HBE4

3 minutes ago, Desert Cruizers said:

HBE4, I am not finding this Star on the main page, is it upper Left/Right, where? I did early on, click the be notify tab below my posts so I am alerted to someone replying to me which is nice. 

 

Gay

It's to the immediate left of the thread name, on the page that has the list of thread titles.

1 minute ago, Mikew0805 said:

I like it. Very modern and clean. 

Signatures are big, but just click by them to turn them off or turn off in settings. Then it is much easier to read.

I did click by them to turn them off. But now I don't know how to get them back?

4 minutes ago, Desert Cruizers said:

Right now for me to go around to see if there has been a Post to a thread I have been on, I am clicking on the Thread Title. I can see if a person has just posted to a particular thread as their name is shown and how many Min/hrs ago they posted. What are some of you referring to First Unread. & a Dot or Star, as i am not seeing it to the left of Thread Name?  I see 4 gray stars below the title on the left. what are those. 

 

Gay

Before you click into the Thread Title - on the "main" Royal Caribbean page - there is either a dot or star. If it's blue, there are unread posts. Click on the dot/star will take you to the first unread post.  If it's grey, then there are no new posts.

Star = you posted in that thread before.

Dot = you have not posted in the thread before.

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

Yeah, I'm waiting for an answer to this one, too.

Also, is there a way to tell if someone is logged in? There used to be a green indicator to tell you.

Hover the cursor over the users profile on the left side. It'll show you when they last logged in. If the circle is there, then they are still logged in.

There is also a list of active people on the main page. Last I looked, there were over 1,500 people logged in at the same time. But the order seems random....or maybe it was in order of when they logged on.

1 hour ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Also, I don’t see how to “jump to first unread”

It was moved to "outside" the thread, to the left of the thread name. It's either the Blue Dot or Blue Star ( star means you posted on the thread). Click on it & it'll take you to the first unread post within the thread.

If the Dot/Star is grey, than there is no unread posts. 

I like it. It saves a click of the mouse as you can click into the thread & go straight to the first unread post.

6 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

No speed issues with mine and I been on/off all day. Like with every other change Cruise Critic has made in last 20+ yrs takes couple days get use to, but no Biggie...

True. By next week, we'll be used to the differences and begin to appreciate some of the new features.

One thing that I keep forgetting is that the "Go To First Unread Post" button is now outside the thread (the blue dot/star). I keep clicking into the thread first, then looking for the button. So the new way is much better - saves a click.  Kudo's CC 👍    (side note: lot's of new emjois)

Give me a few days. It takes awhile for this old dog to learn new tricks. 

5 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

My browser the Dot turned into a star if I just visited.  Blue=new posts Gray=no new posts.

Strange. My Blue Dot just goes away when I just read (visit) a thread.

I do get the star when i post to a thread. Blue=new posts Gray=no new posts as you said.

Thanks!

I just handed out my first "Like" (I think)

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

It's fun to read old posts, with the same problems of today.

Thread resurrection!

But no fun resurrection pic?? 😉

1 hour ago, Swank Pad G said:

I don't like how you can't go to specific ship thread. When I click on say Harmony of the Seas it goes into a search mode and lists posts on top from over 12 years ago. I liked it the way you had it before.

Yeah, I had the same issue. I clicked on "Liberty of the Seas" (since that is my next cruise) and it took me into search mode showing me every thread ever posted since the beginning of time with the word Liberty. - Carnival Liberty, Statue of Liberty, etc.

Not a complaint....just an observation.

27 minutes ago, Dixie1337 said:

Nobody likes change, so obviously I hate it for now lol

But one thing I really really don't like and never will like is that with signatures it's all or nothing.  Just a blurb I can expand was really great.  Some signatures are too long and I feel like I need to hide all or be forever annoyed by scrolling through unnecessary stuff.

Same with me. I turned off signatures but once in a while, I like to expand them to take a peak. If anyone knows how to do that, please let me know.

