The Fun Researcher

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

Fixed.

Oops, thanks, and I didn’t even spell Grandeur correctly. 🤪

On 2/9/2020 at 1:45 PM, Pumbaamd said:

What are the dates of the dry dock?

It appears to me that the dates go like this:

• The Grander's last cruising day in Galveston is Oct 20th of this year
• Then it goes to dry dock and starts it's first cruise out of San Juan on Nov 14th  (so 24 days out of service during this time)
• Then it cruises out of San Juan until Apr 23rd 2021 when it transfers to Baltimore to begin cruises May 1st 2021

Dan

The three are far more similar than different, and I'd choose based on factors other than the ship.  (flight prices, convenience, itinerary)

Dan

We got a Michigan discount for Grandeur this summer.  Like @molly361 I just wish there was an easy way to look up cruises that get a discount based on where you reside.

Dan

2 hours ago, sunscreen said:

So was your cruise booked directly thru cruise line or travel agency?   I just wondered if it was easier to rebook and get lower price via cruise line directly?  Thanks for info. 

I have always, except for our very first cruise, booked directly through the cruise line. It does make it extra easy to reprice  because I don’t have to deal with a third-party.   I am also in the US for what it’s worth  and we can reprice to our hearts content up until final payment.  Hope that helps.

Dan

Sorry if this has been asked before, but hopefully someone knows this answer?

We have three cabin reservations tied together (8 people total).  We have existing reservations for various dining venues on the ship, and these reservations include people from 3 different cabins.  If one of us gets a Royal Up bid accepted, does it screw up all of our existing reservations that include people from multiple reservations?  (My Time Dining, Chops Grille, Guac Class, Galley Brunch, etc...)

Dan

Just made our reservation for 12pm on the Liberty.  It makes sense, especially for our party of 8.  It's hard to find that large of a table in the buffet on any given day, let alone the madhouse embarkation lunch. 

Believe it or not, in all of our cruises on Royal Caribbean, this will be our first experience in one of the Specialty restaurants.  Looking forward to dipping our toes in.  🙂  We have a 3 night package on the Grandeur in July and very much look forward to that as well.

Kindly,

Dan

I prefer the MDR for lunch and breakfast as well throughout the cruise.  Port days I tend to do the buffet for breakfast simply because we’re typically in a hurry to get to our excursion 

Dan

Thank you all.  Sounds like a fun change of pace for our embarkation day!

Dan

Ship:  Liberty

When:  March 2020

Looking to set the tone for our cruise by not dealing with the madhouse of the lunch buffet on our embarkation day.  I'm thinking of doing the Chops's lunch but we won't have a chance to change into our nice clothes.  We'll still be in shorts, sandals, T-shirts.  Is that o.k. for that particular embarkation meal?

Thanks,

Dan

I can't remember the last time I ordered dessert on a cruise, so it doesn't impact me at all.  However, all of my typical 6+ fellow cruisers always order dessert and don't mind ordering everything at once.  We've had it both ways and either way is fine with us.  In my experience, it seems like one dessert in particular will excite a person and they would have ordered it anyway whether it was at the beginning or near the end of a meal.

Honestly, I prefer not to handle another menu in the middle of my meal.  It just means that I need to bust out the hand sanitizer again after touching it.  We're pretty careful about that kind of stuff on a cruise.

Dan

5 hours ago, toxicfairy said:

Gratin is cheese sauce

I’m not trying to argue but I don’t see or taste cheese in that dish.  Perhaps, by the other half of that definition, it’s a “light browned crust of breadcrumbs”, not melted cheese.

 For instance, here is a scallop gratin recipe from Food Network that has no cheese.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/bay-scallop-gratin-recipe-1943060

Dan

I don't believe there is cheese, mainly garlic butter.  Maybe there is some parmesan on top to help create that thin crust?

Dan

Is this the scallop appetizer that comes in the same metal dish as the escargot, or is it the other scallop appetizer (bigger scallops) that come on the small white plate?

Either way, I love them both and always order them...  along with the escargot.

