mjldvlks

Kind of enjoy JRs . . . except on Quantum class.  On Anthem [assume typical of all Q class ships] it's an outdoor walk up with no table service and no dancing.  Plus they managed to screw up both of our orders.  Got a refund and went on to the Windjammer which is adjacent.  Often heard folks say why pay extra for what you can get free elsewhere. On Anthem that's exactly true with possible exception of shakes which I don't order anyway.

One of my favorites.  Love to grab a couple for late night snack in the cabin.  Available on every ship I can remember, but maybe not at all times.  On Anthem last month they put cookies [including ranger cookies] out fresh still on the baking sheets and parchment paper in the Windjammer.  Also on Cafe Promenade [but availability there spottier]

On 10/21/2019 at 8:59 AM, tomservo said:

Has anyone had Sorrento's on Anthem recently? Going to be on in a few weeks. Normally I avoid cruise ship pizza, and this is coming from someone who grew up on Ellio's (which I would still eat, albeit in much smaller quantities). 

We were on Anthem a couple of weeks ago.  Went to Sorrento's one night and it was really good thin crust pizza. A night or two later it was something that was a half inch or so thick, neither thick nor thin and awful.  Soggy, limp and flavorless. Red Barron would have been a massive improvement.  Attendant said they weren't  making thin any more.   So if it's thin, it's worth a try.  Otherwise hunger it s a much better option.

For a Mediterranean cruise I would much prefer a smaller ship.  I'd rather share the port with 2000 than 6000 shipmates. With a port almost every day, the amenities of the Oasis class are not as useful IMO.

 

As to Eastern or Western, you just have to decide what you want to see most.  We've done both.  We did Eastern in 2007 on Splendour [also a Vision class and similar in size to Rhapsody although not true sister ships]. It was great.  We just did western last fall on Norwegian Epic [RCI didn't have a ship with the itinerary we wanted that meshed with our schedule].  The itinerary was great, but would have preferred a smaller ship.

We've played the guarantee game a few times and have never been disappointed. As a committed "price snob" it's kind of in my wheel house. In the old days, we used to get assigned almost immediately and then played the switch within category game.

 

We have one booked for Oct 19, about 27 days out and still unassigned.  I figure the upgrades get assigned last. A theory I made up to make waiting more palatable. 

32 minutes ago, HicksRA said:

On our Symphony TA, the ship didn’t seem to be that bad as far as crowds, but getting on and off the ship (embark/disembark/ports) was absolute mayhem. Dumping 7000 people at once is a total cluster. Trying to get out of the port at Miami was probably the worst I’ve experienced. 

And that was after wasting a day forcing us to go through customs at Port Canaveral.

The only 2 Royal ships on which I have felt uncomfortably crowded are Explorer   and Symphony [TA]. Before those two cruises I had always been impressed with Royal's ships design and ability to handle crowds. I will add that a lot of the crowd issues on Symphony might have been staff screw ups.

On 9/14/2019 at 11:29 PM, xpcdoojk said:

 

I thought it was a crappy itinerary, but a good cruise, the weather after about day 4 was very good.  I thought that they way they handled upper levels of C&A was exceptional.  Too many people on the flowrider, but I thought it was a great ship.

 

jc

Of course everyone's experience is slightly different based on the activities participated in. And bottom half doesn't mean bad, just not the best.  I thought the ship was physically impressive.  Not as impressed [as in not at all] with the organization of activities.  For example, we are trivia players and they set the progressive trivia in the on air club right after Bingo.  Two of the most popular activities set back to back in a relatively small venue.  To get a seat for trivia, you had to camp out before Bingo. The cruise director's comment was there is nowhere else and the ship isn't designed to handle the all of the passengers aboard at once.  Silly me, I thought part of the design concept of the Oasis class was that the ship is the destination.  I also saw problems with handling crowds at the entertainment events [which were amazing once we got in]. For example at the aqua theater, there was a line extending from the entrance to the theater back almost to the boardwalk entrance.  Staff members checked to make sure everyone in line had reservations but made no other announcements.  When we got to the theater entrance, we discovered that the line was for D+, Pinnacle and Suite guests only.  OK for me but the poor schmos who weren't had to go to another entrance after a 30 minute wait.  We also had problems with the MDR staff, can't remember exactly, but had something to do with My Time reservations.  Also, the food was poor compared to other Royal cruises we've been on recently.  In general, didn't seem like the staff was that familiar with the process.  The individuals we dealt with, servers, bartenders, cabin attendants, etc were great.  It seemed to be senior level disorganization to me.  Overall, it was one of the few times Ive really felt crowded on a Royal ship.

 

I didn't really mind the itinerary seemed somewhat poetic to visit the Alhambra and then get on a transatlantic cruise.

On 9/10/2019 at 6:13 PM, taglovestocruise said:

It must be true, different strokes for different folks.  We were also on that TA, deck 12 Portside forward hump. Absolutely loved the sun all day, we spent lots of time on the balcony.  It was a great trip. Have the same cabin number booked for the Allure 2020 TA. 

