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Wrh2016

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    On Explorer Now - Just a Few Observations

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    On Explorer now - currently day 8 of a 9
    Day cruise.  My fifth cruise with RC.  This a not a full review, Just a couple of observations that have stuck out to us this time:

    1. Service is exceptional.  The crew in the dining room is our favorite so far, and everyone goes out of their way to please you.  
    2.  Drink card was offered starting on day 4!  That’s is the first time we’ve seen it offered so early.  It was posted on the first page the the compass the night before (night 3).
    3.  The cruise compass has significantly shrunk.  It is only 4 pages compared to the novels we used to get.  For me, this has been a welcomed change.  😉
    4.  Unfortunately, what we read before cruising seems to be true.  The food in the main dining room hasn’t been as good as all our other cruises with RC.  Not sure what it is.  A lot of dishes are over cooked and bland.  Appetizers are pretty good and deserts have been ok, but main dishes are not what we have come to expect on RC.  Windjammer has been good!  
    5.  On the same note,  the drinks are not great on this cruise.  Many of us agree the drinks seem “watered down.”  We have the drink package, so we have tried many things.  Some bars are better than others.  If you are getting drinks with a straight liquor cocktail, no fillers, drinks are good!  Mixed drinks seem off.  Our beloved mojitos and pina coladas on this cruise are not good.  
    6.  Get up early if you want a chair, in the sun, in the solarium.  They go fast.  And, don’t leave your towel alone for too long.  They are very diligent on the ship about chair hogs.  We watched many people have all their belongings bagged and taken away if they were gone for more than 30 minutes.  Again, we think this is a welcomed change.  😉
    7.  We haven’t done any shows or games, so I can’t comment on those.  

    Hope this helps some people wondering about reviews they have seen leading up to their cruise.  They were helpful to us before we left, so I wanted to share what we experienced.  
     

    Freedom of the Seas - No Worries!!

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    14 hours ago, Meet Me In the Windjammer said:

     

    We have purchased the key for our upcoming FOS cruise and have a couple of questions.  

    1. Did you arrive before the terminal opened and if so, was there a special Key line outside of the terminal or just inside for check in?

    2. Did you use the priority debarkation in any of the ports or just when you came back to San Juan? 

    3. If you could share any other details of how the Key program worked on this ship since you don't need reservations for shows. It sounds like it works a little differently on the different ships from what I have read. 

     

    Thanks for any info.

     

    Hi Meet Me!.  We arrived at the San Juan port around 10:40.  We walked right to the porters station and dropped our luggage.  I didn’t see a “key” line out side the terminal, but it didn’t matter, because drop off was quick and easy.  

     

    Inside the terminal, there was a line for key members.  We were the only two in that line and got checked in right away.

     

    Once checked in, we were directed to the pinnacle/suites waiting area.  This was kind of a mess, because San Juan ‘s port is just a large warehouse type building.  There was no separate “ waiting room.”  Once the door opened, we were allowed to board with all the top tier crown member and suites (around 11:10).  I am guessing in most terminals, we would have waited in the top tier waiting room.  

     

    We didn’t really need to seek out the lines for Key departures, because there was no lines getting on or off the ship in ports.  This ship and is crew handled ports very efficiently.  

     

    It is hard to fully evaluate the key on a ship like freedom, because there are no reservations for shows and we did not do flowrider (there are designated times for this stuff listed in your key welcome letter).  For us however, since we always get the internet package, the couple dollars more for easy check in, chops, the farewell breakfast (really great upgrade!), and departure escort was worth it for us.  I would think that the other FOS itineraries, with tender ports, the key departure would be a big perk also.  

    Freedom of the Seas - No Worries!!

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    I just returned from our 7 day cruise (ABC) on FOS.  This is not a full review of the entire trip, just a post with my general feelings about the ship.  I read so many reviews before our cruise with complaints about FOS, that I was a little bit worried about going on our cruise.  Because of this, I really wanted to share our experience on FOS.  

     

    Bottom line - do not worry if you are cruising on FOS soon!  I have been on four Royal Caribbean cruises, and this by far was the best service and food experience we have had on RC.   We are foodies, and we found the food and service in the main dining room to be well above what we had experienced on other RC ships. We usually do a couple of specialty dining options, but did not feel it was necessary on this cruise. Food was always really good, hot, and well prepared.  This also carried over to room service. We ordered room service for breakfast every day and our food was always delivered on time and was always hot. Fruit was fresh and the coffee was actually good. LOL

     

    Service on this ship exceeded our expectations.   From our cabin attendant, to the dining room staff, to the bar staff, and to the general staff around the boat cleaning and tidying the ship (including constant bathroom attendants), everything was top-notch.

     

    It is only fair to note that the ship is showing her age a little bit. Some buttons on the elevators didn’t light up.   There were little scratches in the wood in some places.  Worn areas in the restroom in the cabin.  Etc.  None of this minor cosmetic blemishes, impacted our cruise experience at all.

     

    I can also comment on the key. We purchased the key for this cruise to test it out. We always buy an Internet package, so for us it wasn’t a big jump to try the key. We really enjoyed the benefits of the key. Having a Chops lunch on the first day, the breakfast on the last day with an escort to the terminal when we departed the ship, was definitely a nice perk.  Luggage was placed in its own section of the terminal when departing, and was ready to be picked up at 8 AM.  Check in was also a breeze, even in San Juan, with a designated line for key members.

     

    I hope this alleviates anyone’s concerns about cruising on FOS. This being my fourth RC cruise, it has been my favorite so far!  

     

    Now ....  on to Explorer!  😉

    • Like 5
    • Thanks 1

    Is Uber XL ok to use?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted · Edited by Wrh2016

    On 11/13/2018 at 12:52 PM, JohninDC said:

    1.  I've used Larry's Limos in the past and highly recommend them; they are often suggested on the FLA departures board.

    2. Uber and Lyft have no problems operating at POM, PE, FLL and MIA  The restrictions that used to be in place (i.e. job protection for poorly run taxis) are long gone.

     

    Have a great cruise! :classic_biggrin:

    I second Larry’s Limo Service.  They are excellent and reasonably priced.  We use them when traveling from FLL to Miami hotel for pre-cruise stays.  

    • Like 1

    I was thinking of Jewel of the Seas January 2019 and the sailings have disappeared!

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Just booked Jewell for 2/15/19. 10 night out of Miami - ABC islands + Labadee & Grand Cayman. They canceled my Navagator 2/15/19 cruise and offered this one. It's not on the website yet as they are letting those who were bumped to have first shot at the cabins. I snagged JS AFT 1100. :p

     

     

    Debitoo - thank you! I’m looking at that same sailing now. Was your original navigator sailing a 7 or 9 day?

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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