karena1

On 6/23/2023 at 7:15 PM, Biker19 said:

Usually there's no price adjustment when port fees change.

We just got off Freedom last Monday and we each had $2.18 credited back to our onboard account due to port fees.  First time I have seen that in a really long time.

3 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

Will get an answer a lot quicker on CC than trying to contact RCI.

 

Can't recall if there are there blow dryers in the cabins on the Oasis?? Thanks in advance for your replies!!!!

There are, but I won't use them.  They are terrible.  I take my own blow dryer and my own toiletries.

29 minutes ago, funtimex2 said:

I have tried to search and find the answers, but I can't seem to locate for current year.   It's been 5 years since we have cruised.  
 

Several questions: 
1.  What is the current  daily gratuity cost for the cruise?   Is this still a prepaid item? 

2.  On the RCCL website I have tried to locate the current cost of the refreshment package and it doesn't give me a cost,  just a description..... I need cost.   

3.   Are there packages where you can bundle the refreshment package with internet?      Will the cheapest internet allow you to read comments and post on facebook?    I don't need video chat,  but I do need to read and send messages and respond to post.  

Thanks 

Gratuities are $16 pp per day.  We always prepay so we don't have to worry about it.

If you log into your RCCL account, you can see what the refreshment package internet packages cost.

21 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

Do you recall times for the shows?

We just got off Freedom Monday.  All shows were 7:45 or 9:45.

On 6/21/2023 at 8:21 AM, amyphil said:

Thanks for the info.....how did you like Junkanoo? We thought we just go there for a bit instead of paying for a resort for a day. Not too crazy about Nassau but my husband loves the water.

A question about the entertainment....do they have a show every night....time?

Thanks for the help. We haven't cruised since Covid so really looking forward to the trip

Amy

Junkanoo is fine, we have been going there for years.  2 loungers/umbrellas about $35-$40 depending if you can get them to come down.  Literally right next door to Margaritaville.  We sat probably 5 feet from where they were sitting.  Vendors with food/drink.  Water is super clear and calm.  Totally beats paying for a resort pass.  Vendors that did stop by us also went into the Margaritaville section and stopped by them also.  But were not that many of them.  

7 minutes ago, 39august said:

Do Pinnacles still get 3 bottles  of wine of their choice  in cabin?  Do P's still get breakfast in a specialty restaurant?  I understand that P's no longer get to access the Suite lounge, except on a limited basis, depending on how many P's are on board. And even so have pay for drinks with drink vouchers. Meal with officer?

On a week cruise we get 3 gifts of our choice.  I always pick champagne.  Upon arrival the only welcome stuff you get anymore is water and we also got chocolate covered strawberries on Freedom last weekend.   Depending on the ship, you can get into the CL, we did on Freedom.  Not sure about Breakfast as we always eat in the WJ.  

1 hour ago, GTO-Girl said:

We have never, ever spent one extra dime for anything at Coco Cay and have always had an awesome time!!

 

 

Same here.  We go to Chill Island, grab our free loungers/umbrella near Wacky Seagull Bar and chill.  Have the package so our drinks are included.  Love the free buffets, husband like the Snack Shack.  Have such a great time there, other than tips, we don't spend a dime.  Been going for years and see not reason for any of the extra stuff that costs money.

29 minutes ago, RedJessi said:

 

oof - This would be a a trip in November in order to celebrate my kiddo and her BFF's birthdays - they are turning 11. I am looking at Liberty because it seemed like a good, family friendly ship. I am starting to rethink it; I am not sure booze cruise is what we are looking for.

It is not a booze cruise, there are a lot of kids that have a blast. Lots of families do the 3 night cruises so they can take their kids without losing a week of school. 

 We are older and we have so much fun on the 3 night cruises.  Sure, there are groups that are there to party, but by the time they really party, your kids are in bed and so are we! 

4 hours ago, kruzerci said:

Lately cabins have been getting later and later. 1:30 to 2pm

We just got off Freedom Monday and our cabin was open at 1, luggage down the hall so I could take care of that also.

3 hours ago, RedJessi said:

Hello all! I am considering a 3 night (Friday to Monday) cruise with Perfect Day in November on Liberty of the Seas, but I am having trouble finding out exactly what would be available on the ship in regards to meals, photo packages, movies, shows, etc. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Also, I would love to hear about anyone else's experience. We have't ever done this short a cruise with Royal, so I would love any insight that could be provided. Thanks!

