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As an American, I can aver that none of the "traditional American" foods as served onboard cruise ships is anywhere close to authentic.

We were there in October and it was similar... almost too quiet... but very peaceful. You assume correctly... unlike one YouTube video I watched before our first trip there in which the woman commented on how expensive everything was, lol.

GL @Neesa! We generally just blow through our free play on whatever machine speaks to my wife... then she actually hit some small jackpot and cashed out $90 on Wonder last June and then $80 on Allure in October. Back to nothing in March but that's what we expect. I know it was Press Your Luck on Allure, not sure what she played on Wonder... possibly Little Shop of Horrors? She'll usually pick out something related to pop culture or something with an animal theme. NOTE: This isn't advice, just sharing anecdotes. I spent plenty of time playing blackjack in my younger years but haven't gambled on a cruise in forever. I used to go play for an hour to kill time if my wife was taking a nap... nowadays I'm more likely to just go get some more El Loco Fresh and a margarita.

I don’t believe so… I agree… just part of the decor.

Day 4: Cozumel, Mexico We grabbed breakfast at the Pearl Cafe and disembarked the ship. The taxi situation in Cozumel at the port is very organized. Unfortunately, you run the gauntlet making your way through the port shops to get to the taxi stand/line. The price was fixed at $22 for the trip one way to Nachi Cocum. We figured we’d give Nachi a try since Matt had excellent reviews in past years. He did state his more recent visit(s) were a little less memorable, but we wanted to go because we wanted a chill atmosphere without a kid water park, etc. Photo dump! Had to get my next Starbucks ship mug! The view from the ship on our balcony… The pool was perfect! Dining area… Swim up bar from the dining area side… Swim up bar… It was a very quiet day at Nachi! Literally, no more than 30-40 people! Mariner making her way into port! Very nice hot tub next to bar… Included menu… ignore the prices (in pesos I’m assuming)! You get to choose one appetizer, one soup or salad, one entree, and one dessert… Some drinks at our table with a nice view! I tried the Buffalo Chicken Wings… only wings an a little overcooked… I still ate them! Christine had the Cheese Sticks which she enjoyed! I tried the Mexican Tortilla Soup… not bad. Christine had the Assorted Fruit Salad with lemon Sherbet which she enjoyed. We both ordered the Chicken Fried Mexican Tacos… think taquitos! For dessert, I ordered the Caramel Custard and Christine ordered the Chocolate Ice Cream (what a surprise!)… … a couple more shots from the pier near Nachi… Our dedicated server (handles everything by beach/pool and in the dining area), called us a taxi and we headed back to the ship. Mariner was docked next to us and there were two Carnival ships (closest was Valor). Back onboard and hanging out on our balcony… Final thoughts on Nachi Cocum: Very nice, low key experience. Beautiful with a nice pool. Don’t primarily go there for the food and drinks. The drinks were often on the weak side. If you want them stronger, I noticed they would load them up if asked! We would still consider going back for the chill atmosphere. We rested a bit before heading to the MDR for dinner.

It was a duplicate post.

Sorry about the delay. I was really trying to deal with my mother.....more about that later. The new rooms are nice but they smell like heavy chemicals. The hallway is very tight, so you can't get around if the steward has the cart there. The rooms have USB hubs. Since this is such a short cruise I am earning my brother half his new prime status and a cruise. So we had ELF around 4 and then I unpacked and went to the casino until dinner. I love MTD, we got sat earlier than our scheduled 8:30 and was done by 9:20 so I went back to the casino. It is a totally different crowd and they are stupid and loose. I will go into detail later.

Yes, I'm just pointing out that there should be every expectation of a first night show

Great point !

We're in the lounge like clockwork each night. Usually with a 12 yr old in tow, at least pre-dinner.

Hi I have a 11:30am flight coming home from Australia. Unfortunately there are no afternoon flights on any airlines. Believe me I’m not happy about that. what has been your experience with getting off of the ship early? Do you have to carry your bags down the stairs? Do you have to sign up to get off early or is it a free for all? Not looking forward to this as it is an 11 night cruise and usually I have more than one bag. thanks for any advice

Hello everyone from Australia. I, along with 3 other family members are embarking on our first Ovation Of The Seas cruise in October and would appreciate an opinion on some of the food onboard. Myself and my Twin in particular are super excited to try some of the USA staples onboard (things like Philly Cheesesteak, Key Lime Pie, Chili Cheese dog etc). My question is, how authentic are the versions offered onboard? I want the most genuine, down-home experience possible but have no idea what is classic and what isnt. Can anyone help me with an opinion on the American food onboard? What else should we go out of our way to try? (Paid or included). Thanks in advance to anyone who replies. It is much appreciated.

