IHateSnow!

8 minutes ago, JeffT237 said:

Were you able to get entertainment reservations pre-cruise or did you have to wait until you were onboard?  Some have reported that on their recent Wonder sailings pre-cruise reservations opened up on their cruise planners about a month prior, was that option available to you?  Thanks!

Neither!   Reservations were open, but both pre-cruise and on-board it kept telling me nothing was available for my party size.  The only show I was able to get reservations for our entire party for was intense.  Everything else was a hope and pray.  

On 12/14/2022 at 2:22 AM, ProximityG said:

I wasn't able to get everyone in my group to check in right at 45 days before but I wasn't worried since I thought they'd get the same checkin time as me. However, they can only see later times. Is there any way to get everyone in my group on the same time, ideally moved up to the time I have?

We had this situation - including my kids who were in an adjoining cabin on a different reservation. We all checked in at the same time and had 7 different times. 
 

a couple things

1: as it got closer times opened up, I was able to move things around so even tho we had 7 times they were closer together 

2: at PC they didn’t care.  At all. 

A little background

1. Diamond on RCCL, have also cruised Carnival, Princess, Disney

2. This trip there were 7 ranging from 12-72 in 4 balconies. 
3. 3rd oasis class ship

Parking was a nightmare. PC is only 45 min from home.  We got to the pier about 12:30 and got the last 2 spots in the lot. Had to take 2 cars due to group size.
 

Boarding was super easy.  We had 7 times ranging from 11:00-2:30. 2 of our party went about 11:30.  The rest at 12:30 or so.  No issues with times.   Security didn’t even check everyone’s documents.  RCCL check in did, but did not check my oldest’s parental letter or the documents linking our names (always take, don’t always need)

The ship is beautiful, but it’s definitely not my favorite.  I can’t pinpoint it, but I just wasn’t a huge fan. I loved the Allure.  I liked Harmony.  This was OK.  It felt like venues like restaurants, windjammer etc had less capacity for a bigger ship.  One of the things I’ve always loved about Oasis ships was that they never felt horribly crowded, even though there were a lot of people. This didn’t feel that way.  
 

I’m also not a fan of the reimagined Giovanni’s.  Mason Jar was good, Playmaker wings were better than I expected, El Loco was good, Chops was amazing.  The dining room was so-so and I was really disappointed in windjammer.   
 

I wasn’t a fan of the entertainment options outside of the ice show which I couldn’t get reservation for. I did catch a little bit of the aqua show, and the talent amazes me, but it wasn’t my cup of tea (it wasn’t bad, just not for me). 
 

My take on a lot of things is this: Royal is struggling like everyone else in the service industry to fill spots, and recoup the billions lost during shut-down so they’ve made cuts. And it’s noticeable. I plan and execute large scale events for a career. I see it across the board.

My husband and kids ate their weight in soft serve.  Giovanni’s wine bar - amazing.  All in all I had an amazing trip. 
 

Will I cruise again, absolutely. Will I adjust my expectations, yes. Will I purchase the UDP? Probably.  Will I cruise on the Wonder again? Probably not. 

5 minutes ago, chiguypaul said:

Do you know what check in time they had?

I believe 11:00 Or 11:30.  We had 7 different times for 7 people.  Including kids.  They didn’t seem to be enforcing times however.  5 of us got there about 12:30 and they barely looked at passports and Birth Certs

Some of our party was on about 10:45 this past week. 

We just got off the Wonder with a party of 7.  We had the UDP. Here’s what we found:

1: we had plenty of a la crate credit for all of us for both playmakers and Izumi - we never paid extra anywhere.  
 

2: we had an impossible time getting reservations.  3 out of 6 days we were able to. Only 1 day was at a preferred (chops) restaurant and that was day 6 at 8:00 pm

3: making reservations in app was impossible.  We were on the ship at 11:30.  There were literally none available. Any day. 
 

4: a kind individual at mason jar helped me get Giovanni’s and Mason Jar.  The reservation desk at check in told me we were all set, and we were not.  
 