We go on short cruises all the time and love them - great weekend getaways and we are 79 and 66.  So specifically Liberty - we did 4 Liberty 3 night cruises last fall out of FLL.  Had a great time.  The ice show and Saturday Night Fever are both amazing.  Food that is included is the Main Dining Room (you can do traditional dining which is set time, or do My Time Dining and go eat when you feel like it -with or without reservations).  Windjammer, Cafe Promenade, and Sorrentos are included.  At CocoCay, you do not need to spend a dime on the island unless you want to.  Loungers/umbrella at the beaches are included, 2 buffets (which are great) plus Snack Shack are included.  Any beverage pkg you have is included, but there are also free drink options like water (not bottled) and juice in the buffets and I think maybe tea.  If I am missing anything, someone else can fill in, but I think I hit the bulk of it.

1 minute ago, 2wheelin said:

Haven’t sailed Royal in ages, platinum level. What is typically the earliest assigned arrival times for a short sailing out of Miami? When I went on the app, 12:30 was the earliest available at that time. Any chance earlier may open up? When are cabins ready, usually?

Any “secret” places to eat besides the buffet. On Carnival we usually go to the open specialty restaurants at the back of the buffet. Hardly anyone. There.

Doors open at 10, you go to the waiting area after checking in, and boarding normally starts at 11.  Suites/Pinnacles and Key go first, and then they order by row based on when you arrived.

On 5/29/2023 at 9:17 PM, Ashland said:

Agree that Explorer is a great ship. We did a B2B on her out of San Juan in 2022 and will be on her again for a 9 nighter February 2024 and an 11 nighter in March 2025...that one has an amazing itinerary.

We did a B2B on her also in April 2022 out of San Juan.  It was fantastic!!! Love the long port days and cruising out of San Juan. We are also doing a 9 night on her April 5, 2024 and looking forward to going back to Grenada. 

On 5/29/2023 at 6:49 PM, latebuyer said:

I'm interested in hearing people who have to say about the Explorer of the seas. I've only been on Noordam before and am used to a smaller ship. I'm single and don't need all the bells and whistles. However, I am interested in what people think of the Explorer of the Seas as that has 6 ports and goes to St. Lucia which is somewhere i'd like to go. An alternative would be Grandeur of the Seas but it doesn't go to St. Lucia.

 

(For those who read the Hawaii thread i am considering jumping ship and going to caribbean due to more competitive pricing and more ports.)

We have been on Explorer a few times, and she is good.  We really enjoy her.  Not all the bells and whistles, but we don't need that all the time either.  We love the Southern Caribbean, by far our favorite, and St Lucia is one of our favorite places.

1 hour ago, seraphim24 said:

Hello - I tried this post before and it didn't seem to go thru - apologies if it's duplicate.

I've been on many cruises on other lines but this is the first on RCI (16 night Panama Canal, oct 2024, held a nonrefundable deposit ocean view room).

Does RCI do price drops (obc or money off final payment) bedore and/or after final payment? I can only find information about the first 48 hours after booking under their price guarantee. 

Thank you for help, RCI Experts! 

yes they do have price drops before final payment.  BUT, I will say this, we are on that same Panama Canal cruise next year, and I can almost guarantee you 1000%, that the prices will not drop.  It is now almost double what we paid for it.  It is the only Panama Canal cruise they are offering and almost all of it is already sold out, so I would not count on any price drops on that cruise.  I am so happy I booked as soon as it was released as it as only skyrocketed in price since then.

21 minutes ago, GnarleeDude said:

We did the main dining room for dinner the first two nights, and the Menu was the Welcome Aboard menu the first night, Italian the second night, and Caribbean third night.  The new menu/food was all fine, I didn’t notice any drop in food quality.  Everything was edible, but nothing was really outstanding.  I know some people complained about long wait times, but dinner only took around an hour for us each night.  We did Izumi for the last night and it was great, the Chefs put on a great hibachi show and the food was good.  We did breakfast the first day in the main dining room and for some reason the service was horrible and slow, I had to flag down multiple people to just get coffee.  We did Wind Jammer for both breakfast and lunch and El Loco Fresh – all were good and had plenty of options.

