Just booked! couple of questions

[Baby_Bear]

Hi, just booked the 7-day Greek Isles cruise in Aug/15 on the Rhapsody. A mom-daughter getaway! We had taken a 4-day cruise on Vision of the Seas last year, so this is the first time we are doing a longer cruise on RCL. I had a couple of questions for all the experts...

 

First, does RCL offer any laundry specials? Weird question to start with I know, but I thought I'd get the practical stuff out of the way! The cruise is part of a 10-day trip and it would be nice to get some laundry done midway.

 

Second, we are in a GS and I know we can go and have drinks in the Concierge Lounge each night. Would it be OK for us to go to dinner carrying our drinks in hand (one each!) or is that a big no-no? We'd probably order more drinks at dinner in any case.

 

Third, how does the priority thing work for tendered ports? Do we have to get tender tickets ahead of time or just show our cards? And do we have reserved seating for all the shows automatically or do we have to let the concierge know which shows we want to see?

 

And last, how is the flexible dining on RCL? We tried to get the late seating but its all sold out. Do they generally seat you fast? Service OK? We'd probably look to eat around 8 each day. And are tables for 2 easy to come by?

 

Thanks! Most of my cruising has been done on Carnival, so I'm still learning a little bit about RCL.

Edited May 5, 2015 by Baby_Bear

[Clarea]

It's OK to go to dinner with a drink or three. They don't care.

 

There will likely be a wash & fold laundry bag special one day. This is $30 for all you can stuff in a bag, limited to things like socks, underwear, shorts, t-shirts.

[Baby_Bear]

Thanks Bob! Any opinion on the flex dining? And the tenders?

[cb at sea]

One drink in each hand....that's what I'd do! That's what hands are for!!!

 

As far as tendering goes, if you NEED to be 1st off, you have that option. So far, we've never needed to be in line so early in the morning!

[mr walker]

And last, how is the flexible dining on RCL? We tried to get the late seating but its all sold out. Do they generally seat you fast? Service OK? We'd probably look to eat around 8 each day. And are tables for 2 easy to come by?

 

Did you request to be waitlisted for late fixed MDR? You may be able to get that if that would suit you.

 

Based on our last cruises on Rhapsody, for MTD, you have the ability to make reservations for any or all of your nights on-line - you can choose the same time each night, or different times depending on the schedule. Or you can make daily reservations once on board. OR, you don't have to make any reservations & just turn up when you want to. We did make reservations beforehand, but in the end we just arranged with head-waiter for some nights and actually worked around our daily schedule. We had table for 4 each night for our party, but we met people on board who had no trouble getting a table for 2 each night.

 

It will all be fine - and yes carry whatever drinks you want to dinner, including your bottles you can bring on at embarkation.

 

Happy cruising!

[griffy116]

We always do the wash 'n fold mid-week. Regular price is $30 for all you can stuff in a bag. The bag isn't huge, but if you try, you can get a lot in it. We wash out a few delicates and swimsuits in the sink and hang it on the back of a chair on the balcony (carry a few clothes pins). Shorts, t-shirts (that don't shrink), underwear, socks) all come back just fine. I spray the t-shirts and shorts with a bit of Downey Wrinkle Relief (I carry a travel size). We've sent a favorite pair of capris, slacks or top to regular laundry and the price isn't bad. You can take your drink with you to the dining room. You can also go to the MDR right after you board and request to be added if they have room on late dining. Some folks with children will probably be trying to switch to early dining. There are always people requesting a change on the first day.

[silentbob007]

Tenders sometimes work differently on each ship. You may check future reviews closer to your sailing. You can work with the concierge for tender tickets if needed. You may only need to flash the gold suite cabin key to get priority access. They will have instructions onboard ... though no matter what the status, they will tend to get their own tours off first.

[Baby_Bear]

Thank you everyone for the advice! I will check with the concierge about the tender tickets. I can also ask him if he needs us to let him know about whether we should tell him in advance if we want to see any shows, or if we can just show up and there is a block of seats reserved. In any case, being a Med cruise and quite port-intensive, I don't expect the shows will be a high priority.

[gatour]

Definitely bring a glass of the beverage of your choice with. Bar/Wine service went in the MDR went down hill on all of the majore lines several years ago. It can take forever to get a drink when you first arrive.