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Yeah, I know that you're playing against the dealer in blackjack, and while I might not remember someone playing "wrong" if there's a positive outcome, ultimately I'm happy to have won that hand but I'm not happy they're playing "wrong". I'd rather everyone play consistently "right" because as I said, the odds are better for the players. Even a blind squirrel can find a nut sometime.

 

 

 

I'm not wrong, but okay, thanks for chiming in.

You are wrong, but I can see we won't change your mind - no big deal!

If someone is playing their "own hand" in a way that's skewing the odds for everyone at the table I completely understand getting upset. They should play when no one else is at the table if they want to give the casino better odds because sure it's your money and your hand but one person playing recklessly affects everyone.

You are playing against the dealer. Someone else at the table who does not play the optimal strategy, is just as likely to hurt you or help you. It's just that you remember the "player" who hits a 14 when the dealer has a 6, pulls a 10 to go over, then the dealer pulls a 4 to his 16. You wouldn't complain if he got a 7, and then the dealer went over.

Hello,

 

Any thoughts on an excursion for hiking Gros Piton? We have used Spencer Abrose in the past, but his website states that that tour does not exist anymore.

 

Thanks!

Not sure if this is still timely for you, but may be for others. On July 19 we used Solomons Water Taxi, and it worked out great. We were a party of 6, but only 2 did the hike. The other 4 went to a beach, mud bath, and waterfall. But all 6 of us were in the boat from the cruise ship pier, to Gros Piton. I would definitely recommend!

I am sorry if you find the details irrelevant.

I like reading reviews with details as it helps to know the person a little more.

I also use these reviews as a way to relive my trip.

 

You can skip my posting and read ones that aren't as detailed if you don't like it.

 

As you said it is a lot of work and a negative comment that is not constructive is not necessary.

 

 

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Fair enough - thanks for taking the high road! I didn't mean to be negative; I was just trying to help you reach a wider audience.

Hi Noreen, I appreciate you putting this much effort into this review, but you include way too many irrelevant details. Most of us just want details about the cruise, not your job title or that you texted your friend, or pictures of your toenails. Anybody can check my posting history to see I don't complain about much.

Nights 2 and 6 (I am 95% sure, lol)

What islands did you visit. Saint Lucia or Martinique?

We went to St. Lucia. Thanks to CC, I knew about the possibility of Martinique, and was ready for either.

Beware of misinformation on this topic, such as this, posted on 7-13-17 by rsharp83:

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No one on Adventure is going to St. Lucia for months. And Royal will continue to mislead and obfuscate the issue because they know how popular St. Lucia is and how unpopular Martinique is with many cruisers.

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I posted this on another thread yesterday:

Just off Adventure, we did go to St. Lucia, but I don't think that has any bearing on future sailings. This is a very large construction project, with different conditions each day, which will affect whether the ship can dock there. Those who blasted RC for the last minute notifications about the switch to martinique on june 7 and 28 are misguided. Site conditions on construction sites change daily. And I am not an RC apologist, as you will see from my review in a day or so.

Do you recall if the main dining room served lobster?

Every night in the MDR lobster was available for $30. One night near the end it was free. Two people ordered it - one said it was mushy, because it wasn't from cold waters. The other person liked it very much.

Thanks for the review! We will be on the Adventure on Saturday!

 

This made me laugh! Just curious though, how would you have preferred that she respond? I'm guessing that most people who ask her "what is corvina?" probably do not know that it is a fish. At least her reply was correct!

I forgot the exact wording, but it was clear from the menu that it was a fish. We may have asked "what is it like?" - expecting to hear something like "It's a white, flaky fish, similar to sole"...or "It's a thicker fish, similar to a swordfish steak..." - something like that.

I just remembered there was a dish labeled in the buffet "Almond crusted fish"...:D

Great feedback, thank you!

 

Did you happen to catch the "parade"? I havnt been on RC before but I understand that there is a parade that goes through the ship?

No, we missed it, but it was on the schedule!

Just off Adventure of the Seas (July 15 sailing). Had a great time, visiting five very interesting islands, celebrating a College and High School Graduation, and my Mom came too! As most who have been on this ship have said, the staff is great, the food just OK. But we agree with those who say we are not shopping for the food, preparing it, cooking it, or cleaning up – so none of that interfered with our enjoyment of the trip!

Pros

I really enjoy this size and design of ship. It was designed in the late 1990s, when the drive to monetize every square inch of a ship was not as prevalent as it is today. We never, EVER, had trouble finding a chair by the pool, or on any deck. Many times, outside on deck 4, even on the sea day, we were all alone – so peaceful. Elevators not crowded, buffet not too crowded, etc…Basically the ratio of passengers to public areas is better than current ships.

On the NCL Breakaway, finding a chair was always an issue, I couldn’t get within 20 feet of a railing for sailaway out of NYC, and the worst was the corridors for the staterooms. If you encountered a staff member with a cart, you had to put your back against the wall to let them pass. I am not kidding, the corridors on the Adventure of the Seas are twice as wide as those on the Breakaway.

