azkcruizers

Hi,

I was trying to decide if I was going to purchase some of our dining packages when onboard so I could use our onboard credit for it versus purchasing online and  paying ahead for it.  I thought there was a price difference in them but I can't seem to find it.  For example a 3 night package online is $118 with gratuity and tax, what might it be onboard?

Thanks for your help!

Thank you once again for those that have sent thoughts to my Mom.

Seeing the thread is still continuing on, I took a moment to try to give you a visual of what I'm speaking about.  The photos I posted are from Cruise Critic's Symphony of the Seas Chop's Grill page.  They are not my pictures and not taken when I was there.The first picture shows the alcove where you check in with the hostess and wait to be seated.  It's separate from where the tables are.  Yes, I found it funny for waiters to be coming through that area with plates to serve tables.  At the time this happened there were approximately a dozen people waiting here.

The second picture shows a table where the booth is against the wall and opposite are chairs.  This is the table my party was seated at.  From my chair you can see the small table I'm speaking of where plates were piled.  My salad plates that came to the table were at least 50 percent overlapping each other.  The computer screen you see actually looked flat in the center of the table.  Dirty plates were all piled up.  Everything was touching each other and the servers were pushing the plates aside in all directions to punch orders in.  This is also where plate scraping was going on over the top of a silverware tray.  Do you see the handles of the cupboards under the table?  This is where dirty plates of food were being shoved inside and then removed and scraped.  This is a very small table where all of this is happening.

The first visit to medical my Mom was given an iv for dehydration and had zofran and imodium.  She went back to her room when that was complete with the port still in.  I could bring her back later or the next morning to remove it.  The Dr.  did tell me she had norovirus.  I asked him if there were others on the ship with it and his reply was we always have some amount of noro going on.  I'm just telling you what he told me.

The second visit to medical was at 2am.  I called the nurses line and was told to bring her in.  I did and when she was settled she said I will get the Dr. now.  I'm assuming because of the time she had to wake him.  This was a different Dr.  Very brief and not friendly.  He examined my Mom and I explained we had been in already and diagnosed with norovirus.  He said I know.  When he walked away I didn't realize he wasn't returning.  The nurse came in and started an iv and I asked her what she was getting.  She told me antibiotics in case of infection.  She had to take them also the next five days by mouth.  I asked if this happens often with norovirus and she said sometimes.

We were there several hours and during that time there were other calls to the nurses line and the nurse asked them the same questions she had asked me about diarrhea and vomiting.  My niece had gone to the medical center during the week as well for upper respiratory issues and at that time there people were there getting their ports out.  I can only guess that they were also possibly diagnosed with norovirus.  Once my mother had been diagnosed we had a small yellow square magnet on the top of our door.  The cruise line is not required to report norovirus unless there is a certain percent of passengers effected.  I believe it's 2 percent.

You can take what you want from the photos and my final explanation.  I meant to share my story once again in case you see anything like this.  

I came to share the experience that I had on the Symphony hoping that Royal Caribbean did take care of the obvious problems that happened and so that anyone else that may want to keep an eye open could.  I had no idea that people would think that I actually made up the story.  Thank you to those of you that provided kind words or thoughts about my Mom or those of you that questioned without being rude.  I love cruising and am diamond on Royal but cruise other lines as well.  I was on the Mariner a month ago and my Mom and I have been booked on the Ovation's 11 night Alaska cruise in May.  I will continue to cruise Royal and I don't believe that the actions of a few represent the whole staff.  I just came here to share my story and didn't expect people to post memes of my name, call me a debbie downer, that 83 year olds shouldn't be cruising, give wrong information on how long after you are exposed you come down with norovirus, post pictures of salads that we didn't order, know how my mom holds hand rails, turns door knobs, takes stairs and pushes buttons from a wheelchair...when I only meant she touches a lot less than an ambulatory person.  For those of you that have provided great information to me over the years thank you.  For the rest that have had such a swell time criticizing and ridiculing me please continue and enjoy yourself.. I won't bother defending myself anymore.

52 minutes ago, klfhngr said:

So sad that as to what CC has become (not CC in general, but some of the people on CC)... Fellow cruisers go out of there way to report issues for the sake of others... and then they get flamed! If you don't like what's being posted, move on to another thread! No need to flame someone that has taken the time to help fellow cruisers! How many of us have seen something that isn't right and never said anything?! I know I'm guilty of this!

 

Anyhow, thanks Op for the heads up! I'll be on SOS in May and I'll definitely be looking out! Glad that your mother is feeling better. My mom is 71 and she has another 20/30 years of cruising left in her!

 

Cruise on!

Thank you....someone is actually human here lol.  