 

This itinerary mirrors Independence which leaves out of Port Canaveral.  I debated between the two ships but stuck with Freedom because it had the amplification and left out of Miami.  At Coco Cay with both ships, there was still tons of space and chairs all around the pool and beach throughout the day.  At Nassau, the new port entrance and market were open.  It was nice and clean, but Nassau is still Nassau once you get out of the gate.  We did notice that Independence left significantly earlier from Nassau than we did, and I assume that’s because they have a longer trip to get back to Orlando?  So, if you are deciding between the two and want more time in port, that’s something to consider.

We don't normally get off in Nassau, but did this time, since we wanted to go to the beach.  New port area is nice, but we did not really do any shopping.  Once out of the port, no one single person bothered us as we walked to Junkanoo.  Anyone we did encounter said - hi, welcome to our island - and that was it.  Junkanoo was great, water was calm, I took a couple walks.  We did smile as we sat literally 5 feet from people at Margaritaville and we spend $35 for 2 loungers/umbrella and can only imagine what they spent-and we were on the same beach, right next to them.  

19 minutes ago, GnarleeDude said:

Took this 3 night Freedom Cruise on June 16^th with my oldest daughter (9 years old).  This was the standard Coco Cay and Nassau itinerary.  We’ve been on Freedom a couple times before, but this was our first 3-nighter.

 

There are many Freedom Reviews – so I won’t go crazy on what’s been discussed.  The cabins are looking a little dated and worn, and the bathrooms are where this really shows.  Everything was clean, but just looking worn out.  I recommend brining some kind of multi-plug/USB outlet device, since there’s only a couple outlets in the room.  We did an interior cabin for the first time on Deck 9, and it was good for the two of us with plenty of space.  We usually do a Balcony and I did miss being able to go outside, but for such a short cruise we were seldom in the cabin, so not a big issue.

Leaving out of Miami was great, we had an 1130 Port Arrival time and we got there around 1045.  There was no line and nobody checking arrival times.  We were on the ship in about 10 minutes, which was the fastest and smoothest check-in I’ve ever had.  We hit the Wind Jammer first thing and it was wide-open, not crowds, plenty of tables, lots of food….it’ was great.

 

The ship itself is in good shape and well maintained, but seemed like they need more staff on trash patrol.  On the upper decks in the evening there was trash, cups, and empty beer bottles everywhere.  I don’t think I’ve ever noticed this much trash before, and did not seem like there was any staff around trying to keep up with it.

We were on the same cruise - as usual, it was amazing.  Guys at the pool deck were constantly cleaning, we never saw anything laying around, but we are not up there late at night.  Our cabin was fine-we always get the same one-, we ate in MyTimeDining every night and service was great, food was good, no complaints.  CocoCay was so gorgeous.  We had a great time.  Love our 3 night getaways.  Back on Freedom again in Aug/Sept.  Glad you had a good time.

On 6/4/2023 at 10:41 PM, OHagan said:

...also...if you don't want to pay gratuities, then the cruise line can not enforce this. Many Australians cancel their gratuities onboard as we are not used to paying tips or such.

Sad, just sad.  They work so hard for you.

On 5/30/2023 at 10:27 PM, latebuyer said:

I have the app on my phone but would feel more secure printing it as well. Is it ok to take a snapshot and print out?

I am old school, so always print our Set Sail passes.  I know you can do them on the app, but I want my paper copy.

On 9/29/2016 at 11:10 AM, 4spring said:

Do I need to bring each script bottle or can I just make a list of them & carry them in one container? I don't have time to ask my MD for a letter.

We never take my husbands original bottles.  He has a list of what he takes on his phone, and we use tiny individual bags to put his day/night pills in for each day.  Works great.  I carry them in my tote on the plane or ship.  We never pack them in checked luggage.

On 5/21/2023 at 9:54 PM, Tippyton said:

Background - 1x HAL (Mexican Riviera), 1X Princess (Alaska), 2x NCL (Alaska and Western Caribbean), 8?x CCL.  Self, DW, 2X adult DD (21/24), MIL/FIL.  At this point we look at itineraries first and price, not necessarily line or ship. In no particular order...

