cruiserlori

Good idea for a thread.  Our April 5 cruise was canceled, and I'm reeling from the loss of all the "nonrefundable" reservations I'm having to cancel, and the airfare "credits" that I will most likely never get to use (because we found an obscure fare on an airline that's historically too expensive for us to fly.)  That being said, we took the FCC which gave us an extra $500. That will allow us to book Harmony in July, which was out of our price range before. We are super excited to experience this great ship, and hopeful all this hoopla will be over by then. Best wishes to everyone, and happy sailing!

Our daughter was 12 last year when we sailed Oasis. Previously, she absolutely loved AO, and spent every possible minute with them. On Oasis, at age 12 she was officially part of the teen program. We walked her to the teen area the first night and we all were shocked at what we saw. First of all, know that we are not "lightweights" who offend easily. We are more "suck it up and get in there" parents, and she is very much the joiner. What we saw, though, were older kids in the 16-18 year old range acting dangerously crazy. Kids were standing and jumping on top of the ping pong tables, running full out face-planting into the glass surrounding the teen area, things like that.  Kids are kids, let them have fun, I say, but the thought of my small 12 year old daughter being in there with 18 year-olds who are much physically bigger and stronger than her, and acting in that manner, gave me pause. She saw that and wanted nothing to do with it. She did not go to AO all week, and has refused to go on any cruise since, even though we told her that experience was most likely an anomaly. So, to answer your question, your child will be grouped with teens. This aging system is a flaw, in my opinion, but I will tell you, if AO isn't full, you can request that he be placed with the younger group if he chooses too. You can age them down a group, but not up. Each cruise offers a different experience, so hopefully he will have a good group of fellow sailors, and have a great time!

I completely agree with the statement about this being an unhappy crew. We are Diamond members, and always take complaints on these boards with a grain of salt, but our Freedom cruise on November 11 was the first cruise we were ever unsatisfied with. This was a very unhappy crew. We actually overheard crew on two occasions cursing about the captain. While our MDR service was excellent, service elsewhere on the ship was poor. Food quality was also bad, and I am a huge fan of RC food. The Windjammer food was terrible, and I mean terrible. I've never seen it like this. MDR food was inconsistent. Two people at our table would order the same dish, and it was served differently, with different side dishes. A tablemate praised the angus beef sliders one night, only to order them the next night and have something foul tasting, resembling a sausage roll, served to him. It was just weird. We had a horrible experience in Johnny Rockets, which just boggled my mind. That's usually so much fun, but this crew just did not want us there. We went twice, and the first time( the horrible experience), we were told that soft drinks were not included. I was under the impression that when the cover charge was raised to $7, soda was now included. Also, a gratuity was automatically added onto the bill. Never seen that before, but I bet they knew we were not inclined to tip well after the rude service. On the second visit, service was better, sodas were included, and no automatic gratuity was charged. What? For the first time ever, we had our gratuities removed, and tipped the MDR waiters and room steward, in cash. Even that experience had poor service, as I waited in line for an hour on the last day to requested the gratuity removal, and was told it would be removed and my bill the next morning would reflect it. When the bill came, guess what? All gratuities remained. After another 30 minutes in line, and 20 minutes of the guest services rep being in the back office, I was told that accounting couldn't deal with it right now, but they would make a note and it would be taken off. I didn't leave feeling confident that it would happen, but luckily it did. I love RCCL, and it was so disappointing to have this experience. For the first time, we were ready for the cruise to be over. The food was bad, service was bad, and the crew seemed angry and depressed. I hope they fix whatever the problem is on this ship, because the experience is just usually so much better.

