aubreyc1988

I've done 2 b2b cruises on Navigator, a 3 day + 4 day in July 2023 and a 4 day + 7 day in May 2024, my experiences were slightly different, even though they were the same ship

July B2B: Got a letter the night before explaining how our room steward would move our luggage if changing rooms and what time to meet in the morning. We met in Star Lounge at 8:30, waited there until 9:30 (Where I assume that was when all other passengers were off) and then we got new keycards which we kept separate from our current keycards. They they scanned us off the ship, we went down to customs...those with passports did facial recognition, those with BC it did take a bit longer. Then we went back to the ship, scanned in with our new keycards, did muster and waited for our rooms to be ready

May B2B was the same as July except after we went through customs, they had us sit in the waiting area of the port terminal for over an hr before letting us back on the ship AFTER the Suites/Pinnacle/Key members. 

Not a whole lot of tips to share, but I liked going to the b2b lunch to kill time and then I just hung out at a bar until rooms were ready. One tip I'd give is that if you can stock up on water on the first leg (I'm prime in the casino, so I always have a fridge of water), you can put that in your suitcase and your room steward will move it over and it will not go through any sort of inspections as far as I know so you could have 2-3 cases in there for all they know.

21 hours ago, deltahog said:

2 days in Athens, 8 days Athens-Barcelona on Voyager, 2 days Barcelona.

 

The entire plan of "no checked bags" revolves around doing laundry on the ship.  We just did this last year on Princess, our Alaska cruise, on which laundry rooms were on most cabin floors.  

 

Couldn't find a laundry room on the Voyager deck plan.  Huh?

 

Googled.

 

"Q.  What laundry services are available onboard all Royal Caribbean cruise ships?

A.  For safety concerns self-service laundry facilities are not provided onboard our ships, but we do offer washing, pressing and dry cleaning services."

 

Huh?  "Safety concerns?"  Can anyone detail what "safety concerns"?  The reasonably equivalent Princess ships have laundry and I must have missed all the ships going down due to the self-serve.

 

Just an FYI, all of your clothes when sending off laundry bag with Royal will be washed HOT. For some things, that is ok, just make sure you don't put anything in there you don't want shrunk. I had a friend who had a some dress clothes that shrunk a lot in size. 

On 2/27/2024 at 5:10 PM, SMMRLUVN said:

I don’t like packing shampoo, conditioner and soap bc I will just use what’s provided by the hotel/ship and save the room & extra weight for better things. However, on Odyssey, there is just ONE dispenser of soap in the shower called Salt & Breeze and it’s supposed to serve as shampoo and body wash. OK, OK, I get it that the ship is also trying to save on space, but be forewarned that after a week of salt water and whatever, your hair will be screaming for conditioner. Pack accordingly!!! This may seem like a ridiculous post, but believe it or not, there’s folks who love formal night & the photos that go along with it, and do not want to look like David Bowie in Labyrinth. Unless it’s 80s night 😂😂😂

Someone told me this one so I am passing it on...rinse your hair with bottled water. You still need conditioner, but using bottled water helps me with getting it to lather. 

Here are my choices for each port that I am interested in and would love any personal feedback on any of these tours

I will be sailing solo so only want to take cruise line excursions this trip. 

Sierra Madre Tour in Mazatlan (7 hrs duration listed) -78.00 pp

Hop on Hop Off in Mazatlan (2.5 hrs duration listed) 35.00pp

A Day at Deer Island in Mazatlan (5 hr duration listed) 125pp

Colonial San Sebastian in PV (7 hrs duration listed) - 88.00 pp 

Sierra Madre Hiking and Private Villa Day Pass in PV (5 hr duration listed) - 51.00pp

Now that I am Prime, usually 500-600 for excursion tip money and for emergencies, and then I just room charge for my gambling. It is a relief to not have to have large amounts of cash on me when traveling but I hate seeing that room bill lol. 

I got my first crystal block last week on the Harmony. I kind of forgot about them until I got one in my room and I was so pumped! I remember being a newbie cruiser, thinking I would never get one (in the natural fashion) but I did get one, I made it, I am a super cruiser lol! I am thinking of how I am going to display mine somewhere in a guest room or something, because why not! I don't care if it is cringe or not haha! 

3 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

Yes, you can. However, we have found "bar service" in the MDR to be slow. We always stop at a bar on the way to the MDR and grab a drink to bring with us.

I concur. I guess they might have to go far to the bar or something, but bar service (for us) has always taken ages when ordered in MDR. We just get a drink right before entering. I feel a little bad since the bartender is always like "ohhh you have one already" but most of the time it is slower than our food, and usually the wrong drink.  