 

Itinerary - only Costa Maya was new for us.  They cut the port time short before the cruise, so all board was 12:30 PM.  Our excursion had been cancelled due to this, so we walked (squeezed?) around the base port for an hour or so.  Like our short stop last year in Ketchikan on NCL - a completely worthless stop,  We did not venture out of the "trap".  On Cozumel we rented a jeep and drove around the island, stopping at a few bars and the Punta Sur preserve.    In Roatan (our 4th visit) we did the Jolly Roger tour through the ship.  We ended up in the water for about 45 minutes.  The catamaran was not near as well appointed as one we took in Barbados in 2019 (CCL trip), and the overall excursion was....boring.  Considering the price, I would go private tour again all day long.  A huge disappointment.

 

Ship - the ship was nice.  We did not feel it was difficult to get around or navigate as some ships seem to be.  The decor was more modern and lacked the kitchy (sp?) look many other ships.  It seemed more like a destination resort a la Gaylord Texan than a cruise ship, and there was plenty to do.  The downside was that with >6000 PAX, it is crowded.  In some cases (e.g. karaoke) a large crowd is more fun. Otherwise it was difficult to find a quiet spot outside of your room.  At the end of the day, I don't really know how I feel about that size of a ship.  I did love the 5th deck walking track going all around the ship - I love that feature on some of the older boats. 

 

Entertainment - We did Mama Mia and the Aqua show - both were probably the best shows we've seen on a cruise ship.  The music groups on the ship were all very good.  There was a group (5-piece band with a female singer) that played in Razzles and on the promenade and they were really good..  We also sat in on (also Razzles) a 9-piece jazz/swing band that played some old tunes from the early 20th century and on.  Very entertaining to listen to - I could have sat there if they played all night.  We went to the booking desk as soon as we got on the ship and reserved the two shows that were "no availability" pre cruise.  As mentioned above, if there is an activity you want to attend (karaoke, trivia, game shows, etc.) - best get there plenty early.

 

Room - we were on Deck 14 aft in a inside balcony.  Never really felt the ocean because we basically had flat seas the whole trip.  Again - the experience was more like a destination resort than a cruise ship  The rooms were decently sized and appointed well.  Beds were very comfortable if you like firm beds,  Our A/C worked fine - nice and cool if you kept the room shut up.  One of these days it would be nice to have the lines put light switches and plugs by the beds.  Oh well.  One minor complaint is that the towels were the thin, small white prison-grade towels.  Really?  The room was fairly well insulated from noise from the hallways or from the plaza - surprisingly so.

 

Dining/Food - Windjammer was average at best.  Aside from the 1st day, they did not have a lunch carving station.  The main entrees seemed bland and uninspired, and the variety lacked IMO.  We did my time dining for dinner.  Pre-cruise we could only get 8:30 PM (not knowing the new drill) but we went to the dining room right after we booked the shows and they had a 6:45 opening for 6.  Perfect!.  I don't like RCLs version of MTD.  Either you have a set time to eat or you don't.  On other lines you queue up for dinner on a FCFS basis or you have a set time to eat - but we were fortunate to get a good time and never had to wait on our table.  The managers do a phenomenal job juggling those who have reservation vs those showing up.  I think everybody gets seated fairly quickly from what I could tell.  We did find out if you have a set time and don't show up twice in a row they open your table up.  As it should be.  We did do breakfasts either in the MDR or Windjammer.  Both were fine options.  Did one day at Johnny Rockets for breakfast - food was cold and meh at best.  Did eat one day at the Mexican restaurant by the sports courts.  I did not like it- really and I eat anything - flavors were either off or bland.  The salsa was a pre-packaged poor-mans imitation of Pace.  I thought the dinners overall in the MDR were very good.  All of our meals came out hot, well-seasoned, and the vegetables were always cooked perfectly.  The desserts were pretty good too.  The only off day was Italian night.  Some in our party had lasagna and it had a weird flavor profile, and the noodles were more like pasty dumpling dough than a cooked noodle.  Very off-putting TBH.  The sole was over cooked per one on our party, and my Chicken Parmesan lacked in the parmesan department.  It was not what I expected but I did eat it and it tasted good.  My one real complaint in the food department...the salad dressings were horrible with one exception.  The dressing on the Greek tapas on Med night was good.  All of the other "home-made" dressings did not taste very good, and the others were the worst versions of what they pretended to be.  Think YMCA camp as a kid.  The vinaigrette was sweet and fake, the bleu cheese was bad, the ranch tasted cheap, and the Caesar was equally bad.  Good dressings, made fresh, are very easy and inexpensive and also can be readily done in bulk.  Come on RCL.

