SecretSK

On 4/14/2023 at 4:29 PM, SeaShark said:

 

Buttons or not, you don't need to dry dock a ship to fix a hot tub.

That’s fair, perhaps the hot tub was not a great example.  My point was the ship was in decent shape but was showing some wear in some places.  It really just needs a bit of sprucing.
 

The jet/whirlpool buttons I saw were worn away/broken and I thought it was odd they were left that way. It did not impact my enjoyment of the cruise, it was just something I noticed.  I figured at the time, perhaps incorrectly, that they save repair/replacement for larger items for times like dry dock. I guess I was wrong. 

We were on the same cruise!  We had a great time.  Great weather too until the last sea day. I also only smelled pot once out on my balcony.  I was surprised by the drug sniffing dogs but they were really cute! 
 

Legend needs dry dock, though. Just minor stuff. Example, the hot tub under the glass roof, the jets don’t work. Or maybe I missed some buttons?  

Bonsai sushi was really fantastic.  The staff at the deli and pizza pirate really got a workout! 
 

The port of Baltimore really is the best for disembark.  Can’t beat walking off the ship and back home within an hour.

4 hours ago, Sickballer34 said:

We don't have the EDL driver license. Will check in to it ty

please check with the vital chek site. I wanted an extra copy of my daughter’s birth certificate and I was able to make an appointment for the next day in person through that site.

I would also suggest trying for an in person urgent travel passport appointment. Appointments can be made by phone within 14 days of international travel but only if you don’t apply before you call. Except you need to get the birth certificates first.  
 

I hope you don’t have to cancel!

On 2/18/2023 at 1:10 AM, spocruiser said:

Highly recommend The Bering Sea Crab Fisherman's Tour as well.  Wife and I did it four years ago, probably our favorite excursion on our Alaska cruise in any of the ports.  Thinking of doing it again on our Alaska cruise this coming July.

Another enthusiastic recommendation for the Bering Sea Crab Fisherman Tour.  While the tour boat was previously on Deadliest Catch, the tour is not nearly as fishing/crab pot focused as you may be imagining.

Instead, the tour is very focused on storytelling and understanding of Alaska (the tour team clearly love Alaska), learning about the animals and fish that call the area home and also respect of the native people who were there first.  We did some amazing tours during our visit last August and this one was easily our favorite.  The tour takes you through a protected area where we saw a lot of eagles from the boat and they also have tanks full of all kinds of local sea life. It’s not all or even mostly crab centered.
 

I definitely think watching some videos would be helpful in making an informed decision. Good luck and hope you love your cruise!

Great thread!  You’re making me miss Ovation and Alaska all over again. We sailed her a few weeks ago on the 12th-19th.  It looks like your weather is a lot like it was for our trip, not cold but rainy and misty.  A few friends sailed on Ovation last week and had a lot of sun on their port days.

What’s next on the itinerary? Victoria?  We wound up staying on the ship then highly enjoyed watching from our balcony as all aboard got closer. I hope you have time to do something fun! 

On 8/27/2022 at 10:42 AM, CruiserBruce said:

When functioning as tenders, capacity is usually 100 people. Only when functioning as a life boat does capacity become 150 people.

 

For the OP, most cruise lines absolutely give priority to ship's excursions. But many think ALL of the excursions all leave within the first 30 or 60 minutes of arriving, when in fact, there will also be excursions that leave at staggered times throughout the day. And not every passenger will be taking a ship's excursion.

 

Nobody will be able to guarantee you make your 9am excursion. Do everything you can according to RCI's procedures to get off ASAP...tender tickets, whatever, (I don't know anything about The Key, or how that helps you). Is your private excursion just for you? If so, they will likely wait for you. If its a group, they will probably wait a little bit...they know the situation due to the tendering.

We just sailed Ovation earlier this month and on the tenders out into Skagway in the morning they definitely went over that 100 passenger suggestion. I overheard the crew say how many, I can’t remember exactly but I think it was close to 120. They had large groups for different ship sponsored excursions and they were determined we’d all fit on one tender. We did, but it was close quarters.

The tender process was fine, honestly. They were very efficient and organized in moving guests from the theater to the tender promptly. 
 

Coming back was much easier. The tenders would leave the instant they had enough passengers to make a trip.

@johnintx if you aren’t on a ship tour, just be sure to get an early tender ticket and you’ll be absolutely fine. I never noticed the Key signage while on board but I’m sure it will help to get you off quickly.  Have a great time!

