Jasukkie

This dog has the life! She's got both mental and social stimulation, privacy as needed, a devoted human owner, etc etc. I think it's great.

Very sad but doubtful the outcome would have been different even if the Roatan rescue squad had arrived quickly. Travel has inherent risks, and both quality and timeliness of care can vary greatly wherever you go. 

35 minutes ago, pyrateslife4me84 said:

Not really. Still play Caribbean music on the pool deck. Same entertainment. Same food. Only the ports change and almost no one on board speaks English.

Almost no one on board speaks English? Aren't there still a lot of Brits/Irish/Americans/Canadians onboard?

I'd go with a positive attitude and no reservations. They've really sped up the service time in the main dining room so the tables are turning over faster. 

Radiance class if it's just me, or me +1.

Quantum class if I'm with a group that needs more activities.

Freedom/Voyager.

Oasis. I wouldn't turn down a free cruise on these but it's not my first choice. I will never understand why so many people congregate on the mall floor here. It's gloomy to me. I want to see the sea. Boleros is like an airport gate area, Schooner Bar is too small, the Diamond Lounge has no windows, Windjammer is way too small for the crowd. But yeah, I'd board tomorrow lol.

9 hours ago, jojo412 said:

 

Thank you for your reply I really appreciate it!!!

I've subsequently learned that it may be 30 days before the cruise where I'll be able to see the option to make reservations. As of now, it isn't showing on the app for my sailing!

 

Does Margeritaville get really crowded? 

The beach there is crowded because it's very small. The water park area was fine, no problem getting chairs. I really like the lazy river and the little water slides are fun. You also have access to the infinity pool that overlooks everything. Not a lot of people go up there so that wasn't crowded. The one downside is the food. It's very expensive for what you get and the service is slow. I'd suggest waiting til the lines go down if you do need to get something. The whole place cleared out in the afternoon as people went back to the ship. 

Port side is good as the smoking bus stop is on the starboard side. I've used that door to the library/game room and it is convenient to go down for drinks and snacks in 270. If anyone in your party needs an elevator, there's a special small elevator near that door to go down to deck 5 and the Via. 

Spectra is appropriate for all ages, but it's loud so consider that if your kids are noise sensitive. The aerialists were the best part and I think I've read they aren't doing that anymore, hopefully I'm wrong about that. It's cool to see all the visual tech they do with the space though. Reservations were in the app when I last went to the show. Not sure how they do things now.

As for Nassau, I think sharks are the bigger threat to American tourists. Just don't stray off the beaten path. If you have the budget for it, Margaritaville is an easy walk from the ship and has a lot of non-thrill level water park features and a little beach. Just eat well before you come because the food prices are very high. We used the lockers there without a problem. Junkanoo is a little further down the same beach. It's free, but you will meet some new friends trying to sell you chairs etc, etc. I've never had a problem just saying no thanks and being left alone but others may have different experiences. 

On 2/4/2024 at 9:18 AM, smokeybandit said:

Other than the one Aussie cruise that had a covid outbreak, please cite any evidence of people getting bumped at the pier.

 

My party did eventually get on the ship, but Carnival made us sit outside on a bench for 90 minutes while they "tried to find us rooms." I've booked GTY on Royal and never had that problem and just assumed it wouldn't be a big deal. While friendly, the staff did tell us it doesn't always work out and to sit tight. It was as if they were doing us a favor to try to fit us in for a cruise we paid for. We had flown in, didn't have cars, and would have had to pay significant money for hotels and meals if we had not been able to board. I won't book with them again, even in reserved cabin, just left a very bad taste in my mouth.

4 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Temporary, as in your sailing only. We have had much better performance reports from Freedom. If/when we have performance like that on any RCI ship it gets reported here, soon to be followed by other reports that the issue has been resolved. Having poor performance inside the cabin or even worse on a balcony is well known and is a somewhat unreasonable expectation from customers. 
 
BTW, RCI doesn’t (other than marketing speak) advertise nor promise any kind of speed. 

I have had zero problems using internet in my cabin on Carnival and Virgin.  Frankly, it's the only place I want to use the internet. Why is it unreasonable to expect it to work? There's nothing in the voom advertisement to say it doesn't work in cabins. I still sail Royal, this isn't a dealbreaker for me, but it is an area where Royal is inferior to other brands, in my experience.

Yes, I have streamed games using the MLB tv app. Unfortunately, there's usually a lot of lagging.

I much prefer Ensenada to Nassau. 

Anthem is so perfect for cold weather places. That would be fine for LA winters because it can feel too cool to get in the outside pools in Jan-Feb. I can't really see it for summer months though. So maybe winter in LA, summer in Alaska? It's a really nice ship, one of my favorites.

