HollandAvery

We are leaving for our cruise out of Galveston tomorrow morning. I am a Gold cruiser, and I noticed I get priority boarding. My significant other who is booked in the cabin with me is not Gold however, as this is his first Royal cruise...would he also get to have priority boarding with me? Just curious how that works! 

Does anyone have recent pictures of 3325 or any of those rooms nearby? Trying to figure out if these rooms are updated or not.

Frozen mojito.

Yum! Thanks!

I have a VERY much needed upcoming cruise on the LOS in January!

I was wondering if anyone had the current 7-day menus for the MDR for this ship.

I am T1D and am getting ahead on my meal planning so I don't have to stress later on.

Also, if anyone would like to suggest any good virgin cocktails to try I wouldn't mind :)

Oh no, I came back to check in!

I LOVE this photo! The Triumph was the very first ship my significant other and I sailed together (it was actually our first anniversary we celebrated!). And the LOS is going to be our next ship to celebrate our next big event- my graduation and acceptance to grad school!

It's fun to see them side-by-side like that!

Thank you, this photo really brought a smile to my face this morning!

We will be traveling on the LOS less than a year from now (I still eagerly count each day down). I'm definitely going to be having lunch at Sabor now that I've seen those photos! Glad to know I can take some dessert to-go if I fill-up on all the other deliciousness.

I am considering purchasing the Refreshment package since I cannot drink alcohol due to meds (:(), however I noticed my ship does not have the Freestyle Machines that I was looking forward to. What are my options then when it comes to soda choices?

I was really excited about the machines that provide a wider variety of options.

I'll be on the Liberty.

Also, I plan to drink a lot of mocktails. Can the bartenders make pretty much any regular cocktail virgin by request? (politely of course :) )

Jamaica is sitting at a level 2 advisory at the moment. We visited Montego Bay and really enjoyed our time there (we actually wandered outside the 'tourist areas'). Yes, you should exercise caution, this is important to do ANY time you travel anywhere. Book excursions with reputable excursion companies and a polite but firm 'no thank you' will do with pushy vendors and you will be fine. Remember to not dress flashy or carry anything valuable openly. Basically, be smart.

We truly enjoyed the individuals we met there and did not feel unsafe at all, however, we frequently travel to areas that many consider to be 'unsafe' and have learned over the years how to appropriately engage in these areas.

In my opinion, a level 2 advisory is nothing to truly be concerned about, and you should enjoy your time on the island. Again, book your excursions through reputable vendors (do it through the ship if you are that concerned) and enjoy the beautiful country.

Since Liberty doesn't have the Freestyle machines, will I be able to get Seagram's somewhere else on the ship?

It's really the only soda I was looking forward to having on the ship and I was disappointed to hear Liberty didn't have the machines at all.

(do they serve Chai Lattes?)

I believe they do! At least that is what I am hoping as well. I love a chai latte before or after breakfast :)

So based on what I've been reading, even if I don't get the drink package on sale per se (since their sales really haven't seemed too much like sales these days...but we'll see once I can finally access mine for my 2019 sailing)

If I plan to drink at least 3 mixed cocktails, 1 specialty coffee, 1-2 bottled waters, a mimosa at breakfast and a glass of wine at dinner (and who knows, I may add in a hard cider in there and some virgin drinks). I should be benefiting right?

On a port day I expect to to grab at least 3 bottle waters, a soda, 2 glasses of wine, and maybe a cocktail.

I do like the all-inclusive feel, and I feel I would drink more just to make my package worth it. I'm just worried I still wouldn't be drinking enough, heh...:confused:

Is there a place where I can find all the drink menus? Alcoholic and the specialty coffee menus as well?

Still using the old "spice name" menus.

Thank you so much for the reply! Very good to know! :)

I have fond memories of that chocolate souffle.

I was wondering what menus were on the Liberty currently (for the MDR). Do they use the old ones or are they using the newer menus. If they use the new menus does anyone have a link that shows the new menus? Thank you in advance! :)

I'd love to see some drink menus as well, since we are planning on getting the deluxe drink package. This is our first cruise with RC since 2001, so I know much has changed!

Following this thread, as I'll 'eventually' be on the Enchantment.

I'm curious, since it's been awhile since I've sailed any RCI ship...but do they do the 24/7 soft serve up on the lido? (Sorry to kinda of hijack the thread a little with that question)

I have to say, I agree with everyone else who is stating 'move on with your life and don't bother clicking on the topic if you're so bothered with the fact it's posted here on the RCI forum (or posted at all?!)'...I appreciate that it was posted, I wouldn't have seen it otherwise.