On 1/27/2024 at 1:31 PM, Ashland said:

We love the Navigator out of San Pedro (our home port) and sail on her usually a few times a year. She has one of the best ice shows fleetwide !!!

 

Glad you enjoyed her.

I agree, best ice show! 

10 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I did not know that.  

Took me quite a few years sailing royal to piece that together lol! Honestly so lazy to repeat the drink, they could make the color different at least. It’s really not my favorite anyhow, I find them to be really weak 

6 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I thought the Labradoozie was special because it was only available in one place.

I think the labadoozie and the cocoloco are the same drink 

11 hours ago, jam19872016 said:

I have walked from D to A no problem. There is one spot the sidewalk ends and you have to cross traffic but if I recall correctly it was by a stop sign so traffic should be stopped for you to easily cross.

 

I have never tried from G but if you made it that far, yes you were indeed close to reaching your goal but it can be rather daunting if you are unsure it is possible or not. It is indeed possible as long as you are able bodied because as you mentioned, it is quite a hike.

When was this? I didn't see any spot to cross the street at terminal C. I definitely could have made it if there were sidewalks, but I was not chancing going into that parking garage by myself. In future, I'll just prebook an uber, but it was frustrating about the lack of the promised "Easy to find shuttle" and how it was "totally possible to walk it" but really it wasn't. 

30 minutes ago, fsjosh said:

 

I didn't care that much about losing the 2 a day. It was nice, but typically, at a hotel, I request no service for my entire stay. So not a huge deal. Once a day would have been more than sufficient. The issue, to me at least, seemed like with twice the rooms, they were stretched on time. In the past they seemed to know when we weren't in the room and would clean/do turndown when we were out. Now, if we were in the room when he came through, he didn't clean that day. There didn't seem to be further attempts that day. But it's just something we either have to get used to, get a suite, or find something else to do. 

wow my experience has been the opposite and I've cruised a bit since the cutback to once a day. My room steward was always asking when best to come by, and even if we were in there, he would be overly apologetic and say "Oh I'll come back later" and he always did. I am sure their workloads haven't decreased, even tho we are only getting our rooms cleaned once (probably increased knowing how companies work)

I will say that they need to bring back the magnets that say "please make up room". They used to have double sided "Do not disturb/Please make up room" but they are gone now. 

57 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We did this in December and it was a $20 taxi ride.  We asked Royal people outside and no one acknowledged there was even a shuttle. Google did not show it was walkable.

 

Getting to FLL to Miami or other way is actually better.  They will put you a free bus.  It’s a bit irritating that it isn’t handled better but not a huge deal. 

wow that is crazy about the free bus. Going forward, I will just take an uber or something from G-A, but it was weird all the port employees insisted it was walkable (even though far) when it actually wasn't. 

D concierge and Guest Services INSISTED there was a free shuttle. When I asked how to locate said shuttle in the morning/where to meet it/what time, they said "Oh it will be OBVIOUS". I knew it wasn't going to be obvious and I felt like they were really dismissive onboard about what my plan should be. I would have preferred it if they said: "You will need to take your transport".  Of course, as you know, it was NOT obvious, like I predicted, and who knows if the shuttle even existed anyhow. I certainly didn't want to wait forever. I DO wonder if one could potentially walk through that parking garage, but it just seemed super sketchy to me. 

How you get from one terminal to the next?! I have a little storytime for you and more questions

Recently, I did my first side by side cruise. First leg was on Independence, second leg was on Freedom. Independence disembarked at terminal G and Freedom was embarking in terminal A. Diamond Concierge AND Guest Services told me there would be a shuttle for me at 8am to catch to terminal A. After disembarking Indy, I asked a porter about the shuttle and he said "It would be around". After waiting for 30 minutes, I asked the porter if it was possible to walk to terminal A. He looked stunned and said "Sure,  but it's a mile walk".  I said "Ok, is it flat and are there sidewalks like this the whole way" and he said "Yeah, totally walkable, just a loooong walk"

So at this point I decided yes, I could walk it. I had a small carry-on suitcase and a backpack, but I usually walk 3 miles daily at home so I was not deterred. Plus, had to walk off all that pizza! So I started my trek from G-A. Once I got to terminal D, which was MSC, a porter stopped me asking me if I needed a taxi and I sort of mentioned I was on my way to terminal A. He laughed and said it was so far, take the shuttle. And I asked him how long of a wait for the shuttle and he said "30 min". So I said "it's ok, I'll just walk." then I asked him "Is it possible to walk from D-A, are sidewalks like this the whole way there, I won't encounter a busy road where there isn't pedestrian path" and he said "Oh you can walk it, it's just far" 