4 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Sorry, this is what I find to be unbelievable in the OP's story.  So, no one noticed that their food was all flattened from having another plate stacked on top?  No one noticed that when the courses were removed that the tablecloth was stained by the food on the bottom of the plate from being stacked on food?

The plates were salads and not stacked straight up in the air.   I would say probably 50 percent in order to fit them on this small table/counter.

4 minutes ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

The fact that the OPs name is "Karen" is absolutely delicious!

And why is that?

I believe I said I leaned to my niece and asked her what was going on as I had just realized something wasn't right.  That was how the situation began to unfold.  I didn't say that I kept this a secret from the table.  I couldn't have if I wanted to.  There were a couple of waiters at our table and the manager and I was obviously upset.  I'm also baffled why we didn't get up and just leave and stated that as well.  I actually was shocked.

Hi, I posted my experience for others to just keep an eye open and because I was just so disappointed.  I'll try to clear a few things up.  We were on board for about 56 hours before going to chops and my Mom had no symptoms of anything at that time.   She doesn't hold hand rails, or door knobs, or touch elevator buttons, or get her own food.  She does touch tables and ate food given to her from the buffet.   When I realized the mess at the table and said something to my niece other people were already eating that course.  That was when the server leaned over and set three more plates down and I had the discussion with him.  Those last three plates were replaced.  The rest of my table did realize at that point something was going on.  They were not in view of this table and I explained it to them.  Of course I wished I had them give back the rest on their plates at that time.  Believe me it was a big deal.

Yes my mother is 83 and in a wheelchair but has no medical condition that warrants her to not travel.  I purchased her travel insurance as well. I do carry a list of her meds and gave it to the dr.   She received iv fluids for dehydration and blood was drawn.  Tests were done to check her kidney function due to the dehydration.  That is something her own dr had told  me in the past to do if she was dehydrated.  I was told she had norovirus and that it takes 24-48 hours to come down with.  I was also told there were others on the ship with it.  The second visit another iv was started with antibiotics.  I asked the nurse why and she said "in case of infection".  I asked if the norovirus comes back like this and she said "yes sometimes".  

You cannot place plates of food one on top of the other with the bottom of a plate on top of food that is going to be served.  You cannot store plates headed to a table and ones returned together.  A server touching the tops of both plates is definitely spreading germs.  I guess you had to picture what was going on at this little table.

Meeting with people at Royal, I was apologized to, told these things would be fixed and no they definitely are not supposed to do those things at that table.  The words cross-contamination were used.  I was told they watched video.  I have been offered compensation of some sort but it is through headquarters and I'm supposed to hear from them.  I don't think I'm being dramatic.  Cruising several times a year, my son had norovirus on the Oasis just over a year ago.  I didn't complain to anyone nor ask for anything because of it.  This was a totally different situation.  

I hope I cleared any questions up from my original post.  Happy and healthy cruising to you.

My family of 7 disembarked the Symphony yesterday.  This cruise was 14 months in the making, consisting of my husband and myself, my three kids in college, my niece that usually cruises with us and my Mom who is 83 and travels in a wheelchair.  Traditionally we have cruised together once a year for years now.  I lost my Dad two years ago and it was a lot of work to convince my Mom to come without him.  With the kids at college and my niece living four hours away we were so excited to spend this time together.

We purchased 5 nights of dining ahead and made reservations once on board.  Not an easy task even though we were among the first to board.  By tradition we eat the first and the last night at Chops but had to settle for the 2nd and 5th night instead.  No problem just disappointment.....not a big deal we were on a cruise!!  On the second night we went to Chops for our 8 pm.  dinner.  We were in the entranceway for at least 15-20 minutes waiting for our table.  I found it funny that a couple of times a waiter walked through carrying plates of food that was going to be served.  We finally get seated and order.  We were at a long table and began eating.  At some point I looked into the small area where the waiters have a small table with the computer on it where orders are placed.  I could see plates there and at first didn't pay much attention, but after a bit of time I looked closer and realized exactly what was going on.  There were plates of food yet to be served piled on top of each other...along with plates that had leftovers of food and dirty silverware piled up in the same area.  I watched as waiters came to place orders and used their hands on the clean plates pushing them aside out of the way of the keyboard.  Dirty plates were being touched at the same time.  These were actually  placed over a clean container of silverware.  As my table was being served their next course I leaned to my niece asking her what is going on here?  I believe that it had just started to sink in to her as well.  She's like I'm watching too, I'm not sure.  With seven in my party some people are eating courses ahead of others.  I watch and see the next several plates come off of that dirty table and set in front of us at our table.  I honestly was in shock and couldn't believe it.  I told the waiter exactly what I saw and that this was not acceptable and a health violation.  Anything I asked him he just looked at me in silence and said I'm sorry.  The last couple of plates were removed and replaced as part of my party continued to eat and had no idea what was going on.  I was so upset and everyone was uncomfortable.  A manager did come over and I told him exactly what happened and my concerns.  He didn't have much to say.  

