Cruizlovers

As the OP, my frustration remains intact despite all the good (and not so good) advise.  Yes, we have read all of the official websites and realize that a visit to Rome is probably not a great idea unless something changes.  My point is that there is no communication from Celebrity and obviously calling Celebrity directly and getting wrong information is disconcerting at the least.  I am hearing crickets from my travel agent.  Some of us have plans that involve arrangements other than the cruise i.e. airline reservations, hotel reservations and for us three AirBnB reservations (paid) in Rome, Florence and Venice.  These are things that are our responsibility but we as of today are in limbo on what to do.  Just venting at this point I guess.  Thanks for listening.  Good luck to all of us! 

Maybe this has been addressed in another post but I've not seen it.  We are booked on the Edge April 19th to ROME from Ft. Lauderdale.  I cannot find any information about cancellation or rerouting of this transatlantic voyage.  Communication with our travel agent has been very generic and NO communication from Celebrity.  I understand they are inundated but anything is better than nothing in terms of passenger confidence and planning.  Anyone on their transatlantic have any communication directly from their travel agent or Celebrity?  Thanks in advance!

Totally different dress code, no more formal nights replaced by evening chic.

 

From the website:

 

What is the onboard dress code?

Formal Night gets a modern luxury reboot. Say goodbye to Formal Night, and hello to Evening Chic. It’s your time to shine—your way. Get glamorous. Get chic. Be sophisticated. Now, on up to two nights on every cruise, Evening Chic activities have been introduced, and Evening Chic attire has replaced Formal attire. While dressier than Smart Casual, Evening Chic is intended to be less dressy than Formal attire.

 

Women should feel comfortable wearing:

 

• A cocktail dress

• Skirt, pants or designer jeans with an elegant top

Men should feel comfortable wearing:

• Pants or designer jeans with a dress shirt, button-down shirt or sweater

• Optional sport coat or blazer

Evening Chic means that you can get glamorous and be sophisticated in your own way. If you would like to still wear a tuxedo or formal gown on Evening Chic nights, you absolutely should.

 

All cruises that are 7 nights or longer will feature two Evening Chic nights. Any cruise 6-nights or shorter will feature one Evening Chic night. All other nights of the cruise will feature Smart Casual attire. Celebrity Xpedition will continue to feature casual attire for the entire cruise.

 

Smart Casual attire can be enjoyed every other night of your cruise.

 

Women should feel comfortable wearing:

• Skirt, pants or jeans with a casual top

Men should feel comfortable wearing:

 

• Pants or jeans with a sport shirt that has sleeves

Note: T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurant at any time. Shorts and flip-flops are not allowed in the evening hours. The dress code will be enforced at all restaurants. And guests are asked to follow the Smart Casual or Evening Chic dress code in the Celebrity Theater for all evening performances. The daily program, delivered to your stateroom and available at the Guest Relations Desk, will be your guide to the correct attire each evening.

Great thank you. I'm sure some folks did not like this, but for me and my family, we welcome the change. Any other changes? Can we still bring two bottles of wine!

Hello my fellow Cruise Critic Cruisers, we have an out of the cruising loop for two years due to our traveling the country in our motorhome. We just booked a transatlantic sort of last-minute sailing in April on Silhouette, and was wondering if there was anything new we should know about that changed in the last two years. I think I read somewhere that there was no more formal night, any new dress code rules? Thank you in advance for any assistance.

We just got the Navigator in November and had 1694 aft. If you don't mind the long walk the huge balcony is worth it. Great views of the wake. I'd grab that cabin unless you can't handle the extra walking. Our attendant was super.

Can you hear the noise from the centrum on the 9th deck> if so how far down the 9th deck?

We were on the 7th deck waaaaay back in the aft so we didn't hear anything. I did notice that at night the door that was in the entrance to the cabins was closed. I am sure the helped with the noise for the first several cabins.

We are on the Serenade in March...I was told the last sailing out of NOLA for RCCL. Looking forward to the city and the cruise both. I wondered...do they ask the boarding questions about being ill like Celebrity does? If so, did you embark with your upper respiratory infection?

Yes you fill out a short questionnaire but I believe that they are concerned with highly infectious diseases, i.e. Norovirus. They do ask if you've been in a west African country. I had a cough, which I believe was a sinus/allergy condition.

We will be in an aft balcony cabin (7172) for our upcoming Serenade cruise. Hopefully we won't be experiencing the seagull problem ;) Do you happen to remember what the cost of wifi access is on the Serenade?

