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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/24/2019 in all areas

  1. twangster

    Rumor has it?

    I made Royal an offer they couldn't refuse.
    8 points
  2. Don’t worry the refill was just out of frame.
    6 points
  3. Day -1 After being delayed, then less delayed, then not delayed we made our way from BWI to FLL. You are used to seeing pictures form Grandeur blogs going under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Here is one going over. Don’t forget the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel along with the shipyards and naval base. We are staying at the Comfort Suites south of the airport right next to 95. I didn’t include a photo because it looks like any other recently renovated hotel. Lots of space with a big shower and no tub. There is a large pull out couch and a separate sitting area (though that last bit might be because we are on the corner). Breakfast included. We’ll see what that looks like in the morning... We ate dinner across the street at Las Vegas Cuban Cuisine. It appears to be a local chain. Food was good and the portions were big. I don’t remember what our dishes were called by but mine was a breaded flat steak with ham, mozzarella and some kind of sauce. Rice, beans and plantains were also included. My wife had a great chicken dish. The sangria was decent as well. We then waddled ourselves back to the hotel where my wife rolled her ankle a little in a pothole that was filled with water. She is fine but put some ice on it just in case. Navigator in the morning!
    6 points
  4. JLMoran

    Rumor has it?

    I heard that @twangster is going to be the Godfather of Odyssey of the Seas. Not the Fairy Godfather, mind you. Just...
    5 points
  5. We are beyond excited! I think I read this blog every day for the last two months! Thanks @Matt !! The information here is priceless and the people are amazing! Tomorrow we board the Navigator of the Seas!! As Bart Scott said years ago... “Can’t Wait!!”
    4 points
  6. @Douglas Email [email protected]. they start to take requests 22 days before sailing. Don't be disappointed if it takes a couple of days for them to respond. They can be slow at times. Welcome and good luck!
    4 points
  7. I'm sure that I commented on the other thread as well but I just need to reiterate what I said! We have cruised out of San Juan 12 times (see signature) and have 4 more booked in the future (including back to back cruises). We absolutely love leaving from San Juan because you don't have to wait for the weather to "warm up" in January like you might have to if you left from Florida. The ports from San Juan are just amazing! We usually stay 1 or 2 days beforehand in San Juan because it's an amazing place itself! You really won't be disappointed. There are always going to be people out there who complain but honestly, you can't rely on their opinion because they just hate life in general (lol). Freedom is a wonderful ship (our favorite class) and there is always something to do! If you have any more questions, let me know!
    4 points
  8. I'm giddy and we don't leave until Oct. 2020! ?
    4 points
  9. You be careful @StayFrosty and treat her well because all I see is an almost empty wine glass and a lady with a knife in her hand. I hope her foot is OK.
    4 points
  10. FManke

    WOW Bands

    As long as it stirred some emotion, I've done my job. ?
    3 points
  11. I have a faux tuxedo shirt like this that I use as a rash and sun guard when snorkeling. Best dressed snorkeler on the beach. Super light weight, easy to pack. Fairly inexpensive as well.
    3 points
  12. I agree.... It's not that people don't have issues with royal, but there is kinder dialogue here! Jane
    3 points
  13. We will be on the freedom out of San Juan leaving July 28th. We just booked it. We were supposed to go to Punta Cana but decided to cancel. We are very excited. We are leaving one kid at summer camp and one with grandparents. We are just looking forward to some time by ourselves with lots of new friend#. ?
    3 points
  14. Day 3 -- At Sea! Two fun, but exhausting days under our belt. Now, a fantastic sea day! We spent some time reading and relaxing on our deck. We also played mini-golf several times, got caught up in a table tennis tournament, climbed the rock wall several times (my husband and son love climbing, and they drag me along), took several turns on the flowrider, and just enjoyed the day. Son and husband took a flowrider lesson, and both progressed toward standing up. I, however, stuck to my stomach. In a perfect world, I would stay off that particular machine, but I always end up giving into family peer pressure and taking a couple of turns. Now, this is where the SC becomes somewhat odd. On sea days, SC can "cut" the flowrider, climbing wall, and zip line lines. On flowrider, they put SC people in the corner of the flowrider area to wait, and generally you only wait a couple of people before they call you out. My husband and I simply cannot handle the not waiting in line part, so we either wait like everyone else or watch. Our son, however, got the hang of standing on the side and taking his turn about every 4 people or so. The rock wall and zip line are not quite so obvious or uncomfortable. On the rock wall, the SC people only go to the front of the line once, and then wait with everyone else for the next turn. And the zip line often does not have a line. In any event, my mind is torn on this benefit. On one hand, it is part of the price. On the other, it just seems wrong. But, our son had an awful lot of fun, so it was all worth it. Our son also spent a good deal of time at the teen club, allowing us time to just chill on our private deck (with our own hot tub -- what a treat)! Our son really enjoys getting away from us and going to the teen club, primarily (I think) because he would spend all of his time gaming if we allowed it. But, based on his comments, he games during free time, but does participate in and enjoy the planned activities as well. Certainly, as a younger teen, there were times he felt uncomfortable with some of the older boys. But, in general, on each cruise, he develops a peer group of kids his age who he enjoys spending time with. We do make sure that he always attends the open house on the first night. I think that whether a kid will enjoy the teen activities really depends on the kid. Gamers will have fun, as there is always a group of gamers. And, gaming creates immediate connection amount the players. In short, our teen always looks forward to spending time in the teen club, and we generally need to limit how much time he spends there so that he engages with us!
    3 points
  15. rtread

