Comparing RCI to X - LIVE from the Decks of the Grandeur! 11/25 to 12/8/07

[signman]

One more question....Have you heard any talk about passengers who boarded without luggage (large group of Brits) and whether it ever showed up. Thanks.

[Ma Bell]

Gail,

You do such a great job with your live reports we all feel as though we're right there with you. Thanks for taking the time. Enjoy!

Joanie

[Trixsea]

Another great review, Gail!! Thanks.

[Eliz]

Hi Gail! Great postings...as always! Thanks for taking us along. Sure wish I was in the warm Caribbean right now.

 

Elizabeth

[tuggers]

Day 9 December 3, 2007 Grandeur Repo

Ahhhhhhhhh! Aruba! Calm blue water, balmy breezes, white sand beaches! What more do you need in DECEMBER???? I’m in Paradise!

We started out with breakfast in the dining room and a few glitches in our orders. Nothing major. We survived. But I must say it sure doesn’t seem like we get the top drawer waiters on the morning dining room staff. In any case we were well fed when we left to hit Aruba.

Only five of us today as Cil decided to stay onboard. I got off with everyone and walked into town but soon went my own way, searching out a new Internet café (my old one in the main downtown plaza did indeed close and is now a jewelry store) so I could check email and do some posting (Internet was still down onboard this morning), Ended up at a barebones kind of place with $6 per hour rates. Not bad,

(This is for ‘Barb’, I called cabin 2018 and left a message to call me if this was the correct cabin for Alex. I explained I had rec’d a message through cruise critic to deliver

to him. I told him nothing was wrong, I just needed him to call me and left my cabin number. This was about 1 PM. It’s now midnight and I haven’t gotten a call back. Are you sure the cabin number was correct??)

I was back on the ship by 11:45 followed pretty quickly by the rest of the gang. We went to the dining room (it was actually open for lunch) at 12:30. This is the first time I had been able to eat lunch there and I was looking forward to it.

Three decided to go to the pasta station in the center of the room. You pick out the things you want in your pasta dish and go back in a few minutes to pick it up. It seemed the cook was really over whelmed, unorganized and nervous. The first order that was ready turned out to be wrong. That went back. Roger agreed to take that one anyway so back it came. Cil’s order was back. The pasta was taken out of the water a little early so that it had more than the slight bite it should have. I ate a piece and it actually fought my teeth to keep from being chewed!!!

Sally’s order never arrived and when she asked the cook, he said it wasn’t ready. We were all about finished eating when she asked one of the waiters to check on it, She finally got her pasta. The cook did not seem to be in control as I heard lots of complaints.

I had calamari and the Thai lettuce wraps with chicken. For an entrée I got the Vegetable Phad Thai and added the chicken from the wraps. Pretty good lunch. Dessert was ‘Lemon Weekend’ (at least that’s the best we could make of what the waiter said). It turned out to taste like it was made last weekend. Very, very dry. I think it was supposed to be like a pudding on the bottom with cake on the top. It was really bad! Had it replaced with a semi dark chocolate Crème Brule which was very good.

Although I was tired, Earl wanted to go back into town. We left about 1:30 and hit a few jewelry stores (my white gold anklet broke on this trip and I’ve been trying to replace it),

the row of vendor stands near the ship and the big mall with a casino down by the bridge. In other words we walked a lot! I bought a Christmas present for my neighbor and a Christmas present for someone who reads this stuff so better keep quiet.

BTW, for anyone looking for jewelry in the islands. I found stores in St Maarten that would go $30 a gram for gold. Not so here. $38 was the cheapest I could get anyone down to in Aruba and most wanted $40.

Tired, hot and glistening (Earl was sweating but I’m from the south and ladies from the south don’t sweat!) we returned to the ship at 4 just in time to get the ice cream at the buffet. Today it was strawberry (yea! A new flavor!) and vanilla. Also tried the rice pudding because it was so good the other day. Today it tasted like starch with no sugar and the only spice used seemed to be cinnamon. Yuck!

We took a look at the dinner menu on the way back to our cabin and it really looked

sad, Phad thai (vegetable) like I had for lunch, Penne and peas, sirloin steak oscar (we haven’t found the beef to be very good on this ship, mostly unappealing and with a strange texture), an uninspired fish dish and not even very good appetizers. We decided to try the buffet for dinner.

