Ubiquitous Cruiser

I've used my non RC card points to give myself a bill credit and just consider that as a "discount" for my cruise while using the RC card to pay for the actual cruise.

Hi Judy ... I did notice a faint sewage smell on the promenade on the first sea day. Could not tell you if it was port or starboard side though. However, on the last 2 sea days I was one of the insane cigar smokers on the promenade the last 2 sea days and did not notice anything on the port side.

Hope this helps!

Paul's tour is INCREDIBLE ... We just did it last week and one thing he shared is that if you get a roll call group that can fill out a second tour he has several guides that he employs to do the exact same tour. No idea how they compare to Paul because he's so passionate about his home, but I'd assume they'll take the same great care to get you past the all the tour buses and tourist traps that the majority will visit on your port day.

We were there just last weekend and walked to Harpoon, but they had a huge festival going on so we visited Trillium instead. We loved it! They have a really huge menu and spacious indoor seating, outside patio and rooftop bar, which we did not see. They also had a nice food menu with most of the pub fare infused with beer as well.

We were on this cruise too and it was our first voyage on Grandeur. We used to cruise Enchantment a lot when it was in Canaveral so we were looking forward to experiencing this ship again. The ship is small, but the crew is awesome. They are very friendly and are always quick to serve and share a laugh & smile.

Like the OP said the lack of larger interior spaces makes this ship challenging with cold and inclement weather. However, my DW and I were noting that since so many activities take place in the Centrum it was actually a pleasant experience to just be walking by and see a zany game or listen to some live music that you otherwise would not have been able to enjoy. Also of note is that the bar staff did an amazing job of keeping everyone's drinks flowing. Especially considering that in the evening most people were either in the Centrum or Schooner it was doubly impressive.

The Self Assist departure, which I call No Asist departure, was chaotic and again attributed to the lack of gathering spaces, which were compounded by the fact that you disembark through the Centrum. However, once you exited the ship, the final sea pass boing is always depressing, the winding walkways down to the terminal was great because you could roll your suitcases along and not encounter the Escalator Nazi that stalks the Tampa port ... One hand free or wait 20 minutes for the elevator!!!!

🙂

I've generally left to get another drink during dinner in the MDR. On one recent cruise I did that (had not ordered one at the table) and the lead waiter was hurt that I had done that. She was concerned that she had not met my expectations. After that, I ordered through her and she asked if I wanted the same thing every night ... that earned a WOW from me.

Just to give an idea of the distance for walking ... it's .8 miles to Totem Telurico in Quincentennial Plaza from the downtown cruise port.

Wanted to give a quick review of a food tour we did in Old San Juan on 3/22/18. We used Spoon Food Tours and it was fantastic. This is a walking tour but it's a leisurely walk. The meeting spot is .8 mile from the downtown pier and really close to the fort. The directions for the meeting spot were very descriptive and we easily walked to meet our guide.

She was right on time and come to find out we were the only two in the tour - so we had a private tour. Our guide was super friendly and informative. Since it was 9:30 AM she took us first for coffee and a breakfast type sandwich. Both were filling and tasty. After enjoying the breakfast she gave us a history of the building we were visiting and shared tons of factual information throughout the tour. We also visited a small tienda to experience what a local would grab for a quick breakfast. It too was quite tasty. After exploring the architecture of the city, a cathedral and city square she took us for lunch.

We actually had two courses for lunch served at two different restaurants with the first being mofongo (a base of fried plantains served in a broth of meat with garlic and onions) and the second was pork with red beans & rice and an assortment of various (non traditional) rum punches. We then visited a chocolatetieer where we could make a purchase. They were, however, too busy to serve us so she took us to a gift shop that she knew sold the chocolates we wanted to purchase. That was just one example of the personal touches that our guide gave us.

Our day was finished off with a visit to a sorbet and ice cream shop that had a delicious selection of tasty treats. Mine was a mojito sorbet on a stick - like a Popsicle. My DW had a strawberry lemonade one. All in all it was a 3 hour tour and it went nearly 3.5 hours. I inquired about the largest group our guide had encountered and she said 8 was her max. Also to point out that each stop our place setting was ready and a table was reserved. The food was delivered quickly and our guide spent a little time explaining the dishes to us, but also afforded us the privacy of enjoying our meal together. This was an awesome tour and we tipped heavily as a result. Feel free to ask any questions because we would definitely recommend Spoon Food Tours.

