myacuna Posted September 22, 2018 #1 Share Posted September 22, 2018 Just debarked today from a quick 5 night getaway from Tampa with stops at Key West and Cozumel. Us - me (36), husband (38), wild child (4 next month). We don’t always see a ton of reviews including younger kids so I thought it would be nice to answer some questions here. DH and I have cruised both royal and carnival several times, and like both. This was our son’s 4th cruise. Food - I stand by my opinion that carnival beats royal in the food department. We did bogo Giovanni’s and Chops and enjoyed both. Service was impeccable and ambiance was lovely (just my husband and I for both). We dined in the MDR (with MTD) formal night and windjammer with our son the last 2 nights. MDR was my least fave meal, though our servers were great and got us in and out. We just don’t enjoy the experience anymore. We found hot food to be hot and cold to be cold. The only gross thing was the shrimp in the linguini pasta in MDR on formal night. I ate around it. Drinks - this was the first sailing out of the US following the TA and alcohol availability was pathetic. No choices night one, half the drinks on the menus could not be made the entire voyage (maybe update the menu??) and most of the time, a coors light day was non existent. I’m glad we didn’t get the drink package as we only spent $500 total on all drinks (including soda and coffee). I missed the alchemy bar found on carnival. But bar service otherwise was fine. Room - booked OV, got a call to upgrade for $50 total, keeping all OBC. We were in room 8640 - balcony 2 floors above tops of life boats. We were treated to a show by a pod of dolphins. Really enjoyed the location but .... smokers. PLEASE STOP USING YOUR BALCONY AS A SMOKING SECTION. Many times I would come out to the greeting of cigarette or cigar smoke. Initially thought it was from the pool deck, but no. I heard the flick of a lighter one too many times. And I definitely made some loud comments to my husband about it. Still enjoyed my balcony, but people need to stop ruining the experience for others because of their own personal entitlement. Setup for our room was great. We used the couch bed for our son, and there was a curtain divider that pulls all the way across. Our steward, Jackson, was the best we’ve ever had! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 22, 2018 Author #2 Share Posted September 22, 2018 Adventure ocean - amazing! We used it daily and sometimes several times a day. I’ll include daily compass. Please feel free to ask questions. We used aquanots (3-5) Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 22, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted September 22, 2018 Older kids compass: Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 22, 2018 Author #4 Share Posted September 22, 2018 Other observations: 1. Embarkation and debarkation were a disaster. We left from terminal 3 and returned to terminal 6. This morning was an absolute disaster as we had to shuttle in vans to our parking deck. It was not pretty. Also, since debarkation was pushed back to 12:30, the entire process was rushed and unpleasant and I was stressed and hungry by the time muster came around (didn’t have time to eat, partially my fault for dropping my passport folder somewhere between checkin and getting on the ship). 2. Mister - our station was outside. It was hot, long, and miserable. Carnival pulls this crap and I thought Rccl was all inside based on my other cruises. But no. People were literally almost passing out. My poor son was baking in the sun. Again, unpleasant 3. Speaking of hot. Our room never cooled off. Never. 4. Elevators. They are awful on this ship. We took the stairs most of the time but it was hard with the occasional stroller use. Good exercise. But really frustrating. 5. Drink issues. Already mentioned 6. Shows were meh. Comedy was great. Now and forever we had seen before but the singers and dancers were terrific. Otherwise, the lounge singers were terrible. I hate it say it. But we had to walk out of venues because of it. Would these keep me from sailing Royal? NO! We still love them. We are eyeing oasis and ovation for the next 2 cruises. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retired dude Posted September 23, 2018 #5 Share Posted September 23, 2018 a word to the wise: I was in the cruise travel business years ago and one of the things that we told our customers was to avoid the first sailing out of florida after the ships come back from Europe. The air conditioning systems are still set for Europe and the ships have not had time to stock up on all the supplies that are needed to make the sailing it's best..One more note, we live near the cruise port and it is not wise to sail out of tampa in sept., when the heat indexes reach 103 degrees every day...….just sayin' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 23, 2018 Author #6 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Sometimes you have to work with dates that work for your family, and well...work. Year end at work dictated timing as well as a large Reno at our house that we had to be out for. We still had a great time. We live in the south and understand heat index. Maybe it’s time for the cruise lines to not force people to stand in tightly packed groups for 30+ min outside? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuCruise Posted September 23, 2018 #7 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Enjoying your review so far. As you say, there are as many reviews with kids so interested in hearing from that perspective. Sent from my ONEPLUS A3000 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 23, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Forgot to mention - solarium was lovely. We dropped our son off a few times at AO to get some quiet time in there. Spa - couples massage. They took care of my husbands sunburned back. Don’t like the product sell at the end but whatever. We didn’t buy anything and they didn’t push. Kids pool - slowest slide ever. First time we went the slide attendant allowed my son to go alone over and over (he’s 43”). After that they forced one of the parents to go (you really have to be 46” plus). It was comical watching parents go down with their kid. Aside from the fact that you shouldn’t really ever go down a slide with a kid between your legs, it slowed the journey down even more. But really, the slide was meh. My son still enjoyed the area and I felt comfortable letting him play while reading. