OCSC Mike

That's awful. Sorry you ran into such a subpar staff. I know you don't seem to be too interested in Oasis class, but if you do wind up with CK access again, give it another shot (I'm sure you would).

Food is obviously subjective so even though I liked CK the whopping 2 times I've had access (loved it on Wonder in June) I won't tell you the food part is a one off though I'd think it was. The food allergy part is shocking as I've only had CK access with my young niece onboard who has severe nut/sesame allergies and they could not have taken better care of her. They even made her off-menu dishes to try on Wonder... so it went beyond "we'll cook your hot dog on a clean grill to avoid cross-contamination" (though they did that too of course). The CK manager also found some sort of nut-free individually wrapped cookies and, after she tried one and liked it, came back with about a dozen more for her take with her to have as a snack whenever. They took good care of her on Harmony in 2022 as well but the Wonder CK staff was about the best service I've ever seen in any area of any cruise I've ever taken. Just one of those experiences that will always stand out. EDIT: Forgot my niece was also in CK on Allure last year (I wasn't there) and again had a good experience.

Absolutely kids are allowed. The 21+ is just meant for alcohol consumption and likely poorly worded by RC. There are even some video games in Playmakers (not that adults can't play video games).

I was wondering how they'd fit everything into the short sailings. I'm on the 1st sailing from PC on 10/25 and it's a weird 5-nighter to get it on schedule for the 3/4's. It still has all the shows but I wouldn't be surprised if Blue Planet disappears after that.

It's a different menu every night. Check the app. In general, it's much better food than the MDR and night one filet is excellent. Not sure why you picked out rigatoni and the vegetarian option from a menu that includes, filet mignon, duck, etc. Also, the service is usually amazing as is the atmosphere.

I'll be on Allure in 17 days. 1. You can make reservations in the cruise planner for the ice show, aqua show, adult comedy, Mamma Mia, and "Blue Planet" (stage show). Reservations make things easier but you can also get into everything via a standby line and only the comedy show is iffy b/c the venue is so small. 2. Reservations usually open early in the month before your cruise (so December for you) but there's no set time like check-in.

I only made it once or twice to be honest. It tasted pretty good to me but I'm not a coffee snob. I drink cheap stuff every morning at home and, since I'm Diamond, I prefer getting cappuccino from the DL machine onboard. I'm rarely in any type of suite so it's not really an issue, the noise was just SO LOUD I had to comment.

Yep, sounds like machinery from an auto shop or maybe a construction site. If I hadn’t read about the noise before experiencing it I would have thought mine was broken.

Agreed & I don’t even like country music.

Still time to try the Campfire cookie... it's open late. 😁

Only production shows and in house bands. EDIT to add... There are 3 shows in the main theater, the ice show, the aqua show, and then the adult comedy. That's 6 different shows. With port stops and everything else there is to do on the ship, that's a lot of entertainment for a 7-night cruise, IMO. Now that I've already seen them all, I'm actually looking forward to future cruises when we will see comedy and maybe 1 or 2 we've already seen, and have more time to do random stuff at night.

Sounds like it, lol. Last question... when did you have the pizza come out? First like an app? With the mains like a side? That was my dilemma. 🤣

You're not only ordering everything I would but that's how my wife and I eat pizza, lol. I'm about to get takeout later... which we then throw in the oven to make it crispy b/c even asking for it well done at a cheap pizza place doesn't get it done. What kind of pizza did you get? I'm still trying to figure out how I fit pizza into a dinner that already includes filet and carbonara, lol. I eat a lot on cruises but... And congrats on the casino win!

I'd order it either way b/c there are so many variables and I love carbonara but good to hear.

Pretty sure that poster means the BOGO is intended to be used onboard at the onboard price. So when you book pre-cruise, you get a discounted price, and then you want the BOGO on top of that. They can correct me if I'm wrong.

That's encouraging as it will likely be my wife's pasta to go with her filet when we eventually try GK. At GT she gets the risotto.

Thanks for confirming my impression. Close but no cigar. We're likely going back to Captain Bob; it was a pretty balanced mix of snorkeling for her while I could still cut my snorkeling short and chill on the boat (which is why we went on it the first time). We like smaller groups anyway, not huge partiers. The food and open bar were definitely more appealing on the ones you suggested but there's obviously more than enough food and drink on the cruise that I'm not overly concerned about what I'm eating/drinking during a half-day excursion.

The Effectors but close enough. The Effectors II is on Wonder (which I kind of liked but I'm not a show guy and I know others would prefer an actual Broadway show).

This one also looked great so thanks for sharing! It's probably a better fit for us than Celine but my only concern is it seems a bit more focused on partying/relaxing/drinking (which is fine with me) while my wife is more into snorkeling than chilling and drinking. That said, that's why we do excursions like this... she can snorkel more after I've had my fill and I can chill on the boat with a drink. I did pass it along to her though for review. Apologies for invading your blog, Dee.

Also one of many good reasons to use a TA who can often get you a hold of much longer than 24 hours so you have no reason to be impulsive (unless it's a GGG sale, then you should book ASAP, 😉).

This is exactly why I have 4 Wonder cruises booked and zero Utopias. Every time I had Utopia on hold for a B2B Wonder was significantly cheaper. (Obviously this was meant for the OP as you already know that, lol).

Just checked it out online and it does look pretty great.

I agree... except when your wife is so picky she can only find an entree there maybe 3 out of 7 nights (unless she orders off the kids menu, lol), so I have to plan ahead. We stopped going every night a long time ago b/c she would order a caesar salad and the plain, boring, classic chicken breast like 4 nights... not b/c she was dying to eat plain chicken over and over, she's just that picky.

They do on the newest ships, like Wonder, and it makes a big difference in your cabin.

That’s what I always order at the original version of Giovanni’s, filet & carbonara. Waiting to try the new version you're eating at.