I think some are being a little hard on the OP. While I used to take an eyeroll approach to these types of posts, I recently had a "worst cruise ever" experience myself. I think what we need to clarify is, this is the worst cruise WE OURSELVES have ever experienced. Is it better than being at work? Definitely. Did it live up to the precedence that RC has shown they are capable of? Not even close. My "worst cruise ever" was November 11 on Freedom. Service was not up to par, and it seemed to be a very unhappy crew. DR service was excellent, as always, but service in the Windjammer was nonexistent, and very few crew greeted us about the ship with a smile and a hello, as we are accustomed to. On two occasions, we actually heard crew cursing the captain. The language was so foul from the Flowrider crew on our last day, that I actually got up and left the area where I was reading. It was just a very unhappy crew. It was also the first time that we had an issue with the food. Now, food is subjective, and I've always read negative reviews with a grain of salt, because honestly, if you can't find something to eat, you've got a problem, right? Well, I am telling you, this was the saddest buffet I've ever seen on a ship. There literally was nothing we found that we liked. After the first few days, we would walk through the WJ, realize again that the pickings were slim, and we'd head to Sorrentos. I've never eaten so much pizza in my life. The buffet was just strange. For example, the salad bar lacked any kind of toppings. We never saw cheese, bacon or croutons the entire week. That is always our go-to at lunch, those great salads! On many days, the only dressings available bleu cheese, raspberry vinaigrette, and honey mustard. Strange offerings, and no ranch to be found. How do you not have ranch? One day I tried a chicken dish, and it honestly was inedible. I love the WJ, and I've never seen anything like this. MDR food was average at best. I'm so cruise obsessed, I can tell you what I'm having every night of the week, before I've even booked the cruise. I love the food! This was not the best. Several times entrees were served with sides that were not what was listed on the menu, and sometimes what was served differed from plate to plate. On the last night, my tablemate and I both ordered the seafood mash, and hers came with peas and mashed potatoes as advertised, but mine came only with some strange pumpkin and squash side I've never seen. I really wanted those peas and potatoes... (yes, of course all I had to do was ask, I know. Just making a point.) On one night, a tablemate ordered the angus beef sliders, and proclaimed them the best burger he'd had all week. (I have no idea what the soy burgers were in the WJ this time, but they were worse than the old school cafeteria burgers. Weird.) He ordered them the next night, and they were totally different. A hand formed patty the first night, and some strange sausage looking thing the next night, that looked like it had been sliced from a roll. It looked gross, and he said it tasted off, as well. We have never experienced this kind of inconsistency. We also had a terrible experience in Johnny Rockets. We LOVE JR, and look forward to having it twice or more a cruise. We were completely ignored for about 10 minutes while we waited to be acknowledged to be seated, then when we asked if someone could seat us, we were actually told "that's not my section." There are plenty of empty tables... We finally sat ourselves, then had to flag a waiter down, only to be told again, this isn't my section. What the heck? We are used to dancing and being made paper flowers in JR, what's going on? Once we got waited on, service was poor and the food not up to par. We were charged the $6.95 cover, and also charged for soft drinks, which I though was now included with the increased cover. We went back a second time, with marginally better service, and this time were not charged for soft drinks. ???

So, my point in this long response, is to agree with the OP, in that there can be a "worst" cruise. I'm not swearing off RC, by any means, but I will admit this was the first cruise that I was actually ready to get off the ship and go home. While we are not complainers, we did stop at guest services and ask for our gratuities to be removed on the last day, and explained that the service was lacking. We tipped our MDR staff and room steward well in cash. And as an aside, I waited in line over an hour to have that conversation at guest services, and was assured that when my bill came in the morning, the gratuities would be removed. Any guesses what happened? Here comes another 30 minutes at guest services, only to be told they couldn't do it right now, but would take care of it later. Hmmmm... Luckily, it was removed. I hope this cruise was just a fluke, but I must agree with the OP, that a worst cruise is a possibility. Best of luck, next time. :)

On some nights, AO will offer dinner for the kids, where you meet at the WJ or AO, and they will take the kids to the WJ to eat. This was usually around 5:30pm, I think, and then the kids would go back with the staff in time for the regular opening. This isn't really advertised anymore, but if you ask at check in on the first day, they should be able to tell you if it's offered on your night in question. My daughter loved it. Worst case scenario, take your kids in with you, order your appetizer, then slip out to take them upstairs.

It's like telling them to try Beverly at Disney World ;)

Oh my! I was wondering what Campari was, but if it's comparable to the Beverly, no thank you!!!!!

The Beverly is my favorite prank to play on unsuspecting Disney newbies. Hmmmm, maybe that was the posters intention... Shame on you Foodluvr!:p

Thanks everyone, for the great answers. We cruise the day after tomorrow, so I will be thinking of you all with my new drinks in hand.

