DCPIV

13 minutes ago, markeb said:

And frankly, the Luminae menu really isn't that adventuresome.

I rather agree, and I'll go one further.  Where it does become adventurous it also tends to become something of a mess.  I hold up that "rib eye" as an example.  And there's another reason it's good to have the other menus available.  If Luminae is more "different" than "better," then let's have those other choices.

When I said "MDR experience," I meant that they have a menu that changes every night, as well as that they do their best to seat you with the same servers every night so that they get to know you.  In fact, it seems like that, if they can make it work at all, you get the same servers every night no matter where you sit. 

Of course, all that is on top of the fact that it is the assigned dining room for the Retreat.  Even the Maitre d' told me to think of it as "home."

So, it's more of an "upscale MDR," or their attempt at it.

Now, with all this criticism, let me reiterate that I do enjoy Luminae very much, and let me also say that I've ordered much more from the Luminae menu than the others when dining there.

3 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

If one wants the menu from MDR just go there.

But Luminae is the MDR for suites.  The whole idea behind it is to give Retreat guests an MDR experience (i.e., you and the servers get to know each other) but in an environment that's a notch up in service and selection.  It's not just about the menu, but one of the major draws of Luminae on M and S ships is the ability to order from other assigned dining rooms without having to go somewhere other than Luminae.

If you were in a suite and showed up at the MDR, I'm sure they would do their best to accommodate you as they do in Blu, but it's not your assigned dining room.  It's someone else's, and you're now taking up their bandwidth.  It's not like you can book it in the way you can a specialty restaurant.

Also, what's the problem with mixing and matching?  I might not want the MDR menu, but I might want something from it.  There have been a number of times in Luminae where I ordered an appetizer from one menu and an entree from another (and maybe a dessert from another still), especially after the first cruise in Luminae.  I've had tablemates who did the same.  Not to mention how that tablemate has been my wife on occasion.  It was rather nice that we could both have the selections we wanted without having to split up or go nomadic.  

At least they expanded the E-class Luminae menus to include "classic" offerings.  Still, it's a downgrade from what you get in Luminae on other ships.  That's one of my problems with the E-class ships.  The "ship within a ship" concept is done in a manner that limits options more than expand them.

Here's a fairly easy way to think about how you can use OBC (and, as far as I know, almost completely accurate):

If you can buy it via the cruise planner or if it is something you cannot purchase at all before cruising (such as some tastings, stuff in shops, etc.), then you can use OBC for it.  Otherwise, no.  As mentioned, there are limited exceptions to that, but that's something that would come up in the moment.

1 hour ago, TXAV8R said:

Thanks for the advice. We'll look into it. 

Even if it sounds good to you, you might want to wait until you're on board to upgrade.  For one, the bartender you upgrade with tends to love you when you do that.  However, a more frugal reason is that there have been supply problems with getting liquor on cruise ships (just like there are supply problems everywhere else).  You might want to wait and see if the brand-based reasons you are upgrading actually are on board.  They probably are, but you won't know until you get there.

In any case, the price of the upgrade is $12/person/day (gratuity included in that price)

2 minutes ago, canderson said:

 

Have never had something like that happen in Luminae, but in past times, weve found this approach to be SOP in the MDR to avoid the extra time/work to bring the meal plated as requested.  I used to ask for extra rack of lamb, and they would inevitably bring two fully plated meals.

I've had that sort of thing happen plenty of times, too.  It's just a matter of how the system works.  The waiters and the galley don't really talk to each other these days, and the ordering system is limited in what it can do.  

If I don't want two full meals in front of me, I just move what I want from one plate to the other and then ask to have the auxiliary plate taken away.  It's a waste, but it's a waste that already happened and that I can do nothing more about.

5 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

I haven't made a separate post about my first time experience in Retreat class but I had an amazing cruise and overall the service and product on the Apex was topnotch. There's always room for improvement and the ignored request for replating an entree as an appetizer is one of those things that could and should have been done.  

It's no secret or surprise that cruise ship servers tend to think that "if a little is good, then a lot is better," and that's one of the reasons we love them. 

I agree with you that things should have happened in the manner that you requested and that it's nothing to get upset about.

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Luminae Dinner from the 12/11-20 Apex sailing. Here's the photo of the alleged 'Ribeye Steak'.

Yep.  That's the abomination.  They also had "lamb chops" that night that were the same construction.  Little, homogenous, circular meat things with no bones on a plate.  Those are the only two things I've ever seen in Luminae that I simply did not care for.  Other than that, everything was either fantastic or fixed very quickly.

On that night, I ended up reordering and getting the lamb chops from Blu.  They were maginificent!

2 minutes ago, Pratique said:

$80 refund, new cabin, not a big deal for them

I'll give you that the $80 isn't that big of a deal, but the new cabin is.  Those cabins got people in them once the RoyalUp process is done.

@Pratique I assume you have a personal relationship with your clients.  When I was practicing, I had the same, and so I was not concerned about a client abusing our relationship.  Both the client and I understood that we were, essentially, in business together and mutually benefitting from our relationship.

Now, try and translate that to thousands of personnel dealing with tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of client/customers every day.  That relationship and understanding does not exist, and it simply cannot at the price point and situation RC is at these days.  

