karmacats

 

Hi....Thank you for taking the time to contribute to the thread! I was wondering if anyone onboard can confirm if you can use Izumi Hibachi with the dining package? I know the fine print says you can't but there were times it had been allowed on other ships.

 

Thank you!

You cannot. We were originally told we could do it and just pay an upcharge, but the specialty restaurant manager refused to allow the booking, even though his staff had previously said it was ok. If you go to izumi hibachi, you have to pay full price and it's not considered part of the package. Even the concierges could not get us in under the package.

Tbh, we never expected it to be part of the package based on the fine print, and had no intention of going until the specialty dining staff said we should try it. Then we were excited to go. So having it then refused was pretty annoying. The theme of this cruise seems to be inconsistent/nonexistent communication....

I'm on the harmony TA now and just attended a lecture by captain gus about the building of the ship, and he mentioned oasis 4 was being built now and, wise guy that he is, said something along the lines of "and her name is"...(insert loooong pregnant pause here)...."harmony 2". There was audible groaning at that - we all thought we were getting some inside scoop. Oh well. The lecture itself was pretty great.

can anyone post where the bed placement is or confirm if the staff will move the sofa and bed to whichever side we request?

The bed and sofa cannot be switched. There is a bumpout for the bed and the room gets narrower where the sofa is, so the bed wouldn't fit in the narrow part.

Since we're trying to get a list started, we were in 7184, a D8, on the med cruise before this, and the bed was near the entrance door off the hallway, with the couch near the balcony. I actually prefer it that way - i like to sit on the couch to watch the ocean - but i seem to be in the minority. On oasis i hated that configuration bc the bed blocked the closets, but it's not a problem on harmony bc the closets are configured differently.

On GS 6260 for the TA so can't really help with balcony bed placement, tho if anyone cares, when sitting up in bed you face the aft, and when sitting on the couch you face forward. On 7184 you faced forward on both the bed and couch.

Heard from someone onboard today that there were 181 Painicles onboard Harmony now.

I don't know if that was a typo or on purpose, but either way, it made me laugh. We have met a ton of lovely, wonderful pinnacles onboard over the last few days, but there have been a couple....

Fwiw, we are in a GS and were only able to make 3 CK reservations over the 13 nights, and only got those bc we were willing to eat around 9 or 9 30, so i can see why JSes are having trouble getting in. They seem to have done away with a few other full suite perks with no warning; for example, the 2 shows we've seen (fine line aqua show and grease) did not have any suite seating. I think the concierges are just overwhelmed, especially with all the computer problems.

For those asking about the GS, ours was the one in the cabin crawl periscope yesterday. It does have a wall between the LR and BR, but it seems way more spacious than the GS on quantum class. There is only one bathroom entrance, which is off the foyer area.

Off to watch sailaway from malaga. If anyone has more GS questions, just ask.

Same on allure.

 

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And on harmony. Posting using it right now. :)

It was posted it in the Icon-class thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2411505&page=7

and I'm thinking it's likely the name for the first Icon-class ship. Unless RCI is playing around with us. ;)

 

As for Oasis 4 & 5, to quote Frank Ireland in the Icon FB group...

 

"Icon of the Seas is new and Live on the trademark site, but there is no new one [trademarked name] for Oasis 4 & 5. Or is there?! Can one of the Dead names be 'revived' for these two ships?"

Ha, it figures. I'd been checking a couple times a week for new names, and they filed the application the day i left the country (on harmony right now. :) ).

Once dead for more than a couple of months, an application can't be revived, but they can certainly reapply for the same name.

Fwiw, the services they applied for - cruise ships, entertainment, lodging, etc - are pretty standard for cruise lines' trademark applications.

Sometimes applications get hung up in processing, so its possible they filed for others that just arent in the system yet, or there may be a delay on their end with clearance from their attorneys.

Thanks for the new pics. Fun to see them as we explore harmony....

Thanks so much for the review and pictures. Its hard to find info on these rooms. I'm cruising with a friend in feb who is concerned about noise. Did you have any issues? I can't remember her room no, but she's a few rooms in from the dining room end.

Bahaha --I bet I am the only one who knows where Shortpump is.

i know where short pump is! :D

subscribing so i can post some pictures if we get any decent ones (maybe after the onboard photography workshop?), and answer some questions. we'll be onboard this sunday, the 16th, for a B2B with the TA.

we leave on friday, as in, two days from now. we are not even close to starting to pack yet, and will be spending hours in DC tomorrow at a baseball playoff game. i am freaking out.

