There really isn't a better way to celebrate special occassions than on an RSSC cruise. You'll have a great time. Here's my few cents; I'm probably being a bit redundant vis-a-vis previous posts, but I'm too tired at this hour to double-check...

1. Barry Hopkins: He really is the quintessential cruise director; definitely my favorite. Last year, Barry was on the Voyager in December so it's difficult to tell where he'll be be this December.

2. Sail away: It seems like the sail away parties are now including complimentary adult beverages. I think this was the case on MINT (or maybe it was just a particular kind of mixed drink). It's definitely worth while to go just to see who the key social staff are on board and to mingle with other guests. Best place to be is on deck 12 (1 deck above the pool deck).

3. Signatures: I've managed to eat at Signatures twice during 7-night cruises. Both times were on Voyager and before they started the new "policy" of requiring all suite numbers of all party members at the time of making a reservation. It really depends on how crowded the ship is. It seems that if the ship is at half capacity or lower you can definitely get into Signatures at least 2 times without really needing to go on a wait list. Honestly, with Chef Tobias now running the show in Compass Rose, I think Compass Rose far exceeds Signatures in quality and presentation; I felt pained at missing meals in Compass Rose - Chef Tobias is THAT GOOD. Some may disagree with me, but the French themed menu in Compass Rose has been better than the Signatures menu every time I've been on the Mariner or Voyager. Oh, and the service is MUCH better in Compass Rose.

In case you didn't know, you can place special orders for whatever you want (within reason) at Compass Rose with 24 hours' advance notice. On MINT, we had dover sole twice and New Zealand rack of lamb once when we missed those menus items. However, because no pre-made/preserved ingredients are used on RSSC, items like "tater tots" which invariably come pre-made by Ore Ida can't be prepared. Also interesting items, like Spam can't either (yes, I did once request spam to see what would happen).

The complimentary wine list has been significantly improved. On MINT, Tom and I are very impressed with the quality of the selections and did not need to order from the reserve list.

4. La Veranda: I really like La Veranda a lot, especially for lunch. The dinner time antipasto bar is quite good as well. Ordinarily, I'd recommend having dinner at least once at La Veranda, but again Chef Tobias makes not eating at Compass Rose extremely difficult.

5. In-room dining: I've never done this because I hate eating alone, but my sister, Clara, and her husband, Brad, ate 10 of 14 dinners on their Mariner cruise en suite. They were really impressed. You can order all the items that are being served in Compass Rose as well as any of the wines from the complimentary wine list (they just bring up the bottles for you). Reserve wine can also be ordered and brought up. The meal is served course by course, as in Compass Rose. They can set up your table on the balcony, which is what Clara & Brad liked doing.