Newbcruiser1

Anyone know if there's a transatlantic cruise? Or is it being launched in North America?

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Very helpful! Thank you!

If anyone else has experience I'd love to hear it! :)

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I recently booked the same itinerary for this December and was so happy to stumble upon your review!

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and pictures! Anything else you would do differently next time? I am considering booking the penguin tour through Solo Expediciones. Think the boat ride would be super rough on the tiny boat v.s. The large ferry used by the cruise line?

What dining time did you have? I booked late seating but given the number of early mornings and such, I assume it would be best to change to Anytime?

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Any other experience?

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Booked yesterday! Really looking forward to 10 Sea days to explore and enjoy the ship!

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I actually really enjoy JR's on the ship and eat there at least once per cruise! It's the best place onboard to get a burger and I love their onion rings!

It's no different from anything you can get on land, but it's become a tradition for me!

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Nope! I didn't find the crowds worse than any other ship!

In fact, the NCL Epic is WAY more crowded with all of the indoor public areas being located on the lower levels mid-ship!

I found the crowds to be well-dispersed on the Anthem - similar to the Oasis!

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We stayed in a Deck 3 Interior on Oasis and it was our loudest room ever. First time in many, many cruises that I thought about complaining it was so loud with random mechanical noises at all hours of the day and night. We have stayed in crappy interiors on other ships in the past and never had issues before. I now avoid Deck 3 on the Oasis class.

Uh oh! That's what I'm worried about!

Can you share the general location where your room was? Was it a constant "white noise" or random loud clanging/banging?

I always avoid deck 2 but this looks like it might be the deck 2 of Oasis class given the lack of passenger deck under it! And now I'm stuck where I am because of price increases on the Symphony since yesterday.

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Does anyone have any thoughts on the deck 3 staterooms on the Oasis Class?

I've stayed on deck 3 in OV rooms on several cruises on other ships (that have a passenger deck 2 below) and enjoyed them!

I booked a deck 3 OV room on the Symphony transatlantic near the aft elevators under the white space to the aft/port side of the casino (where I assume the cashier area is located?). My biggest concern initially was potential noise from above. Any experience in that general location?

I then noticed that the Oasis class ships don't have a deck 2; therefore, no passenger staterooms under me. Looking at images from the outside of the ships, it actually looks like deck 3 on Oasis class is equivalent to deck 2 on other classes. Is this the case, or is there an extra crew deck under deck 3 which will help serve as a buffer against any mechanical/engine noise (which I know can sometimes be heard on deck 2 on the other ships).

And - any pics of a deck 3 OV room on the Harmony? Just trying to get a feel for size/layout!

Thanks in advance!

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I had a similar occurrence while onboard the Allure several years ago! I had just finished unpacking in my interior room and when I got back from the muster drill, there was a message on my phone saying I've been upgraded to a Central Park balcony because the family beside me (4 people) needed my connecting room once they saw how small their room was! Haha!

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Following along! Thanks for cheering on our Jays! And enjoy missing the resurgence of winter!!!

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I went on it on the day of embarkation! I showed up about 15 minutes before it opened and was the first one on it. Having said that though, it didn't provide much of a different view of NYC than what you get standing on the upper decks of the ship. They are also unable to swing it over the side of the ship while in port.

I think it would have been a better experience going on it at sea - unfortunately I was on the infamous "hurricane cruise" last February so it was closed for the remainder of the cruise (which was ultimately cancelled anyway).

If I did it again, I would do it before the ship leaves, but plan on going again while at sea! :)

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I did both a spring and fall TA last year! The caveat is that the spring one was FLL to Southampton (more northern) and the fall one was Barcelona to Port Canaveral (further south).

I preferred the fall one - 25 hour days meant an extra hour of sleep at night (versus noon time changes forward to 1pm on the spring TA which cut the day's too short). The weather was also much better (high 60's the first 2 days and then 70's to 80's with no humidity for the rest), but that could be skewed because of the Barcelona start versus Southampton end.

Loved the fall one so much that I have the freedom booked for this fall!

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Found it!

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2315001

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Am I the only one that remembers a thread from a couple years ago about a gentleman who lost a suitcase full of "pinnacle shirts" after leaving it outside their stateroom on the last night of the cruise?

There was an entire thread devoted to what a pinnacle shirt was! Same idea - custom made by the man - not courtesy of Royal Caribbean!

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Following! Was on the last 5 night Navigator cruise! :) Looking forward to your thoughts! Hopefully you have better weather than we did!

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One other thing to consider is what you will spend the OBC on! There are some things that are cheaper if pre-purchased online pre-cruise (I.e. Internet package). If you plan on using your credit for those things, you might be better off keeping your existing booking/price.

