garnetpalmetto

@wolfcathorse DW and I just got off of Explorer this morning and can confirm that Captain Kjetil started his rotation but it started on 9/3, not 9/4.

On 1/22/2020 at 10:11 PM, TheBrowns said:

It will be Mike Hunnerup when Michelle goes on holidays in April. 

Michelle's not on vacation in April - she rotates off on February 5th. Mike replaces her then. Michelle returns from vacation on March 28th on Spectrum.

On 1/13/2020 at 1:09 PM, DELTABLUE said:

ADVENTURE:   Drew Devine #1397
ALLURE:   Jimmy Rhodes #1578, Michele Scarpato May to September, 2020 #1652

 

ANTHEM:   Mitch Merucci September 21 #1477 to January 16, 2020 #1692, then Mercedes Lafuente #1676 for 2 months #1703
BRILLIANCE:    Rob McNally  #1566
EMPRESS  Steve Davis  #1703
ENCHANTMENT:  Bobby Broughton. Elizabeth Hackett to cover vacation, early October #1476 Update, please.
EXPLORER:  Mike Whitte #1545
FREEDOM:    Cory Rogers for 30 days in Dec to take ship to Cadiz in Jan for drydock #1444 then Elvis Pinto #1671
GRANDEUR:  Clo O'Connor #1626 Through 2-20-20 #1657
HARMONY:    Marc Walker as of  9-29-19/3-15-20, 5-3/9-13-20 and 11-15-20/3-7-21 #1619
INDEPENDENCE:  Cuddy Cudsworth  #1677
JEWEL:         Andrea Oliver on through March, 2020 #1687
LIBERTY:  Brian Leavitt October 13 #1620, Cory Rogers January 14th to May 17th then July 12th to November 22nd. #1740

 

MARINER:    Ricky Matthews as of 1-11-20 #1732
MAJESTY:   Tanya Yates Tongue #1676
NAVIGATOR:   Hugo Arenas returned 10-18 #1621
OASIS:           Michele Scarpato #1717
OVATION:     Gordon Whatman #1716 as of 1-9-20 for 7 weeks till Hong Kong #1720
QUANTUM:  Ken Jones  #1535
RADIANCE:   Susan Adams #1701
RHAPSODY:  David Bradshaw #1666
SERENADE:  Katy McCullagh from UK #1652, filling in.  Will be gone by 1-31-20 #1656, then Chris Brown #1651
SPECTRUM: Fang Lixin through December #1394 Any update?

 

SYMPHONY:  Mike Szwajkowski as of 11-2-19 #1602

 

VISION       Steve Davis  for transatlantic crossing, will be on for 8 months #1518 then John Blair #1678
VOYAGER:  Michelle Oliveria #1565

 

Per Michelle's IG, she'll rotate off Voyager on 2/5. No idea who'll come on while she's off.

26 minutes ago, Baggies58 said:

Hi All,

 

We are on our first cruise on Serenade Of The Seas (Alaska Cruise) in August.  When do you know what shows are on ?? and what time are the shows normally  on at.

 

Thanks

Current production shows on Serenade (which by the looks of it haven't changed since I sailed on her) are:

Stage to Screen - " Calling all film aficionados, Broadway buffs, and every fan in between: get ready to travel from the world-revered theaters of Broadway to the star-studded studios of Hollywood as we bring you the greatest musicals to ever go from the Stage to Screen."

Vibeology - " Greatest hits get a remix when the vibes of your favorite originals are remixed in an all new way, with everything from reimagined Elvis to a cappella Beatles. Vibeology captures the music that defined an era and pays homage to its legends with hits from Sting, Santana, Cher, and more."

You'll also have various headliners that you can e-mail Royal and ask about a few weeks prior to your cruise.

On 12/3/2019 at 12:11 AM, davisrnr said:

 

 

Been looking into this, but I need a full face mask, and the humidifier disk doesn't work with those masks. Anyone used an air mini without the humidification? Thoughts? 

 

The other option is the Dreamstation Go, which is supposedly very good, and does have a reservoir for an additional cost. Unfortunately this makes it significantly larger than the mini. The other advantage of the Dreamstation is that you can use any mask. 

 

We leave in about 10 days and I've been mulling over this decision for awhile, but I'm a bit gunshy and afraid of spending a big chunk of change on a machine that I won't use.  Any other thoughts on this? 

