desamparaditos

Great review. We are doing the same cruise in October, followed by a Transatlantic on the Harmony.

I agree, I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it. I went back the next day to look and again NO real parts in the chicken. I was shocked. I guess I should have made a big stink about it. I should have told the windjammer staff that it was unacceptable. But I was on vacation and just didn't eat it. Cost cutting should not come at the expense of quality. Cruising is a luxury. We like the little things like chicken wings and legs.

Let's hope it was a one cruise error and they have it fixed already. I plan to cruise on Enchantment or Majesty when it replaces her. That is my go to for a last minute quick get away.

I noticed the same thing on our TA on the Vision in October. Chicken parts I was unfamiliar with.

It sounds like whether we get Captain Marek or Captain Liz on our January 2016 Vision cruise, we will have a great experience, inasmuch as the captain can set the tone for a ship.

 

Thanks, all, for the info.

Capt. Liz is no longer on Vision. I think she is on the Jewel now.

Thanks for all the information. I've used quite a few different action style cameras from cheaper versions through to Sony models and not been 100% happy with any of them. The Sony has been the best and the SJCam SJ5000 gopro copy being the worst for video quality. The USP for the hero4 silver model is that it has a screen on the back so you can frame video much better. At the end of the day I want the best video quality and I believe, after trying lots of other cameras that the GoPro may be the one. Good thing with Amazon is their superb returns policy which will allow me to give it a good try out and return it within 30 days if I'm not happy.

Looks like buying onboard is not the way to go.

 

 

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One thing to keep in mind. GoPros typically don't come with an SD card. If you're using it primarily for videos, the SD card you will want might not be available on the ship.

Geri - Our son is NOT a SPOILED BRAT. In fact, he is an honor roll student, Boy Scout, well rounded and very mature young man. The prize was Taped to the wall so no one could win it. We have encouraged our son to let his voice be heard so that people would know what is going on in the 'teen' area and how our children are being treated on RCCL.

Please keep in mind by saying such RUDE things to children is RUDE on your behalf.

Just curious. If the prize was "taped to the wall so no one can win it". How did your son win it?

Yes, we used them a couple of years ago and we were very pleased with their service. We expected a mini bus to meet us at the port. Instead, there was a driver/guide with a very comfortable Mercedes.

 

He spoke excellent English as he had lived in SA. I recommended them to some elderly friends and they used them last year. They were also very pleased.

Thanks for your response. We went ahead and booked the East Island tour with them for November.

Stopping in Madeira on Vision of the Seas in November. Has anyone used Madeira Happy tours for shore excursions? Any comments?

Has anyone rented a car or just used taxi service getting to the Port of Tampa. We are finding it hard to decide which way to go when we have a pre and post hotel booked. Where can you drop off a car at the Port or rent one?

Budget has a location at the Embassy Suites Hotel, less than 5 minutes to the port. I don't know if they will pick you up at the port, but we have rented many times and dropped the car off there. They will drop you off at the port. Very convenient.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39852458#post39852458

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39852214#post39852214

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=39681549#post39681549

I guess he changed his mind and booked another cruise.

Harmony is Oasis class but will have Dynamic Dining. It will also have the Bionic Bar and Wonderland but no IFly, Sea Plex, Michaels, Jamie's, Two70, Music Hall.

 

I would guess that it will have the WOW bands too but I have not heard any announcement on that.

Do you know which of the restaurants are complimentary with Dynamic Dining on Harmony?

Thanks

Just back from the Imagination of the Seas and it was the absolute worst cruise of my life. I will never ever ever ever sail on Royal Caribbean again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Here are some of the details of my terrible ordeal.

 

EMBARKATION

 

When we arrived at the port there was a line to get on the ship. I couldn't believe that we had to stand in line. You would think Royal Caribbean would have figured out how to get everyone on the ship without having a line. Once we got to the desk they asked to see my photo ID. I told them that I had already shown it to the people at the airport, but they were so rude as to insist I present it again. Royal Caribbean really needs to get their act together on this. It's unreasonable to make people show their ID all the time.

