DntlGal

We just got off the ship yesterday. We requested a bed topper over a year ago when we booked our cruise. There wasn't one on the bed and our cabin attendant had no idea what we needed. I asked if we could have a comforter put under the sheets and it took him 2 nights before he did it. He put in on horizontal instead of vertical with the bed so there were two lines where the comforter ended which made it lumpy. Our sheets were not changed the whole 7 day cruise. We've cruised 65+ cruises and this was the first time that's ever happened. They only clean your room once a day but at least they should still change your sheets. I change them every 4 days at home. I was thankful they had lightweight comforters on the bed instead of the weighted ones we've had on other cruises. I actually brought a lightweighted one with me but didn't have to use it. Now, I guess I'll have to bring a blow up mattress pad. Going on the Icon of the Seas shortly so am excited to see how their beds are.

When the steward asked us when we wanted our rooms cleaned.... I said I wanted morning and evening. She said we can only have one so we picked the morning. We did ask for extra towels so we would have enough. I did have to track her down a few times as she didn't give us enough of each. I wonder how the laundry is handling getting mass quantities of towels instead of a few throughout the day. We were told to put the dirty towels on the floor unless we wanted to reuse the towels to hang them back up. I hate putting them on the floor, not only is it nasty, but they are in your way. In the past, we didn't have to keep them there very long....now it was 23 hours till they were removed. I quess we could have put them in the shower, but would have to removed them to take another shower. I just want them removed and my bathroom cleaned. The people who have children in diapers will love not having them removed but once a day. Let's see if they are put in the hallways ..yuck !!!

I just got off the Serenade of the Seas where they started the once a day cleaning service. So now the cabin stewards have more rooms to clean which takes longer. Gone are the days when you left for breakfast and when you returned to your cabin your room was already cleaned. Our cabin wasn't cleaned till around 2:00. We would return from our shore excursion wanting to relax, get cleaned up but no, we weren't able to because our room was just being cleaned. We would take a shower around 3:00 getting ready for our early dinner at 5:00. So our towels, washcloths would lay on the bathroom floor till 2:00 the next day. If we took a shower in the morning, our towels along with the ones we used the night before were all piled up on the floor. There was only 2 of us, but cabins with 3-4 people in them good luck dealing with all those wet towels. Will people start putting them on their balcony or pile them up in the hallway along with their dirty dishes?  Needless to say, it's a tripping hazard along with having musty wet towels laying around for 23 hours. I don't need someone to turn down my bed, I want someone to clean the bathroom, removed the used towels and replace them with fresh ones and refill my ice bucket. If you ordered room service, your dirty dishes would sit around till the next day to be picked up. There isn't much room in the cabins for all these items to be laying around...along with the smell of old food. I noticed more dishes put outside in the hallway which then makes another tripping hazard and wheelchairs and walkers have an obstacle course for them to maneuver around. With norovirus on the rise and COVID still around, cleaning the cabins is a must in my opinion. Wait till the lawsuits start from people tripping,and getting sick from not having their cabins cleaned. 

I stayed up so I could check-in right when they opened the check-in process. I filled out all the sections except for our photos. We got the 9:00-9:30 check-in time.

We got our notification everything was accepted, and our check-in time was 9-9:30. A few days later, I go and put our photos in and it showed the check-in time was highlighted and it said 12:00-12:30 and later was the only option to pick. EVERYTHING I HAD BOOKED WHEN IT OPENED FOR CHECK-IN WAS GONE. I called NCL and they told me, yes, anytime you edit the check-in it goes back to checking in all over again. We just returned from a cruise on Royal Caribbean and I checked in our information just like I did with NCL and put our photos in later. Royal saved all the information and I could edit the photos with no problems and NOT losing our check-in time. Needless-to-say, I AM PRETTY UPSET this happened....especially since I stayed up after 12:00 AM so I could check-in for the early time. Hope no one else has this same problem. We have been cruising for many years (55+ cruises) and this one will be our 5th one this year. Booking check-in times are since COVID but this is the first time I've had these issues. NCL needs to revamp their check-in process in my option. 

