pgaedke

we are currently on the now extended, Allure of the Seas sailing.

The question came up this evening as to CA points for unplanned extra days. Do you get 'em? If you are forced to sail extra days to avoid a storm, do you get points for the extra days on board?

I always drink cranberry, vodka, with a splash of soda. Good all day drink(s)

I will be experiencing this next weekend, but, you know, worse case scenario if the beautiful bed proves to be uncomfortable you can always ask your suite attendant to get you an extra duvet/quilt to put on top of the mattress. I always ask for that when in other suites as prefer soft bed, just not tried a CL yet.

Am sure it will be lush!

What ship are you on next week?

Hey gang, We are Sailing on the Allure next week in a Crown Loft Suite. Can't Wait! If anyone has been in one of these beautiful rooms before, can you tell me your experience with the mattress? Soft, Hard, Lumpy, best night's sleep ever? Thanks in advance!:confused:

We went on 2 tours with this company, one of which was Rome.

 

This was likely the best-run and most-enjoyable tour anywhere in the world that we've experienced. That applies to both tours we booked in Rome and La Spezia (Pisa/Florence).

 

Given your group, we highly recommend using them:

 

https://www.romeinlimo.com/

Have used romeinlimo many times. Great. They can also provide a guide for the Vatican which allows you to skip the lines and have some insight to the amazing art therein. I recommend them to all my friends traveling to Rome.

;p They forgot about it, Just like I did!

I've had great meals at Chops, and bad meals at Chops. The last time we ate at Giovani's, were were rushed through our dinner, literally taking plates away as I was eating. It's hard to say. I've pretty much given up on MDR as it's loud, the food is not that great and dinner seems to go on forever. The Buffet is great at dinner! Not crowded, quiet, you can take as much or as little time as you want. The food is hot, a nice change of pace from MDR!

Food, more than anything else on a cruise ship, is subjective. Figure out what works for you, and then remember that you are blessed to go on such a trip!

I don't post all that often, but I cruise frequently, at least twice a year. All that being said, if you can afford transportation to the cruise, the cruise, drinks, excursions, etc. you can afford the tips. In my opinion, that's a part of the price of admission. I am amazed at how many people want to get the tips taken off of their bill. Unreal.

We are going on the Allure in September. Have never sailed on the Allure before. Hoping it's better than the Harmony, a ship on which I will never sail again. HOS had the worst service I have ever experienced. Really disappointed. It seemed as though the staff really didn't want to be there. They may not. Anywho, hoping the Allure is better.

Gotta agree with Johnny Rockets for breakfast. Made to order, typical diner fare. Love breakfasting there.

(Just realized how snotty the phrase "breakfasting there" sounds!)

For what it's worth, the crew prefers paper money over cash money.

 

The dollar coin, unlike Euros in Europe or Loonies/Twonies in Canada, is not well-recognized in the USA and might not be universally accepted (particularly among those not familiar with it).

 

Nobody on the crew is going to turn down a dollar coin, obviously, but you aren't doing anything "fun" for them -- you're just making it harder for them to spend the money.

Not trying to do anything "fun" for them. Just trying to give them a dollar. A dollar that isn't soggy in my swimsuit, a dollar that doesn't fall out of my pocket easily, like the a paper dollar would. Not sure how you read doing something "fun" into my post? Never had it turned down.

Where can I get these gold dollar coins ?

 

 

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You can get them at the bank, like a roll of quarters. Sometimes they don't have them, but if you go early, and are willing to come back, they'll get them for you.

I always bring the gold dollar coins and tip with those. I end up having phenomenal service. Been doing it for years.

I have heard, if you play slots, ask for an extra card because you like to play 2 at a time. I've heard.

I think if you're a Club Royal member, they wave the 5% fee. ?

We were on a cruise out of Southampton a year ago. We gamble every night and the casino was pretty slow. We were given two specialty restaurant dinners, a bottle of wine, my wife and daughter got mani pedis, some champagne, and a cruise certificate. It was pretty nice. Gotta talk to the host and hope it's a slow gambling cruise. RC ship btw.

Thanks for all the great responses.

As Someone posted, the Lamb Chops are gone.

Osso Buco - Stil there, really good.

Tuna - Still there.

Risotto - Still there.

Regarding steak in an Itallian joint - The fillet was great, much better than Chops. And then there is this:

Florence steak is a thick portion of tender beef the most famous main course on the Tuscan menu.

The beef comes from a steer or heifer, types of cattle that are young enough to provide extremely tender meat.

So what's so special about a steak?

Well, when it comes to food, Italians don't do anything 'so-so'.

Including Steak!

Hey gang! I haven't posted that much in recent years, but I wanted to share my experience on the Liberty of the Seas New Year's cruise.

A little background. I'm male, 50, married two kids one almost 18 one 19. We received our 140 night crystal thingy this week. We have cruised all over the world.

As you may have read already, the ship was late getting into Galveston due to fog. Once she got in, we managed to board pretty quickly. I hear some weren't so lucky!

