LOS - TA - April 2-16, 2011 MIA-BCN - TRIP REPORT

I so meant to get started on this sooner then later.. LOL I have not done a full review but will try to get it done, over the next week or so, page at a time. (Sorry about that.. I know I like it better then the review is uploaded all at once.. ) But I have tons of photos, menus, daily compasses, for both adults and kids.

Something about us - We are a family of three - Mother, Father and daughter age five at time of sailing. We no long have LTFA but still carry a epipen, and puffers for asthma. This was our first cruise on RCCL - but I have worked in travel for ever it seems. (First as a travel agent, then at Galileo Canada Head office, Apollo for everyone south of the boarder, and then acting director of sales for a hotel in Toronto, Canada).

Cruise - we booked our cruise a year out. Meet tons of wonderful people on CC, and had a blast with them on board. I have always wanted to do a TA, and as it was our 10 yr WA, 2011 was going to be the year.

Truth be told, I called my TA and said, I need a TA that starts April 2. That is cheep. I don't care what line it is, or where it goes. He quoted me a great rate on a inside cabin. In the end, we ended up with 6410 (AFT balcony corner). I was pleased and we were in budget. In hide sight I should have booked the JR Suite I toyed with , but I was not sure if it would be worth the "extra credit" that you got we booked before it was changed to nights, still cruise points).

We ended up using our credit card points to get to Miami from the West Coast, and then using RCCL Choice air from Barcelona back to the west points. Connection, and rates were the best I could find. We booked and paid for our flights in full July 17, 2010. We paid just under $1800.00USD for three people, Y class on a direct flight - with a connection in NYC. We also have a one week stop over in Barcelona. (We drove to a villa we had rented in France).

Pre cruise hotel - we used Last Minute Travel to get a great deal at the Miami IC hotel. $160USD pre paid. I ended up canceling a great rate at the Spring Hill Suites, Miami. ($116.00 for three, breakfast and taxes included). I had a $100 gift card from my bank which was going to pay for that. (more on that later..)

Getting ready to board the first leg of our flight - X in Atlanta...

Looking forward to your trip report. We're doing the same cruise for our 30th anniversary next year.

After a long day, (and wait.. for our baggage in MIA) we jumped into a taxi and headed to the IC.

We arrived in good time, but it had been a long day and we had been up for over 15 hours. We were ready to hit the hay. So much for my thought of getting a hotel downtown by the pier, we ended doing nothing, and canceling on a friend (sorry Peter!). The check in was busy, so we ended up being help by the FOM - after having a quick chat, and his being so kind as to find my Holiday Inn Priority Club number.. (I left the card at home.. as we tend to stay at Marriott's now that we are living in the US). He saw that we have not stayed at HI in many many years, and made a comment that he was going to do his best to see if he could change that. We were given our room keys, and head up to our room.

He was kind enough to give us a free upgrade to a 900+ sq foot suit, with a view of the bay.

(the houseman is in our front entry.. just to break down the size for you)

We had two full bathrooms, living room, king bed, front all (with room to dance.. ) for $160.00.

We ended up ordering room service for dinner..

I had the roast chicken.. it was so so. Just re- heated, not fresh.

My husband had the Cuban, it was good he said.

My daughter had the grilled cheese (way to much cheese IMPO) and we asked for vinegar for the fries.. they sent up red wine.

I had the Blackforest cake. Or rather, two bites, it was so - so. Not real cream and not much flavor. Not worth the cal.

David had the Key Lime Pie and he liked it. (I had a bite, and it was a nice balance of sweet/tart).

Dinner for the three of us was under $80.00

Our view.

Because of the time change, I was up very early the next day and was able to watch the sun rise. I could see the LOS.

Sunrise

Right out of of the hotel, is a playground. Had I have saw when we got in the night before we **might of made a effort** it was really nice. Also, if you are up early, the hotel has free coffee and pastry in the lobby. But it was gone by 6am.

We ended up having the buffet in the hotel lobby because, it was the better price.

