jayblue

Hmmm...the website shows a gap from May, 2016 through October, 2016. That seems a bit long for just an upgrade. I am eager to see exactly what they plan. Maybe another stretch, like Enchantment?

Cooked all the way through with a slight crust around the edges.

This fun question is for the veteran cruisers who've sailed with Royal Caribbean for 20+ years. I would enjoy and appreciate hearing anecdotes or stories about what cruising with Royal Caribbean was like back then?

 

Some questions I have are: Were passengers more well-dressed and/or behaved? Was the general atmosphere more refined or even stately? Was there more passenger interaction? Were two-tops as popular then as they are today? What shipboard activities do you miss? What venues or customs have gone the way of the dinosaur? What was Labadee like in 1986?

Suddenly, I feel very old.

My first ship is retiring next year. Balconies? We thought we were doing something if we had a room with an ocean view. And let's not forget the movie theatre in the belly of the ship. They played edited versions of Hollywood misses. We always had first seating at dinner because second ended an hour before the midnight buffet. My favorite was the Grand Gala midnight buffet because we walked through and took pictures first. Entertainment was walking around the ship in choppy waters without falling and then going outside for pictures with our 35mm cameras. Calls from the ship? That took great effort and a whole lotta money.

Whew! We have come a long way, baby!

I am on her in 133 days! Cannot wait!

I was on an RC ship a couple weeks ago with my sister-in-law. One night she wanted some coffee at around 1:30 AM. When she got on the elevator to go down to Cafe Promenade, there were 3 girls (she said they looked between 13 and 15) sitting on the floor, playing cards.

 

My SIL asked what they were doing and was told that they were two sisters and a cousin who were sailing with family. They were sharing cabins with their parents, who wanted to go to bed so told the girls to go somewhere else. The girls said they hung out in the teen club until it closed. They didn't want to go back to their cabins, but a security guy told them they couldn't hang out on the pool deck because curfew was 1 AM for under 18. The girls decided to sit in the elevator instead. My SIL thought it was weird but since the girls weren't being noisy or misbehaving, she decided not to say anything.

 

After she got some coffee, she ended up in the same elevator with the girls, but this time a man that my SIL said looked to be early to mid-50s had joined them. My SIL asked the man if he was related to the girls and he told her that he wasn't but was sitting with them so security would leave them alone.

 

My SIL thought it was really creepy that a man was hanging out with mid-teen girls who were not kin so she called guest relations when she got to her cabin to ask if they would send security to check out the situation. She went back to elevator about 10 minutes later and everyone was gone.

 

She asked me the next morning if I thought she had overreacted by calling for security. She wasn't trying to cause trouble and had no proof that the man was going to do anything to the girls, but she was concerned anyway. I thought she did the right thing, but I'm not an appropriate sounding-board since I don't have any kids.

 

After the cruise I mentioned the incident to some coworkers who have teens to see if they want security called if their teens were hanging out with an adult stranger. Many of them thought my SIL shouldn't have done anything. They said ships are safer than home and the odds of a pedophile being onboard are almost non-existent. Since the girls were together and had their parents' permission to be out past ship curfew, my SIL was interfering. I was surprised by the responses.

 

I am curious what other cruisers suggest to do in that situation. Ignore it? Call security? Confront the man?

 

My SIL told me that she didn't see either the girls or the man after that night and she hoped that her actions didn't cause anyone to be thrown off the ship. I don't think that not seeing them is really surprising considering the size of Navigator, and I also don't think RC would throw anyone off for just sitting in an elevator with underage girls or for letting kids stay out past curfew.

You absolutely did the right thing. Cruise ships don't do security screens of passengers or check the sex offender registry, do they? I bet not.

Their parents should have known better. There is NO WAY I would allow a 13 year old child to wander around the ship at that time of night without an adult (25 or better). As we have seen in recent months there are too many creeps finding jobs on these ships.

OMG!!! I love it!!

conceal your room key...

 

Carry a strong drink...

lol!!!

They really need to allow conceal & carry. :D

It still amazes me how some can spend hundreds of dollars and then quibble about a buck or two FOR SERVICE TO MAKE THEIR EXPERIENCE BETTER. If a person can't afford the price then maybe, just maybe, they should reconsider their decision to sail. Most of the workers really need the money for themselves and their families. Cheapskates....I'm surrounded by cheapskates.....:eek:

In total agreement with you!

