KelJ

DH and I don’t do sushi. We ate at Izumi (non hibachi) last week on Adventure and loved it! We did the prix fixe and were very happily surprised at how much we enjoyed it. And we used our D+ BOGO, so the price was right too!

Edited to attach the Adventure menu. Sorry it’s not a great picture. 

DH always bought the DBP,  and we used to buy the DBP for both of us when Royal made it mandatory for all adults in one cabin. DH easily got his money’s worth, but I never did. However, we have sailed twice since reaching D+ and didn’t purchase the DBP either time. 
 

Our first D+ sailing was on Allure in a suite, so we had free drinks all day in the suite lounge (which was just down the hall from our suite), including with dinner in Coastal Kitchen. The suite lounge bartenders were happy to let you leave with drinks. We also had the two bottles of wine that we carried on, a bottle of champagne (D+ room amenity), two bottles of beer (D+ welcome gifts), four bottles of water in the cabin, and the big glass bottles of water that our loft attendant replaced daily which DH used in the coffee maker. DH had the refreshment package (mainly for soda and iced coffee) but in hindsight says he really wouldn’t have needed it.  He liked getting espresso in the suite lounge. I often didn’t use all five of my D+ drinks, so I’d get DH a drink with one of my vouchers. 
 

Our second D+ sailing was on Adventure in a balcony cabin. We had our two bottles of carry-on wine, the D+ bottle of champagne & 2 bottles of beer & 2 bottles of water. DH made Prime the first night in the casino, so he had free drinks in the casino for the rest of the cruise. He had the refreshment package for his iced coffee and soda. I didn’t always use my five D+ drinks.

We have three upcoming cruises in suites, two on Oasis and one on Ovation, and DH will still be Prime for all three. We definitely won’t purchase the DBP, and DH won’t purchase the refreshment package on Oasis. I doubt that he’ll purchase the refreshment package on Ovation even though drinks are only free in the suite lounge in the evenings (aside from the coffee machines). That cruise has a lot of sea days so he can get sodas in the casino if he wants them.  And of course we’ll have our D+ drinks. 

OP, if we didn’t stay in suites and if DH weren’t Prime, he’d definitely get his money’s worth from the DBP even though he’s D+.  I would not get my money’s worth and would have to call to purchase the DBP for him and the refreshment package for me. 

1 minute ago, ScubaCat3 said:

Solarium Bistro and Samba are now showing as available in the Royal app for the rest of the cruise. 

Good news!! I hope you enjoy Samba more than we did. In September it was awful. 

I was so disappointed when this Allure repositioning cruise to Galveston was canceled and became non-revenue.  In hindsight it was a blessing in disguise. 

13 hours ago, footzz said:

These floating dry docks are nothing new. Way back in 2007 we were aboard the Rhapsody of the Seas and major renovations were being made during the cruise.

 

First off, the Windjammer was closed because it was being remodeled. While under way workers chipping away at the travertine flooring with hammers and chisels for hours on end. The cacophony of metal implements smashing tiles into bits rang throughout the forward elevator banks. This closure subsequently caused a major log jam in the MDR. Why? Because a makeshift buffet was installed down the entire center of the dining room during all meal service times. This in turn created a sea of humanity clamoring to get fed in one dining room, at the same time, resulting barely controlled chaos, atrocious service, a plethora of un-bussed tables and many flared tempers.

 

Elsewhere on the ship, they were replacing flooring in public areas and there were huge bolts of carpet and other flooring materials lashed down all over the ship. The stench of whatever adhesive they were using to glue down the flooring was practically inescapable and appallingly noxious.

 

But wait, there's more; The main pool was also closed because they were refinishing metal stanchions and wooden railings in the pool area and on the surrounding open decks, during the day, while underway.  So where did all the swimmers go?  Well, to the Solarium of course. Needless to say, it was not the idyllic, peaceful adults only paradise that the RCL marketing ads promised. Out by the main pool, the crew was using some highly volatile and odoriferous coatings in very close proximity to the passengers. Unbelievably, one of the crew was painting the railings in the smoking section right next to people who were there smoking. Fire and fumes, what could go wrong?

