CruiseGirl4ever

Thank you for the wonderful review! We are considering Celebrity after many cruises on Royal (about to become D+). We just sailed Odyssey for New Years, and I remember seeing the ship right below us as we took off from FLL. Nice to be able to wave goodbye! 

On 1/27/2023 at 7:07 AM, John&LaLa said:

 

My least favorite of the bunch for sure

Just curious as to why. I just booked a 2-BR Aqua Suite on Harmony for my 65th birthday next year. Going with my daughters and was so excited to experience Star Class. Hoping I didn't choose the wrong ship 🤨

Congrats on your tournament win! Thank you for bringing us along on your sailing. I'll be sailing Explorer in March with my best friend for her birthday. I've sailed Voyager and Mariner, also Independence, Freedom & Liberty. I really enjoy the size of these ships.

On 1/3/2023 at 6:38 PM, niksmom630 said:

Hmmm, no shrimp for sure…..will I get points for apps and sides? 🥳 Guac, queso, quesadillas , bacon wrapped jalapeño bites? maybe tortilla soup? 

forgot about harmony still having sabor….🤩now I have an excuse to squeeze in a sailing on her before dry dock 

 

When is Harmony scheduled for dry dock? We just booked her for August 2024. So enjoying this LIVE review! 

6 minutes ago, barb65 said:

We are looking at a cruise on Odyssey of the Seas. Suggestions needed for a cabin location that has a balcony and a walk-in shower (no tub because of mobility issues). Price range is optional. Also any other pro/con comments about Odyssey would be appreciated. TIA!

We just sailed her in adjoining balcony cabins on deck 11. The cabins are beautiful and well laid out. The shower seemed roomier than on other ships I've sailed (Voyager and Freedom class). Just say away from deck 6 where your view could be obstructed by lifeboats. Happy sailing!

19 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

Have been on her for 14 days and have a 6 night next week. Service has been very good and the ship is in good shape. I do not cruise for the shows.

Good to hear! I'll be on her in early 2024 for 9 days. I've always been fond of the Voyager class ships. What are the current shows onboard? Happy sailing!

1 minute ago, nelblu said:

So, under the old system, you would have consumed 8 drinks up to when the bars close early the next day.  In essence you would have been dry from the time that the bars closed until midnight.  Really🤣

Yes, really. I'm not a big drinker, so when I do consume more alcohol than I normally would, I tend to not want to drink much the next day. Others may feel differently (a little hair of the dog perhaps). But my pattern is to splurge one night and take it easy the next. Not saying everyone does this, but that's my pattern. Again, I said I'm probably in the 1% minority, but just wanted to share my experience. Happy cruising!

Oh, I completely understand! Just sharing my experience since I just returned from my first cruise under the new policy. Happy cruising! 

As I anticipated, I'm included in the 1% who were negatively affected by this change. We just cruised Odyssey for New Years, and there were a couple of nights where I stayed out late and consumed more than my 4 complimentary Diamond drinks over the course of the evening. Including the 18% standard gratuity and extra tip, each one cost me close to $20. As expected, on the days immediately following my big nights out, I did not drink all 4 of my complimentary drinks. So the net result was I paid for about 8 drinks over the course of 9 days that under the old policy I wouldn't have paid for. Is this a deal breaker? No! I had a wonderful trip and made incredible memories. But for those arguing that this policy change doesn't have any effect on our benefits, I have to disagree.

3 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Diamond +

 

You get a beer at diamond 

I've been a Diamond for many years (almost at Diamond +) and I've never received a beer at check in. Is this something you have to request? I usually received a plate full of cookies or something similar.

Sure hope they have have the espresso machine in the DL working properly next week. We board on 12/30, and I absolutely love grabbing a cappuccino from the DL. Thanks for sharing!

Double post

14 hours ago, kruzerci said:

There has virtually never been a positive Royal Caribbean change. Never surprises me to see posts like this. 

I have to disagree with you here. The change to drink vouchers for D and D+ rather than all of us crowding in the lounge is definitely a change for the better. Of course, now the clock resets at 5am instead of midnight, so that will limit drinks on the last night.

I just transferred $100 OBC from my Visa account this morning (12/21). We sail on 12/30 so I'll be calling if I don't see it post by Friday. 

