barb in ga

We've sailed Oasis class 13 times, every one except Wonder. We've sailed Anthem once, and leave this month on Quantum for an Alaska roundtrip from Seattle. We love the layout of Oasis class over Quantum and prefer the Oasis class entertainment and shows. Still, we're really looking forward to this upcoming cruise! Barb

Solarium Bistro worked well for DH who is Celiac. Less options at mini bites, but Windjammer and MDR were successful with multiple options and made to order pasta dishes. Barb

We'll be on Quantum for the May 29 Seattle 7 day. Bringing 3 generations; 4 grandparents, 4 parents, and 2 girls 7 and 13. We're really excited and glad to see the menus posted. Barb

The production show for this Alaska sailing is Starwater; it's the only show requiring reservation, which you can do on the app. We're sailing May 29th as well. It appears to be a sold out cruise. Barb

Royal still designates 2 nights on a 7 day cruise for dressing up if you choose. Photographers are available in the dining rooms and throughout the public areas for pictures. Some people still go all out with dressy attire, but it is optional. I usually wear a dressy pair of pants and a nice embellished or sparkly top, but you are fine in smart casual as well. They prefer no shorts in the MDR, but I am not sure that is monitored. I did see a man in tank top and flip flops turned away. Always lots of discussion, but you have wide leeway for your attire. Enjoy your cruise; if you like dressing to the nines or prefer a less formal look, you are good. Barb

Bonsai3s--Are the other shows you mentioned all held in the Royal Theater? Thanks for all the info, Barb

Our 3 generation group of 10 is booked on Quantum for the May 29th 7 day return Seattle Alaska cruise. DH and I have sailed Anthem, but I have a few questions about Quantum. The Noodle Shop shows on the deck plans; is it still there? What are typical hours? What are the shows other than Starwater? Some of our group want to do the Puzzle room and the I-Fly and Northstar, can these be booked ahead for the complimentary items? Do Bumper cars require advance reservation? The largest group I've sailed with was 8 people, but we are 10--do I need to email dining@rcl.com or directly to the ship to confirm that our linked reservations for fixed early dining will give us one table? We have 4 ocean view balconies on deck 7. Will we be able to open the balcony dividers? Are blankets available to use on the balcony or at the movies? Are Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, and Victoria tendered or docked? Thanks in advance, DH and I did this itinerary about 6 years ago on Explorer, but we're very excited to do a bigger ship. Barb

Day 1 Departs Athens, Greece Day 2 Sea Day Day 3 Haifa, Israel Day 4 and 5 Ashdod, Israel with overnight Day 6 Sea Day Day 7 and 8 Alexandria, Egypt with overnight Day 9 Sea day Day 10 Ephesus, Turkey Day 11 and 12 Athens, Greece with overnight We're looking at booking this cruise for spring '24 and would love to hear feedback from anyone who has done this. We know it's not possible to see everything worthwhile in just 2 days each near Jerusalem, Athens, and Alexandria, but with 2 days and an overnight in each place, we can get a taste, then decide if we want to go deeper with a land visit. Thanks for the info, Barb

Has anyone had success with a Quantum Alaska or other Alaska cruise? Barb

We once went to the MDR early and spoke to the Maitre'D who is there from 1-3 or so to make table assignment change requests. He said the best way is to inform your waiter on day 1 at dinner, and they will assist in first day selections, but will special order the GF options for the next night, doing this every day. DH can always find select items from the menu on the first day, but partnering with the Maitre'D allows him a wider choice such as GF pasta, etc. Last cruise he had a beautiful seafood pasta. He has also had good GF at Chops, Jamies, Central Park 150 and other specialty restaurants. Barb

DH is celiac and has had good success with a GF diet on Symphony and all other Royal ships. The offerings vary, but you should request assistance in the MDR from the Maitre'D and in the Windjammer from one of the white jacket officers. Usually one of the chefs in the Windjammer will come out to show him the available options and discuss special orders like pasta dishes. We continue to feel that Royal does a good job for his special requests and dietary needs. He enjoys pasta, pizza, desserts, pancakes, hamburger buns, and hot dog rolls. Most of these things are request only, but some hot dishes will be on a section in the Windjammer marked Gluten Free. Once again, these offerings vary by ship. Barb

Smoky Bandit--I just did that and got a message that says Packages Amazing experiences coming soon, Please check back later Barb

Smokey Bandit--I just looked at our May Quantum Alaska sailing and packages is not an option. I looked under all the categories, but did not see it listed. Where did you find it? Barb