 

CABIN

 

When we finally did make it to our cabin it was an absolute pig sty!!! The first thing that I noticed was that there was a piece of lint on the comforter. I've stayed in the best 5 star hotels all over the world I have never seen such a travesty as this. Just the thought of sleeping in a bed that had a piece of lint on the comforter was making me sick so I picked up the phone to call the steward. Instead of coming right to my room, it took him 3 minutes to get there. This level of service is just unacceptable! I told him about the lint and he wanted to merely remove the lint. I told him that the whole comforter needed to be replaced immediately. He left and came back with a new one but we had to wait for him for 7 minutes. I also noticed that there was some dust on the back of the TV. The refrigerator was too small to hold the 4 cases of beer that I snuck on board so I called and asked if they could bring another one up. They said that there could only be 1 per stateroom. This is the dumbest policy I ever heard. I told them that I would be writing a letter to the CEO of Royal Caribbean about this. There were multiple other things wrong with the room as well including the toliet paper not being the same as the one we use at home. When I went on the balcony to check it out, it was really windy out there. I called down to Guest Services to complain and they tried to make me beleive that they no control over it. They said that there was nothing they could do to fix it.

 

DINING

 

Royal Caribbean has the worst food! In the main dining room, the Chateaubriand should have been served at a temperature of 170 degrees, but it was clearly 172 or 173. The lobster tails were so bad that I had real issues even finishing the 4th one. But, the worst part was the service we received in the dining room. Our waiter did not even bother to ask the names of our children even though we told them that our kids were at home. One night after my wife ordered the beef wellington, but changed her mind after ordering. Our waiter didn't even check with my wife to see if she had changed her mind and instead just brought out the beef wellington. It's not unreasonable for people to change their mind after ordering.

The waiter should have checked with my wife and he would have known that she really wanted the pork medallions. That's the main reason we removed the auto-tip from our account. The buffet was even worse than the dining room. For breakfast they didn't have super crunch berries with marshallows which is my wife's favorite cereal. The food for lunch was so terrible it was like being forced to eat at Outback. My sister-in-law's friend's cousin's father-in-law also said the food on Royal Caribbean sucks!

 

 

I would like the address of Royal Caribbean CEO so that I can write for a full refund!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least you didn't have any chair hogs.

I saw this once. Once was enough.

Maybe its too early so I will just keep looking :) No problem flying Delta but i was hoping to find some Southwest flights as they tend to be less expensive from ATL to major airports in Florida.

 

Ive never flown to a cruise so all this is new to me. If you book ChoiceAir and have to cancel the cruise, Im not sure how flight cancellation works or if I would just lose that money. We definitely want to book through ChoiceAir though even though its a short non stop flight and we are flying in a day early.

Southwest does not show up on Choice Air. I have never seen Southwest flights on any travel search engine, Expedia, etc.

Someone has waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time on her hands. :eek:

I think it's ironic that someone with over 44,000 posts makes a comment about someone else who has way too much time on their hands.:)

Attached is the taxi fare chart I used. I agree with you about the communication with taxi drivers. We also made sure to have addresses written down.

 

I see that there is a 1 Euro charge to each bag, but I'm not sure that applies to the airport to port fixed rate.

We just took a taxi from the port to the airport last week. The cost was 39 euros, no charge for bags.

Great ideas, thanks

 

 

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You can also wear them while smoking on your balcony.

Is it possible to book an excursion for the second leg of a back to back cruise, while on the first leg. I'm talking about doing this at the guest services desk.

Hi Sandi,

My wife, Sharon and I enjoyed meeting you and Dierdre at the meet and mingle. I am looking forward to the rest of your review. I'm not sure how you took so many pictures with so few people around.

George

Based on the title, I was sure this would be another drink package thread! :D;)

Yes, you are allowed two bottles of Ripple or any other type of wine.

OP, now ask if your kids can share a soda package....

And if they decide to go, can they wear jeans.

Barcelona Cruise Port

 

 

Columbus Monument

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be continued...

Where was the first picture of the Columbus Monument taken from?

I never like when other people style my hair (always end up re-doing it, at home) therefore I don't want to make a hair appointment per se. That said, and given the mixed reports on flat irons and curling irons being confiscated, I was wondering: could I go into the spa and use their tools to style my own hair?

Yes, and you could probably go in the kitchen and make yourself something to eat also.

We have arrived into Rome. (Can't remember the port name off hand, begins with C). I had to cancel my visit to Rome today due to a problem with my ankle which means I can't walk for long distances. Instead I am going to do some Olive tasting. I will come back to Rome one day and discover it in more time.

 

The one thing I have noticed is I can feel the ship moving side to side. I am movement sensative so can notice it more. My table companions haven't noticed it.

Are you doing the ship's sponsored "Olive Oil Tasting Tour"? We are scheduled to do that in October. Would be interested to hear your opinions.

Thanks

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&snav=2&faqId=5447&faqSubjectId=336&faqSubjectName=Food+%26+Beverage&faqType=faq

Thanks, I didn't look there.