I skipped out of the show and just met them at the buffet. Show was Mike Verselli, comedy impressionist. They said he was okay but nothing special. Which seemed to be the theme of the night. Nothing at the buffet was very special either. I tried a piece of the fried chicken (breading was gooey from sitting in the pans too long), a pasta (okay but VERY chewy), fish (no seasoning), corn on the cob (good) and finally settled on cottage cheese with pineapple. I’ve eaten that a lot on this ship.

We went out to the Caribbean Pool Party at 10:45, looked around a little and had some ice cream. They did have a food set up with barbeque type items plus hot dogs and hamburgers. Not a lot of participation in things but a couple hundred people milling around. We stayed until about 11:30 and headed in.

Not much else going on tonight. I don’t find there is much in the way of night life on these ships. The majority of people seem to turn in early.

Bye For Now.

[tuggers]

Day 10 December 4, 2007 Grandeur Repo

A glorious sea day with bright sun, clear blue water and just a hint of a breeze! In other words, another perfect day on the sea! Wish you were here!!!

Started to day with the Grandeur Six meeting for breakfast at 9 in the dining room. They are getting faster at accommodating us with a table for six where we have room for a wheel chair and we are seated and giving juice orders in just a few minutes.

I had cereal and bananas with skim milk and a bran muffin. Most everyone else had French toast or eggs and sausage or bacon (they have regular sausage and turkey sausage). Roger had his standard two poached eggs on bagel halves with bacon. I’ve tried it and it’s pretty good. Full as ticks, we waddled off to our respective activities.

I was back on my balcony, stretched out on my lounger in the sun reading a book by 10:30! What a life!

I have to stick in here some where that we have a very weird naturalist on board. He tries WAY too hard to be ‘one of the crew’, always stopping people and asking if they are having a good time, taking notes, trying to be in on all of the staff led activities, dances, etc. The funny thing is, he was on another ship with us a while ago as a dance host. He might be a perfectly nice guy if he would just lighten up. In the mean time, we avoid him!

Two thirty was party time on my balcony. I had plates of meats, cheeses, olives, pickles, nuts, etc. We were in possession (I have NO idea how that happened!) of a liter of Absolute, a shaker, some olives and ice. It’s Dirty Martini Time!! Also had a nice white wine and some OJ for screwdrivers. Roger was our bartender and he made martinis in the large, all purpose wine glasses RCI seems to love so much! Man, those were some kick butt tini’s with GIANT sized olives. I have pictures!!

By a little after four we had killed most of a liter, the bottle of wine and most of the OJ. Food plates looked ravaged and we all were more than ready for a nap. Have to say it was one of the better afternoon delights we’ve had.

Took a very short nap. I am not calling it anything but a nap. I DID NOT PASS OUT!!!

Don’t believe anything else you may hear! LOL!

Tonight was another casual night but I first dressed in formal wear to get my picture taken. I wanted to do one of what they call the Lifestyle Portraits with the white background. Earl had some of those done a couple of cruises ago and they came out very nice. Anyway, I did that first, then changed for dinner. The 8 x 10’s of the portraits are usually $19.95 but with my Diamond coupon, it would be free so that’s why I decided to do it on this trip.

Dinner was, once again, uninspired. I tried the cold soup which was cranberry and mango. It was okay but nothing great. I did try Earl’s Jalapeño Potato soup which was pretty good but a little heavy on cumin. For an entrée I did the Cornmeal Dusted Tilapia with Wasabi Aioli. The tilapia was, to me, fishy which is odd for that type of fish. The most disappointing thing to all of us was that the sauce, listed as wasabi aioli was pretty much tarter sauce. When questioned, we got the same old answer from the waiter. The chef didn’t think RCI’s clientele would tolerate a spicy sauce. So why not just serve it with tarter sauce? Or offer extra wasabi on the side for those who requested it. Par for the course.

Dessert was a BBB Crème Brule. I think I have friends on here who might know what that is? MaryAnn? Joe? It was pretty good. A little heavy on the banana but a nice taste of Bailey’s.

After dinner Earl and I went to a 10:30 movie, License To Wed with Robin Williams and Mandy Moore. Cute but nothing special.

After the movie we went up on the pool deck for a walk and then hot chocolate and cookies in the solarium. This area was filled with quite a few people for after midnight.

It’s a very pleasant place and the pool is open 24 hours. I was not aware of that. I may make use of it tomorrow night.

Thing I like, don’t like, think strange or that X does better:

I don’t like that they serve everyone some thing at dinner, for every course. So if you ordered no appetizer they would serve everyone appetizers and you your soup course.

This goes on to where some people are eating salads or soup and others are getting entrees. I like it when dinner is served course by course and if you skip a course you

Sit and wait on the next one.

