Give me liberty or give me...a review of her!

[wolfganghowell]

And so it begins…….

 

JUST THE FACTS MAAM

We are DINK’s. Unless you count the 3 chihuahuas in which case we are DITCH’s. This is our 24th total cruise – most with Royal, the others with Celebrity. We are Diamond Plus. Mr Wolf named us PIT’s on this cruise. Pinnacles In Training. With 281 points, we have a ways to go. But hey – we got another crystal block.

 

I am going to do this review in sections. That way, if it’s a subject you could care less about – skip it. You won’t hurt my feelings.

 

There won’t be pictures. Basically, I’m too lazy. We used up all our picture taking abilities on our 1st ten cruises. Now it’s a small miracle if we even remember to get our 2 free photos! If you want photos, Cuizer2 seems to have some excellent ones in his review. You can find it here:

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2364155

 

 

 

OK, shall we begin?

[wolfganghowell]

PRE-CRUISE

 

We drove down to Galveston on Friday. In the rain. Wait, torrential downpour. Nope, let’s make that monsoon. I think our Prius tended to float a few times. After what is normally a 4.5 hour drive became a 6 hour drive, we were ready to relax. We checked in at Hotel Galvez, our preferred pre-cruise hotel, then we headed to our traditional first stop, The Poop Deck. To call it a Galveston institution is an understatement. This place remained OPEN during Hurricane Ike. That takes either a set of iron cojones or a head full of spaghetti. Don’t let the dozens of bikes lined up scare you. The place has the best jukebox going, cheap beer and a prime spot on the balcony to just stare at the water and de-compress. After a few brewskies and some great classic rock and country, we headed to Rum Shack.

 

Rum Shack is located above The Spot. Now, we are getting a little more tropical with our drinking. We have to ease into Foo Foo Drinkland. Some low cal fried bar food soaks up all the stress…and possibly the alcohol. Whoever came up with fried pickles with ranch dressing is a god or goddess – whichever! No late night for us – the drive wore us out. We headed back to Galvez just in time to beat the little storm that apparently followed us from the north.

 

Saturday was a great day. Good weather. We had our traditional giant breakfast at Miller’s Landing. Excellent place on the Seawall, next to Galvez. We then camped out at the pool for most of the day. Ahhh…..relaxation. We cleaned up and had dunch…linner…whatever you call a meal at 4 pm. Gaido’s. Some will say Gaido’s is overrated. Yeah ok. Let’s just say there’s a reason it’s been there 100 years. Fresh delicious seafood and then waddle your way out of there. Is that a beached whale? Nah, it’s just the Howell’s leaving Gaido’s. Our plan was to wander The Strand for awhile. Between the heat and our full tummies, that lasted about an hour. OK, 54 minutes. Sue me. We headed back to Galvez to just veg. I read a book and I don’t know what Mr Wolf was doing – my book was good. I think he did that guy thing they do – watch a movie they’ve already seen and insist they’ve never seen it. Sigh.

 

Coming up – Embarkation Day! <trumpet blast…scratch that HORN blast>

[Falz425]

[emoji106]🏻[emoji106]🏻 12 days!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[wolfganghowell]

EMBARKATION DAY

One of the benefits of the Galvez is the shuttle to the ship. (Coming off the ship is a different story. We learned our lesson AGAIN and will cab it back from now on. But that’s another day…..) We were on the 10 am shuttle – plenty early. When we arrived, they were really only letting Suites and Pinnacles inside. We were in a Grand Suite, 1548, so walked right in, no line at security, walked to Suite Check In. This is where I saw my first “Happy” Cruiser. We were waved to go to the next open check in but a “Happy” Cruiser next to us insisted he was “there first.” Yes – but he didn’t have priority check in. We didn’t care so let him go. Geez people, chillax. Checkin done, we went to the Suite waiting area and stood there for maybe 10 minutes. We were onboard around 10:45, I think Mr Wolf was literally the 3rd person to cross the gangway. He likes to throw women and children out of the way to get onboard. Kidding…sort of.

 

We headed to the Pool Bar and had the traditional pinacolada. Hung there until the Jammer opened at 11:30. One suite benefit we like is being able to avoid the Jammer crowds and eat in Chops. So we dropped our bags, got a bite to eat and then headed back to the PB until the rooms opened up. A tip – if you don’t care about what you “look like” for muster or first dinner, this is the perfect day to get in the pools or hot tubs before they get crowded. Not that we do this of course, but if you want to be smarter than us, that’s my advice! We scored big on luggage delivery – they arrived separately RIGHT after the room opened. Here came the first indication that WE ARE OLD and our non stop party days are behind us. Mr Wolf DOZED while I unpacked. This, in itself, is not unusual. However, in the past, his dozing usually involved pinacoladas and celebratory “I’m on a ship” shots! No real alcohol was involved in this doze.

