rudeney

There is a clause in the fine print of the program stating that you may not always get it on every flight. Apparently, they use some sort of complex algorithm that can randomly not give you pre-check on a flight. I guess this is to thwart any "sleeper terrorists". I've always gotten it for every flight, but a few friends and co-workers have had cases where it was not granted on one or two flights over the years. I mainly have TSA Pre-check for the convenience of leaving my shoes and belt on and not having to unpack my laptop. We flew out of Nashville for our last cruise and my wife doesn't have it. She went through the regular line, I took both of our carry-ons with me through the Pre-check line. We exited security at the same time. The regular line was longer, but had three x-ray and scanner machines where Pre-check had only one. Coming back out of Boston, I was out of security about 10 minutes before her.

(I mentioned this elsewhere so I apologize for the repeat) We were on Voyager last week with the UDP and planned to eat lunch at Chops on embarkation day. I had stopped at Giovanni's to make sure all my dinner reservations I had made through the concierge were set and that's when the maitre de there told me that they "swapped" embarkation lunch with Chops. Later, I was told by the Chops staff that the reason they did this on Voyager is because with the "amping" having added almost 500 additional pax capacity, the WIndjammer was running out of tables on embarkation day, so they use the adjacent Chops for overflow seating. I also learned from them that the embarkation lunch with The Key, which is the Chops menu in the MDR, is not prepared in Chops or by the Chops staff. It is the Chops recipes and food prepared by the MDR staff in its galley.

Same here. We had the UDP, and our older version of Cruise Planner did not add a gratuity at check-out, but the fine print noted that it was included. We still tipped some extra for each meal as the service was always excellent.

You are probably right that Sysco (and similar food distributors) don't really make anything. I have a friend who used to own a pizza restaurant franchise. All of their packaged foods were delivered by Sysco. Generic items like bags of ground beef, cans of crushed tomatoes, flour, etc. were all Sysco branded. But they had specific brands of cheese, pepperoni, and Italian sausage they used that had Sysco labels along with the brand's label. The company's proprietary sauce seasoning packets and yeast mix also had Sysco labels plus the chain's label. I never really considered who "made" those items. I guess it could have been contracted to a food provider and then just delivered by Sysco. As a side note, we did the All-Access Tour on Voyager last week that included the provisions area. I saw lots of specific brands, but no "food service" brands. There were dozens of different brands of meats, dairy products, and produce. I even noticed that the scrambled eggs are actually eggs - just not in the shell. They come frozen, pre-scrambled in large plastic bags.

The way RCCL handles gratuities creates so much confusion. We don't really know if gratuities are used to fund the crew's minimum contract salary or if they are on top of that. If they fund the contract salary, then of course RCCL would "cover" gratuities for extra days because they are contractually obligated to pay the crew their minimum salary.

Note that just because Sysco supplies it does not mean it can't be the restaurant's own recipe. For chain restaurants, they will mass-produce that company's recipe and distribute to all their locations. I don't know if this is the case with RCCL or not, but it could be. Or they could be buying a national brand, or making it onboard themselves. I don't eat ranch dressing - I prefer blue cheese, and RCCL's is pretty good.

Would it? I thought they had ended all COVID protocols. We did the All-Access Tour on Voyager last week and the security officer that was with us for part of it mentioned this. One of the passengers on the tour was a retire police officer and he asked about the ship's brig. The security officer responded that they have "facilities" to keep passengers deemed to be a risk to themselves or others. I joked about the COVID quarantine cabins and he said they no longer have those and made a comment along the lines of "if you get COVID, you are now on your own".

At first I thought that, too, but then I realized that he left two envelopes so I took it more in the spirit of being for anyone who gave us exceptional service. I saw these envelopes in the SL, along with copies of pretty much any of the papers we had delivered to the stateroom each day, so that also reinforced my thoughts of it being for anyone, because I didn't assume the envelopes in the SL were the concierge asking for tips. And this was the first cruise I did not tip the concierge. He just didn't do anything for us.

I was talking to one of the servers in Chops on Voyager last week and she told us that while the MDR does serve the Chops menu for The Key luncheon, it is not prepared in Chops or by the Chops kitchen staff - it's all made in the MDR galley by that kitchen staff. As @3kidsncats said, if this is a primary reason for purchasing The Key, just pay to eat lunch in a specialty restaurant so you get food prepared and served by that staff.

Anytime I have ever tipped anyone onboard "over and above" the automatically added amounts - whether it's the stateroom attendant, a bartender or a restaurant server - it has always been accepted with genuine appreciation and a total lack of expectations.

We had three devices (my phone, Jan's phone and my laptop). I paid for 2 devices under my name. We could use any two devices simultaneously. If I tried to login on a 3rd, I'd get a notification that I could continue and bump off on of the other two currently in use. I have heard that it's the "oldest" login or "newest" login that is bumped out, but in my case, it was always Jan's phone and always when she was in the middle of a very important FB post. So I learned to visit the "logout.com" page before switching between my phone and laptop.

