SHOW TIME CHANGED!!!!! I didn"t do it

[Alter Ego]

I'm going to guess that a huge selection of people do not know they need to schedule beforehand and you will be able to move things around first thing onboard.

 

I do commiserate with the OP. I've spent a significant amount of time fitting meals and entertainment together, only to get on the ship to find it all wrong and timing no longer working. If they were truly "sold out", then they wouldn't have such huge lines for reservations. But, I also wouldn't take my word for it.

 

Honestly, at least my cruise wasn't a normal itinerary. One would think that, since Oasis, Allure and now Harmony have pretty set/same itineraries, that they should have been set years ago (only to change onboard due to weather conditions, etc.)

[gi_pam]

I do understand that some people, and on a lot of ships, you don't need to schedule things. "You're on vacation, just relax and enjoy".

 

But Royal has broken the mold a little bit with the big ships.

 

They don't schedule enough of the big shows for everyone on the ship to see them all. On our sailing (I'm on the same sailing as the OP, we've been chatting on our roll call for months now), Grease is completely booked right now. It doesn't even show up as available in the planner right now, if you didn't have it booked already you wouldn't even know it's showing. There are lots of people who won't get to see this show, and hearing the reviews, it's a great production!

 

Getting 4 of us scheduled to see the shows we wanted around our late sitting dinner was a challenge. For some reason they don't do early shows for the late dinner seating, so my shows are all 10:30, or 10:45, after my 8:30 dinner. In the past, if you had late dinner, you went to the show at 6-ish, then late dinner. The shows now are 8:30 and 10:30 (ish, with some variations, but almost no shows before 8). That's also a break from other cruises.

 

I can't imagine trying to get 12 people scheduled, like the OP. It's a big Christmas cruise, with her and her kids/grandkids (like I said, we've been chatting on the roll call, I feel like I "know" her a bit now). Doing some things together (like dinner and shows) was important to them when they decided to book this cruise. A big plus with these big ships is that you can book some of the major activities, like shows, then you have a starting point for your vacation.

 

I'm not going to go to the "ruining my vacation" direction, but Royal can't have it both ways on these big ships. They say - book all of your entertainment/dining ahead of time...but then when they reschedule things at the last minute it throws your plans out the window, and things aren't available.

 

It's a weird sailing with Christmas, not a normal Eastern sailing, so the schedule isn't the same as any other sailing I've seen.

[tampadee]

The same exact thing happened to us. Our 8 p.m. time was changed to 10:30 p.m. No notice at all. We found out that the 8 p.m. show as entirely eliminated. We are early to bed people but went to the show anyway. We were very glad we did, excellent show. Don't know how old your grandchildren are but it is a very adult storyline.

[hallasm]

I just don't ''get it''....we have cruised 11 times with RC and never once have we planned anything.....I read these boards and laugh at some of the posts.

 

where is the bed situated, my show times changed, there is no this or that anymore, RC has ruined my vacation etc, etc.....

 

You go on a vacation to relax, not organise everything like a military operation. and yes, I am ex military, I just don't get why people sweat the small stuff... I mean it's not the end of the world is it !

 

 

Agree. My past four cruises have been on Quantum and Anthem. No single reservation of dining or shows prior to the cruise - all done once onboard and have almost got the times we wanted. Agee that for a group of twelve it will be different - however my advise is still - see what can be done once onboard. Petty sure they want to do their best for you in order to get a good cruise.

 

 

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[Host Star]

just got an email our 7:30 Grease is now 8 pm... I think they got a lot of complaints on the 7:30 time...

[alfaeric]

I do understand that some people, and on a lot of ships, you don't need to schedule things. "You're on vacation, just relax and enjoy".

 

But Royal has broken the mold a little bit with the big ships.