 

MUSTER – typical. SAILAWAY – DJ with line dancing. I really missed the live band at sailaway. On a related note, I feel they really cut back on the pool band. They didn’t play 2 of the sea days until late afternoon and only played one set. Normally, there are 2 sets. The first sea day they didn’t start until late – when most people were already GONE! This is a cutback I DON’T like!

 

FIRST NIGHT INFO – SABOR! SUITE LOUNGE! CASINO! HOOF & CLAW…..COMING UP

[gambler]

Sailed the week before you but still can't get enough, Thank-you.

[JimAOk1945]

I have two questions about "suite" benefits specifically about EMBARKATION DAY.

 

1. You said you ate at Chops. Did you order from a menu or get your food from the buffet and then eat it in Chops?
    
   
2. Did you bypass the lines and walk straight into the terminal for check in?
   

Thanks!

Edited June 7, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[wolfganghowell]

This is where I am going to break things up by areas. Let’s begin with:

 

DINING.

 

We had Sabor on night one, Giovanni’s on night two, MDR X2, Jammer, MDR, Johnny Rocket’s.

 

Normally we do MDR the first night since it’s generally a good menu. But greedy little D+’s that we are, we wanted the BOGO on both nights. We have done Sabor on Navigator and Oasis. YUM. Giovanni’s was a pleasant surprise – it had been a few years but the menu has definitely changed and improved. Absolutely delicious. The pasta Bolognese – divine. The filet – incredible. I agree with the camp that says their filet is better than Chops. Johnny Rockets – we ate an early dinner there the last night – another one of those 4 pm things. OMG – are we becoming the King and Queen of the Early Bird Special???? It’s fine – it’s a burger, fries and onion rings – whattaya want? The Jammer one night was fine – unmemorable but fine.

 

MDR – I think our days of doing traditional and eating a lot of meals there are over. Several reasons. One, we don’t want to eat at 5:30 or 8 pm. It’s like Goldilocks and the 3 Bears. One is too early, one is too late. So My Time will probably be in our future so we can eat around 6:30 or 7. And not spend 2 hours doing it. Second, I hate to say it but the decline in the MDR food quality was really apparent to us. If we had nothing to compare it to, it would be fine. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t starve to death. But having cruised 1-2 times a year on Royal since 2001, there IS a difference now. Now…our tablemates were lovely and our waiter, Neville, was delightful, efficient and hard working. I’m used to escargot being an every night option now. On Liberty, it wasn’t. When I asked him where it was, not only did he have it for us the 3 nights we ate there, but he brought us 2 servings each. <burp> That’s the kind of above and beyond that I appreciate. And 2 of those nights, I’m really glad I had it since my entrees were pretty blah. Another negative for the MDR that is unique to Liberty is the Traditional dining was on Decks 4 and 5 while My Time had Deck 3. That means any of the entertainment from the waitstaff that is supposedly timed to the traditional diners is viewed by the My Timers. We had a table by the railing but still had to stand to see anything on the staircase. I’m not crazy about this decision. We’ve always requested the main floor of the dining room and missed it.

 

Breakfast and Lunch – Here comes another great Suite Perk. Mr Wolf is obsessed with his eggs benedict almost every day in Chops. So we had a healthy sized breakfast almost every morning which caused us to skip most lunches. We did the Tutti salad the first sea day – always a fave – but were too full to even think about it the other days. One day we grabbed a few slices of average Sorrento’s pizza. We got a not so fresh one – try for a fresh one! They had a chili cook off on the first sea day at the pool – GOOD. Too bad we saw it AFTER the salad. Another sea day ( I think it was Friday ) they had paella at the pool – also pretty decent.

[wolfganghowell]

Hi Jim- no menu, you bring your food from the Jammer. And yes - we walked straight into the terminal before they let the gathering hordes inside. There should be a port employee at the entrance with a sign saying SUITE ENTRANCE and you show them your set sail pass and you are good to go.

 

And thanks for asking me something - I was beginning to feel like I was talking to myself around here. :D

 

Any and all questions are welcome!

[JimAOk1945]

Hi Jim- no menu, you bring your food from the Jammer. And yes - we walked straight into the terminal before they let the gathering hordes inside. There should be a port employee at the entrance with a sign saying SUITE ENTRANCE and you show them your set sail pass and you are good to go.