When did we all become like pigs at the trough and dive into food the minute it is set before us? What happened to waiting until every one is served to begin eating? I still wait but sometimes I’m the only one sitting there, not eating. I have found this much more prevalent on RCI than X.

It is very strange to me to see waiters pushing carts loaded with plates through the dining room rather than carry them on a tray. Much easier on their backs I’m sure.

Bye For Now.

[tuggers]

Day 11 December 5, 2007 Grandeur Repo

Good Morning, Grand Cayman! We awoke in a parking lot!! No less than six other ships are sitting out here waiting to tender into GC! OMG! We may sink the island!

We were in at 8:30. Went to breakfast in the dining room at 9. They are out of skim milk! This is day 11 of a 13 night cruise and they are out of skim milk! Wonderful. Switched my order from cereal to lox and a half bagel. Other than starting to run out of things, breakfast was fine.

At 10:15 Earl, Roger and I went down to the tender area thinking we could get right on a tender. No such luck! They were still doing tours. A little wrangling later we were on another deck and managed to get on a tender at 10:45. The seas looked very calm but I’m telling you, it was touch and go getting some of these older, more infirm people on the tenders! I felt like I was sitting watching an accident that had to happen! Luckily, everyone made it on our tender safely. Only 5 minutes to the dock but then a 10 t 15 minute wait for a spot at the dock to unload.

Town was a mess! Crowded doesn’t even begin to say what the streets and sidewalks were like. It was bedlam! We went in maybe six or eight stores and it took us two and a half hours to do that! If you wanted to buy anything there were lines. If you needed to ask about anything there was a line. It is just too small an island to have this many people descend on it. I think the word I want for it is engorged. The town was just overwhelmed.

At 1:30 we lucked out and were at the front of the line to get on a tender back to the ship.

We made it to the ship area in 5 minutes but sat and waited for 20 minutes while the tender already pulled up to the ship was getting people off and then filling again while we sat and idled. Finally onboard, we dumped purchases in our cabins and made it to the buffet by 2:30 for lunch.

Lunch was winding down but we did manage to get some roast turkey they were carving before it was taken away for the afternoon snacks. Thai Chicken soup was good and some more cottage cheese and pineapple. I tried the shrimp on the salad bar but they were overwhelmingly salty and I couldn’t eat them. The Coconut Ranger cookies are very good, but the rest of the desserts were the same old, same old.

Back in my cabin I got a little over an hour of sun on the balcony and some good reading done. Cool shower followed and now I am almost in nap mode except I have to go to the dining room and take Cil’s birthday present so that Russell, their Head Waiter, can give it to her when they bring her cake tonight. Then maybe I can nap.

BTW, I could not find any wireless in GC and because I had all this written on my computer, did not bother to go online. I’m hopeful that I can get on through the ship tonight (I’ve already paid for a pkg) and at least post the last two and a half days.

Show was another production one ‘My Romance’. I liked it better than the first show. Thought it flowed better and the vocals were better, more suited to their voices. Earl thought just the opposite. He liked the first show better. Goes to show how subjective entertainment (and food) can be. So the musings here are JMO. Take with a grain of salt!

Someone told Earl this is not a new cast, they have all been with RCI before. They’ve just been in Hollywood (Fl) rehearsing these two new shows for six weeks.

Dinner was great for me. There was a Maryland Crab Cake appetizer but we all passed. We had just had the truly great ones in Annapolis so didn’t want one of the not so great one. I had the chilled Apple Soup which was not too sweet. It had a definite tang to it and was very good. Other soups were Thai Chicken and New England Clam Chowder. For an entrée I had asked for Phad Thai Noodles (I had made a special request as they were not on the menu) and they were great! A little spicier than lunch which was good. I also asked for a side dish of the roasted pumpkin that was offered with another entrée. I had that once before on RCI and I really liked it. Earl had a salmon grilled with a lime sauce, other entrees at our table were the tortellini with blue cheese and sun dried tomato sauce and a grilled pork chop. Didn’t hear how the pasta was but one pork chop was good, one was too dry. Other choice was a Lamb T-Bone (whatever that is). No desserts at our table tonight although they were making Bananas Foster and it looked very good.

Earl and I were going to go to Battle of the Sexes (done differently here, they pick two teams of five from the audience and they play the game) but decided to go to the 10:30 movie instead. We saw ‘Because I Said So’ with Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore. It was really cute, better than the one last night.