    Door Decorations

    I had this sign made for my wife's upcoming birthday cruise. She intercepted it when it came in the mail so it is currently on our refrigerator until cruise time.....then it will be on our cabin door.
    3 points
  16. So I just got done reading @Whizbank live blog and she stated that she would pack lighter next time. I'm now sitting and looking at the suitcase I'm going to have trouble closing today. Ugh! So thought I'd share some things I'm going to do for the European cruise this summer (16 days in Barcelona and on the ship) as an accountability post lol. Please chime in with suggestions and encouragement lol. I know like the drink pkg we have beaten this to death, but hey, it's fun! 1. Royal has amazing storage in their rooms, both interior and outside.I have sailed 5 classes now and fit everything every time. Majesty had a dinky closet but a great big side table and window ledge. Others have hidden shelves, ottomans, other closets. Obviously the longer cruises are a bit more challenging which leads to.... 2. Rewear! I have favorites that I take on every cruise that I could totally wear over. Some things I will wash when I get home that I only wore once (or not at all) and they aren't even really dirty. I get if it's super hot you might have to selectively rewear, but I don't pack that way. 7 days, pack for 9 lol. Ugh! Do I need 2 formal dresses? Heck no. Is it ok if people are me in the same outfit twice... Absolutely. Do I need extra clothes not at all... That's where #3 comes in... 3. Laundry! I will freely admit I haven't used it in the ship and I won't risk any favorite clothes (I worry about too hot dryers). But I spend everywhere else...Porters, drink pkg, extra 2 dollars for my favorite ? etc.... A bag of laundry will not kill me to pay for! And my bathing suits, etc, are wet when I came back...I can hand wash them in the shower. Now again, with how long everything takes to dry I am not bringing detergent and hanging everything... But a small stain is solvable by a quick rinse. 4. Packing cubes.... That was a long thread earlier. I personally love them but didn't use them correctly. I was in 3 different places pre-cruise, cruise and post-cruise. I should have packed the cubes that way rather than every time I wanted an outfit having to go through different ones. I could have put my pre-cruise two outfits in a bag with a bathing suit and pair of jammies and never opened the rest! 5. Shoes.... Sigh. I did do better this time. I wore my tennis shoes on the plane and once again, it wasn't necessary for me personally to have them. I will just wear my walking sandals on the plane too. I took my lighter weight sandals this time and didn't fuss with the 3 inch heals I would wear once or twice. I actually packed 2 pairs of flip flops in case one pair broke....omg WHY? Which leads to... 6. This next cruise no matter what I'm going with the Rick Steve's packing rule which I never do but am going to start! I love his travel blogs and YouTube videos and he says "always pack for the expected, not the unexpected". Ok...I'm a pack for the unexpected....my shoe might break, my phone cord might break, I might spill coffee on my 4 sweaters... All 4! All the unexpected back-ups come home unused and talking up space. I'm not traveling to the middle of Africa where I might have trouble getting something!!!! (If you are, you are probably better at packing than I am anyway and not reading this!). Next time I will truly try and follow this. Heck I will pack a $100 extra dollars just for things I might need to get and when I don't, take myself out to a nice Cafe somewhere! 7. Go with your history and your gut. Every trip I pack shorts "just in case I feel like wearing them" and workout clothes "just in case I want to work out". Ok...I've now been on 6 cruises. Not once have I put on shorts or tshirts (Im a sundress girl) and the only time I've set for in the fitness center is to take pics on day one. If I haven't used something at home (do I really want that dress) or on a ship, it is just not gonna get used here! 8. Compare with the other lovely people in your family. In March my family brilliantly brought 3 tubes of toothpaste. Seriously. We all packed our regular travel kits and we all have toothpaste. Oh well. Next time I'm going back to the family ziplocks...1 toothpaste and common shampoo, soap, etc. And I'm getting slightly better at judging amount we use. For example, I love using the bath & body works squirt soap better than the bars. They smell nice and I just like them. We don't need a whole bottle...I can bring a half-used one and then I have 2 more oz and space at the end of the trip! Same goes for shampoo, lotion, etc! 9. Suitcase stuffing. I'm a stuffer. If the suitcase is at 40 lbs and not full, I can stuff just one more extra dress or pair of shoes just in case. Nope. The problem is that it takes me forever to fit everything in at home. I don't have that time on the trip and what happens is I frantically stuff everything in and one day I'm gonna break the zipper. I have had to buy and check an extra suitcase at Disney before (ok...I could get into souvenir shopping here. I didn't buy the rum in Nassau because I knew I wouldn't have the space or weight lol). So next time, things will fit better at the start. I will do what you are supposed to... Pack and then unpack and take out a bunch you don't need! Because I don't need the stress at the end of the trip! So I've now spent time I should have been packing avoiding it but when I get home, this is what's I'm going to re-read before I pack!!!!!! Jane
    2 points
  17. If you get in the habit of using a travel agent, this is one of the things they will do for you --request dining times and type of table when you initially book your cruise. There is sometimes a waiting list for 1st or 2nd seating, but a good agent keeps after RCI until you get the best reservation available. Then when you get on the ship, your Sea Pass will show you your table number, and you can scope it out before dinner.
    2 points
  18. hayley_bopp