We had 7174, I guess right next door so I imagine you will if they feed the birds. We enjoyed the balcony quite a bit otherwise. If your attendant is Rocky, he is really great, very non intrusive, very fast getting the cabin cleaned as soon as you leave the cabin. We used our free diamond minutes so I don't remember what they charge. I hope you have better luck with the connectivity.

I am so sorry you weren't able to go and enjoy! I am encouraged that your group was able to stop - it seems that I keep reading where so many do not get to tender due to high waves.

 

Get well soon!:)

Thanks!

We were also on this cruise. I agree with your observations. I thought room service was poor. We were shocked that the Windjammer now closes at 8:30! I thought 9:00 on previous cruises was sort of early. We went up to the cabin to order room service and the phone rang for 5 minutes with no one answering. So we went to Park Café and had hotdogs and hamburgers. It was not ideal, but we made different plans on other evenings.

 

I am one of the casino smokers. Since balcony smoking is prohibited, and that is the only inside smoking bar on the ship...it is the one we will use in accordance with their rules. I do agree that it might be unpleasant for non-smokers.

I sincerely appreciate your right to smoke. I wish there was a better solution other than making the casino the only indoor smoking area. Those low ceilings really keep the smoke so concentrated.

Thanks for the review Cruizlovers! We are sailing on Serenade on Saturday - getting so excited! Can you tell me if you were able to stop at Coco Cay? It won't make or break our cruise but we would love to see it!

YES! We were able to stop but I slept the whole day :mad: it looked like it was a nice beach day.

This was our 16th cruise, our 12th on Royal Caribbean so I wanted to submit a few random thoughts and observations. Unfortunately, I was sick with a respiratory condition for most of the cruise so I can't help with every venue but wanted to post some thoughts in no particular order. Your experience may differ.

- Ship looks great, a few condition issues were observed but nothing big, i.e. chipped paint on our balcony, windows were in need of a good cleaning.

- Service was great throughout the cruise, our stateroom attendant, Rocky, was outstanding.

- This was the first time we did not eat in the dining room except for one breakfast but due to my physical condition, could not sit through a long dinner. However, we ate in the Windjammer most nights and the food was good however, I would have liked a little more variety.

- Room Service was disappointing! Ordered breakfast one day, order came on time but it was shorted several items. Asked for extra cream for coffee and received whipped cream (strange but it worked). The second time we ordered hamburgers and fries at an off peak time, around 3:00 p.m. Were were told 45 minutes but it took almost an hour and the burgers were cold, bag of chips instead of fries! Disappointed with room service so we didn't try for a third time.

- Entertainment was good and varied. We made it to almost all shows and always love the Royal Caribbean band/orchestra, they are a talented bunch.

- We had an aft cabin and internet service was poor, not sure if it was our location but we struggled to get signals and the last day we couldn't connect at all.

- Diamond lounge was ok, we appreciate the perks but sometimes there were no snacks or cookies, wasn't crowded. Cool cappuccino machine though.

- Embarkation out of New Orleans was ok, not the best nor the worst. Debarkation was a little disorganized for self assist, no staff in sight. However, we were in the car from our cabin in 45 minutes. Parking at the port is a little more $$ but worth it!

- To the folks in the higher aft balconies who though it was "fun" to feed the seagulls in Nassau. Did you realize that all the pieces of crackers that the birds didn't catch, fell all over our balcony on deck 7? Also, what our feathered friends take in ....must come out, some on our balcony windows which we had the privilege of viewing until it rained two days later. Thanks for that!

- Smoking, I know this is a sensitive subject but I feel compelled to comment about the casino. It appears that the casino has become the new "smoking room." We had to limit our time (and money) in the casino due to the overwhelming smoke in there. They need to get a better air filtration system or eliminate smoking in the casino (which I am sure won't happen). Just my opinion, nuff said.

- Bed and bedding were very comfortable!

- Park Cafe is a pretty good venue for lunch or a quick snack, good roast beef sandwiches.

- We ate at Rita's Cantina once and it was good, prices are reasonable. I think this venue is underutilized for some reason.

- Cruise Directors neither make or break a vacation for us however, John and Katrina are entertaining. John's speech (The world as 100 people) in the Farewell show was touching and a nice way to put all things into perspective. I liked John a lot more after that show, maybe he should do that one in the beginning of the cruise! Katrina does look like Bette Midler (I am a fan!).

Overall another nice cruise even though I was sick during most of the cruise, it was not "ruined" as many others have said over minor problems on a cruise. A cruise is what you make it. My advise is to relax, don't expect perfection, go with the flow a bit and enjoy the privilege of cruising. I'll be happy to answer questions. Happy cruising!

