chiguypaul

I am going on the Utopia of the seas on August 19, 2024. Is there a way to find out if there is a large group on my sailing?

On 1/12/2024 at 3:00 PM, Engineroom Snipe said:

 I have been with RCI since 1988 when food was the main focal point. Six cruises since the opening after the pandemic. My last one in November finally reminded me of what I was used to in a good quality experience in the food area.

 

I see myself in your review. Fruit was missing in action for the first three cruises. The braised lamb was either wonderful or awful. Soups were limited and could have come out of a can. Salad bars were severely limited in choice, and all of the chicken and meats seemed to disappear in some sauce that was nondescript.

 

If you got your Icon cruise at  good price, I would go just to experience a new ship. I would hope being the new darling of the fleet, it might have the best food and chefs onboard.

 

I have two more reserved this year that I reserved awhile ago. I am hoping for the best.

My excitement and enthusiasm for the Icon will likely far surpass my thoughts on the food despite the pricing on the holiday sailing I’m on. Food is just one part of the overall decision on which line and ship to take. 

12 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I would never tell someone their opinion on food was wrong, since food is very subjective. However, if I felt like you did about RCI’s food quality, I definitely wouldn’t cruise on RCI again. 

Well I don’t think it’s that simple. No cruise experience is perfect and has everything. There are many things I really like about Royal and I’m very excited about the Icon. So just because the food is average, on average, doesn’t mean I won’t go on Royal again. The food is just one factor of many in the decision process. 

And feelings on food are very subjective - absolutely. But it’s a fact that RCL has taken steps to reduce their cost in the dining room.

16 hours ago, twonpcb said:

I know this is a very touchy subject but I have seen several posts regarding how Royal’s food quality has gone south recently.  My husband and I were on a Celebrity cruise last January to Antarctica and we found the food superb.

 

Can anyone expound on this?  We have not cruised Royal since before the pandemic.

 

 

Lots of chatter on this site about the food. I have been on 20 Royal Caribbean cruises. Three in the past 18 months. Just got off the Odyssey in December. Food in the main dining room is not good. All of the favorites we had like ossa buca , braised short rib, rack of lamb, fruit, soups, soufflé, etc. etc. etc. - all gone. Significantly fewer options in the main dining room. Overall main dining room quality is below average at this point.  We’ve actually been rethinking our icon of the seas New Year’s Eve cruise because of it. Just my two cents. 

Just a quick personal anecdote that I think some will appreciate. I am a diamond member, so I frequently will try to get to the cruise port as soon as possible to be on the ship as early as possible with my family. I used to value this because I wanted to savor every minute I could on day one, and to do things like flowrider  when the lines were really low.

Today, my family arrived for our odyssey cruise at 12:30, we checked in and walked right on. It was such a nicer experience. Honestly, getting those additional one or two hours really didn’t matter. And it was so great to not have to sit in the terminal waiting. And to stand in line, waiting outside for the terminal port open.

Now that thing said, we did not have to worry about making unlimited dining reservations, there was nothing specifically we had to make reservations for as soon as we got on,etc. So not boarding right away didn’t really matter.  The only issue we ran into today was that the complementary Ifly spots were taken. But my son has done a couple times so not a big deal.

Anyway, I’m done trying to be “first”. 

14 minutes ago, Retired LEO said:

Every boarding day at 9:00 the text comes through. 

Hmmm. Maybe my cell phone wasn’t on the reservation in the past. 

I leave on the Odyssey today. I received a text message about making sure I come at my designated time. I don’t recall ever seeing a text message like that sent by Royal. Anyone else seen it?  Just curious. 
 

Overall quality of the food in the master dining room is the biggest and most material change to me. 

2 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

Do you need to RENT a knee scooter? Isn't there a loan cupboard near you? In our town we can get crutches, wheelchairs, knee scooters etc. from fire/ambulance services, the Elks club, Shriners, Masonic Temple etc. Call around, you may find you can borrow what you need and not have to pay a rental fee.

Convenience for me. Scooter delivered directly to my room and picked up from my room. Worth the money.

18 hours ago, budmeister said:

Yes. Scoot Around 1-888-441-7575 107.00 for a knee scooter ( which I def recommend  as the best option!)  plus 30.00 if you want cancellation insurance, good  as of last week for 1/7 Wonder sailing, 7 day . Price was held only for the day. 

 

Special needs at C  1-800-513-4515 105.00 and 50.00 cancellation fee 8 days out, then no refunds. 

 

Sam pricing conditions as above. 

Prices like a cruise or airline... only good at the time? I thought that was weird.

 

 

I booked through Scootaround. Very helpful staff via phone and chat. 

Thank for everyone's thoughts and opinions. I saw my ortho doctor today and I'm in a boot that I can walk in immediately - so lucky on that front. Will have additional X-rays to two weeks to confirm everything is on track prior to leaving for cruise. So I will not need a special room or a scooter, but I do plan on renting a knee scooter from Scottaround or some other company.

