HuaAZ

4 hours ago, zabs said:

 Royal are you listening? 

Why blame Royal when it is driven by the CDC.

Recommend Old Heidelberg near the port. Great German food, beer and atmosphere. 

9 minutes ago, ThursdaysChild said:

The latest update is basically nothing back from the CDC, sail date is now Monday (!!) and there will be an update at 2 PM. What a mess!

Has anyone talked to RCL about the compensation for hotel cost.  The letter states $200 per stateroom, however is this a one time payment or is it per day that I end up waiting.

On the Liberty right now.  The chillers are empty.  We have sailed the Liberty many times and I must tell you that all of the chillers we have experienced are useless. 

I have seen the giant hand waved from other RCL ships more than two dozen times. This has nothing to do with people missing the ship.  Sounds like someone was having a slow day and needed something, anything to hand in; made up or otherwise.

Yesterday, on the Allure,  the first time to be escorted off the ship was 0730.

Would like to feel bad for you, however, with over 100 cruises I have never been upgraded or received a call from the ugly stepsister either. If you ever find out how the system really works, please post. Would like at least one upgrade before I hit 200 cruises.

Thanks Bob.

Standard 17oz can? I have seen 12oz, 16oz and 24oz however, I thought 12oz was standard in the US. Is 17oz standard somewhere else?

Wow, I missed that. Or was it on a previous sailing.

 

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This cruise. About three days ago.

Big shout out to our very hardworking Concierge. He defines awesomeness.

 

Yin Tao. He transfers to Ovation once we get to Barcelona.

 

We see him all over the ship.

 

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Could not agree more. Great guy. Working so hard with 110 Pins on board. Also very quick and proficient with a fire extinguisher; put out a small fire in the lounge with lighting speed.

Duane

Park West never says you win the artwork you are guessing the price on, they say you win "a" piece of art. The art you win is usually poster quality. You end up paying shipping that is higher than the value of the art.

Anthem is different from Oasis class. It is not part of a Suite Lounge. It stands alone. (In fact , it has a Concierge Lounge, on a different deck).

 

No free alcohol there. Like other ships, you may carry in a glass from the Lounge.

 

[emoji4]

 

 

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Same on the Ovation, however don't forget, if you are Diamond or above they will get you a drink using the vouchers on your sea pass. During happy hour of course.

I apologize if I offended you somehow. It was certainly not my intent to upset anyone.

Not offended nor upset. Life is good on any cruise line you wish to choose.

No, I’m not joking. I agree with John. I have sailed on Oasis Class ships numerous times in full Suites and IMO it’s nice but it isn’t all that.

 

small lines, limited waiting, hotter food and more personalized service.

 

I agree it is not the chiefs table, but you said it yourself, "small lines, limited waiting, hotter food and more personalized service." I would add better food. That alone makes it better than the MDR. As for the free drinks, I have never sailed in a suite, so i am not paying suite prices. I just spent two months on the Ovation and free drinks are not included in CK. I would still rate it far superior to the MDR. Without saying, it is just my opinion.

The Costal Kitchen is nice, but it is essentially a small MDR.

You are joking right? There is no possible way that Coastal Kitchen can be compared to the MDR, especially on Oasis class ships. Free wine and mixed drinks in the MDR, NOT. Outstanding menus with quality small portions, MDR - NOT. No waiting in long lines, even with a reservation - MDR, NOT.

We were on Fantasy for 7 nights. We did not feel like it was Disney World (or Disneyland) or that characters were everywhere. In fact, we had a hard time FINDING characters. Yes, we are adults and I should probably point out that we do not have kids. But we do enjoy seeing characters. In fact, Mickey was at our wedding!

 

The shows and activities are not all geared towards kids or Disney. They still have headliner acts, non-Disney musical acts, adult shows, and even adult comedy. I'd also like to point out that their Love & Marriage show is STRICTLY adults ONLY (and we actually were the winners - we competed as the "honeymoon" couple since we literally got married on the ship - but there were some x-rated questions which we regretted answering because we earned nicknames for the rest of the cruise)!

 

The adults-only area of Disney's ship is WAY better and much larger than the Freedom or Oasis class ships. It is also better controlled to keep kids out. There was never an issue finding a chair or a spot in the pool or hot tubs. Bar service was always just around the corner and happy to bring you anything you wanted.

 

The adults-only section of Disney's private island is also VERY nice (and not something that's offered on either of Royal's islands). It is extremely secluded and soooo quiet and peaceful - NO KIDS. There are plenty of chairs and umbrellas. They also had an adults-only buffet on that section of the island which served steaks and seafood (not just burgers and hot dogs).

 

The quality of Disney's food far exceeded Royal. I mean, the food in the main dining room was amazing, but even the buffet food was great. We were NEVER hassled about going to speciality restaurants (they have 2, but they aren't pushed like Royal does). Cokes are free so you don't have to worry about carrying around a Coke cup or showing your card. The selection of ice cream is better - not just chocolate and vanilla. We were not charged for room service if we wanted to eat in the room.