I WANT to pay the increased tip and prepay it. I also want to pay a little more. Because I WANT my cabin attendant to pick up my socks and line up my shoes and make my bed. I WANT my waiter to bring me food that someone else had to cook. I also WANT him to look the other way when I order all 3 desserts.

I want all of these things done for me because I normally have to do them myself. I would feel guilty paying a room attendant or waiter less because for the 4 days I will be with them, they will essentially be like babysitters for me.

So, if RCCL says I need to pay .95 more or $95 more (okay maybe not this much, but you get the picture), I am either going to pay it or have a staycation at home and do it all myself.

I'm on in November.

Great review!

Congrats on winning!

Thank you!

We sail in November. I will be traveling with my tween nephew and worry that there won't be enough (other than eating) to keep him occupied.

Thanks for the heads up! I am taking my nephew in November.

Some people pre-purchase their own OBC, which I do not understand the purpose of unless it maybe puts them over some credit card spending threshold that triggers a big reward/return.

Perhaps it's just me, but I would rather prepay than have a bill waiting on me when I get back.

Did I read somewhere that this is only offered on cruises 7 nights or longer?

Rest assured - you can always buy a starbucks coffee....

 

When we were on in February the coffee was typical seattles best brand...it's a bold coffee for sure - nothing light about it no matter where we order it in the world. They had Togo cups when I was there - surprised they were removed - that seems fishy!

I'm getting the drink plan just so I can get Starbucks every day. They aren't my favorite, but are usually the easiest to find.

I like Seattle's Best-when it's me making it.

Maybe it was coffee syrup? Don't know definitely, but 2 different crew members told us on different RCI cruises that syrup is used. We know how reliable THAT can be. :rolleyes: I do agree, it's undrinkable.

*faints*

I may have to cancel my cruise.

I just cannot go 4 days without a decent cup of coffee! Disney World (we were there in the pre-Starbucks months) had not one decent cup! After 8 days of theirs, I moved my coffeemaker into my bedroom.

Thank you for your honest assessment. After seeing a couple of videos, I took a second look at Carnival. I haven't booked yet, but may definitely try them in the future.

Our kids joined us at Sabor on NAV. My 4 year old was free and my 8 year old 57inch 84lb bottomless pit was 8$!! The kids menu had all of the selections he wanted anyway and the portions were HUGE - I think that the 3 tacos he ordered filled a full size plate standing up! He couldn't finish then but enjoyed them a lot. My daughters quesadilla was equally huge and thick and she loved it (so did my son - he tried some of hers!).

 

They really enjoyed it. They did not get to stay for desert - they really really really wanted to get to pirate night in the kids club - but that was okay with me as it was much more fun to enjoy that plate of deliciousness in peace and quiet without them!!!

He's iffy about Sabor-he's lactose intolerant and doesn't like the cheese in Mexican food. But, when I told him about the salsa and guacamole they make at the table, he was up for it.

So far, we have agreed on Chops and Sabor. We will Rock/Paper/Scissors over Izumi and Giovanni's Table. I don't like sushi and did not like the menu I saw.

If you ask nicely, I have heard that they will let kids eat off adult menu at the kids price.

Cool! He will be thrilled!

Excellent question! We will be paying adult price for my nephew since he hasn't eaten off the kids' menu since he was about 8. He will be a week shy of his 13th bday when we travel.

I wore them on a semi-formal night on my first cruise 21 years ago. They were dress shorts that were a part of a cream-colored 3-piece outfit. My only regret is that I did not have the fashion sense to leave off the cream colored pantyhose. But, hey! It was the '90s and in my 20s. What did I know about fashion?

It wasn't worth it for us. I would have had to lose the C & A discount to get $27.00. I'll stick to what we have.

Sabor is not a la carte on the Navigator. I believe it was $20 for adults and $8 for kids.

Awesome! I am on her in November. I hope this remains the same.

one of my favorite experiences is enjoying other first timers on a cruise and seeing their reactions and excitement. Thanks for posting.

like!!!