We were also On the Symphony TA.  While there were a lot of things about the cruise that put it in the bottom half of my favorite cruise list, cabin location was not one of those things. We were in a port-side ocean view balcony and found it a pleasant place to be.  The sunsets were spectacular.  The room was comfortable the whole cruise.

I second the take your own.  They MAY have what you want, but my experience has been that what's available is inconsistent, and they frequently run out of my preference before the end of the cruise.

4 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

If you are going to skip the suit, please wear your shirt and slacks without the tie.  A tie without a jacket is déclassé.

Like a pen clipped in my shirt?

I agree you can use the paper alone but I prefer the plastic ones.  Getting them out and ready to go means sail away is getting close. 

8 hours ago, Sancho_proudfoot said:

 

If you want to do this, pre-booking is a must. Last time l was there, the line at the ticket booth was huge, and they had (helpfully) put out signs saying things like "wait time 4 hours from here" - and that was just to buy the ticket which carries a stated entry time - which could be 3 hours later. You could spend your entire day in Barcelona waiting in lines.

And make sure you get the "skip the line" or "fast pass" tickets to maximize your time. 
 

There are many great private tour guides who can show you around for much less than the ships excursions.  I would encourage you to consider this.  Since you only have 8 hours, a good guide can help you make the most of it.  Look at reviews to find a good one.

Not really sure what your objective is, but RCI has an airport shuttle plus they typically have a city tour that will show you city highlights and end up at the air port [plus keeping your luggage].  If your staying in Barcelona a day or two, then the shuttle to the Columbus monument then public tranportation may be your best option.

2 hours ago, island lady said:

 

Hmmm...even worse now.  DH just insisted on doing the whole thing down there.  Just finished adding to the line up.  I am now on the ship from 2/10/21 until 5/5/21.  😮  B2B2B2B2B2B2B  

LOL, will you get a permanent plaque in the Centrum or something? 

3 hours ago, island lady said:

 

"Sea" you there!  🙂 

Really looking forward to this one. I thought combining the TP with the Vancouver cruise [30 nights or so] was ambitious, but sounds like you will be one of the crew by the end.  Serenade is a great ship. We did a 2 week  Snow Bird Migration cruise on her in 2015.  One of my favorites.

17 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Bucket list cruise for us!

We've booked Serenade  TP for 2021.  Come along, the more the merrier.

 

Wea are also contemplating staying on for the following cruise to Vancouver.

Our first cruise was Eastern Med from Venice on Splendour [now sold, but twin of Legend] at the time the smallest in the fleet.  Last fall we were on the inaugural TA of Symphony, currently the largest cruise ship ever.  In between we've been on about everything in between except Quantum class.  For a port intensive cruise like you are talking about, I think you will be very happy with the smaller chip -- personally I would prefer it [fewer of your "closest" friends competing for services ashore.  I've always been impressed by how similar a feel there is between RC ships.  I've felt pretty much at home on all of them.

One  would think that a large company would bend over backwards to fix problems that have become a running joke [emphasis on the word joke] among its customers. It's been so bad for so long I can only conclude Royal Caribbean just doesn't care.

We did a similar itinerary last year.  We had a great time in all the ports, but in 8 hour or so shore excursions, even though I believe we filled our time well, there is no way we began to exhaust the options of these ports.  I would have no trouble doing the same itinerary B2B.  For example, we went to Pompeii in Naples. We didn't begin to see everything even at that one site.  I want to go back to explore other things at Pompeii.  Plus there is the Isle of Capri we didn't have time to visit and we could spend more time on the Amalfi coast.  Do it.

the old system had a button to not include a signature for a particular post -- is that gone?

Are they long enough for princess? I saw others that weren’t as wide but longer.

 

 

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Check the details when you order. We originally ordered a set for RCI which we have used twice and in between took a Princess cruise so ordered a set which were identified as fitting Princess tags. Both sets fit as advertised. Highly recommend steel cables. One of our sets had a defective cable, as a result of which I learned Lowes has similar cables pretty cheap, some with colored plastic coatings if you want to go real fancy.

 

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Yes it’s crumbed steak with a few spices. I’ve never understood why they call it chicken.

 

 

 

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LOL, never knew our cuisine (if it qualifies for that description) could be so confusing. It is called "chicken fried" because it is prepared and fried like fried chicken. It is somewhat like scnitzel, except it is breaded and seasoned more heavily to cover for the cheaper cut of meat. Grits are ground hominy, a type of corn, usually served in the southern US as a breakfast side dish. Grits are indeed bland. I never liked them much, although with cheese and shrimp for an entree, they are not too bad

 

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1000 was approximate. Although there are inconsistent figures out there, most show the capacity of Explorer as now around 4000. Voyager is 3100 or so. Again, there is inconsistent info out there and I have made no effort to sort out the inconsistencies. But, from my recent personal experience, when full, the ship is way over crowded and doesn't have the infrastructure to handle the load.

 

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