gt_mustang_gal

Please look at the pictures of the Freedom aft rooms - they are NOT like Disney! We were on Disney Fantasy in the center aft of deck 10. It was amazing. But on Freedom, the aft rooms have a structure that obstructs your view (AS COMPARED TO DISNEY) and doesn't always allow you to be able to look straight down and see the water. I just don't want you to expect one thing and then find another!

I have never eaten at a Jonny Rockets on board. I know there's a cover charge and does that cover anything you want to eat? Or does it just include 1 drink, 1 main item (burger, chicken sandwich etc) and 1 side?

You can literally order as much as you want. Order a drink and refills are free. You can order multiple sides. If you get a burger and don't eat all of it, they'll offer to bring you a chicken sandwich or a hot dog. OR if you go in there extremely hungry, you can order multiple items from the very beginning. I once cruised with a family member who couldn't decide on dessert, so the server brought one of each.

I truly think it depends on the type of excursion. I have some examples of things I've experienced over the years.

1) Excursion CANCELLED (and refunded in full the next day) due to rain - this was a Harley tour of the island, but they determined it was too dangerous to ride Harleys in the rain.

2) Excursion NOT CANCELLED, but REFUND OFFERED if guests decided not to go due to rain - this was a bus tour of the island and they were experiencing flooding. An announcement was made that if we chose NOT to get off the ship and go on the excursion, then we could get a voucher to take to guest services and get a refund......BUT.....if we chose to get off the ship, then there was no turning back and we couldn't get a refund. We decided to take the excursion anyway and make the best of it! We even got out at all the stops, although we were the only 2 on the bus to make that decision. We ended up having a BLAST (totally soaked - no rain hats, ponchos, or umbrellas).

3) Excursion PARTIALLY REFUNDED - this was another bus tour of an island and it was storming really bad, so the bus was unable to go to most of the scheduled stops. Apparently someone complained and they ended up issuing a partial refund to everyone on the excursion. We received a letter in our room the following day explaining why we were going to see a credit show up on our account.

Just to make sure you're comparing apples to apples here, were you on hold for 45 minutes on a call to 911? If not, I would hope that in the case of an emergency, one would call 911 and not someplace like guest services, and I'd hope/expect that that call would be answered promptly.

Can you even call 911 from a cruise ship?

If you purchase in advance make sure you bring your receipt with you. Some of the ships use a third party website for buying the photo packages. We had to spend some time on 1 cruise discussing whether or not we had already purchased the package.

Same here - be sure to print a receipt and bring proof of purchase with you!

If you get your assignment a few days before your cruise, you can contact whoever booked your cruise and ask for your cruise docs to be re-issued. This will give you the ability to download accurate luggage tags.

I wasn't aware of that. Awesome! Thanks so much Bob! :)

We have a suite guarantee booked (27 days away) and still haven't received a room assignment. I've been obsessively checking.

Every single night/morning around 1am, it changes from "suite guarantee" to "ocean view accessible guarantee". By 7am, it reverts back to "suite guarantee". I'm sure it is a system glitch.

I don't understand, if everything is perfect on Disney, why would you book mediocre. No need to experiment, you can't get any better than perfect. I on the other hand, have never experienced perfect, that is why I go to the experience that best suits my desires. I like Royal even with their flaws. I don't like Disney because they have more flaws than I am willing to accept. Go with what you like, but don't condemn the other guy as they may be perfect for someone else.

I apologize if I offended you somehow. It was certainly not my intent to upset anyone. I was just trying to give the person who asked the question about Disney cruises a thorough response. I've always been loyal to Royal and gave my husband (then fiance) a hard time about booking a Disney cruise because I had the same concerns (shows and activities geared towards kids).

I failed to mention that the biggest flaw with Disney is that there is no casino - for anyone who enjoys spending time in the casino. Also, they really don't have any type of loyalty program that compares to what Royal has.

You asked why we would book Royal again? Because of the price of Disney. It costs more for a 3-night on Disney in a basic room than an 8-night on Royal in a suite.

Are you using Air2Sea?

Nope, we are not.

We had to cancel a cruise in November 2 days prior to sailing because my dad was rushed to ICU. When I filed my insurance claim, they asked for proof of cancellation. I called my travel agent, who said Royal would only provide a cancellation number. I told her I needed documentation. She sent me the final booking confirmation from Royal which showed it was paid in full.....and she simply wrote ***cancelled*** across the paper and provided the cancellation number. I received my reimbursement and the insurance company never questioned it.

