Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[Luckynana]

10 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

That is the current season of BD Sailing Yacht that just ended.

Thank you, OB!

8 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

 

Had Kraken last night in Coco Logo. I am happy that I could turn you on to that great rum.

 

Below Deck 9 seasons

Below Deck Med 6 Seasons

Below Deck Sailing 3 Seasons

Below Deck Down Under 1 Season

Below Deck Adventure Season 1 Coming

 

 

Ashley was a mess. I can understand why she ditched the reunion show even though she signed a contract to appear. She knew she was going to get a lot of grief.

You've turned a lot of us onto Kraken rum, Greg!!

Yay!  I can continue binging BD!

Ashley sure is a mess!  

[Luckynana]

6 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

Your post intrigued me, so I did some research.  The hotel has had an interesting history.  I found this old picture, guessing from the 60s, that shows the original La Concha Hotel, which opened in 1958.  

 

Here is the hotel today.  The original building is still architecturally a lot like it was, although it had a major update done.  The huge seashell structure over the restaurant on the beach is still there.  The suite tower on the right in the picture below is new and now contains the casino.

 

 

 

According to Wikipedia, the original La Concha Hotel was united with the Condado Beach Hotel just down the beach to the west (now the Condado Vanderbilt) in 1973 and the combined entity became the Hyatt Puerto Rico.  In 1976, Hilton took over the property and built a convention center between the 2 hotel buildings, making it one large building.  It was then called the Condado Beach La Concha Convention Center.  The whole thing was taken over by Carnival Cruise Line and renamed to The Condado Beach Trio.  The La Concha wing of the complex was closed in 1995 and the Condado Beach Hotel wing was closed in 1997.  Both properties were abandoned for years.  The convention center between the original hotel buildings was demolished to make the park that now sits between the separate hotels.  Renaissance Hotels eventually bought the La Concha building, did a $200M renovation, and reopened in 2007.  Our room in the original building was very modern, and the public spaces were beautiful.  They added the $100M Suites Tower in 2010.  The Condado Vanderbilt reopened in 2012 after a $270M renovation.

 

Since you said that you stayed there 51 years ago, I'd guess that you were there before it was combined with the Condado Beach Hotel and was a lot like the first picture above. 

 

Ah, the things that you have time to do in retirement. 😁

Thank you for going through all the trouble of typing all of this interesting info, Bob!

The first time I was at La Concha was 1967, and Jim and I honeymooned there in 1971.

I do appreciate this!

8 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Below deck is 9 seasons, below deck med will begin airing season 7 soon and below deck sailing just finished airing season 3.   

I just finished watched last episode last night.   So happy Daisy didn't hook up with Gary.  Marco is an amazing Chef.  I hope he is successful with his restaurant in LA.

Marco truly is an amazing Chef, Deb!

[Momof3gurlz]

@dani negreanu I’m so sorry your long awaited cruise was such a disappointment.  Then to end up testing positive for Covid after all that!  
How are you feeling?

[Ozark_Kid]

@dani negreanu So sorry that you had a disappointing cruise.  I hate to see such a good hearted person like yourself have such a bad experience.  Thanks for sharing.   Please don't let this one discourage you from cruising again.  

[Ozark_Kid]

9 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Had Kraken last night in Coco Logo. I am happy that I could turn you on to that great rum.

I don't know if you remember me posting different signs in Seattle that kept using the word Kraken .  I didn't realize it at the time that it was the name of their hockey team 😳.   

[taznremmy]

On 7/1/2022 at 12:26 PM, John&LaLa said:

Carnival folks laughing at us now. 

 

Big brawl on Navigators Royal Promenade🤣🤣

 

https://crew-center.com/brawl-breaks-out-navigator-seas

Another one?!  I was on a three day from June 24-27, and understand there was a big brawl between two women at the same location the cruise prior( 20th-24th).  Long Beach PD were waiting to "help" them off the ship.  And your comment is correct, John, that is the same thing several of us were saying based on the manners and behavior of the current passengers.  They appear to be competing with Carnival, not Princess.

[Ozark_Kid]

51 minutes ago, singinalot said:

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! It was a beautiful evening. My family, friends, and I went to Oystercatchers, a seafood restaurant on the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_5073.MOV

IMG_5057.MOV IMG_5065.MOV

Hey  Crystal,  thanks for posting the pics and videos.   Looks like the group had a great time celebrating your birthday! I wish I had that meat, cheese and crackers plank to munch on right now! Happy Birthday. 

