shadbrew

I recently read that all RCCL ships walls are metal underneath the paneling which makes them good for magnets on walls for all the loose paperwork and invitations. Even though I have been on numerous RCCL cruises I personally have never tried this. Does anyone know if all the cabins on Oasis of the Seas have the metal walls?

It sure would keep our cabin tidier if I could hang alot of that stuff on the walls instead of all over the vanity!

 

Darlene

Yes. Magnets are lifesavers!! We just got off the Jewel, and they worked on that class of ship too. I know they work on the Oasis and Allure.

Free breakfast at Johnny Rockets.

 

Avoid Windjammer during breakfast and lunch. Other options are Park Cafe, Solarium Cafe, Wipeout Cafe, Boardwalk Dog House, Vitality Cafe.

Is the breakfast at Johnny Rockets free for Diamond members too? We were on the Allure last year and it was not free.

We will be on the Adventure of the Seas next month. We are both Diamond members, and we have a Junior suite reserved. Just curious if RCCL will do anything special for us?

8222 and 8224 are the same size.

What about the location of these cabins close to shops and restaurants?

Has anyone stayed in Cabin 8224 on the Allure? On the deck plans, it looks like they are behind some restaurants and/or shops. How noisy would this be? Is Cabin 8222 and 8224 the same size? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to stay midship to minimize motion sickness.

yes they have both. You can only go to the DL since you are Diamond. A JS does not get you into the CL. DL on Adventure is millions times better than the CL so you will enjoy it.

Thanks to everyone for their comments. Does anyone know where the Diamond Lounge is located on the Adventure?

This was our 3rd cruise (all on Royal Caribbean and all on voyager class ships). We've done the eastern and western routes, but after this cruise I think the southern route is the best!! You get the best bang for your buck by being able to experience 6 islands (if you include Puerto Rico as one of the islands) instead of the usual 3. The weather is amazing and the beaches in the southern caribbean can't be beat by any we've seen in the eastern or western routes.

 

We took this cruise august 1-8th and did the St Maarten-st kitts-antigua (st John's)- st lucia- barbados route. Wow!!!!! We got to see so many places and tour so many islands, I would do it again in a heartbeat.

 

That being said, if you prefer to experience the cruise boat, this might not be the route for you, as we were very tired at te end of the day and struggled to stay awake for dinner and shows. we definitely had no energy to drink (so count me in for a vote against the drink package on this route). You can always stay on the boat during the day, but a lot of things are closed (shops and casino). There are still activities scheduled during the day though, but not a lot of people stay on the ship. We didn't even see many people the whole week until the last day, which was at sea.

 

I absolutely cannot believe anybody would complain about this ship being old, dirty or in disrepair. You really have to be a picky person to even try to come up with reasons to complain about it. I saw zero worn out carpet, no light fixtures hanging from walls or ceilings or anything else people have complained about. But if I did, I probably wouldn't have cared to be honest; those things are minor in my book. Yes, the bedroom furniture is dated and well used...who cares! I wasn't expecting 5 star accommodations nor was I expecting them to replace the furniture so it always looks brand new. It's a ship, it's in the humid weather and it's used by thousands of people every year, it's not going to be perfect, and we didn't need it to be. Some people on our ship also complained about cracked and broken elevator buttons, and in hindsight while I did notice these, it never occurred to me to be bothered by it. Things will get broken, and it's going to be like any other corporation with a process of paperwork and reporting to get new parts, add in the fact that they have to wait until the part gets delivered and the ship is in port to accept delivery...well, you have to expect some things not to get fixed right away. Again, it did not detract from how beautiful and well kept the ship was in general. And if you happen to drive through any of the ports you visit and see how the locals live; homes that are falling apart, leaking roofs, doors that don't close all the way, one room shacks etc, you'd have to be pretty self absorbed to get back on the ship and not be incredibly thankful for what you have, regardless of how much money you paid for your cruise or what you expect to get for that cost. If you can complain about what you don't have after seeing how good you have it, well..that's another topic entirely I suppose. But we were beyond happy with the ship and what it offered.

