Jump to content

Leaderboard

Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation on 11/09/2019 in all areas

  1. S.Marie

    Lurkers Unite!

    Hi everyone! I pride myself on being very social when I meet people in person, but online, I’m a certified lurker ?. I read the message boards, take notes ?, and have learned so much from everyone on this blog (thanks @Matt for this awesome platform) but I rarely make a post or comment. Maybe it’s because everyone has already said what I was thinking (and y’all don’t need to see my “ditto” response ?)... Maybe it’s because I can’t come up with any interesting new questions or topics that are worth posting ?... Maybe it’s because I’m afraid that my post will be the equivalent of the kid sitting alone at the lunch table in a crowded middle school cafeteria ??... Soooooooo... This post is dedicated to all of the lurkers out there just like me! Say hi, hit like, or drop a comment of your choosing below! Or don’t. ? You are still loved and welcomed here!
    17 points
  2. Not 100% accurate, but pretty close...
    7 points
  3. Danielle OG

    Thank you

    Hi everyone, I am leaving on my very first cruise tomorrow (starting the drive today) and I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to Matt, and everyone else here! I feel so confident going into this cruise. Between these message boards and Matt's live videos, I had all of my questions answered. This community is so positive and it just makes me that much more excited for my vacation! So again, thank you so much and happy cruising to you all ?
    5 points
  4. S.Marie

    Lurkers Unite!

    And by the way, my meme and gif game is strong, regardless of lurker status ???
    5 points
  5. As many people here know, I am a teacher and my cruising schedule is pretty much dictated by the school calendar. My contract with board does not allow time off for vacations other than those designated times over the holidays. Hubby's schedule is 100% flexible but that doesn't help as I am the planner and mine is not. Because of this, we unfortunately fall into the category that @twangster mentioned, we pay a premium to cruise because we can only go during the high season. My strategy is to book early. We take at least two cruises each year. One over the summer, and one over March Break. I book these two as soon as itineraries get released (often that is almost two years out). From that point, I watch prices and often re-price multiple times before we pay final payment at 90 days out. We have saved thousands this way. I usually book direct with Royal (because I know exactly what I am looking for) and then I transfer to an agent for further savings. Because we can only take a limited amount of cruises each year, we do splurge a bit when we cruise. We like our suites and the benefits that come with it. The mentality that, "We can take this money and take more cruises," does not apply too much to us because we cannot take more even if we tried. So that makes us unapologetic suite snobs. Last but not least, this is the home of "YOLO Book It!" so we have totally run with that motto over the last few years! ?
    5 points
  6. After Dinner I Headed To Back To The Helipad To Take Some Photos Of The Stars!!! Here Is One With A 5 Second Shutter And A 30 Second Shutter.
    4 points
  7. We'll be on Navigator of the Seas for a 4 nighter to Nassau and Coco Cay, leaving on Dec 2! I'll be posting here: Periscope: hmills96 Instagram: TapsandTomes
    4 points
  8. What are the scheduled times to be in Maui? All aboard tends to be about 30 minutes before the ship is scheduled to depart. Most of us recommend being back at least 2 hours before all aboard especially if doing a 3rd party excursion. They will wait or get you to the next port if it is a RC excursion but RC will NOT help you with 3rd party excursions or wait for you if you miss the ship (except to maybe get your passport if its in the safe). It is YOUR responsibility to be back on time. Guest are left all the time, just look for the videos on you tube. If your excursion is even remotely cutting it close to the all aboard time, I'd suggest you look at another.
    3 points
  9. Here are my two cents: Due to finances, we started out looking for the cheapest, easiest cruises we could find. Inside cabin and even did bunks with my wife once!! Had a great time as we were never in our cabins but to sleep and shower. Over the years with increased income and available time we pick and choose what type of cruise and cabin we want based on the purpose of the trip. Is the cruise mainly for port visits or just to chill? Just want a 3-4 day getaway to combine with a pre-city visit experience(ex. FLL and then cruise) or an extended getaway? Alone or with family and friends. Cultural? Went to Europe so did B2B to make more cost effective(if paying $$$ for flight why not stay longer in Europe). We have never gotten drink packages or specialty restaurants ever as we chose to put $ to excursions or to save for another day(cruise). That is just a personal choice. Always purchase when inventory is first released as I have found that is usually the lowest price. Pre book excursions or packages if wanted. Conclusion: We have run the gamut and have enjoyed things by making the best of any experience. No right answer, lots of personal choices. I would rather go on the cheap than not go at all.
    3 points
  10. Voyager of the Seas December 12th 2019........ Serenade of the seas also December 12th 2020
    3 points
  11. We always watch for good deals and book when we find them or reprice during good sales. When we were on Allure in September, we were chatting with a couple who was Sky Class. They were new to Royal and didn't know about Star, so when they saw our genie, they asked us about it and how much we paid. Turns out they paid more for Sky Class than we did for Star.
    3 points
  12. Day 10 - Sea Day We changed time last night. We are now on Eastern time. Our progress... We've reached the Southernmost point of this cruise. A mere 6° 52.44' North of the Equator or just over 400 nm. Now we're heading due East. Once past the lower tip of Panama we'll turn North towards the canal and meet the pilot at 5am. If all goes well depending on ship traffic we'll be entering the locks of the Panama Canal at 7am.
    3 points
  13. Some of us are fortunate to be have flexible schedules so that we can cruise off-peak. Like any travel activity there are peak times that cost more and off-peak times that cost less. Flexibility and willingness to make small compromises can translate into a less expensive cruise. Like any travel activity supply and demand influences pricing. Bucket list destinations in the peak of travel season come with bucket sized price tags. A similar destination at a different time of year can cost a fraction of that. Some people prefer more expensive balconies or suite cabins and choose to put their travel funds towards a higher standard of accommodations over cruising more often. Staying in cheaper cabins equates to cost savings that can be applied to additional cruises. Once outside of an interior cabin the ships looks the same as it does for someone staying in a suite. I've been fortunate to stay in some very nice suite cabins but I don't require them every cruise. In some cases I can take two, three or four cruises for the price of one cruise in a suite. In some cases a guest may be in a position to cruise once every few years so going big and splurging on an incredible over the top experience makes sense. The "dream vacation". Frugality and containing cruise expenses leaves more money for future cruises. If you've got it, spend it. Loyalty pays. If you spread you spend across different cruise lines it will take longer to reach the point where loyalty discounts really help on any of them.
    3 points
  14. mpoole3

