bri1035
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Posts posted by bri1035
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Got off Majesty this morning and did the same drill in reverse. Departed from Terminal 6 on 9/17 and returned to Terminal 3 on 9/22. (Given that Brilliance was in 3 on 9/17 and returned to 6 on 9/22, I have no idea why the ships flip-flopped terminals with each other when both departed and returned on the same dates).Just returned from Brilliance. Departed from Terminal 3; returned to Terminal 6. The valet did pick up at Terminal 6 but it took about 20 minutes to get our car. The walk between terminals doesn't appear to be too long but I didn't see anyone walking. I'm thinking that it would take more than 5 minutes especially if you are pulling your luggage. The shuttles to the parking garage at Terminal 6 were not marked and it appeared that passengers had to wait quite a while for them. They are vans, not buses. Where to pick up shuttles was not marked.The letter we received in our stateroom regarding the terminal swap mentioned a shuttle would be available to take us from Terminal 3 back to Terminal 6 where our car was parked. None of the Port Tampa Bay staff we encountered were able to direct us to this shuttle. We were simply told to walk. If the shuttle was there, it was not marked (as you mentioned).
The walk took just under ten minutes. (We ended up cutting through some areas that may not have been part of the official walking route).
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I was last on Empress in December 2017. There was a nightly Diamond event in the Viking Crown Lounge. A portion of the lounge was sectioned off for the reception each evening, with appetizers and drinks being served (similar to how it is done on Majesty of the Seas).
This was a change from my previous sailings on Empress, where only the vouchers were utilized.
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Did the gym appear to be overly packed with Gym goers
due to the small size?
Not really. The only things I saw consistently in use and not always available without a wait were the treadmills. As an alternative to the treadmills, Deck 6 has a full wrap-around Promenade great for walking or jogging.
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There’s more equipment and space to the gym, though, than what’s in that picture correct?!
The gym is located on the horeshoe-shaped second level of the lounge. So yes, it is not large - but there is more to it than what you are seeing in that particular photo.
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So in your recollection, the rotating dining rooms had two fixed dining times?
This still correct on the Disney ships. Rotating dining rooms with two fixed dining times. For a "my time" experience, you can dine in the buffet venue - which for dinner, becomes table service rather than buffet-style. The menu offered tends to be a combination of selections from the three main dining rooms.
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Thank you for the quick answers. Guess its not a hang out bar anymore. Too bad it was my favorite bar on the ship when it was a new ship and sailing in the 90's.
There is still bar service - though I would need to check my Cruise Compasses to see what time it started serving. I believe late afternoon.
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I was on the ship last month. The lower level is still a lounge / nightclub. A portion of it is also roped off to serve as a makeshift Diamond Lounge in the evenings (similar to what is done on Majesty of the Seas).
During the day, the lower level is also used as a venue that hosts some of the ship's talks and activities (often related to the spa and gym). People also use it as a place to read, play cards, or just sit and watch the sea.
The upper level was unfortunately turned into the ship's gym space in 2004.
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We just got off the Liberty of the Seas, had a fantastic cruise, but I was disappointed that they did not have any pool deck evening dance parties. I was a little irritated with the CD for not planning one, but I was told by one of the Pinnacle Club members onboard that this was fleetwide. They are no longer doing dance parties on the deck (other than the line dancing stuff during the day). They also eliminated the sailaway parties on the deck when leaving the Caribbean ports. They only had a sailaway party on embarkation day.
If this is true, we need to make a stink so they will bring it back! Keep in mind, a little while back, they eliminated the pub entertainer position and even the lounge band on some ships, but after a while they brought those back, I assume because of significant customer reactions.
Has anyone else hear the same thing, or have you had deck parties on recent sailings?
I'm on Serenade right now and earlier this evening they had a "Moonlight Madness" Caribbean Deck Party poolside from 9:30pm - 11:30pm. So, no - I don't think this is anything fleet wide.
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This is going back quite a ways in time, but does anyone have a picture of the interior of the original VCLs on either Song of Norway, Nordic Prince, or Sun Viking? They look extremely cramped from the outside but curious what they looked like inside.
There is video footage from inside and outside of the Sun Viking VCL in this video from 46:03 - 47:05:
Not great quality, but it gives you an idea of what it was like inside, and shows the exterior lounge access. I have deck plans from Song of Norway and Sun Viking, and thought one or the other had a picture of the lounge - but they don't. I have a good picture somewhere, and when I come across it again, I will post it here. :)
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I don't guess you might still have old deck plans from that cruise? I've tried to find her original plans online but no websites seem to have them. I'm mostly curious about the oddball VCL/gym layout and if it was always like that. I can't imagine any sane designer would put a gym above an open lounge without a solid deck in between.
As built, the gym (originally called the Shipshape Fitness Center) was located on Deck 10 in the space now fully occupied by the Spa area. Originally the gym and spa facilities shared that space on Deck 10, but the 2004 refit that saw the Nordic Empress turn into the Empress of the Seas also saw the revenue-producing spa facilities enlarged on Deck 10, and the gym oddly relocated to the upper level of the Viking Crown Lounge.