I ran into a similar issue with my upcoming Freedom TA - it's about $175 more now but includes the $200OBC. I am personally keeping my other price for the reason I stated, as well as the fact that I am hopeful the price may drop down the road before the fall (in which case I would lose the OBC from the WOW sale).

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........who was the Captain of THAT cruise? Did he have a black cloak and carrying a scythe:eek:

Maybe the bad luck was related to the fact the ship went to "St. Martian".

An innocent typo but sure gave me a good giggle!!!

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We were also on Navigator 1/29 to 2/3 and had dinner there on 1/4. First the guacamole used to be prepared table side and now it comes from the kichen. Despite allegations of fresh made, we are certain it was not and probably came from a large premade amount. Next, in previous Sabor visits when price fixed we could order a variety as long as only one maim entre: however, the numbers of allowed selections were severely limited. The fish tacos and burrito were virtually devoid of fish.The other dishes were OK but not of the memorable experiences we had before. The chips and salsa were the best of the entire dinner.The service was excellent. We might try Sabor again but with reluctance.

I actually asked about the guacamole since the menu still says table side and I was completely thrown off by the crappy service despite the empty restaurant. The waiter said it's because of food safety/hygiene - apparently they were advised that they have to prepare it in the back now due to the fact that the ingredients on the cart were exposed to people talking over them, coughing, etc.

He DID ask how spicy we wanted the guacamole and we said mild. He said "okay I'll put the peppers on the side" - and that's how it came. Who knows if it was made to order or not though. I also didn't find it to be all that great - there was WAY too much cilantro for my liking.

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Anyone remember the days you could pay to attend the fiesta in Sabor? You could also buy a wristband for five drinks at the fiesta. Lots of fun! Wonder why they quit having these?

I recall the fiesta party being at Rita's on the Allure - not Sabor. Different menu! :) I think they're going for a different "vibe" with Sabor!

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Ate at Sabor last week on the Navigator as a change from the "usual" Chops.

It was a disappointment! The restaurant was nearly empty (formal night) and yet the service was terrible. The food was okay in terms of taste (a lot of rich flavors if that's your kind of thing!). Some unique flavors as well (I.e. The shrimp main course).

Unfortunately our dinner didn't sit all that well for the next several hours. None of us were actually sick but we had killer heartburn and felt a little off for the rest of the night.

I'm glad we tried it, but I wouldn't return.

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If you have access to the printed copy and take it directly to the checkout, they don't seem to mind at all. (probably some exception to that somewhere. Royal is consistently inconsistent. )

Actually that was my first cruise where there were no pre-printed photos! It was all digital! Granted I've always avoided the photographers in the past and only used them this time for the freebie! :)

Anyway all is well - luckily the same guy wasn't there when I picked it up the following day! :)

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Navigator - Marvin was the Cruise Director on the January 29th cruise.

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Just did a 5 night on the Navigator. Day 2 was a port day (until 6pm!) but we still had our formal night that day.

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Just did my first cruise as Diamond last week!

The internet is listed as an "internet coupon" - it is the equivalent of 24 hours free (on my cruise, $19.99). You can use it for either 24 hours or apply it to a package. You can apply the coupon on your own device - very easy to use.

I also took advantage of the free 8x10 photo but ran into a weird issue. I had my seapass scanned for my parents photo (they are not yet diamond) so when I went to the kiosk and inserted my seapass, their picture came up (as expected). I flagged down a crew member to ask how to apply my coupon and he said that I have to be in the picture! I told him they're my parents and it is clearly on my seapass. He said "it doesn't matter! We look at the picture to make sure you're in it! If you're not, you have to pay!" Umm... after standing there puzzled for a few more minutes, another crew member approached and asked if I needed help. I asked how to apply the coupon, he did it for me (turned out I didn't need their help!), and bingo! No issues! No issues when I picked it up the following day either.

Other perks - diamond lounge/3 free drink credits from the limited diamond menu per evening (this varies by ship but was 5-8:30pm on my sailing). Specialty coffee machine in the lounge was out of order for the majority of my cruise so they were honoring the free specialty coffee in the promenade cafe and in the plaza bar in the Windjammer.

You can utilize the concierge in the diamond lounge but I didn't (and he didn't even introduce himself or acknowledge me when I was in there). They can help with dining reservations, account issues, airline check-in, shore excursions, etc.

And as mentioned above - make sure you set your preferences for your in-room amenity - you each get a bottle of water and a non-alcoholic beverage.

There was also a plate of (stale) cookies in my room on boarding. There was no note but I assume that was the chef's choice amenity? I saw them walking by with carts of stuff at other times for certain rooms but did not get anything else.

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