 

The room, while dated, was extremely clean and well kept and we had no mold or rust in our shower. We had a promenade room (7283) and did find it to be less humid than the balconies we have had before, this was a plus for us (and may also account for the reports of mold and rust in some rooms and not in others). We spent so little time in the room that having a balcony on this route, to me, would have been a complete waste of money. The promenade room loses its appeal after day 2, and it seemed pretty much every promenade room kept the shades closed for the entire duration of the trip after the first day or two. It's fun to see onto the promenade, but again, not really necessary to pay the extra cost for the promenade over a regular inside room. The inside rooms have more floor space because they are able to put the bed against the wall, whereas in a promenade you have very little walking space and very little floor space because the bed has to be placed against the middle of the wall. If price is equal, a promenade is fun, but if not, I'd get a regular inside room next time.

 

We did see a few shows and they were fun. Nothing spectacular, somewhat cheesy even, but fun nonetheless. Again, our main activities were off the ship and by evening we were just ready to eat and sleep and start over.

 

The food in the dining room was good. Service was extremely slow; dinner took 2 hours every night even if we said we wanted to get out before 10, it never happened. If we wanted to skip a course they insisted we eat it anyway. They just wanted us to experience the food and enjoy ourselves and it was all done in niceness, but sometimes we just didn't want to stay there all night (but we did anyway). We had 8:30 traditional seating which worked out well for getting back to the ship late and having time to shower for dinner. But, because it was such a long dinner, it was a struggle to get through because we were tired. If it were up to me I would have eaten in the buffet for dinner every night. We usually had a snack there before dinner every night and did eat there one night for our full dinner; the food selection is great. The same things that are on the dining room menu can be found here as well as even more food options, and the food is hotter and you can eat at your own pace instead of waiting for everyone else to finish each course and then wait another forever for the waiter to come back. Our waiter was great, very friendly and attentive, but I did find that he paid special attention to smaller children (joking around with them, remembering their favorite foods, bringing them extra desserts for fun) while teenagers were pretty invisible. We had a 5 year old, 8 year old and 13 year old with us and the 13 year old was completely ignored the whole time. She was served and they were polite to her, but she felt left out.

 

Formal night was a mix of formal and casual. Despite what it seems like from reading cruise critic, the majority of passengers mind their own business and don't care what anyone else is wearing. You can dress nicely for formal night without going all out and it's just fine, or you can wear a ball gown if you want (although it does seem the southern route has a more relaxed "island" feel to it and nobody was dressed to the 9's for formal night- there's just not time to get ready and everyone is tired and too busy having fun to worry about how they look). Wear what you want. A sun dress is fine for girls and khakis and a polo perfectly acceptable for guys. People did wear suits and fancier dresses, but not as many as you'd see on the other routes. On regular nights some people wore shorts and nobody got turned away and nobody cared.

 

Everyone on the ship was respectful and well behaved (children, teens and adults alike). The atmosphere was great, and everyone there had traveled far and paid good money to be there. While some teens ran around in large groups on the ship, they were respectful and well behaved. No overly rowdy, over-served-at-the-bar-adults either.

 

Our meet and mingle only had 6 people show up and the cruise staff seemed disappointed in that. It was at 5pm, very soon after "all-aboard" on a port day and I can see how it would be difficult to show up to. I forced myself to go, and didn't have time to get dressed properly beforehand. Tino did a great job and had a fun personality and we appreciated the chance to meet other cruise critic members even though most of them were no shows. The ones who were there were friendly and it was nice to meet them.

 

The weather reports for the week showed clouds and rain expected every day in all 5 ports, but I'm happy to say we experienced perfect sunny weather the whole time. I didn't even find it any more humid than the eastern or western ports during winter months (but that could be because I spent most of my time in the water). I was happy that it was warm enough at night to be on Te pool deck without wearing a sweatshirt like I've had to on other routes.