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grneyes Posted September 23, 2018 #9 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Other observations: 1. Embarkation and debarkation were a disaster. We left from terminal 3 and returned to terminal 6. This morning was an absolute disaster as we had to shuttle in vans to our parking deck. It was not pretty. Also, since debarkation was pushed back to 12:30, the entire process was rushed and unpleasant and I was stressed and hungry by the time muster came around (didn’t have time to eat, partially my fault for dropping my passport folder somewhere between checkin and getting on the ship). 2. Mister - our station was outside. It was hot, long, and miserable. Carnival pulls this crap and I thought Rccl was all inside based on my other cruises. But no. People were literally almost passing out. My poor son was baking in the sun. Again, unpleasant 3. Speaking of hot. Our room never cooled off. Never. 4. Elevators. They are awful on this ship. We took the stairs most of the time but it was hard with the occasional stroller use. Good exercise. But really frustrating. 5. Drink issues. Already mentioned 6. Shows were meh. Comedy was great. Now and forever we had seen before but the singers and dancers were terrific. Otherwise, the lounge singers were terrible. I hate it say it. But we had to walk out of venues because of it. Would these keep me from sailing Royal? NO! We still love them. We are eyeing oasis and ovation for the next 2 cruises. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Do you recall the bands name playing in the lounge? I always enjoyed all of the bands Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikew0805 Posted September 23, 2018 #10 Share Posted September 23, 2018 a word to the wise: I was in the cruise travel business years ago and one of the things that we told our customers was to avoid the first sailing out of florida after the ships come back from Europe. The air conditioning systems are still set for Europe and the ships have not had time to stock up on all the supplies that are needed to make the sailing it's best..One more note, we live near the cruise port and it is not wise to sail out of tampa in sept., when the heat indexes reach 103 degrees every day...….just sayin' This may all be true, but it is unacceptable! (not referring to the heat in Tampa) Now a couple questions. 1. Why would AC have to be changed? This does not make any sense to me. The temperature can be warm to cold to accommodate everyone. This is concerning for me as I am going to be on the Brilliance in a month, and am very sensitive to the heat. The room needs to be able to be cooled. 2. Why would they not be able to stock up the bar after a TA, when they stock it up between every other cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Notaworryintheworld Posted September 23, 2018 #11 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Thanks for the review! Do you know if there’s a bar in the windjammer now that Rita’s isn’t there? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beachin2 Posted September 23, 2018 #12 Share Posted September 23, 2018 This may all be true, but it is unacceptable! (not referring to the heat in Tampa) Now a couple questions. 1. Why would AC have to be changed? This does not make any sense to me. The temperature can be warm to cold to accommodate everyone. This is concerning for me as I am going to be on the Brilliance in a month, and am very sensitive to the heat. The room needs to be able to be cooled. 2. Why would they not be able to stock up the bar after a TA, when they stock it up between every other cruise? We were on both the TA and the 5 nighter as the OP. The TA ended in Tampa after 7 straight sea days. The restocking needed was much more than a normal weekly turn. Everything was on the ship, but some things took a day or two to be restocked. As to the AC, we noticed no difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 23, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted September 23, 2018 We were on both the TA and the 5 nighter as the OP. The TA ended in Tampa after 7 straight sea days. The restocking needed was much more than a normal weekly turn. Everything was on the ship, but some things took a day or two to be restocked. As to the AC, we noticed no difference. My husband had to hunt down most of the things he wanted to drink. The bartenders even said they didn’t get a full stock on turnaround day due to the extra coast guard review Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 23, 2018 Author #14 Share Posted September 23, 2018 Thanks for the review! Do you know if there’s a bar in the windjammer now that Rita’s isn’t there? Sent from my iPhone using Forums The whole area was sealed off and closed for renovations. There was a bar cart every night and maybe at lunch too. Didn’t ever really go for breakfast Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 24, 2018 Author #15 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Not sure why my review was called bogus but whatever. It’s certainly my opinion. Also, brilliance is one of my favorite ships. Were there issues? Sure. Same with every ship. The drink issue was fine. I get that she came Off 7 days at sea. There were a lot of ingredients missing from drinks on the menus, especially in the pub, that were not restocked. Temps on the ship felt mostly fine in the public areas. My stateroom was brutal at worst and tolerable at best. My sons bed area actually felt cooler than my area. Our bed was near the balcony and we kept the curtains drawn most of the time. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 24, 2018 Author #16 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Do you recall the bands name playing in the lounge? I always enjoyed all of the bands I don’t. I’m sorry. Jimmy Hopper played one afternoon. He had played the night before and he was pretty good. There was a duo out by the pool that was bad. Maybe it was an off day. String band played in schooner and they were good. Wasn’t impressed by the piano player. House band was outstanding and they played a lot. Guy in the pub was not good either. Maybe everyone was just rusty? