Margy23

We were on the 2/4 Oasis cruise. The only wear that was obvious to us was rust on our balcony and some repair needed to the folding ramp to the balcony (we now need accessible cabins). I asked Patricio, our cabin steward, how many cabins he had - he said 15 including some suites, which he said take more time; but he was always attentive to our needs. He even made us towel animals on five out of seven nights. Part of his willingness may have been due to the fact that it was his last cruise before vacation, but I think he's hard working and cheerful all the time. He learned that my husband liked to come back to the cabin after breakfast and watch the world from our balcony, so he made it a point to make up our room first, including bringing us ice.

We had MTD at 5:00, which on our earlier Oasis cruise had meant a nearly empty dining room and an efficient but relaxed staff. On this cruise when we showed up about 4:50 on Sunday night, the line wound around way past the elevators. We figured everyone was eating early to see the Super Bowl, but at 5:00 the MTD dining room was jammed every night. We had been talking with two women who were in line behind us, and the person at the desk asked if we would take a table for four together. We did and enjoyed their company and a very proficient waiter and assistant waiter all week.

We didn't like the changes in the menu - fewer choices than we were used to, in starters, entrees, and desserts. Also my husband missed the cold fruit soups - only had that once at noon on a sea day. I was happy to see the Vidalia onion tart back, but that didn't make up for the nights when none of us found anything we really wanted. We started checking the menu on line ahead of time, and one night all four of us went to the WJ. I did call MTD mid-afternoon so they could use our table without waiting.

We thoroughly enjoyed our cruise and are happy that we have three more booked on Oasis this year, so I guess it's the luck of the draw whether things go smoothly. Fortunately for us, every one of our 35 RCI cruises has been good. We have had two disappointing cruises, one on Carnival and one of MSC, so now we're pretty much loyal to Royal. I'd love to try Celebrity, but since we've retired to Ocala, which is about half way between Port Canaveral and Tampa, it's hard to think of driving to Fort Lauderdale or Miami.

Right now we're excited about an upcoming B2B2B on Brilliance beginning on 3/17. It's very different from Oasis, but there's something very special about Radiance class ships and we enjoy both experiences.

Happy cruising, everyone!

Margy

I believe we were able to see a menu for dinner outside the WJ each day.

Thank, Paulette3028. I have no doubt that we've walked right by a sign literally hundreds of times (in 39 cruises) without seeing it. I'll make a point of checking for this.

Margy:o

You walk through and look around. There is no posted menu. Last week on Allure they did post in the Cruise Compass one day that the Windjammer was going to have a seafood bar that night.

Thanks, Ocean Boy!

Guess we'll have to change our habits. On Oasis we do MTD at 5 p.m., which seems to be the only time when there MAY not be a line (there were long lines several nights in February). WJ doesn't open until 5:30, so that won't work for us. On Brilliance (B2B2B coming up in March) we have early dining. If it's at 6:00, we can check WJ, but often lately it's at 5:30.

We've been on Brilliance so many times the officers in the WJ stop to talk with us, and hopefully we can get someone to tell us if and when they're planning a Mongolian night. Lately we've been checking the MDR menu, and if there's nothing that looks good, I order chicken fingers from the children's menu or we go to the WJ.

It seems to be only within the last 3 years or so that we couldn't count on good choices and good food in the MDR. We have done SD, but I feel like I'm aiding and abetting their efforts to encourage people to pay again for meals included in the fare. The sound of all my Scottish ancestors rolling over in their graves is deafening!

Margy

:ship:

One such trip is booking the Adventure of the Seas going from New Jersey to Quebec City and staying on the ship when it goes from Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale (Snowbird Migration Cruise Oct 2018), The Adventure does not go to the ABC Islands.

Thanks. We're still looking forward to meeting you someday - as I remember, you have family in Gainesville. On the cruise where we planned to meet you, we didn't make it to the Meet and Mingle.

Margy

If a ship has Izumi, we go to Izumi once; this past sailing on a nine night Navigator they had a Mongolian night in the WJ, so we tried it. I had never seen a Mongolian menu anytime on a ship. It was good. So on our most recent sailing we did not go to the MDR twice.

 

Most nights we enjoy dinner in the MDR.

How do you find out what the menu will be in the Windjammer at night? I love Mongolian food, but we usually go to the WJ only when nothing on the MDR menu sounds good to us and we've only run into Mongolian night twice.

Is the WJ menu posted somewhere, or do you just have to ask on the ship? Do you ask Guest Services or someone in the WJ?

