DFWJean&Bill

Ten years cruising with Royal. These are the things we noticed, not complaining, just new.  (Freedom class ship).  There are no longer packaged crackers (or ANY kind of chips etc) in Windjammer, so nothing to take back to cabin if you need something to take meds with.  Best to carry them with you.  Cabin cleaned once a day. If you choose "late", we found that means around 4:30 which can be a bit of a challenge to get ready for 5:30 dining time.  No second lobster without paying.  As mentioned many times, DR menu is cut back, still good, seemed there were more vegan choices, more spicy to me.  Waiters have MANY tables to cover so not a lot of time to chat. They were still very cordial and efficient.  No plastic straws but the new ones are NOT paper.  They are, I think, biodegradable so seem to be just like plastic and don't dissolve.    

Back to first issue.  You can't take bananas and such off the ship, no packaged crackers or chips available, so I felt bad for the younger children on excursions, they really needed a "snack" to keep them going before we could stop and shop sometimes.   Not sure of the rules, maybe sealed cereal bars or something would be ok?

Getting off ships is a breeze now with the facial recognition, you don't even have to show your passport.  That, along with the electronic muster drill are wonderful changes.  Stay positive, adapt, enjoy your cruise.  Remember how terrible things were during Covid?

Does Royal offer transportation from ship to LAX?  Like a bus? We have done that after several cruises.

 Some questions, did you fly into LAX? If so how did you get to port?

At Cabo, do you get off right in town or do we need to book an excursion to get to shopping etc?
Thank you for your review!

We chose a specific balcony cabin 8th floor in front of ship, the location we prefer) months ago for an upcoming cruise.  About 2 months ago we received that letter and they moved us to back of ship 9th, We were told front deck 8 is set aside for quarantine ?   We asked for refund of the portion of money we paid extra for “picking our own cabin”, we were told no.  Our travel agent also tried.  She tried to move us to front but nothing much left.   We decided to just be happy to be cruising.  I think it is going to be the new normal for a while.

We are looking at this cruise. Would you recommend port or starboard side for best views?  Thanks so much for any tips or info. 

We recently toured the ABC islands and really enjoyed the excursions ( mostly tours of the islands with several stops).

At most of the stops they were charging $1 each to use the restrooms.  And they do not have change.  I’m not complaining, the restrooms were super clean and it was worth the money, especially for us ladies, just be prepared and have one dollar bills with you. I have had this in other ports, such as Cozumel.  Just keep some ones handy, you never know.  Just giving you a heads up unless you have a super strong bladder.
 

 

I am shocked at this comment. I was on this cruise and other than a few nice people in Elvis shirts you would have no idea they were on the ship. There were 4 separate one hour concerts after lunch in the main theater on the sea days-open only to those that paid the $99 fee.  That was it!!  No other venues were used.  Theater was not being used at that time.
 

I have been on many theme cruises (country, cooking, drag queens), they were wonderful cruises, friendly people, you would never even know there was a theme cruise aboard.

 

I did notice several bars and venues were closed for “private events”....so some other business or group had something going on, wasn’t Elvis.

In the Air is amazing, we have seen it multiple times.  Our favorite!

 

I know a lot of hints are often repeated, but I haven’t seen this one recently.

 

I would recommend taking a small zipper bag (ladies I know we all have these “gift with purchase “ cosmetic size bags.). Put your jjewelry, passports etc in the bag, then bag in the safe. I see so many unfortunate stories about rings, earrings, etc being left in the safe. Those safes are DARK and hard to look into for short people like myself. It is so easy for something to get pushed to back (someone even mentioned a ring went “under” the felt bottom.)

 

I have also just taken a large zip lock bag-same thing, easy in and out.

 

Happy cruising!

On our past few cruises they no longer allow you to get 2 cans of soft drinks at a time. They actually had to open the coke in front of me, said it was a new rule. They gave me a bottle of water, did not open it. This was to prevent me from “sharing” my 3 diamond cokes.

I was sad to see this new rule as I used to take a second coke back to room for after the shows.

Thank you for your kind comments. You added several things I had not thought of! So next cruise, let's just throw caution to the wind, go a little CRAZY and buy a few of those "inches of gold"????

