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I do not have family in Rock Hill

Just got to watch a bunch of guys from housekeeping and laundry play soccer at Seaplex. They’re damn good!

Or 4 Sundrop, 4 Royal Crown Cola, and 2 Cheerwine, and 2 grape Nehi (for Radar O'Reilly)

There's two types of escape rooms. Dedicated escape rooms and "pop up" escape rooms. Ships with dedicated escape rooms, where there is a specific room that only does escape rooms. This costs money: Symphony Mariner Navigator Harmony Oasis (as of November 2019) Independence There's also "pop up" escape rooms, where they can do it in a lounge. This is complimentary Ships with this are: Anthem Ovation Brilliance Serenade Harmony (it has both)

Some more photos on CocoCay

It’s a little wet, but I’ve really enjoyed walking around. We explored the Maritime Museum, which was really cool, especially the second floor with the Cunard and Titanic displays. Now we’re just walking around Grafton street. Hoping to stop at Garrisons Brewing on the way back to the ship

Our cruise to the ABC island's is in 2 weeks and I've booked the following for my husband & I: Aruba: Trikes Aruba https://trikes-aruba.com/ for the morning, and we plan to just relax and hang on the beach afterwards. https://www.surfsidearuba.com/ Curacao: We booked the Beach Day through RC that brings us to Blue Bay Resort. We'll have lunch back on the ship then just venture out on our own afterwards. Bonaire: We booked with Woodwind https://www.woodwindbonaire.com/ to snorkel in the afternoon. St. Thomas: We booked an All Day Beach/Jeep Excursion through Sunfari http://sunfarivi.com/ I'll be sure to post our thoughts on each once we are back.

Yes, I've done this many times. I book as soon as itineraries get released (especially the Star Class rooms) and watch the prices like a hawk. You can re-price even if the cabin category goes. I've done this more times than I can count. The villa suite has turned out to to be the best deal ever. After grabbing it at release, I have now priced it down to less than $1000pp.

Majesty and Empress aren't going anywhere for awhile - they can go places no other ships can, like Cuba and Hamilton/St. Georges in Bermuda. Not everyone wants the big flashy bells & whistles, so those of us need something in the Royal fleet too. There is something to be said for classic-style cruising.

I wish they would..that's a 3hr and 15minute drive from Fayetteville.

I would think, from a sales stand point, this would be a HUGE benefit to RC. It would open up cruising to more and more people. Not everyone can afford to pay cruise fare, AND purchase airline tickets. I would think they would want to spread out the options to make it more available to more people. ....and getting better, all the time. Its changed A LOT just in the last few years. You should check out Legal Remedy Brewery, for lunch or dinner, next time youre here. Its by far my favorite spot for beer (they serve a local hard cider, also) and food (pub nachos with pulled pork....amazing).

How can I dislike this post?

Thanks @KathyC for the great write up, and answering questions. I have my first Celebrity cruise on Equinox in two days, and am excited about it. The lower key factor will be good for a change, especially with some of the people on the trip.

Also, get a name of who took your reservations. Same happened to us a few years ago. We decided after boarding to do a 3 night package. When going Chops for our first dinner, they didn't have our reservation. But did find our other 2. We told told them who took our reservations and when/where, they got us a table right away.?

I'd love an RCI cruise from Charleston! Even a smaller ship would be fine with me. In fact, we prefer smaller to mid-sized vessles. We are in NC so that's an easy drive to port for us. I miss RCI going out of Newport, VA. The rest of the ports are quite far from NC. Baltimore being the closest drive.

Thank you @mworkman and @AshleyDillo. Looks like book asap and reprice when it's a better deal.

We made it to Garrison Brewing, and I sat and relaxed while my mom looked in the shops at the pier. Now we’re back aboard the ship, having a little downtime before our first Wonderland experience tonight. Happy Halloween everyone!

Ive been to Dust Off several times!!! Awesome place!!! Ill definitely look for him next time im in there. Keep pushing at those sales meetings for them to use Chucktown!!! Weve decided to stick with RC going forward, to build our Crown and Anchor status....but boy is it hard to pass up a Bahamas weekend cruise where I can be off the boat, and home by lunch at the end.

I have family in Rock Hill, too !

On this one.... the ship that sails out of Charleston is one of Carnivals smaller ships. There are plans in the next two years to expand the port area in this location but not sure what size ship would be able to come to this port. BUT i am always asking this at sales meetings because I love a driveable port! Allows you to cruise more often. And Rock Hill..... My son lives there! I am there a few times a year. great place you are at !

I have NO answer to this question but I am absolutely curious about the answer myself! I know that they have Grandeur sailing out of Baltimore which is like a 3.5 hour drive for us depending on traffic on 95. But it would also be nice to have the option to sail out of Charleston, I know that they used to but it sure would be nice if they would return!

Love the review. We have the Edge booked with the 4 perk option for January 2021. You've made me look forward to it even more.

