cot427

On 9/27/2023 at 1:21 PM, musiconthesea said:

I did this yesterday plus they honored my status on Royal and gave us another $100 and I booked through my travel agent and they gave us $150 OBC. With everything included, the price seems very reasonable on the 3/23/24 repo from San Juan to Miami

I agree with you 100%. I just booked this cruise, the repo price is awesome, and I got the $600 + $100 for status match plus $100 from TA. 

Is the $600 per cabin or per person?

Thank you for the review...just booked Apex for December on the Western Caribbean route. 

On 2/27/2023 at 4:33 PM, fac429 said:

Legend has it that if you call and ask them to move your sailing- and in particular if you're moving to a more expensive cruise (either because of itinerary or cabin)- you may be able to speak with a supervisor that can waive the $100/pp change fee.  But you have to ask VERY NICELY, you may be on hold for hours, and there's no guaranty it will work.  

Tried this last night, did not work. Asked very nicely, to two different agents. Was escalated to resolutions but no luck. It was a move from Mariner 6-night to Harmony 7-night and was almost double the cost. No getting around that $100pp change fee. 

11 hours ago, kdawg954 said:

Wish I saw your post earlier, I could of helped out.  Will give my two cents.

 

Bliss did not feel like a Caribbean ship when I went in early January.  She's gorgeous, but it was very cramped everywhere.  Avoid the western itinerary also . . All the ports were packed and we just didn't enjoy getting off the ship as it also was the best time to be on the ship (in port less crowded).

 

Waterfront continues to be the star of this class of ship.  And the Observatory deck, which I can only imagine is insane when cruising Alaska.  

 

I'd do it again if I got a rock bottom rate and use the savings for the Spa pass and maybe even Vibe (chair hogs were ridiculous) with no intent to leave the ship (early year western Caribbean).

You make excellent points! I'm done with the Western itinerary for a while after this. And Bliss, while beautiful, was made not beautiful by the masses. The Observation lounge was the star of the cruise, and I should've splurged for Vibe. I did get a good price, so I am happy with the "value". I will say, I think the waterfront is slightly underutilized. The outside parts of all restaurants except La Cucina were almost always not full, and the small parts of the bars of Sugarcane and Cavern were not nearly as big as they should be. 

I figured I would provide some feedback since there's not much info for Bliss Caribbean runs (I was looking ahead, it doesn't do too many so that's probably why). - Feb 18-25th W. Caribbean (Roatan, Harvest Caye, Cozumel) (skipped Costa Maya due to winds)

Ship - I've been on BA, GA and Escape, and I remember loving Escape. Not sure what changed this time, but the ship always felt cramped and crowded. Getting an elevator was a disaster, the pool and open deck areas were very crowded and hard to get loungers. I ended up finding a secret deck area on 19 forward that had a bar (opposite Vibe). The deck plans only indicate a sun deck and not a bar, but it was fully staffed, so that was nice. Perhaps the ship is just more suited for colder, Alaska climate where it spends most of its time. I've cruised in February before, but I don't ever remember feeling the ship move and rock and sway as much as the Bliss did this trip. Even when the seas seemed calm. So I'm not sure if it was just the time of year or if the ship just doesn't handle the water as smooth as some other classes of ships. 

Bar/Bar Service - I also remember loving their bar menus and handmade cocktails. It seems now they cutback and offer the same menu throughout the ship, with a few exceptions. The mojito bar mojitos were not as good as years ago, no muddling and seems like they are batched. I only got 1. Spice H2O was very disorganized, it would sometimes take 20-30 to get a drink. One server would write down the drink you wanted, ring you in, and then another bartender would make the drink and then set it there, having no idea who to give it to. The best bar I encountered was Observation Lounge due to some fantastic bartenders (Zandy and Rachel). No one else went above and beyond like they did. 