Upon check in, if you are a PCM you are given a small coupon sheet. It included discounts for dining, etc. We used one for breakfast which gave us 20% of the buffet. We ended up paying under $50 for the three of us. Coffee, Juice was included.

yes that is my 5 year old taking photos of her breakfast.. the apple does not fall far from the tree it seems..

later on in the lobby they replaced the free coffee, with this..

It was getting close to 10am, so back up stairs we went to get ready to head over the the port!

yes I over packed..

FINAL REVIEW on Hotel - 10 out of 10. Regardless of our upgrade. The staff, and service was top notch. The bell men, house men, front desk, room service, and dining room staff were all wonderful. I would stay at this hotel again in a heat beat.

the taxi mini van had a build it car seat!

PORT and check in...

We arrived at the port quickly - but our taxi driver seemed to want to make more money, because he drove past all the empty spaces and then had us wait for 10min while everyone unloaded at the bottle neck. This caused our fair to jump up $3.00 His tip was greatly affected by this little trick.

The porters arrived, and true to form.. hinted that they were going to personally take our bags to our rooms, all the while holding out their hands for a tip. I am sure it was because I was just so ticked off by the taxi, I walked right by, and commented to my husband, that they are paid a good wage from the Port, and tips are not needed. (I feel like a cow now, but at the time, I was PISSED).

10am inside arrival hall waiting for gates to open. By 10:30 it was spilling over outside. Miss Em made lots of nice friends (many grandparents on this cruise, who were missing their own little darlings back home.. I would assume).

Once inside we were greeted with a selection of waters. And signs pointing direction on which way to go.

We had a great time in line again, meet tons of new people (WAVE!) and had a laugh over a few D, and D+ members getting their knickers in a knot because they had to wait in line. (I think about half the cruise if not more was D and D+). Check in did take along time, but that was in part because we had a few new agents, and they seemed not sure what to do with our passports. It was my understanding that anyone on a American Passport got to keep theirs, but the other countries had to hand them over. We are CDN living in America, with a greencard. In the end, we got to keep our passports, and I was pleased. (30min to check us in from the time we arrived at the counter to till end).

DING DING DING.. we made it!

All along the deck, they had tables set up - with tons of info for the cruise, the Spa, Dining, Kids Club (they had arm bands, and were giving them out to children as they boarded). As well as tons of stations to have your photos taken.

Once you were inside their was another table for wine pkgs, and soda cards. My husband seemed upset that I did not get him a soda card (he does not drink soda) and I pointed out that he could drink FREE ice tea, etc in the WJ daily. He was very happy with that.

We had pre booked our wine pkg (never again... more on that later) so we were able to skip that table.

I was sad, because they did not have a "Welcome aboard" drink station where I would be able to get something tropical, and use my new seapass card.. BUT.. it was not yet noon.. so maybe a too early to get into vacation mode??

We headed up to WJ.. found a table and saw a few of our CC mates - the leis and tee shirts were a give away.. (WAVE!)

The first thing I did after finding a table (right side, one away from the window - JADE section) was show my husband the free drinks. Needless to say, he was happy.

Because we have a small child with us, and only two hands each, we take turns at the buffet getting our plates.

My first meal ever, in WJ. Notice the Honey Stung Chicken. (Like most people have commented, its really only good when fresh, and crisp.. room service is the better option IMPO. But my husband also got it, (having no idea that it is THE thing to get when you board) and he liked it quite a bit. BUT his was just put out.. so more "crisp").

Miss Em's.

Look what I found! LOL LOVE THE RUM TOPPER!

And one for Miss Em. I think the drinks bill was around $18.00 or so. OUCH!

By the time lunch was done, it was 10 to 1, so we headed to our cabin. They were having a TA tour, so the doors were not opened, till 1:15. And it was HOT waiting in the stairwell... ugg..

Our Cabin.

We were on deck six, two doors down the the Royal Suite. One would assume we would have a great CA right? She was nice, she was funny.. she was not really on top of her game. I am not sure if it was because the RS was keeping her hopping, or if it was because she was at the tail end of her contract. But in the end, we only tipped her for Dave and I. Not for Emily. It was a hard choice to make, but the bad, and little things, started to really add up.. and in the end, I just felt that she tried to get by on her smile, rather then service. (More later).