Very sad situation.

I called and took advantage of the sale for my current booking and saved $135 (although, that included the $76 OBC). I did lose my refundable deposit though...which honestly I wasn't really that sure I wanted anyway, because when I book a vacation, I'm getting on that ship! (especially considering it's my graduation cruise!).

Here are some thoughts that I can share in response to your questions.

 

 

Basically, if you arrive before they start boarding, they'll seat you in a waiting area, separated into those in suites and otherwise by Crown & Anchor status. When it's time to start boarding, they'll call the different groups in descending order, starting with those in suites and Pinnacle members, Diamond Plus members, and so on down the ranks.

 

If you arrive after they've already been boarding a while, you'll just head straight onboard after checking in.

 

 

If you have a travel agent, let them know so they can note your booking. If you booked directly with Royal Caribbean, call them and have them make the note.

 

Assuming you're looking for the celebration to happen during dinner, you should still follow up with the main dining room or specialty restaurant to make sure they're on the same page.

 

 

Yes, you can use your drink package, but the choices of drinks available will be significantly limited until the ship gets out into international waters.

 

 

I highly recommend Maya Chan Beach Resort. It's a fantastic all-inclusive beach day with excellent food, drinks, and service.

Great information, thank you! It seems a bit more organized, which I like!

I wonder if I should attempt to arrive early or just arrive around 1...I guess a lot of that will depend on where we stay the evening before.

Oh okay, I will do that! I booked with an agent over the phone (website issues), so I'll give them a call later on! Thanks!

I'll be sure to follow-up with the restaurant in the event we do decide to celebrate the event onboard as well. Definitely wouldn't want to cause too much confusion and stress!

Thank you for the suggestion! I'll go check that out! I'm glad to know people have some good suggestions for things to do! We were so worried people would say 'stay on the ship' like we got with Progreso (which we ended up LOVING)

Gold members don't get priority boarding. If you arrive early and are checked in before boarding begins, they may call passengers by "status", but then Gold would be the last group called before newbies.

 

Yes. No access to the cabins until about 1 P.M. Just let the porters take your large suitcase. Keep your valuables in a carry on with you.

 

There are decorations and gifts that you can buy on the Gifts & Gear section of Royal's website. They won't do anything special for you. Probably half the people on the ship will be celebrating SOMETHING.

 

18% on top of whatever the daily charge is. You will be able to use your package immediately, but the brands will be quite restricted until you leave Texas waters.

 

Depends on what you like to do. My last visit we did this, and I liked it a lot. https://www.thenativechoice.com/tours/mayan-experience-tour

 

Do the bungee trampolines up on the Sky Deck. Sit at the Oasis Bar on the Pool Deck and look through the deck at the sea. Go to Quest.

Thank you, I'll be sure to keep my valuables in my carry-on with me! Do they allow power strips without surge protection in carry-ons?

Makes sense...definitely would be a lot to keep up with! I'll be checking out the store- thanks! :)

Great to know! Although I guess the restriction wouldn't bother me too much, especially with mixed drinks!

Awesome, thank you for the suggestion! I'll check that out! :)

You would have to wait until staterooms open (usually around 1pm) to put anything in your stateroom.

 

Service charge would be 18% added to the $55 per day.

Ah, thank you! I figured as much, heh!

Great, thank you so much!

So, I haven't sailed RCI since 2002, and I'm guessing things have changed quite a bit. I was excited to see I'm a Gold member, but then again I wasn't sure what that really all would mean for me.

I'll be sailing out of Galveston on the Enchantment of the Seas in January 2019 (yes, I know VERY far away, but hey...), and I was wondering if priority boarding would apply to me in Galveston? And what does priority boarding really even look like?

If I were to carry on all my luggage, would I have to wait until 1pm to put my luggage in my room? (Probably my most important question)

Also, since this cruise is for my graduation, do they do anything special for those that are celebrating such occasions if I mention it? And if so, to whom, when, and where do I mention this? (I most recently cruised Carnival, and there was a Facebook page where you could contact the brand ambassador about these kinds of things, wasn't sure how it worked with RCI, or if they did anything special at all- just kind of curious!).

I'm also pretty interested in the Deluxe Drink Package. I saw that it is $55/a day per person, but it says it also includes a service charge. Since this is a 5 day cruise, what exactly would a service charge for a cruise like this look like? Is it just a typical 18% gratuity?

