Cruise Raider

I never found out if they were successful as this was the last night on the cruise. they did mention they’ve done it in the past, though. I’d have never thought about trying that in the past but it is way too much food for one person.

Just of note, we met a couple on the Ruby renegotiate and they claim used they could split a dinner in the Crown Grill. Not sure how that happened but it would be interesting if it worked. I can never eat that much at one time so would be more than happy to find out I could split a lobster tail with my DH and still each get the appetizers. BTW, I’m not sure if this would actually work. But, I’d certainly like to try.

It was absolutely delish earlier this year and in the MDR, to boot! The escargot was top notch!

There is a lot of decorating for Halloween all over the ship. Even the crew dresses up quite festively!

Sorry to hear you got CoVid. I sure hope it doesn’t make you feel really sick. Thank you for isolating! I tell you, that chicken noodle soup is so good when you don’t feel well but even if you don’t feel sick. I order it for breakfast off the app sometimes and it is just so yummy!

Well, I have not hung out at MUTS recently but a while ago, we could hear it from our balcony on the lido or Riviera deck. Not so anymore. If someone is talking near us, I miss part of what’s going on during the movie. I like the earphone idea.

They’ve really lowered the sound on MUTS. If it still bothers you, you must have bionic hearing!

There is a card left in your room for evening canapés .. no, you won’t be charged.

Just to articulate another side to this .. we were just on the Ruby and were told that sharing of the price fixed meals at the Salty Dog would not be allowed. There is no Alfredo’s so can’t speak to that. However, no sharing of the perks in the packages has been allowed except for the WiFi and premier seating. At the Salty Dog, we simply shared a small plate because that’s all we wanted. But if we wanted to share two small plates and a dessert, it would be either $6 or $10 and $3 for dessert, so either $9 or $13, which is less than their previous $18 cover charge, regardless of what you ordered. Really all this seems like such a fuss over a few dollars. You may get away with saving that few dollars or you may not. Just don’t be surprised if you can’t share you package perks under the current rules. Expect to hear and experience different policies to this until everything is settled. Some ships will allow you buy 5 glasses of wines with your package, but some will charge you for the whole bottle with the 25% discount. You may have to just see what policies are in effect when you board your specific cruise. Think of it this way, if you got to a land based buffet, which is essentially a price fixed meal, if you eat anything, no matter if it is just a small plate of food, you will essentially have to pay for the same meal that someone that loads up several plates full of food. What is different on a cruise is that there is also some a la carte pricing at these places. I am actually a little stunned at the number of very vocal people on here that are ‘outraged’ at a few dollars difference here and there. It ll equals out in the long run! And, the casual dining spots other than Alfredo’s and Gigi’s have never been complementary .. so, it’s actually a better deal for you all now if you try one of those places. They will get it sorted out, just give it some time!

So, looking at it another way, is it really worth it to be so peeved over $42? Is that really worth it when everything else in the world has quadrupled their increases?

Disembarkation was an absolute breeze! They use facial recognition so if you pass, no need to show your passport when leaving. We were off in less than 5 minutes from our room to the curb to order an Uber. Uber rides from the pier have gone up a bit since we’ve been there last. They used to be around $80 plus tip for an X for a 35 mile ride. It was $110 plus tip this morning. I know the price fluctuates based on busy times, so that may have been the reason for the increase. But, you’ve got to get home so, what are ya gonna do? Anyway, it really was a fabulous sailing with a couple of medical disembarkations in the beginning, causing us to miss Juneau. That happens and didn’t have a negative impact on our experience .. we were just so thankful they were able to get the passengers for lifesaving care. The Captain’s party was pretty good! They’ve started serving the hors d’oeuvres off the trays again during the party. We had just come from dinner so can’t comment if they were good or not. The escargots on formal night was superb, the lobster was just ok. The service was excellent! We only went to the dining room for dinner that one time but went twice for lunch and the food was fabulous both times. I love the smaller portions for the entree. The salads were always a very good size and always seemed fresh. I think I’ve mentioned this previously, but in case I didn’t, the room service menu is missing some items that used to be listed. I really did miss those items, especially the chicken tacos. They were the best! The snacks up in the PES lounge were really good and included one hot dish every evening it was held (quiche, sliders, samosas, spring rolls, peel and eat shrimp, etc). The last night they served sushi and they always had a bowls of cheeses, nuts, olives, etc as well as crudities and a vegetable or bean salad available. It really was enough for dinner, which is why we didn’t get to the dining room more often. The staff all over the ship could not have been better! Everything seemed pretty clean all over the ship and they’ve replaced the outdoor furniture for the outdoor dining areas on the lido deck. It really looks sharp! They had three production shows and quite a bit of Alaska themed entertainment and activities. The CD and activities staff were all great! They really worked so well with one another. Of note, the naturalist was going to give a talk after we left glacier bay but we never could find it, on the Patter or on JourneyView. Perhaps she wasn’t feeling well as she seemed to be back yesterday.