We spent the rest of the afternoon unpacking, and walking around the ship. We had a CC meet at 4:00 by the Sky bar, and then it was the sail away party.

The sail away party was well. Lame. Not many people came out for it - and RCCL just seems to miss the mark on using the Dreamworks team. I took some photos, did a few min of Video, and that was about it. Not sure I would make a effort again.

It was getting close to dinner, so we made our way down to our table. (now back to my daughter and her food issues). Emily can have dairy. She is lactose intolerant, and while we use lactaid pills, we do not like to over burden her body. So she gets a limited amount of dairy a day. Not at every meal. While we were on the Disney Cruise, we kept dairy free in the dining room, and then she was able to have treats during the day if she wanted them. We filled out the forms well in advance, got a email to confirm they were re'cved. We per ordered Soy Milk, and then sent a follow up request to the dining room for a table of four - again stating my daughters needs.

We arrived at the dining room - meet our server Cat (he was super fun!) and our Asst'n server Karen (again great!). Unlike Disney - the M'rd did not come over to confrim our rqsts.. in fact we did not see him till day three maybe? No mention was made in regards to our request - no offer of soy milk, or even a children's menu was given. (I had no idea they had one on this sailing... until day. 5?). I asked if we had to pre order a meal for Emily, the night before (this is how Disney does it). I was told that was not a option.. again, not sure if it was our waiter, or because we are only Lactose.. but we still have a EPIPEN.. so regardless I felt that allergies may be a area they need to work on.. (once again.. more later).

We confirmed with our waiter our needs, and I mentioned to my husband that I was so glad Em was no longer ANA because I would not trust the system that RCCL has in place.

Emily ended up eating off the adult menu most nights. (as a side note, by daughter would have enjoyed playing the games that came on the kids menu.. regardless if she ordered it. In the end, I stopped asking for it, because it was clearly not going to be given to us).

A starter was always waiting for Emily when we arrived at the table. (she decorated it). We never had a choice, it was always fruit.

I had the fish tapenade. It was wonderful.

Leak and Onion Tart. We loved it.

My Roast Beef. It was not served directly with horseradish, but it did arrive. It was good. Not great. Not bad. But good.

The first of many nights, of the same dinner for Miss Em. Plan pasta with lemon. (I will only post photos of her food from now on when it is NOT a fruit plate with pasta and lemon).

I could have had this every night..

David said it was good.

RCCL calls this mouse, i call it instant pudding.. the cream and berry were the only thing worth eating..

Nice selection of teas on board.

Menu Day One - Dinner

Review - it was the best menu we had in our 14 day crossing. I have no idea why every night was hit or miss. If they can do this standard of cooking one time a sailing.. why can it not be every night?

In the end I learned to trust Cat on what to order.. he summed it up for me.. everything RCCL does in the kitchen, seems to fall a little short.. the best score he gave a meal was 80%. And in the end, he was almost always spot on.

For the next 13 nights, I used him as my guide on what to order.. if Cat gave it a 70% most nights I would give it a pass...

because for all his little quirks, he really knows his food!

Its off to Kids Club next...!

Very informative, thanks for all the info!

We arrived at kids club, signed Miss Emily up and handed over her Epi pens, and puffers. Unlike Disney they do not keep them for the whole trip. You had them in/pick it up when you collect your child.

Each child was given a small gift on the first day - depending on their age. Miss Em was given a small blue stuffed key ring. She liked it.

Age 3-5

The no slid slid. She was in fact NOT MOVING as I took this photo..

Quick review of the Kids Club - 8 of out 10. Only because it was hit or miss depending on who was working that ****. Some staff, and better then others. Em loved it, had a blast and still talks about Jinglebells.

First night show..

We lucked out and got 2nd row middle seats most nights for the late show. In the end, I ended up loving our CD - Gordon, but the first night.. not so much.

