Ret MP

As far as the fix'ins bar is concerned, I don't have any real problems with the burgers themselves.

I just put in a search for an Oasis Class Cruise out of Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, or Orlando, in the months of April or May. Without exception, every cruise that showed up had Coco Cay as part of the itinerary. Could I have missed something? Yes! I feel that if I expand the filters to include all class ships, the vast majority of those would be going, too. But, that's not the point. I also read an article not too long ago that cruises out of Galveston will be adding more and more Coco Cay days to their itinerary. 1. Is RCCL over selling/utilizing the island in your opinion? 2. If you are one of those that really like Coco Cay, and you cruise often out of the east coast and Galveston, do you think you will get tired of Coco Cay? 3. If you don't like Coco Cay, what are you going to do?

LOL - I put no faith in RCCL's Landside Operations, especially IT.

For sure, no doubt. However, I cruise to "OVER ENDLUDGE" in just about everything. I think that is the lure to cruising for most folks. They want to be pampered, served, fed, entertained, and drunk, all to excess. And I think that the Cruise Industry is ruining that for so many people by cuts in service, activities, portions, quality, quantity all while raising fares unbelievably fast. Disclaimer: Yes, of course, there are many folks that don't fit into that portrait that I just painted.

I'm not an educated investor or a serious one, you guys can talk circles around me and I'd only get dizzy. However, I have a few dollars in Rustbucket Cruise Lines even though I won't cruise them. My wife keeps up with their fares and says that they have really been increasing at an alarming rate. So, even though I won't cruise on Rustbucket, I invite everyone to do so. SHOW ME THE MONEY!

But, not "toppings"/Condiment island, I hope. I hate those things.

So, you currently don't eat Currants? Is that the jest of it.

It would be great if they offered pickled eggs and pickled sausage in the Pub(s). Not only do I like to eat them, the gallon jugs of them sitting on the bar makes it look a little more like the little old local watering whole/pubs. Has anybody seen this on/in a RCCL pub? I don't remember ever seeing it.

Honestly, I haven't. Not something that I think about when doing the survey. I'll keep that in mind, next time, for sure.

Not me! Give me sugar, cream, and salt. I lived in Europe for 6 years. I know how bland their desserts can be. Their not bad, just not something I overly looked forward to. Not most, anyway. Some, exceptionally good. Mostly, I found their whipped cream to be mostly sugar free.

I posted way back when I first became a member of Cruise Critic that I find the desserts on Rustbucket Cruise Lines are much better than on RCCL. However, the rolls/buns are much better on RCCL than Rusbucket. I don't cruise for desserts, so it ain't much of a big deal for me. But, it would be nice to pick-up a nice piece of Pecan Pie or a nice slice of Chocolate Chocolate cake. But, it ain't happen'in. My last cruise on the Independence, we just grabbed a few cookies to take back to our cabin. My very favorite dessert is Cheesecake, plain NY style Cheesecake. It ain't very good on RCCL. I order it while at Chops and eat about half of it. RCCL could do much better, even for those that aren't foodies, dessert foodies.

I don't seem to have a problem finding salty, fatty, and sugary foods here in Anniston/Oxford, AL. BTW, I road trip A LOT and I haven't had a problem elsewhere. In fact, I'm leaving for the San Antonio area on Thursday. I'll post if I can't find FF w/o salt or the availability of salt. I'm not talking about "fast food" joints either. We don't do too many fast food restaurants, anymore.

I just wish they could accommodate both, Playmakeers and Sabor. I'm not a big sports fan but I'm a big Mexican Food fan. I wouldn't wish away something that is enjoyed by so many people (sports TV in a bar) just to meet my desires. But, it would have been nice to do both. No, I don't think El Loco Fresh is a good replacement for Sabor.

While I am a fan of JRs (we really like the milk shakes), I totally agree with the above. It's time for a change.

I will never cruise Rustbucket Cruise Lines again. But, my wife is a shopaholic (fortunately she's just a shopaholic, not a buyaholic) and prices cruises all the time. She tells me that Rustbucket is out of control with their prices, especially with their two or three newer ships. Doesn't matter to me.

Damn, I should quit going back a rereading my posts. In my original response I said, "You will get an email from your Genie anywhere from a week to a month out from debarkation day. Obviously it should have been "Embarkation day".

14 of us for a 7 day/night cruise >$32,000.00.

BTW, we were on the Symphony on that Video, not Harmony. I'm not sure if the Harmony has Wonderland. Go with the flow. Apparently, it does.

But, it is true. And you just confirmed it by saying, "The ship or cruise line may make contact or pass on information but CBP makes the arrangements for re-entry to the US". All that happens while you are sitting pool side sipping on your Shirley Temple. What else can the ship do but inform CBP, they can't print up a duplicate Passport for you. They did/do what they can the rest IS up to CBP and CBP takes it from there, the ship and it's crew can only act as an intermediary between you and the U.S. Government (CBP). I never said who does what and when. Come on man, this ain't brain surgery, guy! I care because this is supposed to be a site without personal attacks and so on. And thank you for the ignore option. I couldn't be happier. Although, I'd bet you have been waiting for this response to come in. LOL

