scubaslayer

9 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

You can take your dessert with you.  It only happens once in 7 nights. And I haven't found that to be true at all.  All the servers I interact with seem to enjoy it immensely.  If people hate it so much they can always find out which night it is planned and go to Windjammer...I don't let things like that bother me.

At least 2 nights on a 7 day cruise from my experience and the person who is currently on a ship. I simply asked the question, so I could attempt to help my kid prepare/avoid it. I do realize it is not fine dining but it is a multi-course dinner in a nice setting. I do wish the MDR had remained a more upscale experience. It still isn't going to have a big impact on our life and I would hope it doesn't for anyone else.

I really wasn't expecting this to be a new topic to go off about but I guess we were due for something to strike a nerve.

25 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Are you doing MTD?

Maybe? We have MTD reserved 4 7pm every night so we can fit in the shows, but after issues booking entertainment (because Royal IT is great) I spoke to my TA who possibly had us changed to a 7:30 fixed dining time and waitlisted for early. So I am guessing we will have dinner with MTD at 7pm or the new fixed time at 7:30 (unless that is some how light dining). Either way after talking to the TA, all of my entertainment was able to be booked and we will deal with whatever, because the worst day cruising is still better than being at work. I plan to speak to our servers and plan it out so kid can step out but plan food around that issue. It isn't the first time we have altered plans slightly to accommodate. Things are much improved over the days of oh crap surprise fireworks when we attended events.

9 minutes ago, BecciBoo said:

It is quite obvious when it is about to take place. And you can advise your server to let you know.

It isn't that obvious when you are enjoying your meal and having a conversation. I am often not paying close attention to what is happening everywhere around me. Dinner is when I have the best conversations with my kids about the day. The rest of the time they go off doing teen stuff and enjoying their freedom.

If the crew enjoy it and want to do it, that is fine. My servers last time did not seem to be in that group but I do understand majority rule in things like this. I deal with that in my job as well.

7 minutes ago, cruiselvr04 said:

We don’t care for it.  I would prefer our waiter serve us our dessert and let the conversation keep flowing.  However some servers really seem to enjoy this part of the job by getting to sing and dance.  If they like doing it, I don’t want to take that away from them.  So we don’t complain on our surveys but for us it gets old and would like it to go away. 

I think this is where I am with it. First I would not complain about my servers on this, as they are doing their job. I mostly would just like to know in advance so my kid can plan accordingly. It isn't acceptable for her during her meal and I would like her to be able to escape before it begins and not miss out on her meal. I may not enjoy it but it is what it is. It just sucks if my kid is interrupted while eating and comes back to cold food. I guess I will speak to our server and see if we can arrange some sort of signaling so she can excuse herself at the correct time and it be less noticeable.

I am aware that some like it and Royal is likely to continue with it as they shift more from "fine dining" and acting more like a family friendly chain restaurant. As my kids get older we may switch lines but right now they want the slides and to act like kids and I'm all for that as long as it lasts.

6 minutes ago, Tatka said:

 

Servers do their jobs pretty well from our experience and if not this is not because of small performances 😉

 

Royal's experience is pretty much entertainment experience just like other similar family lines. This does not happen on Celebrity, Holland, Cunard.

It wasn't on Royal for our pre-covid sailings either. It takes away the servers from clearing and serving. Our last cruise it was while they were trying to get desserts served to everyone.

As for sensory overload, my teen is generally fine on a ship. Some shows are a bit much but kid loves theater and tolerates it for the most part or excuses herself and heads to something else. Of course my kid has had to learn a lot of coping mechanisms to avoid the stares and comments when the tourettes flairs and the spastic tics begin. Ships have plenty to do and spaces to escape. It is actually a great vacation, as you can really customize it to what works for you.

1 hour ago, HicksRA said:

I always find it annoying. 

It really doesn't fit with a multi-course dining experience in my opinion. Plus it takes the servers away from what they are trying to do. I find it more annoying than the survey speech. If I know when it is going to happen, I can at least prepare the kid so she knows when to excuse herself to the bathroom for 15 minutes.

In 2022 they had the servers performing a song and dance thing during the MDR service on a couple of nights. Are they still doing this? I am sure some people enjoy this but honestly it takes away from our meal and my sensory teen doesn't like it at all. If they are still doing it, is it on specific nights?

So at what price point is the upgrade worth it from Sky to Star for most of you? I am debating between the 2 bedroom Grand and the 2 bedroom aqua for a high school graduation cruise on Harmony. Also should I wait to book onboard in a couple months or just book now to save our spot. What tours can your Genie arrange onboard? One or 2 of my kids are interested in theater but the backstage ins and outs as well (think stage crew, sound, and lighting). What experiences/extras have you had your Genie provide besides the food (and OMG the food)?

So overall, is Star Class worth the extra price per person? Would it still be worth it for people that don't drink or teens in the room?

I feel like Royal's IT and the hospital I work at use the same people. I'm getting tired of dealing with IT issues at work and then in my off time but once I am on the cruise it doesn't really matter. Waiting for vacation is killing me, so I am obsessively planning and attempting to live through the "Live" reviews.

9 hours ago, buncosquad said:

Good, old Harmony.

 

When is your cruise, or how far out will it let us book events?

My cruise is in June. I wasn't expecting to be able to book entertainment until May but it is showing up early. 

