Lee & Mike's Cruise Notebook

[tiptop33]

Hi, Lee:

 

We just finished listening to your excellent iTunes podcasts on the Carnival Dream, and then went back and listened to the ones on the Brilliance of the Seas voyage in Europe (we will be taking a similar cruise this September). You and Mike mentioned that the tuxedo rentals were a smart option. One thing that I did not know is whether this option includes separate tuxedo wear for each of the three formal nights or if the tuxedo rental is on an individual night basis. I would be glad to hear what you experienced. Thanks,

 

Rick

[Schplinky]

Hi Rick,

 

We rented the tuxedos on the Brilliance cruise because it was longer and we wanted to save space in our suitcases. We got the tuxedo and as many dress shirts as there were formal nights, which was two in our case. You could rent a white dinner jacket or a black one. We opted for a combo that included both. The tux is in your room when you arrive and you just leave it when you go.

[tiptop33]

Thanks very much, Lee. This sounds like a good deal and I think we will go with it.

 

Rick

[ottawapuppy]

We rented the tuxedos on the Brilliance cruise because it was longer and we wanted to save space in our suitcases. We got the tuxedo and as many dress shirts as there were formal nights, which was two in our case.

 

You forgot to mention that the rental tux pants are expandable, perfect to accommodate any...um...size increases you may encounter over the cruise. (hee-hee)

 

Mike

[tiptop33]

You forgot to mention that the rental tux pants are expandable, perfect to accommodate any...um...size increases you may encounter over the cruise. (hee-hee)

 

Mike

 

That is an important point, indeed! I guess it is not mentioned in the advertising so that the passenger gets to reassure himself that the diet is magically being maintained in spite of the visits to the Martini bar-- (it must be all that shore excursion walking...)

 

Rick

[twarpula]

Lee & Mike you all put the other cruise pod-casters to shame! I LOVE the details of each ship, the little tips you give and the great commentary you all have. The cruise lines should pay you all with cruises, because you've sold me, looking at the Solstice for Jan. 2012.

Any plans to board the Norwegian Epic?

Waiting on edge for the next podcast...

[ottawapuppy]

The cruise lines should pay you all with cruises, because you've sold me.

 

Oooh...who do I have to talk to about that. I could get into that!

 

We are committed cruise-wise until the fall of 2011, but maybe Epic sometime after that? Our friend is going in a couple of weeks, so we will see what he has to say about it. I am planning on loving Oasis of the Seas, so maybe Epic could get bumped for a sailing on Allure. (hee!)

We are doing an NCL cruise on Star next March, we'll see how that experience measures up.

 

Mike

[Mrs Charmin]

Mike and Lee

Thank you for such a great website. I bookmarked it awhile ago and have now read it all and looked at all the photos.

 

You and you friends seem to have so much fun on your travels and keep us informed and entertained.

 

Thanks again and keep up the good work.

 

Norah

[twarpula]

We are booked on the Oasis for Jan. 15,2011- glad it's after yours so I can read all the details (or even listen the podcast) about it before we go. Our 2011 is booked up with cruises too, it's a toss up whether to book the Epic or the Solstice for Jan. 2012.

 

Thanks again for your VERY awesome podcast. I listen to several other cruise podcasts and they just don't match up.

-Tanya

[twarpula]

Mike & Lee- I was so excited when my itunes downloaded a NEW podcast from you all this week! Just wanted to say thanks and I look forward to your Oasis post, esp. since we will be cruising her in Jan.

Have a great trip. I will be sailing on the Disney Wonder at the same time.

Thanks again,

Tanya

[travelingla]

I just noticed this section of the boards after a couple of years of visiting.

 

We have a cruising-related web site which includes photos, journals, reviews, podcasts, Cruise Compasses (from RCI), tips and links to favourite cruising web sites.

 

Visit the site at: http://web.mac.com/thecruiseguys

 

Comments welcome!!

 

I really enjoy the cruise notebook podcast but cannot pull up anything but a home page on the website - is this website still working? Thanks.

