JudyjudyjudyS

It is quite possible that the dog was transgenderred and thought itself to be a human toddler.

OH my gosh you made me laugh. Love it!

They sneeze:p

:p:p

 

 

Service dogs do not sit on their owner's laps,do they??

 

First pic is in the CL.......the other on the shuttle ..

The "dog" issue.......

 

There are a few regular cruisers that cruise with their "Service" Animals. Really any dog could be a service animal if their doctor signs off on it. Some people's dogs are considered service dogs because the owner gets severe anxiety when they are separated from their dog. (I wish I was making that up).

 

As others have said, in the US a business owner can not ask details when someone tells them their dog is a service dog.

 

This could happen on any ship. Recently I encountered one on the Brilliance, and before that on the Grandeur that actually used the casino floor as it's restroom.

 

As far as accommodate goes - the company has no choice. ADA would be all over the company if it didn't accommodate service dogs. And for the many many people who actually have a true need for service dogs I wouldn't want them not to be able to cruise. However, the vast majority of those with the true service dogs - those dogs are very very well behaved!

Makes me wonder if the dogs of the regular cruisers would be welcome at the Captain's table.................. If not, then maybe that is the logical basis for a RC policy regarding dogs at the table for all passengers.

They sneeze:p

:p:p

 

 

Service dogs do not sit on their owner's laps,do they??

 

First pic is in the CL.......the other on the shuttle ..

I am the OP. Your first picture is of the very dog at the table beside us one evening in Chops. Stayed in her lap throughout the meal. Was dressed in clothes and in a pink blanket with a toy. I did complain to the manager. I told him I understood it was hard for him as the dog was allowed on board as a service/emotional support dog. However, I didn't appreciate the dog being allowed at the table and that was his call. I had him make a note by every reservation we had that there were to be no dogs beside us. We are seeing more and more dogs on board. This was our first cruise (and we cruise a lot) where we saw dogs at the table and it happened 3 different times. This is going to get worse based on how RC currently handles allowing "service dogs" on board and at the tables. None of the dogs we saw appeared to be true service dogs. I support anyone with a need bringing a dog that is a true service dog. We also made our feelings clear on our survey after the cruise. We heard many, many others with the same complaints we had and I bet they noted it on their surveys. Folks would leave the CL lounge and come to the DL lounge because the dog was on the sofa or being carried up to where the appetizers were being served. I wish RC would have a policy no dogs are allowed at tables. I can't imagine that would offend anyone with a true service/emotional support dog.

Can you clarify... are you served the 4 glasses (depending on the pour roughly 16- 22 oz - almost a full bottle) or has there been some sort of deal made to give you a whole bottle?

 

Thanks.

 

M

No deal made. They just told us if we want to use both our buy one get one free, it would be a bottle and they would hold it for us. Their idea. We have done this every since with no questions on every cruise until this one. We drink one glass each and then come back later for the next glass. I didn't think anyone was breaking any rule.

We recently did an Oasis cruise followed by an 8 day Navigator cruise. Was very interested to note the differences moving from one ship directly to another. We have cruised on Navigator several times and love the ship. This time we were disappointed. Had 3 issues that weren't that big, but were irritating.

Dogs on Navigator: We were in Chops and the table next to us had a dog in the ladies lap eating from the table. Dog was in clothes and a diaper with a toy in its mouth. A small dog, but sure made me wonder if a dog had previously been at our table and how well it was cleaned. The dog was in the CL and DL and just negatively affected our experience and many others. Then there was a loose dog on the promenade in the cafe just running around licking folks. Next time we saw it the same dog was in a ladies lap at the table. This was a basset hound size dog. I love my pets, but I don't love cruising with other folks pets and I sure don't think they should be at the tables or loose. Then we went to the main dining room for a salad at lunch one day. Low and behold a dog was seated at the table beside us. The owners had a difficult time getting the dog to settle down. We decided to move on. I know, I know before you jump on me re service dogs. These dogs did not act trained as service dogs. Just curious if others feel as I do about dogs at the table.

Bolera bar: Ordered a margarita during the time you can get 3 drinks if Diamond or above. We have always gone to Bolera for margaritas including the week before. Navigator bartender said we had to go to the Diamond Lounge or CL for a drink. He couldn't serve. What??? We didn't ask for anything but a standard margarita. The cheap kind with nothing special in it. Hard to understand why he wouldn't have been trained to understand.