[Sunshine3601]

@dani negreanuI am really sad about your experiences on the Beyond.   

Really surprised they are not trying to Wow their guests, especially this being a new ship.

I have always heard how friendly CK is and surprised to hear she couldnt even stop for a brief moment, very sad.

Do they send survey to fill out online like Royal does?

I hope you are feeling better and that your wonderful Husband has remained negative.😃🌷

 

[taznremmy]

19 hours ago, Coralc said:

There was a lady at the Vet's office with her under the weather Doberman. I was still waiting to go in with my dog, when she came back out looking sort of distressed. 

 

I asked if her dog was okay?

 

She said, "I'm so embarrassed. Apparently, she swallowed a pair of my panty hose, and he had to fish it out." 

OMG!!  Years ago I was at my brothers and one of my knee high nylons went missing.  Fortunately it showed up later in the yard, fully packed with poop.  My brother was thinking of feeding the dog one every day.  Sure made pickup easier. 😂

[Luckynana]

@dani negreanuI am so sorry that your cruise turned out so disappointing, and so stressful for you and your DH, Dani.  Not what a long-awaited vacation should have been.  I'm glad that your DH is okay after finding the wire in his fish.  Super-scary and should never have happened.  I sure hope that you are feeling better after coming down with the Virus.🌹

[Luckynana]

12 minutes ago, taznremmy said:

OMG!!  Years ago I was at my brothers and one of my knee high nylons went missing.  Fortunately it showed up later in the yard, fully packed with poop.  My brother was thinking of feeding the dog one every day.  Sure made pickup easier. 😂

That's hysterical!!!😁

[BonTexasNY]

@dani negreanuDani, I truly am sorry your much planned and anticipated cruise was more than disappointing. As others commented, that wire in the fish is truly troubling not only because it was there but how poorly it was handled after the fact.. 

 

I know how much you were looking forward to meeting up with CK and for her to shrug past you like she did must have felt hurtful.

 

In spite of all the very valid issues, I hope you and your DH were able to enjoy some quality time in the ports you visited.

 

Hopefully, your DH remains covid negative and that you're feeling better.

[Ocean Boy]

1 hour ago, Luckynana said:

Thank you, OB!

You've turned a lot of us onto Kraken rum, Greg!!

Yay!  I can continue binging BD!

Ashley sure is a mess!  

I wish @Sea Doghad told us what he was going to do. I would have bought stock.

[Ocean Boy]

Sunset tonight over Watch Hill harbor taken with my S22 in pro mode and slight adjustments to the settings for the two pictures....

 

[Sunshine3601]

7 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Sunset tonight over Watch Hill harbor taken with my S22 in pro mode and slight adjustments to the settings for the two pictures....

 

They both look really cool but I think I like the first one better.   

[Ocean Boy]

3 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

They both look really cool but I think I like the first one better.   

I think so too. That was actually the second picture I took but it loaded first.

[Ozark_Kid]

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Sunset tonight over Watch Hill harbor taken with my S22 in pro mode and slight adjustments to the settings for the two pictures....

 

Those look really good.  I really like the pro mode.  Besides the adjustments I also like the line that appears that helps me balance the horizon correctly. 

[Sea Dog]

3 hours ago, Luckynana said:

Thank you, OB!

You've turned a lot of us onto Kraken rum, Greg!!

Yay!  I can continue binging BD!

Ashley sure is a mess!  

 

Glad I could contribute. I really have become a fan. The whole Kraken myth and legend of this sea monster makes it even more interesting. It helps that this dark spiced rum is really good and can really enhance any rum based cocktail.

 

 

3 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

I don't know if you remember me posting different signs in Seattle that kept using the word Kraken .  I didn't realize it at the time that it was the name of their hockey team 😳.   

 

 

Yes I do remember. It’s a great name. I never knew what a kraken meant till I researched it.

 

 

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I wish @Sea Doghad told us what he was going to do. I would have bought stock.

 

I’m on the hunt for some of the collector bottles. This is there ceramic one.

 

And their deep sea edition.