[ottawapuppy]

I really enjoy the cruise notebook podcast but cannot pull up anything but a home page on the website - is this website still working? Thanks.

 

There has been an "upgrade" issue. :mad: Working on it now...But it will take a few days to work things out (today is Oct 31). Make sure to check back soon, I hope to narrow down the problem as soon as I can.

 

Mike

[ottawapuppy]

Okay, the site is back up. We have lost a few older podcasts in the transition, but all is somewhat back to normal.

They call it an upgrade...sounds like a marketing term for "something that will make you crabby until you can figure out what has happened to something that was working fine up until that point".

But I'm not bitter. ;)

 

Mike

[northwestbear]

Thanks for a great website - I enjoyed browsing it and reading the tips others suggest is always good. Hope you enjoy the Norwegian Star. My partner and I really like that ship. Be sure to find the hot tub all the way forward on deck 13. Great place to relax and stare out at the ocean. We've also had some great conversations with folks up there. Also splurge and visit some of the freestyle dining rooms - we really enjoy Cagney's steakhouse. Have fun!

[vegasvick]

Hi Lee & Mike!

 

I'm hoping Mike will write a "journal" about your Oasis cruise (like you've done for some of your other cruises)...any chance of that?

 

My DH and I are booked on the Allure of the Seas for Sept. 2011...I'd be really interested in hearing comparisons between Oasis of the Seas and Carnival Dream.

 

Hope you both are well.

 

Vicky

[ottawapuppy]

My DH and I are booked on the Allure of the Seas for Sept. 2011...I'd be really interested in hearing comparisons between Oasis of the Seas and Carnival Dream.

 

Hey Vick!

 

I enjoyed our sailing on Dream but LOVED our sailing on Oasis.

 

Some differences:

Interior design - Oasis is STUNNING in terms of interiors. The bars, restaurants and so forth are beautiful. The attention to detail on Oasis is outstanding. Central Park is jaw dropping with all the plants and greenery. You really feel like you are in a park.

The public rooms on Dream are pretty horrific. (In the interest of full disclosure, Lee disagrees with me on that...) Everything has to be shiny and glittery. The hallways on Dream are nice and wide though.

 

Traffic flow - Both ships are huge. Royal Caribbean has the whole traffic flow thing down to a science. You can be on a ship with 5000 passengers and still find quiet places to yourself, or a seat by the pool.

Carnival needs to so some work in that regard. They do not have experience working with large numbers of passengers, and it shows. For example, their buffet restaurant was way too small and they did not include enough optional dining venues to help distribute people.

 

Food - Carnival Dream has the edge here. The dining room food on Dream was excellent. Their buffet has some great choices, but the service hours of those specialty stations were pretty constricted. The brunch on sea days in the dining room is amazing and it has hours that allow late risers to actually enjoy it. The steak house on Dream was excellent, similar to Chops in terms of service and ambiance, but the cuts of meat were better. There were times during the day where we could not find food other than a burger, fries or pizza.

That said, the variety of food on Oasis is excellent. The specialty rooms (we tried 150 Central Park, Izumi and Giovanni's Table) were very good and worth the cover charge.

Entertainment - No one comes even close to the entertainment on Oasis. The shows were good on Dream, but they were fantastic on Oasis. The production of Hairspray was better than the one we saw in the permanent production in Toronto. The production show used aerials to compliment the show, not just a bunch of people dangling over your head (that's a shot at the show on Sosltice!). I thought the diving shows on Oasis would be kind of gratuitous, but they were really quite good. The skating show on Oasis was a dud. Lots of variety in lounge music on Oasis too, we liked Dazzles for 80s night and the great lounge band playing classic pop songs in that room.

 

Staff - I'd say the service was pretty close on both lines. Our room attendant on Oasis was the best we have ever had. I'd say that service on Carnival lacked polish, but made up for it with enthusiasm.

Staff remembered us and called us by name often on Oasis. How they can do that with 5000 guests each week, I don't know!

 

Rooms - I like the sliding patio door on Oasis better than the slamming door on Dream. Beds were stupidly comfortable on Dream. The bathroom on Oasis was nicer and not as institutional. Lots of hallway noise on Dream, particularly since the room attendant station was just outside our door.

