barb in ga

We just booked a family trip on Quantum for the end of May. We will have a 7yo and 1 or 2 13yo all girls. We chose this itinerary because of the kids, so they will have a variety of activities. We sailed on Serenade(sister to Brilliance) a number of years ago. They are beautiful class of ship, but we wanted newer and bigger. We also preferred the Seattle round trip itinerary to fly in and out of Seattle for a couple of days in advance. Barb

Allure has cupcakes for sale in Cups and Scoops on the Boardwalk Barb

Can someone post a show schedule for Allure 6 night Western(not the 8 night). Thanks, Barb

We mostly cruise Royal and almost always on the bigger ships for the variety of entertainments and food choices. We are sailing on Allure on Sunday for our 4th time, which makes 20 cruises on Voyager class and above. We do love the live music and the shows on all the Oasis Class ships, especially the Aquashow and ice skating shows. We are always happy with the food on Royal, but I will agree that the food on Celebrity is a step above. We don't use the waterpark, slides, zipline, but love all the other options. Our Celebrity sailings left me with disappointment over the entertainment. If the itinerary and price were right, we would book Celebrity again. Barb

Fabulous pictures! I especially loved the blue sphere with the reflection of the space needle, what a great shot! Also loved the Pike Place photos, what a wonderful place. We love visiting markets during our travels and have seen many around the world. The flowers and fruit are amazing at Pike place. I bought a big bouquet for our cabin when we were there for our Explorer cruise in 2017(?). As we got on the ship, so many people remarked on the flowers. Many people said they didn't know we could take them on the ship, but we learned that you can take them on, but not off at the end. I buy a bouquet for every cruise, but usually not as nice as those. I bought a travel vase that is really great. We're planning to book an Alaska cruise next summer for our adult sons and their families. I look forward to comparisons between Quantum and Ovation. Have a great trip! Barb

The opinions here are varied, but one thing remains constant for most of us on Cruise Critic: we love cruising for many reasons, but mostly because it fulfills our personal requirements for valued time "away" from daily life. For some that is met by the smaller, quieter ships, and for some by the larger ships that offer a wider range of activities, dining experiences, and entertainment. DH and I have enjoyed 24 cruises on RCI; 20 of those have been on Voyager Class or larger. That reflects our personal preference for the variety of experiences, but all of our Royal cruises have been enjoyable. Everyone wins in choosing a great cruise experience! Barb

Another vote for deck 8! Love Central Park and as mentioned before it makes a great place to go from one end of the ship to another. Barb

We cruised in May with our son, his wife, and 6 yo daughter. She absolutely loved the MDR dining experience! The waiter, his assistant, and the maitre'd were charmed by her and she was very happy with how she was treated. They listened to her requests and made this a very special part of her first cruise.

I did a mock booking for the Quantum sailing for next year that I am planning. The refundable price added $619 to the nonrefundable total on my selection for a 2 person balcony cabin. Since it's normally $500 deposit for 2, that's not a terrible increase, however, I am sailing on Allure in less than 3 weeks and my docs include an offer to book on board with a $100 per person nonrefundable deposit. That is how we'll do it, since we have 2 older couples and 2 families with a child. Barb

Thanks, Barb

We're getting ready to book a 2023 late May Alaska cruise on Quantum from Seattle roundtrip. Will views or wildlife sightings be better om port side or starboard side? Opinions please. Thanks, Barb

I agree with the poster who said there is an advantage to having the same waitstaff every night. DH is celiac and has found the headwaiter and maitre'd to be very helpful. If your son likes pasta, they will make it to order in the Windjammer at lunch or dinner; since the GF pasta isn't precooked, there will be a 15 minute or so wait. The maitre'd also pre-ordered some selections for him on request each night after looking at the menu for the next day. Some GF items may not be on the buffet lines, but he can ask for the bread/roll of the day. There are always some GF desserts in the Windjammer in a refrigerated case. He should not feel shy about asking for these things even if he doesn't see them. Dessert in the MDR is usually ice cream with berries or creme brulee. DH's favorite breakfast item from the buffet Asian section is congee, a rice porridge in which he puts a freshly cooked egg. This may not always be on offer but grits are available daily(corn) and they are also great with an egg on top. Pizza is a great option from Sorrentos. They make it to order, with whatever toppings you like. It takes a few minutes, but it is available all day. Park cafe makes great salads, with his choice of toppings, also available in the buffet. Have a great cruise, Barb

Symphony is one of my favorite ships, but Hiro is my least favorite Aqua show. I haven't been on Wonder, but I love all the other Aqua shows. Barb

We have gone through the idea of trying out other cruise lines too, especially since reaching Diamond plus. Royal makes the point spread from D+ to Pinnacle very difficult to achieve, especially since we are over 70 and only cruise a few times a year. Oasis class ships are our first choice, but we've sailed them all multiple times(except Wonder). We did a Princess, a couple of Celebrity, and have a sailing booked on MSC for new years.

