AnnaDarel

I use notmyrealnameoremail’s method.

Refreshment package is a given, because I drink a lot of soda and specialty coffee. So is the Deluxe package really so much more?

Also, I never drink/buy food at port. Only aboard the ship.

You guys really helped me prepare for this cruise, so in return, a review!

Bob, they advertised drink cards in the Compass starting pretty early. I saw people using them.

Myself (38) and my mother, DM (60s), took the 9-day Navigator cruise to Haiti and the ABCs. We are white single ladies from North Carolina.

I would characterize myself as NOT cheap. I wore Crocs everywhere, including formal nights (with otherwise formal attire). I think I offer a different perspective on RCI. If you’re horrified, go no further.

Demographics

I saw about 10 different people in wheelchairs who seemed to be getting around pretty well. Lots more walkers, who had more trouble. One lady down the hall from us zipped everywhere in her RC scooter like a roadster. It was even red.

Did not witness any acts of rudeness, children pooping where they shouldn’t, people sampling at the Windjammer buffet, blocking the elevators, or jumping in line. Not to say everyone was happy all the time, but everyone was civil.

Children — Very few children aboard. Mostly under five.

Canadians everywhere. Many Europeans. Our last cruise was from Puerto Rico and had a Latin pop star aboard—much more opportunity then to practice my Spanish then!

A more than token amount of black people—both African Americans and Europeans. I only bring it up because it upset my dinner companions so much.

Speaking of non-token populations…

LGBT

I went to the first LGBT meetup, now “official” in the Compass, at 10 PM in Vintages. Ten people showed up. TEN. Unheard of. Including a nice couple from Ireland. Very cool. I did not go to any of the other gatherings because I normally go to bed at 8 PM, but we remarked that there seemed to be quite a few LGBT folks aboard.

In fact, five gays showed up at craps all at once (no one from the gathering but we all did the secret handshake), and one of our dealers outed herself so she, too, could be a part of the Rainbow Craps Extravaganza. We lost all our money in ten minutes, but we had a great time doing it.

So, RC seems a very welcoming environment.

Transportation

• Flew into Miami DAY OF and took the Royal Caribbean bus service to the ship.
  
• Left the same way. Fine. $18pp.
  
• Took Uber Black home from the airport yesterday. Much better.
  

Getting aboard

A cluster. It took over an hour to get from the drop-off point onto the ship. iahawkfan21 reports that Customs had trouble clearing the ship. That review also has Compasses and menus and is way better than mine.

Internet

We got the drinks/internet package, so Voom surf, no stream? Or just Voom? Slow but steady. Surfed the web, did emails, kept up with things. Streamed SiriusXM each night for my NFL and NHL games.

Easy to switch between iPad and iPhone once they were both set up. Turned one wireless off and the other wireless on and tada.

Windjammer

Breakfast and lunch. Bad. Bleagh. Whatever, I ate it. Never much seating, we mostly sat at the little high bars.

Bar Service

Always fantastic. We had the package, and I followed the advice here to take a roll of dollar bills and tip one per drink every time. Even for sodas, which I drank a lot of. There was never much of a wait, third in line at most, usually second or first. Service was very friendly. I stuck to the Plaza Bar (Windjammer) for morning diet coke and coffee, the Casino bar for Sprite Zero, and Cafe Promenade for more diet coke and coffee. Alcoholic beverages were enjoyed at the Solarium bar, the upper deck pool bar, and occasionally Boleros. By the end of the trip I was getting double pours, which was maybe not a great idea.

Leaving

Waited for our group number in our room, sitting on the balcony, were we not supposed to do that? No one yelled at us. Left around 8:45, off the ship by 9. Then waited for our transportation bus for a half hour, whatever.

Shows/Music

DM reports that the Motown show was absolutely fantastic—she loves that kind of stuff, and has seen similar acts often at Myrtle Beach. Ice Show also A+++. Dancing demonstration was okay. Music around the ship was appealing, especially the torch songs and the Elton John things.

