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TejasPenguin

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Posts posted by TejasPenguin

    Laundry question...

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We take far less clothes than we used to. We never take formal wear anymore. I take a couple of nice sundresses and a couple of dressier ones and one pair of dressy sandals. The rest of my clothes are casual and easy to rinse out in the cabin. At-sea days I usually put on my swimsuit and a cover-up and only change for dinner. Sometimes if we don't go to the MDR I just leave on my suit and cover up all day. Maybe we're just getting lazy but this has made cruising much easier.

     

     

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    Gluten free on oasis?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    If you're not Celiac and can handle a bit of cross-contamination you have options. I am in the same category here with you. At first, I did the GF thing on board and as much as I love the MDR waiters, they are careful to the point of obsession. Every evening after dinner they bring you a menu for the next day and you have to choose your complete meal when you're full and don't really know what you're going to want the next day. That got old fast. Also, I found that "gluten-free" meant you would get an entrée but without its accompanying sauce or garnish and thus without much taste. Usually, they remove, not replace, because it's easier. Also, as the sides varied and often contained gluten, many times you would get the same potato and vegetables and I got tired of a baked potato and mixed broccoli and carrots on my plate every evening. You have to stay on top of this because if you don't then they'll just keep giving you the same things. I should add here that I've experienced this on several RCI ships. If this happens, let your waiter know exactly what you want. As for the Windjammer, I stick with things that don't have sauces like salads, etc. They will provide gluten-free bread if you ask, if you want to make a sandwich. These breads depend entirely on the baker on the ship. Some of them are great and make some pretty fine gluten-free breads but others just don't know their way around it. I've had both wonderful and terrible gluten-free breads on board. After a couple of cruises identifying myself as gluten-free, I decided to wing it and make the choices myself. It's not that hard to figure out how to make your own dinner as easy on your stomach as possible. And there are several desserts where you can eat part of it but not all, like those that have a crust but lots of good stuff on top of it. (I order these and eat the good stuff, and congratulate myself because I left most of the calories in the crust. [emoji6])

    One final thought for you. If your need for gluten-free comes from problems with digesting enriched and bleached flour, try cooking and baking with unbleached, unbromated, unenriched flour. You can order it online if you can't find it in your local store. I have switched to this and found that I can eat things made with this type of flour. (If you've been to Europe and find that you can eat breads and pastries there, it's because they don't mess with their flour the way we do in America.) On a recent two-week trip to Central Europe, I ate everything with no problems at all. Good luck with your cruise dining!

     

     

     

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    Cash, how much to bring? What currency?

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    We did Prague to Budapest so as to spend extra time in Budapest (my family is from there). We cruised Avalon -- first river cruise -- and enjoyed it. The included tours were good with knowledgeable guides. We didn't do any of the optional tours but opted to do a lot of walking around, discovering things on our own. (Also walking off the many meals we ate.) We met many interesting people from all over the world on board the ship which greatly added to our enjoyment of the trip.

     

    Prague is beautiful but Budapest is unbelievable. I'm biased. :D

     

    Here's a tip for Prague: Be sure to carry small change for using the bathrooms. We used Euros everywhere but Budapest where we used Forints, their national currency.

     

    Enjoy your trip!

    Cash, how much to bring? What currency?

    in River Cruising

    Posted

    Just returned from a Prague to Budapest trip with stops along the way. No need for American cash. Take your debit card and hit the ATMs as necessary. They're pretty much everywhere. Also, a Visa or Mastercard is good but no one accepts AmExp. Finally, be sure to have some small change available for restrooms in some cities. Used Euros everywhere except Hungary.

     

     

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    Freedom of the Seas - best balcony rooms

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    I would suggest looking at the deck map and what is on each floor. If you ask 10 different people, you will get 25 different answers to this question. Pick something you like that isn't within a few cabins of an elevator. Trust me on the elevator tip!

    http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?shipCode=FR

     

     

    We've been near the elevator lots of times and have never heard a thing. Maybe we're getting hard of hearing. [emoji12]

     

     

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    Diamond+ Polo Shirts?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Actually, I think a lot of people wear lanyards because it's an easy way to keep a card handy. Judging by the number of lost cards we've turned in (at least one per cruise) I'm guessing a lanyard is a pretty good idea. I don't always have a pocket or carry a bag. And do people really scope out the cards on lanyards?

     

     

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    Dinner attire - men/boys in nice shorts?

    in Cruise Fashions & Beauty

    Posted

    This will be my first cruise. Judging from the comments on here, it will be my last. I only hope the people I meet are nicer, kinder, and less judgmental than some of the people in this group.

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

     

     

    Just a quick note: I've noticed recently that some people's posts are less-than-nice. Ignore them. You're going to meet great and interesting people and you'll love your cruise. Enjoy!

     

     

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    Junior suite on Navigator?

    in Cabin Selection Tips

    Posted

    We are thinking about upgrading to a Junior Suite on the Navigator this February. The only ones available are fore, decks 9 & 10. Previously we've had balcony rooms either on the bump out or aft. Anybody have any experience with a Junior Suite fore on the navigator or that class ship?

     

     

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    Belize zoo or other shore excursion

    in Belize

    Posted · Edited by TejasPenguin

    We really wanted to go to the Belize zoo but were turned off by the haggling cabbies that accosted us when we got outside the "safe" area. It's about a 30 mile drive I guess and the least expensive cabbie quoted us $80. I get it, it's pretty much an all day thing for them. Still, we opted not to go. Just didn't get a good feeling about it.

     

     

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