Looking forward to your review since we are planning to book Quantum for next summer in Alaska. We will have 2-4 cabins, depending on how many of our family group decide to join. I'm on Allure in September, so I'm pushing everyone to commit by then; if we book while on board, only $100PP is required for a deposit. Barb

For us it's any Oasis Class ship; entertainment options, dining choices, wide variety of activities, and the unique appeal of Central Park and the Boardwalk. Barb

I booked a GTY balcony yesterday evening. This morning I logged in and found my cabin assignment. We cruise on 9/25. Barb

I have this question and I'm still confused. If we book a non refundable deposit for a cruise in May 2023, I understand that if we cancel before final payment, we will lose the full deposit. It appears that if we change the ship or sailing date before final payment that we would be penalized $100 per person, with $150 person applied to a different sailing. Please help me find the policy on the website, as I've searched and only find that the $250pp would be forfeit. We're considering a family group cruise and I want to be careful how I word the policy to my family. Thanks, Barb

Thanks for the comments. We will be having a family meeting to weigh our choices. Right now. I am leaning towards the Quantum since that would give us a chance to fly from Atlanta to Seattle with a couple of days to see Seattle highlights before boarding the cruise. Barb

We did an Alaska cruise on Explorer in 2015 and really enjoyed it. On our day in Victoria we went to Butchart Gardens which was really incredible. I'm not sure that the 7 and 13 year old will have much interest in more than a short time touring gardens, so we'll be looking for some other excursion ideas. We have cruised on Anthem, so I feel comfortable that this class ship will be enjoyed by all, including the kids. We have previously cruised Serenade, sister ship to Radiance and thought it beautiful, but we'll stick with a Quantum class ship and a Seattle departure/return for this trip. Barb

There will be 4 family groups--2 sets of Grandparents, 2 sets of adults with 1 child each family, for a total of 10 people in 4 cabins. The granddaughters are 7 and 13. We cruised this year on Harmony, which everyone loved for all the food and activity choices, so I have ruled out the smaller ships. We also prefer the roundtrip Seattle itinerary for ease and cost of flights. Our plan is to go as soon as the girls are out of school for the summer, so we would sail Ovation on Friday 5/26 or Quantum on Monday 5/29. The differences in itinerary: Ovation does day 3 cruising the inside passage, Quantum stops in Sitka on day 3. On day 7 Ovation docks at Victoria from 8-6 and Quantum is only docked at Victoria from 5P to 10P. Please share your thoughts on the itinerary differences and any other comments welcome. Thanks, Barb

Thanks for your review, it's nice to hear they accommodated your need for gluten free as DH is celiac. We're currently booked on Divina in October for the repo cruise from Port Canaveral to Miami. We may reschedule, so I'm looking at other ships as well. This will be our first cruise on MSC, so I'm gathering ideas for our cruise. Barb

It may have been the Crypt Barb

I've enjoyed redeeming points for travel since 1996. As Atlanta residents, almost all our flights are on Delta, so we use the Delta Skymiles American Express for most of our spending, including most of our direct billed monthly expenses. We've redeemed miles for multiple trips, including Europe and Asia. We also have a Mastercard and 2 Visa cards for times that we can't use Amex. Chase does co-branding with Hotel companies--we have Marriott and IHG which offers a lot of choices for using points. The Points guy is a great source for points travel ideas, so is One Mile At a Time, and Flyer Talk. I'm now retired and have more time for following these daily blogs, We've become good at traveling using miles and points. Have fun and check out the websites mentioned. Barb

I always stop to pick up a bouquet of flowers before boarding. In Florida I usually buy at Publix, but I also took advantage of the amazing flowers in Seattle at the Pike Place Market. I bought the collapsible travel vases like the photos above. They pack flat until you put water in them. I always get comments from people as we board, wishing they had thought of bringing flowers. I've never been told I couldn't take them on, but I have been cautioned that they can't be taken off the ship. They do brighten up the cabin. Barb