Gaining an hour tonight for Cozumel, then we have to lose it tomorrow night. Tomorrow is also Formal night. Hate that on a port day when we don’t sail till 7 PM.

Capt Rob said today that we would be in port with our big sister, Liberty of the Seas and the Carnival Irritation. Everyone loved that! He was apologizing for the hoards of people in GC and said Cozumel should be lots quieter. I heard from some of the shop keepers and tour people that they are lobbying local government to limit the number of ships that can come in per day because they just can’t handle so many people.

Thing I like, don’t like, find strange or think X does better:

They have something for lunch in the buffet and then it shows up that night on the dinner menu. I know sometimes they put it on the buffet the day AFTER its served for dinner, but not before. This happens mostly with soups. In fact they had the clam chowder on the noon buffet today and then tonight.

They are running out of things much too soon on this cruise. Like the skim milk. We have several days to go before this 13 night cruise is over. They said they might get some today but I was then told they only brought on alcohol in GC.

Booking onboard - Earl and I each did a $100 deposit, use anytime on an RCI cruise. We had a hard time getting to see someone as they were out of appointments but the group sales guy finally helped us. Two days ago we filled out a form and he said we would have confirmation in our cabins by that afternoon. So far nothing. Guess we’ll have to fight the crowds tomorrow to see if it went through. Not great service. But then I’ve noted previously that the Loyalty Ambassador/Future Cruise Sales Mgr on this ship is not the best. And he’s her employee. Guess we shouldn’t have counted on good service from him either.

Photo prices – I went to look at the Lifestyle Portraits I had done and they were surprisingly good. The photo shop manager was very helpful and offered to crop one picture for me to get rid of my feet! I actually thought $19.95 was very reasonable for an 8 x 10, professional photo. I have a coupon for one free, so I’ll buy a second one that I liked really well. Our group embarkation photo was also great and I think we all bought that one. You pay $19.95 (or use a coupon) but you get two photos. BTW, Oddie is the best photog on here!

That’s it for today. I got a not of sun so maybe won’t try to go to Paradise Beach Club tomorrow for a massage. I may book one in the spa. They have a special advertised on the daily Compass for a Swedish Massage or a Deep Tissue Massage for $79. I’m going to call and see how long of a massage it is. If it’s near an hour it’s a good deal.

Bye For Now.

[tuggers]

Next post will probably be from home. I have people rushing me today.

Will try to answer all questions on Saturday.

Gail

[HurricaneSally]

Next post will probably be from home. I have people rushing me today.

 

Will try to answer all questions on Saturday.

 

Gail

 

Thanks for trying to reach my dad Gail. He probably didn't know why the phone was lit up, it would be right up his alley, and he's never heard of cruisecritic. So, he probably thought the message wasn't really for him, lol.

 

I appreciate the effort though, I'm sure he's fine or someone would have called us. Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Texed]

Thanks again for the report. :)

[tomatopa]

Gail,

 

Hope you have/had a good trip home....your last couple of posts had me a little concerned about the Grandeur and our April cruise....but like most people will agree with..."Any cruise is better than being at home." LOL

 

Thanks for all the information.....Judy

[tuggers]

We were first off this morning, luggage in hand and outside by a little after 9. Got the hotel shuttle, picked up the car and were on the road by 10:30. Slow trip home, several stops, pulled into driveway at 4:15.

We are all really tired but managed to go out to dinner and stuff ourselves on catfish, oysters, hush puppies, french fries, cheese grits, cole slaw, onion rings and for 'dessert' the owner brought us out a plate of smoked chicken, right off the smoker. Had to show my visiting northern friends how southerner's eat!:) :)

Will try to finish this up tomorrow. For tonight, I'm hitting the hay. It's been a long day.

Bye For Now

[tuggers]

We were first off this morning, luggage in hand and outside by a little after 9. Got the hotel shuttle, picked up the car and were on the road by 10:30. Slow trip home, several stops, pulled into driveway at 4:15.

We are all really tired but managed to go out to dinner and stuff ourselves on catfish, oysters, hush puppies, french fries, cheese grits, cole slaw, onion rings and for 'dessert' the owner brought us out a plate of smoked chicken, right off the smoker. Had to show my visiting northern friends how southerner's eat!:) :)

Will try to finish this up tomorrow. For tonight, I'm hitting the hay. It's been a long day.

Bye For Now

[Marabella2004]

Gail,

Thanks for sharing your cruise with all of us. I thinkit's a great idea. And I'm sure that all of us in the colder brrrrr climates have vicariously enjoyed your cruise!