I’m glad you asked those questions. My DH & I aren’t big drinkers either. We also are not soda drinkers. The appropriate responses are helpful. It’s good to know there are drinks available to try, other than wine.

Thank you! Would you believe we will be on the same cruise? We are on the Freedom on November 11. So, see you in the Diamond Lounge! I'll be the one looking like I don't know what I'm doing...

I don't get it, can't you just drink less than 3 (of your favorite drink, e.g. mojito or margarita) if 3 is too much for a "lightweight"?

Believe me, I can drink the three! I'm a whole lot of fun, at that point! Lol. One will actually probably suit me just fine, but I was just curious as to what to order, since I didn't think I could get my usual drinks in the Diamond Lounge. I'm looking forward to trying the suggestions I've gotten. Thanks, everyone!

Some people are just fixated on getting all that's coming to them. OP can use one of their vouchers to get their child a soda in a bar.

Actually my question was seeking advice because I'm not an experienced drinker, beyond margaritas and mojitos, and I'm looking forward to branching out. But thanks for the insult... If you don't have anything nice to say, perhaps you shouldn't say anything. No one comes to these boards to be insulted. Many thanks to those kind posters above who have answered my question wonderfully.

We are getting ready for our first cruise as Diamond members. I have done my research and have the list of our three free drinks. I am not a big drinker, beyond a margarita or a mojito, so I'm hoping someone can suggest some ideas of drinks I can order from the Diamond menu. I'm assuming we can get more than just shots of the liquor listed on the menu, right? And, will our 11 year old daughter be able to get a kiddie cocktail of some sort? Do kids get the three drinks as well? Thanks, everyone!:)

Thanks for the great review. It's good to see there are some "normal" people that sail on MSC. I was beginning to get scared that there are so many argumentative posts on these boards! We are looking forward to our first MSC cruise in August.

Two questions: do you happen to have the dinner menus? I checked in your signature, but don't see them. Would you mind to provided the link, if I did overlook it?

Will the kids program allow children to stay onboard on port days, if an excursion is NOT booked through the cruise line? I see in the dailies you posted (thank you!) that they will allow it if booked through MSC, but what if booked privately, or just going ashore on our own?

Thanks again for the informative, and positive attitude, review. :)

When you get to the beach area, walk all the way to the right. Barefoot beach is a MUCH nicer beach than the one you will reach first. It was full of seagrass and sticky mud, and made us cringe and wonder why RC would choose this as a beach location. We walked in the water to try to get out of the muck and grass, and found our way to Barefoot beach, then laughed when we saw the sign with that name. Apparently the first beach should have been named "don't go barefoot" beach, lol. We really enjoyed Barefoot beach a lot.

The buffet has very specific and limited hours. Be sure you check the Compass or make a point to check the signs at the buffet area before making your plans. We showed up for lunch at around 1:30pm, and everything was cleaned up and closed down. There weren't even drinks available. We were very hungry and thirsty, and it made for a long tender back to the ship.

Please, please, please tell me that you have copies of the 8 day menus! Or, can you at least advise what the "8th day" menu was? I have been trying forever to get the 8 day menus, with no luck. We are on the 8 day Independence in April, and I am obsessed with finding these menus. Thanks for your help!

Does anyone happen to know how Chops handles children? We would like to eat there on the first night, but there are no Adventure Ocean programs. Is there a children's menu and pricing, or would we be permitted to bring in a plate from the Windjammer for our 7 year old? I've seen young children in Chops before, so I know it's not a problem to take her, but I don't particularly want to pay $35 for the 3 bites she'll eat! :rolleyes:. Thanks, everyone!

We did this zip several years ago and really enjoyed it. We did book it through the cruise line because we had read that the area was prone to crime, though we never saw any indications of that. I will say that this is more of a ropes course than a zipline. I was 36 at the time & in mediocre shape, and I found it to be quite strenuous, and had moments where I really thought I would have to let go. The majority of my problems came from having short legs, and the ropes being spaced out too far for me to stretch comfortably to reach the next one. That being said, it was an incredible experience & I would do it again.