We really enjoyed this cruise. The wine options were my only really big complaint. But, I spoke with the bar manager and we found some decent substitutions. Yes, we will be going on the Royal next month and moving over onto the Majestic. And Shane does look very young! BTW, I was asking if you were there today once we disembarked but nobody knew who you were. I thought it was a long shot, anyway.

So happy to be helpful.

Always a sad day when we have to pack up and leave … 😞 What a wonderful sailing we’ve had! As for @EvilGrandpa’s question, the $14.99 for the price fix menu is per person at the casual restaurants. They also have a la carte menu options available, though.

it really didn’t upset me in the very least. Glad you found the info helpful.

So, the reason I asked was for the sake of explaining to others what can and can’t be done since the new rules for the packages and menus now in place. This is the answer I received .. again, I just asked so I could explain it to those that had questions since we are now onboard. The GastroPub used to have a cover charge of $18 pp. The price fixed menu of $14.99, which is pretty much the same exact option as before with the pp cover charge, can’t be shared. You would just order off the a la carte menu instead. How you handle things to save a few dollars is really not any of my concern. Personally, I find it hard to finish 2 small plates as well as a dessert. We’ve never even made it to the dessert. So, the price fixed menu just doesn’t work for me. I would rather just order one small plate at either $6 or $12 and the same goes for my DH. So, the two of us would probably end up with a $18 or maybe even a $24 bill. This is not only cheaper than the $36 cover charge we used to pay but we don’t leave stuffed and don’t waste food.

I wasn’t referring to sharing the packages .. My original and only statement was that two or more people can’t share the $14.99 price fixed menu option in the GatroPub. Thus, if you don’t have a casual dining option coming to you, or if you do, you would not be able to share the two small plates and the dessert option between two people and only pay the $14.99. You can, however, share the a la carte menu options.

I am also in full agreement on food waste. We just saw a passenger go to the IC and order 15 desserts .. took a bit of each one and had a pile of waste left on the table when she got up and left. Just disgusting behavior. We’ve been taught to finish all the food we take on our plate and still live up to that expectation decades later. We never order more or fill our plate with more than we can finish … never more than we should finish! Even when we’ve ordered pizza from the OceanNow menu, we would take the pizza that we didn’t eat back to our cabin and finish it the next morning for breakfast. I just hate wasting food and love the smaller portions in the dining room.

Just to clarify, we are currently on the Ruby and asked about sharing of the price fixed menu at the GastroPub. The answer there was no. I really can’t speak to what would be the rules at Alfredo’s because they don’t have one onboard.

If it’s the same HGM, his name is Shane. And yes, Cole is very friendly.

We’ve heard much the same from those at the Salty Dog price regarding the price fixed menu. We’d each have to order our own food from the a la carte menu. I’m absolutely fine with that. Our upcoming cruises, we have the premier package so I’m sure that will be just fine to order just one dish vs the 3 course meal.

So, I asked the food and beverage director a couple of questions about the current rules .. here were her answers: I asked if the full suites had to pay the $5 charge for room service orders taken over the phone. While I personally do not object to the fee whatsoever for us, I do feel like fee should be probably be waived for full suite passengers if they don’t have the package pricing. She mentioned that each order over the phone does generate the charge, even for full suite passengers, but they’ve sent it to corporate with their concerns so, they will make the ultimate decision. I’m sure they are up to their eyeballs in these types of questions but she did answer me so gracefully! I also asked her if it is possible to bring a nice meal onboard from home or from a restaurant for ourselves or for the staff. While this used to be allowed, from a food safety standpoint, this is no longer allowed. Only factory sealed snacks are still allowed. We’ve gone to Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans and taken bags of beignets onboard back to the crew. One of the crew members loved the chicken wings from the Safeway store down the street and so we brought hi, some. These are now a big no no. I completely understand the reasoning for this rule. Just thought I would mention it as wouldn’t want want to have fellow passengers prepare or take prepared food onboard for the staff only to have to dump it at the port. Factory sealed snacks such as individually sealed chocolates or chips, nuts, etc are perfectly fine. Of note, we did bring some fudge onboard from KetchiCandies a couple of days ago and although it was in a plastic container with a label to keep it closed, it was not exactly what I’d call factory sealed, it passed through security with no issue. But, I don’t believe there were really any food safety issues with that. I choose not to break or complain about the rules as it’s really not my place to make or argue such policies. There’s a reason for this. Some $$ or factory sealed snacks are a better idea.

So exciting to hear about the woman that won all that money in the casino. No jealousy from us as we’d never ever bet like that!

Yes .. and the declaration (not that you didn't already know this) is for the CBP. For the US, it’s also reportable to the IRS, as far as I know.

Awe .. happy 40th anniversary. We are here celebrating our anniversary, as well. The PES event is in Skywalkers and we love that location. The food up there has been so very good. It’s perfect as a nice light dinner. It is held every evening from 5 PM until 6:30 PM or so on every evening except for the Captain’s Party night, which is the second formal night on this 10 day itinerary, which incidentally, is tonight. I have a feeling you will love the suite life! That’s a great splurge for a special occasion such as a milestone anniversary.