 

They don't schedule enough of the big shows for everyone on the ship to see them all. On our sailing (I'm on the same sailing as the OP, we've been chatting on our roll call for months now), Grease is completely booked right now. It doesn't even show up as available in the planner right now, if you didn't have it booked already you wouldn't even know it's showing. There are lots of people who won't get to see this show, and hearing the reviews, it's a great production!

 

Getting 4 of us scheduled to see the shows we wanted around our late sitting dinner was a challenge. For some reason they don't do early shows for the late dinner seating, so my shows are all 10:30, or 10:45, after my 8:30 dinner. In the past, if you had late dinner, you went to the show at 6-ish, then late dinner. The shows now are 8:30 and 10:30 (ish, with some variations, but almost no shows before 8). That's also a break from other cruises.

 

I can't imagine trying to get 12 people scheduled, like the OP. It's a big Christmas cruise, with her and her kids/grandkids (like I said, we've been chatting on the roll call, I feel like I "know" her a bit now). Doing some things together (like dinner and shows) was important to them when they decided to book this cruise. A big plus with these big ships is that you can book some of the major activities, like shows, then you have a starting point for your vacation.

 

I'm not going to go to the "ruining my vacation" direction, but Royal can't have it both ways on these big ships. They say - book all of your entertainment/dining ahead of time...but then when they reschedule things at the last minute it throws your plans out the window, and things aren't available.

 

It's a weird sailing with Christmas, not a normal Eastern sailing, so the schedule isn't the same as any other sailing I've seen.

 

The on line bookings don't fill up the theater. So that people who don't book on line can do it when getting on board.

 

And even with that, we saw shows multiple times- where we had to wait until 10min prior to enter. So even with ALL of the reservations, there are seats just prior to the show.

 

So 1) you can change the time of the show when you get on board, and 2) you will also be able to walk in for shows you didn't reserve.

 

(BTW, when you go see Columbus, don't sit too close.)

[rakes5]

I am currently on the second week of a B2B on the Harmony.

 

Our entertainment changed twice after we booked

 

We had late (8:30) dining, and last week, there wasn't a 10:30 Grease performance. All of them were during dinner. So we ate at the Windjammer that night. We got to the buffet at 6:15 and there wasn't a seat. A lot of people were doing the same thing we were.

 

The second week, the seas were rough the first three days, and the Aqua shows and Columbus were all cancelled. They moved our reservations to day 4-6, at the same time as other shows. So we waited in the standby line for the comedy show, and had no problem getting in, they had a special comedy show on the theatre one night, and we went to see the 3D Trolls movie the other night. We got to see all of the shows, but it would be hard with 12 people. The night we went to Grease, we arrived 1/2 early, and got one of the last two seats together on the main floor, way to the side. It wasn't people saving seats, they were just full. Getting 12 seats together won't be easy.

 

When you get on board, go directly to where they are doing entertainment reservations. They were on 4 near the ice skating on our cruise. If you board early enough, you should have no problems booking a different showing, although doing it for 12 may be a challenge.

 

Whatever you do, you will have fun. Hope you enjoy your time with your family on an amazing ship.

 

 

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[spazzyjanet]

Ours changed from 8:00 to 10:30 on our April cruise on night 3 as well.

 

I planned to do this with my girls, so 10:30 would not work for us.

 

We were relieved to see that there was an 8:30 show that still had availability on night 1 so we jumped on that.

 

Still not ideal, as we won't be out of there until 10 or so and we arrive in Nassau at 7 the next morning, but better than 10:30.

 

On the plus side, when I went in to change my reservation I discovered that puzzle room bookings had opened up and was able to get us booked for that at the same time.

 

My suggestion for you would be to show up for the night 1 show on stand-by. There will be no-shows and you will probably get in, just unfortunately less convenient than having reservations.

