myfuzzy

LOL. When you look, you see. Beverage area is there. :)

Thanks, the photo's offered I couldn't tell. Is the end of your cruise the 1st or are you doing the next one as well.

MEA CULPA. Seems when you're not looking for something you really don't see it. Yes, that area is back there.

OK, so, I'm not imagining things. There used to be a beverage area along the wall between the doors leading out to Outriggers, then another wall separating that from the buffet food. Have they done away with all that and remodeled the area with lounge chairs and table for drinks?

Has anyone ever encountered the seating "Gestapo's". The uniformed people who "direct" you to your proper seating area? We had one at PE a couple of cruises ago...waving her arms stating "you---over here, you--over there, no NOT there, I mean here. The looks on some people's faces were priceless.

You are very lucky to have been able to rebook and regain most of your extras at a little extra cost. There could be a lesson learned here for a lot of folks, stay on top of your reservation and make sure you know when final payment is and pay at least 3 days before to account for any delays to the cruise lines system. Actually, on my cruise next week I got 3 final payment reminders by email....of course if you DON'T check you email on a timely basis...well....

Your comment made me smile. DW and I love to get aboard our cruises at lunch time, and quickly settle into some comfy deck loungers on the pool deck (of any ship) where we relax with our books and pass the time "People Watching." It is sometimes the best entertainment (and comedy show) of the entire cruise :).

 

Hank

Ah HA, so I'm not the only one :D , at this point, we are Platinum, so getting on "early" we head straight to the buffet, grab a table, and have a leisurely lunch, by the time we are done, here comes the crowd...as they come in, out we go...

Have you ever seen the "reunion" groups with the same t-shirts, or Mr. I am Elite and they will kiss my ( ) while I'm on this cruise...

One time we were entering the terminal and we were behind the Mr. Elite making a fool of himself, bragging to his "group" saying he can get anything he wants, any way he wants,, lets say we never saw him for the rest of the cruise.

Reading this thread was a mistake; it's so full of negativity that I'm getting slightly worried for our upcoming cruise on the Regal. This will be only our second Princess cruise, our first was on the Diamond Princess nearly 8 years ago and yes, I realise things will have changed, but come on people, stop with the negativity.

 

Give me something positive.

When sailing "some" people expect to have the amenities catered to them, like the running tracks, gyms, and want large balconies and huge pools. They forget this is a ship, so much space to use for everything. I have read so many threads and posts about the hours of the gym. Some equipment isn't usable until 8am, well I start my day at 4am...well, then overtake the promenade deck for their daily runs...for me that's totally unacceptable, when the ship provides a special "track" for them to run. Some people cruise for the "all about me" attitude. After a while, you will find your "niche". We don't hang out by the pool, even try to enjoy the Promenade deck anymore. We look for areas out of the way, quiet and comfortable, usually when the crowd is going left, we go right....Don't worry....you will always have a great time

Oh and DH and I have this "observation" going on every cruise....During embarkation, lunch and the first evening you will see people acting like total jerks...just laugh, because, after the first day, you normally don't see them again for the rest of the cruise

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/final-payment-schedule-policy

Thank you, but I am not seeing the number of nights sailing to be clear of final payment date

Oh wow, this is very good to know. I have a cruise booked and actually completely forgotten what my deadline to pay is. I have a seperate Celebirty cruise that gave me email alert reminders and what not. I figured to check on my Royal cruise and saw I have like 7 weeks left. Guess I should just pay asap to avoid the risk.

So when would your final payment be? If my math is correct you are at somewhere around 49 days, 7 weeks at 7days. IF payment is due at 90 days, wouldn't you be past the final and cancelled? When we sail Princess payment is due at 75 days.

There is no Wakeview Lounge and definitely not a venue

serving food

OK...no issue here, just another Princess snafu

Thanks, enjoy your cruise..keep us up to date

Any guess when Dolphin deck will get it?

I'll stand by my previous statement about a Wakeview Bar. That said, using the search engine on the Princess website returns only some descriptions about the Royal class ships with the Wakeview Pool and its bar.

 

How about posting the actual link so we can take a look at this ourselves.