    MDR vs WJ

    I like the variety in the WJ but find that for dinner, it lacks ambience and I don't line the plastic plates (they don't bother me at breakfast or lunch!) and add Joe said, I don't like having to make sure there's someone saving my seat whilst I'm up getting food/drink meaning that you don't really end up eating together.
    2 points
  19. Ephesus is incredible - not to be missed. You can see the foundations and last remaining column of the Temple of Artemis (one of the 7 wonders of the world) and the Library of Celsus. The weather at the beginning of May should be pretty pleasant but there is a possibility of showers and some overcast days if you're unlucky. Evenings are likely to be cool too but I don't usually find that a problem when cruising as I'm normally at sea with my beer jacket on by then!
    2 points
  20. Might be in the MDR as well on any given cruise.
    2 points
  21. FManke

    WOW Bands

    I'm a fan of Rush and Led Zeppelin myself. What? Oh sorry. Wrong blog.
    2 points
  22. FManke

    Rumor has it?

    I love it! RCCL is starting a new category, Ghost Ships! Who wouldn't want to cruise on Sovereign of the Seas or The Flying Dutchmen or The Black Pearl? Oops, I think that last one belongs to Disney Cruise Lines.
    2 points
  23. whitsmom

    Door Decorations

    This is the one we will be using from now on. Our Grandkids gave us this one for Christmas.
    2 points
  24. Well I upgraded but it wasn't easy and cost €434 euro. Here was their only solution. Rebuy the Balcony Pay for what was before free drinks 2 X deluxe and 1 royal refresh Pay 50€ change fee. Final price for the inside to balcony 434€. I still think this is a good deal as when we were booking it on the free drinks it was a lot more than this, in fact I remember boardwalk one being 300€ more along. We shall be in cabin 10542 and can't wait.
    2 points
  25. monctonguy