[tatt2ed]

Only one of you shows got changed, lucky you. I prebooked ours months in advance and just got the email our headliner got changed to another day. Not too bad right ? But they bumped us from the show we had booked that night to fit it in. As a result 4 out of the 7 shows we booked are affected. We too are traveling with kids and the 1030 seatings probably are too late also. My suggestion is show up early and hope you can get in last minute. Your biggest hurdle is trying to go as such a big group. I would think about splitting up into 2 smaller groups and do an early bedtime group and a later bedtime group. Then talk about it over a nice breakfast in the am.

[kdnurs]

Sorry but this post just makes me laugh...

you were on the phone in tears !!!!!...... be thankful that you can even cruise, and at this time of the year too, also with your family surrounding you.

 

Just go and enjoy yourself and don't have dramatics.. depending on the grandkids ages you might be thankful that they miss it, it has some adult story lines

 

I am sorry you found my situation laughable..I nor my family did...We are very thankful we could all cruise together especially since none of us have the same ability to afford it. It too 2 years of planning and making arrangements to do this for the children so nothing was taken lightly...YES I was in tears as I realized a lot of time, energy, money and planning went into this to make my birthday and Christmas for the grands something extra special fall apart. NO DRAMA, just raw HUMAN emotion. Will I die ...NO...disappointed YES!!!! IF RCI had notified me, things could have been different possibly and there would have been less upset...Glad I could brighten your day and we will enjoy our FAMILY HOLIDAY...God Bless

[kdnurs]

I do understand that some people, and on a lot of ships, you don't need to schedule things. "You're on vacation, just relax and enjoy".

 

But Royal has broken the mold a little bit with the big ships.

 

They don't schedule enough of the big shows for everyone on the ship to see them all. On our sailing (I'm on the same sailing as the OP, we've been chatting on our roll call for months now), Grease is completely booked right now. It doesn't even show up as available in the planner right now, if you didn't have it booked already you wouldn't even know it's showing. There are lots of people who won't get to see this show, and hearing the reviews, it's a great production!

 

Getting 4 of us scheduled to see the shows we wanted around our late sitting dinner was a challenge. For some reason they don't do early shows for the late dinner seating, so my shows are all 10:30, or 10:45, after my 8:30 dinner. In the past, if you had late dinner, you went to the show at 6-ish, then late dinner. The shows now are 8:30 and 10:30 (ish, with some variations, but almost no shows before 8). That's also a break from other cruises.

 

I can't imagine trying to get 12 people scheduled, like the OP. It's a big Christmas cruise, with her and her kids/grandkids (like I said, we've been chatting on the roll call, I feel like I "know" her a bit now). Doing some things together (like dinner and shows) was important to them when they decided to book this cruise. A big plus with these big ships is that you can book some of the major activities, like shows, then you have a starting point for your vacation.

 

I'm not going to go to the "ruining my vacation" direction, but Royal can't have it both ways on these big ships. They say - book all of your entertainment/dining ahead of time...but then when they reschedule things at the last minute it throws your plans out the window, and things aren't available.

 

It's a weird sailing with Christmas, not a normal Eastern sailing, so the schedule isn't the same as any other sailing I've seen.

 

 

gi_pam....THANK-YOU...you made my morning better. YOU do understand how I felt and GOD knows A LOT went into planning this cruise for me and my family.. I Look forward to giving you a HUGE HUG on board!!!! again..THANK-YOU

[CRUISEFAN0001]

I do understand that some people, and on a lot of ships, you don't need to schedule things. "You're on vacation, just relax and enjoy".

 

But Royal has broken the mold a little bit with the big ships.

 

They don't schedule enough of the big shows for everyone on the ship to see them all. On our sailing (I'm on the same sailing as the OP, we've been chatting on our roll call for months now), Grease is completely booked right now. It doesn't even show up as available in the planner right now, if you didn't have it booked already you wouldn't even know it's showing. There are lots of people who won't get to see this show, and hearing the reviews, it's a great production!