Page 5..third from the top

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/food-and-dining/dining-options.pdf

Wakeview Bar exists only on the Sapphire Princess and Diamond Princess. It is accessible from the back of Club Fusion on deck 7 but is downstairs on deck 6.

On the Princess website under dining options.....I copied and pasted

Wakeview LoungeCaribbean Princess Casual N/A N/A 5:30pm onwardNominala la cartepricing applies

Hi,

Can you find out about Wakeview Bar? I see it listed in the on board dining options, but don't see it anywhere on the deck plans

If I could write a letter to Princess this is what it would be:

Dear Princess,

As you moved into the building of the "Royal" class of ships, you seemed to have missed the mark on the important issues that your customer base demands.

Once your first build the Royal Princess entered the market, it was immediately found the passengers noted the "missing" aft adult pool, the "missing" center stairway, the minuscule balconies, the lack of an oceanview category, and the lack of a "wrap around" promenade deck for runners and joggers.

However the additions of the "Seawalk", Princess Live, Alfredos, Gelatos, have drawn mixed reviews. As the Seawalk causes concerns for those in balconies under or near and Princess Live has gotten criticism on being a wasted space where the Wheelhouse bar would make more sense.

The people here in Cruise Critic have spoken and here is what they desire to see on new ships as they come onto the market

A large, usable adult aft pool

Regarding the Lido pool(s) The "water feature" that divides the area into two smaller pools. Lose the water feature. It isn't used enough to be viable. People want a larger pool. For 3000 passengers, the smaller pools are quite "cozy" and would appreciate one very large one.

No longer have a jogging/running track on the sports deck, where it's windy and slippery when wet, and hot in the sun and relocate it to the Promenade deck where it would be made wider, say 20 feet, where you would have the same runners and walkers be able to do their daily exercise in comfort. And of course this would have to go completely around the ship

Then you would have to make a second Promenade deck for those who just want to relax and read and gaze at the sea without the sounds of the thump thump thump and coming through, and the possibility of getting "run" over by those coming through.

Then making the balconies bigger so people can actually relax and enjoy without having to sit with their knees touching the railing.

Edible food.....Seems like in past few years, food quality and selections have gone down hill. You have world class chef's why can't you give the passengers cuisine they wouldn't get at home. What happened to beef wellington, wide selections of sea foods, desserts that have flavor and creativity. Without the extra cost. For my past so many cruises, its the same old same old.

Entertainment..Bands in the Atrium at times are too loud. Between the marble and glass the sounds just bounce off it and it sounds like breaking glass. Then you have the piano players, who at times, draw a very large crown, blocking the way for people to pass by. Seems to me like you haven't figured out which entertainer to put where for the proper venue.

So, for me, my ideal Princess ship would have larger pools, dining venues with first class food, entertainers in the proper venues, balconies I can actually enjoy and fitness enthusiasts who have the proper areas to keep fit, separate from those who just want to enjoy their cruise.

well I went to search....kept giving me roll calls no matter how I searched. I searched nothing about roll calls.

when you search threads, it give you all the threads that pertain to your question. NOT necessarily your roll call. Disembarkation is based on the number of ships in port, what ships (passenger capacity) and day of the week. So use any variation of your question and numerous threads will pop up. IF your question actually pertains to your specific cruise, ask away on your roll call...have you joined it yet? All you mention is that you are on Allure of the Seas..no date, which can be a huge factor. If you want to join your roll call .....see above...find your Roll Call find your ship and date and add yourself to it. I can't find it for you as you didn't give a date. I know, new poster, lots to learn and finding your way around Cruise Critic...

Above on Search Boards, put in your question and click on threads only and you will find dozens of threads with the same question, not just pertaining to RCCL, but port timing in general

Covered pool - don’t care, they are only heavily used on very cold itineraries.

 

Separate dining- would be nice given what one pays

 

Larger balconies- of course

 

Full promenade deck- don’t care , plenty of places to walk.

