ptf2009

Is the ship in excellent condition? We sail on her in February.

Happy Cruising everyone!

18 hours ago, rudeney said:

So in other words, lie so that your insurance company and the government pays for your test?

No, it is not lying at all...if you read the first question it does pertain to all of cruisers....we will all be susceptible because we are going to be around lots of people for a period of time.

7 hours ago, kpgibbs said:

I would prefer to not have a COVID resurgence.  BUT I did notice Royal is having a flash sale today.  Inside balcony is cheaper then my inside cabin.  My TA is looking into it now.  Fingers crossed.  

Sure hope it works out for you that you can get two balcony cabins! I know someone suggested getting one cabin for the three of you....but somehow I don't think your son and his GF would like that😎 Plus it will be nice for you to have the privacy of your own cabin and bathroom. Let us know if your TA had any luck!

Happy Cruising!! Allure is such a fun ship with Mamma Mia!!

Yeah! So happy to hear that we can serve our own food in the WJ again! It really was such a pain trying to get someone's attention.

1 hour ago, colliece said:

Just got off the Odyssey on Sunday, we sailed at 92% capacity, this weeks sailing is over 100%.  I am going to be honest and some may disagree, but it was not as great an experience.  I know the lines need larger capacities to make a profit, but their were not enough deck chairs or activities on board for that many people.  Long lines for or reservations required, never did get to to iFly or the Zone Zero. 

 

Got spoiled with 50% capacity on our last few cruises.  I would personally pay more to have fewer passengers on board, but we may be in the minority. 

 

On an unrelated note, I wish the "Chair Hogs" would have to walk the plank.  I would be up early to go to the fitness center and at 7am there was plenty of chairs, but at 8:30 after my workout and before breakfast, every chair was "claimed" with a towel/boo/etc.  They they would be unoccupied for hours.   

We were on Odyssey at the end of January with 2 other couples when the ship was at about 40% capacity. While it is a beautiful new ship, we all wondered how it would work at full capacity. Our concerns were for the venues that just did not have that many seats: Playmakers (not many seats to watch popular sporting events), 270 (The Book show where the best seats were right up front..but bring your earplugs as it is very Loud music and the show makes no sense at all). No worries about needing a seat for the Music Hall as you could hear the extremely loud music all around that area. We couldn't even imagine the lines for the bumper cars, I-FLY, and other activities. 

Because of the above, we will not go on that class of ship again.

1 hour ago, The sea calls my name said:

Had an Antigen test at CVS yesterday was all new procedure took 2 hours for myself and husband. They now have to take your V/S, medical and surgical history, medication review. If any abnormal findings you then are required to see the Nurse Practitioner.  My SH blood pressure was elevated ( we knew that I had taken it before we left to go. also I am a retired cardiac nurse so was not alarmed). All this to say new protocols, new procedures and soon everyone will be charged for the test.

You now have to make the appointment the day of the exam not 14 days in advance.

 

Whoa...this sure is different than the last several times we had the rapid test at CVS. We just stayed in our car and the CVS person gave us the q-tip to do the test ourselves while he or she watched. I don't like the idea of having to give them all of our medical information. Plus I have white coat syndrome and my BP is always high when I go to the doctor. ggggrrrr..... I mean what will happen if my BP is high? At home it is very normal...and often below 120.

What part of Florida do you live? We are in the northeast part...hope our CVS is not like yours!

Columbus beach is not rocky and is easy to get into the water. It is located to the left when you enter the island. I think there are also vehicles who will drive you over there because it is kind of a hike walking to that area.

So good to hear that Labadee is now open and accepting the cruise ships.

ooops..sorry about that!

is RC stopping in Labadee now? We have it on our April and May itineraries.

On 3/1/2022 at 5:00 PM, Mikew0805 said:

Different Strokes. We loved Tap Factory & The Book on Odyssey, all three times. Looking forward to them at then end of this month again.

 

However, I will say that I miss there being a big Broadway show. 

Happy that you enjoyed them. We thought the Book was soooo weird and so was the Tap Factory. The entertainment on the Odyssey the week we were on it was not up to RC standards. Ship is beautiful...just wish they would turn down the volume...our poor ears!!!!

Let's just hope RC doesn't ruin this new class with entertainment like "The Book" and Tap dancers. And maybe, just maybe, they will turn down the volume in all the venues...pool deck included. 😎

Happy Cruising everyone!

10 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Not sure I follow you.  Jersey Boys is not a show on Odyssey.  

oops..I meant the"Journey" impersonators that had been on last week.

