Spurschick

Why isn't this a double standard?

 

D and D+ cannot bring friends into the lounges, yet suities can? Has RCCL created a new caste system? What's next... will suite guests and their friends be given priority lifeboat access? Yikes!

There are a lot of double standards. It's like saying why are children allowed in SL at all times with parents yet not the DL? Our DD is D+ in her own right so should theoretically have no issue getting in the DL in her own right but isn't allowed on most ships because she is a minor. She could argue that she has more right to be there than those that are D given how much she has sailed.

PS not arguing just making a point:)

You can certainly go to your friends' suite any time they invite you.

Going to "suite only" functions elsewhere with them is a NoNo.

On our sailing there was a large family that had the gls booked. 2 in the GLS, all the children and grandchild in non suites. They were welcomed to every event including the complimentary suite exclusive tours. If the concierge says yes then all good. It is, at the end of the day, dependent on the staff.

It is at the staffs discretion as to who is allowed to do what. There is never any harm in asking if it is quiet and it is not preventing someone else from obtaining what they are entitled to.

Your friends can invite you to join them for a dinner in Coastal Kitchen. Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen each have an entrance but once inside are one big room. Access to the Suite Lounge.......and complimentary drinks is only for those with a Gold Card.

 

Oasis is an amazing ship. Enjoy all she has to offer....

They are more likely to be welcomed during lunch when it is quieter. That being said most tables are for 4 or more. It is little inconvenience if they are sharing a table as to whether there are 4 at the table or only 2:)

There has been much talk on how crowded the suite lounges have been lately and how suite guests themselves have been turned away. Unless it's an unusually light week, they may be pretty picky about who they let in. Enjoy the long sailing!

SL on Oasis class is very large. Even when busy we never had any issues with seating in either CK or lounge. CK was busiest at nights. It will be interesting to see if the JS for dinner affects this, but lunch and breakfast were very quiet.

Only CL we ever had issues with getting seats was Jewel. That was because the CL was for suites and D+ and it was really small. That will be alleviated with the dry dock.

You are most welcome.

If you have any issues with medical conditions getting through a long muster, I would recommend contacting special needs at sea in advance. I have seen numerous times where they allow some people with medical conditions to leave before the end, or allocate you to a more comfortable location for the muster.

I hope you have a great cruise:)

Slots points accrue with amount spent. Points go straight on sea pass when you play with sea pass card inserted.

Table games you need to ask to be rated. Minimum bet is $25 or $50 dependent on game played.

No. Every few weeks, during turnarond, they actually physically relocate the staterooms that connect to different areas of the deck. So those deck plans only reflect right now. If your cruise is more than a week or two away, they will most likely move those rooms.

If I had to put a percentage on it, I would say that the posted deck plans, vis a vis connecting cabins, are accurate 98% of the time.

 

Look on line:

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?shipCode=OA

Carol, I agree with you almost 99.99999% of the time. However I must say this is truly not the case with the Harmony deck plans:eek:

I am still trying to work out how a one bed sky class Aqua suite is also a 2 bed star class Aqua suite at the same time

Maybe leisuretraveller knows something we don't :D:D

And lastly, this is why I ask on cruise critic. I would not have known this to ask about had I not posted. So to the poster who said why wouldn't you ask the casino. This is why I ask here.

 

In conclusion, don't jump down my throat when specifically mentioned not to take offense and instead give information as this is what cruise critic is for. Thank you.

 

 

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I wasn't jumping down your throat. Artemus provided you with a well thought out and logical explanation as to why you couldn't. You came looking for information and they kindly gave you information.

I suggested you ask the casino as firstly they are the ones offering the certificate. Secondly, once you receive the certificate you will have all the terms and conditions on there which would answer most questions.

If you do not understand the lady you spoke to did you ask for the Casino host or Casino manager? They are able to clarify any questions you have . As PompeySailor stated they can contact Club Royale to confirm if needed.

Hopefully you make the 2400 hundred points and get to use the certificate.

I seriously doubt it. You're getting your free cruise because of your play in the casino and they would expect similar play next time. Just like in land casinos, offers are only for the specific player only. A spouse is not even eligible to use your offer without you being present.

