loman

I dont mind the MDR . I always find something to eat , and always gain a few pounds on a cruise.

Last time we were on MTD and we were dispatched to different floors and tables each evening as we showed up early and they sourced an empty two top for us right away. 

All of the wait staff was excellent wherever we ended up and the food was not bad at all . 

With the free diamond drinks and no specialty dining , i guess im a freeloader in RC`s eyes , lol .😁

I tough it out and go to MDR every night. Im taking one for the team .🙂

I watched games in September in the English Pub on the Promenade on Harmony . 

One of the games there was a lady clapping really loud after almost every play , whether it was offense or defense on the field. Her husband sitting next to her had a real sad face .😌

I felt sorry for him.

I left early.

The escalator may be a challenge , but you have the option of the elevator when you are in the terminal. You may have to wait for it , but if you arent in a rush its a much safer bet if you are concerned about navigating the exit with large luggage.

1 hour ago, time4u2go said:

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I'm not a fan of it either. 

 

Im with you on this too. I prefer not to experience it .

Nope , no gty or royal ups for me. 

A week could be a very long time if i am near a noisy location .

I dont cruise that often , so its important to me to know where i will be located.

5 hours ago, brillohead said:

 

I have NEVER seen this allowed, and I've been on quite a few Oasis class cruises.

Yep  , September 9th on  Harmony . 

A first for me .

You would think they went over the rated capacity of the room . 

3 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

It's the size of the venue.  Fewer chairs than, say, the main theater.  

Absolutely, Id say the main theatre is 5 times bigger.

I googled the main theatre capacity at 1380 . 

Cant find the capacity of the Attic, but id hazard a guess at around  200 - 250

Thats the one venue that gets booked up real fast as soon as it opens up on line .

On the Harmony a few months ago , they let in quite a few in the stand by line. 

I didnt realize they let people stand at the back , not seated. 

If you do get a reservation once on the ship get to the show half an hour early to get a good seat.

The one thing we do before we put anything in the drawers is we wipe them down with antiseptic wipes , as we dont want to put clean clothes into what may have been used as a dirty underwear drawer . We let them air out and dry before we put anything in them.

We also wipe down the shelves as we have seen videos of people using them to store their shoes

rather than putting them on the floor where they belong. 

Takes about 5 minutes , makes us feel better . Meh .

I dont spend any extra on a cruise . I eat the included food and get the 4 free diamond drinks .

I have no desire anymore for excursions or extra fees for anything.

I look at those fees for all the extras and shake my head at how much RC abuses their guests.

I just enjoy the ship ( Oasis class ) and all it has to offer included in the fare price.

But thats me , everybody else can do what they like.🙂

1 hour ago, NSPenny said:

• The Solarium is the best secret for boarding day. Even though the pool area is adults only the buffet there is not and there is seating inside  I was on Symphony recently and it was a great spot to hang while the crowds descend on the Windjammer.  

1 hour ago, NSPenny said:

• The Solarium is the best secret for boarding day. Even though the pool area is adults only the buffet there is not and there is seating inside  I was on Symphony recently and it was a great spot to hang while the crowds descend on the Windjammer.  

Good advice, i did the same on the Harmony after i got a couple of pizza slices at Sorrentos .

It was relatively empty too.

Yes there are some changes as noted  , but overall , it will  be fine.

Enjoy your cruise .

A friend asked to see our cruise pictures . I never took any , lol .🙂

Never got my free diamond picture either as we never had one taken. 

We dont do pictures .

And i dont want to see others vacation pictures either . 🤣

Meh , i pay the gratuities in advance and let the company figure out who gets what .

You can get pizza on deck 5 and then check if the hot dog place is serving on the boardwalk on deck 6 .

By then maybe the lines are gone in the windjammer and you can get a seat there.

Nice pics, thanks for sharing. 

2 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

I'm willing to try it, if one of the big ships comes into Bayonne or Baltimore. Surely wouldn't fly anywhere to do a large ship solely for the sake of seeing how I like it, unless it's some amazing itinerary. I strongly suspect any large-ship experience would be once and done. Our cruises with Viking, with only 900+ passengers (let alone no kids!) has really got me liking their smaller ship feel. Easier to navigate for one thing. And, all their ocean ships are exactly the same! That works for me too. Less time spent learning a new ship layout = more time spent just enjoying being out on deck and such. With being 'directionally challenged', by the time I'd sort of learn my way around something like the Icon, the cruise'll be over.

I know the Symphony is in Bayonne in September . 

The ships are very easy to navigate with the Promenade going down the middle of the ship on deck 5 .    Boardwalk on 6 and Central Park on 8 .

Lots of activities and entertainment and plenty of places to eat.

Check out some youtube videos on Oasis class to get a feel for it and see if you might like it.

You should prebook shows before you go , and some pax dont like that. Or just show up and you can typically get in after the prebooked pax enter for most shows. ( comedy club maybe not )

Whatever you choose , enjoy your cruises !

18 hours ago, OnTheJourney said:

Amazing for sure, and neat article. Somehow, though, I have zero interest in sailing on that big a ship. Largest I've ever been on is the Adventure. I wouldn't mind trying Oasis class at least once I suppose.

We tried the different classes of RC ships and decided Oasis class was the best fit for us.

We had 645 MTD on Harmony. 

We would show up at around 6 and the gatekeeper would check for empty tables on any of the 3 floors. No other pax were around and no lines.

We needed a two top and were seated within 5 minutes.

You will get different waiters every time , but we dont mind as they were all great.

Hampton Inn & Suites by Hilton Miami Brickell Downtown

This one is highly rated , but dont know about a shuttle. 

Free breakfast though .

You captured the ship beautifully through your photography . Well done ! 

We are not messy , there is nothing left out and about, the few pieces of paper go in the trash along with a couple of water bottles and we pull up the sheets on the bed so it looks tidy.

We dont consume any food in the cabin either.

So late room cleaning works well for us.

OTOH there are some rooms we go by and look in , and it looks like a crime scene . 

Only thing missing is a body.😂

1 hour ago, SSPhone said:

I started a booking last week for a 7 night out of Tampa. Cost for a Balcony $3100 total, by the time I was done the rooms were sold out. Got a email this morning to complete the booking so for grins I tried to complete. Now the room is $4500. What the heck RCCL?

Have you tried a travel agent , they sometimes have group rates and could save you some $$

I book direct with RC and never have any problems . 

I think its because i know what i want and then dont make any changes.

Only thing i call in for is price drops and that was always handled well.

I used a TA the first couple of cruises and would never get a response from

emails or voice mails i left. 

They cost me a lot regarding price drops.

I will check out a particular TA the next cruise though. He seems like he would do a good job 

by the responses he gives on various questions.