skid10

After seeing the post from an Adventure OTS cruiser that I copied below with my reply, I am wondering if this type of occurrence is more prevalent than I ever would have expected. Has anyone else experienced this?

quote=scottnkim;53641477]

Other staggering thing- stopped by the Excursion desk afternoon before St. Lucia. 2 ladies working there actually told us they have no idea about the island- they had never been there themselves, and had only been working for 3 weeks. They were certainly honest, but didn't expect to be told "Uh- your're on your own!".

This same thing happened to us on Anthem in 2015 and it was even more ridiculous. The only 2 people from the excursion department were both on vacation at the same time. The rest of the staff was new (literally the third day for one of them) and not one of them had ever been to that particular port (Barbados).

Fortunately, the guy from the jewelry port shopping desk knew everything and did a great job in guiding us. We informed corporate of his extra effort.

I think I will start a separate thread. Will be interesting to see if this has happened with any type of regularity.

 

Other staggering thing- stopped by the Excursion desk afternoon before St. Lucia. 2 ladies working there actually told us they have no idea about the island- they had never been there themselves, and had only been working for 3 weeks. They were certainly honest, but didn't expect to be told "Uh- your're on your own!".

This same thing happened to us on Anthem in 2015 and it was even more ridiculous. The only 2 people from the excursion department were both on vacation at the same time. The rest of the staff was new (literally the third day for one of them) and not one of them had ever been to that particular port (Barbados).

Fortunately, the guy from the jewelry port shopping desk knew everything and did a great job in guiding us. We informed corporate of his extra effort.

I think I will start a separate thread. Will be interesting to see if this has happened with any type of regularity.

can you compare balcony cabins to anthem?

Anthem is, of course, newer so furniture is more updated. There were 2 separate closets which was nice. Also had an electrical outlet by the bed. Cabins and balconies, depending on categories, are bigger on Anthem. All that being said, Adventure cabin/balcony experience was fine. We loved both ships and, in our opinion, this should not be a deciding factor in picking a cruise. After all, only a small percentage of time is actually spent in the cabin.

Soooo, jwick, which way are you leaning? Or are you now even more confused? :) Best part is that you can't go wrong either way!

Here is info on the first part:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7615

Trying to get the info on January. We are sailing on May 11.

Here is some info on January:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7775

Oh, it's going through a refurb? Do you happen to know what they're updating (cabins, maybe?)?

 

That will be so funny if we wind up on the same sailing.

Here is info on the first part:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=7615

Trying to get the info on January. We are sailing on May 11.

Of course it is. Almost anything is better than those old cheesy Royal Caribbean Singers and Dancers shows. Anthem entertainment is more on par with Oasis class I would imagine (since I have not yet sailed anthem).

Agreed. We have not been on Oasis Class but the Anthem Broadway type production of We Will Rock You is fabulous. Based on the music of Queen, it ran in London for several years. Being here in NJ, if it comes to Broadway in the future, it will be a must see.

I'm loving these opinions ... thank you! I'm so glad to see that people still love the Adventure.

 

I'm still so torn....:)

Oh, one more thing. In January Adventure is completing the refurb that wasn't finished last time so she should be even better this coming May than she was on our trip last May. Maybe we will see you guys!

We have been on both ships and loved them. If you prefer bigger and high tech, then Anthem has the edge. If you prefer smaller and loved the Royal Promenade on Explorer, then Adventure has the edge. You will have a great time no matter which you pick. We do think the entertainment was much better on Anthem. That being said, we are booked again on Adventure for May.

Continental breakfast is still free, all other orders are $7.95 unless staying in a Grand Suite or higher.

Be forewarned. The free continental breakfast is actually very good, but the croissants and muffins are miniscule! Really, the croissants were no more than 2 inches long and the muffins were the diameter of a quarter. Make sure you order several!

As a preventive measure, when it was time to replace our luggage we bought the hardside type with no zippers and rubber seals. With no fabric, it is much harder, if not impossible for the bugs to stick on them or get it. We went with the Lojel Octa. They have served us well so far through 3 trips on airplanes and ships. They can be found on many websites and, I think, in stores.

Yup the luggage you brought with you! Someone has bed bugs ( at home or from the hotel they stayed at) you leave your luggage with the porter and it goes into a huge pile of luggage that includes the pieces with bed bugs and wha lah you have bed bugs in your cabin. Unless you meant WHERE do they COME from in which case the answer is: When a mommy Bed Bug and a daddy Bed Bug love each other very much ( and or had a fun night at the bar)....

 

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The problem is serious, but THAT is hilarious. Thanks for the laugh.

Hi.

 

I was on Anthem sailing July 15, 2017 and there were no Evian water bottles in the cabin.

 

I asked the cabin steward and he said they don't leave them anymore.

 

 

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That's good news. Thanks for posting!

I have read on these boards numerous times that a certain number of cabins are kept empty for a variety of reasons. Ships show that they are sailing full but I'm pretty sure that at least once a cruise, someone will need to be moved for whatever reason.

Thanks.

Check the whole room, but especially the mattress and bedding. They are sometimes hard to find unless it's a bad infestation. You have to completely tear the bedding apart. We always start with the top layer and work our way down to the mattress.

What you are looking for are small blood spots and tiny brown spots. Look in the seams of the mattress and check around plugs in the wall as they will sometimes live in those and around pictures on the wall. Google info on bed bugs. They will tell you what to look for.

We also pack our clothes in compression bags and leave them in the suitcase. Not that we couldn't get bed bugs in the suitcase if there were an infestation in the room, but we figure it will make it harder for them to get into our clothes.