Vintages: Went in to use our buy 1 glass of wine and get one glass free. Both hubby and I had saved this as we ALWAYS use both ours at the same time and get a nice bottle of wine for 1/2 price. A previous sommelier on Navigator suggested we do this. Have done it on every cruise since and there have been a lot of them. We are Diamond Plus. This bartender looked at us like we were crazy and said we couldn't do that. A glass of wine is typically 5 - 6 oz pour, especially on the expensive ones. A bottle of wine has 25 oz. She missed a nice tip.

Loved our Oasis cruise. Will rethink cruising on Navigator. Still loyal to Royal, but will make certain we don't eat next to a dog going forward. Understand RC has to allow "service dogs" though anyone can order the certificate from the internet and it is getting abused. I have nothing against a true service dog that is trained and behaves as a service dog. I do not believe RC should allow dogs at the tables in laps and I certainly think a service dog should be on a leash to adequately provide "the necessary service."

I do wish rules were consistent between the different RC ships. I also wish Navigator was like it was on our numerous previous cruises.

Well, that's great for you! Kind of Snippy, Shippy.

Not snippy IMHO.

We were on Oasis 3 weeks ago and followed a week on Oasis with 8 days on Navigator. I was really surprised that I enjoyed Oasis more. Navigator had been my favorite ship prior to that cruise. Love the Diamond Lounge on her. We had the same issue with no robes or toiletries the first day on both cruises. The steward took care of it on both ship when asked. Ice there daily after we asked. Red wine here so no need to put wine in the frig. Only thing that put me off on both cruises was the dogs on Navigator. We were in CHops and the table next to us had a dog in the ladies lap eating from the table. Dog was in clothes and a diaper. A small dog, but sure made me wonder if a dog had previously been at our table and how well it was cleaned. The dog was in the CL and DL and just negatively affected our experience ad many others. Then there was a loose dog on the promenade in the cafe just running around licking folks. Next time we saw it the same dog was in a ladies lap at the table. THis was a basset hound size dog. I love my pets, but I don't love cruising with other folks pets and I sure don't think they should be at the tables or loose. I know, I know before you jump on me re service dogs. These dogs did not act trained as service dogs.

We are on the TA in the fall and following this thread. Thanks for sharing. Love the pictures.

We have done several. Loved them at first as the chef actual came out or someone with experience to discuss both the food courses and wines being served. More recently not so good. We find they are crowding in more people on the table. We did the inaugural cruise on Quantum out of Southampton and booked the Chef's table for the first day. We were so excited thinking what an experience for the first Chef's table on a new ship on the first day. Booked it the very first day reservations opened. They crowded 19 around a table meant for 16. Didn't increase the wine for the additional folks, just did smaller pours for all. No explanations or discussions regarding the courses or wines. Was most disappointing. Was a lovely room designed for serving 16, but very crowded when serving 19. Won't be doing again when we can have great experiences with a good bottle of wine in the specialty restaurants.

March/April 2016.

Seriously?? No new cruises to be released until March/April 2016?

I keep checking for the release of new cruises beyond 5/17. Any idea when these cruises will be released? Thanks.

Choice Air never had better pricing than the airlines website for domestic travel. They really shine on the one-way flights to Europe.

Agree with this. We use Choice Air exclusively when booking international flights for cruises. I am the queen of finding the cheapest air travel online and never come close to Choice Air's pricing. We have used it several times with no problems. You can control your reservation after booking picking your seats and even paying for an upgrade to seats.

Does anyone know if lemonade is included in the Royal refreshment package on Oasis. Some of our kids do not like carbonated drinks and we don't want to get this package for them if it only includes carbonated and no lemonade. Thanks in advance.

If you can handle a 25 minute taxi ride. It is awesome. Opened a couple of years ago. We go every time we are in Cozumel.

http://papitosbeachcozumel.com/

A 2 wk westbound can be 16 hours longer than a 2 week eastbound. I love getting home with no jetlag to deal with. Usually go in a week before the westbound cruise and adjust then. Actually, really just love a transatlantic and will take either direction. :)

The transatlantic cruises seem very reasonably priced. But isn't the airfare expensive to fly back one way back to US.