Since Texas has those crazy liquor laws, would I be able to access the drink package the minute I stepped on the ship, or do I need to wait until the next day (like on Carnival)?

Costa Maya; any suggestions of what to do there?! I haven't been to the port since 2002 and I imagine it has changed pretty dramatically. We plan to do the sea turtle and cavern snorkel in Cozumel (we've done with this Carnival and it was such an incredible day).

We booked deck 3, room 3017 (it's a forward). My only other choice was deck 4, which I have heard it one of the worst decks to book for insides. Does anyone have any knowledge of what this room may be like? Our biggest concern is a lot of noise from staff in the evening or early hours. Although we bring earplugs, our last cruise on a different line showed us that earplugs aren't always the most helpful, heh...

Anything else you want to tell me about Enchantment of the Seas or RCI in general would be wonderful! Since it's been so long I'd love any tips or fun information you'd love to share!

Sorry for all the questions, but thank you in advance for any answers or tips/suggestions! :D

That evening we headed out on the Lido to watch the Dive-In Movie which happened to be Insurgent that evening. We knew we would only catch about 45 minutes of it before we had to head to dinner but I needed something to take my mind off the fact that we had just left Jamaica. I know, I shouldn't get so sad on a cruise, but I'm a bit silly like that.

We headed up and it was crazy full! We finally found somewhere to sit and enjoyed the nice breeze as we watched the movie. There was even some lightening in the distance that was pretty neat to watch. Although that did make me a bit paranoid about the weather we'd be catching in our next port- Grand Cayman.

For dinner that evening I decided on my favorite, BBQ Spare Ribs. It came with baked beans and Cornbread. I also ordered a side of the infamous Carnival bacon Mac & Cheese. This would be my first time ever ordering the Mac & Cheese and I instantly fell in love with it. So good!

For dessert I ordered the S'mores Parfait because our waiter Peter recommended it highly. He was right- it was delicious!

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Okay everyone, I'm sorry to say but it looks like I'll have to take another break. I've been summoned to take down the Christmas decor today before we leave for Disney. Once I finish that up I'll try to get on to write about our day in Grand Cayman and our fun time with the Stingrays that almost didn't happen thanks to the crazy downpour!

I quickly snapped this last photo of one of the pools looking towards the ocean as we headed towards the lobby. Goodbye Secrets, we will meet again soon!

We had about 5 minutes to spare as we hopped into the van with the others in our excursion group. I was so sad to be leaving. Jamaica really treated us right and I didn't want to go. Within a few minutes we were waving goodbye and headed back towards the Freedom. Thankfully the drive was quick, no more than 6 minutes or so. We were dropped off in a small area where a few tents were set up selling some goods. I purchased a shirt and a few bracelets for a few of my students back home before we headed through the terminal and out to the ship to board. It was almost 4pm at this point (ship time).

Hello Freedom!

By the time we finished showering and getting ready for dinner it was dark out. I snapped this photo of Montego Bay port at night. I was beginning to feel a hint of sadness as I knew we were leaving this beautiful place soon. I felt the rumble of the engine start underneath us and saw the bow begin to turn.

I was stuffed with spicy jerk chicken and quite a few drinks so I was in need of a nice relaxing rest at that point. I decided to lay down and close my eyes for just a bit...

It was about 1pm at that point and I knew I only had about an hour and a half to snooze before I needed to get myself together so we could gather our things and head to the front of the resort to get on the bus to take us back to the ship (:()

I laid down and closed my eyes and listened to the calm ocean waves and sea breeze. Secrets was so quiet and relaxing...

"Megan, hey, hey, wake up! We have to go, it's time to head back to the ship!" Giovanni startled my peace and quiet as he shook me and told me it was time to leave paradise and rush through the resort to meet the van. I gathered our things and said goodbye to Secrets promising that I would come back again one day soon.

I stayed at Secrets just a few weeks after it first opened, we had an amazing suite with a balcony on the top floor. For anyone visiting for the day, try to find the jerk chicken cart that rolls through the property. Being Jamaica, they can personalize the degree of "hotness" from mild through diablo.

 

Thanks for bringing Secrets up and posting the pics from this property.

Hehe, just posted about the chicken. It was amazing! I'm craving it again!

Did you have just a normal suite or did you choose the club suite? I'm curious because we are considering booking for a week-long trip but weren't sure if doing a club level suite was really worth it as the regular side of the beach seemed just fine. Weren't sure what the perks would be besides the beach area :)