Stateroom - My stateroom attendant was not very personable at all. He scoffed when I asked him to put the beds together. Every night the crack in the middle of the bed would expand and the sheets would come off the sides of the bed. Other attendants would say hi as I walked down the hall, but not him. I was just unlucky. 

Food - The food was decent. We tried Teppanyaki, Ocean Blue and Le Bistro and they were all fantastic. Food Republic was also very good. The Local's food was good but hit or miss on the speed of service. I miss having a 24 hour walk up and go place like on Royal. Went to the dining room only one night and due to the slowness of service (2.5 hours for a group of 😎 did not return. We were only offered beverages once. The buffet was fine, nice options but at peak times it may have been the most crowded, chaotic buffet I've been to on a ship.

Shows/Entertainment - Love the deck themed parties every night (and there was one every night). Absolutely loved Six and Jersey Boys. Top notch talent and performers. Missed Levity until the last night in the main theater when both had an open seating show, however walked out because the first guy (Mike Klein maybe?) was not funny at all. Glad to have missed the solo show for him. Missed the other entertainment options that Royal has both throughout the day and at night with other shows. 

Overall, I wanted to try Norwegian after 6 or so years of not, but I missed Royal. I just can't justify spending the amount I did on Norwegian ships, that lack a lot of the wow factors, but also the quiet and more open public spaces. I also missed the level of service I am used to on Royal. 

Thank you all for the feedback regarding the freestyle inclusions, additions and late-night food. 

Can anyone comment on the parties/deck parties/entertainment on Bliss? Also very important to me coming from Royal...I love the variety of shows on Oasis class.

Next year it'll be about 6 years since I've cruised Norwegian, I know a lot of things are the same, but wanted to clarify some things before I decide to book. Looking at a late winter/early spring Western Caribbean on the Bliss. I've been on BA, GA and Escape. I loved the Escape, but don't want to cruise out of PC. I wanted a ship that still has Spice H2O, so Bliss is it. My questions are:

• The drink package that comes with free at sea needs upgraded if I want water bottles and Starbucks included? Anything else additional I would get with the upgrade?
• Does the specialty dining package have any limitations specific to Bliss restaurants? Is it one dinner per person per night? 
• The food at The Local is included?
• How is their late-night/24 hour food selection? I am talking post-midnight/1,2 am hours?
• Does Norwegian have hard seltzers? I glanced at a menu and only saw one lemon/lime option.

Quite honestly I love Royal but I am looking for something different...just different bar menus, food and overall vibe. Really appreciate good drinks, great food, quality entertainment and good late-night parties. 

Any more recent reports from Rhapsody? I board Monday next week, so will report back then, but just curious! 

I am assuming if it says "an error occured" that simply means it's sold out for that time. So if the express is sold out, I would probably prefer to go earlier. Are the earlier trains accommodating to cruise passengers with luggage?

Following as well! Day 2 of her back in service...hopefully someone can report over the next few days or sailings. I sail 6/13 so will report back then if we don't hear anything sooner. 

2 hours ago, Coralc said:

Good question. You should probably buy and bring the proctored tests (like emed)  along with you. Or email your hotel in Barcelona to find out if there is a local pharmacy or local place where you can receive a rapid antigen test prior to your cruise. 

Also suggest the eMed tests - used them in Florida before a cruise; as long as you have access to a device such as laptop, iPad or smartphone with camera and audio, it's easy to use. They guide you along and it takes no more than 20 minutes.

Just now, Biker19 said:

Yes, there should be no location limit on where you connect from to emed to take the test. RCI accepts them to get on the ship and should not change with the port, though some port workers overseas may need some education on those.

Awesome! I used CVS for my first two cruises back after the shutdown, but appointments are increasingly hard to come by and getting canceled. Used those BinaxNow tests from eMed last month and they were super easy to use and convenient, done right in your hotel with a virtual proctor. I will buy a couple more for Rhapsody in June (always good to have an extra or two just in case). 