As dinner continued I watched the waiters remove dirty plates from underneath this table in a cupboard and scrape leftover food onto a plate on this same exact table and pile the plates up.  It was disgusting.  This very small table and the cross contamination going on here was unbelievable.  Dinner was finished and everyone in my party left except me.  I confronted the waiter and told him how upset I was and why.  The manager came back to talk to me and I explained what else was going on at that table and how I felt they were contaminating food and serving it to people.  I actually told him how afraid I was of my Mom getting sick at her age and how this had ruined our entire evening.  In hindsight, I would have done things differently.  I should have stopped everyone from eating immediately, spoken to the manager and left.  I believe the shock of what I was seeing left me unsure of what to do and not wanting to totally ruin our evening and formal night.  It was actually ruined from the moment that happened.

33 hours later my Mom woke up with violent diarrhea and vomiting.  It was four hours before I could even get her out of the bathroom and call for medical to come and get her.  She was diagnosed with norovirus and dehydration.  She stayed for iv fluids and some testing due to other health conditions then released to her room and in isolation.  I mentioned my Mom is 83 and uses a wheelchair which means that in this condition someone had to be with her for most of the time.  She was released the next day from isolation but still unable to leave the room or eat much due to the illness.  Then next day she did get to watch a show but was just exhausted and not herself.  At 2am the following morning the vicious cycle started again.  I got her to the medical center and back on iv and antibiotics this time.  At that time she was quarantined for the rest of the trip.  

I cannot even explain how upset our family was and is and how certain we are that we know where this came from.  My Mom had only two days before this ruined the trip.  The rest of my family couldn't be around her.  I missed a lot of the things we had planned and was exhausted from lack of sleep taking care of her and worry.  We never got off the ship as a family.  I had to cancel snorkeling and my son stayed on with her while I got off in St Kitts for a short while.  Honestly I feel like the trip didn't even happen.  All of the things we were going to do never happened.

I repeated my story time after time starting at guest services and had to repeatedly demand to talk to someone else.  It wasn't easy and is still not solved at this point.  We got home late last night and my Mom is doing fine now and that's what is important, but Im broken hearted over the cruise that was supposed to happen.

Hi,

My family has three cabins booked on the Symphony for March 2nd.  I went to book dining and ultimate shows up but I'm only able to make a reservation for one person.  Am I to assume that they are sold out?

My next choice would be a 5 night but apparently they have been done away with.

I'm wondering if it's safe to book a BOGO and a 3 night package?

One last question, if I book the dining separate for each of the rooms can I make the reservations while on board for all 7 of us or do they need to be purchased under a party of 7?  I wanted to use our on board credit and I can't do that when I connect us all.

Thank you for your help!

Just wanted to thank everyone for their replies.  We got great airfare to Seattle so we ultimately decided to fly to Seattle the morning of the 11th and spend one night and take the Amtrak train to Vancouver on the morning of the 12th and spend a night there as well and board the ship on the 13th.  I got reasonable rates on hotels with a Hilton family discount so I decided to play it safe and take our time and enjoy ourselves!

On 10/21/2018 at 4:58 PM, vivian02 said:

I think we are on the same cruise since we will be in Juneau on May 19th. I think you have done your home work very well as far as your plans go. The one thing we can't control is the weather. My wife and I usually try to get out to Mendenhall when in Juneau. This last cruise in September of 2018 was not problem. However May of 2017 it was over cast and raining. In 2017 we just stayed close to the ship and sure enough the whales decided to do their thing in good view of our ship. I called that the free whale watch. This year we made it out to Mendenhall which we have always enjoyed. For those who have never been out to Mendenhall I will attach a picture.  

I'm sailing on the May 13th Ovation of the Seas so maybe we are!  I see that the trail to Nuggett Falls looks unaccessible by wheelchair but I read a review of someone saying that you could get there by wheelchair.  Any thoughts on that?

On 10/19/2018 at 4:22 PM, donaldsc said:

 

Why are the 2 people who are doing the tour going back to the ship to get a bite to eat.  Grab a bite to eat and stay in town.

 

DON

On 10/20/2018 at 5:50 PM, zqvol said:

There are too many interesting places to eat in Juneau to go back to the ship to eat.