She did not care for the ship singers/dancers doing Broadway, but everyone we met gushed over them.

Quiet Time/Activities

I do not like shows and I detest live music, so I spent a lot of my time in the Solarium, outside on Deck 4, on our balcony, and in whatever bar wasn’t featuring trivia or music. Solarium pool remains awesome. Also hot tubs. Many Canadians in the hot tubs. Lifeguards now. People kept trying to talk to the lifeguards. They are not here for entertainment!

Eating with Others/Main Dining Room

Socializing not recommended. We were seated at main dining with a group of four that were very different than we were. Lots of clashing and a bad energy. Look, I am definitely the biggest sinner at any table. I’m truly an obnoxious person. But they kept referring to the Haitians as “natives.” They switched their time after a few meals, leaving us with our six person table. Next time we’ll just order a two person table.

We had breakfast once in the main dining room, on chocolate day (!!!!) and it was fine. Nice Canadians. Canadians everywhere. I ate four pain au chocolat. But still, eating with people is not for me.

Main Dining Room was EXCELLENT. Every night. After the first three nights I finally stopped eating red meat, because I was going to die, and convinced our waiter, Ajit, to serve me Indian instead. The head waiter, Nadj, said that the order he put in for me was “non-veg Indian.” That resulted in: Lamb Biryani, Butter Chicken, Chicken Tikki Masala (the best), Lamb Curry, and Chicken Curry (twice). Apparently there was supposed to be fish curry, but I never saw it. DM doesn’t like Indian food, so I only get to eat it about once a month at home. I was in heaven.

We did not have lobster, but the lamb shank was amazing. Everything was delicious. Sufficiently warm. I was happy. We had early dining and usually wrapped up in 90 minutes.

The desserts were pretty bland/standard, except for the Baked Alaska and the Warm Chocolate Cake. We generally had cappucinos or decaf during dinner, and by the end of the trip, Lawrence, our beverage waiter, was dumping Baileys in it.

Wine

I am a wine snob. If you recognize my username, it’s from wine threads. I did not take aboard wine, because we had the deluxe package. It was a risk and gave me anxiety, but it paid off. I am also a jerk who didn’t photograph any wine menus, so I’m using this old one from last year. There were THREE wine lists available in the MDR at dinner. A short cocktail menu with one page of wines, a narrow folio wine list, and a big binder/traditional list. We only got to see the big one once, apparently it was in high demand. Lawrence seemed to know his wines pretty well and frequently advised us.

Once I moronically ordered a bottle of something we could have by the glass. I’m used to doing that at the local wine shop where I pay $10/glass or $25/bottle, and forgot I wasn’t paying for those glasses this time. *Facepalm*

We ordered bottles three times. The 40% discount makes it quite reasonable, generally costing twice retail, which is standard-to-low restaurant pricing.

Useless notes, since I can’t remember the bottle:

Prosecco - Not the worst I’d ever had, but next time, stick to the Brut on tap.

Chenin Blanc, South Africa - Again, not the worst, but barely to the level of “all right.” Missing that signature chenin blanc sweetness. Not much body or depth.

South Eastern Australia GSM? - I don’t think this was the Rosemont Shiraz, but maybe. Anyway, it was terrible. Avoid at all costs.

Better notes:

2014? Celeste - Torres, Ribera del Duero, "Celeste", Crianza, Spain. We drank this by the bottle and by the glass multiple times. Nice, heavy, smoky.

2014 Livernano Jupiter, Super Tuscan - Excellent medium-bodied Cab Sav/Merlot. Not too tart, not too heavy, not thin. Juuuust right. Very easy-going with our TOO MUCH RED MEAT menu.

