pinkrosesdeb

We always tip at the end of the cruise. Whether its concierge lounge or diamond lounge we tip our regular servers and the concierge. The vouchers are nice when you are cruising with someone who is not entitled to one of the lounges. Or if the lounges are so crowded you can't or don't want to go in.

We always do our massage and facial prior to the cruise. You should remember that when you do a facial you really should avoid sun for 24-48 hours! I was really turned off by their hard sell a few cruises ago and that is when we quit booking onboard. We used to love the pampering but the cost makes it more stressful than relaxing. Look for the port day specials though some of them look a little better. P.S. I run a Massage Envy and now get my massages and facials for free so I really can afford to skip the onboard but I know it is fun to indulge. Just weigh the options and do what sounds like the most fun for YOUR cruise!

We got caught in the Brilliance charter mess in December and just moved to Nov. 17. RCCL handled it pretty well, I thought. Now that we are settled, I started wondering if P.T. is still in the dining room. We had such a good time with him on our Panama Canal cruise a few years ago. I know someone on this board will have an answer. Deb

Three of us on our last cruise, myself and my 2 daughters all had a terrible time with this. I take diurex with me since it happened to me a couple of cruises ago. This does help somewhat. I do believe it is a combination of many things. Especially the heat, extra salt, too much food and on and on. We did find some relief from the Diurex and did drink mostly bottled water. However, I always drink tea and coffee and they are made with ship's water. It is a small price to pay to be onboard so we live with it!

I think sometimes it is hard to "read" someone's intent. Don't take it personally. Sometimes when I read a thread I respond to the most recent post without going back and reading all the previous ones. Not that I mean to ignore anyone, just my short attention span! As said before, you are going to meet LOTS of people who never go to this website and I know you are going to have an incredible time. I think as you get closer to your sail date you will meet more people with whom you have common interests...if you don't, I'm betting you won't even think of them once you are on your "post retirement cruise!" Which, BTW, makes me very jealous since we had hoped to be retired by now also. Just keep coming to the regular boards for your pre cruise fix! WELCOME ABOARD! DEB

Any step up is exciting...keep going, the fun is in the journey!

Not sure why this is still on the Royal thread when it is NOT about cruising. Just wondering.

Thanks, that's good news, we were disappointed last year when he was on vacation during our cruise. We were really looking forward to sailing with him again.

Did I miss a post or something about Diego Tripaldi? I don't see him listed on any ship on the latest list. He has always been our favorite!

We have enjoyed the windjammer on all ships except the Oasis class. Have never enjoyed a good meal there. Tried it a couple of times on Oasis in April just to grab a quick bite before excursion but it was never a satisfying experience. We will stick to Park or Wipeout cafe or MDR when available.

mommabean, you have been a long term cruiser with Royal. I certainly hope they are watching these posts and will attempt to make things right for you. I can't imagine they will be happy to start losing their "loyal to Royal" clients who have always supported them. Hope you get some great answers soon. Also, to all you, new to Royal cruisers and UK clients, I sincerely hope they start to turn things around to help you out. Come on,Royal, you are better than this! Step up and take care of business!

I really thought Giovanni's was open on embarkation day. We didn't go there but thought there were others going in. We were on Oasis so maybe that would make a difference.

BTW, there is a vegetarian option every night as well. The eggplant parmesan was great! And, they always have pasta with marinara, too

we had green beans several times, asparagus and carrots (usually a veggie mix with carrots, broccoli etc.). Not a lot of variety but there will be some kind every night. You can also order a baked potato every night if you want.

kernow, I have to say we thought the veggies were lacking last cruise as well. Not much choice but we were able to find lots in the WJ to get us thru. Maybe a few extra vegetable choices at night would be good.

port royal, we don't let anyone force us away. We make our own fun and they can watch from the "throne". If they look down on us, we just have more fun! It must be sad to have to hold your status above everyone especially since WE DON'T CARE! We just ignore those people and move on and we have met people we love to be with every single cruise! Hope we will meet in there some day. Deb

peteukmar, I am sorry you have encountered that and feel the need to move to other lines. I really wish people could just be nice. I know there are jerks at all levels, luckily, we have been able to ignore them and have a wonderful time. I don't know why they feel like the rest of us actually care about their opinions on who is in the CL or why becase we sure don't. If I see you in the CL, I will have a smile on my face and a drink in my hand and will be happy to share time with you. We love meeting everyone.

There is nothing like your first cruise, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. You can make it as relaxing or as busy as you want and so can the rest of your family. Our girls were grown when we started cruising so no experience with AO but I always hear kids talking about how much fun they have had. I say read as much as you can on this board and you can get lots of information from the experienced AND new cruisers, everyone had a different take on things. Ask away...and enjoy your first cruise, it can be very addictive.

I agree about the water weight. Both my daughters and I had a lot of swollen feet and hands last cruise. We had all been really careful pre cruise and then slipped onboard. We have all taken it back off since cruise but it can be shocking to see those extra pounds, water or not! Hope you enjoyed your cruise anyway, we did. We also make sure that we walk the stairs instead of taking the elevators and that really does make a difference, especially on the Oasis class, I learned to hate those stairs but the scale was much better when I got home this time.

I don't know why people can't just say congratulations without all the negativity about how "some" diamond plus can be rude. We have been diamond plus for awhile and certainly don't act any differently towards anyone in either lounge and don't find it happening very often when we are in there either. I wish you would remember that LOTS of non-diamond plus are extremely RUDE at all other venues. Why is it always the diamond/diamond plus that get called out? Jealousy,maybe? I don't think the "rank" has anything to do with rudeness, you either are or you're not...we are NOT!

CONGRATULATIONS ON REACHING DIAMOND PLUS, YOU EARNED IT, YOU DESERVE ALL THE PERKS! ENJOY, ENJOY, ENJOY!

We have done both suites and D-1s since becoming d+ and, can honestly say, we still enjoy the suite perks. D+ is nice but we found last cruise that we did miss some of the more personal service offered to suite guests. We had an awesome diamond concierge though and loved every minute. We would do either way depending on the difference in pricing which pretty much always determines how we go.

You might actually find a CHEAPER rate right now with the May BOGO going on. We had our Panama Canal cruise cancelled but it worked out really well. We got some OBC to make up for it and we met some of the nicest people ever on the new cruise. We are still in contact with them. Hang in there, your first cruise will be incredible! Deb

The smaller cabin size is one drawback to this class for sure. We booked a GS for 4 of us and when we walked in, it looked like our JS on another ship. We made it work but it was tight.

There is never a limit to the amount of food you can order to your room so don't feel like you are being dishonest. You booked a suite for the extra space and we have even had the concierge help us plan get togethers in ours. Enjoy every minute! We were able to order chocolate covered strawberries and a cheese tray for sailaway thru the concierge and enjoyed it with out champagne. Get creative, you are paying for it.

However, in the GS, there is not dining table, only the cocktail table and the small table on the balcony. You can make it work but it is not the same as the regular dining table in the OS. It is a nice change of pace if you are flexible though. Enjoy that GS!

I got info before our Oasis cruise that was wrong as to bed location. We booked 8308 because it said the bed was by the balcony. Unfortunately, it was by the closet and since my daughter & I were cruising together instead of hubby and I we had the beds separated. Let's just say, it was interesting getting into the closet. We just made it a fun story and had a blast anyway. BUT, bed by the balcony IS better! Deb