 

And thanks for asking me something - I was beginning to feel like I was talking to myself around here. :D

 

Any and all questions are welcome!

 

Another question:

 

You said "you show them your set sail pass and you are good to go." Do you mean the printout you get from the RC website for your cruise?

 

Thanks again!

Edited June 7, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[wolfganghowell]

Yes - the printout.

[JimAOk1945]

Yes - the printout.

 

I appreciate all the information you have provided about the suite perks. I have learned a couple of new things that are not listed on the RC website.

 

Would you believe . . . we have cruised in full suites on RC out of Galveston in the past and had no idea we could bypass the outside lines and go right into the terminal to check in! :eek:

 

Is this something new that started with the completion of the refurbished terminal?

 

I also didn't know that Chops is open for lunch and Dinner on Embarkation Day. :eek: :eek:

Edited June 7, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[wolfganghowell]

Following Dining, what naturally follows eating is DRINKING. So let’s talk drinking, packages, bars.

ADULT BEVERAGES AND VENUES

 

We have done the beverage package the last 2 out of 3 cruises. On the one we didn’t, we might have paid about $80 over the package. That was before the drink prices went up. Our Oasis cruise in November 2015, we did the package and were happy we did. This time, we didn’t do the package. It was absolutely the right decision this time. Here’s why it worked for us – and also why the package may still work for YOU.

 

As mentioned, we are Diamond Plus. And in a suite. Stop rolling your eyes – we’re not bragging. It’s just the way it is. ;) So because we had access to free drinks one way or the other from 4:30-8, we knew we were covered there. AND….we are also Club Royale. Yes – there will be a section devoted to the loveliness and the horror of the casino! We do spend several hours a night in there and we knew the vast majority of our adult beverage consumption would be in there. Along with 3 days that we would be off the ship and not drinking UNTIL the Suite Lounge, we opted not to get the package.

 

Even with the foo foo drink price hovering around $11.50, this worked for us. We’ve also laughed that this will be remembered as the cruise where we realized we are OLD. Now – the past year has been beyond stressful for us, the most stressful of my life. Just those real life events that every single one of us will deal with – loss of a parent, caregiving to the aging parent that is now alone, the daily stress of the work world, getting pummeled by Mother Nature and dealing with an icky insurance claim. We’ve all been there and if you haven’t, guess what – you will! So in some ways, I think that our bodies reacted to that Caribbean sea and sun and said – “Aaahhhh, take a break.” No plopping our tails at the pool bar and drinking foo foo’s and shots for 4 hours. No disco naps but REAL naps! Will we be the party monsters we have been again? …..probably. :) We often cruise with friends and there’s something about that dynamic that makes you more energetic. This time, we were more laid back. Not that we didn’t party – it just wasn’t the non stop we’ve done many times.

 

We were happy with the Pool Bartenders – great group and they work hard. As predicted, almost all the nightly drinking was either the casino or the pub. We have been fans of Derek and the Adult Daycare at Night since 2001. Does this make us high ranking members? Hmmm. We aren’t those that MUST participate – we enjoy sitting and watching the first timers, the ones that become regulars and the serious participants. That being said, there is something about Mr Wolf that becomes a monster. If you were on this sailing and saw ”Lurch” in the pub……well, need I say more? For a severely talentless goof, he is pretty dang funny. Mom told me to marry a man that makes me laugh. I hit the jackpot – although I think she meant laugh WITH instead of laugh AT. Ah well, whatever works. Derek is on break until October so those of you cruising in the near future will just have to muddle through. I don’t understand why Royal doesn’t have more high energy, inclusive performers like this in more pubs and Schooner’s. Guys like Derek and Kelly (Schooner on Freedom last I heard but he may have moved) pack in the crowds and keep people up instead of putting them to sleep.

 

We popped up to Silent Disco but it was packed with 20 somethings and we felt creepy and old so we left. (We’re 50’s ok so to THEM we are old but to those that have retired, we are still considered young un’s. Oh geez, millennials probably don’t even know the term young’un.) :eek:

 

Other than those venues, we didn’t venture out from those. Another reason to cruise with friends – they keep us out of the Evil Place aka the casino.

 

Drink package – here’s my thoughts. If you drink 5 adult beverages a day that are NOT beer, you should get the package. Think about your sea days and factor those in. When we’ve done Labadee, it is definitely worth it since that is Royal’s private island. And don’t forget your bottled waters. If we were not Club Royale, we would do it since we definitely had our quota in there. It’s called “liquid courage” for a reason.