And how we ended most nights.. We would pick up Miss Em, at 10pm from the kids club, get a bedtime snack.. she would sleep while I would be out of the Balcony writing in my journal, and getting ready for the next day. Most nights, David went out and hung at the Casino bar with Peter, Bill and Bill (WAVE).

BUTTTT the first night.. we arrived back to our stateroom... 10:30 at night.. no pullman, no sofa bed made up. Just a bed, for the three of us. No tickets for our first day in port, no directions, or clue as to what we were to do. Cruise compass was on the bed for the next day.. but it was not until the 3rd day I found out that they CA was to also give us the kids compass.. so we kept missing out on activies for Miss Em. We were never given ice - (I asked our CA the first day to please make sure we had ice in our cabin.. she looked at me like I had three heads.. and said "every day"? ((meanwhile the wonderful french speaking CA down the way two times a day would give his cabins fresh ice.. AM and PM. He even had a cart..

So we have to call house keeping and ask for the pullman to be brought down, (the first of many) and made a point of saying because we had a small child, could it be done during dinner - as 11PM was too late for her. I then had to go down to GS and try to track down our tickets. Again, staff was hit or miss. I found the FOM were lacking, and the girls on the front line tried their best. They were just not being supported by the back office staff. In the end we were given our tickets, but I had to spend 20min trying to get it sorted.

Quick Add on for the First day..

I pre ordered the Grand Romance PKG. $200.00. Though out the day, items were dropped off our room. Not at the same time (I assume because it was from different departments?) either. It did sort of ruin the ahhhh and ohhh factor when it just is dropped off. I really liked how other cruise lines I have been on have done it. Its all brought at the same time - either before you arrive in your stateroom, or during dinner. IMPO its a titch more classy.

SIDENOTE - the flowers did not last a week, about day five they started to go down hill.. the Champs we never had.. because we were only given ice twice in our 14 day sailing.

The bathrobes were nice, the breakfast in bed, well.. with no table not really worth it IMPO. We could order breakfast in bed at anytime.. but the change of menu was nice.. the cupcakes were.. frozen when they arrived, and well.. just not very good. I think we ate 1/3 of one, and then they ended up going stale. Free photo - wow. That was a lot of work to get. We ended up getting the $199 photo pkg (great deal) but they photo team did not want to give us ANOTHER free photo on top of the ones we paid for. I of course, ended up at GS trying to get it sorted.

In short, I would not order wine, flowers or cupcakes to be in our room on arrival. Because they were not.. most things did not arrive even in time for sail away, let alone pre dinner drinks.

Day 2 - Nassau

I pre ordered our breakfast to eat on our balconey. And not knowing the portion sizes, I ordered way to much... <G>

Side note - I found it very odd that our cabin was for three people, we booked and paid for three people.. yet only two chairs were on the balconey.. we tried to get a 3rd, we begged, we called, we asked.. again and again.. only to be told that it was a Coast Guard issue, and there was nothing they could do about it. We ended up taking our cabin chair outside so that my daughter would also have a place to sit.

Like Disney, RCCL does not have a full sized table in standard cabins, but because the rooms are set up with the living space beside the sliding door, we could eat inside, with a table.. but still feel that we were outside.. because RCCL has the bed beside the doors, this is not a option. We only ended up using our balconey once in the 14 days for room service. In hindsight, I would bring a camping table with me.

LOOK SOY MILK!

How I over ordered... I did not know that each plate would serve 2 to 3 people, so everyone was given a main hot dish, plus baked goods, plus fruit plates.. in the end, WAY TO MUCH FOOD!

I'm enjoying your review. I can't believe your CA didn't bring ice twice a day, let alone having to ask for it.

We disembarked with ease, and had a few photos taken. This was our 2nd visit to Nassau. The last time we were in town, we headed right out, so we did not spend any time walking around.

