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irun5k

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  1. OP, Emril's is great- you'll enjoy it. It is al la carte but also very reasonable. We found it to be a great option a couple of nights when we didn't want a giant dinner (due to already have snacked in the afternoon, late lunch, or some such situation). Emril's was a great option those nights- fast yet well prepared. So many solid dining options on Excel class- something for everyone and for every schedule!
  2. I am a little surprised to hear this also. A year ago we were down at Miami and it was an absolute disaster by noon- total gridlock and all the garages were filling up. (I suspect that arrival time was the big mistake.) Everyone was just parking in whatever garage had space (I had to yell out the car window to people walking to eventually identify a garage that had space... which ended up being quite a distance from the ship.) The last thought on my mind or anyone else's was whether the garage would be open when we got back, we were just happy to find a spot. After all that I ended up hiking on 6 inches of grass between a fence and the road, traversing a giant ditch, and crossing a multi-lane road with no crosswalk. Now, there were people lined up outside the garage- seemingly waiting on a shuttle- but when I asked, none of them knew if there actually was a shuttle or what ships it would go to.
  3. I'm pretty familiar- or used to be. I've been sailing since before it was even an option. However, I was not familiar with the fact that they split a dining room for double duty. I booked MTD based on memories of smoother days. In my mind if you're exiting early dining and having to cut through lines wrapping around the floor of people trying to get in to MTD, it feels like there is room for improvement. (this is where I think the 3rd dining time might be that improvement.)
  4. Yes, we were on Celebration last year and overall this worked smoothly. There was one little nuance that was slightly annoying... we had early dining but there was some rule where we had to wait until after a certain time before we could go in the app to request a table at a spot like Chi Bang. But, the virtual queue made that less of an issue. Overall though we loved being able to try different restaurants for dinner w/o an upcharge. We did the MDR a few nights and the other nights did the BBQ place, Chibang, and Emril's (rather small up charge) a couple of times. Carnival got a lot of things right (albeit with one or two weird issues) on their Excel class ships.
  5. I asked the Maître d' why MTD started so late now, and he told me that they doubled up the 3rd floor dining room in this manner because there wasn't enough MTD demand. I am not sure if that is accurate or not... it seems hard to believe that there wasn't sufficient demand for a complete floor. However, it seems pretty clear there is strong demand for something in the middle, e.g. 6:30-6:45. That is why I'm wondering if they won't just kill MTD completely when they move to three dining times. I did notice that our waitlist for early dining on Quantum this summer was just honored and now we're at 5:00 PM. Was Quantum always at 5 or was it 5:15 before? I'm wondering if they're getting ready to support 5 PM, 6:45 PM and 8:30 PM dining times.
  6. Probably a lot would disagree on the overall cruise, but you may find some agree on Quantum class... I've seen some reviews along those lines. From the photos I've seen the ship seems to lack a "style", e.g. the Esplanade looks very 90's indoor shopping mall-ish. Of course it wasn't built for our market so I guess this isn't much of a surprise.
  7. Did you have a later time? I wondered if there was just excessive demand for the 6:45 slot since that slot would capture everyone that would have taken an earlier time if they were still offered.
  8. I should also say/ask- we're on Quantum this summer and I made the same MTD booking mistake. We're now waitlisted for early dining. Any chance MTD works better on Quantum? This info may be dated but I understand there are 4 dining rooms and at least at one point two of them were (100%?) dedicated to MTD?
  9. We were just on the Allure and I was so happy we were able to change to early dining once on board. I originally booked MTD based on pre COVID memories only to find that now it starts at 6:45. Every time we left early dining, it was a MTD horror show outside the dining room! The reservation line and standby lines were both extensive. So, you have to stay on top of trying to get the reservation you want, and then you have to wait in line. I really can't see how this would appeal to anyone. If I recall, back in the day an entire dining room may have been dedicated to MTD for the entire night but now it starts after early dining. I also remember it working pretty smoothly but maybe I'm misremembering. Anyway, I quickly gave up any minor complaints I had with a set dining time- I had a new appreciation for the ability to walk right in and sit down every night. I think the ultimate cruise dream for many is a sailing where you can stroll in to a restaurant any time you like, on any night, and with no reservation, and at worst experience a minor delay. Annoying realities like logistics and statistics seem to block the implementation of such a thing, at least on the mass market cruise lines with mega ships (I've never been on Norwegian though so I can't comment on their "freestyle dining") I have heard RCI is introducing a 3rd dining time- do we know if this will kill off MTD?