 

I hope this is not a dumb question but why do you choose transatlantic cruises? :)

We love them. We love days at sea. Our favorite are westbound as we get 25 hour days vs 23 hour going eastbound. They are reasonable priced and airfare not bad through Choiceair. We did Barcelona to Galveston a couple of years ago and picked up our air for a total of $850 through choiceair. Did the Quantum maiden voyage out of Southampton to NJ last year and got another good deal on air. Couldn't believe it. Give one a try. Good luck!

That is not something new. It has been their practice for as long as I can remember. As someone else mentioned, you can't book airfare that far out and, in many cases, you wouldn't be able to book hotel rooms that far out either. A lot of things can happen in the interim which would reduce the line's scheduling flexibility if they locked in those deployments too far in advance. Making drastic changes to itineraries and schedules can be quite disruptive and can cause much pain to those effected. There can be exceptions to every rule, so keep checking in case something is released.

I know it is to far out to grab air or hotels. Those are easy to get, especially with Choiceair. We have always been very surprised with how cheap we can pick up choiceair compared to what we find on our own. We are Diamond plus and love grabbing these great D-1's. We feel like "the game" has changed with RC. Used to be we waiting last minute to book cruises was the way to go. Now it seems the game is picking them up as early as possible to get the best deals. We gave up on TA's long time ago. Much easier to save booking on our own. We love booking Transatlantics. Especially like booking westbound due to 25 hour days vs 23 hour days for eastbound. Love doing them. Will be keeping our eyes open for fall of 2017 transatlantics next March based on all the opinions from these knowledged folks on this board. We have our Fall 2015, spring 2016, fall 2016 and now spring 2017 transatlantics booked. WhooooHoooo!! Also excited about our first cruise on Oasis this August. Have a grand suite for that one. Taking our 3 kids and spouses, 12 grandkids and my mom. Going to be a great cruise. Booked Papitos in Cozumel. One of our very favorite things to do!

OK, they did just release a 2017 transatlantic. I'm glad I kept checking!!!!! Grabbed a corner aft D-1. WhoooHoooooo!:)

They will be released March/ April of 2016.

Seriously?? They wait that long? Dang!!!:confused:

I keep looking for these to be released with no luck. Any idea when these should be released? Much thanks!:)

Are you referring to the diamond balcony, suite, etc discounts that are set? Is there special pricing for C&A in addition to the set discounts based on room?

I am looking for tips on how you monitor your cruises and catch price drops or find great deals on RC. I know there are a lot of "professional cruisers" on this board and need advice. I used to understand the process, but am afraid I am missing something. Now when I go to Crown & Anchor and check exclusive rates, I get 800 plus cruises with no way to filter. I used to get the cruises that had special deals for C&A. I would also do a fake booking to see if prices had dropped on our booked cruises. Now when doing a regular booking on RC home page, my Crown & Anchor number is listed so they know I am diamond. Do I get Diamond pricing there? Please share your tips and advice. We are moving to booking our own cruises as our TA has cost us too much by missing price drops. I want to manage this myself. Thanks in advance for amy help and tips!

I just wanted to add a little balance to the discussion as mine was not at all a poor experience, but it was different than other Chef's Table experiences.

 

The waiter (sommelier) was very experienced and had come over from Oasis and did a very good job with what he was working with. I am not sure at which level the changes had come from.

 

Calling this separate dining room a 'small room' is not very accurate as it was a very comfortable and well presented venue for the Chef's Table.

 

The food and wines were presented on night four of the TA.

 

As the waiter also has responsibilities for the breakfast and lunch times at the Concierge and Diamond lounges, I was able to talk with him a couple of times throughout the cruise and he mentioned it was fully booked each night on the TA sailing.

 

I am wondering if those on the first night also had their entire payment refunded as OBC as was the case with all the other specialty venues on night one. I was given $45 + $9 in OBC for my first night Wonderland booking refunded to my shipboard account.

 

I had in no way complained about my absolutely wonderful experience in Wonderland that evening, but did appreciate the gesture.

That was my review quoted above. We booked a at both the first night and again Friday night. Have always LOVED CT numerous times we have done it. How can you go wrong with great wine and great food with a chef explaining food and Wine pairing..... The room was meant for 16 and that could have been much better. They had 20 of us around the table. Had to use 4 smaller chairs as 20 of the normal would not fit. The room was too small for 20. They only used 2 bottles of wine per course which is what they use for 16. We had no price adjustment or credit and paid full price or $170 which was the price charged when we booked it the first day reservations were available for dynamic dining. Sommelier was very tentative and brief in his interaction and descriptions. Was not the special night we had anticipated. We canceled our Friday night reservation.