 

Getting 4 of us scheduled to see the shows we wanted around our late sitting dinner was a challenge. For some reason they don't do early shows for the late dinner seating, so my shows are all 10:30, or 10:45, after my 8:30 dinner. In the past, if you had late dinner, you went to the show at 6-ish, then late dinner. The shows now are 8:30 and 10:30 (ish, with some variations, but almost no shows before 8). That's also a break from other cruises.

 

I can't imagine trying to get 12 people scheduled, like the OP. It's a big Christmas cruise, with her and her kids/grandkids (like I said, we've been chatting on the roll call, I feel like I "know" her a bit now). Doing some things together (like dinner and shows) was important to them when they decided to book this cruise. A big plus with these big ships is that you can book some of the major activities, like shows, then you have a starting point for your vacation.

 

I'm not going to go to the "ruining my vacation" direction, but Royal can't have it both ways on these big ships. They say - book all of your entertainment/dining ahead of time...but then when they reschedule things at the last minute it throws your plans out the window, and things aren't available.

 

It's a weird sailing with Christmas, not a normal Eastern sailing, so the schedule isn't the same as any other sailing I've seen.

Well said!

 

Some people spend a good deal of time planning, so that onboard they only have to enjoy the cruise and their known/scheduled activities. Others wait until the last minute to book things, and that's OK if that works for them.

 

But it seems like some other posters have to criticize those who choose to be organized. Kudos for you being organized and planning ahead. We and many others do the same thing, so all we have to do is show up on the ship and enjoy the cruise.

[AccidentProneTourist]

If the show is like the movie, should kids young enough to have bedtimes even see it? I'm embarrassed to think of how young I was when I saw the movie (and we owned it on laserdisc so I saw it's adult storylines over and over) and wonder what my mom was thinking.

 

I do love a story with a message.

 

As far as I can tell, the message of Grease is, if you're in high school and a boy isn't interested in you, try drinking, smoking and dressing slutty.

[leisuretraveler223]

I am sorry you found my situation laughable..I nor my family did...We are very thankful we could all cruise together especially since none of us have the same ability to afford it. It too 2 years of planning and making arrangements to do this for the children so nothing was taken lightly...YES I was in tears as I realized a lot of time, energy, money and planning went into this to make my birthday and Christmas for the grands something extra special fall apart. NO DRAMA, just raw HUMAN emotion. Will I die ...NO...disappointed YES!!!! IF RCI had notified me, things could have been different possibly and there would have been less upset...Glad I could brighten your day and we will enjoy our FAMILY HOLIDAY...God Bless

 

You're lucky enough to take the whole family including your grandchldren on a week long cruise over Christmas. And you're "in tears" because a show reservation didn't work out. And you think you need to make YOUR BIRTHDAY special?

 

Wow, you are indeed very special....

[vacationlover_mn]

Accidentpronetourist- finally! Someone who agrees with me! And, my favorite message- "the girl needs to change to be exactly what the boy wants. The boy can try to change, but if he doesn't like it, he can change back"

 

 

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[wendychloecruiser]

DON'T WORRY! I just got off Harmony and two weeks before the sailing ALL our reservations for entertainment disappeared. I was also somewhat livid. When you get onboard just go to the ice skating rink where you will find several people adjusting times for people. We were able to coordinate with other family members from another cabin as was previously scheduled without hassle.

[gadaboutgal]

I do love a story with a message.

 

As far as I can tell, the message of Grease is, if you're in high school and a boy isn't interested in you, try drinking, smoking and dressing slutty.

 

Just saw this on Harmony this month-saw the original years ago-and I totally agree with you. Such an outdated and terrible choice for a "family" show. I certainly would not take a young teen or younger child to the show. The lyrics are suggestive and the storyline amoral.

Edited December 18, 2016 by gadaboutgal
punctuation

[CRUISEFAN0001]

To the best of my recollection...no one forces anyone to attend a show on a cruise.

 

It's hilarious to read about the poo-pooers who attempt to dissuade others using narrow-minded opinions. West Side Story was an oscar-winning story that included gang violence among other things, and yet it didn't seem to dissuade most of the world appreciating it for what it was - a fictitious story piece designed primarily for music entertainment.