This is a special girls trip with my two sisters and my Mom who will be 84 and has to travel in a wheelchair.  My parents have always cruised with my family and we lost my Dad two years ago.  Since then I take my Mom when I cruise with my own immediate family.  Seeing she can only walk a very short bit, but has trouble with steps, uneven ground, and the motion of the ship and in different places she will be spending most of her time sitting in a chair or the wheelchair.  One of my sisters and I had really wanted to do the seaplane and that's why my Mom and other sister were getting back on board the ship for that time.  After the flight we were jumping back on so I could get back to my Mom and just had thought it might be easier to grab a bite on the ship to eat seeing we are trying to squeeze as much out of the day as we can.  Although my two sisters are going I am and feel pretty much responsible for my Mom so I know I'll be anxious to get back to her ❤️  Thank you for the suggestion and maybe we will find something amazing to eat off the ship!

On 10/19/2018 at 6:36 PM, wolfie11 said:

The whales feed pretty much 24/7, especially in May when they haven’t eaten for 6 months.

Thank you!  I guess somewhere I thought someone said early is best but I know so much is by chance anyways!

1 hour ago, wolfie11 said:

You might also consider spending the afternoon at the glacier and taking the evening whale watch....

I had thought about that as well...I was considering doing the whale watch from 3-7pm.  I don't know why I was thinking that the whale sightings would be a better chance earlier in the day.  Is there a better time to whale watch than another?

14 hours ago, AKfamily said:

Nope! It should be light out at that time of evening. I’d allow at least an hour for the trail to the falls. The cab part is what I’d be the most concerned about. They aren’t always the most reliable here. Call that morning when you get into port to schedule a pickup, and call again after the whale watch to confirm. Also, most shops won’t be open until 9 or 10am downtown. I recommend coffee and pastries at Rookery or a walk to Overstreet Park to see the sea walk and whale sculpture, or both! 

Thanks for the suggestions, I"ll look into that!

We will be in Juneau on May 19th from 7am to 9pm.  I've done a lot of research and trying to cement my plans for the day!  Hoping for opinions on if this looks doable or am I missing something!

I'm thinking that we could get off about 8:30am and roam around the port in the shops and possibly check out the Red Dog Saloon before returning two people in our group to the ship and the other two will be taking the 5 glacier seaplane trip at 11:30am.  That should return about 12:45pm.  Hop back on the ship for a bite to eat.

We have a whale watch scheduled from 2-6pm being dropped off at the Mendenhall Glacier.  We are looking to just take some pictures and do the Nugget Falls trail.  From what I have read, I will have had to contact a cab company to arrange a ride back to the ship.  I was thinking to try to do that for about 7:30 pm thinking that should give us time to get back to board the ship.  This is the part I'm concerned about.  Is it too late to go to the glacier?

Thanks for your help!!

Hi...during our stop in Juneau in May on the Ovation of the Seas, I'm considering the 5-glacier seaplane exploration. There are several times offered but I was considering the first one of the day at 8:30 in order to fit in a whale watch and some other sights. Is there any time of day that's better than others for this excursion? I was wondering if fog is more likely a problem in the morning? Not everyone in our party is doing the seaplane so I didn't want it to break up the day in the middle.

Anyone that has done this or something similar....just curious how turbulent can these planes be? Is it very different than flying on a commercial airplane. Sorry if that's a silly question :D

Thanks for your help!

Thank you everyone for your help. It looks like it's $1000 more to fly into Vancouver so I think we will fly into Seattle and spend a night and then train to Vancouver the next morning and spend a night there before the cruise. I will worry less about making it on time and we will make the most of our time together. Thanks so much!

Hi,

My mom , two sisters and I will be sailing on the Ovation to Alaska May 13th. The ship leaves from Vancouver but we will be flying into Seattle the day before. I've settled on taking Amtrak to Vancouver but am wondering if anyone has had any problems doing that the same day as sailing? It says the train gets in at 11:45 am but I don't know how often this route experiences delays...and have customs and traffic in my head as well. We will have our luggage of course, and my Mom can walk some but will be in a wheelchair..so I won't have the fastest moving group! If I was taking a real chance I would probably fly an extra day ahead to Seattle and then train the day before the cruise to Vancouver but didn't want to unless I really had to . Thanks for your help!!!

Thank you so much...I was just looking at them. So helpful to plan! Not sure if you had all of them...I was missing days 1 and 2..but received all of the rest.

Thank you for taking the time to do this! I sent you an email as well.

Thank you! We board March 11th for a week and I just assumed it was the same itinerary without checking!

Hi...I was wondering how the disembarkation went this week on the Dawn....After the reports I saw last week I'm sure I booked a flight that's too early and am just procrastinating changing it ;p Thanks!!