Sent!

Other than once when we drove to PC, we fly. I also hate the hassles of flying, and that's why we drove 3 hours to Nashville to take a direct 2-hour flight to Boston. Since our next cruise is likely Alaska, that will definitely be a flight.

Interesting. What Date of Departure did you use for your trip insurance? If you used embarkation day, that might be the issue. I was reading the policy for the cruise that we just competed on Sunday and it specifically states that coverage begins on the Date of Departure once I leave my home headed to the airport, cruise terminal, hotel, etc. I am covered and that illnesses contracted after that are considered "interruption" and not "cancellation". I always used the date we leave home as the Date of Departure. Obviously this doesn't help you now, but there may be someone else who reads this and needs to know.

Same for our Voyager cruise last week - I think I answered the health questions when I printed my SetSail pass. After that, there were no other health questions, vax questions, COVID test result questions - nothing.

Ship - Voyager of the Seas Deck - 10 Stateroom # - 1252 Stateroom Category – GS Starboard or Port Side - Starboard Quiet Stateroom? Minor noise from the Solarium above when crew would arrange deck chairs Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No Balcony View - Unobstructed view. Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - Normal for its class. One loungers with a small side table, a bisto table with two chairs. Was wind a problem? - No If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - N/A Any specific problems with this cabin? - No, other than it's probably time for an update. There were small issues like cabinet doors not fitting properly, drawers that would not stay closed, and some missing accent bits on the bathroom fixtures and lighting. Overall, it's a great room and really nice for a 23 years old ship.

This is the wrap-up, so it's going to be a bit long... We were up around 6:30am and having breakfast in Chops around 7:45am. It was delicious as usual with fantastic service from Vlad and Nadia (Nadia was our breakfast server a few days back). Jan had seen Nadia and Vlad together on night being "very friendly" with each other, so we suspect they may be having a little onboard romance. Which is interesting because Nadia is from Russia and Vlad is from Ukraine. I suspect neither one cares about the war, except for the safety of their families back home. We did find out why Chops is not open on embarkation day for Voyager. We thought it might have to do with Chops having to prepare lunch for The Key in the MDR. Nadia told us it is because they added about 500 beds with the "amping" and the Windjammer couldn't handle the crowds, so they use Chops seating as overflow, and Giovanni's as the specialty restaurant on boarding day. She also said that although The Key gets the Chops menu in the MDR that day, it is not prepared by Chops - it's just their menu items prepared in the MDR galley. After breakfast, we headed to the Schooner bar as instructed to meet Gabriel, the concierge for disembarkation. We got there and sat around a while as they called various numbers. We all sat there waiting on Gabriel to lead us out, but he never did. He was just standing around, and every now and then we'd see him escort a couple of passengers out. After asking him when we were disembarking, he explained we could leave whenever we wanted - just let him know. Well, we let him know we were ready and he walked us through the "customs" check (which was an officer who glanced at our passports - no facial recognition) and then to the SeaPass scan, and we were down the gangway into the terminal. This suite/Pinnacle disembarkation process was just a bit disorganized and not what we are used to. Normally, the concierge has escorted us off in groups. I guess Gabriel does not do it that way, but everyone was sitting around expecting that. I will say he's the least impressive concierge we've had on a cruise. He's young, and very soft spoken, and always seems disorganized - even a bit flustered. But he was very friendly and helpful when we needed him. We were off the ship and with our luggage waiting for our Uber by 9:00am. The terminal staff will tell you to go across the street to Duncan Donuts to order an Uber because of the traffic congestion (it is a cluster), but I had already done it when we grabbed our luggage. Our Uber driver Joseph was excellent and said he'd even though it means some extra traffic, he'd rather pickup right at the terminal because it's easier for passengers like us with lots of luggage. We made it to the airport and through security by 10:00am. Now we just wait for our 12:35pm flight. Assuming it's on time and we have an uneventful drive to Birmingham from Nashville, we should be home around 6:00pm. This was a FANTASTIC cruise! The crew was excellent - we were always met with big smiles and an eagerness to help. We knew they are shorthanded, so we were just patient, and were rewarded with first class service. The ship was very nice. Yes, there is some rust here and there and a few places that need attention or updating (especially in the cabins) but Voyager is still a wonderful ship. I like how easy it is to get around, and other than absolute peak times, it never felt crowded. We never ate in the MDR. I heard mixed reviews on the food there. The Windjammer was never horribly packed, and the food there was very good, and again - I can't say enough about the crew - there were plenty of them in the Windjammer ready to get us whatever we needed. Specialty dining was excellent. We loved Chops - both the food and staff. Only one night did the steaks not come our perfectly cooked. Giovanni's was good, too, both the staff and food. I liked the food in Izumi, even if it wasn't Jan's favorite. The staff there was just OK. In fact, if I had to pick the worst crew interactions, it would be in Izumi. Don't get me wrong - they were good, just nowhere near the level of personality and friendliness of the staff in Chops or Giovanni's. Finally, our stateroom attendant Prakash was top-notch. We didn't interreact with him much, mostly just greetings in the hall, but he kept the room clean, kept us stocked with ice, and made sure we had plenty of towels and anything else we needed. I'd say that's the perfect attendant. I absolutely do not regret buying the UDP or DBP. Our specialty meals were very good and a relaxing change form the MDR. I took $100 in ones with me, and handed one out for each drink ordered at a bar. I have $42 left. So 58 drinks at an average of $12 each is $696. That does not count the dozens of bottles of water, fresh OJ, or drinks ordered in restaurants, so I am sure we easily exceeded the the $1,078 we paid for UDP. I had no problems finding the Scotch I like - Johnnie Walker Double Black. Every now and then a bar would not have it so I'd have to choke down some plebeian Black Label. Jan had lots of daquiris and white zinfandel, and I had several dozen glasses of Oberon cabernet with dinner. I never had to wait behind more than one person for a drink in a bar. The entertainment was good. We don't expect Tony-award winning performances, but it was entertaining. My least favorite was the Rhythm & Rhyme. My most favorite was the ice show. The onboard bar entertainment was good. One guy playing in the Schooner bar was a great pianist, not such a great singer, but not horrible. The duo playing in the Promenade was good. The cruise director was good, though we only saw him announcing the shows. OK, that's about it. We' begin boarding our flight shortly. Thanks for coming along!