Dan

Thanks all.  Questions like this are the ones where "the devil is in the details" so it's nice to hear from some of you who have been through this and know the rules for certain.

Dan

Thank you 

Dan

36 minutes ago, killsport said:

This is from https://www.celebritycruises.com/company/customer-support/help-and-faqs/pre-cruise/all-pre-cruise-faqs

Emphasis is mine. 

 

“Celebrity’s minimum age to sail unaccompanied on sailings originating in North America is twenty-one (21). The minimum age to sail unaccompanied on sailings from South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand is eighteen (18). Celebrity Cruises retains the right, on rare occasions, to raise the minimum age to sail unaccompanied on any sailing when local laws require or permit such a modification.

For voyages originating in North America, no guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing. This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians in connecting staterooms; for underage married couples; and for active duty members of the United States or Canadian military. Certain other restrictions and conditions will apply; such as compliance with the age twenty-one (21) alcohol policy, and proof of marriage for underage couples or proof of active duty military status required.”

Hmm, by that wording it requires connecting staterooms.  Technically, adjacent aren't the same as connecting but maybe they are to Celebrity?

I did talk with a Celebrity booking specialist just now and mentioned our proposed plan for how our rooms would be setup and he said it would be fine since they are adjacent to us or across from us.

Dan

14 minutes ago, GastroGnome said:

Its not being adjacent. Each cabin must have someone 18 or over in it.

Hmm, so the room with my 18 year old niece and 16 year old daughter could be 3 decks down and on the opposite side of the ship?

Dan

Thanks chezmarylou.  Just out of curiosity is there a limit to how young the child can be in an adjacent cabin?  ... and I assume it matters if it's your child or not?

I figured that the cabin with my 19 year old daughter and 13 year old son would be fine, but the one the wondered about was the adjacent cabin with my 16 year old daughter and 18 year old niece.

Dan

Hi all,

The passengers:  Family of 5 here, plus our 18 year old niece. 

Usually we sail Royal Caribbean and get connecting interior cabins, so the kids are no issue since they are next door to us in the connecting cabin.

However, there is a cruise on the Equinox we're looking at and there are no interior connecting cabins (we don't wan't Balcony or Ocean View cabins).  Also, all of the 3 and 4 person interior rooms are booked, so that leaves us with booking 3 interior adjacent cabins which we're fine with.  What are Celebrities rules on this?

The way we would like to arrange cabins is as follows:  Is this situation allowed?

• My wife and I in an interior cabin, with a 2 person adjacent cabin on each side of us. 
• One of the adjacent cabins would have my 19 year old daughter and 13 year old son. 
• The other adjacent cabin would be my 18 year old niece and my 16 year old daughter. 

Dan 

 Thanks for taking the time to make the list, but if you are sailing royal Caribbean what ports are included from Galveston?    We are not interested in Disney or carnival at this time

Dan

RCCL must have gotten the hint that the Oasis class ships feel very closed in compared to others. I'm very glad to see that top outdoor solarium deck.  Makes me almost consider the Oasis class again, maybe...

Dan

8 hours ago, SRF said:

Realize that some nights, there is only one show.  Equally inconvenient for early or late seating.

 

Also, the later show may be a bit more adult oriented, so if you have kids, you may want to hit the early shows.

 

One reason we do MTD.  But eat more often in WJ than the MDR.

Thanks for the advice SRF. 

This cruise is without our kids so at least that won't factor in.  

Dan

Thanks all.  Looks like around 7ish for early show and 8:45-9:45 for the late show.     That later show time still works and we could have dinner around 7 PM which would be just about perfect. 

Dan

Itinerary:  9 night this summer out of Baltimore to Bermuda, CocoCay, Nassaua

We typically eat on the earlier side with My Time Dining, say 5:30 - 6pm, but would like to try dining later to maximize our afternoons at the pool, etc...  We would still like to see the late show for the headliners or Royal's own entertainment.  Anyone know the typical times for the early and late shows on the Grandeur for this type of itinerary?

Thank you in advance,

Dan