Cruiser 5452

Royal Caribbean must not have any problem with the duck hiding that takes place on their ships. I was on the Radiance the second week of February. They were selling the little ducks in their gift shop.

I am cruising on the Odyssey of the Seas in March out of Ft. Lauderdale. My assigned time for boarding the ship is 1:00. How early can I realistically board the ship. Do they check the times for boarding in Ft. Lauderdale. Recently had a cruise in Tampa with the same boarding time. Was on the ship by 11:00 am. Nobody even checked to see what my boarding time was in Tampa. How precise are they on boarding times in Ft. Lauderdale?

Coco Cay used to have the perfect island. The “backside of the island used to be beautiful and peaceful. Now they have turned the whole island into Disney of the Caribbean. I don’t even get off of the ship when it goes to Coco Cay.

The lines for those without reservations was probably 10 to 15 minutes a half our after the dining room opened. If you got there when the dining room opened, it was probably 5 to 20 minutes.

We were on the Enchantment last fall. We did My Time Dining, every night we picked the earliest possible time. We had the same table and same wait staff each night. Scheduled all nights as soon we got on the ship. We walked straight into the dining room each night. No wait time at all.

We stick to the MDR for dinner, but we seem to eat lunch at the specialty locations. You can get a fantastic lunch for a great price many times, plus we don’t have to fight for a table in the windjammer. Lunch in the MDR is also very good and much more peaceful.

During my next cruise, I will teach, the 140 mark. Will I get my crystal block on this cruise, or on my next cruise. Thank you for your replies in advance.

I know that food is very subjective… with that said; A Taste of Royal was our least favorite meal on our last cruise. The Tuna tartare was my favorite part of the meal. The Risotto was basically tasteless. The Filet was OK, but both Chops snd Giovanni’s Table were both better. The Spicy Shrimp were breaded, OK, but not great. The dessert tasted it came from Costco. Again, food is very subjective, but I would not do it again.

Was on the Liberty in late August, talked to several members of the entertainment staff. All of said that the 70s party was their favorite activity of the week.

I realize that good is a very subjective thing… what I like, you might not like. I know nothing about Sip tour lunch. I have done a Taste of Royal on two different cruises. Both times a Taste of Royal was my least favorite meal on each cruise. The Spritzer was very nice. The Tuna Tartare was my favorite part of the meal both times. The Risotto was mostly tasteless. Both times the people in the restaurant were just looking around, like … what is this. The Steak was good, but not great. The Shrimp were deep fried, disappointing. The desert was like something you would get at Costco. Again, food is a very personal thing, but I would not recommend doing the Taste of Royal.

One of the first things that I do when I get on the ship is go to the dining room and double check my dining reservations, have had a couple of hiccups, but got them taken care of in one visit to the dining room. Have always walked away pleased with the results.

Chops at lunch on Embarkation Day is a no brainer. Great lunch , no fighting for your food in the windjammer. Cost is in the mid twenty dollar range if you book ahead of time.

Just off of the Liberty. We ate at both Chops and Giovanni’s at lunch time. Ate at Chops on Embarkation day….. didn’t have to fight the crowd in the Windjammer. Then ate at Giovanni’s later in the week. Both were excellent. The cost of both of these at lunch was less than the cost of either one individually at Dinner.

On next sailing in October, I hit the 140 day milestone. I believe that qualifies me for my first crystal block. Question is….Do yo receive the crystal block while you are in that sailing, or do they send it to you in the mail?

Just got off of the Liberty, sail date was 8/24/23. Arrival time was 11:30, arrived at the port at 10:30. When we got to the building, they just more or less waved us through. Never stopped walking. Was on the ship by 10:45. Smoothest Embarkation process ever. They had many, many people working. Getting off the ship was even easier, once they called your number, again… you just kept walking. No need to show passport, facial recognition.