for an assistant to take us to our new table.   Gabriel, who turned out to be a headwaiter, paraded us around the dining room looking for our new place.   Around and around we went while a seemingly lost Gabriel  followed his seating map.  We circumnavigated the dining room three times before he finally returned to the Matre D to redirect him.  Turns out, our new assignment was only a couple tables over from our original one.   We sat and really hoped the other couple hadn't seen us or if they did, weren't offended that we moved. 

During our round-about we did get a good look at the dining room. The  Grande Dining room is beautiful with dark Mahogany accents, elegant tables with full table settings and high back chairs.  The full service and tablecloths make a more refined setting than the new(ish) American Table Dining on CCL.  I have sailed a few rough seas where we had to "catch" our plates and cups due to CCL's lack of tablecloths .  Also, I hate when they put the silverware, that I will be putting in my mouth, that they just wiped down with a [sometimes] not so clean cloth, directly on said table.    While its easy to remedy and doesn't affect the way the food tastes, I like the extra touches that RCL puts into the dining experience.  Points for keeping it classy Royal!

We decided to totally forgo any specialty restaurants this trip to really give RCL main dining a chance and a fair comparison to CCL.   I was however, impressed with the deals that were offered both pre-cruise and during the voyage.    Much like the excursions and drink packages, RCL runs some pretty great sales in the months leading up to sail-away. Carnival never really offers any wiz-bang deals.

RCL really wants to sell you their dining packages and I heard a lot of rumble about them intentionally declining their dining room quality in order to up the specialty dining revenue.  We did not experience this at all.  I found the food to be hot, well presented and tasty.  About half the menu is the same every night and the other half changes daily.   

NEXT UP: Really feeling like ROYALTY:  The dining experience!

23 hours ago, amsred2 said:

I think the elevator situation may have had more to do with the lack of courtesy by other passengers on this particular voyage but I dont (yet) have any other RCL trips to compare. 

As for the hot tubs...I actually just assumed the ones near the solarium were adults only as I never saw any kids in them...thankfully!

The hot tubs IN the solarium as well as the solarium pool are definitely adults only.  The cantilevered tubs are actually outside of the solarium and family friendly.

Glad you liked the MDR food as well. We were really impressed with how hot and fresh the food was coming out.  I can't help but think they have made some positive changes lately to make sure food is delivered hotter.