 

We had planned on getting the drink card that was available starting on Thursday. By that point, we figured out there was no way we were going to throw back 10 drinks between the 2 of us those last 2 days. It was $75 + 18% gratuity and you can share it. Good value for mixed, foo foos and frozens.

[wolfganghowell]

Jim, I have to say that each time out of Galveston it seems to be different. The terminal didn't really look any different to us - I guess the interior waiting area is a bit bigger but not sure where all the expansion is. But yes - Suites were absolutely allowed inside while everyone else was lined up outside. At least at 10:30.

 

I will have an entire section on Suites coming up. :)

 

ps - just saw your note on the other. Absolutely not overbearing - I appreciate the assist!

Edited June 7, 2016 by wolfganghowell

[ukintheus]

Happy to see another LOTS review...following along. :)

[MsLMG]

We will be in our first LOS suite October 16.....loving the information[emoji3]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[wolfganghowell]

THE SUITE STUFF

 

If you want photos, I again refer you to Cuizer2’s review which is linked in my first post. If you saw his room photos, they would be identical to mine….if I had taken any. The only difference is our balcony loungers faced the water. And our room would be messier since Mr Wolf has never figured out the concept of putting his clod hopper shoes in the closet. We are big fans of Grand Suites. We used to do junior suites and those are great rooms as well. But the many perks that go with the extra real estate are worth it to us.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation – and Cayman Tendering

As already mentioned, we were on the ship before the rest of the 4328 other passengers. That’s a random number, don’t get excited. I didn’t know the passenger load. We like eating in Chops on embarkation day. We are away from the bedlam of the Jammer other than filling our plates from the serving stations. We arranged to meet Carlos the Suite Concierge at 11 am to be escorted to the tender for Cayman. He walked us straight through and we got to cut in line. HA – a legal cut. No priority coming back on though! Disembarkation was OK. We met in Schooner bar at 8:15 and were due to be escorted off at 8:30. However, there are SO MANY self-disembarkers in Galveston that it was closer to 8:45 before we actually walked off. BUT – we walked straight off, got a porter, walked straight to Customs, no wait and were standing outside at 9:07. Not too shabby.

 

Suite Lounge Venue – Lovely. It’s so nice to have windows. We liked the old concierge lounge but they were small and windowless. There were maybe 2 nights it was a little crowded but nothing horrid. One night the sun was directly coming in and it was warm so we and another couple went over to the Diamond Lounge where it was much cooler. Apparently the DL was not very crowded this week – I don’t believe there were a lot of D’s, D+ and P’s on this sailing. More families, less “seasoned cruisers.” The munchies were the usual. Bar service was the usual limited amount but Jason and another server were friendly and attentive. The chairs are not the most comfortable in the world – maybe to discourage people from landing there all night. LOVED the suite balcony for sea days. We would head out there in the AM where Mr Wolf would work on his computer for a bit while I settled on one of the large couches to read. When it’s not summer season, that will also be a lovely area for sunsets and lazy afternoons and evenings – just too hot for early June!

 

Concierge – Carlos was lovely. Very personable. We received an email from him about 5 days out and I requested my Sabor and Giovanni’s reservations through him. He handled both. We decided to move our Giovanni’s earlier and asked if he would call and see if it could be done. 5 minutes later – good to go. As mentioned, he got us through the tender line – even ran to the towel area and grabbed some towels for us since our route bypassed that part of the gangway. A few days in, I checked our account and saw a $200 spa charge that we had NOT made. I asked him to investigate and he called the spa to get it handled. SO MUCH better than going to Guest Services. I wasn’t concerned about it being fixed – and it was. He called and left me a voice mail as well as the Guest Services Manager to let me know it was removed. Now, I would have been irritated if I hadn’t seen this until the cruise was over when we get the hard copy of the itemized bill. So be aware – it is always a good idea to check your account on your tv a few times throughout the week. I always check to make sure our onboard credits are there, that our BOGO discounts are there and any other various charges like the Evil casino advances we are prone to do. We were more than happy to provide Carlos with a tip.

 

Suite People – As noted, while it was a full sailing, the SL was never overly packed. Most often, when we arrived around 6-ish most nights, there were maybe about 4-6 people in there. The only other regulars were 6 Pinnacles who were our fellow nightly visitors. There’s a lot of chatter here at CC about Pinnacles, some of it not so nice. I can say that ALL 8 Pinnacles that were aboard were friendly, laid back and not in the least entitled. We had met and cruised with one couple a few times in the past and were happy to see them again. They have always been lovely. So let’s not assume all P’s are crusty old complainers. These folks represented the Crème de la Crème quite well.