[tuggers]

Day 12 December 6, 2007 Grandeur Repo

We made it to Cozumel right on schedule and, boy, is it nice to be at the dock with only one other ship (Liberty OTS). Carnival is at another pier. No crowds! Love it!

We had breakfast as usual in the dining room and then headed out to shop, shop, shop!

First stop was the shops at the International Pier. We got distracted by a store selling embroidered t-shirts for $5 on the left as you come out into the shopping area. The shirts were nice but the sales clerks were really, really rude. If we had known that the same shirts (they were very nice) were available at several other places we would have walked out. As it was, we bought a few shirts and got out of there as quickly as we could.

After that experience we decided to get a cab and go directly to town. We were able to get a van to seat the five of us (Cil stayed onboard) and also accommodate the wheelchair. Cab ride to Pancho’s back yard was $10. (Word to the wise – if you are taken with the metal wall hanging in this store look a few blocks back towards the ship before you buy – the couple I talked to in there looking at one priced $270 were able to snag two almost identical pieces priced at $300 for the pair just down the street!).

We shopped all the way to Las Palmaras where we stopped for Lime Tortilla Soup, Chips, Salsa and, of course, wonderful Margaritas! Mango ones for me. BTW, they have free internet for customers. Food is great, too. And it’s right across from Fat Tuesdays where we picked up another Margarita for the next bit of shopping.

We eventually walked all the way down to Punta LaGusto (I think I spelled that right) and the two story shopping area. Right past that I found an internet café ($2 for 30 minutes) where I posted up through Day 11.

After the internet café we walked back to the shopping center and caught a cab to the International Pier. I picked up a few more items for Christmas in the shops. Made it back to the ship by 3:30. Just in time for the ice cream!

We walked almost 5 miles by my pedometer and, boy, did my hip and legs feel it! Had a great time though and knowing it was almost the last day I would be able to spend out and about with my friends made it even more special.

Dinner was Formal and it was sure a chore after the long and busy day we had. But we all managed to glitz ourselves up and look festive for our Lobster dinner!

Dinner was indeed Lobster. RCI serves it with four small shrimp and broccoli. We also had French Onion Soup and it was very good. Dessert was a Sampler containing three different sweets. The chocolate one was the good one. They also had Bananas Foster and I think that was the better choice.

We were so fagged out from the day that we didn’t make it to anything after dinner. Just went back to the cabin and crashed, so…

Bye For Now.

[tuggers]

Day 13 December 7, 2007 Grandeur Repo

The last day. This is the one I hate! Packing! The worst day. I got up early and got the bag packed that contains all my formal and informal outfits. This trip I tried putting all the slinky stuff including shoes, bags and undergarments for each outfit. It worked pretty well and I think I will continue doing it this way. One bag packed, I was off to breakfast with my friends.

Afterwards we all split up to do a little more packing before the Platinum/Diamond Cocktail Party at 11:15 in the South Pacific Lounge.

Of course, the Schooner Lounge where we had to wait was packed and with that awful smell in there it was horrid. Does anyone else find the smell objectionable? I was told that Richard Fain loves it and thinks it makes the area ‘authentic’. The lounge is decorated with teak railings, sails and riggings. They coat these with some substance to make them have a ‘nautical’ odor. I think I described that correctly. Anyway, it has turned an area we previously loved to go and listen to piano music in to a place you can not walk through fast enough. I was told every Schooner Lounge in the fleet now has this hideous smell. Please tell me no one really likes this????

Back to the party. Drinks were plentiful and there was a good supply of self-serve food. The best of the food were the scallops wrapped in bacon or so I was told. They were gone by the time I got to them. The shrimp were much better this time as was the chicken. Enough to eat and drink that none of us went to lunch,

Capt. Rob gave a talk and I still think he is the most personable captain RCI and X have! Just a really, really great and approachable guy! He is from Rhode Island, the only American captain I have ever sailed with, and certainly the most memorable one. Can’t say enough good about him.

The Loyalty Ambassador also gave a short speech and I was, again, not impressed. I do not think she is a big asset to the company. Her people skills and problem solving ability as well as her follow through were not particularly good. Most people I talked to thought she ‘put on her phony smile when she makes a speech’. Not my words, they came from another Diamond member.

Full and buzzed we skipped lunch and went to Capt. Rob’s talk and q & a session. Lots of pictures of Grandeur when she was being built, others from the re-furb and some present day activities like the upholstery shop. Another fun time with a great guy.