 

We have already booked another cruise to go on Allure of the Seas and are paying the crazy rates because we loved it so much.

I am anxious to see what Carnival does with their new ship, Carnival Breeze. They are using a different interior designer and hopefully this will make the ship look a bit more contemporary and less garish.

 

We are taking the train to Toronto this weekend and I hope to spend some time gathering my journal notes and putting things into a complete document.

 

Have a great weekend,

Mike

[tiptop33]

Thanks, Mike, for your comments on the Oasis. We are sailing on Allure next spring and cannot wait. it will be our first "new" ship to experience. We are looking forward to your review of Allure. it very much sounds like it will be a great experience. By the way, did Oasis get a "thumbs-up" from Lee as well?

 

Rick and Cathie

 

 

Hey Vick!

 

I enjoyed our sailing on Dream but LOVED our sailing on Oasis.

 

Some differences:

Interior design - Oasis is STUNNING in terms of interiors. The bars, restaurants and so forth are beautiful. The attention to detail on Oasis is outstanding. Central Park is jaw dropping with all the plants and greenery. You really feel like you are in a park.

The public rooms on Dream are pretty horrific. (In the interest of full disclosure, Lee disagrees with me on that...) Everything has to be shiny and glittery. The hallways on Dream are nice and wide though.

 

Traffic flow - Both ships are huge. Royal Caribbean has the whole traffic flow thing down to a science. You can be on a ship with 5000 passengers and still find quiet places to yourself, or a seat by the pool.

Carnival needs to so some work in that regard. They do not have experience working with large numbers of passengers, and it shows. For example, their buffet restaurant was way too small and they did not include enough optional dining venues to help distribute people.

 

Food - Carnival Dream has the edge here. The dining room food on Dream was excellent. Their buffet has some great choices, but the service hours of those specialty stations were pretty constricted. The brunch on sea days in the dining room is amazing and it has hours that allow late risers to actually enjoy it. The steak house on Dream was excellent, similar to Chops in terms of service and ambiance, but the cuts of meat were better. There were times during the day where we could not find food other than a burger, fries or pizza.

That said, the variety of food on Oasis is excellent. The specialty rooms (we tried 150 Central Park, Izumi and Giovanni's Table) were very good and worth the cover charge.

 

Entertainment - No one comes even close to the entertainment on Oasis. The shows were good on Dream, but they were fantastic on Oasis. The production of Hairspray was better than the one we saw in the permanent production in Toronto. The production show used aerials to compliment the show, not just a bunch of people dangling over your head (that's a shot at the show on Sosltice!). I thought the diving shows on Oasis would be kind of gratuitous, but they were really quite good. The skating show on Oasis was a dud. Lots of variety in lounge music on Oasis too, we liked Dazzles for 80s night and the great lounge band playing classic pop songs in that room.

 

Staff - I'd say the service was pretty close on both lines. Our room attendant on Oasis was the best we have ever had. I'd say that service on Carnival lacked polish, but made up for it with enthusiasm.

Staff remembered us and called us by name often on Oasis. How they can do that with 5000 guests each week, I don't know!

 

Rooms - I like the sliding patio door on Oasis better than the slamming door on Dream. Beds were stupidly comfortable on Dream. The bathroom on Oasis was nicer and not as institutional. Lots of hallway noise on Dream, particularly since the room attendant station was just outside our door.

 

We have already booked another cruise to go on Allure of the Seas and are paying the crazy rates because we loved it so much.

I am anxious to see what Carnival does with their new ship, Carnival Breeze. They are using a different interior designer and hopefully this will make the ship look a bit more contemporary and less garish.

 

We are taking the train to Toronto this weekend and I hope to spend some time gathering my journal notes and putting things into a complete document.

 

Have a great weekend,

Mike

[Schplinky]

Thanks, Mike, for your comments on the Oasis. We are sailing on Allure next spring and cannot wait. it will be our first "new" ship to experience. We are looking forward to your review of Allure. it very much sounds like it will be a great experience. By the way, did Oasis get a "thumbs-up" from Lee as well?