5: at all 3 experiences the restaurants were maybe 30% full.  Leading me to believe it’s a staffing issue.  Also, for a ship of 7k, the venues are exceptionally small. 
 

6: we were also told on 2 nights there were no my time dining reservations available. 
 

I just have my teens come to the general area where one of the adult members of our party are (usually the 28 year old “kid”) is out and about still at 1 am.  They hang out until ready to go to bed.   They are with an adult family member, and abiding by curfew. 
 

Ship docks at 6:30. We have a suite, so priority departure.  Was hoping to make a 12:30 flight.  But it seems staying an extra day is best. 

What is the earliest reasonable time to book a return flight from SYD after getting off the Ovation?  Thanks!

I would pick Allure over Harmony, even before dry dock. Don't get me wrong, I liked the harmony just fine - but my biggest complaint was lack of sweet snacks on the Harmony.  No Ben & Jerry's.  No  cupcake shop.  The cafe promenade usually had pound cake and chocolate bars.    No bar in the center of the boardwalk for Margaritas.   That being said, I'd take St.Kitt's over San Juan any day.

I WISH they'd come up with a better suite program, at least for the Freedom class. I love the Oasis class, but sometimes prefer the ports of the freedom class, especially the southern San Juan departure routes.

We are doing a similar cruise next summer but departing from Barcelona. I'm curious about who you used for the excursions in the different ports.

If you want minimal interruptions tell your genie this from the get go. They'll know when you're out to dinner or at a show and can arrange for the mini bar or deliveries to be handled then. That's what we did. I think in the 7 days we were there, the bar attendant only came by once.

The first day you will have a lot of people coming by. After that, you can set the expectation.

Great review! We were on the same sailing as you - I have to agree, the weather was amazing!

They have 3 different levels of bridge security (which I learned on our recent bridge tour). Weather, ship traffic, ocean conditions etc can all play a part in the security levels. As can any issues/emergencies/drills on the ship. And they will only do tours (or so they told us) if the security is on the lowest level.

I have a chase preferred platinum checking account (soon to be sapphire) - this account comes with no foreign transaction fees etc. It has been exceptionally helpful!

Is the no kids because of a policy that everyone has to be over 18 or 21? Or just simply because it's not the type of cruise catered to children?

I’m jumping in late to the party, but I have been asked both at embarkation and also at customs for the letter.

In every cruise I’ve taken the cruise line has requested a notorized letter from my ex to take our daughter.

I have done some searching. I’ve also contacted several tour operators who can only seat 8.

I was hoping the helpful people here might have a suggestion based on experience.

At which port?

 

 

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My bad - Marseilles

If you get a wifi package you can use an app such as google hangouts, whatsapp, voxer, etc to chat w/o having to text if you (or not everyone in your group) has imessage.

This is what we do.

We are a family of 9 traveling with age ranges from 9-67. Looking for tour suggestions that will keep us all together.

Has anyone used them for a group larger than 8? We are a group of 9 and seem to be having trouble finding tours outside of ship excursions that can keep us together.

Thanks!

We are a family of 9 which will be cruising next summer out of Barcelona. Does anyone know of a good Air BnB location, VBRO, or apartment style hotel which will comfortably sleep 9 ranging from the ages of 9 to 67? We have two in our party in their 60's and 3 kids. The rest of us are all middle aged adults. Would prefer a centralized location to sightsee if possible.

Thanks everyone!

We are a family of 7 taking an Allure cruise in Sept. We got a 2br ATS for the 7 of us for less than 10k. It was pretty damn close to that for 3 balconies.

When you factor in beverage packages for the 5 of us over 21, internet for the 7 of us, specialty dining (we typically eat at least 3 meals in the dining and my 7 year old can out eat everyone at Izumi's Sushi), it was a no-brainer to upgrade. We'd be hard pressed to not do star class as a family given the benefits.

We typically pay 4-5k in "extras" beyond the base cruise fare, especially when we all go.

When it's just my DH and I, while we love the luxury, unless we get an amazing deal, it typically doesn't make sense.