We got out of there just in time to partake, one last time, of the 3 to 5 o’clock snack time including ice cream and cookies. Today it is vanilla and chocolate ice cream and coconut ranger cookies. Yum, yum! Love those cookies!

Back to the cabin for a little more packing and a nap then off to our final show. Show was good but a disappointment too. I enjoyed Etta May, again, but had really, really looked forward to Michael James (AKA, The Ladder Guy). Unfortunatly, his equipment (unicycle, ladders, etc) never made it out of the airport. Without props, he was a goner. Etta May filled in admirably but she’s just not Michael James!

Private message to Michael James’ Biggest Fan – He wishes you a speedy recovery and said he will be looking forward to meeting you on another cruise, soon! You know who you are…

I had requested Phad Thai noodles again for my dinner entrée. I had read the menu that morning and was not impressed: Roast Turkey (again), an uninspired pasta and fish sticks (technically it was Mahi Mahi Tempura but we all know what that’s code for – fish sticks! LOL!). Anyway, the Phad Thai arrived and looked wonderful!! I was so excited. My last meal on RCI and it was going to be a winner! Then I asked for the Peanut Sauce.

None was to be found. The Head Waiter even went himself to the buffet looking for it when the dining room kitchen was out. I thought the poor guy was going to cry. I was his problem child the entire cruise because I was either ordering baked potatoes for my entrée or taking a couple of bites and not eating any more. He thought he had finally found something I really liked. And I do like it. But without the sauce the noodles were all clumped together and it was like eating damp paste. I ate what I could. Dessert was a Brownie with nuts, chocolate sauce and ice cream. Good!!

10:30 was the Kareokie Super Star Finals and this time the best contestant won. Last time Earl and I were on this ship there was a 90+ year old woman who didn’t sing all that well but kept getting the sympathy vote. There really were a lot of talented people at this one including Buddy who I believe some of you know. He sang That’s Life and did it quite well. To give you an idea of the age of some of the judges, one commented that he had never heard that song!

Afterwards we went to the Viking Crown Lounge for the dance party but no one was there except staff. We decided to call it a night. That was it. The last night of our 13 night cruise. It always seems like it will be a LONG cruise and then before you know it it’s over and it’s time to go home. Until the next one.

Bye For Now.

[tuggers]

December 10, 2007 Home Again

Some final thoughts on RCI, Grandeur, Celebrity and this cruise.

If you read all my daily reports I hope you did not get the idea that I didn’t have a good time because I had a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL cruise. I was with friends that I love and adore, on the ocean in marvelous weather with people to take care of me and pamper me. How could that be a bad time???? It can’t.

Were there thing I didn’t like? Sure. But those are just things that I didn’t like and some, like food, are very subjective. My tastes may not be anything like anyone else’s. It’s JMO. Besides, I had the terrible experience with what I believe was food poisoning early on in the cruise and after that I could not tolerate garlic for at least a week. That happens when you, shall we say, ‘experience’ the same meal more than once over the course of a night! So it’s very possible my taste buds were off. I honestly don’t know. But we all know I have opinions and here’s were I tell you some of the most memorable things, good and bad.

I hated that there was no dessert tray. I hated that the dining room was closed every port day forcing us to either eat in town or at the buffet. And I hated that when I had to eat in the buffet for lunch I would often go to dinner and find the same things I had for lunch being served for dinner. I hated a wine tasting where they just kept pouring new wines into glasses we had already drank from. I hated the waiters having to leave their tables at dinner to lip sync in the middle of the dining room, looking like fools. I hated not having the little niceties like q-tips and cotton balls and shampoo (real shampoo, not the shower dispenser stuff) in my cabin. I hated $35 Bingo. I thought it strange that Drinks of the Day prices were often higher than the regular price of the drink. I hated that Smart Casual dress meant Casual to most (hardly any sport coats or ties). I hated that the phone in my JS was across the room from the bed. I missed my boarding champagne and being taken to my cabin. I thought the Library selection was pitiful. I hated coming back from ports, hot and sweaty and not getting my frozen towel! I hated not feeling safe because not once, from embarkation to disembarkation, did I ever set off the metal detector. And I have an artificial knee and a ton of metal in my neck from when I broke it. I hated Grand Cayman being a stop when they knew there would be seven ships in port at the same time we were. Would have much preferred a private island! I hated the big platters instead of trays in the buffet but grew to actually prefer them. I hated having to take a towel from my cabin to the pool and then having to exchange it for a clean one at a little clean towel kiosk. I hated that there was no way to know what was on the movie channels in your cabin. I hated that they didn’t turn an unused conference room into a place to show movies and have one every day at 2 PM and 10 PM. I hated missing out on some of my Diamond perks and still not receiving them even after my ta called it to their attention. I hate that even though I went to the Future Cruise Sales/Loyalty person and made (and deposited) an open booking, nothing has shown up on my credit card or been sent to my travel agent (and I’m not the only one this happened to). I hate 7 PM shows every night for late seating dinner. I hated that they constantly ran out of the newspapers you get at the front desk and when you asked for it they made one copy and gave it to you instead of filling the racks. I hated that I never got on the internet the whole time I was onboard. I hate that they run a really great spa special and you call 1 minute after they open only to be told all slots are booked. How many did they have? Three? Four?