    Allure to Texas

    Allure of the Seas is headed to Texas, bookings will opening soon!
    2 points
  15. This is a recap, and not a highly detailed live blog. If you have questions, please let me know in the replies October 31 & November 1 — Pre-Embarkation We flew from our home near Nashville to Miami on a late flight and were one of the last arrivals of the day. This presented a problem with getting a ride share to take us to the Mercury Hotel in South Beach as it is quite a distance. One Uber and two Lyft drivers bailed on us. While annoying, it is understandable. We ended up taking a taxi and ran into construction traffic on I-95 delaying our arrival. We entered our hotel room at about 12:30 am. We stayed at a quirky Art Deco hotel a block west of Ocean Drive near 1st Street. for brunch, we at at a Popular Cuban restaurant called Puerto Sagua. I highly recommend it. It was an easy walk to Collins and 7th where it is located. After brunch, we walked along the shoreline to the southernmost ended of South Beach and watched Navigator sail away. You can see a time lapse on my Instagram at: I got my dunkel bier fix for dinner at the Bavaria Bier Haus in Bayside Marketplace right on the water by the marina next to Port Miami. See the first attached pic for an incredible sunset effect by the surrounding skyscrapers. November 2 — Embarkation We had breakfast at a local eatery called Big Pink, checked out and took a Lyft to Port Miami. MacArthur Causeway was closed and traffic was being routed to the Venetian Causeway and to I-195 to the north. Our Lyft driver was astute and chose the latter. While I missed driving opposite cruise ship row that morning, our driver did a great job with the circumstance. When we made it to Dodge Island, we dealt with the effects of getting to Terminal A caused by the construction of the Norwegian terminal next door. Soon, were we curbside at the terminal and entering the building. A couple of months ago, I cancelled the Key due to reviews. I didn’t realize that the icon was still on my SeaPass in the app, and when I showed it, we were ushered into the Key line and found ourselves bypassing waiting guests and were on board immediately it took five minutes when I realized what happened, that somehow we still had the Key, I chose not to take advantage of the other perks it offered for the duration of the cruise. We ate lunch at El Loco Fresh, and were set up for the rest of the day our CP balcony room was ready right at 1:00 pm, and we were unpacked by 1:30 pm my wife had a manicure in the spa scheduled for 1:45, so I did the slides on board starting with the Ultimate Abyss. We chose My Time dining, during sail away. We watched Hairspray in the theater that evening. The cast was incredible. November 3rd & 4th — Sea Days 2 & 3 Readers of these boards will have varying styles of cruising on sea days. I love sea days because of the relaxation available. Hi lites: -we purchased a thermal suite package and started using it — very nice, however, the weight room in the fitness center is above the spa, so there are related sounds and bangs -we ate dinner at Chops on Day 2. It was execellent -Day 3 was the same with dinner at Izumi Hibachi — it was fun as always November 5th — Day 4 — Sint Maarten We chose to make this an easy beach day and took the water taxis from the port to the middle of Philipsburg for $7 round trip. We got off the water taxi after a five minute ride into the middle of the town. We turned right, headed toward the Lazy Lizard and rented two beach chairs and an umbrella for $20. It included a bucket of six beers or two cocktails. Lunch was extra for about $13 a plate. I had the curry chicken with voodoo shrimp appetizer. It was...BY FAR...the best meal I have had on a cruise vacation anywhere. We chose the Lazy Lizard because of reviews on Trip Advisor. Photos attached. That evening, we watched 1977 in Studio B. The drones and the skating did not disappoint. November 6th — Day 5 – San Juan, PR I have been dying to get to this port for a while. We did the standard walk up the hill to Castillo del Morro and walked around absorbing some of the history of the magnificent place. We chose not to go to the other fort, and instead walked down the hill on the west side and and toured Casa Blanca where Ponca de Leon lived. The grounds were beautiful and the