Make sure you go on night one or two. You get an extra couple of $ free play just on those two nights. It's to entice you in at the very beginning and get you hooked, of course.

Okay cool, Dancing Drums! I know this is a slippery slope, but I'm going to try it! Dancing drums please!! Point me in the right direction. I always look at that free play and stare at it. Thanks so very much! 8 cents sounds perfect! Is it a slot machine? I can do that Packing my red and purple undies!!

Dancing drums. You can play for as low as eight cents. That way you can stretch your money and get a feel for it.

There are several; however, off the top….more overnight port stay & I would flag one ship, from each of the three big Classes[ex. Odyssey, Wonder, Icon 3or4] as an ADULT ONLY ship, sailing either as short cruises(two 5D and a 4D) over a two week period every month or as a traditional 7D cruise, once or twice a month, or a mixture of the two, for a calendar year…to test & evaluate the market for such a thing, from RCG. Possibly, in the future, flag a Discovery Class Ship as ADULT ONLY, for the West Coast Market….don’t want to leave that potential market out.

Do the shutters on the infinite balconies serve any useful purpose ? I think they’re so ugly.

Day 4: ** SEA DAY ** (CONT.) Onboard now for the 3 hr, 30 min trip to MCO! After the ice show, I walked around Central Park, Surfside, and took shots of both from the upper decks as well. Central Park… … some more of the artwork onboard in one of the elevator lobbies… Surfside… … another “photographer” figure (Surfside)… … and a few random pics I took that evening before heading to bed! … another “photographer”… I believe near one of the Lime & Coconut bars… That’s finally it for Day 4!

I’m gonna let @Ampurp85 answer this one b/c I’m so new to the machines. ….not to mention that I have such a bad win/loss record on them !

Not to mention the thousands of $$$ we have saved with group rates and/or shipboard credits. Also nice to be able to cancel if something comes up and not lose our deposit.

@WAAAYTOOO and @Ampurp85 please advise! I always have free play and in all this time have never used it, I'm not familiar with casino things. If you were me, very first time...armed with 12.00$$ free play, I'm using Cabash/Vintage Magnets as well, what would you play? Where would you start? Adventure of the Seas I am going to dip my toe in so to speak, thanks for the suggestions

Just flying home from MCO. No nonstops from MIA or FLL to MacArthur airport so we would get home later than taking the train to MCO and flying home nonstop. The flights from MIA and FLL tend to change at Baltimore. Plus, Christine insisted since she likes to limit the takeoffs and landings! We also wanted to try the Brightline and figured this would be a good chance!

We mostly cruise out of Florida. This will be our first time out of Los Angeles. What Hotel would you recommend near the cruise port? We will get there the day before so if there is something within walking distance, of restaurants, parks, things to do, that would be nice. Also, what would be the earliest flight on the way back? There are plenty of flights, but I don't know what traffic is like on a Friday.

Agree with the others. Only other time this happened to me was when an entire cruise itself was being cancelled, and I didn’t see the notification email till later.

@TheoneandonlyMICAH I was on a Thanksgiving sailing with a sold out ship. I was in an OS (Serenade) and asked the concierge about the cabins being booked because I bid on the 2 bedroom. He said he was in communication with all families and the 2 bedrooms were spoken for. 2 nights before the sailing a freak snowstorm up North and a family canceled last minute. My credit card notifications came through first, wait what? I was awarded the RUB the very last day, you never know. But you are correct, love the cabin you booked and if the RUB comes to be fantastic, if not you will still have an amazing time! FYI, we are taking the advice of @WAAAYTOOO and booked 1200 Chops embarkation day. I finally landed on my boarding outfit, white denim skirt and a shirt that resembles the thin blue line repeatedly. I'm a happy chubby lady, I'll be with a bald guy ( probably with some type of baseball hat ) and under armour shirt and kiddo who is turning 18 on this sailing. If you see us, please say hello! Same goes for Mr and Mrs @smokeybandit ! We are celebrating High School Graduation from the International Bachelorette program as well. We are all exhausted, cheers to an amazing sailing. And I know it's controversial right now but I'm hiding ducks! Quack quack!!!