Sandlapper in exile

Sit down before reading. The rake at the poker table is 10%!!!

And not AC/Vegas-style 10% up to 4$, either...

Just got my first one on Serenade. Was told by the Diamond Concierge I had been called at the "top tier" event to get it, which, of course, I was not at; given Serenade has a DL.

Showed up in the cabin the last night with no further adieu.

Well then you may have a valid reason for wanting to do so so that you're not left out of the social events, if your friends aren't willing to not go the DL out of respect for you and your "lack of status". But wouldn't booking a longer cruise for your next one entitle you to those benefits as you would become that level during the cruise, or do they base your status for the cruise on what level you are at sail away?

You don't get upgraded mid cruise. The benefits on any status change only begin the cruise after you qualify

I wanted to do a transatlantic this spring. Briefly, the prices for the Allure and the Vision were the same.

For the ship, I wanted to do the Allure. For the itinerary, the Vision (I've wanted to visit Gibraltar.) The Allure (a 12 nighter), however, would have left me one single point short of D+. I ended up choosing the Vision (a 15 nighter). Gib was one factor, the extra nights another, but I'd be lying if I said picking up D+ wasn't also a factor.

But I was wanting to do a TA anyhow. I wouldn't have spent the money just to pick up D+, and I wouldn't advocate anyone else doing it.

I was on Grandeur in Oct, 2012 and they had a Diamond breakfast in a private dining room next to the MDR. This was full, hot breakfast where you could order a free specialty coffee.

 

I suggest that you look for a sign on the port side of the MDR's lower level.

Grandeur last month had this on the port entrance of the MDR; the starboard side is for everyone else, the port side for Diamonds and above.

The Viking Crown will sell you small plates on Grandeur. Note the word sell, though.

If you are Diamond or higher, the DL in the South Pacific Lounge puts out a fairly decent spread of hot and cold apps every night.

Champagne bar on GOS has been replaced with the R Bar, which I never noticed serving nibbles of any sort.

Do we get double points for 2 connected staterooms or just 7points/week?perhaps double points is just for a suite!

You would only get double points for connected rooms IF (and only if) there is one person assigned to one of them by themselves. That person would get the double points

It depends on where your rooms are. When you get there see what access points you can pick up. We're usually on the aft, so now wifi there, but, I have picked it up as I get closer to the center.

The Cafe Promenade, Library, and Internet area are set up for wireless; those are the three I remember. I heard at least one person say they could use it from their stateroom, but they were in a Promenade View one right near the Cafe.

Thanks for the review! We are going in April and honestly I am preparing myself that this will be a very different experience than the one I had on the Oasis in October.

This is my wife's review... and for the most part I agree with her, though I don't think the bathroom was as muhc out of line as she seems to. Then again, I have far more experience with older ships than she (from the Song of Norway to other Vision-class ships.)

The thing is, trying to compare a Vision to an Oasis is silly. Of course the experience is going to be different. I like the intimacy and ease of smaller ships* I tend to be in bed by midnight on cruises, so I don't notice the lack of "comfortable" nightlife. I pretty much lvoe everything about the Visions; my wife, well, doesn't. It'll be adifferent experience, surely. But different doesn't necessarily mean worse.

*Visions small... gah. They were never huge, but I remember when they were at least "large".

I'd say supply and demand at work.

 

Few studios they know will sell out = higher price. Some may actually enjoy the experience of the studios, the special singles lounge etc. may be a good benefit to some versus a larger cabin.

 

Maybe they are having a sale on the interior cabins?

Isn't the special studio lounge an NCL thing? I didn't think RCCL had such an animal, esp. with only 3 or 4 studios on the Radiance class ships...

I just had the same experience with Serenade - the insides on deck 2 were less than the SI studio cabins. I did the Brilliance TA in a deck 2 inside and loved it and I had no hesitation about booking one again. It was super convenient to the Centrum and you could even hear the Centrum noise from the elevator area (but not from the cabins). In several ports the gangway was on deck 2 right next to the elevators.

 

It's my understanding that you will only get one cruise point/day for an SI cabin whereas you will get 2 cruise points/day for any double cabin, so why would you want to pay more to get less? The inside cabins on radiance class ships have ample space for one person, particularly if you separate the beds.

I don't separate the beds, I play furniture tetris. Place both nightstands in one corner, then shove the bed all the way into the other. Now you have the benefits of more walking space when you get out of bed, and ability to sleep on the large bed -- a huge benefit for a moderately restless sleeper.

The cabin stewards may not "get" this if you ask, but they will leave it alone if you do the moving yourself.

How much better deals are these upsell calls than you would have gotten had you initiated the call and tried to upgrade?

On the Serenade a few weeks back, I had the non-alcoholic package that included the premium coffee and I was able to get any of the coffee from Lattetudes for free with my package. So, with that said the "premium drink" package includes way more than just filter/machine coffee.

 

 

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But the Premium Package (premium as the name of a package, not a generic descriptor here) does not include specialty coffee at all, the Royal Replenish and Ultimate packages do, Premium does not.