 

Rick and Cathie

 

I loved it! It was easily one of the best vacations I have ever taken. I feared lines and crowds but it really felt like any other ship in that respect. We've stood in lines longer on far smaller ships, that's for sure.

 

RCL's real strengths are design and entertainment and both were on great display on Oasis. I also like that they keep improving the rooms and restaurants. This was a comfy cabin and the restaurants were fantastic. Also, I think the spa is fantastic and I normally do not. I actually went twice!!!

 

The best way I can explain how much I liked it is to say that we have really loved the Celebrity Solstice class a lot lately and we booked Oasis just to try it but we really thought we were transitioning out of RCL and into a Celebrity cruiser. After Oasis, we had no doubts we would book Allure and I think we agree we will be splitting our time between the two lines. There are worse things in life.

[tiptop33]

It is fascinating to hear that Oasis does such a great job with making the crowds seem to disappear. We have sailed on mainly much smaller ships but the flip side of their advantages is that the ship's offerings become very familiar on a 12-night cruise, for example. I am sure that there is no way that that can happen on Oasis/Allure! We loved Celebrity but have found that RC is very polished, too. I guess the fact that both companies are run by the same folks shows more often than not (in a good way). Thanks for your insights.

 

Rick and Cathie

 

 

I loved it! It was easily one of the best vacations I have ever taken. I feared lines and crowds but it really felt like any other ship in that respect. We've stood in lines longer on far smaller ships, that's for sure.

[bobmal99]

Love you site, lot of great pictures and info!!

 

 

I just noticed this section of the boards after a couple of years of visiting.

 

We have a cruising-related web site which includes photos, journals, reviews, podcasts, Cruise Compasses (from RCI), tips and links to favourite cruising web sites.

 

Visit the site at: http://web.mac.com/thecruiseguys

 

Comments welcome!!

[tiptop33]

I notice that Boleros on Oasis is described as very smoky in your pictures from that cruise. I thought smoking was only permitted in the casino. Is it also allowed in some of the other venues on the ship? If so, approximately how many??

[ottawapuppy]

I notice that Boleros on Oasis is described as very smoky in your pictures from that cruise. I thought smoking was only permitted in the casino. Is it also allowed in some of the other venues on the ship? If so, approximately how many??

 

The smoke stink was pretty bad on Oasis. The casino was disgusting...they had a "non-smoking section", unfortunately, smoke is not clever enough to stay only on the side where it is allowed. We took detours to avoid passing through the casino since our clothes would smell even just passing though. (yes, even on the non-smoking side)

 

Boleros was *very bad* for smoke, as well as the upstairs at Dazzles. We were only in the Blaze for the Diamond parties in the afternoons and it did stink of stale smoke, but it was not smokey during those parties.

 

No smoking in Vintages I think since there was no discernable stink there that I could tell.

 

I wish Royal Caribbean had Celebrity's smoking policy...

 

Mike

[tiptop33]

We loved Century's smoking policy. We only noticed a bit of a problem in the Hemispheres lounge and of course the casino (which we avoided). I hope that Oasis does not have a Vegas-thing going on along with its Central Park. :) It seems, however, that she and Allure should be big enough to avoid too much trouble of this kind. It would not hurt to have an indoors no-smoking policy, though.

 

Rick

[tiptop33]

I just heard about the travail yesterday of that beautiful ship "Brilliance of the Seas." For some reason I have always thought of the Meditteranean as placid and calm. We sailed on Century in September and I think that's the perfect time. But I am impressed from RC's response today that the cruise operators almost always seem to try to do the right thing after the fact, at least after having time to think about it. I feel sorry, though, for all those passengers who planned to be on a trip of a lifetime, in a good way.

[ottawapuppy]

I just heard about the travail yesterday of that beautiful ship "Brilliance of the Seas."

 

Quite the mess! They seemed to have cleaned things up quickly though and they expect the next sailing to be delayed.

I met someone who was on the Princess ship that listed and they seemed scarred for life.

 

Mike