HappyHuman

Hello!  My small family (husband, myself and 8 year old son) were just on Adventure a few weeks ago.  This was our fourth cruise with Royal and the first time we'd tried MTD.  We quickly realized it was not for us.  The first night we arrived at our reserved time but it still felt like the reservation meant nothing as we were brought to a table that was still in the process of being turned over.  The waitstaff at that table were very friendly and since we had the same reservation time every night, they told us we'd be with them for the length of the cruise.  This did not end up being the case.  The next evening, even with our reservation, they had to work to find us an open table which we were sat at for the following evening as well.  The last evening however was the worst.  Again, we were on time for our reservation, yet there seemed to be another scramble to find us a table.  Mind you they divided the MTD line between those with and without reservations so one would assume they would be ready for those with reservations.  I have never felt the need to complain about wait staff onboard any of the ships we've sailed on however, this wait staff this last night barley acknowledged us at their table for the first 10 minutes we sat there.  It took a much longer time than we are used to for our food to come, and my husband's was cold as if it had sat at their prep-station for a while. 

While MTD was a disappointment to us, the cruise itself was wonderful as usual.  I believe the ship was near capacity but didn't feel crowded.  The activities were enjoyable and ship-wide the crew were very energetic and friendly.  We are fairly easy going people, but my husband and I both agreed that it was clear to us that the waitstaff found MT diners to be a nuisance, especially the pair we had on the last night.  I don't entirely blame them.  We're sprung on them in the middle of the dining times.  I can see how MTD may work for some, but normally we really enjoy getting to know our wait staff through the length of the sailing.  We've had some really great experiences in the Main Dining Rooms on Royal Caribbean ships and it's something we look forward to as we get geared up before each sailing.  Our next cruise is over Thanksgiving on Anthem and we are returning to the traditional dining time even if we don't love the time choices. 

Again, to each their own.  What works for us does not for others.  I'm glad we chose a short sailing (4 nights only) to try MTD.  Happy Sailing on Adventure!  I hope you found this review helpful!   

Christy- Just booked this same cruise earlier today!  I had the same thought about Halifax.  Glad you posted the question, and have gotten some great great replies already!   

Does anyone know what wind/weather conditions usually prevent a ship from stopping at Coco Cay?  Which direction the wind is blowing and how strong?

Can anyone tell me if the ferry times back from Blue Lagoon to Nassau change with Daylight Savings time?  So instead of the last ferry leaving at 4pm does it switch to 5pm?  Just curious.  Our ship has a late arrival in Nassau (1pm-10pm).  We loved Blue Lagoon last year and we're trying to decide if Blue Lagoon is worth it this time around.  Also- if anyone has any information about ferry times for Balmoral Island that would be helpful too....we might go that route this year instead. 

THANKS!

Hey Everyone-

Our Grandma has booked her ticket and has joined our extended family cruise next year.  She was shocked to find out (from me) that she could not bring her heating pad.  She tends to rely on it fairly frequently.  I was wondering if those stick-on heat packs would be permitted.   Anyone had any experience with bringing them on board?

Hello!  Looking for information regarding going to Blue Lagoon for the afternoon only.  Our ship is scheduled to stop in Nassau but our port times were changed.  Instead of 7am-6:30pm, we're now scheduled to be there from 1pm to 10pm.  Somewhat annoying to us traveling with a small child but whatever it's vacation and we'll roll with it!  We've been to Blue Lagoon in the past and found that it seemed to take a lot of time to get everyone off from our ship and checked in with the excursion folks and then to the Blue Lagoon tenders and finally to Blue Lagoon.  I'm wondering if it's still worth the time/money to go for next year if it's only for the afternoon.  I seem to remember the last tender back from Blue Lagoon being at 4:15....that was before the yearly time change.  Next year's cruise will be during Day Light Savings time so I'm wondering if Blue Lagoon changes there last tender time.  Thoughts/suggestions are most welcome!  (we will also be traveling with someone next year who can not walk long distances...making choosing excursions very tricky)  