After we got on board, the fog rolled back in and we were stuck in Galveston for the night. Hey, at least we were on a cruise ship. We ate and drank, and had fun that night despite being stuck in Galveston. I probably ended up saving money as the casino was closed.

The next day we finally got moving and managed to make it through the fog. I want to say that the entire crew did a PHENOMINAL job. They kept us busy, made sure everyone had lots to eat and drink and made the whole thing really great. This is our 5th NYE cruise and we had a blast again. Due to some necessary port changes we were not able to go to Belize but we did get to go to Costa Maya. A new port!?! Cool.

Let me say that there is not just a a heck of a lot to do in Costa Maya but sit your butt down on the beach, eat, drink, and be merry. It is because of the lack of stuff to do that it was one of our favorite stops! I'd love to go back. The extreme lack of things to do make it perfect.

Overall great trip. However, there's always a but . . .

The “but” on this trip was Giovani's.

Before I go on, I am not a “MY VACATION WAS RUINED” kind of guy, heck, you're on a boat in the Caribbean! If your vacation is ruined by one little thing, that's on you. By no means was this a deal breaker. We had a great cruise. The only reason for mentioning this is that RC charges extra for Giovani's so there is some expectation of something above average. Further, I am aware that food is subjective so this is one man's opinion. As they say, opinions are like . . . well you get the point.

The menu has undergone a pretty dramatic change. Most of the incredible appetizers have been taken off the menu and replaced with other not so incredible dishes. We were somewhat disappointed by this. Except for my sinewy steak, yeah they did away with the fillet and, it seems, replaced it with the cheap steak you get in the main dining room, the food was fine, not what we were expecting, but fine. My biggest complaint was the service. The entire meal was rushed. They were literally taking dishes off of the table while we were still eating them. What should have been a relaxed, somewhat elegant evening of dining, felt like I was at Chili's on a Friday night. It seemed the staff was trying to turn tables as fast as possible. The entire meal lasted less than an hour due to the hurried service. I was disappointed. I may give Giovanni's another try, but I doubt it. Too bad. It's been a family favorite for years.

All that being said, Good cruise. Good times.

Have fun Kids!

On our last cruise, the Diamond Lounge was not particularly crowded, but the host was such a jerk, we stayed out. He wouldn't say hello in the morning, even if you greeted him. I was amazed! Anyway, I am always just as happy in the Schooner, or somewhere else. I enjoy the drink plan so a free drink means nothing to me. I do like the other perks, early boarding etc. that come with Diamond, but unless the host is much better on our next trip, 90 days BTW, I won't miss the ol' Diamond lounge.

Glad I saw this post. We decided last night to buy the package for an upcoming Europe cruise. This discount made the choice even easier!

We are going on a spring break cruise in March with our kids and some friends. We have cruised 15 times, 13 with Royal, and we have never had an upgrade. We usually book an inside room for the kiddos and a Junior suite for my wife and I. Got a notice from my TA that we had been offered an upgrade for the kids room to a balcony on the hump. Nothing is free, but for $210.00, it's a heck of an upgrade. It can happen!:D

:mad:;) :p :rolleyes:

Does this perk apply to us lowly Jr. Suite folks as well?

We take about 2 cruises a year. My wife and I usually get the most expensive drink package. I have never had an issue with service, until my last cruise. We were on a New years cruise on the Allure. The service overall was bad on the ship, from bartenders to dining. It is my thought that the service on the larger ships is not as good as the service on the smaller ships. That's my opinion. I will share one story.

On our last cruise, we were sitting with friends in the Schooner Bar. It was our last day at sea after what was a fairly disappointing trip on the Allure. (We were on a cruise so it wasn't terrible, but not what we have become accustomed to.) All four of us had a drink package. There was no one else in the bar, no one! After our first round of drinks, we got up for another. As I write this post, I realize we may sound like a pack of drunkards, but we were really just killing off the day and enjoying each others company. Long story short, over the course of about 4 hours, the bar staff NEVER came to our table, not once. The bar wasn't crowded, again, for the most part we were the only people in the bar. At one point the bar staff actually asked one of our party to walk a straight line before they would serve him. I understand they have to be careful but that day, as well as a number of other incidents on that cruise, have made me decide to never cruise the big ships again.

So, on our next cruise, I plan to tip an extra dollar a drink with dollar coins. Couldn't hurt. It's not about the money but about a certain level of service I've come to expect. If it cost an extra $50 - $60, whether it should or not, I'll pay it. Last set of bartenders not included, I have always found the bar staff to be great. If a few extra bucks makes them greater, all the better for me and my poor, tired, bloated, liver.:cool:

23 years ago, my wife and I went to Europe for our honeymoon. We had no money, so we bought those ballpoint pens filled with water that have things that move in them. About 8 years ago, we came across those "water pens" and we decided that would be our souvenir of choice. We have over 40 of them now. It takes a little searching, but you can almost always find one. The other thing we always get are kitchen towels with the name of the port on them. At least those are useful!