We were on the May 15th cruise and the ship was almost at full capacity. They were basically treating the cruise like it was before Covid...no social distancing, not wearing masks, not limiting people in elevators, and self-serve in the buffet. One of the things I noticed was the server in the dining room was wearing gloves while he went from table to table picking up people's glasses, filling them, and putting them back down. He then went from table to table doing the same without changing gloves (can't see that happening). So basically, he's transferring everyone's germs from glass to glass. I actually said something to the head waiter and he said they do that so the ice doesn't fall into the glass and splash everyone. I would rather they don't pick my glass up after touching everyone's and take the risk of getting splashed rather than take the risk of getting Covid or Norovirus. They also are constantly moving your silverware around (again after touching everyone's with their contaminated hands from picking up everyone's used dishes and silverware, etc) which then you are putting in your mouth. This many not bother many people, but it is a way Covid and Norovirus can be spread. I know there were people on our cruise who got it. They had to cancel the Grease show as the cast got Covid. I heard people talking in the halls that they weren't feeling well and others said to them NOT to go to the infirmary as they would be quarantined. They just went around infecting others. This was our 45th cruise, 3rd since 2022 and we have 3 other's booked this year. It won't stop us from cruising but we also take precautions most people don't. I'm a healthcare worker so we are trained to pay more attention to disinfecting than others. 

Why would they penalize cruisers that are loyal to their cruise line? They know there are other cruise lines we can go on but we stay loyal to Royal Caribbean. Big mistake in my option if they cut back on any of our perks. We have spent a lot of money cruising with them and they want us to continue. The cruise industry has taken a big hit with Covid and now the increase in buying products. To penalize us for that is a big risk they shouldn't take. We have cruised on the other cruise lines and if they do make changes we can always change our cruise line (which I don't want to.. I LOVE Royal).

Thank you so much. 

Going on a cruise in May and Royal says check-in opens March 31st. Does anyone know the exact time you can check in. Is it 12:01 A.M or another time such as when their business office opens around 8:00 A.M. ?  Thank you for your help. 

The test kits that are being used now were expired in September but they got special permission to use them till end of December. Does anyone know when the new updated kits will be coming out ? Our cruise is the first week of January so must get ones that are not expired.

We just got off the Rhapsody today, March 7, 2020. They docked the Rhapsody in the water and boat tendered us into Cozumel. There were 7 ships in that day and since ours was the smallest they had boat tenders to take us into the downtown pier. We had the Key so got on the tender first but waited 45 minutes before the tender left. Most people were late for their shore excursions but most waited for them to arrive before they left. They extended or stay in Cozumel because of this.

We just returned today, March 7, 2020. We docked in the water and were boat tendered into the downtown pier. There were 7 ships in that day and since ours was the smallest they tendered us. We had the Key package so was escorted onto the tender ahead of everyone but we all waited 45 minutes before the tender left !!!  Everyone was late for their shore excursions but most everyone waited till all the people showed up.

I take a picture of the daily newsletter showing where we are and the date. I know all the pictures I take after that are from that port/sea day and the date. Repeat every day.  I also have a see through mesh zipper bag I put our wallets, keys, money in and put it in the safe. It keeps everything together and nothing gets left behind by hiding in the safe. A UV toothbrush holder will keep your toothbrush germ free. 

We just return from a week cruise on the Harmony of the Seas 2 weeks ago. We paid $101.61 for the Voom package mentioned in heading above.

We are going on another cruise in a few months on a small ship out of Tampa and for the same exact package it now costs $203.92. It's $25.49

a day where we just paid $14.52 a day...and we are basically going to the same ports. I just received an email this morning saying this Voom package

was up to 50% off. I called Royal to find out why the price was so much higher. The agent said she was showing it's $23.99 a day for a total of $167.93.