 

Boxes of materials, bolts of carpet and paint buckets were to be found all over the ship, and the work continued both day and night. They weren't even trying to be inconspicuous. We decided a more fitting name for the vessel would be the Rehab Her on the Seas or the Crapsody of the Seas. We made the best of it, but that ship should have been in dry dock with the amount of work being done. No compensation was offered on board, but after about 2 months of relentlessly dealing with shoreside customer service, they finally issued a 50% off coupon for a future sailing. 

That really sucks, but I love your descriptive writing!

We have sailed many times with Royal on various class ships. In September we went on our first Oasis class ship, Allure. Last week we were on Adventure, not our first Voyager class sailing. We were bored and underwhelmed by Adventure, particularly its dining options. Allure spoiled us. We hope to stick with Oasis class and Quantum class in the future.

BTW, we waited longer for elevators on Adventure than we ever did on Allure. 

7 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Also the suite sun  deck which is great!  The CLS is wonderful!  Perfect location wonderful room with two bathrooms!

Yes! I forgot to mention the suite sundeck. It is awesome! And they have cold wet washcloths for those hot days. And little bags of chips!

6 hours ago, CruisingHogFan said:

You have to make reservations ahead of time now for shows even if in a suite. 

Last month on Allure we were in a crown loft suite and only had to make reservations for the late-night comedy.  The letter from the suite concierge stated so as well. Perhaps something has changed since September. 

1 hour ago, cruisegirl1 said:

If you don’t mind me asking,  what is “a few”? The reason I ask, is on a recent Harmony cruise, Pinnacles were only allowed to reserve two nights in coastal kitchen. Of course, every ship is different, the number of Pinnacle’s varies as well. In our situation we about 70 pinnacles on board
 

Thank you. 
m

Out of eight or nine nights, we ate there three times. We tried to make a fourth reservation late in the week and were unable to because there were no openings. I think we would’ve been okay had we made all of the reservations the first day. Remember that this was in December, so I think the ship was only at about 75% capacity.

7 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

If so, it's new and unique.  🙂 

 

Oasis class suite lounges = Lounge + Coastal Kitchen, with full bar facilities.

 

Quantum class suite lounges = Lounge only.  Coastal Kitchen is NOT attached; it's not even on the same deck.  No bar.  Waiters go to a nearby closet to make the drinks and carry them back.

 

In December we were in a junior suite on Anthem and were able to get Coastal Kitchen dinner reservations a few nights but of course never saw the inside of the suite lounge. 
 

Then last month we were in a suite on Allure, and we loved the suite lounge/CK combo and the all-day drink access. 

36 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

No.

 

Oasis class, yes.   (all day is 11 A.M. to 11 P.M.)

 

Quantum class, no.  Happy hour only.

Carol, thanks for the correction. I swear I read here recently on someone’s Quantum review that the suite lounge was serving the all-day drinks as well.  

1 minute ago, neverbeenhere said:

Suite benefits are different then Diamond benefits. Full suites get a possible million free drinks during 5-8 period in the suite lounge. Then you can use your vouchers outside the suite lounge. 

And if you are in a suite on Quantum class or Oasis class, your drinks are free all day in the suite lounge (beer, wine, soda, bottled water), with cocktails added during happy hour. 

1 minute ago, swingphi said:

So if I am in a grand suite, they will not deduct the drinks from my voucher?

 

 

Not if you are in the suite lounge. 

9 minutes ago, swingphi said:

We have just attained Diamond status. It was a memorable moment for us. We are looking forward to our first cruise as diamond and I want to know if a!! beverages are complimentary in the lounge during happy hour? Do they apply against our daily voucher?

 

Drinks in the diamond lounge are no longer complimentary. They are deducted from your four daily allotted drinks. 

21 minutes ago, BellsRUs said:

It’s been a while since we were on RCCL. Sailing in a Crown Loft Suite - what will be included? Any wifi, tips, drinks, etc. I assume we have the Coastal Kitchen to eat in. What else?

 

Thanks!

Free wifi.  Free drinks in the suite lounge and Coastal Kitchen (bottled water, soda, beer and wine all day, cocktails in the evening).  You can eat all meals in Coastal Kitchen, but you still need to make reservations for dinner there.  Free appetizers in the evening in the suite lounge.  Free room service for all meals.  Free pressing on the first formal night.  Reserved seating in shows, so no reservations necessary except for adult comedy.   

