RoperDK

I am sorry to hear about your wife's crohns condition. I have autoimmune microscopic colitis and while it is not as severe are crohns, I have to plan for the worse while traveling. I preemptively take my normal meds and emergency meds in case a flare happens. In other words, my GI has me take meds as if in an active flare for a time before traveling and continues the course along with stepped up meds in case things escalate. I then wean myself off after the trip. It has worked for me. Because your wife's condition is more complicated, I would reach out to Royal and tell them of your concerns. It would be better to have the peace of mind that your wife will be properly accommodated. Best of luck and enjoy your cruise!

Yes, this is correct. No 5% fee if you charge your room for cash at a slot. The 5% is charged for a cash advance at the cashier unless you are prime or above. To ensure this slot charge privilege doesn't go away. Spin a few times at the slot before going to cash it out. Other cruise lines have caught on to the cash out trick used by some to just get walking around money and not recycling it in the casino.

People can and have been quarantined for a confirmed flu diagnosis. The difference with covid is they can move you to another lesser category cabin. I am hoping that they will now allow you to quarantine in your assigned and paid for cabin.

Not on the Allure, but Odyssey to Southern Caribbean. Also, on Mariner recently. We were able to book the days and times we wanted to eat for My Time Dining on the app a few weeks before boarding. Tried to book another night closer to boarding and my preferred time wasn't available, but the next time slot was. We eat later, 7:30ish, and just walked right up to the desk and were shown to our table. We did not eat in MDR on the first night or formal night though.

So, I've decided to rent a scooter for my upcoming Harmony of the Seas cruise. I am having hip replacement after the cruise and while I can walk, long distances with a cane are no fun. I have a Grand Suite and only need the smaller scooter size and I've been told it will fit in the cabin door just fine. I have a question about the functioning of the scooter. Do the arms fold up? Does the seat swivel? If I have to maneuver out of the seat by contorting my hip then a wheelchair would be better for me. How do you "mark" your scooter to easily see that it's yours when parked among other scooters. Is one company better than another? Lastly, can recent Port Canaveral terminal 1 renters confirm that I can pick up a scooter outside of the terminal for either company? You can tell I'm a novice for sure. TIA

We are doing Chops lunch. Sauteed mushrooms aren't on the menu as a side. Do you think they would add them if we request it?

Thanks so much! We will be on the Harmony in a Grand Suite. I only need their smallest scooter. I read that it will fit in the regular size door. How do you get through the cabin door by yourself? I can get out of the scooter and open the door, but it closes automatically. Also, as a new "driver" any hints on navigating the bridge walkway to get on the ship?

Please tell me more about picking up the scooter outside the terminal at Port Canaveral. I am having hip replacement following our cruise and can't walk long distances. I thought the scooter would be in your stateroom. Picking it up outside of the terminal would be great! Saves time in waiting for wheelchair assist at the port.

I wonder if the requirement to move from your cabin to quarantine will go away? That has been a worry of mine. I like my balcony and fresh air!

Thanks for the help. Check in was magically available, lol.

Today was our check in day. I got my coffee and tried to check in at 5 AM. The app continually says check in not available or that check in has checked out. I've heard of this before, but never experienced it myself. I force stopped the app. I cleared cache. I uninstalled and reinstalled. Help, what else can I do?

I did search the forum, but didn't get the answer I needed. I am determined to cruise prior to a hip replacement. I can walk, but long distances and prolonged standing really do me in. I can rent a wheelchair or scooter to help me out. I don't have a handicap cabin. My husband can push the wheelchair for my longer travels. I will use my cane for short distances. I am a bit scared of a scooter. Elevators and tight spaces with a lot of people make me break out in a cold sweat. I have used wheelchair assistance to get on board and disembark before. Can you fold and park your wheelchair or park your scooter outside of the casino or dining areas? Has anyone had one stolen? Any helpful hints would be appreciated. FYI...we are on a Royal Caribbean Oasis class ship and it is BIG.