But I think I may have figured out why the volume was so amplified....there were a lot of older cruisers and perhaps RC thought they may have been hard of hearing. Since my DH and I were younger than most of the cruisers and we have very keen hearing, the volume affected our ears to the point that it was irritating and intolerable. Stuffing them with kleenex balls and then covering our ears did help us get through some of the shows. The Music Hall was the worst!

The really good news: we now know what the quantum class is like and we never have to go on that class again. For those who enjoy the music blasting in your ears, Happy Cruising!!

1 hour ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Music Hall was packed most nights, and the Esplanade was a bit crowded. 

John, you didn't mind the noise? the Music Hall was unbearable:(:(:( Just walking by it I had to plug my ears!!!! The singers were screaming into the microphone!!

28 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Interesting take on the Solarium. I found her pool a big improvement over Oasis and Allure.

 

Trade off with Symphony 

As for the Odyssey pool...I was trying to convey that if they were going to bother putting in a pool, make it deeper than 2 ft! The Oasis class solarium pools are not good either:) 

Odyssey...beautiful ship, but very impractical.

Our entertainment last week was very disappointing also...no jersey boys for us.

23 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Ive never sailed a Q class ship prior to Odyssey and the last 6 years have been exclusively Oasis class.  Granted I was only on her for a 2 day sailing but I can't wait for our Alaska cruise on Ovation and will be looking to book Odyssey for either Christmas 2023 or March 2024.

Great that you enjoyed Odyssey so much...you must not mind loud music, loud voices. etc....

3 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

I, too, like the V/F/O class ships. For some reason the Q class is not grabbing my interest.

We were looking so forward to trying a new class and a brand new ship. The Odyssey is beautiful but the noise was so intolerable that it ruined our cruise. The venues were just too small to justify the volume. Plus anyone with a microphone in their hand spoke loudly into the amplified microphone....you just couldn"t get away from the it! We stayed in the solarium when we were in the pool area because the music was so loud on the pool deck. The solarium pools are small and only 2 ft. deep...go figure!!! They looked pretty but......way too small.

Just now, Ocean Boy said:

Interesting. I appreciate your opinion. So that I can put things into perspective, can you tell me which RCI ships, and what other shows, you prefer?

 

I have been a bit leery of trying a Q class ship so I am interested in different opinions from those who have tried them.

Sure, we enjoy the Oasis, Freedom and Voyager classes. This is the first time on a Quantum class....never again. We have enjoyed all the shows on the mentioned cruises.

For the shows, bring earplugs because the volume is soooo loud that you may get a headache during or hearing loss after your cruise. The venues are too small for how loud they amplify the music. The Music Hall is probably the worst. And whenever anyone has a microphone in their hand, the shout and have the volume turned on high.....

We are diamond plus and this is the first time that we would give the entertainment  on an RC cruise a "C."...volume was just one of the reasons...

I hope all of you going on Odyssey in the future bring your earplugs or lots of kleenex to put in your ears because the volume is VERY LOUD!...to the point where it ruins the shows. 

Odyssey is a one and done for this diamond plus cruiser. The entertainment was average at best...not what we have expected or received from prior RC cruises. The Book is so strange that you can't understand what it is about...very talented people bu the drums were so loud you they drowned out the beautiful violinist. The Two70 venue was too small for such a production. If you don't sit in the first row you can't see what many of the dancers are doing. My DH and I both couldn't wait for this cruise to end.

Thank you once again for your very quick response!😎

oops again...I meant Happy Cruising!!!

Twangster, I think this is my last question: Can we use our diamond+ drink coupons on the first day and is the Diamond lounge open on the first day? oops...I think that was actually two questions:)

(Celebrity wouldn't let us last month)

Happy Cruising?

12 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

That's it for pre cruise. 

 

We drop Bell off at the beach tomorrow. Going to stay and have early dinner, hopefully watch a SpaceX launch, and then drive to Ft Lauderdale Saturday morning. Parking at the pier.

 

Thanks for coming along

John, do you know if the parking lot is in walking distance to the pier?

Also, do you know if we can use our Diamond + drink coupons on day ? Celebrity wouldn't let us.

Looking forward to meeting you!

Twangster, I may have missed it, but did you find out how many passengers are on your Jan 23 cruise? I read where 2500 were reserved, but perhaps many decided to cancel?

Any info about the estimate for our cruise next week, Jan 29?

Thank you again for updating all of us on your cruise with valuable info!

cab..