Max and Ruby

I'm so sorry to read about your story.  We were burned at Christmas time with Southwest and their fiasco. Missed our Christmas cruise.  At least our bags never left either.  In your case, at least your excursions and Airbnb are being reasonable and giving you refunds! 

Just make sure you have screen shots of the cancelled flights, and all documentation that you can.  I did get partial cruise money back (a long story that involved the cruise line), but depending on your brand of  Travel Insurance, some are easier to deal with than others.

Hi! I tried searching the forum for this and can't find the answer.  I just ordered Izumi dinner for $36pp and scheduled using the app.  I understand that the sushi rolls will be half the size than if you buy ala carte.  My question is this.  How do I make a dinner reservation when paying ala carte?  I know you can do that for lunch as I did that in April 2022, but that was during pandemic and ships were running differently. 

Now I don't really care about the sushi size, but I think I can save money on our dinner because my daughter only wants 2 servings of the Shrimp Tempura appetizer and dessert.  I am OK with just 1 sushi plate and passing on dessert. 

So... do I have to schedule the dinner in person as soon as we board or are all dinners prix-fixe regardless if you book online ahead of time or in person on ship?

I do like the day and time I received online, and there are 2 others eating with is that would eat more than us 2 "birds".  If it was just me and DD I would push for a lunch.

Thanks in advance.

I have been at Cape Liberty 2x over the last 12 months and boarding that ship was a mess both times.  I was unfortunately boarding last June when Oasis had to pull away from the dock and was away for about 2 hours before we could board. We had 10:30, and could not board until 12:30.  What a mess!

Then in April  2023 (the week before Easter) again I had 10:30 check in time, but it turned out to be a surprise Coast Guard inspection.  Those with the 10 and 10:30 check in times were texted to now arrive at 1pm with all aboard at 1:30!  We guessed that was because boarding would be delayed due to Coast Guard. But why not just shift all  embarkation by an hour rather than make those who got early times last?  To top it off, the Coast Guard inspection was over early so those with the 10:30 check in could have arrived on time rather than wait.

So you just never know what is going to happen!

Thank you all for your thoughts.  I'm nervous leaving my bags outside the cabin last night of the cruise and for me not seeing them again until 2 days later 6am! (Red eye flight). Even dirty clothes are my favorite clothes and I'd hate to have them lost. 🙂 We will have carry ons with us for valuable items, passports, etc..

2 minutes ago, robmtx said:

And here I was thinking I was the only one enduring this ritual! We need a support group. I especially love when we first get into a room and I can't touch anything. I can lay on the bed.. She'll clean the remote then give it to me .. Then she'll stink the place up with Lysol and I'll go for a walk.. lol

Uh, don't forget to look for bed bugs before lying on that bed! 🙂  We actually do that in hotels and probably should do it in cruise cabins, but I'm not getting another cabin .....

I would try for this, but I'd have to have my big box agency call and my days of sitting on the phone with them forever while they call Royal are done.  I can't order transfers online unless it is an after cruise "excursion".

Anyway, we chose Seattle Express to get to the pier and back to airport after. Told that it's kind of pricey by others ($ almost $50 pp RT) but used them back in 2019 and we liked them.  We like being picked up from our airport area hotel and having a scheduled time.

1 hour ago, The Fun Researcher said:

 

Exactly, this is a once in a lifetime trip for our group of 16.  Last year I scoured itineraries and cruise lines to insure our best cruise experience.  Skagway was critical to that decision. 

 

Background:  My sisters and I sent my parents on an Alaskan cruise (on Celebrity) over 20 years ago for their 35th wedding anniversary.  The two port highlights for them were the train in Skagway, and the wales in Juneau.  For our July cruise on the Quantum, our group of 16 (my parents, siblings, grandkids) were going to recreate their experience by all doing the White Pass train together.  I can't say how sad this makes me feel.  My parents are in their mid-late 70's now.  We won't be able to do this again.  So frustrated with Royal.  This is the real implications of their decisions.  I'm sure we're not alone.

 

The landslide is nothing new, but they decided bait us in knowing full well the circumstances.  The cruise is far less attractive with Icy Straight Point instead of Skagway.   Royal knows this.  They wanted to keep their itineraries attractive.  Fill the ship, keep the cruise fare high. 

 

This has obliterated our (and many others I would guess) once in a lifetime opportunity with our family in Skagway.  😢😢😢  Thanks for listening to my sob story.

 

I've never reached out to Royal to state my frustration, but I feel the need in this case.  Is there an email contact that will get somewhere where it actually gets read and replied to?

I'm so sorry.  Royal should make it a choice if you want to cancel the cruise and get a refund or credit.  Not just be like "Oh well". But I know, I know it states in the cruise contract that they can change the ports.

On 5/1/2023 at 2:35 PM, The Fun Researcher said:

We had the new menus on the Anthem in March, and I would say my main takeaways are:

 

1. Food quality was the same.  Good temperature, well prepared.
2. I missed having the lamb chops, (my second favorite entrée behind the beef tenderloin)
3. There were just enough occurrences of the escargot and French onion soup to keep us moderately satisfied.  We did miss having those as daily offerings.
4. I miss the little tiny scallop appetizer they used to serve in the same dishes they use for Escargot
5. The "one lobster tail" restriction didn't bother us
6. Overall, if we didn't know the previous menus so well, we would have considered the current MDR offerings to be excellent.  I still think it's excellent, but there are a couple of things we each missed.

 

As a side not, not sure what sauce they were putting on the pork bao buns but it was terrible.  Not at all in line with the typical Asian flavor profile the other times we've had them.  Used to LOVE those bao buns, but couldn't even finish one.  Hopefully it was just a one off occurrence.