 

People/Clientele - OK, let the controversy start.  We really don't pay attention much, so there's that.  There were ~ 6200 PAX @ 98% capacity, and roughly 1000 children (per staff).  Did not see really untoward or out-of-bounds behavior, not did we really see any obnoxious, loud drunks.  By and large, a pretty normal crowd (remember - destination resort feel vs. booze cruise).  Discussed this with DW on the way home - I think the size plays into this positively. [Volume drowns out the anomolies?].  Retirees, families, mixed single/married groups, families.  all good.  As for the kids, really did not see any obnoxious kids standing out or running amok - they were all pretty well behaved. [Same getting lost in the masses phenomenon?]

 

Misc. - the app was ok, except the chat feature worked only part of the time.  I had the internet package and that worked ok for web surfing, emails, and even some streaming like YT.  Getting on the boat was quick, and getting off the boat was quick too (we self-disembarked).  Although thee were a lot of people (have to have the "when in Rome" attitude towards this), did you rarely feel completely packed.  In fact, I've never seen it easier to get on or off at any port than this.  No backlogs, lines, or people pushed up against one another.  Just another piece of the overall layout that was I think intentional to manage 6000 PAX.

 

I'm sure I forgot a few things.  Any questions I will try to help.  Bottom line - no reason not to cruise RCL in the future, and no good reason not to sail on a mega ship either.

 

EDIT - the Solarium is a nice space too.

Love Allure, has always been my favorite ship.  Agree with you on the shows, they are all so good, staff is amazing, service outstanding.  We also do MTD and we go eat when we feel like it and never have issues.  I make reservations once in a while if we have a show we need to make, but otherwise we just go.  Love the vibe of Allure.  Have 2 booked on her for next year, but lots of other cruises on Royal booked right now - 21 in total.  Glad you had a great time!

If you go back to Roatan, do the Maya Key private island tour off Royal.  Boat picks you up right at the pier - you get off the ship and immediately get on the boat.  5 minute ride to the island which is gorgeous.  It is also an animal sanctuary, so we felt like we were at the zoo.  Beach was super nice, includes a lunch.  They have a pool and a bar and a gift shop.  Island is small enough and has a walking path, so I walked the island 4 times.  Best part - ZERO vendors!  We love West Bay, but just cannot deal with the vendors, they are insane there.  So going back to Maya Key again this October on Wonder and cannot wait.

19 hours ago, KPookey said:

I assume many tip above the mandatory amounts.  I assume US dollars are appreciated?

 

What is a typical, reasonable tip for a drink and to your dinner waiters at the end of the cruise? Does anyone tip at the Windjammer?
 

thanks 👍

 

 

We always tip extra.  All US$$.  Normally like a $1 per drink (we have the beverage pkg) and then we tip every night in the dining room since we do MTD and don't know or care if we have the same wait staff each night.  Then we leave extra for our cabin person at the end of the cruise.  And yes, we tip a couple dollars every morning in WJ when we have breakfast.

On 5/22/2023 at 2:08 PM, Darth Duane said:

Our cruise on the 25th is now showing activities in the app and it looks like the shows are showing as first come first serve as far as i can tell.

 

Are there no show reservations required for shows on Voyager?

 

Thanks for any clarification,

No reservations needed.  We just go off Voyager early April.  Just go early enough to get a good seat.

2 minutes ago, TheMastodon said:

Canaveral - haven’t been there in a while

yeah, have not been there in a while also.  Going in October, but I doubt they are any different.  

3 hours ago, TheMastodon said:

Does anyone actually arrive at their scheduled "check in time" ???  We usually arrive around 10:45AM and walk right on.  Wasn't sure if this was still kosher or not... It's been a few years since we've been on a ship - land resorts instead.  Can't wait to get on!!!!

Depends where your departure port is from.  I can tell you, Miami does not worry about it, nor does FLL  You go in, get checked in, go sit in the waiting area, and as soon as the ship is cleared, they board by row based on the time you get there.

Not often, but once in a while they have a Vet discount on a cruise, which is great.  We saw the Vet ceremony on Voyager end of March and a Vet sang the National Anthem.  It was very moving and special, made me cry since my husband is a Vet.  I love that Royal is having this ceremony for them.