OCSC Mike

One formal night on my recent 3 & 4 night Indy cruises (night 2), no lobster.

My guess is exactly this. Cafe Promenade's specialty coffee offerings aren't nearly as extensive as the actual Starbucks locations onboard. I don't expect much to change other than the beans being used.

This is why I chose RT&T over OnPoint. I have read a few reports of poor/non-existent customer service although everyone seemed to eventually get it sorted out. Hope you are able to get through to them. On the plus side, you have some time.

Never had Giovanni's lunch, but I have requested the fried calamari appetizer from the lunch menu at dinner before (sometimes they accommodate the request, sometimes not) and have enjoyed it. Yes, it's a different menu with some overlap.

Moral of the story... Look up the cabin locations of any category before you bid. If any are so undesirable that you determine the risk isn't worth it, don't bid on that category.

Very solid, even-toned, well-written review! Sorry to hear about your negatives, mostly because we also have always loved Giovanni's and it was as good as ever on Indy this month. Filet was delicious as was the carbonara (I always get the same things) and someone on Indy just before me loved their osso buco. Similarly, back on Harmony 5/29, not only was the CK Maitre D' friendly and helpful, but the manager, Rodrigo, was amazing! Personable, hilarious, chatted and joked with our table at nearly every meal, etc. One of those crew members you won't forget. Given your attitude, I don't think you'd let these experiences deter you from either venue in the future, but figured I'd share that your experiences are definitely not fleet-wide. P.S. 1st world problems but I really wish Harmony had El Loco Fresh as Mini Bites on Harmony is one of the only included food venues I found virtually worthless and since my wife won't eat mexican, I likely would have popped in there to grab something in between meals quite a bit. P.S.S. Could not agree more about Cococay. We had an OTW cabana in May and it was an amazing experience. Then we did a 3 and 4-night B2B earlier this month so we could go there twice like you mentioned and also had an amazing time without spending a penny (besides tipping for D drinks).

My experience with RT&T...

I know it wasn't your main point, which is pretty valid IMO, just sharing additional info. FWIW, I cross-posted my detailed positive experience with RT&T both there and here and didn't see any negative comments.

I believe that was OnPoint. FYI, you can reschedule with RT&T using their website, no human interaction needed. That said, they are also very responsive via live chat. The wait was minutes, not hours. That was part of the reason I shelled out the extra $5 even though I'm as frugal as it gets.

The port doesn't care about a CLIA #, you'll be fine. Just used an online proctor that doesn't have one at PC last Friday, no issues. They only check for your name, test date, and "Negative." Enjoy your cruise!

Yes. Last week was my 1st B2B and we used some that morning of TAD (turn around day) for bottled water for the 2nd leg and some iced coffee drinks at Cafe Promenade.

One other tip... when you use a voucher, the drink should show up on your account in the app almost instantly with the name of the bar you used and $0.00. This is another way to both keep track of how many you have used as well as make sure you weren't charged.

What is "the home proctored covid test"? Could you be more specific? You can use any legit test you want with sites like RapidTestAndTrace or OnPoint. They each use different methods of video calling though. If you mean the emed test RC encourages you to buy, I'm not sure what they use as I've never used those but many here have and will be able to help. For example, RT&T uses a program called Microsoft Teams but you don't have to download it or set up any accounts, you just click on a link they e-mail you and voila! Very user friendly for those who aren't tech-savvy. It also works via phone or computer.

We do the same exact thing. As an added bonus, the singles you get from your bank don't reek of smoke from the casino. 🤣

No, they don’t roll over, use em or lose em. Tip: You do have 4 more on disembarkation morning (or turnaround morning if a B2B).

I don't find them crowded on Oasis-class. I commented in another thread that I had never seen one as busy as I did last week on Indy though.

The answer is supposed to be "no, those are the rules" but I see no reason not to ask the suite concierges when you get your pre-cruise e-mail. The worst that can happen is you get the above answer.

You can also add your set sail pass to your Apple wallet (if you use Apple devices) to see the numbers under the bar code.

Yes, I was just B2B on Indy from 7/15 to 7/22 and there was a lunch in the MDR for the 24 of us. We looked at the menu and passed b/c my wife is picky and I enjoy the day one paella in WJ but it was there. 3 choices for each course.

DL is very quiet and relaxing nowadays. Not enough people in there to run a poll. 🤣

I wasn't sure either and since our 1st cruise post-restart was in a suite on Harmony (as you know), that didn't tell me anything since I had both (plus the 11-11 drinks) and I can't come close to drinking that much, lol. After 7 nights with just the vouchers last week, I'm definitely in favor of the new system. I enjoyed trying different stuff including frozen drinks at all hours rather than something boring in the DL every night. It was a no-brainer for my wife who doesn't really drink but is now happy to have a couple virgin daiquiris while in the Solarium or at Cococay and an occasional mudslide for dessert (yes, she's a big kid). Since we're not that far from D+, my goal is to properly use all 10 vouchers when we get there. Wife was only using 2-3 on average so I need to step it up a bit. 😁

Either my recent 3-nighter on Indy was an exception or I just didn't notice b/c our routine doesn't involve much partying (lots of eating, Solarium rather than main pool, DL, ice show, headliner, trivia, etc.) The one thing I did notice... I've never in my life seen Sorrentos so busy at all hours of the day/night. That could be a result of the drinking, of course.

Very likely to stick but there are always exceptions.

Thanks for the updates, blondcat. Glad the gangway incident and storm didn't ruin that day and my minor bits of advice helped. My wife saw a very similar shark on Cococay last Wednesday. Enjoy the rest of your trip! I couldn't last more than a couple hours in a theme park in the heat we have here right now. Drink plenty of water. Advice for next time... get a suite on Wonder if it fits your schedule and budget (it would be a 7-nighter of course). Since you mentioned some of the suite perks, I can safely say you would absolutely love them on that ship. YouTube if you're not familiar.

I just did a B2B 3-night and 4-night on Indy last week (was in Cococay with Freedom on both legs)... FWIW, I barely noticed any difference on either leg from the 7-night cruises I am used to taking in the Summers.