 

https://caskcartel.com/products/the-kraken-black-spiced-deep-sea-bioluminescence-rum-700ml?variant=40854128918666&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=Google Shopping&gclid=CjwKCAjw2f-VBhAsEiwAO4lNeL4UW5zR58jvEqwNwoQB21jXbaAd1FA7JfWuy_F4gvglFreMXZgXXRoCG_sQAvD_BwE

 

[jagsfan]

12 hours ago, grapau27 said:

Good afternoon from our garden in North East England where it is sunny and 74°F.

I hope everyone is well and having a nice Independence holiday weekend.

Take care and stay safe.

Graham.

You have a lovely  garden to relax in or just look at. 

[jagsfan]

11 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

While the others were in the pool Kenzie wanted to have fun at the splash pad.

 

 

 

 

I hope when Kenzie gets old enough, you tell her how many fans she has!

[jagsfan]

7 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I love this picture.  She looks like she's planning something evil. 😈

She reminds me of Queen Elizabeth’s great granddaughter Savannah. 
loaded with personality. 

[jagsfan]

6 hours ago, dani negreanu said:

LONG - that's my "style". I know... my kids always say to me: "Fast forward, mom". So, fast forward, pls. 😁

 

Some very personal musings about our Beyond cruise,

 

“Personal” because we look at our cruises from a different perspective/point of view – we don’t participate in a lot of ship’s activities like Trivia/L&M/Quest, etc. Also, comedians/one man shows, all of them necessitating a good command of English. We go only to the big musicals, and on this cruise, DH had to leave after a few minutes, the strong sound being too much for his hearing aids.

 

We don’t cruise for the beaches/hot weather, drinks and we gamble very small amounts (like 5-10$ pp per evening) just for fun. Usually bets of 1 or 2 cents 😊 On this cruise, after 3 long “dry dock” years, we found out that the minimum bet was raised to 75 cents, so our 9$ were quick to disappear.

 

Then, why are we cruising? Mainly for the itineraries. Sometimes – for the ship. This time we found an excellent combo – interesting itinerary and a new class of ship.

 

… and, for the food, mainly on Celebrity.

 

Therefore, our criteria of judging if we enjoyed the cruise is much more limited – itinerary, food and ship.

 

What we liked about Beyond?

*the lower staff (servers, waiters, cleaners, sales attendants, casino staff) were all excellent, always smiling, always willing to help.

*the pool – was the longest in comparison to every other ship. I’ve managed, early in the mornings, to swim some nice laps.

*all night light in the bathroom.

*the infinite veranda makes for a bigger room, but, if one of the cruisers is an early raiser and wants to spend time on the veranda, the light wakes up the other.

 

What we didn’t like?

Soulless. Too dark. Too much “real estate” taken by very high-end shops (Cartier, Bvlgari, Montblanc. Le maison du chocolat – always empty), and not enough connection with the sea. A dark mirrored corridor, which I’ve found down right creepy, fearing I’ll find myself stepping right into one of the mirrors.

 

 

Unless we travel with family/friends, we usually prefer to dine at WJ/OVC. We’re "in and out" quickly, can try different dishes, mainly the stir fry, which we highly prefer.

 

Quite from the beginning we were disappointed in the quality, quantity and diversity of the OVC’s food. There were a lot of heavy stews, unappealing for the most of time.

 

I found myself making one round, two rounds, trying to map the dishes I’d like to sample, and found myself “settling” for a grilled steak, chicken breast or burger…. In very contrast to all other cruises, where I’d make a round and say to myself: “ohh, sheperd’s pie, ohh, meat lasagna, ohh, seafood salad, ohh, this pad thai looks sooo good”.

 

DH was even more disappointed, since he mainly eats fish, seafood and salads. Usually, he’s going to the salad bar, and comes back with a huge amount of leaves, tomatoes, cucumbers, hummus, etc., his usual Mediterranean staple at home. Here, he found himself asking for two slices of this, two leaves of this, a spoon of this -- a rather tedious “affair”. Meantime, a line is forming after him, close enough to defy the purpose of being served in the name of “social distancing/ Covid”.

 

The first grilled fish he asked for was  half frozen… The second – the same. He showed it to the server, who promptly left the serving and went in search of the “culprit” (the cook). Another line after DH. Someone appeared from the kitchen, and agreed, that, indeed, the fish was not properly unfrosted and grilled. Meanwhile, another “in-charge” saw the “fuss” and wanted details. DH explained the “case” and wondered why, 1 day after we left Rome, which is a fishing port, there are only deep frozen fishes on board, not to mention calamari, shrimps, mussels, etc. The standard reply, which we were going to hear repeatedly, was “difficulties in the chain of supply”.

