suzequ

Yep - only for weddings and funerals!

Thank you. Hubby said he read that the dress code was “formal” and I was freaking out! A frantic day of repacking - not. Yeah.

My first cruise with RCCL is coming up. DH and I are trying to figure out the dress code at various specialty restaurants. Can I get by with dress pants and a silk top and jacket? And can DH get by with nice slacks, polo and a sweater? Thanks for the help

We’ve sailed the Joy several times. I can’t compare her to an RCCL ship because we haven’t sailed with them before. I think mafig is right tho - timing is important, as is the itinerary. The longer cruises we’ve taken in Feb were crowded - it is a big ship after all - but not as bad as a 7-day school holiday cruise. We haven’t had trouble getting reservations for shows on NCL recently - NCL has cut back on entertainment and many of the big shows are gone and haven’t been replaced by anything. That said, the Joy is a beautiful ship and recently refurbished. The Observation Lounge on 15 forward is spectacular, has a great bar and wonderful evening entertainment. Hope you have a great trip.

Thank you for the details on managing allergies in Symphony’s huge number of eateries. Gives me hope and lots of good strategies. DH and I are sailing on her (our first RCCL cruise) in late Sept and I am dairy allergic and GF. You mentioned filling out a form before sailing. I haven’t been able to find any info on this, could you tell me where you found it or if I need to call for more info?

Hi. DH and I have been cruising since the 1990’s, but an Oct Symphony cruise is our first with RCCL. We’ve decided we want the Ultimate Dining Package and have some questions. 1) The online planning tool says we’ve “reserved” UDP packages. Do we call someone to pay for them, pay on the ship? 2) We’ve planned out where we want to eat/when. The phone app will let us make reservations, but there’s costs associated with each rez. Can we reserve online and then just show up and use the dining package? Or do we have to make reservations somewhere else if we have the UDP? 3) If I buy the dining package now and see a sale (Labor Day, for instance), can I get the better price? 4) we saw that the package can be used for lunch at the spec restaurants on sea days, does that include embarkation? And where do we find out which restaurants on which day? 5) We enjoy an occasional cocktail and wine with dinner. It looks like we can bring 2 bottles of wine on board. Can we bring that with us to a resest We want to see as many shows as possible. Again the online app will let us make reservations, but they tell us what time the show is. Is there more than one show a night? Do we just show up at whichever one we want? Is it better/easier to make reservations on the ship? Generally - what tips/secrets do you have? We are pretty laid back cruisers, but is there a “must do” you recommned? Thanks for your help!

When you book your spa service make sure you can use the “coupon” on the service you want. I found out after the fact that a plain mani/pedi didn’t apply.

Hope to be on the Getaway soon. Is there a microwave in the Buffet for public use? (Need to heat up a compress or find an alternate treatment.) Thanks!

Hi. I’ve used the Joy’s Waterfront deck many times for my walks; it’s broken up with the restaurant and bar partitions, but that keeps everyone paying attention. The other nice, truly indoor place to walk is the Observation Lounge. Early and late it is less active and when the weather is especially windy it beats the Waterfront.

We have avoided Cagneys for years - I can do better steak at home - it’s not “specialty” at all. We have made Ocean Blue our first and last night go to dinner and have rarely been disappointed. The scallops w/pork belly appetizer has been excellent and dh loves the blazing shrimp app. We generally do grilled fish. Dh loves the mousse cake and I think the basil sorbet is special. Le Bistro has been on the up-swing. We tried the crab wrapped in smoked salmon appetizer and it is lovely. The lamb chops are wonderful as is the coq au vin and the sea bass. And lastly we enjoy La Cucina. I know many people have problems with it but we never have. I enjoy the grilled salmon w/white beans (and I’m specific with temp i want it cooked to) and the red snapper or chicken cacciatore are good; and the Osso Bucco may be one of best entrees on board.