We have Hulu and we're able to stream the Auburn vs. Georgia game on CBS yesterday on Voom I had to put it in "data saver" mode and it wound still occasionally buffer, but it was watchable.

We are deck 10 forward and while we heard it, it was not horribly loud. We sleep with fans so that helped drown out the sound.

Final stop was the bridge. No, we were not allowed to steer the ship! In fact, it was on autopilot and the captain was in the bar having his daily morning bourbon. Well, probably no, but he was not on the bridge. It was very quiet, but the best view on the ship! One thing Jan asked was about the fog horn. Since we heard it quite a bit on this cruise, she wanted to know if someone had to activate it all night. We learned that it is switch on by a bridge officer, but once on, it automatically sounds every two minutes. Oh, and another thing I learned by asking Anil, the security officer who was with us on the bridge, was what happens when a passenger misses the ship in a stopover port. As has been claimed, they do search the passengers room, including the safe, for a passport. He said they do NOT look for DL or BC documents - only passports, and that does include in the safe. If the passport is found, it will be handed to the harbor pilot who will then pass it on to the local port authorities. Passengers can then call the 800-number on the back of the SeaPass card and get instructions of who to see in the port to claim their passports. We really enjoyed this tour. It lasted two hours and we gleaned some interesting facts about ship operations. I am not sure it's worth the cost (about $100pp) but it was something fun to do for a few hours on a sea day. And every single crew member we saw behind the scenes still greeted us with a smile and a "good morning". Oh, and while we were running around, the sun cam out and it has turned into a nice day at sea, if not just a bit on the cool side.

We then took a walk down I-95, the central hallway used by the crew: And our next stop was the laundry. The most interesting part of this was the special steam mannikin that they used to remove wrinkles from evening gowns and other sensitive fabrics.

I had to get back to the room and shower and change to meet in the Royal Theater at 9:15am for our All Access Tour. By 9:30am we were on stage - literally! After seeing all the features of the stage and backstage areas, we headed to the MDR and a very brief galley tour. We did a full galley tour years ago, so no photos, but even at before 10:00am, they were busy getting ready for lunch. Next up (or down, as it was) we went to the engine control room. We were DO NOT TOUCH ANYTHING! Well, there were so many interesting looking buttons, I just couldn't help myself! So I apologize to my fellow Voyager passengers for that. No, seriously, I behaved myself, but we did hear a code alpha alert while on the tour. I'm not sure what happened - hopefully just a minor injury. I did suggest to our tour guide Filipe and the security officer Anil that they should have a fake control panel and invite passengers to press a button and then follow that with some sort of alert sound just to have some fun. They said they would definitely recommend this to Miami, so if you ever see that on an All-Access Tour on your ship, you can thank me! 😛 Next stop was provisions. They explained that all the food for the entire cruise came on in Boston, and they always stock at least wo extra days worth in case of a delay in returning to port. So what we were looking at was 3 days worth of food, which means fully-stocked would be 3x as much as we see here!

Today started out overcast, as usual And as usual my morning started out in the hot tub. I would have also done the pool, but it didn't open until 8:00am. This was the first morning I did not have the hot tub to myself!

After the ice show we headed back to the room for some monkey business 😮

A few more Ice Odyssey pics: