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50 Years of Cruising on Royal -- Share Your Memories!


LauraS
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We started cruising in 2004 and now have completed 27 cruises all on Royal.  We never set out to just cruise Royal it just happened that way, because we had a good time on each cruise we took.  

 

Over the years we have had some interesting experiences that made those particular cruises special or just added to the fun/enjoyment..

 

When we sailed on Jewel, Elvis Pinto was the Activity Manager.  Now he is a CD for Royal.  One night he said when he was hosting an event "If anything is wrong on the ship, let me know and I will get it fixed".  The next day as we were leaving for a shore excursion we noticed the sign the said "Have a Heathly Day" right next to washy washy gizmo.  Well, they meant to spell out "Have a Healthy Day".  So on our return to the ship later that after noon we took a picture of the sign and set about finding Elvis.  Then I said....I want to play a game with you...it is called what is wrong with the sign.  Elvis studied the picture and burst out laughing....'Gee, I wonder how long that sign has been like that'.  He promised to fix it and by the next day....it was correct.  It became our 'secret word for the cruise'. 

 

What has ALWAYS made sailing with Royal special is the PEOPLE who work onboard the ships.

Edited by Paulette3028
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On 2/22/2019 at 3:38 PM, jcc1025 said:

Ours is almost the same, we were on the Nordic Prince in 1986 and sailed into San Juan. We docked next to the newest ship at that time, Majesty of the Seas, it looked huge next to us. In those days if you had a ship id, this was before sea passes, everything on board was cash, you could go over and get on Majesty and look around. We were sure that their would never be a bigger ship. Now we have been on Oasis class several times and love it and say the same thing. Many great memories over the years on RCCL ships, many of them have to do with the officers and staff and how well we have been treated. 

 

Your dates may be off. Sovereign was the original and she sailed first in 1988. Majesty didn't come out until 1992

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we first sailed Sovereign in 2002 for our honeymoon. it was the first time i saw the ocean. we swam with stingrays in nassau, and had a wonderful time in cococay. we were impressed when they placed napkins in our laps for dinner. everything was so new and wonderful to us. we are about to sail on our 7th cruise in November on Allure. so far the biggest ship we've been on is Freedom. thank you Royal Caribbean for all the wonderful memories! 

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We took the plunge and decided to sail on Empress when she returned to the fleet and had her extensive refurb done.  We waited to book, until all the early sailings were done so she had whatever kinks flushed out.  We knew she was a small ship, so booked a JS, which we usually don't do.  She was a cute ship for sure...interesting layout....off of Baleros she has a wonderful outdoors area that they used for the returning cruiser event on the first night.  Good finger food and booze....with ships officers.

 

Carlos Torres was CD and we had sailed with him several times before.  He made sure to invite us to an event he was doing as the headliner.  A musical hour with him singing with the band in one of the lounges.  HE was terrific -- it just reinforced in me how talented some of the staff is onboard.  So what if when he sang in Spanish, I did not understand all the words....his talent and emotion was all we needed.

 

Whatever Empress lacked was made up by staff and crew. Carlos has now been moved to Celebrity.

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20 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Your dates may be off. Sovereign was the original and she sailed first in 1988. Majesty didn't come out until 1992

Probably right, just remember we were on the Nordic Prince and were next to Majesty in San Juan. 

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July, 1999 Jean and I got married.  She's always wanted to go to Alaska. I had no interest.. Why go somewhere cold when its summer? lol (I just didn't know).. 

 

I had a work injury  in 2015 that had me laid up  for almost 16 weeks.. I've never felt weaker than I was at that point.. 

I was binge watching shows on some channel that I cant recall now (lots of pain meds) when I saw a cruise ship in Alaska on this TV show I spoke to Jean about it.. She claimed "I've always wanted to go to Alaska". "Ricky.. you know this has been my dream!" 

 

Well in a different state of mind (ugh) and having an iPad I started looking at Alaskan Cruises..   In the fog I was in and what we would later find out would be our first cruise ever.. We decided that this would be the beginning of our "cruise life" although we didn't know it then.. 