 

If seasickness is an issue for you, this could be a good route because you spend very little time on the ship, the seas are calm and they basically float from one island to the other (it takes about 2 hours in reality to get from one port to the other, so they sail at about 7 knots as opposed to 20 on other routes and I wouldn't be surprised if they just drift for most of the night).

 

Overall, this was one of the best vacations I've ever taken. The southern islands are beautiful as is the weather. The beaches are gorgeous and the islands unspoiled of touristy things for the most part (except st maarten which is extremely touristy). Prices in most of them will still be high at tourist shops and beach bars and don't expect great deals on anything. Cabs can be negotiated when you're the only ship in port because they are competing for business and many cab drivers end up with nobody to drive anywhere because there are fewer passengers. However, some will try to charge you more money to make up for the fewer passengers they can make money from. $7/person each way seemed to be typical but you could negotiate an island tour for a few more dollars than your standard taxi fare and make it a great deal.

 

St Maarten: We walked from the cruise port to back street (the street behind the main shopping area) so we could take a $2/cab to the beach instead of paying the $7 water taxi and another $7 cab fare. It ended up being a waste because buses don't go to orient beach and while we did find a bus who was willing to drive off course and take us there anyway, it only saved us $2/person from taking a taxi. We were there on a Sunday and were the only ship in port and many shops were closed. There were zero good deals to be had; liquor was selling for almost the same as at home (for example Cruzan rum at home is $16 and it sold for $14 on the island). T-shirts were a good deal, and that was about it. Also, orient beach is the least nice beach you'll see all week. It's not a bad beach, but it's not the prettiest either, rough water, no visibility for snorkeling and the beach is full of seaweed and crowded with umbrellas and loungers that weren't even being used. We put our towels on the sand for free and were just fine. Beach vendors will still try to charge you full price ($20-$25) for a lounger right up to the last hour of your stay.

 

St. Kitts: We negotiated with a taxi driver to take 6 of us to brimstone fortress, the batik factory and then to the beach. He even stopped along the way at good picture taking spots for us. We paid him $80 total (before tip) and he stayed with us the whole day. We planned to go to Cockleshell beach but he suggested Carambola beach club (which is on south Friars beach) and said it was better and that if we didn't like it we didn't have to pay him. It was a beautiful beach! Prices for food are sky high but they make delicious piña coladas.

 

Antigua: Paid $7/person each way to go to Valley Church beach and it was definitely the prettiest beach of all the islands! Again, food and drinks are expensive, but the water is the most turquoise blue you'll ever see and the locals are some of the friendliest and least pushy.

 

St Lucia: we did a tour with Cosol's and highly recommend it. You see so many things and they are the most professional company we encountered. They take pride in their work and take great care of you and even make their rum punch with fresh squeezed juice and fresh spices. Be forewarned there will be little if any time for shopping at the end as the tour cuts right up to 4 o'clock ( a half hour before all aboard time). Stop at the spice market for $1-$2 bags of fresh whole nutmeg, cloves, vanilla beans, saffron, cumin etc. They grow on the island and other islands buy their spices from st lucia. It's the best deal you'll find on a souvenir anywhere.

 

Barbados: we went to the boatyard. The water is as clear as a swimming pool and there are really unique looking fish to see when snorkeling within the swimming ropes. If you want to see the turtles, go early when they feed them in the morning, or you will be disappointed and may not see any later in the day. You can swim out on your own or pay $20/person to take a boat. We negotiated a boat for about $13/person and they cut our time short and we only saw one turtle and felt we wasted our money. The boatyard drives you back to the boat and gives you one free drink for the $15 entrance fee. There is no food credit for cruise passengers. This is also where the discrepancy of $15 vs $20 entrance fee comes in. $20 is for land vacationers and they are also the ones who get the food credit. Overall, it was worth the $15 to get in and use the loungers and shuttle and get the free drink. It costs $5 to take a taxi there.

 

Great trip, will do it again someday and would choose this route over an eastern or western anyday!

Do you know if the MDR was offering escargot and shrimp cocktails? We just off the Jewel and they both were special orders.

