Royal 3/23 Thoughts and Observations

[crisp1]

This is not a review- there have been plenty of those. I’m just going to add some of my observations and thoughts on our cruise. To save everyone time we did not go to any shows in the theater, we did not gamble or eat in any of the specialty restaurants. Ate most of our meals in the main restaurant, and the only ‘excursion’ booked through P was the adult only cabana in PC.

 

We had to arrive early since the checkout time for our hotel was 10am. Got to the port and whizzed through checkin- Platinum/elite. The lounge had one row filled when we arrived and we were told that we’d probably embark around 11:45 and would be first come/ first serve. When that time came the gentleman who was in charge escorted those with special needs out the door, and guess what- as soon as he left the entire room got up and made the push to be first out. Luckily he came back and restored order to the room.

 

We booked this cruise late and were 85 on the list for early dining. I got to the restaurant at 1:20 to talk to the maitre’d and was lucky to get seats for early dining for the week at a table of 8- great wait staff and table mates- wait staff is overworked but do their best- little things not worth complaining about

 

Horizon Court and Bistro- the only place with self serve coffee, tea and water is in the Bistro and the Outrigger bar. I did like that the sausage and bacon were on slices of bread to drain the fat and that the table wear was in napkins at the table. There are also sinks at the entry areas to wash your hands. Sunday and Monday had a crew member asking that you sanitize before entering-I guess this precaution is to lessen the chance for a noro outbreak- after that there was noone at the door. Although the amount of passengers that ate breakfast in the dining room was small- the service was slow. And they’d sit you at a table with some that already had their meal- kind of defeats the purpose of sharing.

 

The live entertainment was excellent. The 8 piece showband with piano, guitar, 6 string electric bass, drums, trombone, trumpet and sax/clarinet not only worked the theater but also played in various combinations during the week in the atrium and Wheelhouse as the jazz café- solo, duos, trios, quartets,5, 6 and full band. Some also mixed it up with musicians from other bands. Crooner Rick Kilburn and his quartet were also great with songs from Broadway shows, and classics. There were 2 piano players onboard- Krzysztof Jankowski and Ray Cousins- different styles and material. Caribbean Steel played poolside and in the atrium- the female vocalist was very good. Although we tried, we never got to see the party band Spectrum. One thing to point out- the music, no matter where it was happening was not too loud- you could carry on a conversation, but still hear and appreciate the music. The Flair show (think Cocktail) was worth seeing.

More to come

Edited April 1, 2014 by crisp1

[crisp1]

It seemed odd that the waiters in Alfredos had to check with the cook to see if they could make a different pizza than what’s on the menu- all I wanted was a plain pie- which was made- another day I requested a tomato, basil and garlic. The waiter warned of too much garlic when served- I had a hard time finding it al all- and they forgot the basil. The salad is great- better than one you could make yourself in the HC, and the minestrone was also very good. DW was disappointed that there was no pasta with red sauce on the menu any night in the mdr and no potato or macaroni salad in the Lido and that mayo was put on all sandwiches

 

We went up early to the retreat pool first sea day and was surprised to find most lounges being saved with towels under upside down side tables. The main pool area was always crowded, but we don’t care for the noise and found plenty of loungers on either side just forward of MUTS screen on deck 17.

 

First run movies were first shown in the Vista lounge during the day, at MUTS in the evening and available on demand in your cabin the next day. This week had Last Vegas, Thor, Captain Phillips, Gravity and Buyers Club.

 

Midship elevators were always packed with the circular and regular stairs from deck 5 to 7 rarely used. We found that if you walk forward or aft and use those elevators to deck 7, it saves a lot of time- and gives you some exercise.

 

Still more...

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[crisp1]

Although I’m elite we did get priority passes for the tenders in P Cays. We arrived at the re early and were told to sit anywhere. When the time came they announced #’s 1 and two to exit to the starboard side. If you have priority or get these low numbers I recommend sittin on the far side staurant of the restaurant after arriving to be on that first tender. After checking in at the rental booth we were directed to a lamp post across the way to get picked up by golf carts. This dropped us off at the bar by the cabanas and then we were escorted to our cabana.I am glad we spent the extra for the adults only section. We don’t usually cruise during Spring Break. PC was very crowded with the regular cabana area being very noisy with plenty of ‘friends’ sharing the facilities/ lounges. There were hundreds of hornets flying around close to the ground in this area (missing from the private area). The only restrooms for both areas were between #2 and 3. If you plan on spending the whole day I recommend purchasing the picnic lunch package for the extra $25pp. At 12:30 the lines for lunch were still very long. Most of the regular cabanas have shade from mature palm trees except the last 3- no shade whatsoever. The cabanas in the private area have smaller palms that provide shade as well as a shady area just outside the cabana. There is no drinking water available in either area except bottled- so bring your own.

That’s about all I can think of right now.

[RhondaPerr]

Where were the hornets???

 

 

 

 

Although I’m elite we did get priority passes for the tenders in P Cays. We arrived at the re early and were told to sit anywhere. When the time came they announced #’s 1 and two to exit to the starboard side. If you have priority or get these low numbers I recommend sittin on the far side staurant of the restaurant after arriving to be on that first tender. After checking in at the rental booth we were directed to a lamp post across the way to get picked up by golf carts. This dropped us off at the bar by the cabanas and then we were escorted to our cabana.I am glad we spent the extra for the adults only section. We don’t usually cruise during Spring Break. PC was very crowded with the regular cabana area being very noisy with plenty of ‘friends’ sharing the facilities/ lounges. There were hundreds of hornets flying around close to the ground in this area (missing from the private area). The only restrooms for both areas were between #2 and 3. If you plan on spending the whole day I recommend purchasing the picnic lunch package for the extra $25pp. At 12:30 the lines for lunch were still very long. Most of the regular cabanas have shade from mature palm trees except the last 3- no shade whatsoever. The cabanas in the private area have smaller palms that provide shade as well as a shady area just outside the cabana. There is no drinking water available in either area except bottled- so bring your own.

That’s about all I can think of right now.

[crisp1]

Where were the hornets???

 

Flying all around close to the ground in the 1st cabana area. They didn't seem to bother anyone- just a lot of them.