Hi Everyone-  I'm in the early stages of planning a cruise next winter to Florida/Bahamas with Royal Caribbean from New Jersey.  My husband and I are not new to cruising but next year we will be accompanied by my in laws who have never cruised.  It has been decided that my mother in law will be renting a scooter for this trip as she has some mobility problems concerning her balance/arthritic pain/frailty.  She can walk unassisted with a cane but only over short distances.  I want to add that going on a cruise is a giant step for her.  She has never traveled much and is very apprehensive.   She doesn't have much of an adventurous spirit and prefers the quiet of her living room but also doesn't want to miss out on family activities.  She's mostly afraid she will be a burden to the rest of us with her mobility.  I'm really happy to have her go on this trip with us and want to give her the opportunity to have an amazing time.  I don't want her to feel like she's stuck on the side lines watching us all have fun or worse in the cabin because she doesn't know what to do, and so I wanted to provide her with some options of things she can do with all of us to include her as much as possible.   Any thoughts, suggestions or shared experiences would be much appreciated to help me start my research.  We will be sailing on Anthem of the Seas, a ship that my husband, son and I are familiar with having just cruised on her a few weeks ago.  Information on excursions to do while in port (Cape Canaveral/Nassau) would be very handy.  Does anyone know if she could get her scooter to Kennedy Space Center via the Royal Caribbean excursion?  Or on the shuttle to Cocoa Beach?  Nassau too seems to be a challenge for me to figure what types of things she could handle.  When we were there, the pier was loud and chaotic which was fine for the three of us but it worries me when traveling within a group.  I welcome any advice I can get!  Thank you fellow cruisers!           

Thanks for the review!  I'll be there in a few weeks with my husband and our 5 year old.  We're also sailing with Royal so I was happy to read about your experience.  I too would have been slightly annoyed at the start time being vague had I not read this post.  I'm glad the rest of your time spent at the lagoon was enjoyable.  We booked the dolphin encounter (it was our son's "must do" activity).  Not sure if lunch is included with what we paid for but we'll see!  Enjoy the rest of your trip and again thanks for posting!

This is very interested.  We are on Anthem in February and we haven't received a change in itinerary email yet either nor has our cruise calendar changed.  I haven't booked our excursion for that port yet and I'm glad because it certainly does make a difference.  I'm glad you posted your finding and I'm interested in hearing what others have to say.  Enjoy your cruise! 

Thanks everyone. I enjoyed reading everyone's opinions, thoughts, advice and experiences. The more I thought about it I came to realizing that we don't get dressed up that often and we should take advantage of the opportunity. We're pretty psyched about this cruise so...why not...we'll live it up and go all out for the formal nights. Maybe even a tux for our little man too! Happy Sailings!

Our little family of three have booked on Anthem in February. Five year old son has a cute little suit to wear for formal nights...perfect. DH likes the idea of going the tux route for himself. It's been six years since we've cruised and based on what I've been reading about the lack of formal night enthusiasm, I'm worried he'll stick out like a sore thumb. On the other hand (haha, get it?) he doesn't seem to care, good for him right!?. I hoped other folks who cruise more often than we do could give me a rough estimate on the percentage of tuxedo wearers vs. suits vs. "casual business attire" that they notice on formal nights. Thanks!

Oh yes...and he doesn't own a tux, he'd have to rent one so we're weighing that factor into our decision as well. In the end, we don't get to vacation very often so....it's whatever makes you happy right?

Too funny! I just asked the same question.

Royal Caribbean advertises that the Pop up beach lounger's at Coco Cay are for two people (fine). Wondering how strict this rule is or how well it is enforced. DH and I will be there with our 5 year old. Will we really need to reserve two loungers?

Oh I'm sorry to hear that! I'm going to call later today and re-confirm my reservation.

I am cruising this March and flying in and out of Houston Hobby. I found a hotel within a mile from Hobby with a hotel shuttle to and from the airport and also offered a Galveston Cruise Terminal round trip transportation package.

It is the Country Inn and Suites. I believe with tax the package was $207.00 for a one night stay with airport transportation, roundtrip cruise terminal transportation, and continental breakfast. The package was available for up to 4 adults per room. I've heard the area around Hobby isn't the greatest, but this hotel looks clean inside and out. I'm hoping a made a good decision!

I hope this helps. When I booked my cruise, I didn't realize that Galveston's airport did not serve commercial airlines anymore :eek: and transportation from Houston is not cheap! Best of luck!