 

The service far exceeded Royal. We were treated so much better than any Royal cruise I've ever been on....and it was our FIRST cruise with Disney. From the first moment to the last, we never had a single negative experience with the staff. Every single staff member throughout the ship was always smiling, greeting us, positive, and truly seemed to love their jobs.

 

The room was spotless - extremely clean - and I'm kinda OCD about that. I literally could not find one speck of dirt on the carpet or dust on anything. Even the standard room on Disney has a split bathroom, so you have a toilet and sink in one bathroom and a shower and sink in the second bathroom. This is VERY handy because two people can be getting ready at the same time (or one person showering while the other is getting ready without a fogged up bathroom).

 

I'd also like to point out that we encountered fewer kids around the ship when we were on Disney than any other Royal cruise I've been on. I guess they were all in kids programs or the kids-only areas.

 

Wow, after writing all that.........you're making me question why I'm not going on Disney for my birthday cruise........ :confused:

I don't understand, if everything is perfect on Disney, why would you book mediocre. No need to experiment, you can't get any better than perfect. I on the other hand, have never experienced perfect, that is why I go to the experience that best suits my desires. I like Royal even with their flaws. I don't like Disney because they have more flaws than I am willing to accept. Go with what you like, but don't condemn the other guy as they may be perfect for someone else.

They could offer Jamie's for free and I would still pass. In over 100 cruises I have only had food poisoning one time; you guessed it - Jamie's. Yes, I am sure it was Jamie's, medical confirmed. At least four other people were with me in medical at the same time, all ate at Jamie's that night. All had food poisoning. Yes it was an isolated incident, however, the experience sticks with you. No Jamie's for me ever again.

I would never put this kind of item in the wash-n-fold bag...regardless if it was allowed or snuck through....the outcome would be horrendous :eek:

Horrendous, don't think I would go that far. I have been putting golf shirts in the wash and fold bags for at least the last 8 years. That is two bags every cruise for 60 cruises and I have never been charged. Just buy the right kind of collared pullover shirt, wrinkles fall out overnight. You get what you pay for. I find I get two years out of each and that is averaging 8 to 12 cruises a year.

I just spent 37 days on the Explorer and you are correctabout the entrance into Chops from inside the Windjammer.The main entrance to Chops on the Explorerand Voyager is outside of the Windjammer.Instead of making suites and pinnacles exit the Windjammer to get toChops for lunch, they open a side door directly from the Windjammer intoChops.You pick up your lunch in theWindjammer and eat it in Chops, as is done on many other ships.This was for lunch only as breakfast (orderoff a menu) in Chops was for suites and pinnacles entering through the main door. Again, on the Explorer, thiswas for lunch only. OP asked if the Voyager has the same setup.I do not know the answer.The two ships have the same layout; however,as everyone knows each ship seems to make up its own rules. Someone from with recent experience on theVoyager will have to answer about the side door for lunch.

Mking8288,

Thank you for the quick response and enllighting information. Yes, I am an SPG member and that is my primary reason for looking at this hotel. I intend to use points for the four days. SPG has a number of choices in Hong Kong so I wanted to pick one with a great location. Sounds like the Sheraton will work. Thanks again.

Duane

Does anyone have any information on the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers. Looking to stay for 4 nights pre-cruise in November 17. Any info on location and property would be helpful.

Duane

It was $80 to renew my daughter's passport, which was the last passport payment I made, excuse me for being inaccurate. It's apparently also $80 to replace if it's lost. I do a lot of volunteer work with the homeless agencies in my area and the lack of a birth certificate causes a ton of problems for people and is really hard for them to get new ones, although there are other issues at play there (no address and no other forms of ID), so it CAN be difficult to replace, but I GUESS maybe easier for the non-homeless. Anyway, $135, still inexpensive, still recommend purchasing.

 

 

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I replaced a stolen passport last Friday. This was same day service so I had to pay the expedite fee which is $60.00. I am cruising this Sunday so I had to get it replaced quickly. Total cost: $135.00 for the passport and $60.00 expedite fee brings the cost of a stolen passport to $195.00. My wife had to replace hers also so the total was $390.00. Worth the Cost? Yes.

Count your blessings that it is CNN. They had Fox before.:mad:

If this has been covered, I apologize. MGM properties in Las Vegas have started charging for parking. Self parking is $8 - $10 for 24 hours and valet runs from $13 - $18. This applies to guest staying in any of their hotels. There is an option for 1 – 4 hours; I think it is around $5, not sure. However, if you are a MLife member at the Perl level or above, the self parking is free. If you are at least MLife Gold or above, the valet parking is free. I know that Diamond + and Pinnacle equate to MLife Platinum not sure about the other levels. Anyway you look at it, signing up for MLife is free and they match status with RCCL and you save parking fees in Vegas (MGM properties), you can’t go wrong. I travel to Vegas for three weeks each year, so as a Mlife Platinum (RCCL PC) member I plan on saving a bundle on valet parking.

Duane