As always, thanks to the experienced folks who share their information on CC.

Margy

At the change of cruise seasons, there are frequently cruises like ones that start in Alaska and end in Vancouver. Then the ship repositions for California coastals, or Hawaii, or a Panama Canal, and the next cruise is Vancouver to San Francisco or LA. So, theoretically, someone could book a cruise from Alaska to Vancouver, and then a second cruise back to back, from Vancouver to LA. Both of the cruises, by themselves, are legal under the PVSA, since they either start or end in a foreign port. However, when combined into a back to back, it becomes illegal as a combined cruise, and the cruise line will not sell this combination of cruises. PVSA violations for back to back cruises most often affect the Alaska/West Coast cruises, not so much the cruises from the Gulf Coast or East Coast.

Thanks, chengkp75, for the information. Not likely to affect us, but it's good to know the rules even though our TA is knowledgeable and keeps us out of trouble.

Always happy to see your posts, which we know from experience will be the straight scoop from someone who has lived these issues and will be easy to understand.

Thanks again,

Margy

For the OP, you could even switch ships on the same day in Vancouver. Our son has done that between two Princess ships. We have done the two day stay in Vancouver between different Princess ships. Basically you can't go between two US ports without a South American port in between on the same ship.

 

And you can't get away with not boarding in Vancouver but meeting the ship in Victoria on it's first stop. Alaska to Vancouver to Victoria to LA on same ship is a no-no even if you don't board in Vancouver. They read this as intentionally trying to get around PVSA.

 

Cruise line will cancel any combination that violates PVSA and may not identify the issue for months after you book it. Lots of discussions here from folks that had that problem and have had back to back cruises cancelled.

Would someone please explain how this can affect back to back cruises, which I think of as staying on the ship for an additional cruise. Is there another kind of back to back cruise I'm not aware of?

Thanks for your help.

Margy

Bean counters are designing the ships now.

I agree. The bean counters seem to have a talent for mucking up many industries.

Margy

Nothing in RCCL's fleet compares to Radiance Class...still the "prettiest" ships RCCL has...and our personal favorites.

We agree. We got off Oasis Sunday, so we do sometimes take advantage of a really good price on a big ship out of Port Canaveral.

However, our favorites are Radiance Class...the prettiest and very comfortable with an ambiance we particularly enjoy. We're doing a B2B2B on Brilliance out of Tampa on 3/17, which will bring our total of Radiance Class cruises to 16.

We are fortunate to be retired and live roughly half way between Port Canaveral and Tampa, so we don't even consider cruises out of other ports anymore.

Margy

2 B is the old D1 & D2 Midships for 2 passengers

 

4 B is the old d1 & D2 Forward & Aft

 

1 B up to 4 guest Midship

 

3 B up 4 guest Forward & Aft Start after April

 

Will leave a link with all cat and ships CLICK ON LINK FOR ALL CABINS

 

 

]

NEW CABIN ON ROYAL

Thanks, Villager 70 (and neighbor), for posting this link. It will help us make sense of the categories.

Margy

My recent review did include some negatives about kids. My only real issue is in the dining room and late at night. I realize cruising is a great family vacation. I hope to be a grandmother some day and would love to join the ranks of multi-generational cruising families.

 

Absolutely, the vast majority are fine. But if one table in the dining room is throwing food and standing on chairs, it's hard not to notice or comment. Security seemed completely overwhelmed and ineffectual regarding the late night problems. Most kids were in bed, but the ones waking me up at 3am, hard not to notice. It's really a parent problem, not a kid problem.

 

Some great parent moments to add to the good stories...overheard in the Windjammer, a child asking his mother, "mom, would you mind if...?" Polite, not whining, not demanding. Also a man we saw repeatedly on our cruise, known to us as "the dad". He didn't engage in a fight at Spectra's Caberet when the man in front of him turned around to shush his kids in what seemed to me to be a threatening manner. His kids were little, I didn't even notice them making noise so it wasn't bad, maybe some oohing and ahhing. After that we seemed to see "the dad" everywhere, very attentive to his kids, and having a great cruise. And taking one or two out of the MDR when they acted up. Thanks Dad, you are doing a great job!

Jasukkie, it wasn't your review I quoted, but we've all run into children who resemble "evil minions" and have merited negative comment in reviews.

My faith in human kindness has been bolstered by the positive comments in this thread and the strategies people use to encourage children to live up to our good opinions of them. As others have said, we always compliment children and their parents for good conduct, if possible pointing out a specific positive behavior.