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mawvkysc Posted September 24, 2018 #17 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Thanks so much for the review. Are you going to post the regular Compass? I'll be on the same itinerary in November. Can't wait. It's my first time on RC. I have really enjoyed the food on Carnival so I hope I'm not disappointed. I wish they had a complimentary sea day brunch. The ship looks beautiful, and it will be the biggest ship yet for me, and my longest cruise yet. Do you remember what time you went under the Tampa bridge? How long was dinner in the MDR? We will have MTD as well. I'm trying to plan our first dinner so that we can be outside when we go under the bridge but not miss the show. Did you notice a big difference between the reservation line and the walk up line for MTD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 24, 2018 Author #18 Share Posted September 24, 2018 (edited) Thanks so much for the review. Are you going to post the regular Compass? I'll be on the same itinerary in November. Can't wait. It's my first time on RC. I have really enjoyed the food on Carnival so I hope I'm not disappointed. I wish they had a complimentary sea day brunch. The ship looks beautiful, and it will be the biggest ship yet for me, and my longest cruise yet. Do you remember what time you went under the Tampa bridge? How long was dinner in the MDR? We will have MTD as well. I'm trying to plan our first dinner so that we can be outside when we go under the bridge but not miss the show. Did you notice a big difference between the reservation line and the walk up line for MTD? I didn’t take pics of the regular compass since half the time we didn’t have it with us. We just used the electronic boards. Trust me, you won’t starve! The food was good. I just found more options for me on carnival. I will say windjammer has very good options at dinner! I know they have dining room brunch. I just don’t eat breakfast so didn’t go. The ship is amazing. So many windows and so much connection to the ocean. Very easy to navigate. We’ve been on her twice. I want to say we went under the bridge sometime between 6:30 and 7? We were in the pool getting ready to head in when we went under so that’s a good guesstimate. Dinner was just about an hour. Our servers were great getting us in and out. We only ate there once with reservations at 8:30. My husbands meal was so good (beef tenderloin). My carrot cake was really good. Line was pretty long at 7 so that must be a busier time. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Edited September 24, 2018 by myacuna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emeraldcity Posted September 24, 2018 #19 Share Posted September 24, 2018 We couldn't get our room to cool down on the Explorer on the Transpacific so we mentioned it to our room steward since we were headed toward the equator and it was bound to get worse. Within hours there was a maintenance guy on a ladder poking around above the ceiling tiles over the closet. A half hour later, he fixed whatever was wrong. Moral of the story, don't hesitate to mention an issue that major. It saved our cruise because only about 3 of those 23 days were ones that it was cool enough we didn't need the AC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandma Dazzles Posted September 24, 2018 #20 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Did you report the balcony smoking? Curious as to why staff didn’t put an end to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 24, 2018 Author #21 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Did you report the balcony smoking? Curious as to why staff didn’t put an end to it. I didn’t bother. Based on others reports, it wasn’t worth it. Seems like they stopped after they heard me make a comment to my husband? Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieKatie17 Posted September 24, 2018 #22 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Thanks for the review. My husband and I are on Brilliance next month and I’ve been eagerly awaiting reviews since she returned to Tampa last week. We are cruising the same itinerary. What did you decide to do in Key West and would you recommend it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikew0805 Posted September 24, 2018 #23 Share Posted September 24, 2018 I didn’t take pics of the regular compass since half the time we didn’t have it with us. We just used the electronic boards. Trust me, you won’t starve! The food was good. I just found more options for me on carnival. I will say windjammer has very good options at dinner! I know they have dining room brunch. I just don’t eat breakfast so didn’t go. The ship is amazing. So many windows and so much connection to the ocean. Very easy to navigate. We’ve been on her twice. I want to say we went under the bridge sometime between 6:30 and 7? We were in the pool getting ready to head in when we went under so that’s a good guesstimate. Dinner was just about an hour. Our servers were great getting us in and out. We only ate there once with reservations at 8:30. My husbands meal was so good (beef tenderloin). My carrot cake was really good. Line was pretty long at 7 so that must be a busier time. Sent from my iPhone using Forums There are more choices on CCL. I'm looking forward to a change in menu on my upcoming Horizon cruise, and also considering booking another short CCL. In the Windjammer, I find the salad bar with all the amazing crisp fresh veggies - excellent. They even have tuna & chicken salad there as well. All are good. Beyond that, there is not much I will eat in the Windjammer for lunch/dinner.. every now and then I will find something that is okay. In the MDR, I also like the beef tenderloin and love the carrot cake. They also have one dish that seems consistent across the fleet, and that is the lasagna. I enjoy that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myacuna Posted September 24, 2018 Author #24 Share Posted September 24, 2018 What did you decide to do in Key West and would you recommend it? We honestly just walked around. While our son was sleeping we popped into a bar for a drink and some music. Shopped a tiny bit, had a snack, took a pic and southernmost point, went back to ship. It was crazy hot. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icmreis Posted September 24, 2018 #25 Share Posted September 24, 2018 Hi, thanks for your review. I am going on Briliance on October 1st with a 2 yo. Do you know if they had Open Play on this ship? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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