house was incredible considering how people of that time lived. We ate at the famous Barrachina restaurant near Cristo Street. I tried the mofongo combination with chicken, beef and shrimp along with a piña colada. It’s a little touristy, so it won’t be my choice for my next visit to San Juan. We did some shopping and headed back to the ship for a thermal suite session. We watched Hiro in the Aqua Theater and were mesmerized. Flowing Hiro, dinner was at Wonderland, an experience Royal Caribbean cruisers should experience once in a lifetime. November 7th — Day 6 — Sea Day - we lazed around and ended the evening watching Flight in the Main Theater November 8th — Day 7 — Perfect Day at Coco Cay Seas were as smooth as a glass before sunrise. It was a beautiful and surreal experience walking onto deck 15 to see a Carival ship lit up as she passed by our starboard. A little later, a Norwegian ship sailed across our wake. They looked close enough to touch and were beautifully lit up.Sadly, I was dealing with condensation on my camera lenses, and didn’t have time to get a really cool photo. -we found loungers behind the swim up bar on Coco Cay and lazed around until lunch at the Snack Shack where we had the popular crispy chicken sandwich with fried mozzarella and marinara. It is a big step up from the standard fare from the old Coco Cay. The transformation of the island is mind blowing. November 6th — Disembarkation -I booked a late flight out of FLL, so we took our time getting off the ship -we had breakfast in the main dining room and left the ship by 9:00 am -we took a cab from the terminal to Miami Brightline on NW 1st in downtown Miami for $15. We bought Select tickets which gave us lounge access in the very nice, new train station - the ride from Miami was about 30 minutes and included beverages and snacks served by an attendant in our carriage. The train experience on this line is as a good as any I have had in Europe. It was excellent. I was sad to have to get off in Fort Lauderdale. -tickets may be pre-purchased online or at the station — the process is pretty seamless -FLL is 3.5 miles from the Fort Lauderdale Brightline station, so a quick ride share will get you to/from the station and airport -overall —> this short experience far surpassed dealing with a cab or ride share up I-95 — if you are flying out of FLL on a later flight, or if you are coming from a location near a Brightline station elsewhere in Florida, Orlando (future station planned) for example...THIS is how I would get to Port Miami, or Port Everglades — it is well worth it, especially considering the net cost was about the same as a cab would have been and a little higher than a ride share. I will be figuring other ways to use this service while in Florida in the future — included are pics of the Fort Lauderdale Brightline Terminal and the inside of a carriage
    2 points
  16. I've been on this board for several months now after I booked (and officially paid in full) my very first cruise! Sailing in Jan,2020 on Symphony of the Seas OVC. After interacting and receiving so many positive feedback/advice/suggestions from this blog I'm already addicted to cruising before it even started. I see A LOT of fellow experienced cruiser with so many cruises under their belt and some with 20+ cruises already lined up for the future. (Back to back cruises as well) I want to also be part of the cruising lifestyle and was curious if there is a better way or something i'm missing in order to afford so many cruises. The question (I apologize ahead of time if it's too personal): Fellow cruisers who have sailed countless of times and have even more cruises booked ahead in the future, how do you afford it? How did you manage to take time off from work? Are most retired therefore enjoying their life on cruises? Is there bulk booking for a significant discount or something similar I'm not aware of? Any tips and advice to integrate cruising as part of a lifestyle when it comes to finance? Sorry if this is too personal, I'm just extremely curious and eager to follow the same lifestyle. Thank you in advance!
    2 points
  17. Not sure how long you've lived in the South, but as a Northener, I think waffle house has a special appeal. Simply put, there's nothing like it north of Maryland.
    2 points
  18. Matt

    First Time Star Class!!!