So again, I decided to continue my trek to terminal A. Once I got to C, a Norwegian terminal, I came across my first roadblock. The sidewalk ended, and it was just a dark parking garage. NCL didn't have a ship in port that day so it seemed pretty deserted. Google Maps seemed pretty confused about what I was supposed to do, and it seemed like my only option was to walk on the side of a busy road that didn't have any pedestrian sidewalks. My walking optimism was gone and just wanted to GET to terminal A, I just gave up and called an Uber to get me the rest of the way to terminal A, LOL!! 

SO my question is, IS it really possible to walk to terminal A from terminal G or is a car the only way to get there? I wonder if I could have walked. through the NCL parking garage but it was so dark and I was by myself, I decided it wouldn't be in my best interest to find out in that manner, but I am curious. 🙂 

On 1/25/2024 at 4:09 PM, Mum2Mercury said:

Thing is, hotels aren't pushing for daily tips that add up to real money, and hotels haven't raised tips twice in the span of a year ... while cutting service in half. 

I do not think calling housekeeping for various things you need is fine. 

That IS very kind.  Like you, I've never had a bad cabin steward, but on our recent cruises we have definitely missed the twice a day service.  We have seen less of our cabin steward, and we have found the service to be "lesser".  I don't blame the individual stewards; I blame the system that piles too much on the shoulders of the individual workers.  

I miss having that in the morning AND after dinner.  

And I remain salty about paying MORE for LESS service.  

we can agree to disagree

Hotels HAVE gone up in price, whether or not they pass that to housekeeping who knows

On a recent cruise, my husband accidentally DECIMATED the soap dispenser in the shower with his elbow and the room steward was so kind about it, brought us little tubes of product, we got a cute little towel animal every day and our room was cleaned really well the one time it was cleaned. I also talked to a family and they said that their room steward did set up/take down their extra bed and would kind of tidy up in there when he was in there. 

I guess I still don't understand why a room steward is needed in a room 2x a day beyond the setting up and tearing down of bed(s). What exactly is there for them to do? I try to make sure my clothes are put away and such because I don't want to have them touch things like that. Most of what I see is done is making the bed, giving towels, vacuuming, emptying the trash cans, cleaning the bathrooms a bit, all of which once a day seems fine to me still

Also, I want to say that I understand and agree about being salty for paying more for less service, but seems to be the norm right now. I've decided I can either be grumpy about stuff like that or just accept that I have no say in most things and just live my life as happily as I can. 

On 1/18/2024 at 5:07 PM, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

+1 - We've taken pictures several times and, for some reason, they are not acceptable. We now just let them do it at the pier. It takes less than 30 seconds.

Yep, they always have to redo them, even if I use my passport photo. 

18 hours ago, Jasukkie said:

Syd Norman's is a more intimate venue than the Music Hall on Anthem. There is a sizable dance floor between the stage and the bar and the space is frequently used for game shows, non-rock type dance music and just people sitting and watching. Upstairs in the Music Hall is another bar, pool tables, and seating areas. There are definitely times it can feel like a rock club but it's not ever going to feel like your local pub with a band set up.

I have been to Syd's and to Music Hall and agree with this, MH has a definite different feel from Syd's

Are the Diamond Vouchers OK at the ocean swim up bar? 

Also, a little tip, bring cash for tips, put the cash in your dry bag (sometimes if I don't have one, I put it underneath my hat) because no one loves a soggy dollar lol

41 minutes ago, Laplayaperson said:

For those that have port stops in Haiti, and Jamacia, what are your thoughts on the Department of state travel advisories?  

 

Would you skip getting off the ship?  I saw a youtuber post that they made this choice not to get off.  

 

Thoughts?

 

Haiti (DO NOT TRAVEL LEVEL):  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Haiti.html

 

Jamaica (RECONSIDER TRAVEL LEVEL):  https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Jamaica.html

I mean, the US is a pretty dangerous place, so I just assess the risk and go with that. I mean, just keep your wits about you, don't go into any dark alleys, be smart with where you place your valuables, etc. 

36 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

DW had a decent vodka martini at Mason Jar. Older barkeeps at Boleros seem to know what they are doing, but Schooner Bar generally has the best cocktail bartenders.

from what I have been told by bartenders on Royal Caribbean, they do rotate bars every 2-3 weeks or so...