Even with two ships in things aren't all that crowded.

Good morning from a cold, gray Halifax! Hopefully the showers hold off for about 5 hours. This morning was a bit interesting with a code Alpha right in the middle of the Captains good morning message. Hopefully the guest with the medical issue is ok. Of course this delayed the clearance of the ship, which caused people to be very sultry.

So, here we are 3 days from the cruise, and I now have the wonderful task of trying to pack ??. Probably one of my least favorite things to do, a strong second to unpacking. But I have suitcase number 1 completed, and then I checked my email....and who is it.... Sunil. He has magically appeared lol. He addressed all the prior emails, and provided me with the schedule for dining etc. Couple notes, 1- found out they will not confirm the various events and parties for the 50th Birthday until the day before embarkation (bummer), and then 2- Wish not granted (I asked for either Smart Water or Essentia instead of Evian). However Voss was offered, but I’m personally not a fan other than Sparkling Voss. But, Not really a disappointment for me, just asked to see if it could be done. But I live in Miami, so I can just bring it with me, so that’s an easy fix. Im still a little anxious to see how this “at the port experience” goes, as I’m used to handing the bags off from the car, now I have to make to conscious effort to keep everything. But for now, starting to feel a little excitement, (like a little kid) “it’s almost here”. My intent is to try and add details of what happens and photos along the way, of the experience, the room, etc. For sure, as a first time (Definitely not the last time) star class cruiser, this will be quite interesting

Rhapsody of the Seas | Feb 8 2020 can't wait! Holler Empress of the Seas Aug 18 — Aug 24, 2019 Rhapsody of the Seas Feb 23 — Mar 2, 2019 Sovereign of the Seas Aug 17 — Aug 20, 2007 Radiance of the Seas Jun 3 — Jun 10, 2006 Sovereign of the Seas Oct 28 — Oct 31, 2005 Sovereign of the Seas Nov 9 — Nov 13, 2003 Majesty of the Seas Sep 12 — Sep 19, 1999 ?

Honestly, you don't need the day bed. Go to Columbus Cove. There is plenty of shade there under the trees and the employees will set you up with loungers in the shady spot of your choosing. Obviously, the earlier you get there the better choice of spots you will have. The beach at Columbus Cove is nice and sandy, so it will be perfect for your little one to play in the water.

Puerto Rico is part of the USA, so it is taking place in the United States.

I think we can all understand where you're coming from. It's unacceptable to have a room in sub-standard conditions, whether that is smell, upkeep or anything. What I think everyone is trying to convey is these type of situations are best handled on the ship. Once you're off the ship, it limits the response because they can't see what occurred any more and unfortunately there are a lot of people who try to "game the system" to get something after cruises are over to recoup vacation costs. I hope you won't let this stop you from cruising with Royal Caribbean all together.

I'm still going to be the Assistant Casino Host, but with a lot more responsibility. This will help me step up to a Casino Host of my own ship very soon!

I just want to provide my experience a couple of weeks ago on Harmony of the Seas. We had the 3 night dining package and there was someone in the terminal by the waiting area making reservations. We lined up and made all of the reservations before we boarded. We didn't find out until day 3 that he confused our reservations and never booked Jamie's for us and instead changed the time of Wonderland. We had to go to guest relations and had very few options to make a reservation at Jamie's on the day we wanted. Moral of the Story: Double check to confirm that your reservations were indeed made by either calling guest relations, checking the app, or calling the restaurants themselves.

I hate reading comments on social media pages of people who obviously have never been on a Royal Caribbean ship and maybe have never cruised all their life so I made this...

That doesn't generate ratings. Sensationalizing and hyping EVERYTHING generates revenue for the media. The media has stopped simply reporting the news long ago Now they contribute to news events and decide which ones to leverage to maximize revenue.

Lastly, another major difference is in the announcements. There is a 10am sea day announcement where the captain gives you a nautical & weather update, then the cruise director mentions some of the activities for the day, and that's it. Nothing else interrupting your day reminding you about sales or activities or events. On port days, we got an announcement when the ship was cleared and when we were ready to sail away. No pier runners either day, no announcements for missing guests. We did have a medical emergency where the captain announced we were returning to St. Maarten to drop off a passenger that was ill. The next day when leaving St. Thomas, the captain did give us an update on the passenger letting us know he was doing well and was on his way back to the states for medical treatment. So that’s about all I can think of for now. I may come back and add more as I think of other things. So by now you’re all wondering “will they sail Celebrity again?” YOU BETCHA. We loved it. Did we miss the mini golf, rock wall, or ice skating? Nope. What about Crazy Quest, Broadway shows or belly flop contests at the pool? Nope. Will Celebrity replace Royal for future cruises? Not completely. But we will look at both when booking 2021 and out. We’re at the point where we feel we’re ready for something different, and Celebrity can offer us islands that Royal doesn’t, sailing different grouping of itineraries that we’ll enjoy. We are at the point where we only cruise for the ship, the itinerary or a specific group of people. We’re back at sea in December on the newly amp’ed Oasis - looking forward to venues we haven’t experienced yet (like Playmakers) but not looking forward to yet another stop in St. Maarten. Happy to answer any questions or talk more about Celebrity cruising!!