  10. I assume the solarium on Quantum is adults-only as on other RCI ships? I suppose our kids are a bit of a wildcard. They definitely appreciate natural beauty, but while I could sit around for hours watching and sipping on something I don't have that expectation for a 9 yr old. So we'll want to balance doing onboard activities with them and perhaps taking some time for ourselves- she can do the kids club if she gets bored with us and our 16 yr old will figure something out on his own 🙂
  11. Seeing that view makes me realize we'll definitely want to spend some of our time on deck taking in the view for a more immersive experience!
  12. Yeah- maybe it is just hitting the right one of their sales but normally sailing out of FL we usually find it cheaper to get two rooms vs one. Unfortunately that wasn't the case for Alaska though and even a single room was a bank buster! When I add up the airfare, hotels, cruise fare and excursions this will be (by far) most expensive vacation we've ever taken so I hope we all come away from it feeling like it was a special experience. The move to one-a-day stateroom service has made it less desirable to cram 4 into one room. Last summer (on Carnival) we had a pullman bed that was out for the entire 7 days (didn't seem to be a way for a passenger to return it to the locked position) whereas with two-a-day service it would come out at night and go up in the AM. I assume the trundle-style beds are easier for the passenger to return to sofa mode, but with this layout we won't have to. All this being said the porthole in 9510 is gigantic (like 5-6' diameter with a totally unobstructed view) and has a dedicated sitting area in front of it so it seems like the only thing we're really losing is the opportunity for fresh air. We do have a seaplane ride and a couple other excursions planned so I'm hoping we all get a nice mix of everything (on shore activities, traditional cruise activities, and sightseeing from the ship.). But I'm also prepared for not everything to go as planned- I understand weather can be a major factor even in June.
  13. Hello, we'll be on Quantum this summer. I know that the Endicott Arm is very scenic. I would assume most folks head up top for at least part of this transit? I'd be curious to know how this is best experienced and if there is some part of the transit that is more worthwhile than another, etc? Also, outside of this part of the sailing and perhaps port arrivals and departures, is there much to see beyond open ocean? We originally had a balcony room reserved. However we just got back for a 4 night cruise with two cabins for the 4 of us (2 adults +16 yr old and 9 yr old) and I realized that our family has likely outgrown a single normal sized cabin- I suddenly couldn't imagine us all cramming into one of the two rooms we had. We somehow did it last summer but it is hard to imagine it working now without testing everyone's nerves. As a result, I 'downgraded' our room this summer to a spacious ocean view- one of the big corner rooms (9510) with a huge porthole. The extra space seems like pure bliss, with the ability for four people to sleep and move around without bumping into one another and still have a view. My other half is bummed to lose the balcony but I'm hoping it is a good tradeoff and we've lost much less than we've gained. I was also concerned about storage for 4 people given that we also have to pack for a couple hotel nights also, but that is now a complete non issue with the extra space. Anyway, appreciate any insights on the overall scenery experience on this Alaska itinerary.
  14. I was there last week and unless I was the wrong (or right!) area of the Oasis Pool, I didn't hear or see a DJ or loud music. There were a good number of people but pretty chill for the most part. The area around the swim up bar was 95% adults as you'd expect but I didn't have any "party atmosphere" concerns, traveling with our two kids. The bar was pretty full but had plenty of bartenders and basically no wait for a drink. The last time I was at Coco Cay was the late 90's so I don't have anything relevant to compare my recent experience to.
  15. If I had to guess, I would imagine it is all outsourced. I've been in the software development field since the late 90's and can't count the number of times I've seen it seen software development and IT infrastructure viewed as an easy chance to save $$$. A company might decide to outsource the work to India or Mexico, Vietnam, etc. or they may fail to make the proper investments to modernize their systems. It always comes back to to bite them though, either a little each day (which they'll ignore) or in a big way (look at the Southwest Airlines issue a while back.) The reality is that properly operating, well designed systems reduce costs.
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