 

Other perks – I missed having the suite sundeck in the tiered level flanking the pool bar. On top of the sky bar was too exposed and too far away from the action. We were going to use the suite seating area for Saturday Night Fever but it was cancelled due to 3 cast injuries. Oh well…next time. I can’t think of any others! Ask away for any specifics and I will wrack my brain.

 

Chops breakfast – we did it 4 times. Service is good and it’s nice to start the day quietly without the WJ hassle.

 

Our suite attendant Daryl was a rock star. Although he told us he liked to jump up and down on the bed, we saw no evidence of this so it can't be proved. :D He wins the award for best towel animal ever - the thing was sitting on the couch nekkid one night. We aren't sure what he was but he stole my sunglasses so I slapped him upside the head for the impertinence. Mr Wolf did the wash and fold bag (one of those D+ perks we always use) and forgot to put our name or suite number on the slip. Ladies - seriously what ARE these guys good for???? Am I right? Daryl spent extra time down there hunting for the right bag. Good man. He earned his extra $$!

[Paul65]

Our suite attendant Daryl was a rock star. Although he told us he liked to jump up and down on the bed, we saw no evidence of this so it can't be proved. :D He wins the award for best towel animal ever - the thing was sitting on the couch nekkid one night. We aren't sure what he was but he stole my sunglasses so I slapped him upside the head for the impertinence.

 

Still in here talking to yourself? :p

 

Reminded me of a story from our recent cruise on Liberty. We opened the door to the bathroom one evening after dinner and found a curious towel-animal there, that looked like an alligator or crocodile greeting us. Luckily, before, asking our attendant about it, we realized it was just the shape the towel crumpled into, when it fell off the hook on back of the door.

[PompeySailor]

Great review Mrs Wolf

Did you guys get lucky in the casino, how was the host on your sailing.

Any new news on the CR program.

 

TIA

Happy Days!

[wolfganghowell]

We did actually get a pic of the couch thing so I will post it when I nab Mr Wolf's phone.

 

And yes, apparently I am still here talking to myself. Now I know why so many review writers beg for compliments, feedback, confetti, raspberries. <knocking microphone> "Helloooo, anyone out there?"

 

Maybe I'll come up with something outrageous to say. But the only thing I can think of is the jerk that came up to the bar on the 1st sea day, ordered a beer, then gave the poor bartender absolute grief for having to pay $1 gratuity. I really wanted to go all Irish Sagittarius redhead on him. Geez, some of the dog excrement these poor crewmembers have to take just floors me.

[Paul65]

Great review Mrs Wolf

Did you guys get lucky in the casino, how was the host on your sailing.

Any new news on the CR program.

 

TIA

Happy Days!

 

I think that's frowned upon, but it would make an good response in the newlywed and not-so-newlywed game show...

[PompeySailor]

Did you have a DVR player in your GS?

 

Cheers

Happy Days!

[wolfganghowell]

Hi Pompey, I'll do a casino section shortly. No real intel though. Mr Wolf won back about half his investment the last night so we are considering that a win....for him. I'm embarassed to admit how bad I sucked this time - especially considering I won the Wipeout one night so got $1000. :eek: :eek: Maybe I should just keep that my little secret. Oops......too late.

[Paul65]

We did actually get a pic of the couch thing so I will post it when I nab Mr Wolf's phone.

 

And yes, apparently I am still here talking to myself. Now I know why so many review writers beg for compliments, feedback, confetti, raspberries. <knocking microphone> "Helloooo, anyone out there?"

 

Maybe I'll come up with something outrageous to say. But the only thing I can think of is the jerk that came up to the bar on the 1st sea day, ordered a beer, then gave the poor bartender absolute grief for having to pay $1 gratuity. I really wanted to go all Irish Sagittarius redhead on him. Geez, some of the dog excrement these poor crewmembers have to take just floors me.

 

Great review! I'm loving it! You are a great writer; and you have the best attitude! Please keep it coming. Please, please, please . . . .

[PompeySailor]

Hi Pompey, I'll do a casino section shortly. No real intel though. Mr Wolf won back about half his investment the last night so we are considering that a win....for him. I'm embarassed to admit how bad I sucked this time - especially considering I won the Wipeout one night so got $1000. :eek: :eek: Maybe I should just keep that my little secret. Oops......too late.

 

Congrats on your wipeout win..

Look forward to reading your section on CR, appreciated.

 

Happy Days!

[wolfganghowell]

Did you have a DVR player in your GS?

 

Don't know. I work in entertainment so vacations are the ONLY time I'm away from tv/film/theater. So I avoid it like the plague. Feels like work. ;)