 

The smell of Seattle.. The taste of Ocean Air.. the first experience of a ship.. The best service I've ever received in my life on Explorer Of the Seas


Since then we've been on Empress to Havana and we have 2 booked this year On Harmony, and one in 2020 on Freedom and into whatever this life has planned for us..

 

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Our special Royal Caribbean experience made us RCI fans for life. Being the only cruise to take part in their “Gilligan’s Island” excursion. I know that they didn’t plan it and we didn’t buy the “excursion”, but we do have bragging rights along with the other 1400 people who came along. 

It was the Majesty Of the Seas. It was just a little overcast when we got off the ship. Not unusual for the area in the early morning. The storm came up very quickly, there were jet skis out on the water when a water spout formed and they quickly doubled back and the beaches were closed. Bars were opened and we were all set to wait out the storm. Within 60 minutes or so we were called to board the tenders. We watched as the first tender tried to make it to the ship. The waves were crazy high and at times we lost sight of the tender all together. After several attempts to unload passengers, the tender was returned to the island. The people were saying it was so scary. The gang plank between the tender and the ship kept rising up and smacking the top of the gangway entry. I was so glad we weren't on that first tender. The night was cold and wet, they ran out of food and because of the open bar at the storms onset, they ran out of booze. Not really a bad thing to run out of booze when you had to tell 1400 people they were not going to get to sleep in a warm dry bed that night or that you didn't have enough food for an entire second meal. RCI did send additional medical staff and a limited number of blankets. My DH and I got the garbage bad the blankets came in. I have to say that garbage bag was very warm and I was happy to have it. By the wee hours of the morning, word was out that we were in some trouble and Norwegian Cruise line sent their tenders (they were heavier that our Coco Cutters) in with sandwiches, blankets and drinkable water (the water in the faucets on Coco Cay is not drinkable). The officers and other crew came by and replaced my garbage bag with a blanket and gave us food and water. Unbelievable service. The situation was not of their making, they kept us all safe through the night and got us warm and fed ASAP. They truly helped to make it an experience to remember. I have to smile every time I get to tell it. Yes compensation was good, but even more, they made us want to be forever customers. 


I did forget to mention that Coco Cay was not like it is now. They were rebuilding after a hurricane and most of the current buildings were not there yet. And they did not keep emergency supplies on the island because nothing like this had ever happened before. At least if it were to happen while in Grand Cayman there would be hotels and restaurants for food and shelter. 

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Our first RCL ship was on the Mariner of the Seas sailing from Los Angeles down the Mexican coast (Nov 2010)

 

It was actually our 3rd cruise but by far the largest ship we had been on.  I remember driving to the port and being overwhelmed on how large and striking Mariner was.  Have been on bigger ships since then but the Mariner will always stand out. 

 

We had such a good time as a family, that it cemented our want to cruise more which we have been fortunate to do.

 

 

 

 

Edited by BobbyOrr
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On 3/2/2019 at 1:30 PM, Kevin's girl said:

Our special Royal Caribbean experience made us RCI fans for life. Being the only cruise to take part in their “Gilligan’s Island” excursion. I know that they didn’t plan it and we didn’t buy the “excursion”, but we do have bragging rights along with the other 1400 people who came along. 

It was the Majesty Of the Seas. It was just a little overcast when we got off the ship. Not unusual for the area in the early morning. The storm came up very quickly, there were jet skis out on the water when a water spout formed and they quickly doubled back and the beaches were closed. Bars were opened and we were all set to wait out the storm. Within 60 minutes or so we were called to board the tenders. We watched as the first tender tried to make it to the ship. The waves were crazy high and at times we lost sight of the tender all together. After several attempts to unload passengers, the tender was returned to the island. The people were saying it was so scary. The gang plank between the tender and the ship kept rising up and smacking the top of the gangway entry. I was so glad we weren't on that first tender. The night was cold and wet, they ran out of food and because of the open bar at the storms onset, they ran out of booze. Not really a bad thing to run out of booze when you had to tell 1400 people they were not going to get to sleep in a warm dry bed that night or that you didn't have enough food for an entire second meal. RCI did send additional medical staff and a limited number of blankets. My DH and I got the garbage bad the blankets came in. I have to say that garbage bag was very warm and I was happy to have it. By the wee hours of the morning, word was out that we were in some trouble and Norwegian Cruise line sent their tenders (they were heavier that our Coco Cutters) in with sandwiches, blankets and drinkable water (the water in the faucets on Coco Cay is not drinkable). The officers and other crew came by and replaced my garbage bag with a blanket and gave us food and water. Unbelievable service. The situation was not of their making, they kept us all safe through the night and got us warm and fed ASAP. They truly helped to make it an experience to remember. I have to smile every time I get to tell it. Yes compensation was good, but even more, they made us want to be forever customers. 