2 minutes ago, alfaeric said:

Thank you for replying, as you just found another "fault" for me- previously, I had no notifications at all about anything.

But the new system sent me an e-mail that you replied.

So all of the old settings appear to be redone.  One may want to go into their account and check what you really want.

Thanks. I checked my account and it appears all of my old notification settings were kept.

On the bottom right cornet, there is a "switch" that allow you to turn on/turn off notification of replies. My default seems to be turned on.

I bought my own air mattress but didn’t need them I check about 10 cabins haven’t seen one without the pad.

 

I am going to assume they are on all the beds.

Good to know! Thanks!

We tried going online, but every single "My Time Dining" slot for every night was filled.

I feel that there are a large number of people who make MTD reservations as soon as they can, usually 90 days before the cruise. They just want to make sure they have a dining slot. I mean, how could you possible know what time you want to eat 90 days from now? I'm not eve sure what time I want to eat tonight.

When you get on board, go to the dining room & there will be a person there taking MTD reservations. Check with them as some people may have cancelled their reservations.

If they are still booked solid, just go as a walk-up each night. Sometimes the walk-up line moves quicker than the line of people that have reservations. And if you don't mind sharing a table with strangers, just tell the matire'D and they may be able to seat you even quicker.

Just wondering if the drink pack is worth it? DH and I mostly drink wine or beer, maybe 4 drinks per day each. We're big water drinkers as well. Do most people purchase the deluxe package? Does anyone know if the cold pressed juices and smoothies from the spa/gym are included?

Thanks

For me, it’s the convenience of getting what I want, when I want, where I want. It’s not even a money thing as I usually break-even on the drink package or maybe slightly ahead.

As Bob mentioned, beer is between $6.50 –$8.50 interesting domestic is more than imported so expect to pay more for Bud Light then Heineken. Wine is probably $8-$10 per glass Four of each will put you around the $30 mark.

I spent $42 pp/pd on my upcoming cruise, during a recent sale where the package was buy one, get one half off. If you can find a similar deal, it might be worth it especially if you will also be purchasing smoothies, juice drinks and potentially bottles of water. Plus, you can treat yourself to one $13 cocktail per day. :)

As for water, you can get glasses of ice water pretty much anywhere. Or you could lug a case or two onboard the ship. But I like to grab a couple of bottles to have for later, or in the room or to take on shore excursions. I’m not even sure what a bottle of water cost on the ship….maybe $2? But again, it’s more for the convenience.

Good news the beds at least ours has a 1 1/2” foam pad nice and comfortable

Silly question: Did you have to request the foam pad or did the bed already have it? We'll need it so I want to request ahead if that is required?

I posted this on the Port-of-Call forum over a week ago but no replies yet. Since this forum receives more activity, I’m hoping to have better luck here. Plus, it’s an official RCI Shore Excursion, so it should be an appropriate discussion on this forum, right moderators?

Anyway, thinking of booking this when in Falmouth, Jamaica on Royal Caribbean. I have a few questions for anyone who has tried this.

How much time do you get at each location? Sailing…Snorkel…beach….Margaritaville?

How much and what kinds of food and drinks are available on the beach?

How was the snorkeling? I’ve heard Jamaica is not the best for snorkeling.

I assume the tour drops us off at Margaritaville which is right on the end of the pier and then it’s up to us to go back to the ship. Do we have to go into Margaritaville or are we free to wander Falmouth?

How crowded was Margaritaville when you got there? Do you have to pay to use the pool and lounge chairs?

Thanks!

They simplified the beverage package line-up several years ago. I used to weigh the pros and cons of the beer/wine package vs the ultimate drink package as I’m primarily a beer guy myself but will dabble with fruity foo-foo concoctions from time to time.

Fortunately, RCI made the decision easier for me as they eliminated/combined some of the drink packages so now it’s only the Ultimate Drink package.

As for the drink card, I know there is a 10-drink card for $79 for all drinks that becomes available 3 or 4 days into the cruise. Won’t give you much of a savings as beer is usually in the $6-$8 range.