Thanks! We're on it tomorrow. Barb

We're cruising from Seattle at the end of May, with a short stop in Victoria, BC before returning to Seattle. My daughter in law is Thai and knows she will need a visa for Canada. Is there a source at RCI that will let her know whether she needs the visa to board the ship if she doesn't plan to disembark in Canada? Should she check with her embassy to be sure if it is needed if she doesn't get off the ship in Canada? Not looking for a definite answer here, but a pointer to someone at RCI that can let her know the policy. Thanks, Barb

We had a cruise leaving from Miami in January. We flew in the day before and rented a car for convenience to get to our Miami beach hotel and to use for a nice lunch and dinner out. We arrived at the Miami terminal(Delta) and after claiming our luggage(2 bags each plus carryons) we had a long ride on the moving sidewalks to the car rental center. We enjoyed having the car for a lunch and dinner, but returning the car to MIA was time consuming and a pain. Looking back, I far prefer flying to FLL for the convenience of a smaller, less hectic airport. The port and a decent selection of hotels are pretty close by, with modest Uber or taxi rates. Pre covid, we even rented cars from FLL and was able to return near the cruise port. Easy peasy. We live in Atlanta so fly Delta, and always have multiple flights to choose from to fit our schedule. Good luck with your plans whichever method you choose, I just doubt I'll fly to Miami again if I can avoid it. Barb

This! I've sold jewelry for 30+ years, and I see some things that are good buys and some that only sound good. Don't believe claims of high % discounts; the only price that matters is the net bottom line. Do your research, and then enjoy your purchase. Barb

If I have regular fixed time MDR dining I like to go to the MDR to check out my table location. The table number will be on your Seapass. This doesn't apply to my time dining. Once you go to your cabin, the room steward will come to introduce themself. This is when we let them know of special requests; for us it's to remove the comforter, replacing it with a lightweight blanket and to leave ice every day. If you are on Oasis Class ships, do as suggested and book your entertainment now. Most other ships don't offer pre-booking. If you are on Voyager, Freedom, or Oasis class be sure to see the ice skating show. Go with the idea that you will have a great cruise! Barb

We have 4 balcony cabins booked for our May 29 Alaska cruise. 2 cabins are 2D with 2 people each and the other 2 cabins are 5D for 3 people each. I did a mock booking to check for price drop and saved $600/cabin on the 2 5D. The 2D cabins come out slightly more. We booked all of these while on Symphony last fall. There are quite a few 1D, 3D, and 5D cabins offered for 2 people when I do a mock booking, all of them between $500-$600 less for a 2 person booking than my 2D. I really don't want to switch my cabin, as we're located midship 4 in a row. I'm just confused and trying to comprehend the differences between the sub categories. I looked on Royal's website at deckplans, and can't find 5D cabins even listed. Why should a 5D cabin cost less for 2 people than a 2D? I thought cabins that hold 3 people weren't usually available for just 2 people. Thanks for any enlightenment... Barb

There are also certain items that are available on request only. Snickerdoodle cookies at Promenade cafe, select GF bread and rolls, pasta in the Windjammer or MDR, french toast and pancakes in the MDR and pizza at Sorrento's. DH is celiac and has good results on most Royal ships. Barb

We cruised MSC for the New Year's Eve 10 night cruise on Divina. I love cruising and prefer Royal, but have tried a few others. What a disappointment! Mediocre MDR, terrible buffet, and disappointing entertainment. We won't sail MSC again! Barb

The Zoom setup on Royal allows you to log onto several different devices as long as it's only 1 device at a time. We cruised MSC in January and they were very specific that only one device could be used for the entire cruise. We couldn't share the plan between phones or tablets as we do on Royal. Barb

We recently cruised on Divina out of Miami. DH is Celiac and likes pizza, so he tries it on cruises. The GF pizza was a pre-frozen small pie, sealed and heated(overcooked and dry) in a plastic wrapper. He had a few bites, then discarded it. Since you will be on a ship other than a US departure, the product used on your ship may differ; just don't get your hopes up. Barb

We recently returned from a 10 night New Year's cruise on MSC Divina from Miami. We were very disappointed and will not consider another MSC cruise. Poorly staffed especially in the buffet, messes left on tables and floor, few lunch choices other than pizza, cheeseburgers, hot dogs and mountains of french fries! The ship was very over crowded with 4200 passengers. Lines everywhere. The entertainment was repetitive and embarkation and disembarkation were hours long nightmares! We're headed back to RCI. All of this is based on over 30+ cruises on 5 lines, mostly RCI. Barb

GOLDENBONNIE--We have cruised over 30 times on 5 different cruise lines; I can assure you I have not experienced any other cruise that left me saying "never again". Please accept my personal opinion at face value, as I have plenty to compare my experience to. Barb