I did forget to mention that Coco Cay was not like it is now. They were rebuilding after a hurricane and most of the current buildings were not there yet. And they did not keep emergency supplies on the island because nothing like this had ever happened before. At least if it were to happen while in Grand Cayman there would be hotels and restaurants for food and shelter. 

You were a troopper on this sailing....other people would have said ''No way will I every sail again on ANY cruise line'.  Kudos to all the crews that helped out.....it is the maritime pledge and they all lived up to it!

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8 hours ago, Paulette3028 said:

You were a troopper on this sailing....other people would have said ''No way will I every sail again on ANY cruise line'.  Kudos to all the crews that helped out.....it is the maritime pledge and they all lived up to it!

They were really amazing.We have just completed cruise number 20 and have yet to be disappointed with Royal Caribbean. Can't wait to book number 21.

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Seriously, no one was on that Freedom of the Seas sailing in Oct 2006 with us?   Largest Meet & Mingle?  I have pictures of Pink Boa cruisers with me.....I know some of you were there.   I wish I could find some of those pics...

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7 hours ago, LauraS said:

Seriously, no one was on that Freedom of the Seas sailing in Oct 2006 with us?   Largest Meet & Mingle?  I have pictures of Pink Boa cruisers with me.....I know some of you were there.   I wish I could find some of those pics...

 

 

I remember one at about that time that was quite large.....it was a C&A cruise and also a CC cruise.  It was attended by Jack Williams, who was president at that time, and also Ken Rush, who was cruise director.  I went back to look and see if that was the one you were referring to.  Turns out it was on Mariner, not Freedom.

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My very first cruise was on the Song of America (I think that was the name) in January of 1984.  She had that blue paint down the side and we thought she was a beautiful, distinctive ship. I figured the date out because our oldest child was about 18 months at the time and now she’s  36. We boarded in Miami and this ship was docked just in front of the Norway, which looked massive!  I remember how lucky we thought we were to have an ocean view cabin.  We had really saved for that cruise and that ocean view was a big deal for us. We met 2 really nice couples and that’s what really made it a great cruise - all 6 of us being able to enjoy the ship together!

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As a kid, my family wasn't the wealthiest (far from it!), but my single mother worked her butt off to take us on a cruise vacation. I believe we were on the Explorer in '05 and I just remember thinking that this was the swankiest, most opulent, coolest thing ever! It didn't matter who you were or weren't, we were treated like royalty, or better yet, we were treated like family. At dinner, our waiter would always cut up my little brother's food for him, and bring extra slices of cheesecake for my other brother (his fave!) I remember we all cried when it came time to say goodbye. We made so many friends on that trip and had so much fun and were just so overjoyed and grateful for the experience. 

 

Now with kids of my own, I get to pass that joy onto them. My husband and I took our little ones on their very first cruise aboard the Liberty in 2017 and had an amazing time! It was such a thrill to watch their little faces light up with every new experience (or maybe it was from all the ice cream around every corner!) And now this year, at the persistence of my kids (when are we going back!?), we have another trip aboard the Liberty planned. I even surprised my mom by booking her a reservation along with us. We're all so excited and can't wait to begin making new memories together! 

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On 3/2/2019 at 1:30 PM, Kevin's girl said:

Our special Royal Caribbean experience made us RCI fans for life. Being the only cruise to take part in their “Gilligan’s Island” excursion. I know that they didn’t plan it and we didn’t buy the “excursion”, but we do have bragging rights along with the other 1400 people who came along. 