Does anyone know if the Adventure OTS has both Diamond Lounges and Concierge Lounges? We are both Diamond members and have booked a Junior suite for our October cruise. Are we eligible to frequent BOTH, if they are available on this ship?

What are the advantages/amenities/perks of booking a junior suite over a balcony (besides the size of the cabin)? We are going on the Adventure OTS in October. Both of us are Diamond members.

We just booked a cruise on the Adventure OTS on October 31, 2015. The ship departure time is 8:30pm. We've never left that late on a cruise, so what is the EARLIEST they will let you arrive at the terminal, check-in, and board the ship? We are Diamond members.

OTHER INFORMATION:

 

Concierge Lounge: Deck 10 (Starboard) accessed through elevator lobby for us.

Concierge: Diego Tripaldi (A very good friend and excellent concierge)

We have a common love for a certain sport⚽️

 

Diamond Lounge: No Dedicated Diamond Lounge on JOTS

We could of used the Hollywood Odyssey for DL cocktail hours if we had chosen to.

Hollywood Odyssey (Deck 13)

Hours: 5:00pm - 8:00pm

 

DRINK VOUCHERS: all 3 pre-loaded on both of our Seapass Cards

Used at all bars on the ship with no issues whatsoever.

 

MDR:

We had a 6 top Table# (412) we knew from our last sailing on Jewel to try and get the same

Waiter we had previously, Ajit Desai, excellent service, and was great to see him again and

Again received outstanding service. Curry family style on 3 nights, always good.

Dean our assistant waiter from Croatia also did an excellent job, kept us entertained.

We originally had MTD for 6:30, we arranged ahead of time a 6-top with a window view,

RC did not dissapoint, we had a 6-top right by the window and switched to traditional

Dining which was at 5:30pm each evening.

 

 

SPECIALITY RESTAURANTS:

 

Chops was $35.00pp on this sailing, we do not entertain chops.

 

Portofino's

$25.00pp we did first night and both used our BOGO and some OBC so for the 6 of us

Worked out to be an inexpensive excellent meal

Plenty of wine flowing and all drinks vouchers and free cocktails were taken full advantage

of.

Mickey our server, lots of fun and made it a great evening

Only 2 other tables in the restaurant on this opening night.

Nice to have visited Portofino's once again before it becomes Giovanni's

Murder mystery was day 4.

Was open for lunch on sea days

 

CREW:

Captain: Dustin Castelsky (Canada) Captain Canada

Cruise Director: John Blair

Hotel Director: Tony Curtis (England)

Concierge: Diego Tripaldi (Uruguay)

Loyalty Ambassador: Maria Liamshyna (Ukraine)

Guest Service Manager: Rosa

Diamond Lounge host: ? (Did not use Vortex or Odyssey lounges all cruise).

Activities Manager: Katrina Blair

Waiter: Ajit Desai (India)

Assistant Waiter: Dean Petrovic (Croatia)

 

SPECIAL RECOGNITION:

Ajit Desai (MDR Waiter) also our waiter on previous Jewel, excellent service.

Diego Tripaldi (Concierge), just the best IOHO.

Maria Liamshyna (LA) full of life and treated us very well. DD loved her!

Valcot Medica (Bar server MDR) entertained us all

Joseph (Concierge Bar Server)

 

WOW cards & BOARDING:

We actually were able to get 4 when checking in. Plenty of WOW envelopes available

from guest services onboard as well.

Separate Suite and Pinnacle check in at Pier 91 terminal

Check in took 5-10 mins, very efficient speedy experience.

From dropping off bags to hearing the 1st !BING! 20 minutes tops.

Private elevator, then direct escort to Suite, made life so much easier and with

All hand luggage stowed in the RS, food time was made that much more bearable.

Received checked luggage around 4pm.

 

WELCOME BACK PARTY:

Day 3

Location: Safari Lounge

Time: 7:15pm

Maria hosted very well, due to an 8:30 all aboard, not as busy as previous cruises.

