LobsterStalker

Just back from a 4Nt sailing on Freedom followed by 7Nt on Harmony and with all the recent talk of changes to the MDR I figured I'd share my observations .

Firstly I was thrilled on Embarkation to find out that I actually had a table assignment as I was supposed to . This broke the streak from my last 3 cruises of arriving to find out that my Early assignment I was booked for was non existent , so that was a good start . Had 2 completely different experiences on the 2 ships.

Firstly Servers ; as always were excellent, Although , for some reason I did  find the assistants not as attentive as they used to be , but the waiter seems to pick up the slack. Not sure if the assistants are doing more behind the scenes , as this seems to be more of a trend lately. 

Food Quality ; Freedom seemed a bit more hit or miss than Harmony . We're not really fussy eaters at all and I don't think we have ever not eaten what is in front of us , so this was a first to have something this bad , but DW had a chicken Parm on Freedom that was horrible. Looked like it came out of a frozen dinner box . Overall , food on Harmony was a step up , with the exception of steaks. The cuts on both ships are almost embarrassing . I have also given up on what used to be a favorite , the Prime Rib . When it comes to Beef the Tenderloin seems the only sure hit , but you better ask for extra as the portion is child size . 

Serving policy; On freedom everything was brought 1 at a time if ordering multiple apps/entrees. On Harmony I ordered multiple apps every night and they were always brought together , however when I wanted to surf and turf on lobster night was told it was 1 at a time . 

MTD ; ...The lines stretched around the corner and down the hall. Should definitely be renamed to TTD..(Their Time Dining)

Overall still enjoy the dining experience. I realize Food and Dining experience is very subjective . These were obviously my observations only .

One other thing to note . On Wonder last winter the 2 tops were so close you had to put your A$$ on someones table to squeeze through to your seat . This was not the case this time around.

Cheers

13 minutes ago, marci22 said:

One time people a couple doors down took my arriving luggage out of the hallway and couldn't open it because it has a (TSA) lock on it. (And a colorful marker.) So they called "security" onboard to open it. A crew member came and cut the lock off and then they saw it wasn't their luggage.

 

Sometimes it's just impossible to avoid stupid.

On our trip we just returned from we had a letter in our stateroom on night 3 stating that someone was still missing a piece of luggage and asking everyone to make sure they didn't have it . If I had someone elses luggage for 3 days I'm betting I would have realized the clothes weren't fitting just right before that !

Cheers

12 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

LOL...wish I could do just carry on bags.  Our cruises have become a bit lengthy now...and need my shoes.  😄 

yeah , there's definitely a trade off for the convenience , but with all the troubles (with the airlines much more than the cruise lines) , we have gone this way exclusively for the past few trips. It is nice to not have to wonder whether your bag is gonna make it to final destination. Have never lost any but have had them disappear for a few hours and got them back eventually . If I lived where you lived I would think differently for sure !

We pulled it off on the 19 day trip we just returned from

Cheers

57 minutes ago, island lady said:

Another reason we use really wild print suitcases...have never seen anything like them (in fact Tumi discontinued that print quite soon after).  Actually I think anyone else would be embarrassed to walk out with them.  They are that tacky looking!  😛

An option that works even better for me is travelling only with carry ons . Only a couple times has my wife grabbed my bag by accident ! 😏

Cheers

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

She sails Nov 20

 

I checked current sailing, and only see Tropical on Day 4

There are also 70's and 80's showing

1 minute ago, FL-momma said:

Jasukkie - we're definitely hoping they do the right thing and ship the bag back to her.  As far as the made up story, you may be right; however, my sister said it sounded like an older lady who hadn't cruised before.  She said she was very upset and worried about her two bags.  I guess time will tell.

The other thing that seems to be missed here is that the porters have no connection to RCCL.