Agree. It is a reward earned by an individual and as such the certificate is for that individual.

Not sure why, if they wanted an accurate response, they decided to ask here when they question our responses when they could have just asked the casino host:rolleyes::

I have seen them for sale. And no offense, I am looking for someone who knows not doubts or thinks. Thank you.

 

 

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They are non transferable, however they should have a trade in value if you cannot make the dates offered. I suggest you read the casino thread. This is all covered there.

Might want to go and correct the title of your thread since you weren't on Freedom of the Seas.

Agree - correct ship helps when discussing issues.

Hello!

 

I've been cruising Royal Caribbean for over 10 years and am pretty close to Diamond Plus. I'm not nearly as experienced as some of you, but this isn't my first cruise either. All of my sailing has been in the Caribbean. My last sailing was June 2015.

 

I'm booked (in a GS) on Royal's upcoming Arctic Circle Cruise. Not only is it my first time cruising in Europe, it's my first time going to Europe (I've never had the time and the money at the same time!).

 

I'm curious what "little differences" there are with the experience on the ship between sailing Europe (particularly Northern Europe) and the Caribbean. I've searched (here and on Google) but was only able to find things on the Mediterranean. Examples (more is welcome):

 

• Is embarkation / disembarkation the same?
  
• Are procedures different in ports?
  
• Are there differences with meals (quality / quantity / selection)?
  
• I also bring a few items which are in the "gray area" (extension cords, Iridium satphone). I've never had issues with any of these on my 20+ sailings in the Caribbean, but I don't know if they care more in Europe.
  
• Are there any differences on luggage procedures (checked or carry-on)?
  
• Other guests - What's a ballpark percentage of American (or native English Speakers) guests versus other guests?
  
• Anything else you can think of!
  

 

Thanks in advance!

My Northern European cruises have been out of UK so no experience with the port of Copenhagen for embarkation.

Procedures pretty standard in most ports. I am not sure the exact ports you are visiting but There are a lot of ports in the region that have shuttles to get out of the port and some that have restrictions on being able to just walk off the ship and into town. Those ports will have shuttles.

Meals are more European in flair. E.g. Breakfast will be more English style sausages than us style, bacon European style, more pies etc available. You will find some items you are used to and some that are more geared to the region.

luggage procedures - never noticed a difference.

You will notice a lot less Americans and a lot more Europeans including non English language. You will still find plenty of English speaking guests, and we normally notice as many Canadians as Americans on those type of itineraries. I found muster took longer though as was done in several more languages.

Formal nights are generally a little more formal than Caribbean sailings.

Have a great trip!

That is sad, as it was one of the perks listed when we booked. Do they give you a time to get off like everyone else or do you just walk off when you want? Just curious as I am leaving in a month on Allure.

We were given priority suite tags. We just walked right off when we wanted. As we walked off we asked which way for suites. There was a lady that directed us down a seperate escalator. It took us to a suite line and we by-passed the regular queue and took us right to the front. All suite cases were in a section by the suite line.

Must be the family panoramic ocean view. If that's the case, then you have a bath and a half, sofa bed, bunk beds and the regular bed.

 

 

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Sorry only saw your response after I posted my comment. Agree with thinking on it being a family panoramic.

Correct me if I am wrong but I thought the only panoramics capable of sleeping 5 are the family panoramics which is bed, double sofa, bunk beds and 1 and half bath at around 400sq ft.

OP is that the category you are looking at?

If there was an incident that was severe enough to cause service to be reduced, cause a directive to be written and subsequently handed down wouldn't it apply to all ships and not just the Allure? Why would the Allure be different? I think this is what the OP wants to know.

All I know was there had been some recent reviews shortly before our sailing where people had stated they had indeed been escorted off the Allure. Then about 2 weeks before we sailed someone posted there had been an incident and until further notice they were not escorting off.

Once onboard we enquirer about midway through the cruise and were given the exact same explanation. Without the full story we don't know if this was a directive by customs or a decision made onboard. But their story was consistent.

Our experience was one of the concierges was better than the other. They always assisted if asked.

it's a Concierge thing. we have had Concierges escort us via a closed off elevator( including a crew one once.. or rather the one they use to schlep luggage from deck to deck) and have had concierges disappear completely that last morning.