RC no longer is the company I first knew in 1995.  It's a cruise factory.  Well, at least the front office is.  Asking for special, creative service is like making a special order.  You may as well ask for your Big Mac to be cooked medium-rare.  That's not just a covid thing, either.  It's been the case for quite some time--pretty much since Voyager came out--and I go in knowing that very well these days.

If I want something like bespoke service, then I sail a smaller (and more expensive) line.  If I want personal service, then I work with a travel agent.

Thanks for the report!  We are on Liberty very soon (I hope), and we're looking forward to it!  I expect the atmosphere will be rather different since it's after the holidays, but I like hearing how good things were.  We're often regulars at the R Bar, as well, so we'll look for Marshall!

I hate to ask, but do you recall the comedian's name?  I'd just as soon spend time at R Bar or Schooner or just on the balcony than see a bad one.  Shoot, I'd just as soon swab the deck, peel potatoes, and scrub the latrine with a toothbrush than see a bad comedian.  Please don't feel a need to answer if it makes you feel uncomfortable to do so.

2 hours ago, cruisnfool said:

what is the drinking age? 18 or 21

It's 21 on all US sailings.

3 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Some flavors of FCC is treated as cash by RCI.

I believe that is not the case in this situation (a CWC cancellation).

8 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

But companies going "above and beyond" to keep guests happy can backfire also.  Because customers will hear how they went "above and beyond" and then EXPECT the same treatment, even if they're not ENTITLED to it. 

Indeed, there's the problem.  RC can't start undoing RoyalUp results or even refunding the bid when the customer isn't happy with the outcome, even if it's a case as unusual as this one.

I'd be willing to bet real money that all the stateroom options that have been suggested in this thread were not available because they all had been filled with successful RU bids from folks in lower categories, including the room OP was happy with. 

I don't know why OP left the bid in when he got an upgrade and OBC already.  He left his money on the table and the dice came up craps.  Be careful what you wish for.

8 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

If you booked something now with the FCCs from cruises cancelled by RCI, you might be able to turn around and cancel those for a refund.

Not likely.  Typically, something paid with FCC is refunded as FCC.

22 hours ago, D4 said:

If one of you tested positive, wouldn’t you want to postpone the cruise anyway so you could all cruise together in the future?

They could still go by themselves and then all go together later on.

Every restaurant I know costs more on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

15 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I would not want to bet a $5000+ vacation on luck.

Me, neither. That's why I get trip insurance 

I understand that senior officers are keeping their distance at the moment and that sailaway gatherings also are on pause. It's happened rather recently. 

Thanks for the heads-up! 

I rather enjoy both the food and service in Luminae. As mentioned, the waiters and sommeliers (or wine stewards) are excellent, and they have time to talk to you. The food sometimes feels like it's trying to hard to be fancy or different, and that can work well or be a disaster. One night there was a "rib eye" that was some sort of homogeneous, circular, formed abomination. Other nights had something bold that was excellent and fun. 

It's easy to find something on the menu that sounds delicious the first time you cruise in the Retreat. It's not bad the second time and can even be fun to revisit a favorite or tuck into something you passed on the first time. It gets a little tired after that, though. It's nice to have the option to look at and menu when on M and S class ships. 

The Luminae burger is quite magnificent. 

You'll have to ask your TA. From what I've seen, different ones have different policies. 

I'm so glad to hear you got the help you needed! 

7 hours ago, hancock said:

It's wise to have your own battery charger with you so you don't have to depend on outside help.  Will be parked at Bayonne for 22 days.  Will have fully charged charger in car. 

I agree. We got some for our cars a few years ago, and we've had occasion to use one. It was very nice to have that on hand! 

I want to say they were something like $30 each. The peace of mind was worth at least that, and the convenience of having it on hand the time we needed it just the one time is enough to justify the cost forever. 

I just had my laptop on the kitchen table. I pushed it back far enough to make room for the test materials. When it was time, I just bent the screen down so that the camera was aimed at the table. I can't say whether that was more or less difficult than steadying a cell phone, but it wasn't difficult. 

As for wait times, I do hope they will come back down now that the holiday travel season is nearly done. 

I agree that it's not worth the risk. If everything goes just right, you'd be fine, but everything has to go just right. If you get any hiccup in your plan, you got real troubles on your hands. With the way flights are going right now, you cannot assume that you'll be able to get on that noon flight if you miss the 9.

You also cannot assume that you will be off the ship early enough to make it. It might be 7 AM, but it also might be 8:30.

Now, you could still get off the ship and to the airport as early as you can. Get there early enough, and you might be able to get on the 9 AM flight if there's room. I'd much rather gamble in that way.  Limit your downside and hope to improve if the circumstances allow. 

Indeed, it does work in port. As mentioned, though, quality varies. 

22 hours ago, JennyD1 said:

I loved the almond croissants they used to have at the afternoon tea, but they stopped serving them.  I hope the ones they have at the Cafe are as good.

The one I had on board Millennium was quite good, and I don't even like that sort of thing (although I'm occasionally drawn to a pain au chocolate).  One of the waiters brought me the almond croissant because she didn't really believe that I only wanted a plain one.  I ate it (of course), and I enjoyed it.  However, I still prefer a lovely, plain croissant (and the ones in Café al Bacio are lovely).