It was the Majesty Of the Seas. It was just a little overcast when we got off the ship. Not unusual for the area in the early morning. The storm came up very quickly, there were jet skis out on the water when a water spout formed and they quickly doubled back and the beaches were closed. Bars were opened and we were all set to wait out the storm. Within 60 minutes or so we were called to board the tenders. We watched as the first tender tried to make it to the ship. The waves were crazy high and at times we lost sight of the tender all together. After several attempts to unload passengers, the tender was returned to the island. The people were saying it was so scary. The gang plank between the tender and the ship kept rising up and smacking the top of the gangway entry. I was so glad we weren't on that first tender. The night was cold and wet, they ran out of food and because of the open bar at the storms onset, they ran out of booze. Not really a bad thing to run out of booze when you had to tell 1400 people they were not going to get to sleep in a warm dry bed that night or that you didn't have enough food for an entire second meal. RCI did send additional medical staff and a limited number of blankets. My DH and I got the garbage bad the blankets came in. I have to say that garbage bag was very warm and I was happy to have it. By the wee hours of the morning, word was out that we were in some trouble and Norwegian Cruise line sent their tenders (they were heavier that our Coco Cutters) in with sandwiches, blankets and drinkable water (the water in the faucets on Coco Cay is not drinkable). The officers and other crew came by and replaced my garbage bag with a blanket and gave us food and water. Unbelievable service. The situation was not of their making, they kept us all safe through the night and got us warm and fed ASAP. They truly helped to make it an experience to remember. I have to smile every time I get to tell it. Yes compensation was good, but even more, they made us want to be forever customers. 


I did forget to mention that Coco Cay was not like it is now. They were rebuilding after a hurricane and most of the current buildings were not there yet. And they did not keep emergency supplies on the island because nothing like this had ever happened before. At least if it were to happen while in Grand Cayman there would be hotels and restaurants for food and shelter. 

I love to come back to this thread.....and as I re-read this particular post, it brings to mind all the people 'who complain' on board the sailings that we have all taken.  People around us complain about the food or slow service or fast service or a problem in their cabin  or a stateroom attendant that doesn't 'jump to attention for a need' but will get to it a little later or a CD that isn't like the 'others they had', etc etc etc..  Those complainers lose sight of the MUCH BIGGER PICTURE...of how much of a TEAM the crew on your particular ship is as well as the services of the entire cruise industry.

 

For me, every cruise I go on....is just a magical event waiting to happen.  

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Our first cruise on RCCL was on the Rhapsody out of Galveston in November of 2002.

One of our most memorable cruises on RCCL was a Trans Atlantic cruise on the Adventure from San Juan to Malaga Spain in May of 2011.   WOW what a cruise for cruise critic members.  The M and M had champagne and the best prizes I have seen at any EVER and I have attended a bunch of them.  You actually wanted to win.

The Cruise director and Manager of food service had a fancy luncheon for cruise critic members.  They arranged it and sent printed invitations to cabins.  There was a great preset menu with three course and all the wine you wanted.  Think quality, think Chops.  The welcome back party was in the ice rink with a line up of food stretching for at least 12 feet.  Not cardboard apps.  Think suite lounge, hot and cold.  Think Country Club gala heavy Appetizers.  You could have anything to drink. not just champagne and rum punch. This may have been top tier, but we were not Diamond yet.  We went to two parties like this one while on board.  There was an officers night in Casino and the food services manager dealt black jack to us.  The next day he sent chocolate covered strawberries to the cabin, "thanks for playing with me last night".  Just WOW.  surprises at every turn.

Even writing this, I can't believe it happened but it was true, I was there.

I wish I could remember the name of the cruise director, a blond that had a different dress every time you saw her, which was everywhere.  She was the hardiest working CD ever.  I think she may have been stopping by from HQ,  she certainly had an unlimited budget.  Some of you may know her name.  I will never forget that cruise. Thank you for letting me remember it.

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