To the OP, how many are in your party? If it's just 2, then the wait times for walk-ups is usually not long. Maybe 10 minutes or so. And if you don't mind sitting with others, it could be even quicker as the dining staff likes to keep the line moving and maximize table seating.

If you have a large party - say 6 - then go into the Cruise Planner on RCI website and make MTD reservations. Or visit the dining room as soon as you get on the ship and make your reservations for the rest of the cruise.

Thank you again for all the advice, SSB. You have been a wealth of information. At least I now have an approximate idea of how to get around so I won't be the typical clueless tourist, looking like a deer stuck in headlights.

My DW & DD will have the Google Maps and Waze GPS apps going so we'll be getting real-time - and probably conflicting - traffic updates.

Thank you for all the advice. At least I now have an approximate idea of how to get around so I won't be the typical clueless tourist, looking like a deer stuck in headlights.

My DW & DD will have the Google Maps and Waze GPS apps going so we'll be getting real-time - and probably conflicting - traffic updates.

it is and since we cruised when school had already started, as HicksRa said, very few kids so most adults dressed up

Thanks. It never even occurred to me about the timing of the cruise. I'll be on her in Nov so I expect the percentage to be on the higher side.

Agree unless you are dropping folks and bags off at terminal first . If so Stay on Broadway to 22nd, turn left and straight into entrance of terminals .

 

However fairly soon Harborside improvements will be finished , and ingress and egress with terminals are changing. 23rd will become an entrance . No more present 22nd .

Dropping off luggage/family @ terminal #2 (RCI), then parking car at Galveston Park N Cruise at 2514 New Strand. A few questions:

1) From Broadway, can I make the left onto 25th street and go straight into terminal #2 parking lot? Or alternatively, take Harborside drive and turn left @ 25th street?

2) Once I do the drop-off at terminal 2, how easy is it to make a left out of the parking loet onto Harborside to get to Galveston Park N Cruise? Or do I have to make a right and go “around the block”?

Just trying to get the timing down. I expect to be there around 10:00 on Nov 4th. I know its Lone Star Rally weekend but on another thread I created, that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue.

1. Balcony Discount

2. Diamond Lounge

3. 3 Free Drinks

Still an Emerald member with 2 ½ cruises to go before achieving Diamond status (may book a Junior Suite to get there in 2 cruises) and this thread got me thinking about which benefits to look forward to. So, once I reviewed the C&A benefits list, I realized most of the ones I would enjoy the most are at the Diamond PLUS level.

I’m officially bummed now.

Increased Balcony Discount ($225) would have been #1 but as the swinging Thorben-Hendrik mentions, it’s getting harder to use as it’s not combinable. I’ve experience this as well with the Emerald balcony discount ($100).

Probably not the free drinks as I’ll continue to purchase the beverage package. Although the 3 drinks loaded to the seapass card may get me to rethink the math. I usually break-even on the drink package now. It’s really more for convenience than bang-for-the-buck. I like to drink what I want, when I want, where I want and experiment with new drinks.

Diamond lounge. – I like to stay outside as much as possible on a cruise so I don’t know how much I use I get out of this. Maybe on an Alaskan cruise or similar cold weather cruise. I guess I really won’t know until I experience it for myself first hand. I do like a nice, calm breakfast though so this could be a possible #1.

We have so many pic stashed in a drawer somewhere we never purchase them anymore. But Free is for me so #2, maybe

I think my heart is set on Allure or another on Symphony.

 

Harmony seems more expensive.

Symphony - enjoy your favorite features again, maybe get to try a feature you didn't have a chance to do the first time around, plus Perfect Day at Coco Bay & the brand new Miami cruise terminal.

Plus, it's Miami!

All that Allure has going for it is the "revitalized" propulsion system.....and Mama Mia. By the time you sail next year, she'll be the "oldest", least revitalized of the Oasis class.