I know, a little extreme, but I have a phobia about bed bugs because they are so hard to get rid of once you have them.

 

 

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GREAT advice.

If you check, and you find evidence of them in your room, then what? If there's no empty rooms available, what can be done?

I have the same question since most sailings are sold out. Does anyone know what they do in that case?

It had been previously reported on cc that starting July 1, the two bottles of Evian water would no longer be left in the cabin. Can anyone report if this is the case.

When I complained about the false charges in May, they called me and said the practice will stop on July 1. When it didn't, I emailed them again and got a phone call a few hours later. See below for their response that I posted on another thread on this topic. I may upset enough to cancel my May cruise if there was yet another "misunderstanding". Here's the previous post:

Got a call from RCCL executive office within hours of sending my e-mail. She apologized profusely (and seemingly sincerely). Said that the new no bottle plan WILL be in effect fleet wide starting tomorrow July 15. Said they had originally decided to leave those bottles of water in the cabin when they eliminated the contents of the mini bar, but "obviously that did not work out well". Reiterated that there will be an order form left for those who want to order.

Because I wanted an e-mail response, I did not give my telephone number or past/future reservation numbers in my email. That means they had to do some research to find my number. So although I did not end up getting a written response, I am, in fact, impressed with the extra effort they put in to find my number and contact me so quickly.

So, fellow cruisers, please post here after next week to let us know if this issue is truly resolved. TIA

Interesting for me to read this thread so far....

 

For me specialty has been consistently better, and I go to both MTD and specialty on my cruises as per my reviews so I do compare on all my sailings. In my humble opinion, I cannot remember what I actually ate in any MDR, on any ship, on any night.... totally unmemorable and mediocre..Try it... can you remember any specifics of your MDR dinners? I can easily write down and explain what I had at my first Sabor experience on Navigator (2014 by the way), just totally awesome night and so memorable and fun! I can add Wonderland on Harmony, Samba on Radiance and the excellent dinners on Quantum with M_Mom, Beachcruzer and others. MDR equal to Central Park 150??? Uhm... no, obviously those that think that have never dined there.

 

I feel the specialties are absolutely worth the measly $100 for a 4 or 5 night package for example. Unless of course, the RCL beancounters have now recently started reducing specialty quality and service in order to penny pinch here as well, thus making specialties worse recently

Interesting exercise! I did remember 2 or 3. Or should I say only 2 or 3? But we have, fortunately, never considered the MDR to be just mediocre.

Just off the Adventure and tried the BOGO- Giovanni's the 1st night, Chops the 2nd. Totally unimpressed with both. Giovanni's was like Olive Garden on an off night. And Chops was nothing special.

 

I was a little embarrassed in Chops because I requested 3 appetizers (soup, salad, and something else), and the waiter told me I could only have 2. :o For a minute there, I wished I were in the Windjammer.:D

 

I am glad, however, that we did the BOGO, as it satisfied my curiosity, and at a relatively inexpensive price.

 

I honestly didn't see taste any difference between the specialty restaurants and the MDR; the only difference was the more exclusive atmosphere of a smaller restaurant.

This is exactly why we haven't tried them yet. And our last cruise and upcoming cruise are both on Adventure, so your input is really appreciated!

We've cruised many times and eaten in a specialty restaurant only once. While it's unfair to form an opinion based on a single experience, I found the service too attentive to the point of being bothersome. Yes, I could have said something but went along with it rather than making a scene. I felt that the server was trying too hard to make it 'special' : )

 

On another cruise, we traded in our complimentary specialty dining for an OBC. This was after checking their menus and realizing that the experience would have been wasted on me. I have some food sensitivities and can always find something in the MDR that I enjoy.

 

It's great that so many people love it... it's just not for me.

And also great that there are always things for to enjoy in the MDR.

We almost used them, but read poor reviews about their claims service.

 

We opted for TravelEx (through insuremytrip), as their medical is always primary. It cost $130 for 3, including 50,000 medical and 500,000 evacuation. :)

Thank you for posting that! I will definitely check them for our next cruise.

First, any insurance is better than not having any at all. A friend of ours has decided to join us on our upcoming Oasis cruise. He has booked a superior balcony stateroom as a single traveler and RCIs insurance is about $160. We are staying in an OS and purchased our insurance from a well known outside provider. Our cost was about $550. Our coverage is much better than his. Having said that, probably RCIs policy will serve his needs.

 

Ray

Remember to get medical evacuation insurance. I used Squaremouth.com

I was watching Explorer for an Alaska when it was 60% off 2nd guest. Didn't make up my mind until after that sale was over and only got 50% off 2nd guest. Same exact price! :confused:

And you will probably see the same price again when they do a 30% off each guest "sale"!

The crew often approach you on the ship to go to chops etc.

If you can get a good discount and a couple of free drinks thrown in too it is worth trying one night and you might then want to do it more often.

They are usually much less hectic and great for a special occasion.

 

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Thanks for that tip.

 

we did Chops on Anthem last year for our 25th. Not worth the price we paid. I think we would have liked MDR just as well. My one spurge I can't help is Johnny Rocket s

Thanks. We do love the Rocket shakes!

Since you enjoy the MDR don't rush into a big dining package. Try it one night and see how you like it. The First Night Done Right (if offered on your sailing) is a great way to try it...usually $15.00 per person for dinner on the first night.

 

We enjoy the MDR too and usually enjoy only one or two night a week in a specialty restaurant. We find dinner in the specialty restaurants to be quieter and more relaxing with more personalized attention and a bit better quality food.

Good advice. Thanks.