Yup. Never had any issues after a week of non-humidified use back in September on Symphony and other multi-day uses without it.

6 hours ago, mompells said:

Could you show us a picture of the new El Loco Fresh Menu?

There really isn't a menu - it's a buffet with pretty much the same items each day - quesadillas, burritos, and tortillas to make carne asada, carnitas, or chicken tacos. Also tortilla chips and a couple salads/desserts.

46 minutes ago, CP3o said:

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/oasis-of-the-seas/things-to-do

 

Anyone find it odd they show both the Bionic Bar and Champagne Bar on things to do "Bars" section for Oasis?  As an aside, are there adults that enjoy the Bionic bar?

 

 

My wife and I and our friends quite enjoyed it. I've said it elsewhere but we never visited the Champagne Bar when we were on Oasis but visited Bionic Bar at least daily, if not a couple of times a day.

2 hours ago, dlwolf72 said:

My call to RC I just made, 11/25/2019, got the response of “ No”.

Whomever you spoke with apparently didn't know about the locks being upgraded during this most recent Drydock. Wow Bands and unlocking doors through the app are now supported on Oasis.

On 11/22/2019 at 6:03 PM, lenquixote66 said:

My doctor told me that I must use a full face mask.I have 15 in my closet because I got a Stage 2 Pressure ulcer and my Dermatologist said that it could be deadly if it got to Stage 4.I have not used a mask in 5 years.

Without knowing your model of machine you could try one of the newer low-profile full masks like the Resmed F30 or the Philips Respironics Dreamwear which don't contact the bridge of the nose at all.

Better than asking your steward - prior to boarding, fill out a request with Royal's Special Needs Department and that way you should have an extension cord and water waiting for you.

Also, if he has the ability to do so, tell him to consider a travel CPAP - the ResMed AirMini, for instance, which doesn't use distilled water at all (it uses a humidifier disc instead) and it's super convenient to travel with.

11 minutes ago, JSR said:

Thank you for the tips. We just landed in Miami. Early morning so we are a bit tired though we did sleep some in the plane. Nice lie down beds on a 777-200. I haven’t been on a large plane in years. Headed to the hotel to freshen up then DD needs a mani/pedi. Hope to get to bed early and head to the ship at a reasonable hour. 
 

We do not have the drink package. Trying to drink less and exercise more. So we will defiantly be checking out the track. Wonderland sounds a little like Eden on Celebrity Edge. We are winging dinners as we are not planners. We did book Hooked  for lunch as our one reservation.. Glad for the suite perk of not having to reserve shows. This is a last minute trip and couldn’t figure that all out. 
 

We plan to go to the sports bar Monday night to watch the game. Is there food there or just drinks? 
 

Thank you all for the hints and tips. Please, keep them coming. 
 

thank you, thank you. 

Playmakers has food as well as drinks.

1 minute ago, franncos said:

Isn't BBQ served at WJ? 

Not that I've ever seen...I don't think I've ever seen pulled pork or Burnt Ends, for instance, at WJ, but I typically don't eat at WJ except for (maybe) embarkation lunch and breakfast on a port day. 

Just now, Milwaukee Eight said:

What about Southern Sweet?

I'm not hugely familiar with that and I don't think it's commonly considered among the staple regional sauces. Would you mind telling me more about it?

34 minutes ago, steveru621 said:

 

Where are they charging for a kids meal?

It does look like from the Lunch and Dinner menus that the Kids Meals at Portside BBQ will be charged as well - $7.99 at lunch (which gets you your choice of Chicken Fingers, Mac & Cheese, or 1/4 BBQ chicken in addition to a side and dessert) and $4.39 at dinner (which gets you the same as lunch but without dessert). I'm not sure if that's correct but that's just what it looks like based off of those menus.

7 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

We lived in Huntsville, AL in the late 90's

I avoided the white sauce like the plague for the first few years.

Eventually tried it, and it's really good on chicken. 🐔

We need to go back

I've heard it's really good on poultry which is why I think it might not be a bad addition to the turkey.

12 minutes ago, HBE4 said:

I think I would be more upset if a formerly free (included) food venue was changed to for-fee specialty, like Park Cafe or Sorrento's.  As it stands now, it's a new restaurant that never existed before serving food that you previously could not get on a cruise ship so, I can choose to not go to it and won't be missing a thing.