Currently booked in a deck 8 GS and declined their offer of upgrading to a CL for $2700. Considering it's the same class, that seems high. I'm pretty happy with our location now, but if the price came down we might reconsider, and that's only if they reconsider calling us back! When I did call to decline I told her we were interested, but not at the price. I'm sure someone will take it.

that's way better than the offer we got! :D we're also in a GS, and they wanted $3600 for the CLS or $3900 for a 1 BR aqua suite. :eek: we said no.

tbh, we booked those couple days in june 2015 when the prices were super-low, so even if we had taken one of their offers, it still would have been a pretty decent price. but there is no way one of those suites is worth almost $4k more than a GS.

i also told her we'd do it for a lot less, and to let us know if an OS opened up at a reasonable price. needless to say, i have not heard back.

i also got a call for the med cruise the week before. that was my first ever upsell call. they wanted $2300 to go from a balcony to a GS. turned that one down, too, though i'm kind of regretting it. in my head i know it was too much, but in my heart i keep thinking "big balcony...coastal kitchen...double points...." :D

Is Jamie's open for lunch on embarkation day - if so price? Thank you!

hi treacher! hope you're doing well.

we ate at jamie's on embarkation day on both quantum and anthem. it was cheaper on quantum, but on anthem had gone up to $20 or $25, i think $25. the price was $5 more than it had said online, and we mentioned it to the waiter and he said it had just gone up. that was last december. whatever it was, it was totally worth it to avoid the windjammer on embarkation day. :)

Rest assured the name is known (by a list of people by now)....but being carefully restricted for publication until it is deemed "the right time". As you pointed out...those letters will have to show up on the hull sometime in the next month or so more than likely...

nothing new on the trademark database, at least that i saw.

personally, i like symphony better than melody, but i'm sure i'll get used to whatever it is. i hated both oasis and allure (the names, not the ships) at first, but now i'm just used to them and think they are fine. i did like harmony from the beginning. :)

What was I thinking!?

 

My vote is for Banana of the Seas. anyone named kevin, bob, or stuart gets a free cruise. (did i mention my DH is named kevin?) :D

if i do stumble across any new trademark filings for ship names, i will let you know. i actually kind of like symphony myself. anything except pulse - that's just horrible.

Grand Suite passengers haven't gotten chocolates in several years.

over the last few years we've been in JS, GS, OS, and CLS, and never gotten pillow chocolates.

disney just changed from junky cheapo chocolates to ghirardelli chocolates on your bed every night. of course, their cruises also generally cost about twice what royal's do.

i am a big chocolate fan, but honestly i don't miss the bedtime chocolates. there is plenty of chocolate to be found on the ship. not that i won't enjoy my disney ghirardellis next year. :) but it doesn't really bother me to not have them.

We are sailing on rcc this coming July 2017 for our honeymoon. We booked through a travel agent about a month ago now. Of course we are super excited. I've been researching everything like crazy. To my amazement today I came to find out the discrepancies between the photos they have for our room categories & to say the least I'm kinda p'od. Apparently someone really screwed up with the pictures added to the site for room previews. The room we thought we were getting is infact a picture of a junior suite! The pictures are super misleading and of course I already paid my deposit with the ta. What am I to do? We honestly thought we were getting something really special and turns out, it's a regular room with a balcony they call "superior " Whoppie!

you have until final payment date, which i think is now 90 days before your cruise, to cancel for your full deposit back. (i'm pretty sure it's 90 days - royal just changed the amount of time - but i'm sure someone will correct me if i'm wrong.) in any case, you are well before "final payment date", which is when you start to lose money for cancelling. so, if you are not happy with your room, you can cancel and get all of your money back.

depending on your TA, they may charge a fee for the cancellation. that would go to the travel agency, though, and not from royal.

i checked the royal website just now and you're absolutely right - the picture is wrong. i guess i shouldn't be surprised, as royal's IT department is the absolute worst. i can see why you are upset, though. fwiw, the balcony rooms on oasis, though a little smaller, are very nice. if you do keep the reservation, make sure your TA notes in the reservation that it's your honeymoon. sometimes you may get a little something extra, like a special dessert.

congrats on your upcoming wedding!

show me a working couple who could get off a month?

right here. and plenty of our friends do it, too. some (like us) actually save up vacation days and then really take a month off. many others work from the road, or from a cruise now that ship internet is fast enough on many vessels.

DH and i are mid-40s with full-time jobs. in the last 10 years we have done three long trips - one for a month, one for 6 weeks, and one for almost 8 weeks. we arranged it with our employer, and worked our tails off before and after to make up for the lost time. it was totally worth it.

next fall, we are in fact doing a PC. we gave up on holding out for royal and instead are doing it on disney. had royal been available, they would have been our first choice. between travel time and hopefully going to disneyland before, we will again be gone 3-4 weeks.

so, count me in with the people who would have been pleased if royal went back to PC cruises. and i've shown you a working couple who pretty regularly take a month or so off. ;)

So.. we are traveling on Oasis.. the stand-alone Starbucks won't be included.