Do the Disney cruises constantly have the characters everywhere and are the shows and activities geared more towards kids? In other words, does it feel like you're at DisneyWorld? Do you think they're that much better than it justifies the extra cost?

We were on Fantasy for 7 nights. We did not feel like it was Disney World (or Disneyland) or that characters were everywhere. In fact, we had a hard time FINDING characters. Yes, we are adults and I should probably point out that we do not have kids. But we do enjoy seeing characters. In fact, Mickey was at our wedding!

The shows and activities are not all geared towards kids or Disney. They still have headliner acts, non-Disney musical acts, adult shows, and even adult comedy. I'd also like to point out that their Love & Marriage show is STRICTLY adults ONLY (and we actually were the winners - we competed as the "honeymoon" couple since we literally got married on the ship - but there were some x-rated questions which we regretted answering because we earned nicknames for the rest of the cruise)!

The adults-only area of Disney's ship is WAY better and much larger than the Freedom or Oasis class ships. It is also better controlled to keep kids out. There was never an issue finding a chair or a spot in the pool or hot tubs. Bar service was always just around the corner and happy to bring you anything you wanted.

The adults-only section of Disney's private island is also VERY nice (and not something that's offered on either of Royal's islands). It is extremely secluded and soooo quiet and peaceful - NO KIDS. There are plenty of chairs and umbrellas. They also had an adults-only buffet on that section of the island which served steaks and seafood (not just burgers and hot dogs).

The quality of Disney's food far exceeded Royal. I mean, the food in the main dining room was amazing, but even the buffet food was great. We were NEVER hassled about going to speciality restaurants (they have 2, but they aren't pushed like Royal does). Cokes are free so you don't have to worry about carrying around a Coke cup or showing your card. The selection of ice cream is better - not just chocolate and vanilla. We were not charged for room service if we wanted to eat in the room.

The service far exceeded Royal. We were treated so much better than any Royal cruise I've ever been on....and it was our FIRST cruise with Disney. From the first moment to the last, we never had a single negative experience with the staff. Every single staff member throughout the ship was always smiling, greeting us, positive, and truly seemed to love their jobs.

The room was spotless - extremely clean - and I'm kinda OCD about that. I literally could not find one speck of dirt on the carpet or dust on anything. Even the standard room on Disney has a split bathroom, so you have a toilet and sink in one bathroom and a shower and sink in the second bathroom. This is VERY handy because two people can be getting ready at the same time (or one person showering while the other is getting ready without a fogged up bathroom).

I'd also like to point out that we encountered fewer kids around the ship when we were on Disney than any other Royal cruise I've been on. I guess they were all in kids programs or the kids-only areas.

Wow, after writing all that.........you're making me question why I'm not going on Disney for my birthday cruise........ :confused:

Mine were just issued today - 28 days to go (and I'm still not assigned to a room - W guarantee - so I have a blank luggage tag)

I don't think loyalty matters either. I have family members who have taken HUNDREDS of cruises with Royal. On a past cruise, they booked a W guarantee room and their friends (less than 5 cruises with Royal) booked the same. The friends received a call offering them an upgrade - but my family members did not.

We had the same issues and experiences as OP when we were on Allure, so we decided to go back to Freedom on our next cruise (March 17th). We were hoping all the problems were attributed to the size of Allure. If Freedom ends up being like Allure, then I'm afraid I'll never be able to convince hubby to go Royal Caribbean again. I was loyal to Royal and introduced him to cruising.

We were married on a Disney cruise and I must admit Disney ships far exceed Royal in SO many categories (if not all).....however, the price is also commensurate with the quality. We wouldn't be able to cruise as often on Disney because of the price difference though.

Yes, you will both get 24 hours or $23 off, but you cannot combine the discounts towards the purchase of one package.

Please forgive me in advance.....but I must ask what might be a stupid question. On our upcoming cruise, we need to check in with my parents back home due to health issues. It's an 8 day cruise so it would be nice to check in more than once.

So if we are both Diamond, could my husband use his 24 hours of free internet on his device on the 3rd day and me use my 24 hours of free internet on my device on the 6th day? OR does that mean we both use our own devices for the 24 hour period?