I have always meant to write a review "as soon as I get back from my cruise!" I even carefully take notes that I think might be of interest or help to others while on the different ships, and alas, after eleven cruises this is the first time I have written something.

 

We have sailed many times out of different ports into the crystal waters of the Caribbean. We have gone to Alaska (breathtaking-a must do if you have not); New England fall foliage and the Pacific coast with two night stop in San Francisco. They were all different and all amazing. We continue to find the people on cruises to be friendly and interesting, always a joy.

 

Now, as the "never have I" part. I must admit I have never stepped a toe in a swimming pool or hot tub on board. Nothing against it, we have a pool here at home, it just isn't my thing on a cruise. And yes, you can thank us now or thank us later, that means we NEVER hog those chairs by the pool-leaving them available from dawn to dusk for everyone to share.

 

We have never eaten at one of the specialty restaurants, or even Johnny Rockets. We find the "free" food plentiful and enjoy all of it. Is it gourmet every moment? No, but they prepare, cook, serve, clean up-what is there not to like? We do plan, however, to try a restaurant on our next cruise on the Liberty. Just as a treat! Can you recommend your favorite?

 

I have never gone down a slide, but I did enjoy the zip line on the Oasis, and my husband thought the zip line in Haiti was great fun. I have never tried the Flowrider, but it looks SO exciting and I always spend a lot of time out there cheering everyone on!

 

I have never done Karaoke, but I did sit on the floor on my butt and scoot across the ice rink during The Quest, we got extra points for that!!

 

You will see me dancing, quite possibly alone, at every place where there is dance music playing, yes, I am over 65 so that is allowed.....falls in the "crazy old lady" category.

 

I have never taken an "over the door shoe thingy" to hold all our stuff. I tried the magnets on the wall, sounded like a great idea, the next morning everything was on the floor? Taking a highlighter is great idea! I usually find it about the 5th day buried in the bottom of my purse or a suitcase along with my bathroom candle/battery light.

 

We don't buy the alcohol package, but thank goodness many do, it makes for a very happy group of people.

 

Happy cruising! Hope we meet you someday!

I forgot one thing (senior moment ;) We don't drink a lot, but I did order a margarita on the rocks in the main DR. Wowza! The BEST margarita I have ever had! Wish I could find a place to duplicate that here at home. (And they had a special on them at Olive or Twist the next day!)

Just returned from a wonderful cruise February 5, 2017. My husband and I are in our late 60s, in pretty good shape except for some cranky knees and hips. I thought I would give a review from a "senior" point of view.

 

We arrived a day early in Galveston. Stayed at the Moody Gardens Hotel, a extremely nice hotel, lots of activities for all ages, good price. Only negative-located away from town and restaurants, so you do need to brink snacks or plan to eat at the hotel. I say "good price" because it is for the money. All Galveston hotels now run in the $200 plus range unless you really go budget.

 

We park across from the port, lots of great parking, van takes you right to terminal with your bags. We book this in advance to save time and get a small discount.

 

We have cruised 9 times, once before on Liberty. Lines to get on were not so bad this time, although the security process is a challenge and can take a bit of time. Everyone was very nice.

 

We ate lunch at the café on Promenade, tasty and not crowded ( we don't usually like to fight the Windjammer crowd on first day).

 

Sailaway is always such a joy, although to my horror, this time we saw several grown women throwing tubes of CONFETTI in the air!!! I was shocked. Confetti literally covered the upper deck, the pool, and then into the ocean. Really? I hope they stop this in the future, please, save the ocean!!! (and the staff had to clean this up on day one)

 

Sea days were wonderful. We enjoyed lunch in the main dining room, always a treat. Elevators were super crowded, but with so many seniors on board, you just have to make the best of it.

 

We enjoy sitting and watching the kids (and adults) surfing on the wave pool, the slides look like a ton of fun; pool chairs on first deck stayed pretty full, but upper deck seemed to have openings most of time. I played the slots (and broke even), played Bingo (and lost). I usually take the dance classes, but there didn't seem to be as many on this trip.

 

This time we paid the $35 each and took the Friday "kitchen tour" which also included a nice lunch. It is interesting and amazing how they deliver all that food and service.