 

After 2 days of “buffet” diner, DH wanted escargot and we went to one of the 4 “free” restaurants. The escargots DH got were tiny and the meal was no more than OK but, as expected, took a lot of time.

Back to the buffet.

After another 2 days of disappointing food at the buffet, DH wanted a proper grilled fresh fish and we opted for “Cyprus”, which offered a grilled seabass.

 

While DH was eating the seabass, I suddenly saw him confused, murmuring “a bone” and taking something out of his mouth… turns out if was not a bone, it was a 1.5 cm long piece of … wire !!! He gently placed it on the bread plate and we called the waiter, who immediately called… whoever. DH, of course, was distressed. What if he ingested another, smaller, piece of wire and he didn’t feel it??

Me? I was speechless and worried sick.

 

After a few minutes of looking one at another and pushing aside the beginnings of our entrees, the head waiter appeared with an “explanation”… the piece of wire comes from the brush used to clean the grill…”   Ahhhh, now we were “relieved”…

 

We were so outraged, we just left the restaurant and went outside, to try to understand what just happened, and moreover, what IF another piece of wire was ingested?

 

When we got back to our cabin, a bottle of white vine was waiting for us, along with some chocolate covered strawberries from the Cypress’ manager. The cheap bottle of wine really irritated DH: “I don’t want their vine, I want this going up and reported to the higher management, so that it will never happen again!!!” “It should have never happened in the first place” !!!

 

So, first thing in the morning we went to GS with the vine in tow. Asked for “someone in charge”. The GS was reluctant, asking our room #, saying: “it is mentioned here”. I took the “helm” and said that we want to be sure it is “mentioned” up to the B&F director, and besides, we want to return their vine. Even if it’s just a “gesture”, might as well find out if we drink vine, and find something “neutral”, but that was not really the issue. We just felt that the vine was CYA.

 

After a few minutes, the Cypress’ “in charge” came, claiming that it has been “reported”, “measures are being taken”, and, get this: “should you need medical assistance, we’ll be more than happy to provide it”. DH replied that “should I need medical assistance, I’ll be in big trouble, and Celebrity in an even BIGGER trouble”. He took the vine back, DH telling him that it was offending to receive a cheap bottle of several dollars by way of apology, instead a letter of “we will thoroughly examine what went wrong” which surely will be more to the point.

 

Quite reluctantly the “in charge” offered a free lunch at either Le Fine Cut or Raw 5, and we agreed to Raw 5, being seafood and fish.

DH was eating bananas from the fateful evening, in the hope that his intestine will “weather” any stray wire…

 

A day after the “wire”, I went to a “senior officers” meeting with Elite, +, etc. members.

 

While I was sitting by myself, people watching, one of them came, randomly, to ask me “how do you like the cruise so far”? Big mistake on his part, HUGE…. I made a “so-so” movement with my hand, being masked and him also. Didn’t want to elaborate… but he was so surprised and, seemingly, interested…

 

I told him that the food quality, diversity, quantity is sub par for a Celebrity cruise, and us being foodies, are underwhelmed. He wanted examples and details, which I supplied.

 

Turns out he was the “procurement” officer, which enraged me more. I told him that there is no quality control whatsoever on the food, fruits in particular, and some products should never reach the buffet [overmature watermelon and kiwi coming immediately to mind]. Told him that, obviously, being veteran Celebrity cruisers, we have the “means” to compare.

 

He said that they pride themselves in the quality of food on Celebrity, being one of the things which set them apart from other cruise lines. I just gave him THE LOOK “not happening here”.

 

When I told him that I’ve heard the same from others, suite guests/Luminae, Le Voyage, The Fine Cut, etc., he excused himself and went in search of the F&B guy, and brought him to me.

 

At that moment I decided to check if our plea that the “wire incident” will go to the “top” was granted and was shocked to see that he never heard of it. Immediately he profusely apologized and asked where we’re going to eat tonight, wanting to see for himself that DH is OK.

 

Told him we had a reservation for Raw 5 [which was made before the free lunch offer]. He promised to be there. He wasn’t… but he comped us the dinner…. And we were glad he did, since, how DH said it so succinctly: “the lobster tail was from the runt of the litter” [and the oysters were far from fresh]. On the “free” lunch, we ordered only fried items and they were good.