I also was on Anthem, but an April cruise.  I was actually dreading the MDR due to reviews, but was pleasantly surprised by some of the food. I'm not a big eater and honestly my daughter and I rarely ate an app, entrée and desert in 1 meal , but what we did eat for the most part temps were fine.  I thought the Indian was good, but I don't like spicy.  Have read that for REAL Indian food lovers, the entrées are too bland.

The weirdest entrée we did get was the "chicken breast".  My daughter got 2 very thick breasts that were overcooked as a choice 1 night.  There was fine print like if you didn't want Caribbean Chicken, you could get just a chicken breast. She ate some and then we stopped by Sorrento's later that evening.

Let me also add that our waiters were so good.  They kept asking us "is there something wrong with the food?" if we didn't eat all of it.  We said "No, we are just not big eaters."  

50 minutes ago, njkruzer said:

I can use my phone.  Dh, forner IT guy, doesn’t want to bother.  Still like paper. 

I too use my phone and actually like the app for checking the balance on my account and menus, and that's about it.  I'm not even 50 and I like my paper and so do my teens. 🙂 They want nothing to do with the app.  So far so good with asking for paper copies and getting them.

On 4/2/2023 at 2:25 PM, orville99 said:

We pack 4 of these to do the same:

 

Hi! Do you pack the magnets in your checked bag or carry on? Just wondering about magnets passing security in airports. Thanks!

23 hours ago, twangster said:

I asked the Voom person about expectations for Starlink in Alaska.  I received an answer suited for the pre-Starlink days, mountains and being too far North, blocking the satellites, mountains everywhere, etc.  

Boo!  We are going to Alaska and my husband already complaining that I paid for internet package.  I am very dumb when it comes to IT stuff.  Maybe you can answer for me. I have a FitBit and am obsessed with syncing the watch and my phone (app). It is my understanding that the tech works via Bluetooth, but  it appears that if I don't have wifi, I can't sync my watch to my phone app.  I had to open the cabin door when I woke up to get my wifi signal to sync and see my sleep stats.  If we don't have wifi package on cruise I will be SOL with syncing my FitBit and iphone?

I know, I can just wait until we are in port and use my regular cell phone plan to sync. Data saved for a whole week on the watch itself, but like I said, I have a problem. 🙂 LOL!

1 hour ago, paross4 said:

The ones we received on the Serenade in March (this year) were similar to the old ones.  The main difference was straighter sides and no ships names on them. (just the C&A and Coke logo)

 

 

I also received this on Anthem in April.  I like it.  Not as bulky to carry around as the old style.

2 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Reiterating what someone else said:  I never return towels (until the end of the cruise, obviously); rather, I exchange them.  That is, I get my towels on Day 1 and exchange them, exchange them, exchange them.  

 

Benefits of this system:  

- My room number isn't going in /out of the computer multiple times per day, so less chance of human error. 

- I have towels in my room as early (or late) as I want -- even if the towel station is closed. 

 

Negatives of this system: 

- I always have a shelf full of towels in my cabin closet. I don't care, but a cabin housing 3-4 people might need that shelf for clothing.  

- I have to remember to bring them up to the pool deck.  

 

One more thing:  If you don't return a towel, the cost is $25.  

 

 

Thanks for the idea!

@Toddcan  What time did the garage open for you? I was told on another thread that the garage doesn't open until 10, but it looks like you were able to get in before 10.  TIA!

@Merion_Mom Ok.  Good to know.  We parked last June in the open lot for our cruise.  No garage because many ships.  We were in the terminal at 10.  

11 hours ago, Toddcan said:

From our Anthem cruise last week, a common tactic was to come into the theatre JUST as they lowered the lights for the show to start, and make your way to the near front, and ask 6 people to move down a few seats so you can get 2 open seats together.  

😆 omg

3 hours ago, Weluv2cruise2gether said:

We were on same sailing. Never asked for them. They were placed in our room everyday by our room steward. And, we were expecting housekeeping only once a day, but our cabin was serviced 2 times a day. 

Interesting.  I guess it's the luck of the room steward!

No one in my family cares to download the RC app, so we'd prefer paper so I don't have to hand over my phone all cruise!

Hi!  Thanks for doing this. Obviously you were able to get  paper copies of Cruise Compass.  Did you ask your room steward or have to get them at Guest Services?

This time I sure hope Anthem doesn’t pull the “ move out of the way” at the dock which suspended boarding for 2 hours!!! That was terrible waiting in that holding room with hundreds of passengers. 

I remember from summer that the parking is a zoo so I wanted to get there a bit earlier, but balance between those disembarking and us embarking.

My teen daughters won’t even go to the teen club. They spotted behaviors that they did not want to be around. They told us and we were like “ yeah, uh no. “ So we always made it a family cruise. 
 

Going week before Easter with my 15 yo DD and we plan on having our own fun together.  

Not to change the subject on this thread, but what has been the earliest check in time the last few weeks? I’m traveling in April and I see that ship leaves Bayonne earlier than summer cruises. I have 10:30 check in and wondered if that was earliest boarding?

Thanks! 

Paid $73 pp during Black Friday sale. Cheapest ever was $50 some per person on a cruise last year. 

16 minutes ago, NightOne said:

 

It seems like all the people selling the travel insurance policies dance around this question until you nail their foot to the floor and then the go silent. 😞

 

I would like a real answer at some point in the future. (from someone) 

I hear you!  This flight business has changed my mind on what my future trips look like.

Any pay attention to your delivery app notifications.  I have USPS, and the day the passport was delivered to me, it actually was not delivered to ME.  Mail person delivered my daughter's passport to my NEIGHBOR.  I was frantic at first and went mailbox to mailbox to find it. UGH. The Passport website only had status marked as "printing".