I'm sorry if this question has already been posted---search function is off.

 

Can you get Crystal Geyser rather than Evian on any of RCI's beverage/water packages?

 

Thank you.

The packages that include bottled water (Replenish, Premium, Ultimate) explicitly exclude Evian, so if the "basic" brand on board is Crystal Geyser, that's what you'll be getting.

To get Evian, you have to order the pre-cruise water package, which is a pack of Evian bottles left in your stateroom, and does not include unlimited water -- you pay for the number of bottles you want before hand, and then trip over them in your cabin until you get through them!

The diamond lounge offers specialty coffee in the mornings? Is there someone there making them or are they pre made in a machine? Kinda confused if someone can clear this up....

 

 

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The DL I've seen is machine coffee, not human-made.

Thanks Everyone. I have another question. Does the Explorer have self serve laundry? How about an irons and ironing boards?

No to both questions. No self-serve laundry or irons on any RCCL ship.

Take what I say with a grain of salt, because I tend to be very hot-natured, but I found Explorer during boarding to run very cold, even all the way up to the Viking Crown, as if the heater was just overwhelmed in a driving snowstorm boarding people.

Once we left Bayonne, my opinion shifted within hours, a ship I found way too cold now felt way too hot. By the first morning, it settled into something I considered uncomfortably warm but not unbearable, which likely means normal people were happily warm.

Would these be included in the Premium ($55) Package?

The liquor in the shots is included, but not the souvenir shot glass it comes in. You'd have to get one mad ein a normal glass, or have a bar server that understands you'll be leaving the glass.

Can anyone tell me if the regular coffee served is any good? I'm not a coffee snob but I do appreciate a good cup of coffee and real half and half. Have read (second hand rumor) that coffee was pretty bad! Anyone confirm either way?

I

 

 

Angie :)

Opinions of on-board coffee vary widely, and, IMO, quality varies widely by who makes it. I've seen it, on one ship, drinkable in the MDR, far too strong in the Cafe Promenade, and so weak as to be brown water from room service. The next morning, room service provided wonderful coffee. On balance, it is okay enough to get the job done; bitter, hot, and opens my eyes.

One more question about this package that my son is asking me. Does it include Red Bull?

Thanks for the help.

It did on the Explorer last month, but I've heard that other ships do not include it.

The C&A person who sold my some future cruise certificates on this cruise told me we would all be getting double points for it, and would be getting them off the full ten nights. Anyone seen their points post yet, and if so, how many?

Good day my fellow CC'ers... was going to reach out to you all for your thoughts/advice:

My gf and I (both in our upper 30's) live in Long Island, NY and will be cruising out of Baltimore this coming March, and our two options we are considering are:

A) Driving down the night before and staying at the BW Plus with their Cruise and Park package for $130/night

B) Driving down the morning of departure and parking at the pier for $150

 

A few tidbits, we have a new car we will be taking so we are confident of it's reliability so leaving the day of departure we are comfortable with plus the convenience of parking at the pier means we leave when we want to leave; going to hotel route gives us a little insurance policy on giving us more time in the event of unforeseen problems, slightly concerned about parking a new vehicle in a hotel parking lot I am assuming is not secured, and also we're not big fans of the idea of the shuttle and don't want to be potentially waiting around for an hour for the shuttle when the ship returns.

 

Your thoughts and opinions will be greatly appreciated.

ThankQ!

My wife and I are going on the 18th of this month, and I've decided to go the BW route. Even in March, snow is a possibility, and we all know what happens to the Jersey Turnpike in bad weather -- even if the weather holds, the time from NYC to Baltimore on I-95 can vary widely, esp. that you (unlike us) actually have to drive through NYC. Lots of things can go wrong with a deadline on this route that having a newish car won't fix, and who wants to risk cutting it too close?

"The Premium package offers - • Bottled water still (500ml)" (LOOKS LIKE REGULAR BOTTLED WATER ONLY)

 

 

"The ultimate package offers a combination of all the benefits from Premium

and Royal Replenish packages." (THIS PACKAGE HAS BOTH TYPES OF WATER, Still and Sparkling)

 

 

Royal Replenish package has Bottled water: Sparkling (375ml) or Still (500ml)

 

Hope this answers your question.

Note that NONE of these packages include Evian, if you're inclined to order by brand name. Replenish, Premium, and Ultimate all include "standard" bottled water; Replenish and Ultimate also include Perrier and San Pellegrino sparkling waters.

On Adventure, the snacks (sandwiches, cookies, pizza) in the Cafe Promenade on deck 5 are free, the Ben and Jerry's ice cream there is NOT. There is free (unbranded) ice cream on deck 11, starboard side, (the one with the Italian restaurant) that is open limited hours each day, and there is free ice cream as a dessert option each night in the dining room.

The language about the "final charge" not going through makes me wonder if this was some issue about signing for some expense on the OP's Seapass after the accounts had been closed and run through the credit card companies?