Jasukkie

Uber or Lyft XL is probably your best bet. 

Royal dining can be very hit or miss and if you cruise a lot you know what to avoid. Thankfully there are choices in cruise brands. If food is a top priority, Virgin Voyages is the best in my experience. 

On 4/25/2024 at 11:13 PM, coloradosmom said:

Are you referring to Royal Caribbean? I can't find any images or videos showing what you described 

I hope this works, I've never posted a picture here before. This is what it looked like in fall of 2022. As far as I know it hasn't changed. I think there are six of these. 

I usually do attend happy hour hours once per cruise just to check things out and try the snacks. It's hit or miss but usually still pretty well attended so it can be hard to find a seat. Very skippable now with the vouchers which are great. Tell your server if you don't want to use a voucher if you are getting a coke or special coffee so they don't accidentally get used. Also be careful with whose card is being used if you are a couple. It could leave one partner short if you go do your own thing later in the evening. 

Yes, the spa has the heated loungers. They are tile and get nicely warm. This is a coed area of the spa. In that space, there is a super hot steam room, an aromatherapy room which I liked the best, and a larger steam room, as well as some waterfall showers that were pretty underwhelming. This is available for pay, either by session or a cruise length pass. They gave us some freebie samples and scrubs as well. 

I'd say the pass is worth it on colder itineraries or if you have a lot of sea days. It was very relaxing. There are windows to the outside too so you can see the sea which is nice.

(This was my experience 18 months ago, not sure if anything has changed)

I would choose Izumi but that's just personal preference. They have plenty of non raw fish options if that's an issue. Chops is nice too. I would put Jamie's last, not that it's bad but I don't like Italian food as much. Someone else could give opposite answers and not be wrong. I would choose based on your general food preferences. 

I would do this if there was a without alcohol option. I can do one cocktail or glass of wine with dinner but that's it for me. I do appreciate the upgraded level of service generally experienced in the specialty restaurants. The supper club atmosphere is appealing too.

There is almost always a lox and bagel station in the Windjammer, frequently on one of the smaller side stations towards the back but that will vary by ship. Often you will find they are pre-assembled with a little onion and capers.

I don't go to the main dining room for breakfast often because the service is historically slow, but I believe it's on the menu there too. 

It's hard to eat those as someone from New York, but I understand these are considered bagels in most places. The lox is also sometimes okay and sometimes not so good. 

What a great a picture is worth a thousand words example. Guess it's safe to say it depends lol.

The last ship's tour I did was on Jewel and it was so long and detailed I thought we were being onboarded as employees. People started to drop off in the third hour. Others are more superficial. So yeah, it all depends.

I consider myself a pretty strong swimmer but it can definitely be challenging getting on and off into strong currents where you are expected to walk up with a rope line to the beach. Add in sun and alcohol, yes, I'd describe it as strenuous.

I've only done a 5 nighter solo but it was enjoyable. It's nice to have real down time. Lunch in the MDR was a nice way to mix with a big table and everyone was chatty. I preferred to have dinner in the Windjammer though. I did a lot of reading which was nice. Cruising definitely attracts a lot of solo travelers so you won't be alone if you don't want to be. 

I will assume from your name you are a woman. Sorry to the decent guys out there, but pay attention to your spidey senses with men. Sometimes friendliness can be misinterpreted as an invitation. You can always make up a fictional husband who couldn't make the trip if you aren't interested in that sort of socializing.

6 hours ago, Jimbo said:

I wouldn't see people on a Caribbean Cruise doing that, Between the humidity and the heat you would roast out there. That would be so uncomfortable.

I have slept outside overnight on my balcony in the Caribbean. Some people lay out in the sun all day, something I never do. But at night, it's nice, there's a breeze, and the white noise of the sea, it's lovely. It is not for people who like to sleep in though because of the sunrise of course.

I've done some creative rearranging. The bed frame and mattress fits nicely outside on Quantum class ships. The frames are lighter than you might think, though bulky of course. Not to be left unattended or in the rain, be respectful.

If you want separate beds on Radiance class, you can switch the location of the bed and the sofa, so that both beds are parallel to the cabin walls. One will be by the balcony door/window, and the other will be closer to the bathroom. This gives more sense of having your own space.

Do not move furniture without moving it back before you leave. Seriously, it would add a lot of work for your room steward. I've had only positive comments, they don't mind, but you have to put things back. 

So many of the drinks on a cruise ship are very low cost. The frou-frou drinks are sugar mix and cheap rum. Some people still buy packages, now at much higher prices. And those 4 or 5 free drinks are a psychology play. Your drinks are covered now, hey let's look at excursions since we have some money to burn now. The house always wins.

I haven't done it in Europe but in Seattle we put our bags out in the hallway and next saw them in Newark. I have a feeling that might be different with customs though. Sorry I don't have that info. It's a great service if you can check them through. I don't think I'd pay extra to just have it moved to a bus instead of picking it up myself and wheeling it over to the bus.

I started reading and thought of my time in Covid isolation with the spray cleaners they give you and thought, why didn't they drop off linen and the sprays? I wouldn't want anyone entering the room and spreading it. But I would want cleaning stuff and lots of towels etc. Then I saw the date lol. 

My personal experience is that Radiance class provides spotty access. I regularly had to step out of my cabin to the hallway to get a page to load. This is even with Starlink. It worked well in certain areas of the ship, like by the pool. I think things work considerably better on the newer ships.

29 minutes ago, robmtx said:

Am I the only who was trying to figure out what this has to do with Virgin Voyages?

That's what I get for reading before I've had my coffee.. ugh

 

 

You are not alone! I clicked through thinking that VV had started a drink package program lol.

It can really add up. There are other mainline cruise brands that include wifi in the sticker price. We usually get one device access and share it. Also be aware that it works better on some ships or part of the ship than others.

My TA was March/April, out of Miami. I expected we might have some heavy seas on the crossing but it was very smooth. The last two nights in the Mediterranean were the worst of the trip as far as rocking but not awful. Of course weather matters a lot so you never know.

Fond memories of that Sete Cidades hike excursion above. I love long cruises with lots of sea days. Still, it's nice to have interesting ports too. I'm one of those people that struggled to wake up in the morning heading eastbound. It's only one hour but doing it day after day was hard for me somehow.

1 hour ago, The Scurvy Pirate said:

We ate there on our early February 2024 cruise on Radiance.  We walked in for our 7:45 reservation and were one of only 3 couples in the restaurant.  We were the last to leave around  9:00.  Food was really good, but too much.  Only ate about half of what was served.  Would do it again.

This has been my experience too. We had UDP on a longer cruise, otherwise I wouldn't have gone. The service was excellent but it was almost empty. I like the quiet, romantic lighting atmosphere, very relaxing. I liked everything I ate but it was just too much food. When we went back a second time, they were very friendly and remembered our preferences. I'm glad it's still there even if it's not my thing food wise. It's perfect for big meat eaters. I would go again if I had UDP but wouldn't book it independent of that.

I just can't eat that much but I really liked the ambiance in that space. Interested to see the answer to this question.

I'm not sure why they keep it so hidden, and why they don't just have plain untoasted bread available. Plenty of adults might like a sandwich too.