    MDR vs WJ

    Its a matter of preference and interest.... my gf and I are not foodie's...we eat cause we have to basically.... Just like we only book interior cabins as we spend NO time in there....except to shower and sleep....but others wont cruise without at least a balcony room. We have done 4 cruises together and only one meal in a MDR(and not on Royal)....we always hit up the WJ or whatever buffet or snack area there is. The food is always good..selection is great.....sitting for 2 hrs would be a buzz kill for me and be ready for bed by the end of a 3 course 2 hr dinner. There is so much going on to see and do that we would rather be doing. That being said, our upcoming cruise is a 7 night one..so I am guessing we will hit the MDR once for the experience.
    2 points
  26. twangster

    MDR vs WJ

    I go through phases but rarely buy specialty dining. Sometimes I get one from a travel agent which tends to be the only time I visit specialty. I'm in a Windjammer phase right now. When I vacation on land or at home I don't have big sit down meals nights after night after night. Occasionally having the full service meal is cool but most of the time I prefer to dine and dash. I also find greater variety in the Windjammer. I can have mostly a salad one night or I can create a meal that's not available in the MDR. Sometimes the MDR is too much for me, sitting for periods of time between courses when I could be out and about doing something on the ship. Sometimes a full 3 course meal is too much food.
    2 points
  27. @pezgirl , If you want to be close to Old San Juan which is really close to the cruise port, there is a Sheraton Old San Juan, further away but still relatively close is Candado Beach area, I stayed in a Marriott which has direct beach access and was beautiful and was about a 15 minute taxi ride to the port. Others on here have stayed at a Airbnb in old San Juan and really liked it. I have not had a bad restaurant in San Juan, just pick a place to stay and then start looking at restaurants that are close.
    2 points
  28. For a Glaswegian, I speak very American. ?
    2 points
  29. A belated thank you @Skid. We boarded Freedom on Father's Day - great week with our kids and especially grandkids.
    2 points
  30. In my opinion, Cruise Critic seems to be the domain of the eternal complainers. Before my first cruise, I found it useful for searching and finding lots of information. Now I prefer this site where I can get the same in a much more positive atmosphere.
    2 points
  31. Hi FroggyFro, just got back from HOTS. We sailed with an 18 year old and a 17 year old. The 18 year old was able to sit at gambling tables, and play slots. We signed a waiver for him & he got a wrist band for the Flowrider, ice skating, rock climbing. Any of the theatre shows, 18 or over Comedy shows, dinner reservations he was able to attend without guardians/ parents. There were water slides and dry slide for all ages. The Teen fuel area had Ping Pong, basketball, putt putt,. There were two crummy arcade areas .. recommend NOT to buy the arcade card it did not work and once the $ is used, it automatically starts charging to your room once $ is exhausted. There is not a kiosk to see how much $ is left. I had to go to guests services twice to get the arcade cards active & then cancelled due to issues. Mostly the 18& 17 were in one of the many hot tubs. Oh, point out where the free meals and coffee is ( for some reason they cant ask someone where they can eat) , they go to what they know Starbucks $$ and Johnny Rockets$$. It took me 3 days to find these, but they found them the first 2 hours on the ship.
    2 points
  32. Will do. Honestly. I will just be happy being anywhere on a break for a few days. Of course my mom guilt will be on overdrive. I just read some of the reviews on that site and I take them with a giant grain o salt.
    2 points
  33. We ate lunch at Sabor. We live in Southern California, the land of abundant delicious Mexican food, fresh avocados, and fresh citrus (we have a garden with an avocado, an orange and a lemon tree at our house). Thus, Sabor is fine for us, but not anything different from what is commonly available near our house. We love avocados, and Sabor does a good job with their guacamole. The tacos and salsa were fresh and tasty as well. Dinner this evening was Hibachi at Izumi. What fun! Izumi's chefs put on a great show. They do a fantastic job of engaging with each of the guests at their table. I had a smile on my face the entire dinner! The chef really focused on our son and even involved him in the cooking. Among the three of us, we ordered steak, lobster, scallops, and chicken. Personally, I found the chicken the weakest of the offerings, and I generally like chicken! The food, however, is secondary to the experience I think, and everyone at the table seemed to have a really fun dinner. Another SC note -- all of the food is included. This means that we could order lobster anywhere it was a available. I love lobster, thus I really took advantage of this particular perk! I'm not much of a mochi person, and we really try to limit ourselves to one dessert per day. So, after dinner, we took a Ben and Jerry's run. Boy, was that good! One other SC note . . . at some point, our son told Alan how much he loves buffalo wings. From that point on, we had buffalo wings in our room most every afternoon!