That's the exact suite we stayed in when we had 14 in our party and had the Rising Tide Bar. You'll love it. I'm sure of it. I forgot to mention, we don't care for Wonderland, too fufu for us. But, we like the desserts, so we had the Genie have delivered desert for 14, all of which were the mushroom looking things and the melting chocolate ball. Yes, we had our Gkids with us, they were a little older than your but it doesn't matter, you can bring a new born if you want LOL. I'll attach a video of it. They'll move it up or down depending on your needs to go to the restroom or back to your cabin. What ever you want/need. But, while you are on it, it sits between the Promenade deck and Central Park. Great view of the party. And to be clear, I kinda screwed that sentence up, you pay to rent the Rising Tide Bar, but the drinks are included in your Star Class fare, of course. We had a bartender AND a server on with us. It was soooooooo kewl. ALSO, when the Genie sits down with you and your party initially in the suite, that's another good chance to ask any and all your questions/concerns. He/she will also discuss how you can contact him/her at any time. On our last Star Class cruise, he preferred WhatsApp. It worked out well. Not sure what will be available on your cruise. I actually had an issue at the Pub on the Ovation later in the evening, I texted the Genie and he was there in about 4 or 5 minutes and several of the Hotel management were falling over themselves apologizing to me. I think, no matter what communication preferences the Genie uses, he/she knows your location on the ship at all times. The Genie always showed up even if it wasn't a scheduled event on our agenda. I loved it. GH010917.MP4

You're going to love Star Class. I hope you get the best Genie out there, Marla! You will get an email from your Genie anywhere from a week to a month out from debarkation day. This is a great time to let your Genie know exactly what your expectations are. Ask for the moon, the Genie will let you know what is possible and what is not. Keep in mind, they're goal is to never say NO to a guest. This is what we do, we tell the Genie, in that first email, what kind of beer, soft drinks, water (bottled and/or sparkling), juices, and so on we want stocked in the suite. Let him/her know what kind of snacks you like to have in the suite waiting on you when you arrive and replenished daily. This is a time to be creative, once we asked for and got a Sundae Bar, 3 or 4 flavors of ice cream and many choices of toppings. On our last cruise we had a cold cut and fruit mini buffet set up in suite. If you are celebrating anything, let the Genie know and he/she and he/she will have the suite decorated and/or have something special set-up for you at a venue somewhere. This is also a good time to let the Genie know what specialty restaurants you want to go to, how often you want to go to one or the other and how you want to be scheduled to go to eat in a relaxed way, and then scheduled for the theater either before or after eating but never be in a rush to do either. Let him/her know that you either do or don't want him/her to escort you into any venue that you may want to visit and pass the line, you paid for it, use it. Let him or her know if you want to be escorted off the ship in port(s) of call. My experience is that they will take you to a portal that is used by the crew and there is absolutely no waiting to get off. Getting back on, you are on your own, I guess you can make a special request for that, we never have. The Genie will either meet you in your Suite and escort you to the specialty restaurant(s) or meet you while in the restaurant, just to see if everything is going as desired. He/she will also meet you in the main theater with your reserved seats, usually right up front by the stage. We don't like to be that close so we have him/her reserve seats a little further back and without a row of seats in front of us. Also let the Genie know when you plan on arriving at the Terminal. Keep in mind that you are only one of 3 or 4 parties that he/she is meeting at the Terminal. So, a little flexibility may be required. We've always been accommodated with the time we desired. DO NOT GIVE YOUR LUGGAGE to the port porters. Take your luggage to the purple "STAR" banner that is located in front of the Terminal. The Genie will already have a ship's, not port, porter set up to get your luggage, take it through security screening and directly into your suit waiting on you. Unless the ship was running late coming back to port, your suit will be ready for you when you enter the ship. If it isn't ready when you arrive, he/she will escort you to the Coastal Kitchen (or other nice venue) and encourage you to have a bite to eat while waiting. Whenever you get to your suite, the Genie will sit-down with you for a few minutes to get to know you and your party, get a feel of your personalities, want's, dislikes, and so on. At this time he/she should have already worked on your schedule and he/she will go over it to verify that that is what you want. If it is, he/she will print a schedule or put it in the App., or correct it. I always get a printed schedule in addition to the App. One last thing, if available, you can reserve the Rising Tide Bar during the Prominade 80's/90's party. It will cost you by the hour for the bar itself. But, the bar is include with the Star Class perk. I think we paid $40.00 per hour for it. It was well worth it. We had a large party of 14 on it. So, we had it to ourselves, except for the DJ, who is also on the Rising Tide Bar with you, had a couple of young ladies with him. If you are a party of less than 8 - 10, you may have another party join in. The initial back and forth of emails are probably the most important communication you and your Genie can have. Make sure you get, as stated, creative. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them for you, if I can.

As usual, different strokes for different folks/ships/times. I to have experience with a lost or stolen passport while in port. It was not a problem at all. The person that had the passport stolen was verified by the ships crew, let on the ship, when we got back to port, Port Everglades, the person only had to approach CBP agent who was aware of the situation and he processed the situation in about a minute, even gave the person an official letterhead or form that the passport was stolen while in a port of call and to send it in with the application for a replacement. It seemed like everything was waiting on the person that had the passport stolen. So, go ahead on and paint a doom and gloom picture as much as you want. I'll stay on the bright side, and carry that little booklet of insurance with me. Oh, and it is true and don't call me a liar. I've restrained myself from getting personal with you!

Are you an experienced Star Class Cruiser? If not, I'll pass on some info for ya!

You can get anything you take into a port of call and it can be stolen or robbed from you. How about your Setsail Pass, that can be stolen, right? Do you take any official state or federal government ID with you when you go into port(s) of call? If your passport is stolen, the ship will make all the arrangements you need to get back into the U.S. while you are sitting around the pool drinking your Sherly Temple. No harm, no foul, which is the premise of my statement. I'm not playing "semantics" with you at all. You mentioned some statistical information and I'd like to know where you got the information's from. Still do! And lastly, I never tried to tell you or anybody else that you must take a passport with you when in ports of call. As I've said many times, it is my opinion. It may not be yours. You don't have to embrace my opinion. You are arguing/debating/complaining/whatever you want to call it, with an opinion. We all have 'em, you know. It is my opinion that everyone should have a passport when traveling in a foreign country, required or not, and carry it while in ports of call!

LOL, I thought so!