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Doug S

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About Me

  • Location
    Texas
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Royal Caribbean
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Caribbean

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  1. I don't think the crew has much interest (or room to store) miscellaneous gifts. Perhaps a bit of candy as long it is window dressing for CASH. They will always act grateful but may not value or keep other items. My only venture outside of cash tips was for a favorite bartender on our regular Galveston cruises. We asked in passing what he missed from home and found it odd that he missed turkey. We cruised again a few months later and brought a big bag of turkey jerky from Bucky's. He hoarded it and ate some all week. Drinks were exceptionally good that week... I consider that more of a 'friend' thing than a tip.
  2. I am highly allergic to spring break cruises 😁. Did one New Years cruise and it was like a week in a mosh pit... We try to book the in-between, lower demand times like the gap between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  3. We were also on this sailing. Good times. Enjoyed reading your review after our 4 hour drive home. A few of my thoughts to throw in the mix... As said a few posts earlier, each shuttle service is assigned a parking slot, so a given company's shuttle has to leave for the next to pull in. Compound that with the line of private drop off traffic the shuttles must wait in to get to their assigned slot. I think since the shuttles pay a fee per vehicle (which is why they try to run only full shuttles) they should have a dedicated lane to expedite their round trips. I know our biggest delay departing this morning was not loading or unloading, it was waiting for the next shuttle to work through traffic and get to the pickup spot. And the rain did not help Our boarding on the 4th was easier than ever, and we've gone out of Galveston about 20 times. New terminal was very nice, but I can see they can still work out a few kinks on the parking side. From getting off the shuttle to entering our cabin was about 15 minutes. We spent most mornings in the Solarium as well, and it was not very crowded as you pointed out. I know the cruise was not sold out, which I imagine kept numbers down a little. But we also noticed a very large contingent of Asian guests on board, but never saw any Asian guests around the pools. Maybe that contributed more than us Texans not soaking up some sun. Other sailings I've been on out of Galveston (predominantly Texas cruisers) always had crowding and chair hogging issues around the pools. Just throwing this out there, but maybe Cruisers from Asia prefer to spend their time in the casinos or other venues rather than poolside. That would explain the crowding/non crowding. As a side note, we had the UDP and the specialty restaurants appeared under-utilized. I saw few, if any Asian guests in any specialty dining. Please don't take this as racial commentary. It is not meant to be at all. Just pointing out that cruisers from different cultures (like Texans😁) may use different amenities, and crowding issues may vary accordingly. In any case, I enjoy the Solarium and have no use for the casino, so whatever the reason it worked well for me... Sail on... Doug
  4. I was not a fan. We cruised Scarlet Lady just after Thanksgiving and won't be back. Entertainment tried to be edgy, but was more cringy than edgy. I am not a prude, but it was just not entertaining to me. Very few music options. Was truly bored at times. If you are single wanting to mix with a late night crowd, maybe it would be different for you. The shops, public areas, pool, entertainment venues, were just odd. No grand, impressive venues. For a taller guy the ceilings seemed a bit low and claustrophobic in many areas We got relocated to an accessible cabin without our knowledge, and it was actually very roomy and nice, but had a lot of wasted open space - minimalist furniture design. Strange part of the accessible cabin was that it was literally the longest walk possible to get to it. All the way forward and farthest removed from the elevator. I like to get away from my phone when cruising. A break from it is refreshing. VV you have to use their Ap for many things, so everyone is always looking down at their phones. Even with that the communication was very sketchy. Many say food is great, but for us it was a mixed bag. some very good, some not. Not a fan of the Galley (food court). Options were fairly limited, and hard to just sample a bit from all the stations. Not enough quick snack options around the ship either. Missed the convenience of a Sorrentos/Cafe promenade. The dining experience was not nearly enough to bring us back. Positives - child free was a nice change. Staff was very nice and tried hard. Enjoyed the Private Beach club on Bimini. The mermaid videos on the elevators were mesmerizing. The boarding / disembarking was very smooth, even with covid testing to board. The more casual dress code was also good. Wrist bands worked well for us. No pesky photographers everywhere. Muster video and check in was a breeze Didn't mean to make it a review. Main point is if you like way Royal rolls, VV may not be your cup of tea either. Doug ,
  5. We were moved without notification, so yeah it happens. Were originally mid ship adjacent to family and when we boarded we realized we had been relocated to an accessible cabin all the way up front. Accessible, but a Loooong walk to get there??? We just went with it. Cabin was larger and bed was better (not one of the convertibles) so it was a wash.
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