    2 points
  34. Day 2 dinner -- 150 Central Park. My favorite restaurant on Allure is 150 Central Park. I know everyone has different opinions on this venue, and I have to say, I miss the bread and salt. I, like many others, enjoyed sampling the different salts at the beginning of each meal. The replacement bread just does not do the trick. But, all of the other dishes we sampled were great! I ordered the fish dish, which was perfectly cooked. My son and husband shared the beef, and they loved it! Tonight we met Alan at the the aqua theater for Oceanaria. To me, one of the huge benefits of SC is not needing to reserve entertainment ahead of time. Each day, we spoke with Alan about the evening's entertainment, and he would arrange seats at whichever venue we selected. Having the luxury of deciding the evening's entertainment based on how we felt that day/evening took a good deal of stress out of the entire experience. We would arrive at the venue about 10-15 minutes ahead of time and get perfect seats. We then had abundant time to order drinks, get settled, and enjoy each show to its fullest. All three of us marveled at Oceanaria. The talented divers and acrobats put on a terrific show, and the pair who "hand balance" steal the entire show. We had great fun, and thought the show was an exciting end to a full (and exhausting) day. We went to bad glad that for the upcoming sea day!
    2 points
  35. Day 2 -- Nassau We arrived early in Nassau. I'm not much of a ship-organized shore excursion person, as I get anxious with too many people in one group. We've been to Nassau several times, and we generally dive. But, the only real dive operator that works with cruise passengers is Stuart's Cove, and they require a booking through Royal Caribbean. Also, getting to Stuart's Cove requires a wait and a long drive. Our son voted for Atlantis, so Atlantis it was. There are many ways to do Atlantis -- through the ship, through Atlantis itself (and a taxi to/from), a room at Comfort Suites, or a room at Atlantis. This time, I used hotel points for Atlantis in the least expensive room for a night. We got off the ship shortly after breakfast at CK. Aside -- I love the CK poached eggs with farro. No idea why -- it is just a combination that works for me. Ok, back to Nassau. We took a taxi from the taxi stand once you exit from the cruise terminal. The price is per person, and we just paid $20 for the three of us (but, I believe the actual price is less). Once at Atlantis, we checked in and received wrist bands. We did not use our room at all, as it was not ready until around 3:00 pm. I did reserve preferred seating in advance through the hotel. I emailed with the concierge at Atlantis. Even if you are not staying at Atlantis, you can reserve preferred seating or cabanas if you purchase your Atlantis day pass through the hotel rather than RC. The cabanas require reservation far ahead of time, but a week or two is far enough ahead for the preferred seating. The preferred seating cost about $50 and included two chairs, and umbrella, towels, a mobile locker (an ice chest looking thing with a combination that sits next to your chairs), and a person who serves food, drinks, etc. The seating is very close main pool (near the Challenger Slides), but around a private pool with waterfalls that only preferred seating patrons access. For anyone who spends most of their time in the pools and slides, the preferred seating offered an excellent alternative. We did not need to worry about towels, lockers, or chairs, and we enjoyed a nice, shaded space for downtime and lunch. Food at Atlantis is edible -- not much more. But, one does not go to Atlantis and its pools for the food. We always have a ton of fun at the water park. We love the not-so-lazy river and slides, and this trip did not disappoint. And, as a bonus, no rain! Often, we have experienced rain for a good portion of our Atlantis days, but on this trip, the weather cooperated. I always leave about 75 minutes (at a minimum) to get back to the ship from Atlantis. So, after a full (and exhausting) day keeping up with a 13 year old on slides, we got a taxi and headed back to the ship. From my perspective, taxis offer the best way to get to and from Atlantis, as we have never had to wait for a taxi more than about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. So, no Atlantis pictures.
    2 points
  36. Skid