I have to agree about the covered pool...what's a pool when it's inside

Separate dining....Hmmm Titanic class levels come to mind

Larger balconies...how much wider could they expand the ship to accommodate 50 sq ft balconies to make everyone happy. I guess to accommodate the hammocks, laundry lines, grills, pools and whatever else can be brought

Full promenade deck...make the runners and joggers happy, not on the top deck, but on Deck 7...add to the same width of the upper balconies. Then make a new deck for people who want to sit and enjoy the views, without the sound of "coming through, slap, slap, slap of the running shoes, and the risk of being knocked over when walking.

It looks like no one want to "exchange" Princess

Apparently, the Baked Alaska lovers outnumber the folks who are tired of it...there sure are a lot of napkin twirlers in the MDR during the parade.

Hey, there...could you check your font settings, you posts are coming in very tiny....

I bet the plastic fakes have more flavor

The easiest way to do a group trip like this is to find a travel agent or online cruise company. Pick you ship, week, cabin and then book it. Tell all your friends and relatives what ship, what week, and what cabin you booked. Then give them the telephone number of the company you booked the cruise with and have them handle the rest. Don’t be surprised if after all that you are the only family that goes on the voyage.

At first you get "it's a great idea" until the $$$ starts totaling up, then the Oh, its REALLY that much...I just hope the OP doesn't give in and take the "friends" with them. Just enjoy the cruise as a family.

Are you talking Port Charleston, South Carolina or Tampa, Florida? And you only want to drive? What about the other folks, would they be in to driving too? Limiting yourself to these two ports, could really limit what is offered to you. Not sure where you live, but these two ports are opposite sides of the state of Florida. Have you considered other ports on the east coast, with the exception of Miami

The only thing you might find a problem is that most cruise lines don't have cabins for 7, and if they do, they probably sell out fast. So first, I would check into family cabins or if necessary a suite, and these don't come cheap. That will probably put the kabosh on those families. Even booking two cabins, an adult will have to be booked into it. Again, not cheap. Plus you have daily grats for everyone in the cabin, so they would have to look into that..at 13.50 (I picked average) X7 that's $94.50 per day X the number of days, plus any excursions or drink packages on top of that...I think you might just have scared them away

I love your first cruise story. My first cruise was in 1982 ... I was 19 and my co-workers/friends asked if I wanted to go on a cruise with them. Now, I worked full time days at an Ins. company. I worked 4 nights a week at a bar to save $$$ and buy a car that I desperately needed. When I was asked about the cruise I had JUST saved up a $1,000. I asked ... how much is the cruise? She said "$500 for the week Bos - Bermuda". I said ... "I have $500! I'm IN!" I paid for the cruise, I brought the $500 spending $$ and spent it ALL .... It was the BEST time ever. And I fell in love with cruising.

IF you liked that one.....After I did my first cruise, I of course, wanted to go again. Hubby wanted nothing to do with it, so, I went with my friend again. Had enough of her, so I took my three kids...pre teen and two teens...Well, if anything, I taught them how to behave in a fine dining restaurant, speak when spoken too and behave yourselves. Well, two out of three anyway. I had enough and wanted to travel with my Hubby. SO, I booked a cruise, paid for it (don't forget two cost the same as one). I figure, if he hates it, he will never speak to me again, he love it, he will pay for the next one, I win either way. He hemmed and hawed and other "descriptive" words. He doesn't like people, crowds, or long lines.....I got him on the plane, took the ships shuttle, got to the port, and here's this ship that's the size of today's ships dinghy's. There is no "jet way" so we take these stairs up to the deck to embark, and there's a photographer, he doesn't like his picture taken either. He obliges surprisingly, we set foot on the ship....He turned into a completely different person....talking, smiling, interacting...I asked "who are you" So now we are on our 30th cruise (I think) I can't keep him off, but I still pay my own way.

Let each (O.K. make) each family make their own reservations. If you have decided to take the original cruise with your son. Give that information to them and with the name of your TA or cruise line once you have decided. In MY opinion. AND there has been a recent thread. To protect yourself....Don't book or take responsibility for someone else's reservation. You can "link" your reservations, but each family has their account(s). You might be friends now, but if someone decides to back out at the last minute, you aren't the one responsible for clearing up what's left, and have a bitter taste in your mouth. Our son and DIL like to travel with us...ALWAYS separate reservations.

And to be honest, I also wouldn't want to take responsibility for someone else's teens