I love being able to walk around the entire outside of the ship (not possible on many newer ships), on deck 4 (with steps up to deck 5 at the front). I cannot believe how many times I was outside at the front of the ship, all by myself, while sailing – and they even have several benches there – never used!

The buffet offered many different varieties of food, most of which was good.

Cons

Promenade Café – usually very crowded, sometimes 20 people on line. Then when you get to the counter, many items not labeled, or mis-labeled. Just adds to it taking much longer to serve each person. Six different salads, all with multiple ingredients, not easy to figure out by looking at…these were never labeled the whole trip. Fresh-brewed coffee here was nice and convenient, but with six pitchers of milk, is it that difficult to include a low-fat or skim option? Nope! Only whole milk and half and half. And one time, all the pitchers were gone, for about 20 minutes.

Movies – they have a big screen outside by the pool for movies – but they kept repeating the same movie – only three different choices for seven nights.

Trivia – many times this was run by a very nice woman, who spoke English poorly. You know how some people treat trivia seriously, hanging on every word – but if half of the words are unintelligible, that’s a problem. The poor woman, knew her limitations, and kept apologizing about it – not her fault at all!

Main Dining Room – We were a party of 8, and were assured many months ago that we would all be at the same table, as requested – but of course that didn’t happen – although they did fix it for the rest of the cruise. Here we also had another language barrier problem. Head Waiter did not know the menu – Corvina was an entrée, we were not familiar with it, and asked her – and her reply? “It is a fish”. Many orders were wrong. She was very sweet and only wanted to please, but she was not prepared. I am leaving a lot out – we are not snobs at all, but it was bad. We asked for plain, decaf black tea (Lipton, Bromley…anything!) and were told they only had herbal tea. Later the Maitre D said that it was available. He tried very hard to make things right.

All beef dishes could only be ordered medium rare or medium well. Which of course means that they are just sitting there, waiting to be served, rather than cooked to order. Most nights all three levels of the main dining room were half full. I think the cruise lines are successfully implementing their strategy of driving everybody to the specialty restaurants, or to the buffet.

We laughed most of the above off, and had a wonderful family vacation! Thanks to all my fellow CC members for all the valuable information posted on the tour options on each island – I could never have planned everything without you!!

Just off Adventure, we did go to St. Lucia, but I don't think that has any bearing on future sailings. This is a very large construction project, with different conditions each day, which will affect whether the ship can dock there. Those who blasted RC for the last minute notifications about the switch to martinique on june 7 and 28 are misguided. Site conditions on construction sites change daily. And I am not an RC apologist, as you will see from my review in a day or so.

I would hope if you were going to Martinique that they would have sent you a message by now.... keeping my fingers crossed for you. It's good thinking on your part to have a plan for both places.... that's what we are doing

 

 

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Thanks for the well wishes.....between your fingers and my toes, it may have worked!

No one on Adventure is going to St. Lucia for months. And Royal will continue to mislead and obfuscate the issue because they know how popular St. Lucia is and how unpopular Martinique is with many cruisers.

 

 

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I heard from the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority that we are scheduled to arrive in St. Lucia on July 19.

Still have not heard as of now. I made plans for both islands (thanks to the info I found here!), but I know there will be many unhappy people onboard if it is another last-minute notification.

I am on that cruise, and have been diligently trying to answer that very question for the last two months. I actually contacted the St. Lucia Port Authority, since I figured their information would be more reliable than RC. As of now, I would say 90% sure we are going to Martinique. The Martinique port lists us as being in port that day, and the St. Lucia port does not. But until we officially hear from RC. . .that's why I have it as 90 and not 100! Last cruise scheduled for St. Lucia (three weeks ago) - they heard from RC on Thursday - so I expect to hear very soon.

My first cruise was in 2011, last was in 2014, next week will be my first on RC. I have read a lot on here about how the quality of the food has gone downhill in the last few years, and the “nickel and diming” and cost-cutting that was always there, is even more blatant. But I see that RCCL stock is near an all-time high, and the CEO is gushing about the company’s financial health. So why all the cost-cutting? You would think that if the company is doing so well, they wouldn’t need to squeeze every last penny out of us, lol – what am I missing?

I am on the July 15 sailing. I contacted the St. Lucia Port Authority, they emailed me back yesterday, saying that we are still scheduled to arrive in St. Lucia July 19. I think they have more credibility than RC on this issue, since they are the ones who are administering the construction contract. But it will be interesting to see what happens with the June 24 sailing.

On the Ruby last month my wife met a priest who was travelling with his Church group. He invited us to mass (in the conference room!). I am not Catholic, so I may not have this exactly right, but the part in the mass where the Priest asks for blessings for the Pope and Bishops, etc - he says "And we ask for blessings for our Pope, Francis, and for the Bishop. . . .ummm. . . . . .well. . . . .the Bishop of wherever we are!"

On July 22 we disembarked the Ruby and took a taxi to the train station. We were the only ones there, and about 5 cabs were lined up waiting. We walked off with our own luggage.