    Power plug

    Thanks for that link. While looking at that, I came across this that is smaller to travel with and meets the non-surge requirement. But I'm thinking that with the position of the plugs and dresser on the older ships, the bottom outlet of the cube may be unusable. I may get it anyway. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07R15ZQZH/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    2 points
  37. FreedomClassKid

    MDR vs WJ

    I loved both, windjammer (deck 11) for me was easier as I was mostly at the pool (deck 11) and also my stateroom was deck 11. I also loved the food, there was variety and flavour. The main dining room offers an actual dining experience though. I love dining so I also loved the MDR. For me it all depended on mood, I can't prefer one or the other as they have their perks. Windjammer= tasty, variety, quick, efficient (for me due to stateroom location) MDR=tasty, service, dining experience Overall, try both and see what you find easiest and prefer ?
    2 points
  38. ChessE4

    MDR vs WJ

    We love the Main Dining Room because the food is good, the service is excellent, and we feel like royalty. We find that when we get to know the wait staff, we have a richer cruise experience. The Windjammer is fine for breakfast or lunch (especially made-to-order omelettes or stir fry), and it is useful for dinner when you don't want to dress up to whatever the dress code is in the MDR. That said, there have been changes over time, so you can't compare the MDR five years ago with the MDR today. In a cruise last month on the Harmony, we noticed items that we used to see all the time weren't there or were available only occasionally. I was chagrined I couldn't have escargot on one of the formal nights (it's a thing...) On the other hand, we've tried specialty restaurants and noted the following: (1) they aren't that special (decor/ambience), (2) a growing number of guests don't dress appropriately. (3) the food isn't much better than the MDR and occasionally worse, (4) the service can be slow, but (5) the wait staff usually do whatever they can to please you. If you want a particular food item, you will want to check the restaurant menus to see if the item is available. A lot of guests swear by the specialty restaurants, which are generally less crowded, but I really don't see the value proposition. Remember a dinner in MDR is penciled in about $25 or so (when you calculate the 18% gratuity built in to the daily rate, the food now pars out at $45-$50 per day per person). Thus, when you pay an extra $30-$45 for a specialty dinner, it is like paying $55 to $70 or more per person. My specialty dinners haven't been that good..... The strength of the WJ is the incredible variety, the disadvantage the crowds at peak periods. Every cruise our family looks forward to eating duck, lamb, lobster tail, and pork loin/shank in the MDR. PS. If you are ever on a vessel with a norovirus outbreak, you will see certain measures put in place on buffet lines. In Australia/NZ in 2018, the Windjammer rules changed -- guests couldn't fill their own plates in the buffet line -- only staff could handle the food. it was a bit slower and more tedious.
    2 points
  39. More suite pictures (I hope). The suite was great -- no noise at all from CK! The only tiny little downside is that anyone can see into the room if you have the lights on and the shades open from the pool deck. We do not care too much about such things, but it is something to keep in mind! The shads and curtains close and open with a button, so it is very easy. But, you need to remember to do so!! We really enjoyed being so close to CK -- we could just pop in anytime for a drink, coffee, or whatever else.
    2 points
  40. KristenM