Odyssey 

I’m so frustrated. I fractured my ankle. On crutches and in cast. Can get around as needed. Have cruise on December 24th. I know I can get a scooter so good there. But given it’s a holiday sailing, and I plan to call tomorrow, I’m doubtful about an accessible room being available to move the scooter in.  
 

For those with experience in this area does RCL hold back accessible rooms in inventory? Can I leave my scooter outside a room? How accommodating with room options might they be this close to sailing?  
 

Any info that would help me or any tips I would really appreciate!  My plan is to not cancel and to find a way to make it work. 

 

Thanks. 

56 minutes ago, Threedrones said:

We started using Celebrity pre-pandemic. MANY similar sailings were already cheaper than Royal Caribbean. If you don’t participate in all the bells and whistles, I think Celebrity offers a better experience. Of course, that is all subjective. I enjoy not lugging around a cup and getting cans of coke instead of a glass. I enjoy going to a casino and not holding my breath because of the smoke..on the other hand, if I’m taking young ones along, it’s Royal without a doubt.

i have an 18 year old. And for $1000 less celebrity might be just fine. 

13 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Celebrity is having a much harder time filling their ships than Roysl is, hence thr lower pricing. 

Have you heard why that is the case for Celebrity?

(I've posted this in the Celebrity forum, but posting here as well given the separate audience)

I'm Diamond on RCL. Have been on Celebrity a few times. I'm looking at booking a Celebrity sailing in NA for March 2024. I only look at interior rooms. I've noticed on several sailings with equal sail lengths that RCL is coming in more expensive on ships like the Quantum and Oasis classes compared to Celebrity ships. I am comparing Oasis and Symphony - NOT newer ships. In one case, I'm comparing to the brand new Ascent in one instance, but there are others where Celebrity is lower. Does this surprise anyone? I'm wondering if it's because it's Spring Break week and families are booking in large amounts on Royal driving on demand???

I'm Diamond on RCL. Have been on Celebrity a few times. I'm looking at booking a Celebrity sailing in NA for March 2024. I only look at interior rooms. I've noticed on several sailings with equal sail lengths that RCL is coming in more expensive on ships like the Quantum and Oasis classes compared to Celebrity ships. I am comparing Oasis and Symphony - NOT newer ships. In one case, I'm comparing to the Ascent in one instance, but there are others where Celebrity is lower. Does this surprise anyone? It is because I'm looking at interior rooms that Celebrity is cheaper since most on Celebrity are you looking for "nicer" rooms? Just curious if anyone has general thoughts about my findings.

13 minutes ago, jelayne said:

The Beyond would be our choice and we have been on all 3 E class ships.  Each has improved on the previous ship.  The Beyond has an amazing Sunset Bar with loads of seating and much of it covered.  The  Martini bar is much better layout than the Edge or Apex. 
They have an additional specialty restaurant.  Service was outstanding.

The Sunset Bar looks like an amazing space.

14 minutes ago, natshala said:

I’ve been on both. Both are lovely. All things being equal, I’d choose Beyond. Are you saying there’s a premium for Beyond? I don’t think so.

Good point. I'm just assuming that the newer ship is priced more per night, but that may not be true.

Hello. I would appreciate some thoughts on how to approach the (you can't go wrong) decision between the Edge and Beyond. They both look great. We don't care about the itinerary. We will not be staying in a suite. We would probably go to speciality dining one night. We tend to like the latest and the greatest, but it seems like the differences between the Beyond and Edge are not that great. And even thought we like "new", the ships seem close enough where paying a premium for the beyond would not be worth it. We love outdoor seating areas. It feels like a real toss up between the sips.

Would appreciate any thoughts on how to make a decision between the two ships given the above. Thank you!

4 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Why are you asking? Gambling? Drinking? Single occupancy? Use of spa?  Different answers for different questions 

For booking purposes. I said that in my original post.

I have a 17 year old and will be at the time of sailing. The Celebrity web site says a child is "under 17". A customer service rep said a 17 year old is a child. anyone know the right answer? Is my 17 year old a child for the purposes of booking and making a reservation?

Typically my family is on RCL, but we are looking at taking the Equinox the week of the 4th of July holiday. We will have my 17 year old son with me. He doesn't need all of the things like rock climbing, flow riders, planned teen activities, etc like on RCL. He's very good with connecting with people and social. Only concern I have is the quantity of older teens. I'm sure there will be fewer, but are we talking like ten or twenty? Exactly how sparse are teens on Celebrity during holiday related sailings - even 4th of July.  Thanks! 

Can be glitchy normally, but something definitely not working correctly today with page loads for reservations. Not just you.

I am unimpressed with the new menu. Overall quality has definitely decreased. Won't keep me from going back on Royal, but I still don't like it.