 

There were other food disappointments, where you see “grilled steak” advertised, but no steak on the grill. When you ask about it, they search one in their drawers, put one on the grill and tell you to come back between 7 and 10 minutes… Fries? “We’re waiting for a new batch, come back in 5 minutes?” NO!! Someone should monitor the popular items like fries, and the moment it seems that in a few more servings, they’ll be out of it, to already bring a new batch.

 

The last “straw” was potato salad. With no fries available, I’ve tried my luck with the 2^nd best… Long line, since the potato salad is with the “made to order sandwiches” and it takes time. I’m getting the last batch. Yay!! Sit down to eat, the potatoes are undercooked…

 

I calm myself, and go back for another batch. Same “quality”. Ask a waiter to call someone “higher”. A nice and seemingly harassed lady arrives. Stoked her fork too. “Yep!!, not cooked at all”…

 

“What’s you room number”?? That was the SP. Can’t figure it out what my room # has to do with the undercooked potatoes, overmature fruits, not properly unfrozen fish, etc.

 

It’s not that someone called and apologized or explained.

 

To sum it up, on previous cruises, at dinner you saw lots and lots of officers eating at the buffet. There were always stir fry stations, pasta stations, grill stations with every imaginable meat or fish being done on the spot.

 

There were officers patrolling the buffet and keeping eye on everything. If a tray was about to be 2/3 finished, immediately a fresh one was brought, so there will be no delay and waiting.

 

Not on Beyond. Not even one.

 

DH, ever the cynic, predicted that in the last day, Celebrity will pull all stops and gave us a meal to remember. He was right… In the last day lunch there was a “buffet extravaganza”….

 

  

A few words about Captain Kate. I’ve told the concierge on the first day about my “romance” with “her”, and asked, if possible, for a few seconds meet. I thought that, after innocently investing so much time for her “snacks”, the least will be a souvenir pic with her. The concierge was amazed at the quality of the scam, and promised a short meeting.

 

There were 3 meetings of Elite and up with C.K. She made a few seconds appearance, tightly surrounded by her fellow officers, to the point of reminding me the security surrounding the PM of our country… Not approachable, not visible. The one meeting the concierge promised had a few of us aligned in order to meet her. I was the last one in line. A couple before the couple in front of me decided to monopolize her, and, sadly … it was time for her to say a few words and no time for us. The concierge apologized and said to wait there, C.K.’ll “see” us later. The couple before me gave up and, when C.K. finished in a few seconds, she brushed me aside like I was an annoying fly, and… fled through a side door.

 

An expensive disappointment! I’m so sorry not just the food was substandard, but that the people who should have cared, didn’t. 

[jagsfan]

4 hours ago, singinalot said:

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! It was a beautiful evening. My family, friends, and I went to Oystercatchers, a seafood restaurant on the water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Way to celebrate!

[ReneeFLL]

13 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

I'll be able to. I'm going on the same cruise again in February with my co-host (shhhhh....she's getting the cruise for Christmas!). There were some things on the ship I wanted to feature but didn't get a chance to experience.

 

I'm already planning my shots and everything for my Oasis cruise in October. I've been watching all kinds of videos on the weekends to get some information on her, such as layout, attractions, her stats and operations, etc. for some added content.

 

Oh and BTW, my co-host/niece knows about the Oasis cruise: she was supposed to come on my Enchantment cruise this week, but we all had to cancel due to a positive COVID test within the party (not me). Knowing this might happen (the person was symptomatic and did 2 at home tests before the mandatory pre-cruise testing), we told her about a contingency plan: the Oasis cruise. 

 

So now, we're running around doing all the paperwork for everyone again in order to travel (most of our packing errands are done now) since we're about 3 months (give or take) out until the Oasis cruise. I'm also on isolation protocols due to being a close contact and have to isolate until Monday.

Sorry to hear you had to cancel your cruise.

[Coralc]

10 minutes ago, jagsfan said:

An expensive disappointment! I’m so sorry not just the food was substandard, but that the people who should have cared, didn’t. 

We noticed that on our last Royal Caribbean cruise. The lying by staff, and even guest services is really annoying. Don't tell me stuff if you are not going to do it, and it hasn't been done. I despise it when people lie to me.