I don't understand why there are different prices between ships, email "discount" prices, and what agents have.  I just looked up when I purchased the Harmony's Voom package and it's almost the same time between sailings so it's not a last minute price. I thought if you booked earlier it would be cheaper...

We are Emerald status and will be reaching Diamond status later this year. I find this extremely frustrating and almost dishonest. They make you have to keep checking

the prices to see if they come down and then you have to call them to get the cheaper price (hopefully, that will happen). It wastes their time and mine to have to do that.

We also have a on board credit but she said she didn't see it so I had to pay with a credit card. 

Thank you everyone for your helpful replies. We booked a room at the Country Inn and Suites. Looking forward to our stay there.

I was on Trip adviser and looked at many hotels. I always check the lowest ratings along with the highest. Many said the hotel smelled moldy and musty. I am allergic to mold and get asthma from it. I am trying to prevent a medical issue by picking the wrong hotel. I know everyone on this message board is so helpful and kind so that is why I asked your opinions. Thank you to all who have given nice responses. To the one who didn't... I'm not interested in staying in Orlando at this time. 

I was on Trip adviser and looked at many hotels. I always check the lowest ratings along with the highest. Many said the hotel smelled moldy and musty. I am allergic to mold and get asthma from it. I am trying to prevent a medical issue by picking the wrong hotel. I know everyone on this message board is so helpful and kind so that is why I asked your opinions. Thank you to all who have given nice responses. To the one who didn't... I'm not interested in staying in Orlando at this time. 

We are spending the night near Port Canaveral before our cruise. I've read the reviews and so many say the hotel was dirty, smelled musty and moldy.

Bed sheets were dirty and other bad reviews. I am hoping someone has a hotel they recommend that they have had a good experience staying there.

Thank you all for your help.

We were on the Sun last week and LOVED our stay in Cuba. We just booked it 2 weeks before we left and are so happy we did. It was our 30th cruise and first time on Norwegian. We will cruise on Norwegian again as we loved the ship, food, and staff. We are so sad for everyone who wants to go to Cuba. Hopefully, the cruise industry will find a way around this ban. 

I don't know why it has July 6, 2008 below my name but I just posted this November 11, 2018. Strange...

Do they have aerial shows every day and do they let you know what time?

Thank you for your honest experience on this cruise. We also were on the same cruise and fully agree with you. The ABC islands were enjoyable to visit along with Labadee. This was our 26th cruise (not all with RCI) and felt the experience was not up to par with the other RCI cruises we took. Royal always advertises they pride themselves in the best cruise ship activities and entertainment that will make everyday and night an unforgettable vacation experience. We also feel the entertainment was lacking. We loved the 1 ice show but we actually walked out of the broadway show along with other people. We loved Giovanni's and felt the filet was much better there than all the other times we have eaten at Chops .I found the food in the main dining room to be so salty that my legs and ankles swelled up (never happened before).

We always purchase liquor and perfume on the ships but found their prices were higher than what we pay at home. We even showed the salesperson the lower price on our cell phone and she just said to buy it at home. We have always gotten better deals in the past as they claim it's duty free. We loved the ship but it is in need of refurbishment. The carpets on our floor smelled like mold and mildew so they were always spraying something to mask the smell. Disembarkation was a nightmare. We took the cruise connection bus and we had to wait 2 1/2 hours for the last passenger to get off the ship and their number was 8. Ours was 5 and after over an hour of waiting we walked off with # 2's. So disorganized and no one knew what they were doing. It ended up with everyone jammed in the walkways all trying to leave the ship at once. We were on the Oasis last year and we got on and off the ship in 15 minutes. We were so impressed with that !!

We did book 2 more cruises while we were on the ship ( 11 day and a 7 day) and hope they are better than what we just experienced. I also hope Royal Caribbean reads these reviews and listens to what their seasoned guests would like. It's hard to not have the great food, service, and entertainment we have had in the past especially since we are also paying more for the cruise. To a new cruiser they have nothing to compare it to but we know better.