I'm also sailing over NYE (on Odyssey) and saw the same offer. It makes no sense. I'm going to pay $85 for a bottle of champagne just for me? And if I want to share with my family it's another $85 per person? Like John&LaLa, we'll be bringing our own bottle aboard.

4 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Are you using a travel agent?

If so, you could have your agent contact Royal and make a request on your behalf.

One time a couple of years ago I was contacted by Royal asking me if I would mind moving my room a few spots to accommodate a large family group. This alleviates, the issue of the onboard transition, and all the errors that could happen with that, as well as an awkward moment between you and the current occupants of the cabin.

Yes, I am using a travel agent. That's an excellent suggestion. We do not want to make our neighbors uncomfortable. We just thought it might be a win-win. Thank you! 

4 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

Do not place the passengers in the cabin between you in the awkward position of saying no to you.

 

And please be aware that your balcony is not a sound proof hang out area.  Any conversations or noise out there will carry to any balcony above, below or around you.

Thank you for the etiquette lesson. I did not ask you for your opinion. I've sailed many times on RCI and I'm well aware of how the noise can carry from the balcony. If you have no information to offer regarding my question, then please keep your opinions to yourself. 

1 minute ago, erinsmom03 said:

I have no idea if this will work or not, would make me nervous thinking of all the ways they could mess up with the billing doing that. Don't give up on finding rooms next to each other, keep checking and maybe some will open up that you could move to.

 

Actually, we don't want to give up the location just to have adjoining cabins. You make an excellent point about the billing issues. We'd also need new key cards. I just figured the people in the cabin adjoining my daughters might prefer more privacy and we could remove the barrier and have a double balcony. But again, we're fine where we are if it's too much of a hassle or against RCI policy. Thanks!

My two adult daughters and I originally booked a cruise in January and then changed to a different date due to work conflicts. We originally had 2 connecting balcony cabins, but for the new itinerary, we were only able to secure 2 balcony cabins with one cabin between us. This is totally fine and we'll make it work, but the cabin between us is connected to my daughters' cabin. I'm wondering if we left a note on the door of the cabin between us explaining this situation, and IF they were interested in switching to our non-adjoining cabin, would customer service allow us to make this switch? I know there are a lot of "ifs" here, and as I said, we are totally fine with the cabins we are assigned to if that's our only option. But IF our neighbors would prefer to switch to a non-connecting cabin (allowing us to have 2 adjoining cabins), would customer service allow us to do this?  Thanks in advance!

Hi TigerCruzin - My daughters and I will be joining you for this same cruise! I can't answer for Amex, but I have a BofA Royal Caribbean Visa  and I'm waiting for my onboard credits that I cashed in last month to show up on my account. It seems like it's taking a lot longer than it has in the past. See you in a few months!!

I'm sailing with my 2 adult daughters and they want to purchase the deluxe beverage package. The 4 free drinks I receive per day as a Diamond will be plenty for me, so I called RCI and they said I could purchase the refreshment package. So my question is, if I order a water, juice, soda or coffee, will the bartender charge those drinks to my refreshment package (saving my Diamond drink credits for alcoholic beverages) or will it count toward my Diamond purchases? I don't want to waste my drink credits on water and coffee. Anyone have experience with this? Thanks in advance!

Same situation with our January 2023 cruise on Oasis. I wonder if they are working on a software update?

On 2/9/2022 at 8:00 AM, BennyBrun said:

Hahahaha…that is funny!!!  the food selection on the value cruise portion is great.  I would not buy the UDP again when I back to the Oasis Of the Sea next month.

Thank you for both of your fabulous B2B reviews on Oasis. We are booked on her for a 10-nighter next January and after virtually cruising with you, I'm even more excited than ever! I'm wondering if you tried Captain Jack's while you were at Coco Cay. I see there is an upcharge to eat there, so I wondered if you had any thoughts on it.

3 minutes ago, Midwestgal said:

No obc will be given as it was never cash , it was a complimentary credit. 

all prepaid if you paid for them excursions will be refunded. If you booked them with OBC you won’t get anything 
 

What about people with Royal Caribbean credit cards who cashed in their points for OBC? Do they lose it all too?

Enjoying your review - thanks so much! We'll be on Liberty in August. Happy birthday to you!