Here's to positive posts on CC whenever appropriate!

Margy

There may already be a thread about kids' behavior, but I didn't find one, and I want to post our experience after just reading an Oasis review that stated the following:

"Guest Code of Conduct is not monitored.. We encountered an unusually large number of rude guests on this sailing. Kids everywhere, running in the halls, constantly slamming doors, playing in the dining rooms, playing in the elevators (pushing the "close" button before guests could enter.) I know they are on vacation but PARENTS PLEASE teach your children how to behave in public."

My husband and I were waiting for an elevator on Oasis last week, traveling for the first time with two mobility scooters and not too sure of our skill level. Three boys in the 10-12 year old range were already on the elevator when it stopped. They immediately each took on a job: one stood in front of us to guide us in, the second held the door open, and the third made sure people didn't cut in and make it difficult for us to maneuver. They were also very polite when we thanked them for their assistance.

We read so much like the review I quoted above, I think it's important to send a shout out to the kids who go out of their way to help.

I know we're more likely to remember and post about bad experiences, but I think it would be refreshing if we made an effort to post about our positive encounters with kids.

Margy

Never.

Thanks for confirming what I believe, Bob. I think he was one of those people who will just make something up to be the center of attention.

Margy

I have a little different viewpoint about cruising.

 

I remember when air travel was an experience and people dressed up for the plane ride. Then the airlines started marketing to the groundlings and it has now become like an airborne New York subway ride.

 

I also remember when an ocean cruise was an experience and people dressed up for the cruise. Then the cruise lines started marketing to the groundlings and it has become like a floating county fair with the Beverly Hillbillies.

 

We now look at cruising as basic transportation to get from the US to Europe or Europe to the US. We don't expect five-star dining anymore, we expect the shows to be over-amplified, we expect to see feral children run loose, and we expect to see chair hogs.

 

But we don't expect to pay extra for food when there's plenty in the MDR and the buffet.

Love the attitude.....and the Latin.

Margy

We just got off Oasis yesterday, and we had Fox News, MS-NBC, BBC and a couple of sports channels. We didn't watch TV much but were happy to have choices other than CNN International. Unfortunately, when we got up Friday morning wanting to know whether the government had shut down and what was going on with the Dow, the satellite was down - it didn't come up until sometime Saturday.

A man at our table at breakfast Friday said the ships disconnect from the satellite and say it's down when they don't want passengers to see worrisome news, but that doesn't sound credible to me. Has anyone else heard such a theory?

BTW, we had a great cruise!

Margy

If I had to wait 25 minutes for tablemates to show up for a waiter to take my order, I'd have said something on day 1. IMHO, the doors should have been closed by 25 minutes so the couple wouldn't have been able to join in anyways.

On that particular cruise Day 1 in the MDR was the worst I've ever seen - more people had our table number than there were seats, and from the confusion we saw, I think the problem was widespread.

I agree that we should have protested on Day 2. I think we all felt sorry for the waiter, who was the most timid crew member I've ever seen. He was actually wringing his hands trying to decide what to do. The headwaiter didn't earn any extra tip that time - we never saw him.

That was our worst RCI cruise. Morale among the crew was noticeably bad, but we still had a good time.

Margy

Once we were at a table for 10 where one couple showed up 25 minutes late every night. Finally, on Day 3, the waiter took our orders and served our starters without waiting for them. When the late couple showed up, the woman read him out, complaining that he should have known they were coming and waited for them; she said she's a travel agent and is too busy doing business in the Diamond Lounge to "worry about" coming to dinner on time. However, for the rest of the cruise they did show up no more than five minutes late.

Another rude passenger was a man in line at Guest Services to remove his tips, loudly telling everyone that the company steals the crews' tips so we should all remove our tips. That isn't what the rest of us were there for.

The third rude passenger I remember was at our table and kept summoning the headwaiter to complain that someone was violating the dress code and should be removed from the MDR. After three such requests, another man at our table remarked that for formal night, he was not wearing a suit. We didn't have to worry about the complainer any more - he asked for a new table and moved.

We've been on 38 cruises, so I think this means most people are civil, if not downright friendly.

Margy

Refreshing to see a thread made up entirely of helpful information and best wishes for a happy cruise. My compliments to all who posted!

Margy

How refreshing to read a thread made up entirely of useful information and best wishes for a happy cruise. Just wanted to compliment everyone.

Margy

I hope this link works, it's a nice chart of what's free and when. If the link doesn't work, go to Research (on this website), ships, and select Oasis.

https://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=368&pgtype=dining

Thanks for the chart. We'll be on Oasis February 4th, and even though we've sailed on her before, I printed this as a visual reminder so we won't forget something until it's too late.