I found several of the bar servers to be a little snippy although the majority were wonderful.

Were there things I liked? You betcha! I loved the guest entertainers. I loved the afternoon ice cream. I loved that in the afternoon they put out big bowls of egg salad tuna salad and chicken salad plus cheese spread in the buffet. You could eat it with crackers or make a sandwich. I loved the free stuff for being Diamond (what happened to the picture frame?). I thought the ship was beautiful and they decorated it nicely for Christmas. I loved that the Solarium pool was open 24 hours. I loved my towel animals. I loved my free 8 x 10 photo. I loved the drink prices. I loved the ease of leaving from Baltimore and getting to see my friend Howard again. I really liked the CD even with his penchant for doing the John Travolta poses on stage. I thought the Paladium Show Lounge was very comfortable plus there was a drink holder at every seat. I loved $20 entry fees on slot and blackjack tournaments. I LOVED the Coconut Ranger cookies (anyone have the recipe?)! I loved coffee served in the dining room that was first, pretty good and second, in a mug that actually held more than 4 ounces. I loved my CS, Pinky, who had a large bucket of ice sent to my room every afternoon at 3. I actually like that they close the fire doors to the hallways and everyone gets to go to their cabins at the same time. I like the community bulletin board where you can look for like minded people for cards and tours and such. I liked that frozen yogurt is available almost anytime. I liked that the hot chocolate they serve is dark chocolate.

I could go on, but you get the idea. Is RCI my favorite cruise line? No. Will I sail RCI again? I’m leaving January 2nd on Brilliance of the Seas. Is X still my favorite cruise line? Yes, and it will be until they take the cost cutting and the bean counting to a place where they destroy the elegance and ambiance that Chandris and Rick Sasso created. Then I’m gone!

I think the only cruise lines I have no desire to go on again or try for the first time are NCL and Carnival. NCL’s dining would not be good for a single and Carnival is, well, Carnival which I think says it all. Any other line, I’m up for it! So invite me on your next one!

Thanks for being so patient with my sporadic internet access and so kind with your comments. I love to share my experiences with my cruise critic friends. And, of course, I will be happy to answer any and all questions about the ship, the cruise, the ports, the food, etc.

I guess this is…

Bye For Now.

At least until the Brilliance in January!

Gail

[Texed]

Great reports Gail.

[drrich2]

I liked that frozen yogurt is available almost anytime.

 

Okay, now you're scaring me. We sailed RCI's Adventure of the Seas April '06, & the frozen yogurt machine was my friend!

 

We're down to sail the Contellation in February. Please tell me they've got chocolate & vanilla frozen yogurt (not ice cream, it is not the same thing!) & that it's available most of the time!

 

Richard.

 

P.S.: Enjoyed your reports. It's interesting to read someone elses' impressions, see what things I'd agree with vs. where I'd go the other way, etc... Glad you had a good time.

[Andy]

Hi Gail !

 

Thanks again for your great reports. Welcome Home. I look forward to hearing all about your Brilliance cruise next month.

 

Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to You and Your Family !

[signman]

Gail, glad you enjoyed yourself. I hope one day we'll find ourselves on board together. All the best for the Holidays and the New Year.

 

Thanks for the report from the Karaoke finals, but it wasn't clear. Was Buddy the winner?

[JWJs]

Thanks so much Tuggers. I enjoyed your reports.

 

BTW...some guy sang That's Life for his Kareokie performance on the 12/17/06 Millennium last year and I'm wondering if it could have been your friend Buddy.

 

 

[angelpug]

Hi Gail!!!

 

It was GREAT meeting you, and THANK YOU for running the gift exchange and really making that a success!!