We just stayed in JS 1694' it was great! It seemed like the actual cabin was bigger compared to our sons JS and the balcony was 3 times larger than his! Noise was never a problem, I'd grab that one in a heartbeat if available. The family cabins were right below us, never had a problem with those either. Long walk but appreciated the exercise. Great attendant, Elroy.

I bet you got the table that we vacated after the first night. There was one couple at our table who said no offense, but we are traveling with friends and getting moved tomorrow. We switched to My Time and the other pair had apparently already changed to something else. It was a great table location, glad that it was enjoyed.

Yes, probably so! We had our 8 year old grandson with us, I had purchased him a cute captains uniform he wore on first Formal night. A staff captain noticed him and gave him a fist bump, it was so cute! Good location, service was great!

I've heard that there is an excursion in Belize that picks you up at the ship, so you don't have to tender into the port first. Is that the Starfish Island excursion?

I'm not sure if all of the excursions do this but the one we bought from Royal Caribbean did this. We tendered onto our snorkeling vessel, then after snorkeling we were brought to Starfish Island afterwards and were brought back to the ship directly. No tendering, that was great!

Not anymore. They are now in the same venue for the duration of their contract. So unless his contract was up he will still be there.

 

We were on the Navigator in March, June and August last year and will be on her again in March and August next year. Love that ship!

Thanks for this information, if this is the case, for your free Diamond drinks, I'd avoid this bar. I ordered a rum and coke, the bartender made a tiny drink with attitude. Just a fyi!

Thanks, I really don't care for comedians but oh well. I miss the Motown Shows! :)

Ohh, ohh, ohh I totally forgot! They had a group that I believe was called Tribute. They were a tribute band to the Temptations. They were excellent! So sorry, still having cruise-lag!

The headliner was, I think called Sideshow Bert, he was a comedian/juggler and then there was another comedy show that we didn't make it to. I saw him on the TV and didn't quite like his humor. Of course there were the production shows, we saw the Then and Now show, it was pretty good. Jefferey Arpin, the Cruise Director, said that they made 16 wardrobe changes in 49 minutes. I think this was probably the best production show I've seen in a long time.

We must be hooked! Just back from the Navigator of the Seas, this is our THIRD voyage on this ship within 12 months. We did the transatlantic last year, one week in May and again on November 2nd through 9th. I’d like to make a few random observations and thoughts from our experience. This is our opinion, your experience may differ.

- Aft Junior Suite (1694) - is roomy and a great size, we had and the balcony it was three times the size of our son’s Junior Suite balcony. Lots of space, love it! The bed was too hard and the pillows were flat, wished we had asked for fresh pillows but most of the time we were exhausted and slept well. Our stateroom attendant was perfect, thank you, Elroy! However, our daughter who had a hump balcony was not so thrilled with her attendant. On embarkation day, he told her that he was very exhausted and would be back later. Most of the time their room wasn’t made up until late afternoon. Note that we all had prepaid gratuities and tipped extra. She said service/attitude improved toward the middle of the cruise.

- As far as noise right under the Flowrider/Windjammer, we experienced NO noise in this location. We did experience some heavier vibrations when arriving or departing ports. Nothing I would say bothered us.

- Diamond benefits were easily obtained through your Seapass card, no problems there and MUCH easier and more convenient than using those coupons. LOVED the three free drinks in the evenings, never made it to the Diamond Lounge other than pick up ice show tickets. BEST service and drinks were obtained from Boleros, Two Poets and Windjammer! Worst service and attitude was from the lower pool bar, avoid this bar! Drinks were tiny and bartender acted like we were bothering him.

- No corkage fee! Enjoyed taking our wine to dinner. We were willing to serve ourselves, but our waiter, Devon, insisted on serving him.

- Dining room, we were assigned a table right next to the captain’s table. Initially our family party of six were split up and assigned to two different floors. Went to the DR and after a few visits we were put together on the first floor. You just need to speak up and let them know what you want. Dining room staff were very accommodating. Not sure if our Diamond status helped.

- Dining room food - We ate in the DR twice and both nights were Formal Night. Food was very good, no complaints. Service as usual was excellent! Thank you Devon! No mention of asking for a 10 on the survey.

- Windjammer - Actually we ate there several times for breakfast and dinner. The food was fair to good. Never went hungry but wished that there was a little more variety.