Oh my, so many memorable cruises. Each was great in its own way. I am older now and not as mobile. I missed out on Australia, Tahiti, and the Mediterranean. I am not sure that I will be able to be adventurous anymore. I love watching the sea roll by and am most happy while on a cruise. If I had to pick my favorites, then these are the ones that I remember the most. Alaska Hawaii Panama Canal

So, I have to admit that I read the first and last page of this thread. However, I feel that I understand the feelings that KmomChicago is expressing. We have cruised on Carnival for over 20 years and have 25 cruises with Carnival under our belt. In the last few years we have been disappointed in Carnival's product. We don't like to dress to the nines and put on airs, but I do want good food and service. Our only post covid cruise was on Mardi Gras and we have one more booked. If it doesn't get better, we are done with Carnival. We have cruised on Princess several times and it wasn't our cup of tea. Food and service moderately better, but no fun. It was boring to us. I would try Celebrity, but we probably prefer to dress too casually and what the heck are we going to do all day? Lounging and reading aren't our top priority. We went back to Royal after our Mardi Gras experience and haven't looked back. It is more expensive, but I feel the food and service quality is worth it. Their loyalty tier and casino benefits are great and help bring the cruise prices in line. We are not luxury cruise line folks, but have to admit that a European river cruise would be amazing. Try another Oasis or Quantum class cruise and see how it compares.

I have cruised shortly after leg surgery. This is what we did. Go to the windjammer early or late and sit close to the food stations. DH knows what I like and brought me a plate. Silverware tucked into a pants pocket. He would then go get his plate. By then, wait staff would stop by and I would tell them what we wanted to drink. He would pick up dessert for both of us. It really wasn't all that complicated. Toting trays and carryalls might not be necessary. Just sharing our experience.

I totally missed that. I love cake and the windjammer's versions weren't great to me. A plus for Carnival is they have multiple types of cakes (5 to 7) that they slice for you at the lunch buffet and they are quite yummy. The rest of the time they are just like Royal where everything looks good, but lacks flavor. JMHO

Most of our cruises have been on Carnival. Their 50% military discount was too good to pass up back in the day. I felt the food quality and selection was great. That has not been the case in the past 5 years or so. They offer many great free fast food type options, but I miss the quality offered in the MDR and buffet. While the staff tried very hard, they were overworked and service suffered. I haven't given up on Carnival, but for now we are Royal cruisers.

Well, I guess there is no answer as to which ship the OP was on. We were very impressed with the windjammer on Odyssey. Omelets were made to order. I enjoyed the meat selection at the grill. Really enjoyed the steamed veggies, too. I'm a meat and veggie kinda gal. I don't go for casserole type items, but my DH enjoyed them. The only complaint I had was that the desserts were bland. We have only been on Odyssey and Mariner since startup, but never went to windjammer on Mariner for some reason. I wonder if some ships are more "up to standard" than others.

Well, I am late to this thread. We were on Mardi Gras last October, our 25th Carnival cruise. We had an Ocean Suite and twenty years of Carnival sailings on all Carnival ship classes except Vista Class. We have our 25th milestone cruise on Mardi Gras next January. If there is no improvement from our last several Carnival cruises, it will be our last. We had previously cruised on NCL, Princess, and RCL. Didn't care for NCL. Princess was too boring for us, but much better in the service department. RCL is our go to now. Food in the MDR and Windjammer is so much better to us. Carnival does have more free fast food options, which are great. However, RCL has free pizza and Cafe Promenade or Park Cafe with great free options. Lately, service is much better on Royal. Royal's loyalty program and casino program are great. I didn't have this opinion of Carnival 5 years ago. It has slowly degraded in quality and that was before Covid. Royal is overall more expensive, but that is worth it for the cruise experience we are looking for. YMMV.

It is painless. It is automatically charged to your onboard account. If you have OBC it comes off of that. If not, it goes to your credit card charge for the whole trip. I have my cruise lines mixed up, so not sure if it is charged daily or at the end of the cruise. The envelopes do show up and it is your choice whether you give extra or not.

Yes, this!

Couldn't you call and cancel your prepaid tips? You should get that money back as a refund and then use your OBC to pay tips. I believe that would work.

Lol, they have my Canadian Club. What more could you want. 😀 I am easy to please!

Is it just me or does the CK lunch menu seem odd? We usually have a JS and love eating in CK for dinner. The breakfast menu seems on point. However, the lunch menu appears to be a redo of dinner items. I believe the old menu used to have salads, flatbreads, and sandwiches for lunch. That would be a more traditional lunch for most. Is there an "anytime" menu with more traditional options?

We are in a GS next cruise. Does everyone tip per meal or at the end of the cruise? We usually travel in a JS and if we have dinner at CK we usually leave a cash tip on the table before leaving. We will be eating more meals at CK this time and was wondering what everyone usually does. In the MDR, we tip extra at the end of the cruise. Thanks!