Thanks for all your replies! I'm an extreme introvert and usually do better by myself, but I guess I'm gonna give it a try anyway, coz that's what this trip is all about - trying new things :-)

Grew up in Charleston and live a short drive away. I would love for RC to home port there. The current very old passenger terminal is too small for many of the newer ships. Currently, Carnival Sunshine is based out of Charleston. The Sunshine replaced the Ecstasy in the last year or so. There are plans to build a new passenger terminal with parking. These plans have been on hold for many years due to obstruction by folks opposed to expansion of the cruise industry in Charleston. Plans to widen and deepen the channel have been approved this month. This improvement manly benefits the container-ship port as the current depth and width of the channel is good for most cruise ships. I believe that Charleston will not see any other ships homeported until a new terminal with parking is constructed. The old mayor was in favor of a new terminal, but the current mayor is not.

oh they have some good poutine's there!!!!...and I hope he got a chance to try a "donair" while in NS...some of the best around are in Halifax...at "pizza corner"....

Yes that's right. They actually shut down your seapass card when you reach the limit so you literally can't spend another dime after that! It's worth keeping tabs on your spending either by using the interactive TV in your stateroom or on the app, if the ship you are sailing on has it. That way, when you see you're getting close to the limit, you can pick a time to go to Guest Services that's not so busy, rather than waiting till the very last moment and perhaps encountering a long line. Also, expect to receive almost daily printed reminders in your stateroom and messages on your interactive TV, but you can basically ignore them.

I don't know the answer to your specific question, but if it's any help you don't actually have to deposit anything at check-in. You get $300 credit on cash accounts on short cruises and $500 on cruises of 7 or more nights before you have to pay anything. Payments on board would be made at Guest Services.

This is great info, thanks for sharing your thoughts and observations! In the 4 months I've been (virtually) hanging out here, I've booked 3 RC Cruises. I do believe I'll have to book a Celebrity next! It'll have to wait till May 2021 which is a bummer as there seems to be a $25 deposit sale for a few more hours but alas, no more before May 2021!

Lots of rain here today....but very mild. I think Halifax isn't supposed to get much more than some off/on showers today. Enjoy exploring....lots to do and see in the Halifax area....

I agree with @BB1, I would have brought this up to guest services at that time. I have seen post after post where concerns are brought to guest services on board and attempts are made to make things right immediately.

EXACTLY! This is the reason why I have gotten very defensive of Royal on this issue. I am beyond appalled by the lawyer's allegations and spin on the narrative. The way I see it, the cause of the accident is NOT the children's play area being on that deck with the windows, NOT the open window, NOT the toddler being fond of banging glass on hockey games, NOT the lack of additional safety measures taken by Royal ... IT IS THE GRANDFATHER PUTTING THE TODDLER ON THE RAILING!!!

Nice, will be able to see CocoCay from the ship after sunset. Someone in the Facebook group for the sailing had posted this. From what I could gather the initial reaction caused a clearing of the pool. Pool was reopened a little bit later.

Been there, done that, got that T shirt. It's like any other tourist trap restaurant near the port-loud, overpriced, so-so food. That said, if your group includes older teens or college aged kids, have at it. The drinks are cheap, though, so if you're looking to kill a couple of hours on the beach, you could do worse. Personally, I've always enjoyed Margaritaville restaurants more. Food is better for the same price and it's a little less hectic. I'd opt for that.

I think we all do need to speak up more. However society has become so PC impo that we live in fear of offending someone. I do speak up when I see something, but I believe it is not only the Jersey in me, but I was a teacher and I have grandkids. I am at an age that I have thick skin. My DH otoh shutters when I do this. He is from NJ too, but not confrontational. I just look at him when he says something me after the fact and say...I will never see them again, and maybe, just maybe I made them think again before they do that another time. I don't watch the show, I have only seen the previews...it is on ABC, can't recall the actual name, but the premise is what would you do if you saw.... occurring? They do things in a public space, and the scenarios range from seeing an employee stealing to verbal abuse and bullying.

Now on the subject of dinner, tonight was sitting at the sushi bar/counter at Izumi Shrimp Firecracker Spring Roll Tuna Wasabi Assorted Sashimi Combo Champagne Yuzu Lobster Roll Izumi Spider Roll Never be afraid to ask for subutitions. Great example is calamari and possibly octopus doesn't agree with me. As such I always request to have octopus substituted on the combo. Same thing applies with minor ommisions with rolls and such.

Thanks everyone for keeping this thread current... I had no luck finding any back in December 2018 in Nassau... Hopefully Cozumel in March 2020 will be a different tale...