Have just read through all the pages on this forum and thought I would add some info. We had a fabulous time. We were in D1 cabin #12644 which is on the angle of the big hump kind of mid ship. The balcony was awesome as over double the normal size. Loved it!

Thoughts:

AC was a problem. Room stuffy and hot at 71.6. Opened our balcony door at night but a lot of wind noise. We were told by diamond concierage this was going to be fixed in NY. Per her, they had to shut down something on the ship to fix the settings and were concerned to do it midcruise due to possibility of losing AC altogether for the cruise.

We made all our reservations for dining the first day they opened them up. So glad we printed our calendar and brought it with us as some reservations were wrong on the ship and didn't match what we had booked and paid for.

Chef's Table - A BIG disappointment. We booked this the first night thinking it would be so special the first night of the cruise. We do Chef's table on all our cruises and enjoy it. Just not done well on Quantum. They crowded 20 people around a table that is supposed to be for 16. Only used 2 bottles of wine per course for 20 that should have been for 16 so very little wine. Food good, but never saw the chef or had information regarding the food being served and the pairing of wines. A small room with very bad acoustics and just too loud. I sound lie a complainer, but really I am not. We paid $170. We canceled the second Chef's table we had booked for Friday night and changed to Choppes with a nice bottle of Caymus for the same price as Chef's table. :o

Rip Cord - Loved it. So much fun.

Steam and Sauna in spa - We bought the package for couples for $190ish giving us access to the steam, sauna and thermal beds for the cruise. Never had to pay the steam and sauna on other cruises as was free. Only 6 thermal beds and 1 shower only in the ladies locker room. Sauna and steam nice, but I wouldn't do this again. Too small.

Solarium Bistro for breakfast- Loved it. Casual, relaxed and not crowded.

Solarium - Lots of good seating here. Loved chilling here and watching the ocean go by.

Diamond lounge - a bit small given the large number of us there were. They opened it up to the Music Hall and really did a good job.

Room service menu - VERY limited. NO more hot breakfast delivered to your room without paying. Very limited for all meals. Disappointed with this change.

Bathroom in cabin - Liked it. Loved the shower. Shelves in shower open on the sides allowing RC products plus whatever you bring with you to easily fall. Given the seas we were dealing with, a lot fell.

Ship motion - We do not get seasick and were on 12 close to midship. You do feel more motion on this boat than others I think. I like that you can tell you are on a boat at all times due to a little motion even in relative calm waters no matter where you are on the ship. I really don't like no motion. However, the motion was a problem for those prone to seasickness.

Dynamic dining - Really liked it for the 2 of us. Could have others join your table or just eat alone. We travel with kids and grandkids. I think it would be hard to get our reservations for a group of 20 based on how hard we worked to get reservations for 2.

Esplanade - Loved it. Loved all the seating available throughout the ship. Lots and lots of choices and always an available comfortable spot wherever we were.

Jamies - FABULOUS!!!! 2 nights there were not enough.

Vintages and MIchael's Pub - LOVED THEM

The Grande - Dissapointed. My husband only one with a jacket at our table for 10. Lobster tough. Food overall not up to RC expected quality.

270- Loved it. The swing was lots of fun. The café there had great breakfast, sandwiches and soups.

We would definitely cruise again on Quantum. I think she will only improve as they work all the kinks out. We loved our maiden cruise. RC owned the problems and did what they could to make for an enjoyable time for all. Overall, we were very impressed.

I have read most of the thread and was wondering about the wine list. I see a picture of the one from Jamie's but really can't read it. Is it the same wine list in all restaurants?

Did anyone buy a wine package? Was it good value?

He recommends for $60ish. Really good.

I have read most of the thread and was wondering about the wine list. I see a picture of the one from Jamie's but really can't read it. Is it the same wine list in all restaurants?

Did anyone buy a wine package? Was it good value?

Each had their own wine list. Some had some of the same. A nice selection. Many not available on maiden voyage. I wouldn't do a wine package as doesn't offer the good stuff.