 

And if it draws people away from the Windjammer or Park Cafe, that's a positive in my book.

 

I wonder how late the "late night" menu is? I always felt that was one area where Royal was lacking. Other than pizza and finer sandwiches, there is not much to eat for the late night crowd.  I could take a break from the casino and save a ton of money by buying the $8 sammie   😋

7 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I'll give you a hell ya to that.

I'll third it - I don't gamble but if it's open late it'd be nice to hit that up after a show or some night swimming. I'm a little surprised they also didn't do like a slider option for the sandwiches - 3 slider sized sandwiches (mix and match between the three proteins) with no side. That'd hit the spot for sure. I'll still be interested to see what their sauce lineup would be. In my ideal set-up where you're going for BBQ's greatest hits like that it'd be:
 

• Eastern NC Vinegar & Pepper
• Western NC Tomato
• Central SC Mustard
• Memphis
• Kansas City
• And...blech...Alabama White

18 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

Thanks for posting that.  I believe the larger 2/3 meat meals are also available at that time; lunch menu available only for lunch time 

You're welcome.

At any rate, for those curious, here's the Dinner and Late Night Menus as well. For what it's worth, the Late Night Menu is essentially the same as the Lunch Menu.

From my perspective living in BBQ country, $12.95 for two meats, two sides, and a dessert isn't bad. Here in the Triangle, The Pit (featured on a couple Food Network shows) charges $18.99 for 2 meats and 2 sides (no dessert) at dinner and $24.99 for 3 meats and 2 sides (no dessert). Sam Jones BBQ (owned by the family that owns the nationally known Skylight Inn) charges $15.99 for their 2 meat/2 side combo and $17.99 for their 3 meat/2 side combo. Again, dessert is separate.

5 minutes ago, LMaxwell said:

 

If that's not the lunch price, show it.  Those are prices given to me and advertised as lunch.  They do have late night bites starting at $8 per person. 

Looks like $7.99 for lunch which gives you your choice of entree (a sandwich (either pulled pork, brisket, or smoked turkey) with fries and slaw; a smoked turkey leg; or 4 smoked chicken wings with fries and slaw) and dessert.

4 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said:

Paying for iced tea????

A copy of their menu has been circulating with a $2.50 charge for iced tea (which includes refills) - the only assumption I can make here is that it's different from the usual iced tea RCI serves (similar to the difference between the complementary orange juice from concentrate and the fresh-squeezed orange juice that has a separate charge).

2 minutes ago, johnjen said:

Am I thinking correctly, is this an additional fee for their deck barbecues, featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob?

No, OP is referring to the new Portside BBQ venue on Oasis and coming to Allure.

20 hours ago, chrisd5592 said:

Hey Paulette,

 

Chris here. I am on board Harmony until Dec. 1, Flavio is taking over from me, and Hannah will go back to SY on Nov. 24. For me, I don't know where I am going next as of yet. 

@chrisd5592 - what's Hannah's last name? We had her on Symphony when she was paired with Ricky and loved her as an AM - definitely want to keep an eye out for her in the future.

5 hours ago, DesireeC03 said:

thank you everyone - this gives me a jumping point for packing.  I will also download the app to see if there is anything there

Unfortunately the app tends to not be much help for that. I don't remember noticing any of Symphony's theme nights when I looked in the app prior to the cruise.

On Symphony in late September they did an '80s party, a White Party, a Red Party, and a Silent Disco - those are the only ones that I remember. Again, those can change up from time to time though and they don't generally publish them in advance - I wouldn't be surprised to see the '80s party continue though, as they had dedicated props for that.

3 minutes ago, Tulsacoker said:

probable more mid-western type sauces with Molasses   😄

LOL nice ninja edit. You were about to get the lecture that it's Central South Carolina that uses mustard and that Eastern North Carolina is vinegar and pepper based. 🤣

As someone born and raised in the Carolinas, I'll be interested to know what sauces they'll have available. If there's some Eastern NC style sauce I'll be a happy man.

On 11/4/2019 at 7:36 PM, Lorey2007 said:

Been awhile since we did traditional early MDR dining.  Do you check in on the first night and there after just walk in and go to your table or do you still need to check in every night?

We tend to check in so we're not wandering around looking for our table the first night. After that, nope, no check-in needed.

Per John&Lala, Ricky is off Symphony and Mike Szwajkowski is back on. They handed off on 11/2/19.