 

As far as your Diamond Perks go on RCCL.....the only perk we got ina SUITE was a bottle of wine. All the extras never showed, and when asked, our room attendant said he'd check on them. We BEGGED for robes until Wednesday, and then Jim went down to GUest Relations and requested them. They showed up 3 hours later!

 

The leather frames are no more for Crown and Anchor members. They replaced them with the blue tote bags. I personally missed the postcards, and free trial size coffe you can take home.

 

Some of our tablemates were in a JS, and begged thjeir room steward for the bathroom amenities that should have been there, and they told them they couldn't get them, that they'd checked with the hotel manager, and they said JS's no longer qualify for those.....go check the gift shops for body wash and qtips!!

 

I FINALLY did get to make a future booking while onboard...I harassed that girl for THREE days...LOL!! I am now booked for the Constellation, January 2009. I loved the cruise...the people I met, and the ports, but it's time for me to get back to Celebrity!!

 

Take care, and prepare for me to bother you A LOT on anything having to do with the Constellation!:) !

 

Take Care!

Jaime

[tuggers]

Howard, sorry if I wasn't clear but Buddy did not win. The winner was a woman named Marie or Maria who I missed when she sang but I am told she had a beautiful voice. She sang a Whitney Houston song.

Hey Jaime! I got the robe (it was in my cabin when I got there) along with the slippers. On Tuesday (or Wednesday) the toiletries arrived but no shampoo. I got shower gel, lotion, hair conditioner, special soaps but no shampoo. When I asked the CS about it she said they no longer make the shampoo. I'm wondering if that is true? Other friends got strawberries (chocolate dipped) with a note saying Welcome back to RCI but I didn't. The picture frame was still given last time I was on RCI but that was a year ago on the repo. Were the q-tips and cotton balls available then? I think I would have remembered if I should have brought them but maybe not. Are there any other Diamond or suite perks I missed telling about? Did you think I was too hard on the food? I try to be fair, but I'm partial to X and always admit that right up front. So good to meet you too! Maybe we'll be on an X ship together, soon! Thanks for the great job you did on the list! Please, ask any questions you have about X! I love to talk about cruises!

JWJ's, yes that was Buddy. I talked to him to tell him some of his friends had sent greetings but that was the first time I had met him. I thought he did a great job on the song and thought it was a hoot that one of the judges said he had never heard the song before!!:) Some of these singers and dancers RCI has are so very, very young!!!:D

Re-reading my last post I hope everyone understood my rather convoluted statement about the restaurant being closed during port days. What I meant was that the dining room was closed for LUNCH during all but one port day, forcing us to either eat in the buffet or go to the solarium for not so great hamburgers and hot dogs or definately not so great pizza. Dining room was, of course, open for dinner every day as was the buffet.

[angelpug]

Hi Gail!

You weren't hard on the food at all...LOL!! I had the pasta and ceasar salad off the anytime menu probably 4 times this sailing:( !

 

The do still make the shampoo, cause we had it in our room. There is a tiny square box behind the shampoo (there's a small triangle display rack all of this sits in) and they had this in BOTH of our JS's last year. We also received the picture frames twice last year, and I asked the group coordinator about these, and she said there were lots of complaints about people having too many of them, so now they have switched to the Totes with the ship's names on them for the Crown and Anchor gift.

 

Realistically, I see no big advantage from going Platinmum to Diamond on RCCL. The only difference between the two are about 10.00 in extra savings in the coupon book. Everything was aimed at Platinum and Diamond together, and because we always cruise in a suite, we get the Diamond benefits anyway. We did receive the strawberries...they showed up about 2PM on the Cozumel day....very strange.

 

Oh yeah...about the dress code.....did I not warn everyone going onto this trip that the Garandeur was by far the most casual ship I'd been on:) ! At our table it was 50% tuxes, but the two guys that wore them would come to the table, and instantly take off their jackets....they said they felt too dressed up, and would only bring suits next time. The other gentleman at our table actually wore just dress slacks, shirt and tie for formal night.

 

I did enjoy the cruise overall though, cause I met sooo mnay nice people, and LOVED every single port we went to....although Grand Cayman was a nightmare to get off the ship. once off the ship we had a blast....we took the helicopter tour, and just flew over the crowds.:eek:

 

I can't wait to get back on Celebrity. I miss all of those personal touches that are noticabley missing on RCCL.

 

Oh yeah, and to Howard (Signman) it was great meeting you, and YES...all the Brits luggage showed up at the first stop in Bermuda! There was LOTS of luggage sitting there at the pier waiting to be carried on as we got off the ship that morning!

 

Take Care!!!

Jaime