Margy

Deck 7 forward (forward elevators). 8-10 should all be OK.

We've always enjoyed cabins on Deck 7 forward. As you can see on the deck plan, the balconies extend out farther and are not obstructed by lifeboats beginning with 7046 (port) or 7546 (starboard) and going forward to 7014 or 7514. I just checked, and we've been in 7040 or 7540 on Radiance, Jewel, and Brilliance a total of 11 times. Those are close to the elevator, and nearer mid-ship if you're concerned about movement.

As someone mentioned, the dividers do not provide as much privacy as in other areas, but you do have more panoramic views. One time we went with a group and had all the cabins from 7544 through 7520 - it was easy to interact on the balconies even though the dividers don't open.

Unfortunately we now need accessible cabins. We're going on a B2B2B in March on Brilliance, and will have an obstructed balcony, but even booking nearly a year ahead of time that was the best accessible cabin our TA could find available for three cruises in a row.

On Oasis we try to book far enough ahead to get 6236 or 6636, which have spacious balconies and are near the Boardwalk. As we age, our cruise experiences change, but we plan to keep cruising as long as we're able (7 booked for this year).

Margy

Multiple thoughts:

 

- You've already paid your auto-tips, so you've actually done what you needed to do. An extra $20 per room sounds "just right". I'd wrap it around a candy bar as I handed it to them, and on the last day I'd sincerely thank the steward for making our cruise extra-special.

 

- In addition, fill out the praise card. No, it won't put more money in his pocket this week, but it will show his employers that he's a good worker, and that can lead to bonuses or promotions. Do people actually NOT want their supervisors to hear that they've pleased the customer?

 

- Are the crew desperate for money? I'm certain that some of them are quite comfortable and are tucking money away for their future, while others are in financial trouble. Regardless, it's not our concern -- we should tip fairly and mind our own business.

I think MrsPete is right on. I don't think the candy bar is necessary, but it's not offensive, as I feel some silly "gifts" are.

We're pretty low maintenance, but having the ice bucket filled twice a day is important to us, and we want to recognize the steward who is conscientious about this as well as regular room maintenance.

The big three "thank-you's" are the extra cash tip, praise that goes to the steward's supervisor, and mention of specific examples of excellence on the email survey.

I agree that the steward's financial situation is not our concern - we should tip fairly. I don't mean we can't feel empathy, but if we get involved in the steward's individual situation, we risk coming across as condescending (we've all heard of the ugly American, and I believe condescension is a part of that).

Margy

Remember, you can go to the casino and get a cahs advance against your onboard account for a 5% fee. One way to get 95% of your non-refundable OBC.

Thanks Bob and Moopetguy! We are so fortunate to have knowledgeable and helpful people on this site so we're not dependent on Royal's poor communication.

Although it's easier to find something to complain about than it used to be (we try to avoid this when possible), Royal still does some things very well - unfortunately communication, including running a web site, is not one of them.

Thanks!

Margy

Six pages later I'm still waiting for the post that says, "Gotcha!" but since we have seven cruises booked for next year, I had our TA prepay our gratuities this morning.

It was a decision made in haste, so I may regret it as I wander around the shops the last night of each cruise figuring out what to buy to use up OBC. At last count my husband had four blue logo shirts, three navy ones, and four white ones in excellent condition, I have enough Clinique to stock a small store and pashminas in every imaginable color.

Before long I'll probably be on these boards asking for specifics about refundable and non-refundable OBC.

Or I could just figure out how much we'd have to drink to use it up!

Waiting to see how this comes out!

Margy

We've had several cruises on Brilliance, including a TA, and the service was excellent. I can only guess that there were some serious staffing issues, such as insufficient crewmembers, new crewmembers not well trained, etc. Sorry the experience was poor.

I agree. Brilliance is our favorite ship and we have cruised on her eight times.

I hope they resolve some of these issues by 3/17 when we start our first ever B2B2B. We're confident that we can have a good time despite problems, but after cruising since the 70's we're concerned we may be reaching the end of being mobile enough to make the most of the cruise experience in the face of obstacles.

My husband now has a scooter and we need an accessible cabin - fortunately we're in the same accessible cabin for all three legs of this cruise. We have seven cruises booked for next year (the others all on Oasis) - if we have to go out, we plan to go out with a bang. If we're still able, we'll book as many cruises as possible for 2019.

Margy