DD was spoilt by Maria, a new friend for the future

 

TOP TIER EVENT:

Day 5

Location: Helipad

Time: 10:30am

Hot Chocolate, Mimosa's and RCMP in attendance with many of the senior officers,

Had a great chat with Tony Curtis, nice chap.

 

MEET & MINGLE:

Non event, less than 25 signed up, very little activity on our roll-call.

nothing else had been arranged.

 

SUITE LUNCHEON:

Day 2

Location: Portofino's

Time: 11:15

Nice to have a drink and nibbles with all the officers, plenty to snack on and drink

Shane the mixologist made a great Marmalade Gin, went down very nicely!

good to see Heidi, Tony and Rosa. Andre from Cape Town spent a nice time chatting

with us, found out some interesting facts.

 

CAPTAINS TABLE:

Had invite, but was informed new policy after someone complained about a child

attending before, age limit now 21. We declined as we were not going to go without

our daughter, no Biggy! (Got the T-Shirt, a few actually, so has daughter)

Guess one moaner ruined for all the others.

 

EXCURSIONS:

Juneau - Whales Glacier & Rainforest (12:30pm-17:30pm) JU63 ($199pp)

Skagway - White Pass Railway (08:20am-12:40pm) SK01 ($125pp)

BC -Victoria - Hop on Hop off (10:00am-11:00am) VI30 ($39pp)

 

We wanted an easy excursion experience this cruise, so really didn't do anything too

exhilarating.

 

C&A members on this cruise: 893

Pinnacle (0)

Diamond + (28)

Diamond (78)

Platinum (100)

Emerald (112)

Gold (575)

 

DRINKS of the Day ($7.75 each)

Day 1: Strawberry Cooler;

Day 2: Ocean Melon;

Day 3: Deep Blue Margarita

Day 4: Gold Rush Sparkler

Day 5: Blue Island

Day 6: Icy Mint Lemonade

Day 7: Pomegranate Sunrise

 

Wifi HOTSPOTS:

Centrum Decks 4,5,7,9

Solarium / Pool Deck 11

Windjammer Deck 11

Schooner Bar Deck 6

Conference Rooms Deck 5

Lobby of RS could still get a weak signal

We got 4 day package on day 4, used our D+ coupons cost us FREE.

Dead spots in Skagway and some of Tracy Arm Fjord

 

CASINO:

Drink coupons received everyday from Jose, no limit or cost restriction as far as we were

concerned.

5000 + points total for this cruise, will see what rebate that equates to for our March cruise

Also awarded Free Cruise Certificate (FCC) must book within 30 days of receipt, we may

be able to take advantage of one or two of the dates.

we cashed in our points and got $55 each, T-Shirts and key chains etc.

 

Slot tourney had 9 rounds, just shy of free cruise offering, so prizes were cash for 1st

2nd & 3rd, house took a good 50% whack of play money.

Blackjack tourney had a very poor turn out.

There was a poker tourney on last night, I think they managed to fill a table.

 

ZeusIII machine was very good to us playing max bet! We only heard 1 announcement

of a jackpot win, which was $1600.00, also a $4000 win was kept quiet. Ssshh!

 

Jewel was being fitted out with the new electronic tracking system on a couple of the

tables, hopefully better for the guests to be tracked more accurately.

Jose had no information on New Program or the New Tier structure other than what

is already known on CC.

 

That's all folks!

 

I just recently completed a Jewel review so didn't want to just repeat as before😱

Any questions fire away😄

 

Previous Jewel review in signature with all the docs and compasses. Happy to answer

Any questions you may have.

 

Will sail the Jewel again when the opportunity arises, great staff, great ship

Maybe after her dry dock we will sail on her again, or before, who knows!

 

Food is subjective, so only comment I will make is that the portions in the MDR IMO,

all seemed to be a lot bigger than we have previously experienced.

Yes there was Shrimp and Escargot for those who think it has been banished, just need

to ask for it.

Lobster, fisherman's plate 2nd formal night.

 

Will add more photos to the end

 

Happy Days!