5 hours ago, cjknox said:

Asking "for a friend"

 

When you cruise, do you feel a sense of pride when:

 

1. Your ship is the largest in port
2. Your ship has the most top deck amenities (waterslides, gokarts, etc)

 

If so, why? If not, why?

No and no. We choose a particular cruise for a balance of ship and itinerary, but I have no desire or need to sail the biggest or newest ships. Biggest cruise ship sounds like a recipe for a crowd to me. No thank you.

I wouldn’t, mostly because in my experience, the facilities are not convenient for a baby in diapers. I haven’t sailed Royal in a while (I hope this has changed) but the last time we were on a ship with a toddler in diapers they didn’t have changing tables in the public restrooms. When we were playing in the nursery, all the way forward, we were told we’d have to return to our cabin to change a dirty diaper. Our cabin was aft, so it was not a fun process. 

The possibility of the baby being exposed to illnesses before being immunized is a concern, too. It’s not actually comparable to sending your 6 month old to daycare - unless your daycare happens to cater to international travelers. 🙂

3 hours ago, evandbob said:

Didn't see any cereal boxes on the Conquest 8/24 to 8/31 sailing that we just disembarked from - only the crank bulk dispensers.  You can try putting some cereal in a zip lock and smuggle off the ship, but I wouldn't recommend it.  If you get caught and fined, it's really not worth it.  Bad example as well. Better to bring your own boxes from home and keep them sealed until you get on land in a port.

 

Or, bring some of the small yogurt containers if your kids will eat them for a snack.  Enjoy your cruise.

I can confirm, there were no boxes in the buffet on the Pride last week. Only the cereal dispensers.

Agree with the advice above, only bring pre-sealed completely packaged snacks off the ship.

it would be easiest to just bring your own little boxes.

I hope this is true! We were just in Freeport on the Pride last week. We had a great time in Freeport but the location and design of the port is not great. All of the “good stuff” on the island requires a drive and the port facility is really inefficient. 

Because of the big metal gate around the port buildings and with only one gate open at the forward end of the ship, the line to get back onto the ship was really long. They can easily fix these problems, especially with an improved facility. 

They were sitting at Guest Services when we got on board. It was really useful to have the Fun Times to read while we were waiting for our cabins to be ready!

5 hours ago, RoperDK said:

Has anyone been on a ship recently that had breakfast sandwiches for a $3 charge added to the breakfast order form? I saw a picture of the new form on a site that we can't mention here.  I believe there were 4 different kinds of typical breakfast sandwiches.  The normal breakfast items were the same and were free. 

Yes, we just sailed Magic (off the ship this morning, boo boo) and one morning ordered the breakfast sandwiches from the hanger you put on your door. As I recall it was $3 for each, with three options. English muffin with egg, cheese & ham. Biscuit with sausage, egg & cheese and one with a crispy chicken something.

I love breakfast sandwiches and eggs and mine (with sausage) was really bad. I was disappointed. The egg was good but the sausage was thick and chewy and the biscuit was odd. Hopefully we caught them on a bad morning and others liked them.

Don't pass on Chops because of any comments made here. It's the best place on the ship to celebrate special events. You'll have a lovely time :)

I completely agree with this! Some people are stuffy about small children all over the ship, honestly, but we had dinner in Chops with my 17 month old and no one even noticed she was there until dinner was almost over (she started playing peek a boo with her napkin).

They do not have a kids menu, but my daughter was fine eating the side dishes like broccolini, mashed potatoes, au gratin potatoes and lots of bread. I'm not sure what ages your kids are, but I would ask once you're on the ship.

Btw, the cruise compass on our cruise said something like "guests over 13 years of age are welcome". I thought that meant she couldn't eat there at all, but I called and they confirmed it was fine - and they brought in a high chair from MDR.

I hope you have a great meal!

Wow, I'm really sorry your daughter's bag was lost. I'm always afraid that sort of thing will happen - that someone would pick up one of our bags without checking the tag and just walk off with it. Unfortunately, it's a bit of a free-for-all. Unless it was placed in the wrong area, or lost its color tag, I'm not sure how RC would ever be able to find it. I've never had anyone confirm my baggage is mine before leaving the airport/cruise. Has that happened on cruises you've taken?

I agree with the suggestions - we never pack anything of particular value in our luggage, especially not an iPod. That's for a carry on, where it will be in my control the entire time.

I hope you're able to get your complaint satisfied, even if it isn't through RC directly.