2015? Clos du Bois Merlot - We fell in love with this wine and drank it for three nights. Very friendly and smooth, the kind of wine you can drink in one gulp, without a hint of wateriness. 2016 was $8.99 at our grocery store where we stocked up this morning. None of the harsh burn or syrup that cheap wines can have. Not Memomi-like but in the same class.

In short, there’s a lot for a wine snob to explore. As you can see from “Celeste” and “Jupiter,” I like picking wines based on cute names. On previous cruises I did the Caymus and Spy Valley selections. Classics or “Adventurous Reds,” pretty easy to stay satisfied.

I only went into Vintages that one time. It was dark and sad and I had enough wine at dinner.

Casino

I’ll admit that I took $1000 for the casino, roughly $100/night. I lost my allotment quickly at craps and blackjack and video poker, and there was never much fun in it. I earned about 118 points. The casino was always smoky and always crowded. Casinos used to be a cruise requirement. Now, maybe not so much. I’m going on my first river cruise in May. We’ll see.

Steward

Slipped the steward a $20 on the first day and she kept us happily stocked in extra toilet paper and towel animals. Cleaned twice a day, was always around. We never asked for ice.

Room

AFT BALCONY. AFT CORNER BALCONY. Life-changing. Lower deck, too, on 6. We are lower deck people who like to be near the Promenade. I loved the shower, omg. Hot and hard spray. No rust anywhere.

On Ship Excursions

DM did the all access tour and said it was great. Laundry, garbage, bridge, kitchen... everything but crew quarters.

Guacamole Demonstration - Pretty lame. Nothing hands-on. Basically just lunch in Sabor. But margaritas were unlimited and the food was phenomenal. Small menu, yes. I had pork tacos and chicken jalapeno balls.

Ports

Labadee - Extremely beautiful, but hot. I just walked around and went back to the ship.

Curacao - Irie Tour arranged by Royal Caribbean. Wonderful. Nice open-air bus ride through the city with a guide full of history, followed by two hours at Blue Bay Beach. Would go on that tour again. DM looked at real estate at Blue Bay, but it is TOO HOT. Snorkeling at Blue Bay was not as good as at Cas Abao a few years ago, so if you're really into snorkeling don't go to Blue Bay.

Bonaire - We did not go on a Woodwinds snorkeling tour. We went on another open-air bus ride. It was okay. Lac Bay was pretty rustic after Curaco, and did I mention it was hot? More of an eco-tour. Anyway, we saw flamingos, which are the best ever all the time.

Aruba - We just went to check out the Holiday Inn resort, since this was my third time in Aruba (how did I become someone who goes to Aruba so much?). The resort was fine, but offered nothing over the Marriott, where I had stayed before, and didn’t seem as AIR CONDITIONED as a cruise. Land-based vacations may not be for me.

I mostly enjoyed ports because the ship was empty and the internet worked better.

Pictures: imgur dot com /a/or8jG

• Ajit got me “Nothing” for Dessert
  
• View from Aft Balcony - Leaving Miami
  
• View from Aft Balcony - Aruba
  
• View of Pool from Viking Crown
  
• Stingray Towel Animal
  
• Bear Towel Animal
  

Group 16 departure. We were through customs and off the ship in 15 minutes.

Have been waiting for our airport bus to leave for 30. What mom will do to save $20. ;)

On the Nav now, internet slow but steady. Totally worth it, IMO. Can email, surf the web, and stream SiriusXM. Better today when everyone is in Labadee and I’m by the pool.

I'm bringing two bottles aboard, have purchased the drink package, and will probably purchase wine (discounted) every night at dinner in the MDR. Homie don't do by the glass.

I always bring two pillows, a white noise machine (usually with headphones), and take sleeping pills. It works. :cool:

I set my C&A status to No Upgrade because we're on an aft balcony.

Given that you appear to be confusing "blackjack" with "roulette"

Thanks for that. I play a lot of blackjack and couldn't figure out how that would apply and why I'd never seen it.