Honestly I wouldn't care if we had early or late traditional dining. I'm not a fan of mtd but also we didn't book until almost March for a summer cruise.  

43 minutes ago, nelblu said:

Ship?

 

Harmony

I had to uninstall and reinstall the app. I also had to change my password. The app wasn't opening anything but a terms and conditions thing and wouldn't let me accept them and move on. After the reinstall and password change, since I had that issue online, everything is working fine, except the prices are the same as before and not the prices I want.

Thank you. I may give it a couple of days to see if it is fixed. If it isn't fixed by my time off, I will book shows then dining. It is a summer sailing, so I suspect it is going to be busy.

So how were the beds, compared to the beds in a regular room? They advertiser how great they are but I am a bit skeptical.

On 4/12/2024 at 8:14 AM, gatorfam89 said:

Kids are a tween, a teen and a 7 year old.

 

I would love to get two connecting balconies, but they aren't available. Hard to even find a room for 3 this late in the game.

 

We all like to be together, so that's why I figured the suite option might work (while saving a little money by getting my husband the interior room). Little one can squeeze in king bed or air mattress. 

Cabins can also just be next door to each other or directly across the hall. We didn't want to pay extra for connecting rooms, so we have 2 balconies next to each other. The divider on the balcony can be opened so still connected that way and we will have an extra set of key cards so we can get into kids' room just in case.

Entertainment just became available to book for our upcoming cruise. We have MTD reserved for 7pm everyday, so we can hopefully arrange the same table and waiters since we booked this trip late and early and late dining were unavailable. I am trying to book shows but for some reason it shows a conflict with MTS, because MTD is for 5 hours and 30 minutes on the planner. Are were really not able to prebook shows or going to need to shift dinner way up or do walk in and hope we get in? I know the planner has had technical issues this week, so I am hoping this is just another glitch and will be fixed shortly.

Bottled water is everywhere you can get a drink. Fresh squeezed juices are available at breakfast in Windjammer and MDR. I was on Liberty so not sure on milkshakes. It did cover smoothies from Vitality on the spa and of course all of the mocktails. Kids were able to get soda at most bars and any of the dining venues but sadly no Dr Pepper. I am unsure about Coke Zero or other zero products. Don't forget mocktails are far more than just the frozen kind. The Shirley ginger and blueberry nojito are favorites for me. I look forward to trying other nojito flavors on our next cruise that I didn't realize were an option.

Since you are Star class, are you still having to pay for things like tours, classes, and things like the escape room? I am seriously considering booking one of these suites for my daughter's graduation next year but trying to convince myself on the cost.

Basically what does the Genie schedule that is included and what still costs extra,

1 hour ago, cooncat_mom said:

We did the Oasis just after it started back up and had a Boardwalk Balcony aft on deck 10. We could see out to the water, enjoyed during in the balcony and people watched, and we watched every show (and rehearsal) in the Aqua Theater. The lack of privacy didn't bother us since we change in the bathroom! Loved it and would book it again.

Which room were you in? Curious how far back you can be and still get a decent view of the show and see the ocean?

10 hours ago, Denversail said:

I feel like I really suck at the hotel shopping. I booked us at Hilton Cocoa Beach Oceanfront. In my mind at the time of booking this place was amazing. I did all the research and everyone loved it. Well now when I go back and check out the hotel the reviews are awful. It is the most hated place on planet earth! Is it me?

It is one night. Short of a current infestation, it will be fine. If course our last pre cruise hotel was cheap and it showed but had free breakfast and it was only one night.

22 minutes ago, AGE_Texas said:

Well I saw a board earlier talking about the differences between 1 person getting internet package for 2 devices vs 2 people getting 1 package each. I haven’t seen that as an option yet but I also have checked out to pay for anything on the Planner. I’m assuming if the 1 person multiple devices option is in fact available then it probably isn’t worth it to get the Key 

2 see the 2 device price, you click buy on the internet package. The next screen will give you the options. So pick one person on the reservation and then select how many devices and you will see the total price. You can do all of this without continuing to the checkout and paying anything. Unfortunately the sale price on the main screen only shows the one device one person price.

For my family it has yet to be low enough for the price since it is 4 of us. I took the price, subtracted internet and the lowest price was still about $75 per person after that. I put lunch and breakfast worth about $40. None of our ports are tender and the other benefits aren't really that valuable to us. I would appreciate it for the shows but on and off has always been simple enough.

10 minutes ago, Denversail said:

Mr. IT has what we like to call a vacation setting. We have both purchased the drink package. We will not be spending a huge amount of time in the casino. We don’t have any sea days this trip. I would guess Mr. IT will spend maybe two hours gambling this trip. I’m sure I’ll spend a few more than that. We have enjoyed some comedy shows in the past, trivia’s, and a few dance clubs. We have also enjoyed some of the performers in the pub on past cruises. We don’t ever seem to make it to any shows. This trip will be very beach heavy. I’ll be posting details soon. 

My husband likes to lay about and read on vacations. I sort of make him go do things. I think if I didn't decide on vacations and do the planning, he would be perfectly content just being at home like always but he enjoys the things I plan. I kind of look forward to trips with just the 2 of us once the kids start their own lives but also the teens have made things more interesting and fun.

I am happy the dogs are doing better. You know we were all holding our breath at the beginning of the last live you did. Will there be the same level of drinking and casino on a shorter cruise with Mr IT?