I have NEVER used the internet or so much as touched my cell phone when cruising, but this time, I really do need to check on my parents. So I have no idea how this works. :o

Congrats on getting an assignment at 76 days out! I'm less than 30 days now.....no assignment. I'm now checking every 15 minutes. LOL

Several years ago, I booked a "guarantee" junior suite and was assigned to an "accessible" room. I did call Royal Caribbean about this, but they assured me that IF they had a request for an accessible room, they'd switch my room (up until a few days before the cruise).

My main issues were the bathroom and the balcony. The bathroom stayed flooded, even when using multiple rolled up towels as a border to try to trap the water. There was also a lack of storage in the bathroom. As for the balcony, there was a raised up ramp to access the balcony if you were in a wheelchair. Although convenient for those who need it, it was a trip hazard for someone clumsy like me. I continuously stubbed my toes and tripped so bad one time that I actually fell. I joked that the room was going to make sure that I left there NEEDING a wheelchair.

Although I do have to point out a very positive side of having this room - it was huge! The balcony was also much larger than a regular junior suite.

What ship are you on?

Freedom - 3/17/18

My birthday cruise...a round number I don't even want to talk about. LOL

We are in the same situation. We found that renting a car was the smartest and most economical solution for us. The savings in transportation costs from the port to FLL for 6 of us alone was a bargain. We will just load the luggage in the minivan, and tour on our own. The weather will dictate whether we make it to the Everglades or the beach or the water taxi.

We are also in the same situation. How do you plan to get the rental car? Are there rental car companies at the cruise port? If not, how do we get from the cruise port to the rental company location?

Did anyone mention the service and attitude to the manager in charge? It clearly states JS are able to eat in there at Dinner only. We are going in April on Allure and it will be interesting to see if we have a problem. If we do then I will try to talk to someone about it but that is wrong the way some of these hostess or host are making JS guests feel out of place.

I did not speak with a manager. I do not like confrontation or causing a scene....especially when I am on vacation.

It’s subject to availability. Full suites and Pinnacle guests get preference. That poster was upset that the only available time was 8:00 and he wanted earlier. From the tone of his numerous rants I have no doubt he gave the hostess a hard time which caused her reaction.

I do not know the poster you are referring to, but I can only attest to what happened to us. We were extremely nice to both the man and woman we talked to at the host stand. I did not argue or question them. My husband and I were both smiling at them the entire time and we were perfectly fine with the one time that was available. We certainly did not give anyone a hard time or do anything to cause the reaction of a laugh and a smirk. At the end of the day, we just didn't feel "welcome" and did not appreciate how they treated us like we didn't belong becuase we were "just" Junior Suite guests.

It's killing me, I have become obsessed. I have to talk myself out if checking more thab 2 times per day. I know just because I'm obsessing, we won't know until sail date.

 

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I'm more obsessed than you because I check every hour! We are 30 days away and we have a "W" Guarantee - no assignment yet. On every website I have checked, the ONLY room available for the past few days has been an Oceanview. Actually, when we booked, there weren't even Balcony rooms or Junior Suites available. Now this morning, all categories are showing "unavailable" or "NA" (depending on which website I'm on).

I booked our upcoming cruise AFTER the final payment date. A few weeks later, there was a price drop. I called my TA and was able to get an OBC for the difference in price. So it doesn't hurt to ask!!!

We had a similar negative experience on Allure when we tried to book reservations at Coastal Kitchen. We went to Coastal Kitchen when we boarded to try to make reservations. We were informed by the lady at the desk to "come back later" to find out if there was "space" for us. When we went back later, the man at the desk looked me head to toe (over his glasses), then asked for my seapass card, said "you're in Junior Suite?" and I confirmed. He said "7:30 is the only time we can fit you in." I said that was fine. I then asked if we were able to book other nights in advance - since I had read on here previously that you could book each night at a specific time once you boarded - but he gave me this little laugh and smirk. He said I would have to check back each night to see if they had "room for us." Needless to say, we went the first night, but never returned because we felt VERY unwelcome even though we are Diamond C&A members and we were staying in a Junior Suite.

Other important questions, what year is the GT?

:D A stock '95 GT and heavily customized 2000 GT, both bought new. I'd love a '68 fastback and a new one, but I'd rather spend the money traveling.

Awesome, thanks everyone! I'm making a "cheat sheet" for hubby when I send him to get me a diet coke. LOL!