- Sabor - Excellent! Food was wonderful and plentiful, if you go, go hungry! Living in Texas we feel somewhat knowledgeable about Mexican food. This was not your typical Tex-Mex food. Service is excellent, highly recommend you try this one. Well worth the surcharge.

- Johnny Rockets – Very disappointing! Waited 30 minutes for a table and almost ONE HOUR for food! Service was terrible, our waitress from Peru was missing most of our meal, we asked for water twice, finally had to ask the manager. Had to bother the manager to find out about our food and then finally to find our waitress for the check. Food was OK but NOT worth the wait nor the charge. Will skip Johnny Rockets from now on unless conditions improve.

- Excursions – We did purchase one excursion from Royal Caribbean, which was canceled the day before we arrived in Belize. They invited us to rebook another one with a 20% discount, which we did. It was the Star Fish Island and Snorkeling excursion. It was good and I would recommend. I would like to mention that we did an EXCELLENT excursion in Roatan. It was not through the ship, google Little French Key and book through their website. This was the BEST excursion we've done in 15 cruises. I highly recommend doing this one Roatan. An excellent day in Paradise!

- Shows – Shows were very good, we always enjoyed them. I know they’re not always great but we remind ourselves that we didn’t pay extra for them and always enjoy live entertainment. Didn’t see all of them but enjoyed the headliner. We missed the ice show but our niece took our grandson and they said it was awesome!

- Adventure Ocean – We had our 8 year old grandson with us, the staff in the kids club is excellent. Our grandson really enjoyed spending time in there and always was reluctant to leave so they must be doing something right!

- Debarkation – self-assist walk off was kind of unorganized but in the end it worked out OK. Since there are now so many people doing self assist, it seems like they are unprepared for handling the big crowd. Everyone mostly was well behaved but there’s always one or two people who think that they don’t need to follow the rules. “Do you mean you want me to drag my bags all the way down there to wait?” Yes, sir, just like the rest of us did…. Sheesh…

Summary: Another great cruise on the Navigator with no major complaints, will probably wait until the Liberty comes to town before booking another one out of Galveston. Would be happy to answer any questions. Happy Cruising!

I'm not understanding why someone would want to micro manage the tipping process? Why do you want to spend any amount of your precious vacation time standing in line removing tips, calculating who gets (or deserves) what, disbursing tips? Maybe your trepidation is concerning poor service? I'm not sure what is the motivation is but if you're not happy at the end of your cruise, I imagine you could remove all tips. Just my .02 but in 15 cruises I've never had service so bad as to deny tips. I'm thrilled I don't have to deal with envelopes anymore, we pre pay tips and just hand extra cash for exceptional service. Me thinks it's either cheapness or a power issue for some cruisers. Karma!

Yes I think better safe than sorry applies here. She is getting the letter and will keep it with her. If you go on the US Border website they also recommend getting a letter due to parental abductions and other unsavory things. Thanks to all who responded!

Wouldn't she call the people she booked with to get that info,

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=329&faqSubjectName=Cruise+Documents&faqId=2814

Yes she did but they said she needs nothing. Obviously, you need to be responsible and make sure the info you receive is correct. The link that was provided (thank you) says otherwise. We will be getting a letter to avoid any delays at the pier.

My daughter is traveling with her 8 year-old son on a cruise in November. She has a passport he has passport card. Does anyone know if she needs a letter from the father to take the son on this cruise? There is no divorce or conflict here just don't want any last-minute surprises at the pier. Thanks in advance!

Do you think this applies to all ages? I homeschool, so I am not sure how things work in schools, but we do a lot of review the first few weeks of school. Is that the case for you?

ATTENTION PARENTS: My parents took me and my sisters out of school early year to travel to Europe for 6 weeks. I took my two kids out of school early to travel to to Europe. Now my daughter will take her son out of school for a one week cruise in November. I am no means thumbing my nose at school attendance but the exposure to world travel, different cultures, history and priceless memories is worth it. None of us has suffered any lasting effects because of missing a week or two of school. But we will all remember the fantastic trips we took with our families!

We really like Aft cabins.

 

We sailed in 1394 on the Voyager of the Seas, Australia and New Zealand cruise back in Dec 2012. I think 1694 and 1394 are similar JS cabins.

 

Some pictures of the cabin can be found here.

http://guitar123foodandtravel.blogspot.sg/2014/03/voyager-of-seas-australia-new-zealand.html

Thanks so much everyone for the comments and the photos were very helpful. Does anyone have any videos on the balcony? I'm thinking that's the view is better on the higher deck because of the lack of the superstructure there or is there still some blockage? Can anyone confirm?