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Empress of the Seas: May 11, 2017
Like the Vision and Radiance class fleet mates she inspired,the ocean is visible from nearly every public area of the ship. Ocean views are becoming scarce in an industry bent on keeping your eyes down and your wallet open at all times. There are no ice skating rinks, bumper cars, observation cranes, water slides, skydiving tubes or surf machines. The Empress is better for it. She exemplifies what we’ve lost in the cruise industry by gaining so much gimmickry. She was built to actually be a cruise ship, and I hope she’s around for many years to come.
This feature cannot be overstated enough - the Empress of the Seas was designed with ocean views available from literally every single public space on the ship. Nearly all of those views remain today, with only the windows in the main shop onboard being covered over by merchandise displays, leaving no exterior views from the shop. Otherwise, the sea is visible from everywhere: the dining rooms, lounges, bars, arcade, casino, gym, spa, all aft elevator lobbies on Deck 4 and up, and the entire Centrum area from Deck 5 and up. It is quite a departure from the increasingly inward-looking ships being designed today, a fact not lost on the ship's Captain Carl Graucob who makes note of it consistently in his Crown & Anchor Society reception remarks.
Throw in the ship's beautifully wide, teak wood wrap-around promenade deck, and it's truly a fantastic ship for those who love to actually be connected to the sea while cruising.
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Noticed that. I know they successfully tried a Voyager class ship in Key West a while ago, but maybe it was a bit too close for comfort.
I didn't realize they had ever tried a Voyager Class ship there. It's hard to imagine a ship of that size being able to make it in (though similarly sized Solstice-class ships seem to do it), but maybe they are giving up Key West for other reasons. It adds a sea day to the 4-night cruise (rather than three port days), which keeps the casino, bars, shops, etc. open with people to patronize them.
That said, Enchantment is the only Royal Caribbean ship calling on Key West year-round, and it's a shame to lose that option on the 4-night cruises from Miami.
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Mariner
http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Deployment/2018_2019/17056645_MA_Deployment_Flyer_final.pdf
Vision
http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Deployment/2018_2019/17056670_VI_Deployment_Flyer_final.pdf
Enchantment
http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/Deployment/2018_2019/17056668_EN_Deployment_Flyer_final.pdf
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No more Key West out of Miami on the 4-nighters with Mariner replacing Enchantment.
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A friend was on this cruise out of Miami and said it was AWLFUL...... any one else on it? First of all a storm caused high waves -- NOT the ship's fault
.......she said the food was not good (said she heard others on the cruise say how much better Carnival's food was)..... eggs cold several mornings in the buffet...... smelled bad on lower decks -- they had an ocean view even though I HIGHLY suggested she get a balcony for fresh air......
This was her first experience with Royal Cb. Said others on the ship said it was 'not normal' for it to be this bad.
Curious if anyone else had a better experience on that sailing?
I got off the Empress yesterday from the same sailing, and experienced none of what your friend described (including the storm).
It was my third cruise on the Empress since last November and I've never had anything but a great experience. I'll be on her again on 4/24, and I'm looking forward to it!
The Cruise Director refers to Empress as the Smallest Ship with the Biggest Heart - and I absolutely agree!
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Around the ship....
After sailing on Empress a few times over the past couple of months, I have enjoyed learning more about the history of this delightful little ship. I am loving photos like these and the videos I have found of the cascading waterfalls in the Centrum. It's a nice variation on the multi-level Windjammer waterfalls on the Sovereign Class ships of the same era.
Does anybody know when the Empress waterfalls were removed? They appear to have survived the Nordic Empress to Empress of the Seas conversion of 2004, and possibly lasted into the Pullmantur era of 2008 (though I can't be certain based on the videos I can find). Any ideas?
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My post to their Facebook page:
I am very disappointed to see that complimentary room service will be discontinued on yours ships. I am disappointed not because I care about room service itself (though the fee is a continuation of the disturbing nickel-and-diming occurring increasingly on your ships), but because of how the elimination of this amenity is being rolled out.
This is not a price change, but the elimination of a complimentary amenity that has been standard on Royal Caribbean ships for years. It is a perk that guests booking trips on your ships have understood to be included in the price they paid. At this very moment, it is listed as a Complimentary Dining Option on your website. To eliminate this amenity for those with no financial recourse to make a change because their Final Payment date has passed reveals the very low regard in which you must hold your loyal Guests. As somebody who until this point has enjoyed your product, this has been eye-opening, and extremely disheartening.
Their reply:
Hey Brian. Our aim was not to disappoint our guest but to introduce a new premium room service menu in order to enhance your dining experience.
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Posting about Empress:
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Pullmantur's Ships Will Be Returned To Royal Caribbean
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
The forward areas of Decks 11 and 12 were arranged slightly differently on Monarch / Majesty than Sovereign. The extra glass you see on Monarch that you don't see on Sovereign is the forward area of the Windjammer. On Sovereign that area was originally an open-air space. As part of the ship's 2004 dry dock, the indoor capacity of Sovereign's Windjammer was expanded somewhat into the former open-air space. There's lots of great footage of this in the "Dry Dock: A Cruise Ship Reborn" documentary that can be found on youtube.