They just started the 8 nighter that starts with 2 days at sea, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, PR, and Haiti in that order.

 

I am on this itinerary 4/14. I am wondering if anyone has cruise compasses or order of menus? Trying to play which nights to go to the dining room and which nights to make other reservations for.

 

Anyone have and Must-Do's or Must Try's?

 

Thank you in advance!!

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2588475

I believe it is called redeployment desk.

 

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Yes that was it!

When on MOS last Oct with an OV we had the steward separate the beds. It gave us more floor space in the middle of the cabin and avoided the crawl over.

When we had a cruise cancelled due to re-positioning we were contacted via email and directed that we would receive an OBC based on category. We were also instructed that they would personally contact us to rebook so that they could apply the OBC. When they called it was not the typical reservation agent (CSR), but a different department. They informed us that we needed to either book then or call them using the phone number they provided along with our cancelled reservation# to rebook by a set date to claim the OBC - or they would give us a full refund.

Any subsequent adjustments to the new reservation (price check, cabin changes, etc.) also go through that same department.

Just looked at Trip Advisor and someone posted a review from 2 weeks ago that they did through RCI ... they were pleased. There seem to be several reviews since the hurricane.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g644389-d2301536-r547027975-Hacienda_Campo_Rico-Carolina_Puerto_Rico.html

If they still walked around with those drinks, they would be included. However, ever since the advent of the drink packages, they no longer walk around with the after dinner drinks, and it's even hard to find any bar servers in the dining room. Once all the drinks are paid for, the company has an immediate disincentive to to make it easy to get drinks served. It might hurt them in the long run (doubt it), but they don't seem to be focused farther than the ends of their noses in the last few years..

Due to this fact, like many do, I've typically left dinner to grab another beer/wine and did so on our last Majesty cruise. Our server was hurt that I'd done that and begged me to allow the second server to grab our drinks for us. She even asked my preference of beer and said she would have a few on ice for me the next night. Her name was Nevis and she was the best server we've ever had on any cruise ... quite the exception but if I'm on her one of her future sailings I'll do everything I can to get in her section!

I think the last time we saw her was in the late 90's.

 

Congrats OP!

Never had her visit us ... Maybe I need to start sleeping with my old sea pass cards under my pillow. :D

Thanks! Just called and first CSR said they needed to have my friends on the phone, but played CSR roulette and the next one said, "Sure No Problem!" Provided all the reservation numbers and names and we are set! ... :D

What's the best way to make certain that we can dine with our friends in the MDR? The option for planning our dining is not available in the Cruise Planner as it only shows Chef's Table. Call ahead or day of embarkation? We both booked our cruise directly with RCI.for the Majesty.

This is so :D - you do realize that the 10% off could be a better deal than 20% off? No where does RCI say what the starting $ is - it could be anything - like their cabin prices. The constant sales say % off some fare that does not exist.

Reminds me of Bob and his note that Royal was now using "variable pricing" instead of "variable dining" ... And to make things more silly my planner shows the below for the Deluxe but rings up at $52 w/o gratuities.

EDIT: Oh well, pic won't upload but it's showing as $42 on the Cruise Planner splash page ...

For my upcoming cruises, they're offering a "pre cruise special", which is less than 10% ... so I'd jump on 20%.

Yesterday all of ours went up exactly $1 each ...

waterlegs , are lobsters available at the MDR on the second formal night or not? Thank you

No it was fillet medallions.

Was just on Freedom out of Barcelona & pre-purchased the Voom ... There was no VAT added.

Found the issue ... booking must be b/w 6/1/17 & 9/1/17 ...

Does anyone know how the 1-2-Free Oasis upgrade works? The Royal splash page notes a balcony upgrade with OV booking b/w 4/5 and 4/17 on an Oasis class. After doing an OV mock booking, there was no indication of any upgrade ...

Is it a trust them and it will come sort of thing?

#jealous