Restless24

"If we had been made aware of the restriction"

Amazing... this person found the energy to write to The Guardian but couldn't be bothered to do a simple Google search for "royal caribbean pool infant policy" prior to boarding. We cruised with our daughter a few years ago (18 months at the time) and the pool was important to us, so we made sure to research and book a cruise that had an area for infants with swim diapers. It isn't rocket science... it's called planning.

I typically play blackjack and sometimes craps, usually at the $5 minimum. I probably average 1-2 hours per day and have gotten casino offers twice. Both times it was a similar offer, about 15% off the lowest rate with $25 in free play chips. Not a ton of savings, but not bad since I would still cruise and gamble even without the offers. I cruised around this time last year and the offers came in a few months after I returned. My experience has been that if I book early saver and the casino rate is lower, I submit the form and get to keep early saver guarantee while getting the casino rate.

Just pack a big can of pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and a blender, then put your rum in your rum runners. No one will bat an eye. Then you can put ice from lido directly in your blender and make pina coladas in your room. I don't see what could go wrong ;)

Out of 8 Caribbean cruises with 5 of those being in August or September, we have only missed a port once due to a tropical storm. It was supposed to be a Grand Cayman stop and we stayed about 30 miles south and made it a sea day, then stopped at Costa Maya as a make-up port the next day. Seas were kind of rough and it rained a portion of the day since they had to go through some of the outer bands to stay on schedule, but not enough to scare me away from cruising at this time of year :)

I think I read on a recent live report that it's $105 for one device before C&A discounts... something like $140 for two devices. The numbers below are percentages off package prices, maybe not 100% accurate but should be close.

Gold - 10% off

Platinum & Emerald - 15% off

Diamond - 20% off

Diamond Plus & Pinnacle - 25% off

Exactly what is considered "short" pants. I have a pair nice polyester pants from 1977. They are short pants, but since I have shrunk a few inches, believe they now qualify as long. Tape measure anyone?

 

 

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Should be fine, just wear knee high socks so it all blends together.

Weird that they are suddenly enforcing 'no shorts'. I can't see it lasting.

It won't last, or at least it won't be consistent. I think that's the problem. Either change the official dress code to allow shorts or make an official announcement that the rules will be enforced 100% of the time. When it varies from ship to ship, week to week, or maître d' to maître d' it just creates confusion and debate.

You have two pretty decent options. Either book specialty dining another night - I mean really, the whole cruise is for your b-day, right? :D - or just forgo the lobster and do specialty dining on your b-day. Personally I would go with the latter if I was trying to celebrate my b-day as I don't care all that much about missing lobster.

I can try to answer some of your questions but it would be better to search the boards for info. I'm assuming you know about the recent drydock from January? I would recommend viewing the recent live threads from Freedom. There is a live one happening now from the 3/15 sailing with many pics of the daily Cruise Compass, look at that to get a good idea of the activities and daily schedule. It's not the same itinerary but same ship and similar schedule for the most part.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2182750

To answer some of your other questions:

Food - Specialty restaurants include Chops ($35/pp), Giovanni's Table ($25/pp for dinner and $15/pp for lunch on sea days only, new since the drydock), Sabor ($25/pp for dinner and $15/pp for lunch on sea days only, new since the drydock), Johnny Rockets ($5.95/pp, doesn't include soda or shakes). The other food is standard RC stuff, Windjammer Cafe, Sorrento's pizza, etc.

Entertainment - karaoke yes, comedy shows yes, magic show yes, ice show yes, and standard production shows. No Broadway show like on the Oasis class.

CocoCay - You don't need an excursion here but it's possible to book one. There isn't much to "explore" as it's RC's private island but it's a great beach day and if you have any of the drink packages (alcoholic or not) you can use it here.

I don't own any Hawaiian shirts and don't plan to buy one specifically for my cruise (even though Goodwill probably has them for $5 or less), so I guess this night will just be casual for me.

I saw one day of Beachcampin's cruise compass had a misspelling of "SHIITAKE" too. CC filters won't even let me post the error :rolleyes:

Great photos and perspective of Jamaica. When we don't have an excursions planned in port we love to get out and take in the culture, especially the local food options. Thanks for sharing.