 

You can definitely tell the old geezers are posting away because, in retirement, you don't have a limited two weeks of vacation a year, or a business to run that you want to take a break from and enjoy yourself, not pretend to be saintly or FEMA workers.

Hey, look now. I am posting from work instead of doing my job. Don't slander me!

The OP wants to get out of his cruise without penalty. Period. His motives are not pure, and neither are anyone else's. Which is fine. We're all like that. He's not going to be able to, probably, because his argument is full of holes. And that might provide some measure of pleasure for those of us who read the boards regularly.

Thanks for the great review! I'm going on Navigator next month and this has been very helpful.

Hello FELLOW HUMAN. WELCOME TO THE ROYAL CARIBBEAN BOARDS. I HOPE YOU WILL FIND SOMETHING SUITABLE. HA HA. THAT IS A JOKE ABOUT FORMAL NIGHT.

Yeah, I've been to some dead/non-existent Friends of Dorothy gatherings. Sorry to hear the MDR service sucked!

CATS will probably run for several years.

That made me laugh so hard, given the show's history on Broadway.

is it possible to sign casino charges onto the room bill/credit card on file?

I can't speak for Oz, but on Caribbean cruises I can definitely withdraw from my cards at the casino cashier.

I always bring my summer clothes. I can not wait to wear them in November in Curacao while everyone shivers back home! :evilsmile:

Oh man, I love Hairspray.

I'm surprised a cruise ship would do Jersey Boys. Cursing and all? Also a great show.

This dessert issue comes up a lot. Do people who demean RC desserts not eat a lot of dessert in general?

I eat dessert and sweets all the time, and RC's are adequate and shrug-worthy. I often settle for the ice cream. I wonder if people are building up something in their head and then getting something ordinary.

Since you opened the can of worms... I am also a total food snob, and I've never had a terrible experience on RC. It's what I expect. Edible, filling, doesn't make me sick. Usually pretty good. Sometimes great.

Sometimes the complaints here are that the food isn't good because it isn't hot enough. Piping hot is not a quality gauge.

You can remove tips from one room. You have my permission.

It's unethical, but if you don't care about that, go for it. We're not going to pat you on the back but you shouldn't need us to. Just do what you think is best.

There's a thread on this in the Casino boards, but it only has through March. Are you sure there's a newer one?

Fantastic review! I love the drill sergeant style. Everything I need to know right here.

If you have the drink package and the 20%/40% wine discounts, the wine becomes more reasonable. We've found some true steals.

I hate tipping. It annoys me. I wish America would move away from tipping.

It will never happen in the US. The business lobby is too strong.

I delivered pizzas during the downturn in the economy. Great job!

I made $4.25/hour when delivering, that's about 2/3 minimum wage in my state.

So on an 8 hour shift, I cost the pizza company $34.

Plus mileage, so let's assume 30 miles at $0.24/mile, $7.2

Total cost to employer: $41.2

Now I make three deliveries per hour, for an average tip of, let's say, $3.50/delivery.

So I make $84 in tips. I earn $125.20 for the eight hour shift, but my employer only pays 33% of my wages.

33%!

Let's say the average order is $15. The pizza maker makes $360 total during my eight hours and only pays me $41.20, making a total profit of $318.8 that he can spend on cheese (our most expensive cost).

Thanks to the gullibility of the typical American who buys cheap pizza and tips well, I'm making a $15.60/hour wage, which is twice minimum wage (like I said, great job!), and my employer is rolling in money.

There's no way the restaurant industry would ever give that up, and I bet European businesses are dying to implement the system that puts the wage burden on the customer, not the business.

So the average Guatemalan family man is making triple wages for his country and Royal Caribbean is laughing all the way to the bank.

People who spend $6000 on a cruise for four people and can't dish out $500 for the tips are still cheap, though, because cruising is a luxury, not a right. Spend a week at the beach for $2000 instead, geez.

Don't worry, I like that you're sharing details like your toenails!