 

Excursions: We took the Chocolate Tour in Roatan which I highly recommend. Short tour of city, small hike in jungle garden, hands on lesson on making chocolate, then a tasty lunch. In Belize we took the Trolley Tour of the city as we had been before (my husband had done the zip line in the jungle and enjoyed that). The Trolley Tour came with lots of pirates jumping onboard and singing, rum tasting, a short fun thing to do.

 

Entertainment on ship: I recommend every single thing they have. We have never been disappointed. The "In the Air" show is Vegas quality, as is "Saturday Night Fever" (although there is a suicide element in the show, so maybe not for younger children). The Ice Shows are not to be missed and we were so lucky to catch the Texas Tenors this time. Since there are no "tickets" we always just got there 30 minutes early for best seating.

 

It was a bit chilly this trip, I should have taken more long sleeves (except for Roatan and Cozumel where I was finally warm). Of course, the kids were in the pool on day one, so this is for sure a senior thing.

 

Galveston port was closed due to fog when we got back, just one of those things. Got off a bit late. That always causes some confusion.

 

Only negatives-ship was full, seemed more crowded everywhere than our past cruises, not sure why. You just have to smile and stay positive.

 

Happy Cruising..

You do not need show reservations on Liberty. Just read your Compass every day, it will tell you about the different shows. The entertainment is very good, so I recommend you try to get seated early for best seats. We try for at least 20 minutes before.

We have cruised for many years and never gone to any of the 'paid' restaurants as we are perfectly happy with the DR. Be sure and try the main DR for lunch on sea days. So good. Dress code is relaxed for lunch.

Some love the restaurants, so if you have extra $, go for it.

We are cruising soon with our family, there will be 2 adults, 2 children in a D-1 balcony room. My husband and I have always had a room for 2 (D3), so not sure how it works? We asked for the two "drop down" beds, but were told they are not available for a room with 4 people? Does that mean the sofa bed sleeps two? Grandkids love the drop down beds on Carnival, RC is new for them. Thanks for any info. We are on deck 8, Liberty of Seas.

We just got off the Liberty of the Seas. We have been on several cruises and were pleased that they had someone at the door of dining areas reminding EVERY person to use hand sanitizer. On the Liberty they had a 'greeter' but he/she did not mention or have sanitizer. It was available, but only about half the people even noticed or used it.

 

This is especially worrisome on the Windjammer where every person touches the buffet utensils. I personally noticed one lady cough a raspy cough into her hand, then move to the buffet line, yuk.

 

Is this new to all ships?

Do you think it would get the cabin attendant in trouble if we told him\her we didn't need the towel animals? We appreciate the artistry but having cruised many times, I would like to give him\her a break. Different story when the grandkids come, they love them!

We are loyal RC fans but I am taking a short Carnival cruise with my daughter this spring. I was amazed at Carnival's wonderful website! It is easy to use, you can easily navigate around to check availability and prices of rooms, beverage prices, everything!! So much better than RC. With so many complaints showing up on this issue, I wonder why RC can't hire someone to resolve this issue that is so important?

 

I actually think it would increase their revenue!

We will need transportation from SEATAC to Holiday Inn Express, then later port back to airport. What is the cab situation there? Is there a good town car service alternative that is not too expensive? We don't want to take train or bus-bad knee thing. Any suggestions appreciated?

What was the weather like? Were you cold on excursions? (We met you and your husband on Brilliance at Meet and Mingle).

We enjoy the metal balcony! Very private. I am 5'2" and had no problem.

We were concerned about 'metal' type balcony but found we really enjoyed it. So much more privacy and views are still great!

We just tried to book this date. Travel agent can't get early dining for us or even on the waiting list (year on advance!) because large group already has all the spots. Any idea what group could be this large? I searched the theme cruises and can't find anything.

 

I know all shops have 'groups' and this has never been a problem for us, but enough to take the entire DR?

We were just on Adventure. They left our fridge empty. I asked if we could have it stocked with bottles of water (I like buying the big bottles, tend to drink more if I can just buy from fridge). We were told to call room service for water. Our DR tablemates also said empty. Is this new on all ships? If so, why not convert fridge to storage area?