I've always seen the $6 minimum as well, either played as $5 with the side bet or just a straight $6, which is what I always play as I don't like the gimmick bets. I've seen some recent Cruise Compasses that advertise $3 tables during the day, usually 4:00-7:00 on a port day or something along those lines.

Are these the same price as regular cocktails? I've looked everywhere for a price sheet and I can't find it. Thank you! :)

The menu pic posted here and other places shows $4 for non-alcoholic cocktails. I'm not sure if this price is across the board or if it varies for different ingredients.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2182750&page=3

What does the robot do with the 18% gratuity?

I'm now tempted to submit a WOW card for a robot, or conversely, complain to guest services to try to get robot gratuities removed.

Thanks for the Schooner Bar menu!

My cruise is Sept 6 on the Navigator of the Seas. When I go to look at making dining reservations, Sabor is not listed. It's not listed at all on the dining page.

 

Any idea why? What is the price?

 

Thanks.

It shows on the cruise planner for my Freedom cruise next week at $25 for dinner, but I have also heard $15 for lunch on sea days.

Is this the eastern or western route?

This would be western.

Yes, while my typing skills are great on a keyboard, they are quite terrible on the iphone. If any word doesn't make sense try substituting an 'i' 'o' or 'u' fir one if the others. I always miss those.

Lol, I always mess up the 'i' and 'o' myself, even on the large Galaxy S5 screen. Uncoordinated thumbs I guess.

Thanks for the live updates, I'll be following.

There are people like us who cruise regularly. For the first time in about 10 years, we will have 3 people (me and my two daughters) sharing a cabin. We have two cabins, but the other cabin has my Grandson and a friend sharing it. Between the three of us, I take medications that limit the amount of alcohol I can drink to about 2 glasses of wine or a couple of fruity drinks per day. One of my daughters might have a glass of wine with dinner or after dinner, but doesn't drink. My other daughter has enough drinks to make the drink package a good bargain for her. If all three of us had to purchase the drink package if she purchased it, we would be paying hundreds of dollars that we wouldn't use. She would just have to pay for the drinks as she goes. We always purchase a soda package..and we always bring a 12 pack of soda because Coke is not our first choice and occasionally, late at night or early in the morning, we would like to have a soda without having to trek to a bar in pj's or wait for room service to be called. I doubt that there have been 2 days in about 20 days of cruising that we have gotten our money's worth on the soda package, but it's convenient and we do drink soda so we purchase it. To pay $20+ a day for two frozen drinks by the pool is pretty steep. We are all Diamond, so we can go to the DL during a specific 3-hour timeframe, or use the three drink swipes on our cards, but it doesn't cover just any drink and getting a list of the drinks that are covered has to be found here on these boards because that is ALSO not found through the cruise line. They make choosing a drink package as confusing as possible and a list of drink prices at their bars is one of the best kept secrets on the cruise ship. What's covered? Drinks up to $10...but where's the list with the prices? I've gotten a drink at the pool bar, then my daughter has seen it and went to the same bar and gotten charged a different price. I asked the bartender once, and had both of our receipts. He told me that the cheaper receipt was due to it being charged at a wrong price..in other words, both should have been a higher price. If the SAME bartender can't figure out the prices....??? I don't see how anyone can disagree that the way they roll out the prices or manage them isn't screwed up. Also, the cheapest drink package includes the fresh squeezed OJ, the next one up, which is more expensive DOESN'T include the fresh squeezed OJ, and then the next one up (can't remember the nifty names they gave them) DOES include it. How screwed up is that? Here's my question: If I drink 2-3 sodas per day, a glass of fresh squeezed OJ, 2 Mango Tango's or Pina Coladas a day and a bottled water...skip the wine...what package would benefit me, if any? I don't think there's one that fits my drinking "profile" except to just buy it as I go.

The only package that includes fresh juices AND alcohol (plus the water and soda you mentioned) is the Ultimate package at $64.90 per day. Priced individually, you are looking at $35-40 max after gratuity. Sounds like you are better off paying as you go.

