Gourmet Cooks

DW and I just returned from a cruise on the Navigator. Overall it was a good cruise and we had a good time. We were shocked that none of the bars had any nuts/snacks available. The one exception was the Vintages wine bar that did have some cheese, olives and prosciutto. Furthermore, we were shocked that to get a drink we had to go directly to the bar itself rather than have someone come to our seats in the bar/lounge area and wait on us. (Again, Vintages was the one exception) Then we had to carry our drinks back to our seats. What is the 18% service charge for anyway? I certainly did not receive any outstanding bar service.

Is it just me or is everyone else being bombarded with pre-cruise e-mails to hurry and reserve you drink / spa / dining packages. I get at least one e-mail a day. Thankfully we sail on Sunday.

I am not buying their overpriced drink packages. Furthermore, due to the higher drink prices, I will limit myself to one pre-dinner drink per day. RCL would make more money if they kept reasonable drink prices and I might have a couple drinks a day if the price was right.

The spa prices have always been outrageous and I can't relax knowing what it would cost me, so I skip their services. I know I am not really missing anything.

After years of cruising, the MDR is not what it used to be (this is the same on all cruise lines). They are all pushing the higher profit margin dining rooms. We did Qusine once and it was a lot of fun but once you have done it the thrill is gone. Most of the pay for restaurants really aren't worth it in the end.

We will have a great cruise; but I do dread the constant gimmicks as well as the nickel and diming that all the cruise lines foist on their customers during the sailing.

Is it possible to buy a bottle of wine in Vines (or elsewhere) and drink 1/2 one night and the have them store the remainder for use later, like the next night? We have done this on Celebrity and really enjoyed the option.

Thanks for the heads up regarding the final bus to the correct terminal. I will be on the lookout for it. We have similiar flight plans from FCO to CLT at 11:05 AM. Our plan is to have RomeCabs pick us up at 7:00 AM. We will be one of the first off the ship and carry our own luggage as soon as we have clearance to disembark.

For me this will be the most stressful part of the trip - catching our flight home in time.