So laying blame on RCCL due to porter issues is misguided 

15 minutes ago, amindu said:

We are sailing on the same itinerary on Wonder in May and it’s definitely worth the up-charge for us given we have 2 toddlers and there’s a lot for them to do on the ship vs other cruise lines.  We did NCL Joy this June and my 4 year old on day 2 asked when we could go home, not much on that ship for kids under 4.  

Interested to hear what your 4 year old says on wonder 

23 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Humor is lost on some people 😉

You may have been joking , Don't believe they all were

Cheers

1 hour ago, livingonthebeach said:

It's about that time to pack again. Question: for those of you that have been on a 7-nighter out of LA recently, were there any White, Caribbean / Island, Seventies, Sixties or Great Gatsby parties? I want to bring the least amount of stuff possible but it would be fun to dress up for these events if they have them. I tried going on the App but I couldn't find any current 7 day sailings. 

Not sure why you aren't seeing current 7 day sailing . It is in the app (Oct.16-23)

Go to your profile , Go to bottom of page and click to add another cruise .Then select browse our ships , Then Navigator ... Voila !

Cheers

1 hour ago, CrossM2 said:

That makes sense, it just seems like the more port filled itineraries are on these ships, I’ve cruised the Jewel and Rhapsody before years ago, but I’m hearing they are need of repair.

The fact that there is so much to do on the newer/larger ships may factor into this as well

36 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

It's about that time to pack again. Question: for those of you that have been on a 7-nighter out of LA recently, were there any White, Caribbean / Island, Seventies, Sixties or Great Gatsby parties? I want to bring the least amount of stuff possible but it would be fun to dress up for these events if they have them. I tried going on the App but I couldn't find any current 7 day sailings. 

Sorry , didn't read your post to the end

Cheers

20 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

I never check out towels. I just go to the pool deck early before breakfast and take a couple that were left on lounger by the pool. Way more convenient and you don't have to worry about being charged for not returning them.  

18 hours ago, jean87510 said:

We actually did this after breakfast when running late for an excursion in Cozumel and no towel attendant.  Husband grabbed 2 towels off a chair that had clips on them.  We then saw the towel attendant at the gangway on the way out with towels.  

8 hours ago, Cruise Gopher said:

Another tip/trick is later in the day (like on a sea day) just pick up a couple wet towels off the pool deck if someone just abandoned them, and exchange them for fresh clean ones. Then you never have to worry about any associated with your sea pass card. 😂

Interesting  , Bragging about being thieves .....WOW

Have I missed something while away ?

When did this become acceptable to everyone ?

On 10/20/2023 at 8:50 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

Besides removing the salt it also removes all the other minerals that naturally occur in water which includes potassium which helps the body get rid of excess salt.

This has really got me thinking . We try to be somewhat health conscious when cruising nowadays .lighter portions , no desserts , up early every day walking . Unlike earlier years where I would come home and the scale would fear me stepping on it .However ,We returned home this week after 19 days away , ( 11 on ships ) and I was shocked when the scale told me I was up 11 pounds . The following morning 7 pounds and this morning 5.5 pounds <<( Which was more in line with what I would have expected ) . So in 2 days home I dropped 5.5 lbs (and not by trying) . We are very obsessive when it comes to water intake , and now am wondering just how little value it is to me when lacking these minerals. Definitely gonna have to look into this more as clearly my body was not functioning normally 

Cheers

1 hour ago, lilyhammer said:

Can you get cans of soda with the diamond vouchers? Or only fountain drinks? Like could I ask for 4 cans upfront and stockpile them in my room fridge? Or will they only give you one drink at a time?

Yes , unlike the drink packages , these are your vouchers to use anyway you like . At the end of any day we hadn't used them all we would always make sure we took a couple cans of whatever back to the fridge . 

28 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

We also grab ice water at whatever venue is closest.  👍🏼. I’m not sure nelblu was saying the crown lounge is the only option, just one they brought up since we are talking about Diamond stuff in this thread.