Formal nights were the 2nd night (Guernsey), and one of the sea days - sorry - I don't remember which one!

Yes, we took the train from Waterloo, which is easy to get to since it's also a station on the Underground. And escalators and elevators make it possible with luggage.

Thanks for the medication advice, baggal - we will definitely bring those items along next time! And I agree about the Ruby and staff - superb!

Just off the Ruby Princess yesterday, 12-day British Isles. Had a great time, and will try to offer some info a little off the beaten path. Quick background – married couple, early 50’s, only 4 cruises (incl. this one), all since 2011, three on Ruby.

Southampton – we spent 2 days pre-cruise in London, and thanks to advice I received on CC, I was able to book a train from London to Southampton for 1 pound per person. Here is the website: http://uk.megabus.com/

The regular fare is approx. 35 pounds, I think. You can get the cheapest fare if you book the instant the low fares become available, which I think is 45 days in advance.

Dinner – we enjoy traditional eating (late), to meet others and get to know them. When making the reservation there is a spot to select a table of 2,4,6, or 8. I did not specify, not wanting to pick 8, and if 8 wasn’t available, we might not get traditional. So we were very surprised (and disappointed) on the first night when we were shown to our very own. . .table for 2. It worked out fine when we became very friendly with the couple next to us (the tables for 2 are fairly close), but in the future I will select 8.

Passengers – The average age of the majority was between 60 and 80. Very few children. Even if you have the rare child who would be interested in all the history and architecture this itinerary offers, I would think twice, since they won’t have anyone else to socialize with on board. When we took the Ruby in the summer of 2011 on the Grand Mediterranean, there were many more children and a wider age range for the adults. Maybe because that was a warmer trip?

Medical Center – I fully support any efforts by any cruise line to aggressively try to manage and/or prevent a norovirus outbreak. We are very careful onboard in this regard. On day 7 my wife had an upset stomach, and sent me to the shop to buy Pepto-Bismol. The shop was closed since we had just docked, so I asked at the front desk, who suggested that I might be able to obtain it “over-the-counter” at the medical center. I told this to my wife. Half an hour later I met her and another couple with whom we had planned a day ashore together, to find my wife in tears. She had been quarantined for 24 hours. Again, I have no quarrel with Princess over this, and my wife was not even close to being sick. . . but it did happen.

Greenock – if you walk to the Greenock Central rail station, on the right shortly before the station is a library with free wi-fi (or computers to use). A much better alternative to the slow satellite internet onboard – and the people in there are very friendly! (“Oh certainly, sir, just fill out this wee form and you will be good to go”).

Ireland Buses - In Dublin we prepaid for an inter-city public bus to take us to a town 30 miles away. We walked about 15 minutes and found the correct bus stop, which even listed the timetable on a sign. The bus arrived right on schedule – but did not stop! Later I found out that I was supposed to flag the bus down. I just assumed it was a scheduled stop, and the driver could see us waiting there. Oh well. We flagged a cab, who caught the bus 4 stops later!

Scotland Buses – I had read on CC about possible bus crowding in Inverness, and like most CC advice, it turned out to be true. On the way back from Urquhart castle, you need to change to the 25 or 25X back to Invergordon. When we got there, there was a large crowd waiting, and a full 25 bus had just left. When our bus discharged its passengers, the crowd just got larger and a bit restless, since everybody could see that based on the schedule, and the crowd, the numbers just didn’t add up. Some people had legitimate fears of missing the ship. Eventually, a supervisor went into the bus garage, found a driver, and added another bus to help with the crowds. Kudos to him, but just beware if you want to avoid a stressful situation.

Edinburgh – I am not that into royalty, and had some time to myself while my wife roamed through Holyrood Palace. I noticed a large hill nearby, with people walking up a long path. I headed towards it, and found an open visitor center for Holyrood Park. I grabbed a map, a bottle of water, and started my climb. I made it to the top, which is called Arthur’s Seat. If you are able, I strongly recommend this. Amazing views of the city below. Allow at least 2 hours, and it’s a bit steep and rocky at the summit – but well worth it!

Disembarkation – Halfway through the cruise they distribute the form where you inform Princess of how you wish to disembark. We had a late flight home, and planned a day in Bath, via an 8:23 train from Southampton. We were going to do “walk-off”, and take a taxi to the train station, but on the form Princess ominously warns “Passengers wishing to find a taxi in Southampton can expect a 1 to 2 hour wait for a taxi”. We all know Princess wants Passengers to use their shuttle, so I took that warning with a grain of salt, but it did cause me some concern. So we allowed plenty of time, and when we got out of the cruise terminal, there was a line of 10 taxis waiting, and nobody in line waiting for them!

Sorry for the late update - late last night they upped the offer to 100% of the cruise fare. Of course we are in similar circumstances as many, with several tours booked, but the biggest change would be with my sister - she is watching the kids at her house for 3 weeks!! (starting on Saturday)

I guess it means if at the end of the cruise you have a balance, they will return it to you. Thanks for all the responses! Most likely we need to stick with Plan A. . . . .