 

What I can't remember is.. does the Cafe Promenade have special coffee drinks also? or not because there is a Starbucks on the ship? Can you get a Frappucino type drink at the Cafe Promenade?

cafe promenade does have special coffee drinks and frappuccino-type drinks that are included. they will just be a different coffee brand (usually seattle's best, but it's been years since i've been on oasis so it might be something else).

the pics are kind of small (the large ones were taken down) but here are pix of 7234 on quantum, with the wrap around balcony. i think anthem does not have the large round windows on the side, but otherwise is the same.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2160454&highlight=quantum+7234+sgs

Hey guys, I am hoping that maybe someone can help. We will NOW be on the Anthem in the Sky Class Superior Grand Balcony suite (wrap one) When I looked at a video on you tube of a cabin on deck 6 (we will be on deck 7) I see that there was a door which was shut and the gentleman had to open it to show the other half of his balcony :confused: Is this how my balcony will be also?

i was in SGS 7234 on quantum, and OS 12234 on anthem (which is right above, so had the same balcony configuration). We did have a wrap-around balcony on both, with a door dividing the usual side-facing balcony from the front wrap-around portion. you can open the door as you want. when i saw pictures i was annoyed about the door, but as we found out on the ship, it is very necessary to cut down on the wind - the front portion is extremely windy when the ship is moving.

when we first got onto anthem, the door dividing our front wrap-around portion from the JS next door was open. the crew members open it so they can clean the balconies on turnaround day. when we got back to the room after dinner, that door was closed, and remained closed for the remainder of the cruise, so our balcony was separated from the JS one.

Someone asked a good question in the Oasis 4 group...

 

Would any new potential names show up on the trademark sites before the naming of the ship?

yep. http://www.uspto.gov (hopefully i'm allowed to link to there).

royal usually files for a bunch of names, then uses some of them and lets some abandon. you can search the website by owner "royal caribbean", or if you do a word mark search for "of the seas" you'll get only the ship names. select "live" to see only the active ones; selecting "live and dead" will also show you the marks they've applied for before but not used.

there is nothing new for ship name applications - the last couple of applications were filed this summer for VOOM and QUEST.

i'm a trademark attorney for the govt, so i guess this is where i'm supposed to say that everything i just told you is in my personal capacity as a cruiser/online friend and not as a govt employee. you know the drill. :)

If you're looking for a side, on allure we would grab a bag of chips from the park cafe and bring it down to the dog house with us. Not as good as fries, but it did the trick. Planning on doing the same on harmony as long as park cafe still has bags of chips.

Fwiw, I am not a huge fan of most hot dogs - at home I only eat Hebrew national and only if they were bbqed on the grill - but I really liked the Coney island dog. I had it twice in 7 nights on allure.

But thus far no wine pairing option

the menu page on the royal website says 3-course dinner for $45 or 4-course dinner with wine pairing for $89 (including the wine). i got to the menu through the web page on royal's site specifically about michael schwartz.

i'm actually thrilled with this change. there are tons of things on the 3-course menu that i will eat. with the fixed menu, there were a couple of courses i had to pawn off on my tablemates because i don't eat things like beets or most seafood. what i did eat was delicious, and more than enough, but i'd rather have choices.

Looks like you are a (dining) chair hogger. I guess your flexibility will be seriously tested to visit other great elegant onboard restaurants. I admit though-you need to step out into the real world and mingle with the ordinary people....

just to be clear, the language you quote and attributed to isailor was really written by me. isailor was just responding to my previous post. if you're going to deride someone, at least choose the right person.

I will also on this TA,will be my 3rd on Royal. Didn't know need to make reservation on CK.May be we can share a table if is 90% booked.:confused:

I am also in GS.

we've never had to make reservations before (on quantum, anthem, or allure), but as noted, we've never been on a cruise with this many pinnacle before. :) and only our allure cruise was after they started allowing JS in for dinner, but even then, CK was never full.

we booked the 5-night specialty package for the TA, but still hoping to get CK reservations for the other nights. would be happy to share a table. it's actually the one thing i miss when doing CK - i like meeting new people in the MDR.

i'm going to check again after final payment (and keep checking), and worse case i will email the concierge a week or so before and see what they can do. i figure we're only a party of 2, we will sit with other people, and we like to eat late (usually between 8 and 9) but really are flexible on time, so hopefully they can squeeze us in somewhere. heck, i'd eat sitting at the bar in the suite lounge/CK if they'd allow it.

Diamond Plus can also reserve a cabana on Barefoot Beach. The concierge will wait list D+ in case any go unrented by suite and Pinnacle guests.

thanks! good to know....for that far-off day when i make D+ . :p

something else that i don't think has been mentioned - on labadee, if the suite guests purchase a cabana on the suite beach, they can bring non-suite guests to the cabana. afaik, that's the only way non-suite guests can go to the suite beach (except maybe pinnacles?). the cabana only holds up to 6, so that may not work if you have a large family traveling together.

we often travel in suites with non-suite guests. usually we travel with one other friend, so we take her through suite checkin with us so she's not waiting alone. if we travel with a large party, we just meet them onboard.

we also routinely bring guests to coastal kitchen for dinner, but they do reserve the right to refuse guests if there is not room. we usually eat late - around 8:30 or 9 pm - so it's never been an issue.

when it's available (usually normal meal hours) you can also order room service from the MDR for everyone, as long as it's delivered to the suite.

non-suite guests are not supposed to join in CK at breakfast or lunch, be in the suite lounge, on the suite sundeck, or in the suite seats in the theaters before they open them up to everyone. not to say these things don't happen occasionally, but those seem to be the official rules and are fairly strictly enforced.