Do they accept the e-proctored Binax Now tests for European cruises? Do they even work accessing from abroad?  

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

We should have no more fake visions of Vision in St Martin as Rhapsody is finally on her way to Europe. This also means, I think, there are no more "plague" ships left in the Eastern Carib

Great news! Makes me feel so much better about her re-start for the European season! 

Rhapsody is still a quarantine ship. Not Vision. I am a little nervous about Rhapsody restarting in a couple months. 

Sailing on Rhapsody in June and I know the first sailing back is mid-May. I'm a bit nervous about it since she's the last RCI ship back into service (I think) but that she's still being used for quarantine. Anyone else think there's a possibility they could extend her use in that regard and cancel Europe sailings?

2 minutes ago, Maitaivegas said:

Chops and Giovanni’s sold out for lunch on both seas days. I made dinner reservations but forgot lunch so now I can’t get in their for lunch. I’m trying to get my $$ worth. I really think it wouldn’t hurt RCI to do free room service, there are other budget lines that do it.

Good to know...I'm hesitant to make reservations for lunch because I don't want to be locked in or take a table from others if I can't make it, but also want to get my $s worth. This is great info, thanks for it! 

2 minutes ago, ValerieJo said:

 

She also mentioned shortened hours at Playmakers and the BBQ place,

Thanks! So sort of does impact people with UDP a bit. Hopefully they will add more staff in the coming weeks. 

6 minutes ago, Maitaivegas said:

Bistro closed all this week, PlayMakers not open till 230 pm. 
Only places open at noon today is Park cafe and windjammer and el loco fresh 

Thanks for the info, appreciate it! Have you noticed if any of the other specialty restaurants have been open for lunch, at least on sea days. We bought the UDP and I know a poster from a few weeks ago was having lunch in. 

16 hours ago, ValerieJo said:

 

Disappointed to read about all the restaurant changes/closures.  We had planned to eat at them next week.   I guess we'll need to rethink a few things.

 

 

I scrolled through, what restaurant changes/closures besides Johnny Rockets for breakfast, Solarium Bistro shortened hours and Deck 5 MDR? Seems minor to me. 

9 hours ago, brillohead said:

Royal doesn't use Island Oasis mixers.

And definitely not in the Bamboo Room. 

For anyone who knows and appreciates Tiki bars, this pricing is logical. Tiki drinks are not easy to make, they are time consuming in preparation of both the drink and the presentation. The classic cocktails are less so and don't have as much of the presentation flair as the specialty. 

Sure, the Bamboo Room on Royal isn't as up to far as really good Tiki bars on land, but they are trying. Was on the Navigator in 2019 and they had 3 permanent bartenders in the Bamboo Room and we spent a lot of time there. They work hard, and from what I understand, harder than a lot of other bar positions. There is so much prep that goes along with this bar too, they would have to get there way earlier in advance for this particular bar than other bars. 

I just don't think it's a good concept for a cruise ship. Too much prep, too much time put into making the drinks and people don't appreciate it. 

Regarding the unlimited dining package, bought it for our group of 7 next month. We are foodies and love to try things, so following along is so exciting! Thanks for posting the info and pics. Do you plan to use it for the BBQ place or Playmakers at all this week?

I am sailing on Oasis in March and have not received a Royal Up email. I am seeing others post about receiving emails for March and April cruises…should I contact my TA? Or do you think they just aren’t doing it yet for my sailing?

13 hours ago, Biker19 said:

Never, you have to do them on the ship.

11 hours ago, Sealily22 said:

We were not able to book any activity / show reservations until we were on the ship’s wifi. We also noticed that show availability changed constantly, so keep checking even if something is booked up. 

Wow, thanks for the info! I assume this is the new way due to covid, which I totally understand. Just was trying to coordinate dinner and shows. But got the UDP so days 2-7 will have to be done on the ship too, so both being done onboard will be fine. 

Now I can stop checking cruise planner!