Longford

I'm susceptible to motion sickness. So when I booked my first and only cruise (solo) to the Western Caribbean in November 2022 my physician prescribed a behind-the-ear patch which I used. Until the last of the 7 night cruise, the ship seemed calm. I don't know if I would have felt something had I not worn the patch, but I thought it was worth it.

I was a first-time solo cruiser on RCCL's Serenade of the Seas in November 2022. I traveled in an ocean-view room. The bathroom was small, but more than adequate for my use. The shower was small, round, with little room to turn around - and equipped with a curved sliding door. I would understand if a large-sized / over-sized individual found that particular shower sufficient; but, apparently they do. 😁

Honestly, the photos almost made me sick to view. i couldn't eat that food. Give me the WJ buffet, instead. 🙂

Food preparation isn't going to be the same across the fleet even if menu items in the MDR are standardized. Different levels of kitchen staff experience, sourcing of ingredients onboard equipment (problems or not). I'll be more interested in a sampling of comments from individuals who recently would have sailed on a ship I'd be about to board.

Ignorance is bliss.

If I can't or are unwilling to buy food on port days ... after spending thousands of $$$ on the cruise ... I might as well as stay home. That, or wear a t-shirt saying "cheapskate".

Yes, $2 bills will be accepted ... but not appreciated. Stick to currently circulated currency. That's my opinion.

You still don't get it. Probably never will.

https://www.amazon.com/cruise-lanyard/s?k=cruise+lanyard

Yes, it's all about individual preferences. With thousands of passengers on board to satisfy, the choices are understandably difficult for food and beverage kitchen staff. I liked the WJ Indian selections on Serenade in November 2022 ... because I think they were healthier and better tasting than what the gluttons fed on at other stations. 🐖 Though I'd pay extra for the opportunity to dine in an Indian-themed restaurant onboard, I'm assuming cruise line management minds smarter than mine have considered that and chosen not to ... for business reasons. But, yes, it would also be good if one particular restaurant on all itineraries could / would change its menu entirely to feature cuisine of one of the countries or ports of call. As cruise passenger demographics tend younger, if that happens, or the younger folks become older and more tolerant ... Indian food will / could become even more popular than it is now.

That depends ... on customers customizing the orders. " ... it’s largely up to the customer to customize smart choices, like ordering vegetarian or vegan options, or calorie-cutting with their ‘Fresco’ option to remove cheese, rice, sour cream, and add in pico de gallo." Read the article in its entirety: Taco Bell Is Officially One of the Healthiest Fast Food Chains (tasteofhome.com)

It's called expedited service handled by different staff. Nothing unusual. We pay to expedite early boarding, early departures when cruising and preferential use of tenders .. while others wait.

Similarly, people who say they don't like Mexican food: don't know that there are regional variations of that food group. It's a lack of experience / education that results in the "hate" comments, IMO.

I don't like lobster or prime rib ... so if those items are on the MDR menu they should be removed so as not to offend me.

Are you purporting to speak for all who cruise? Or just the "us"?

It's called a "dirty kitchen" and preferred by the wealthy ... WASPs.

I wasn't clear in an earlier post about 2 bottles per stateroom of wine going down to 1 bottle - when boarding the first day. Here's what I'm reading which more negatively impacts solo travelers such as me: Starting March 3rd, the new wine and champaign allowance for RCCL will be (1) 750ml bottle, per adult of drinking age, per sailing. Previously it was 2 bottles per room, no matter the number of adult occupants. Source: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-alcohol-guest-policy

That's how I feel about going to a Sushi restaurant. I don't like sushi and my dislike makes it a difficult dining decision for my companion(s) who, they and I, try to please us all. But if we can have a sushi restaurant onboard, or an Italian-centric restaurant onboard or a steakhouse onboard (to the chagrin of vegans and vegiterians) ... we could have an Indian-themed restaurant onboard. If such a restaurant failed to garner support it would be removed.

Not "needed" to bring someone's wage up to the statutory minimum ... but, rather, discretionary if a server delivers service over and above the "norm".

Thank you.

There's no one type / one style of Indian cooking ... as there is no one style of "American" cooking, Mexican food, French ... etc. Broad generalizations aren't helpful to understand why someone likes a particular cuisine, or not.

Just one more bad decision - for passengers. I traveled solo in November 2022 and brought aboard 2 bottles of wine. However, there are ways to circumvent the policy ... which I will not discuss here. 😁

I sailed 7 nights on Serenade from Tampa in November 2022. I ate all meals in Windjammer ... and daily at lunch and dinner there was an Indian food buffet - at which I participated frequently. I enjoyed it.

It's recommended that Passport renewal applications be submitted up to 9 months prior to expiration. As for checking the application status: U.S. Passport Application Status (state.gov)

There are news reports circulating today regarding RCLs change in housekeeping policies in which reference is made to RCL criticizing the U.S. Government for not processing crew visa applications more quickly - including stewards - thereby creating a shortage of crew for some categories. The article referenced Carnival cutting back, as well. Whether this is the reason or profit motivation is actually the impetus ... it's unlikely any of us in this discussion will know with certainty.