Gratuities are not included.

On 9/29/2022 at 4:34 PM, John&LaLa said:

 

We sail on the 16th🤣🤣

We sail on the 22nd and are in Bermuda on the 24th and 25th  🤣

We’re currently on Allure in a crown loft suite. We love our suite & the awesome shower.  We love how close we are to the Suite Lounge/Coastal Kitchen. And we love the free drinks all day in the Suite Lounge. 
 

We have an appointment with Next Cruise and want to book Oasis class again. Are Oasis and Allure the only ones with the awesome shower in the crown loft suite?  I know Harmony replaced it with a tub/shower combo. What about the other Oasis class ships?  We really want to book on a ship that has the awesome shower. 
 

Also, do all Oasis class ships offer free beer & wine during the day in the suite lounge, or is that just an Allure thing?
 

2 hours ago, brillohead said:

I take it you don't debark on a weekend?  Because Bags To Go offers luggage storage at the FLL airport on Fridays through Mondays.  

Yes, on a Sunday. Thank you. I will check this out.
 

Do you happen to know the approximate price per bag? I read a post about it and was thinking that we’d still need to rent a car to spend the day sight seeing. I guess we could taxi or Uber to the airport in a car big enough for our luggage and then Uber wherever we want to go for the day and then Uber back to the airport. I’ll find out if the car rental ends up costing around the same or if Bags to Go is the way for us to go. 
 

Thanks again!

On 7/10/2022 at 2:02 PM, Ashland said:

While storing your bags might work...Why not put that expense towards a car rental. Once you store your bags at FLL...then what...you'll need transportation !! 

We are considering doing this. Royal only offers one post-cruise excursion (which we’ve done before), and it would still get us to the airport much earlier than we’d like.  I wish Royal would bring back their luggage valet service so we could explore baggage free. 

I too wish they’d bring back the luggage valet service. We will have most of the day to spend in Fort Lauderdale in September as we have a 5:45 pm flight, and it would be convenient if we could spend the day luggage free. 
 

The only post-cruise RCCL excursion is the Everglades airboat ride, which we’ve done before and which would still get us to the airport much sooner than we’d like. In the past they offered an excursion which took passengers to Sawgrass Mills Mall. Viator used to offer the same post-cruise tour as well. Since COVID, neither Royal nor Viator offer it. 
 

Posters here have suggested finding a luggage locker. There are none available within a reasonable distance. Others suggest a day pass to a resort hotel, but this doesn’t appeal to us as we’ll just have spent over a week in the Caribbean sun and also don’t want to mess around with transporting our luggage via taxi or Uber from cruise port to resort to airport. 
 

We are thinking our best bet will be to rent a car for the day. It’s not ideal, but we can’t find any other options that appeal to us.  I’ve searched on the Florida departures board as well. 
 

What do you guys do if you find yourselves “stuck” in Florida on disembarkation day?

11 minutes ago, Big_G said:

😫

TFW you realize you're reading a thread started 6 months ago.

Yes. We were all originally booked on this cruise and were quite disappointed when it was canceled. I’m happy to read the updates about the good outcomes. We were given very limited price-protected options. 

We have a crown loft suite booked on Allure,  but we are considering switching to a crown loft suite on Harmony. All of the pictures and videos I am seeing for Harmony show a bath tub on the second floor bathroom versus the big shower for two on Allure.  If we book Harmony, are we giving up the big fun shower that is offered on Allure?

9 hours ago, Suzanne123 said:

My husband and I were Bishop McCort grads ( when you were a baby😄).

Lived all over the country, but ended up back in PA, close to Harrisburg.
 

To answer Lori-Ann, I stayed at the Marriott Harbor Beach for a week a couple years ago, and it was very nice, but not close to other restaurants or shopping.  

 

My husband is a 1985 McCort grad! 

On 1/7/2022 at 1:40 PM, Suzanne123 said:

Oh my gosh.  Just noticed you are from Ebensburg.  I grew up in Johnstown.  My uncle taught at St. Francis.  Small world.😊

Wow! Small world indeed. My parents grew up in Johnstown, and I grew up in Jackson Township. Central Cambria class of ‘84. My sister-in-law has worked at St. Francis for years. What high school did you attend? Where do you live now?

I moved mine twice. No problem.