I tend prefer American straight rye in my Manhattans and Old Fashions as they tend to be a little spicier and less sweet when mixing. Most recently I have fallen in love with Bulleit Rye, but I never did see any of those choices while on board.

 

Being from Canada you are probably referring to blended Canadian whiskies when you mention rye. So you should be happy as they served me Crown Royal the first time I ordered a Rye drink.

 

Cheers

-F-

Big fan of Bulleit myself as well as Rittenhouse, although I don't expect to find a good rye on board either :(

via Imgflip Meme Maker

 

What he said

Lolol... this meme was the first thing I thought of when I read "one does not". Funny to see someone else made the connection.

As a homebrewer and craft beer enthusiast, I have to respectfully disagree. "Session" beers have yet to find a defined ABV threshold, but around the Colorado brewing industry, it is generally considered to be anything under 5.5%. Maybe I'm pretty fat at 210 and 5'10", but I've never experienced any beer around 5% that has "slowed me down." I could see it slowing you down because of the thickness of the stout, but 5.2% is comparable to Bud and Negra, and most people would never say those slow you down or aren't session beers. I'm just at least hoping they have Stella. That's my go-to in a pinch, but it looks like Sierra Nevada is on board, so hopefully they have something other than their Pale Ale.

 

Carnival is building a ship that has dedicated breweries actually incorporated in it. I believe it's scheduled to start sailing next year. I could be mistaken, but the brewery plans are already approved and moving forward. THAT is a ship I'll definitely check out.

 

The cruise I'm going on Sunday I'm taking two Great Divide Peach Grand Cru that was bottled in 2012 (750ml bottles). Well, one of them will be drunk on the train tonight, and the second one will be drunk during a sail away toast. 12% ABV. Now that's a beer that will slow you down! :D

 

 

 

 

 

Totally agree with this statement. Smithwick's is a damn decent Irish Red.

Lol don't get carried away. When we say Sierra Nevada on board, it definitely will not include anything other than Pale Ale.

If you aren't already aware, Carnival cruises sailing from Florida ports sell Cigar City beers on board. They are a great Tampa brewery.

Glad to see the OP woke the pitchfork and torches crowd but those drinks on his menu are premium. Tell me what a Captain & Coke costs and maybe I'll take up the cause.

Would also like to know what a simple Captain & Coke cost now?

 

BonVoyage

Dawna

Not sure if it's been confirmed by others but OP has reiterated that the bar staff said ALL cocktails start at $10 which includes basic cocktails not on the menu.

They had Boddington, Beck (not dark), and Stella on tap. The beer selection is shameful for a "pub." We had to make do with bottled Bass, Sierra Nevada, and canned Guinness. The menu referenced above was not available on this ship.

 

The pub singer was entertaining for a night or two, but didn't play many "pub" songs at all. He also made everything sounds like Johnny Cash. We enjoyed it most when a couple crew members took over the entertainment for the night. One was a British girl from the cruise director's staff (saw her previously running the karaoke bar), and the other was a guitar player from the orchestra. They rocked the house, and several staff members were there to watch. The only night the place was packed. Watch for it in the Cruise Compass. It was the second to last night for us. It may not be a regular part of the entertainment schedule, though. They said it was only the 3rd time they'd done this.

Will keep an eye out for this, thanks. Do you recall if Hoegaarden was available? I can get by with a rotation of Bass, Sierra Nevada, and Hoegaarden combined with cocktails and wine :)

Same higher prices on Freedom last week.

Thanks, I had been trying to find this out since I'll be on Freedom in a couple weeks.

It really does seem like they are pushing the packages hard. They probably realize that there are many moderate drinkers out there who are on the fence about buying a package and this is the best way to nudge them forward. I know some occasional drinkers will boycott drinking on board due to the higher prices, but I bet the majority of them will still have their one or two cocktails per day.

I find it funny that many (including myself in this) rationalize making a drink package "worth it" by calculating how much our drinks would cost us individually, when in reality both prices (individual drink and drink packages) are too damn expensive. The price of enjoying a vacation... and yes, I know alcohol isn't needed to enjoy it... just an expression :)