    Power plug

    @Kelz they only allow non surge protectors, and even the non ones can be confiscated depending on the crew. What I mean is, surge protectors are prohibited and on paper the non surge protectors are allowed. Every once in awhile someone reports that a non surge was taken (you pick up anything that was confiscated as you get off the ship). I was going to ask you what kind this is, but from the picture I see the word “protected” with a little status light above it so I’m going to guess it is, and likely crew would also. I would suggest a product that specifically says “non surge protection” and “ship approved”. There are many options, but here is one as an example. Cruise Power Strip with USB Outlets - Non Surge Protection & Ship Approved | Travel Accessories and Must Haves by Cruise On https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BHVKPC3/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-y.dDbT7499HF
    2 points
  41. This is something like what I am considering doing but with pumpkins or skulls or whatever.
    2 points
  42. Hi Bobbyd68, we just went to Cococay on Monday. Ship docked at 8am, we were off by 10. If you are paying to get into Thrill Water Park, I noticed at that time of day, quite a few large painted picknick table with huge umbrellas, or of course as mentioned chairs with umbrellas are pletifull everywhere. It seemed the food areas did not have enough shaded areas, there were quite a few birds dive bobbing people with food plates, or sitting on the ends of the square sail shade covering tables( poop bombing people below ewe).
    1 point
  43. Welcome to the message boards! As a lowly diamond myself, I cannot answer this question with 100% certainty, but I think that the best thing to do is ask onboard. There will be a very nice crew member guarding the seating, and it's up to them to police the rows. If there isn't a huge number of D+, Pinnacle members on board that sailing, there will most likely be room. But, the suite guests also get to sit there, so you may have to wait until a few minutes before the show starts to see what's open. Just sit close by, and let the crew member know you'd like to move there if room. If they say no, you can't join in right away. The Key also gets special seating, but it's been reported they get their own area, separate from the others.
    1 point
  44. Have fun and try to relax...you're on vacation.
    1 point
  45. While I've never been on Freedom, I have been on both of her sister ships. Here's my take on negative reviews: ignore them! You can find any of the same complaints on any land or cruise vacations. Remember, there are always more people willing to write a negative review than a positive review. 1. Food is very subjective. Are you a foodie? If so, then you may want to skip the MDR and eat at specialty restaurants. I think of the MDR as above average wedding type food as they are serving a thousand people at the same time. My family is fine with it. We've had some very good dishes and some just ok dishes but never anything horrible. If you don't like what they bring, just ask for something else. The wait staff really works to help you. Windjammer isn't my favorite (not a fan of buffets in general) but its fine. It can be crowded during peak times but since there are only 2 of you, it won't be a huge deal to find a table. 2. Very rude passengers. You can find them at any time on both land and cruise vacations. I haven't found anyone super rude but there are many people who think they are special. 3. Over-crowding. I've never found the Freedom class or any RC ship to feel generally overcrowded. There are crowded times (after muster drill, after shows) but if you are ok to use the stairs, it isn't a big deal. The blog is taking a group cruise on Freedom over NYE so there are many people here willing to sail on Freedom. Looking at Freedom's schedule, Freedom would have been recently renovated under the Amp program by when you sail. Now is a good time to book as other ships that have been Amped have gone up in price once it was published what would be done to the ship.
    1 point
  46. @FManke I have to apologize as I didn't mean to be combative either. You're not the first non-vegetarian to say there is plenty to eat but were the one that finally made the Jersey come out and make me comment a little too strong. Anyway, as some on this board have met & sailed with me, I am normally a very nice person, LOL. I've always been extremely non-combative but I think once I hit 50 I had been in Jersey long enough to start channeling their attitudes when I disagree with someone. But it doesn't happen very often, I promise. Even though vegetarianism has been around for decades, it's still not completely accepted. There are so many different types of reasons to eat vegetarian - heath reasons, ethical reasons, and there are so many different types of vegetarians, it's impossible to meet everyone's needs. I get that. But it's been around long enough that it shouldn't be that hard to put a couple meal choices on every menu. Put a pasta primavera or a vegetable stir fry on the classics menu, instead of yet another animal-based choice. That's all I'm asking for. It's not like I'm coming in with "I'm doing a paleo-keto-south beach diet combo so you have to accommodate me, and make sure it's under 5 WW points while you're at it" type of request. LOL Anyway, I wanted to apologize for coming on so strong. It was directed to the heard one to many times comment, and to you personally.
    1 point
  47. I am traveling to Alaska in 2 weeks with 2 Autistic teens. This is their second cruise and I think cruising is a great option for special needs families! We use Autism on the Seas organization to help us facilitate priority boarding, private muster drills (usually inside with the senior citizens) and frankly so much more! They have cruises with staff or you can cruise on your own with assistance. We cruise on our own with assistance which is basically them notifying the ship that we are coming and organizing the things I mentioned above. If you book with them directly or transfer your cruise to them, the assistance package is free. If not, there is a charge. Our last cruise I didnt notify them in time to have the reservation transferred and I think it was $75 (2 years ago). This time we transferred the reservation with plenty of time and got the assistance package for free. The website is worth a look for special needs families. www.autismontheseas.com
    1 point
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