 

Off topic a little, but…. We are fairly new Diamond members and speaking of the now called Crown lounge I was surprised how empty it was all day long on our Quantum sailing to Alaska in July.  Never more than 2 (and normally zero) others in there whenever we would stop in to grab coffee.  Also lots of untouched appetizers.  We were never there during happy hour though 

I walked in twice on last sailing (only because I was walking by ) 2 people one time , and maybe 6 the other . And never saw any apps either time .

Just back from Freedom and Harmony . Nothing on Freedom , and a 'next cruise' card holder to stick on the back of your phone on Harmony . 

On 10/17/2023 at 4:59 PM, nelblu said:

Or go to the D lounge and they usually have iced water available during the day. 
Refill or use cups for drinking 

I find these statements comical about the D lounge being so special. If I want some iced water during the day I certainly won't make a special trip to the D lounge for it when it is also available at windjammer , park cafe , solarium bistro , promenade cafe , not to mention at every bar on the ship .

... Just sayin

Cheers

5 hours ago, reallyitsmema said:

 

LOL  This might be your best method but we find it better to never have your sea pass scanned at all.  We easily acquire towels without ever having our pass scanned, whether in a suite or a balcony cabin.

?

14 hours ago, Ret MP said:

This is a dilemma issue for me.  While I don't appreciate the company of young ones much anymore.  Which means that I welcome this change. I also think that if parents pay for a cruise, they should be able to have their children accompany them to venues that aren't considered adult, R-rated for example.  The word Solarium doesn't, at least for me, suggest a special place void of children or even noise.  

 

Again, I'm happy to see the change.  But, I can see the other side of this.

But it's not called the "solarium" it's called  the "ADULT Solarium"

Cheers

Bottom line ... If they are considering this , they are working on figuring out how it can benefit them ... Not benefit us in any way , so brace yourself. And of course the announcement would come with a whole spew of BS making it sound great 

Cheers... For now

11 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Doesn't sound like that great a deal to me; I think you'd have to drink an awful lot to "make this pay".  Remember: 

- You already said, as a Diamond, you're already going to get 4 drinks/day for free. 

- This 30% is going to be off the full price, which is pretty high.  

- You can take advantage of other ways to save on drinks such as the 10-punch coffee card, the beer bucket by the pool, and the drink of the day.  

- You can bring a small amount of wine and soft drinks on board with you.  

Curious what you mean by this . Is the drink of the day always cheaper ? If so I must be too oblivious to have noticed this 

Cheers

1 hour ago, Another_Critic said:

 

1 hour ago, Djnk59 said:

Does anyone know if there is a way to communicate on the site without all the messages from that post to continually go to my email?  If I answer a question or comment on a topic, I get every persons response to my email.  
I’d like to just see the responses when I am on the site.  I haven’t been logging out every time, could that be why?  TIA
 

I have the exact same issue and it is incredibly annoying ! When you click the follow tab there is an option to receive no notifications, which I set to every time , yet I continue to receive all the replies anyhow..... ?

On 9/21/2023 at 2:48 PM, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

I carry a SMALL pocketknife with me everywhere. On more than one occasion I have forgotten to pack it in my checked luggage. When that happens, I give it to my wife and she puts it in her purse. She has carried that knife through TSA checkpoints and cruise terminal checkpoints. Either they don't care about it because it's so small or with all the other shi (stuff) she has in her purse, they just don't notice it.

I love that  you make her put it in her purse .

??

Cheers

20 hours ago, jackadapt said:

We sail Odyssey of the Seas and will get back to FLL at 6 AM on a Saturday.  There is a flight leaving FLL at 9:11 AM.  If we take all our luggage with us and line up to get off the ship at 6 AM, should we be OK?  The next direct flight to the SF Bay Area doesn't leave until 8:30 PM.

Though you would most likely be able to make the flight , One thing noone has mentioned is that if you have travel insurance , they would require a minimum amount of time between docking and flight time or you will not be covered . I ran into this a few years back and was told I needed 4 hrs , but I can't remember if that was MIA or FLL

Cheers