1 hour ago, crzndeb said:

It really comes down to the bartender. I got good ones in Schooner Bar and Wonderland (you don’t have to be eating there). Try a few places. 

This. 

I think it depends so much on the bartender and not the bar. No offense to any crew members, but some of the bar staff are not trained well on how to make drinks. 

On 7/27/2023 at 10:50 PM, Awjeez317 said:

Well here we go.

 

This is my first attempt at a live cruise review/update/word-TikTok ever….so obviously it has to start with the obligatory statement of a writer‘s insecurity that I may be terrible at this and you should forgive me. So…

 

I may be terrible at this.

 

Please forgive me. 

 

I am writing this from the Hilton Long Beach in Cali (a nice hotel super close to the cruise port with a pool!), where the only thing that can stop the vision of my perfect upcoming cruise is the dense smog covering this massive city within a city within a city. 

 

I would speak the typical “not so hot take” and say I don’t like LA because of the traffic and the issues and the problems and the issues on top of issues. But honestly. All I hate is LAX. I haven’t spent enough time here or seen NEARLY enough to form an opinion about the city. 

 

LAX however. Is the worst. I hate any airport in which i have to take a shuttle to get to an Uber/Lyft. My father would call it a “communist plot.”

 

LAX is the worst. 

 

Well. Flying out on Wednesday from the east coast at 6pm with a connecting flight to Charlotte and then to LAX is the worst. 

 

Well….flight delays are the worst. 

 

Well…pilot shortages that cause the delays are the worst. 

 

No, finally getting on your LAX bound flight only to find that the cabin is 87 degrees is the worst. 

 

No no, getting to your hotel three hours late and at 2 am PST when you live on EST (that’s 5am people!) is the worst. 

 

Actually, I should check myself. DH would probably tell me to “Get on the Relaxy Taxi” — a statement he has probably said to dozens of people on embarkation day who are more determined to find the things they dislike about the ship than enjoy the fact that THEY ARE NOT WORKING or THEY ARE NOT AT HOME and are — in fact — ON A VACATION. 

 

So Relaxy Taxi here I come. 

 

Tomorrow I get on the Navigator of the Seas. It is a seven night cruise to three places I have never been to.  Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, and Mazatlan. I’m also extremely excited to see this newly amped ship. This is the first Voyager class ship that has been Amped so I’m quite intrigued. 

 

I got the Dining package…because honestly when you do it once….you kind of can’t NOT do it. When I checked the app Chops was $63 a person for one meal! The package is a steal at that rate. PLUS I don’t have to find out if I like or hate the new menu in the main dining room. Better than a drink package in my mind. Also the five drinks from DP benefits help. 

 

And casino drinks help too. 

 

Casino losses do not. 

 

I guess it’s a wash. 

 

DH is busy with his business at home so I am venturing out solo (double points! If only I could book a suite it would be triple!). 

 

One would think…why in the %!*& would anyone get on a cruise to Mexico at the end of July???

 

Well, when I landed here…its was 15 degrees cooler than where I left from. So……yeah….we broke the planet. 

 

I am pretty sure I will have a small amount of TKA though. Tiny Kid Aversion. It may drive me to the Solarium more than I think, but luckily the Voyager class has an open air Solarium that is actually adult only.

 

(Nothing against kids at ALL! I just don’t have any of my own….sooooooooo…..yeah.) 

 

I say it is a SEMI Live update because honestly, I will try with all my might to update this everyday and also post some photos. But if I stray….don’t be mad at me. IM ON A CRUISE. I’ll update it all eventually when I get home. 

 

But if I stray…don’t be mad at me. IM BACK AT WORK PEOPLE. 

 

More tomorrow. I think. Yeah….

 

Definitely more tomorrow…probably. 

thanks for the review, fellow DINK here 😄 Will be going on Navigator in 10 days for a short three day! And yes, we did break the planet. I am excited about getting away from Dallas heat though

How was the pub entertainer? 

7 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

Ugh; I was hoping that Bingo would be cheaper than on Carnival. Evidently not.

 

Plus, on the larger ships, SO many people play and the chances of winning are less than on the smaller ships, I might just pass on Bingo on Wonder next week. 

 
yeah, it's way more fun in vegas 

i hate that it's only like three games on the ship bingo now 

1 hour ago, gavvy said:

I was on this cruise too. Agree about the casino. Very few hand pays going on and the slots were bad. Thry did loosen them on the last night saw a few hand pays then but it was too late for me then.

too late for me, should have just stuck with tables the whole trip and I wouldn't have lost so much lol