 

Grease is a classic, and for those who don't want to go...there's plenty else to do on the ship. Thanks for your non-attendance...it opens up seats for the thousands who will go to see Grease and enjoy it.

[Colorado Babe]

Just got off the Harmony yesterday and Grease was awesome. One of the best shoes we've seen on a cruise ship!

 

 

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[Colorado Babe]

I called...(still in tears)...and nothing can be done:( I have to wait to get on board and PRAY alllllll 12 of us can get in on another night. Right now allll shows are filled...If we keep the late show, the grandchildren can't see it, plus some of the adults will miss it so someone can watch the children. I know about baby sitters, but then again that is an expense we wouldnt have to pay if our original show were still an option....My Christmas spirit is shot to heck right now...Bah humbug RCI....would have been nice to have some advance notice about making changes to MY RESERVATION without MY PERMISSION:mad:....Thank you Bob for trying to help me..you are a tropper

 

 

They changed our time to 10:30 pm as well. On day 7 there will be a 4:30 show and we waited in line and we're able to see the show!

 

 

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[kdnurs]

They changed our time to 10:30 pm as well. On day 7 there will be a 4:30 show and we waited in line and we're able to see the show!

 

 

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I am so very happy you got to see it..I hope we will be as lucky as you were..I was told there was no guarantee we would get in, but we will try.

[kdnurs]

To the best of my recollection...no one forces anyone to attend a show on a cruise.

 

It's hilarious to read about the poo-pooers who attempt to dissuade others using narrow-minded opinions. West Side Story was an oscar-winning story that included gang violence among other things, and yet it didn't seem to dissuade most of the world appreciating it for what it was - a fictitious story piece designed primarily for music entertainment.

 

Grease is a classic, and for those who don't want to go...there's plenty else to do on the ship. Thanks for your non-attendance...it opens up seats for the thousands who will go to see Grease and enjoy it.

 

You are soooooooo right and who knows...it might open up seats for folks like me who really want to see the classic.

[rbschultz]

Yup had my showtime changed as well. I hate how they frontload all of the entertainment and have none of the shows days 4 or 5. This screws with our Izumi reservation....may need to cancel 1887 on Day 2 and move Grease.

[cruizinmimi]

Just got off yesterday and like you our Grease show was cancelled. We got notifications though. I booked 2 different times and dates and both were cancelled. But on Day 7 (Friday) there was a 4:30 show and we got in with no problems. I'm sure your family will be able to see Grease. It is a great show.

[sndral]

You're lucky enough to take the whole family including your grandchldren on a week long cruise over Christmas. And you're "in tears" because a show reservation didn't work out. And you think you need to make YOUR BIRTHDAY special?

 

Wow, you are indeed very special....

IMO there's nothing entitled about expecting a venue to honor a previously made commitment, or if unable to do so to contact the guest and offer workable alternatives.

Making plans for large groups is a huge challenge.

The reservation for 12 people was made months ago. A week before sailing in the midst of all the packing & Christmas madness OP checks their planner and discovers that without notice that previously made reservation is gone & has been replaced with one she didn't ask for and which is unworkable for her.

It would be like making a dinner reservation for 12 people for 8 pm and having the restaurant change it to 10 pm. Booking an early movie/play and having the theatre change it to the late show without notice on land would never be acceptable, it isn't any different on these mega ships, IMO.

To me the true issue is the changing without notice. When I schedule things for a vacation I do it so that I don't have to wait in lines or scramble at the last minute to deal w/ things so that my vacation can be an escape from the type of deadlines/hassles that I deal w/ at work. I do expect the people who happily accept my money for a vacation to fulfill their end of the bargain & deliver what they promised me when they promised to do so w/out sudden switcheroos & if they cancel something they owe me the basic courtesy of alerting me when they do so to enable me to make alternative plans as soon as I can.