25 minutes ago, KJL53 said:

There's talk of a Quantum Class ship coming to Los Angeles in 2025 and just wondering if you think it will be Anthem or Ovation? Anthem will be going into dry dock so it would be able to get the power needed for the Los Angeles port. What are your thoughts?

Just curious, what are the differences in power requirements? 

9 hours ago, crookedhalo said:

Well it's been a while since I've been on Royal without a drink package. Trying to decide if the coupons would allow me to skip the package (and save a lot of money). I tend to like expensive martini type drinks at night. I haven't gotten around to pulling drink menus yet (yes I know we just go off of Vision, but had the package so didn't pay attention to prices).

 

I will never buy one again but you have to do the math for you. I get the coffee card which is shareable to cover the specialty coffees. I'm fine with tap water so fill up my water bottle for hydration. I get five for being D+, which might be a fru-fru drink after lunch, a late afternoon cocktail, wine with dinner, and an evening cocktail or two. If you want beer, those are cheaper and you can just pay for those and save your vouchers for your martinis. I find if I'm in port I drink a lot less and I don't use all my vouchers. 

Ballpark math, I think you need to buy more than five+ additional drinks per day, every day, to make it worth while. Could be more than that on sailings with higher priced packages.

10 hours ago, crookedhalo said:

Follow up question - can you select which drink you apply against or is it automatically the first four alcoholic drinks? Like say I want a bloody Mary with breakfast can I pay for that one and later use it for a more expensive drink?

The bartenders never mess this up, they get it. The assistant waiters in the dining rooms frequently mess it up. This comes up if you want say a cappucino or a pellegrino water and want to pay for it rather than use a voucher. They also can mess up on whose card to use. They charge both drinks to one card, leaving someone short a drink. It's not a big deal if you are spending the whole night together but sometimes people aren't. 

I know an older person who doesn't cruise often who brought gummies along having no idea they were banned. For back pain relief. They gave their bag to the porter, it arrived at the cabin, no issues. In their original packaging lol.

It's bold to bring smokable forms but I too have smelled it on balconies many times. 

I often wonder about the drug sniffing dogs in places with legal weed. If you sat in your car and smoked a joint before boarding, wouldn't that dog smell it? Many people go to the weed bars in Alaska ports. It's just not a big deal anymore.

Great review! Love your pictures, all the food looks delicious. I was last on Jewel in September up in Greenland. Nice to see she's getting a warm winter away from the icebergs.

Sad to hear the internet isn't any better. I thought maybe our extreme northern latitude had something to do with it. I figured out the spots that worked, near the pool seemed best. Never really worked in the cabin, I would open the door and pop out into the hallway to try and get a page to load. It's still one of my favorite ships, love that big outside windjammer and the ability to walk laps around the whole promenade deck.

Thank you digital media providers! I doubt I will ever book on this ship but it does look amazing. I do really like the more modern, colorful finishes throughout the ship. Except for the English pub, that does seem odd. I don't want to say never but the price will have to come down a lot for me. Glad to live vicariously through those of you onboard.

I like to check my carry-on with the porters and then roll off self-carry for departure. I have a small day bag for essentials too. This is only for short cruises. Anything more than 4 nights I definitely bring my big suitcase.

$90 for a ropes course? That's insane. I know the economy is booming but there have to be better ways to burn money than that.

It's not walkable from anywhere so you will need transportation from wherever you leave your car and back. It can be worth the convenience of walking out and just getting in your car and going vs waiting for a ride and dealing with your luggage and all.

Please report back if you do attempt this.

I recently took my first Carnival cruise. While there are many things that make Royal a better fit for me, I was impressed with Carnival's dining room service. I hesitated to do breakfast in the main dining room because it just seems to take forever on Royal, but Carnival had prompt service and I really liked what I ordered. For dinner, their appetizers were small but their entree portions were large and good enough. I like Royal's food but I have noticed the portion size shrinking. Carnival gets the nod for pool deck food with Guy's Burgers and Shaq's chicken. I really like the Fish and Ships on Ovation and wish they'd expand that to more ships.

2 hours ago, Loracpin2 said:

As a Grandmother of 8, you asked and I will answer..... "I've completely lost my mind thinking I can cruise with her this young and it be an enjoyable experience?" 

I tend to agree with this but it's a personal decision. If you are willing to be 100% engaged in your child's experience over your own, then go for it. It's a good sign that you posted this thread of course.

2 minutes ago, LobsterStalker said:

LOL....Let me know how you make out with that revolt

I'm more of a quiet quitter. Been cheating on Royal with other cruise brands.