 

have never gotten whisked off to Customs directly though. That would be nice.

Not entirely true for Allure. They had been escorting off until recently. They then advised that an incident had occurred and until further notice they were no longer allowed to escort guests off. Not their decision but a directive handed down to them.

I had just gotten off the phone with RCI asking questions about different things... I.E. when can you book the character breakfast, what deck and how big the kids clubs etc... and getting some concerning answers.. I.E the breakfast is $10 fee per person/child?? The kids clubs are approx 60-70% smaller then those on Disney [exact wording from the Customer Service Agent), and the amount of places that they do allow smoking on the ship :eek: is vast... And then I read your post and a light bulb off in my head.. And I said "your right". So after talking to my Daughter and her Hubby we are going to delay our cruise for 6 more months and switch over to Disney which with the additional 6 months out will be almost the same amount as what we were going to pay for Liberty.

 

I HONESTLYappreciate everyone's thoughts/comments...but your exactly right we don't want to just have "an OK time", we want to have a magical experience. There is obviously ships/company's that suits everyone..and after talking to my hubby and asking him if we took a cruise just the two of us..which line would he want..and hands down he said Disney...

 

And just to clarify it IS NOT just the kids clubs strict activity based schedule that is guiding us in making this decision. It is the much higher percentage of "pay for" restaurants then it is "free", it is the character breakfast cost, it is the HUGE casino, the more relaxed smoking rules, and after 11pm room service fee, the horror stories I read about disembarking, and the MUCH smaller staterooms. I think what it boils down to after seeing several videos on youtube.. The ship looks like it caters to the more adult with dollars then families...which would stand to reason why all the nickel and dimming and all the extra fee restaurants. I guess I should have done much more research before I booked....lesson learned :)

Sorry you felt like you had to cancel. It's a shame because the ship is definitely not adult orientated.

Just because the kids clubs are smaller than Disney does not mean it is small and they don't offer anything. Also stating that it is a strict activity based schedule is misleading. As with all other cruise lines we have sailed, there is a schedule which reflects planned activities, but no one is telling you what you have to do.

Your comment regarding you not liking the ship because it has a huge casino? There are lots of people that sail that are not interested in a casino. There are plenty of things to do other than go in the casino. If casino is not your thing just find other entertainment. How other people enjoying themselves in a casino that you do not wish to visit has to do with picking a cruise line I am not sure. That's like saying someone won't pick a ship because it has a Jazz Club and they don't like Jazz?

Smoking areas are not vast like you claim. They have reduced a lot over recent years to the point I hardly notice them. They are the casino, that you have already stated you don't want so wouldn't be in anyway, and a couple of outdoor areas, and my understanding is Disney has designated smoking areas as well.

Like others have said, it looks like you went looking for an excuse not to book it and go back to Disney. I wish you the best but sometimes variety really can be the spice of life. Shame you were not open to trying it.

Correct, however you may want to pack your own corkscrew if you wish to consume in your cabin.

Cruiser who have stayed in the Royal Suite Room 1620 on the Adventure of the Seas - Help!

 

5. Can you provide a (scan/pic) of room service menu for Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner?

 

Appetizers and Salads

Seasonal Fruit Plate

Served with cottage cheese or plain yogurt.

Soup of the Day

Caesar Salad

Romaine lettuce, garlic croutons, grated Parmesan cheese and

Caesar dressing.

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Radicchio, frisée, escarole, romaine, hearts of palm, tomatoes,

green olives, purple onions, feta cheese and grilled marinated

chicken.

Salads are served with your choice of Caesar, Creamy Italian,

Ranch, Thousand Island or Blue Cheese dressing.

 

Sandwiches

Seeded Rye Baguette

Oakwood smoked salmon, Camembert, red onions and Boston

lettuce.

Turkey Sandwich

Sliced turkey breast, Swiss cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, pickles on

French bread.

Grilled Vegetable Panini

Pesto mayonnaise, grilled marinated eggplant and zucchini,

mushroom confit, roasted peppers and fresh mozzarella cheese.

 

Entrées

Fried Chicken Drumettes

Blue Cheese dressing, carrots and celery sticks.