Can you tell me what the temperature is like in the public areas (casino, dining room)? Is it warm or cool? I don't like overpacking.

Leaving next week on the Jewel to Alaska. So I don't have to overpack, does anyone know how the temperature is INSIDE of the ship...casino...dining room? I know we can adjust it inside the cabin, but what about the public areas?

:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

 

How did that answer the OPs question? :rolleyes:

Thank you, Ryano!!!

I was surprised to see that the shrimp cocktail was removed from the menu, and shrimp is no longer included with the lobster tail. Yes you can ask for the shrimp cocktail, but the fact that it has been removed shows another cost save IMO. I will be asking for it and escargot every cruise.

We will too!!!!!

If you ask for a shrimp cocktail they will bring one. I had a standing order every night on our April/May 2015 Jewel cruise.

Good to know. My DH will appreciate the comment on the escargot from other posts.

Shrimp is so easy to do at home, I don't know why anyone wants to order it "out"....They thaw in nothing flat, they cook even faster, and you can do them in butter, or fry them, or boil them or grill them....so super easy!

I know the various ways to cook and serve shrimp, but I don't do it very often at home. However, when there are some nights on a cruiseship that is the ONLY appetizer that is decent, then I want to order it. With my DH, he typically orders two escargots every night because I will not cook snails at home!! :-)

I've been reading the posts and find that no longer will shrimp be served on the Jewel of the Seas (and other ships as well). Anybody know whether they have eliminated escargot as well? Bummer!!

Anyone off the Jewel recently to say whether they have escargot on the nightly menu? We will be on the July 31st Alaska cruise.

That's hilarious. I have tried for years to receive RCCL e-mails -- everything from calling Goldstein's office to C&A to Diamond Plus desk to signing up on line in every spot I can find about a hundred times. I have even tried four different e-mail addresses to no avail. When calling, I am told I am definitely signed up to receive them. Still no e-mails for me after 18 years!! :confused:

Same here...only thing we get are the promotional emails for itineraries we could care less about or to sell me excursions or drink packages on an upcoming cruise we have booked. After that, nada...zilch...zero...

Boarding usually starts sometime between 11am and noon.

Thank you. We are staying at a hotel within a few blocks of the NOLA terminal. Would we be allowed to just walk to the terminal...or would security stop us? Can't see taking a cab for 3 blocks.

(1) We are Diamond members, but have never cruised out of New Orleans. We are booked on the March 7, 2015 cruise. What is the earliest time we can board the ship from the NOLA terminal? (2) Been reading on this site about an electrical issue that the Serenade had that cancelled a lot of cabins. Was this problem ever resolved? I couldn't find out if everything was back to normal or not.

How difficult is it to get asked to join the casino's "Blue Chip Club" on Celebrity? We are going on the Solstice this summer, and like most cruises, we spend a lot of time in the casino. We are by no means high rollers, but we do drop a lot of cash in there during the week. How strict are they about the minimum bets they say you have to make? We are VIP members in RCCL's Casino Royale.

We also took the light rail downtown to stay there. We also got a nice surprise in the morning when the hotel transferred us to the pier. Not exactly the cheapest place to stay, but we really enjoyed it.

 

There's so much to do in Seattle, you should try to stay downtown.

Where do you catch the light rail from the airport to downtown? Where did you stay downtown? I'm not familiar with Seattle at all. Where is the cruise pier in relation to downtown?

We took that light rail from the airport to downtown. It was so simple and inexpensive. We got off about a block from our hotel the Seattle Westin. Found this location to be great as it was downtown close to the sights. Not a far cab ride to the pier for departure.

Where do you catch the light rail to downtown? How often does it run?

Never sailed out of Seattle, so I would like some answers as to where are the best places to stay the night before the cruise (we always go one day early). Is it better/cheaper to stay out by SeaTac and take a taxi to the cruise port the day of the cruise? Or are there reasonably priced hotels closer to the cruise port? Any hotels with shuttles to/from airport or cruise port?

How far is it from the cruise port to SeaTac airport? What are rates for taxis or are there shuttle buses?