We went to the straw market, and bought a fan for Miss Em (it was hot!) and then pulled out our tickets to get the address of the Pirate Museum... it was at this point, I found that they had no address.. :rolleyes: on them. We had to ask for directions a few times (not really a big town, so we felt every silly)

We ended up going a round about route to get to the Museum and found a Dunkin Donuts (which had free Wifi as did the port). Now in the 3.5 years we have lived in the US we have never been to one, so we were more then happy to give it a try.. they also have a chilled coffee drink, which is very close to a Tim's Ice Cap.. (which is something we miss greatly from home)

We found our way, and had a great day.

We did some shopping, and then my daughter and I headed back to the ship. David went to work.. :rolleyes: at Dunkin Donuts..

I always wanted to try CF, so while we were at port, I picked up a snack. They were so-so. I don't think I would get them again. I saved some for my DH.. but the crew would not let me bring them back on board.

My daughter and I went to the WJ for lunch (a whole other story.. ) and my husband, because he stayed in town, was able to see the mini parade.

WOW. Day two and 2nd page.. maybe my review will be too long? Should I cut it? :rolleyes: :D

Lunch in the WJ -

My daughter and I arrived, and the staff was kind enough to direct us to a window seat. I was alone and Emily is too young to sit at the table, while I went to the buffet, so we sat down, and gave our drink orders. Now I am from Canada. Both my daughter and I speak french. In fact, my daughter has never even been to school in English. So we could understand both tables on either side of us. (They were from Quebec, Canada). Emily being five, and not understanding that we are at a buffet, and that they do not have a full drinks menu - ask for what she wanted. Apple juice. I tried to tell her they did not have it, only at breakfast and she could not understand. As kids can be she was asked what she wanted, she said apple juice, and that was it. (bad time for my daughter to put her foot down.. :rolleyes:). The waitress was very nice and offered to go to the dining room to get my daughter her drink of choice. I told her that she did not need to do that, and that Emily would have ice tea. Of course, Miss Em, starts to well up.. big fat tears. She is hot, its almost 2pm and she needs to eat. She wants apple juice. She did not scream, or yell or cause a scene in anyway. But the waitress, is a Mom, her daughter is back in Jamacia and she wanted to get Emily her apple juice. ;) Emily and I go off, and get our lunch..

Notice there is no photo of my daughtes lunch..

mean while, we sit back down.. the waitress comes back with Miss Em's apple juice and she is thrilled. But fluke I happened to have $2.00 in my pocket and I gave it to her has a tip. She went above and beyond IMPO. True Royal Service.

:rolleyes: But the table beside us was less then thrilled. They were D+ (made quite clear in both English and French) and they felt that they were getting sub service. They were a older couple, who spoke with their mouths open.. while eating.. (so nice when you are in the WJ and the tables are side by side.. ). They started to get very upset, and made both my daughter feel very ill at ease. My daughter could not understand why the table next to us was speaking so poorly about us (in French as well... ) The waitress then got a dressing down in English from the male, and she kept on trying to make him understand that the child was just a baby and wanted apple juice.. (insert my daughter now standing up and saying in a very clear voice that she WAS NOT A BABY)... the dining room mgn. then came over, and he was able to get the couple calmed down. It seemed that they had asked the waitress for her to get them a Kiwi from the buffet, but she did not do it. She had told them it was a buffet service. And then turned around and went down two floors to get Miss Emily a apple juice. On and on again about how many cruises they have taken, and how they feel that they are not getting the same service and they are up set.. (keep in mind this is in English and French).

Needless too say, we got up to leave. The Mgn asked us to please stay and finish our meal. This of course was not an option - I had a young child to protect. He quickly took the couples name and cabin number and assured them that a gift would be sent to their stateroom. That seems to make them happy.

Mean while, my daughter and I leave our lunch and do not end up returning to the WJ again to have lunch alone with out my husband. *Unless I took it our cabin, or the Royal Crown room.

I have no idea what Em and I did the rest of the afternoon, I was so upset.

NO!!! please do not cut it!!! I am loving reading it. MY DH and I are hoping to do a TA next year for my 60TH brithday. Can;t wait for you to get to Europe

Dinner Menu Day 2 -

What a waste of a menu, and meal. We ended up leaving the DR and trying to find something in WJ for dinner.