CRUSINJUD

I've never had any trouble using the ship's laundry. We always do several days into the cruise so things can be re-worn. I'm talking shorts, shirts, underwear, pants - not expensive items. I would not send something expensive to the shop's laundry. Therefore if something happens, it's not a real problem.

There is just no way that I would deal with someone at the cruise line office. I let my Travel Agent do all that. It costs nothing and the TA knows all the "ins and outs" and they have someone by name at the cruise line that knows them and works with them.

GREAT!!! I did not enjoy the new dining arrangements (Dynamic Dining) as premiered aboard Quantum of the Seas during it's Maiden Voyage.

From these comments - during January renovations - the concept of the Main Dining Room was NOT changed. Are they still running the early and late dining times where you have the same table and wait staff each night?

My wife and I just returned for the Maiden Voyage of Quantum of the Seas - (Nov 2 - Nov 10). We had a great time with "on board credit." I had $100 for booking the cruise and I cashed in 50,000 points for an additional $500.00 "on board credit" so we would have had $ 600.00. Due to some glitches the first couple of days - Royal Caribbean added $ 650.00 to our account raising the "on board credit" amount to $1,250.00 and we had a great time spending it all. We had several spa days and spent a lot in the spa. We spent a good bit in the shops. The tips had been pre-paid and the internet fee of $160.00 was returned due to poor internet service so tips and internet did not come out of that $1,250.00. Would we have spent that much if my credit card was going to billed for it at the end of the cruise??? NO!!! We would told that we could cash some of it in at the casino and what we didn't spend could have been returned to my credit card. It was fun spending it and it applied to anything added to the account while on board ship. Great fun.. :)

LOL!!! Walking up to one of the restaurants in most cases on a ship with Dynamic Dining does not work. People begin making advance reservations as soon as it opens months before the cruise. The ones that are the most enjoyable quickly fill up and there are waiting lines outside the restaurants. I will be working to avoid ships with Dynamic Dining in the future.

I don't take things that people say about things that did not please them on a ship as a complaint unless it's obviously written that way. It's good to be aware of what people liked and didn't like about these ships and cruises. My wife and I have 10 cruises under our belt and we've only been cruising for the past 11 years.

We were aboard the Quantum of the Seas for it's Maiden Voyage the week of November 2nd. I would not have flown to Europe just to cruise home so our group planned a week divided between Paris and London pre-cruise.

I liked the way things have been aboard all the other ships that we have sailed - the large dining room with pre-set dining times, being able to just walk into the show rooms early and take a seat, etc. The Quantum did away with all of that and I did not know what it was going to be like until after the cruise. I did not like the new dining arrangements with changing dining rooms each night. I had enjoyed getting to know the serving staff and having the same ones each night. It was nice being able to pop into the main dining room for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if you wanted to do that. This kind of dining does not exist on a ship with the new dining plan. Reservations have to be made for one of the restaurants each night and you have to make reservations for all the shows. I'm glad that I had a travel agent make all those reservations for me and I didn't have to deal with it. For months, on FaceBook, I kept reading about all the trouble people were having working all these reservations out for one reason or another. And then through some glitch, the reservations made would be lost and they would have to start all over. I can't imagine trying to work out all those reservations on a day that the ship is also in port. There were no ports on the maiden voyage and there were some problems for people.

Regardless of what you might think - this is NOT a complaint. I'm simply pointing out that things did happen and you do take it with a grain of salt.

It was also stated during the week that these changes were for the people that cruised a lot as RC was trying to make things new and interesting for the "full time" cruisers or those that cruise a lot. It was stated that those that cruise a lot were getting bored with the same way things had been done for years. I suppose that the thought is to be more attractive to the younger cruisers that are not so much into the formal dressing ideas.

I'm going to try to avoid sailing on a ship that has Dynamic Dining with all the dining reservations and show reservations. I also realize that when a big show such as Mamma Mia is performed on a ship - that was the show on Quantum - that some kind of reservations would be necessary for that.

It's been interesting to watch people get "attacked" that have pointed out anything that happened aboard the Maiden Voyage of Quantum that was considered not the best in their opinion. What I have said did not keep this cruise from being an amazing experience. It was. I now know that these new cruising idea are not to my liking and not to book a ship that operates that way.

Now - Having said that - I want to cruise aboard Freedom of the Seas and it operated just like I would like for a cruise to operate. I have heard that Freedom goes in to be reworked in January and this Dynamic Dining may or may not be implemented aboard Freedom. I hope not. My TA has told me that she will take care of all the reservations but that really doesn't make it the same as what I like. Oh well!!! :)

My wife and I had a great experience with "on board" credit during the Maiden Voyage of Quantum of the Seas. I received $100 for booking the cruise. Then I cashed in 50,000 points from my Bank of America Visa Credit Card for $500.00 "on board" credit. Then because of glitches during the first two days of the cruise, RC added $650.00 in "on board" credit to my account. That made a total of $1,250.00 in "on board" credit and we enjoyed spending it all. Some people pointed out that it could be cashed in at the casino but we just had a great time spending it. We also got two $700.00 ($1,400.00) certificates for a future cruise with RC and I'm working with my TA to cruise on Freedom of the Seas in August of 2015 using that to cover half of the cruise towards a Junior Suite. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! - Royal Caribbean. :)

I was considering booking FREEDOM OF THE SEAS during July or August. My wife and I were on the Maiden Voyage of QUANTUM OF THE SEAS and I hated the dynamic dining idea. Making individual reservations for nightly dinners and trying to work out shows and entertainment was a nightmare. I can't imagine trying to do it when you are having days in ports. I wanted to book a cruise as they use to be with a main dining room where you could actually go for breakfast and dinner. Dynamic Dining is not like that. Now I'm not sure that I will book Freedom or any other RC ship that does Dynamic Dining and I have a $1400.00 future cruise certificate given to us from the QUANTUM sailing.