Hamburger

Sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce and pickles. Served with potato

chips.

Bistro Burger

American cheese, crispy bacon, lettuce, caramelized onions and

tomatoes. Served with potato chips.

Cheese Pizza

Pizza sauce and cheese.

Pepperoni Pizza

Pizza sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella.

Florentine Pizza

Pizza sauce, sliced tomatoes, spinach, ricotta, mozzarella and

Parmesan cheese.

Chili and Chorizo Dip

With corn chips, sour cream and guacamole.

 

Desserts

International Cheese Plate

ChocolateTart Raspberry Cheesecake

Chocolate Chip Cookies (3)

Cookies of the Day (3)

 

 

I also have a video I can share if you are interested.

That looks like the standard room service menu. Suite guests can also order from the main restaurant menus.

As long as you can see the OBC on the booking info, to correspond with the $$ value of the gratuities, that is fine. Some types of OBC's are not visible, and that can cause some cruisers consternation.

All obc's offered by RC as part of a promotion do show on invoice. I know sometimes there are issues with obc offered by ta's etc not showing, however this is a RC offer so yes it will show. If you ever have an invoice that does not show a RC OBC then contact them for the corrected invoice.

Can someone confirm that this is how it works, who has actually gone on a sailing with the 'free gratuity' offer?

I provided that info from what I was told when I rang in to price a cruise up, hence why I said that's how I understand it works. As others have said, no one has actually set sail under this offer yet.

And the biggest boondoggle is the 'free gratuities'.

 

Just priced a cruise without choosing the 'free grats' then priced it including the 'free grats'. Lo and behold the second pricing was higher than the first.

 

By just the amount of the gratuities . So there is NO Free anywhere.

 

Another example that the consumer needs to be a savvy shopper.

For the free gratuities, my understanding is you get that back as obc to cover the cost.

I am not sure why anyone expected the Bogo to be better than the 30% sales, as like you say it's a 25% sale.

Example if pax 1 is $1000 and pax 2 is $1000, under 30% sales both would now be $700 each for a total of $1400.

Under Bogo pax 1 is still $1000, pax2 is $500 for a Total of $1500 which is average of $750 er person which equates to 25% discount pp.

Given base fare is now 5% more pp. even throwing in gratuities for 2 does not make it any better than the old 30% sale.

I talked to my daughter and son in law, and after reading what everyone said and reading the RCI website descriptions and after taking into account their kid's personalities they have decided not to send their kids to the camp/club...We actually called Disney to switch cruise lines but the same cabins/date etc was almost $3K more and they just can't come up with that much more in such a sort time.

 

I am still not clear in how RCI does their embarking and disembarking process. I am used to receiving an exact boarding time to come to the port and after handing in your paperwork basically walking onto the ship and just simply walking off the ship after 9am..no fuss no muss.

 

 

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Regarding the kids club (Adventure Ocean) don't rule it out just because it's not Disney.

I would recommend you all visit with the children the first evening. They do an open house and will give them a free lanyard for their room keys. You can look around, register them and ask all questions you have. You can see the facility and what they offer. Each night you will get a list of times and activities for the next day. My DD used to pick and choose and went to the events she found fun. Let them decide if they like it. Our DD has sailed 4 cruise lines and to this day says RC has always been the most fun.

Just remember that you can send them/collect them at any time during the open hours.

Embarkation is done in groups. When you check in, if you arrive early, you will be given a number to board. Most people receive an email/text with a time to arrive however it is only recommended and you can turn up earlier.

Wedding parties first, then Pinnacle and suites, followed by tier levels. As you have not sailed RC before you will get one of the later numbers.

Once those numbers are called there will come a point that they stop distributing numbers and you can just check in and then get straight on but I'm not sure what time that normally starts.

Disembarkation. You will receive a form in your cabin with info. They do different numbered groups which are based on whether you have flight times, self disembark etc. One of the earliest groups is where you walk all your luggage off yourself. If you don't want to carry all your luggage off then you would get a later number. You will then receive luggage tags based on your number towards the end of the cruise. It will tell you the time that group will be called. Please remember these times are estimates. Sometimes it moves quicker other times slower, but it is the order they call them in.

Hope that helps. Enjoy your cruise