    @Lovetocruise2002 I was reading this thread and questioned how people could justify Star Class, but as @SuperNinjaconcluded, I started justifying upgrading to the better seats on my flights. So now it all makes sense.
    2 points
  19. I saw it on cruise critic.. Where exactly on facebook did you see she is leaving today? This is good news I am just curious where I can find it.
    2 points
  20. I agree, you should be given the option to cancel without penalty. Has this been offered?
    2 points
  21. 2 points
  22. Yes, you still have to make reservations for each show you want to see. Where the Key helps is with the actual seating. Rather than having to show up 30-40 minutes ahead of a popular show's start time to get decent seats, you will have seating reserved for you in a "prime" seating area up to 15 minutes before curtain.
    2 points
  23. She Will Be Setting Sail From Cadiz For Florida Tonight. Saturday 9th.
    2 points
  24. Not in Drydock anymore, just completed sea trails, and should be leaving Spain in a few days
    2 points
  25. 2 points
  26. tmp916

    Lurkers Unite!

    As a fellow lurker, thanks and hi.
    2 points
  27. After The Flowrider I Headed To The Dimond Lounge For Happy Hours. Before Dinner I Went Back To The Helipad To Try Out The Night Mode On My New Phone. Well Here Is The Menu For Tonight.
    2 points
  28. After The Helipad I Was Walking To The Flowrider And Saw That They Were Starting To Put Up The Halloween Decorations. The Line For The Flowrider Was Long Today. But It Could Have Been Longer. Well We Were In The Middle Of Our Flowrider Sessions. The Disney Wonder Started To Sailaway Form Nassau.
    2 points
  29. My vote is for leaving Friday. ??
    2 points
  30. Berth???? Isn't that like something that happens when you have a baby??? A New BIRTH??? Oh WAIT - NOW I SEA!!!
    2 points
  31. I usually bring $20-30 in singles, depending on length of cruise, and figure one $5 for each time I plan on using a porter and have an excursion (times 2 of us). Then I add about $40 in tens, depending on how many excursions or taxis we need to take. Rest is in $20s. I do not tip a $1 with every single drink. Many times I'm walking up to the bar, asking for a beer, and walking away. I have my singles for the bars I hang out at all the time, to reward the bartenders that actually make me mixed drinks or something that requires more than handing me a can. LOL
    2 points
  32. Ok. Cruise leaves tomorrow morning. Finally got the call back today. After days of "royal up" department working on it. After all that they came back with well in the fine print it does say..... See below this is how they claimed they (3rd party company handling Royal Up) is not responsible etc "The Upgrade will have the same number of berths as the original stateroom." Do most people even know what a berth is ? The supervisor I was dealing with from Royal Caribbean said he apologized and that they are working with the third party company on re-wording the description that appears. They offered me a bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries. I laughed at him and asked for his supervisor. After a long (5-7 minute) hold, he came back and said he was working with his supervisor on another option and needed a few more minutes. I continued to wait. The final offer was to put them back in the original category and receive a full refund for the royal up bid ($860) they claimed a room just happened to have opened up today, apparently a cancellation. It just so happened the only room available was on the same floor they were originally on, and same floor where my other 4 rooms are. I accepted the offer, more so on principle, as they wouldn't offer me any discount/refund/room credit to stay in the junior suite. The money didnt bother me, it was more the fact that before bidding the one sentence description of the junior suite says "living area with sofa bed." So that's how it ended. Still not happy, but satisfied with the way Royal handled it, as the supervisors I spoke to all agreed. The wording needed to change.
    2 points
  33. In my previous career the base pay wasn't all that great, but there was a lot of overtime which we never counted as main salary so it was extra income, plus I had a few weeks of vacation time (think 3 but forget). However, our vacations were restricted to January and Summers as both wife and I were pursuing degrees late in life, so we cruised most January's and took summer vacations to NJ or MD beaches. Fast forward, we both finished degrees (Software Developer & RN) and have more disposable income, our vacation time is decent too, wife gets 4 weeks off and I get 3 weeks and 4 days. We try and do at least one cruise a year and some other week long vacation, in addition to weekend trips here and there. This year, I visited friends in FL and NC and had two guy weekends in LV, in addition to a 5-day cruise and land trip to London. Next year we have two 7-day cruises booked and a weekend LV trip, nothing else yet. We are also 41 & 38 with no children, a low mortgage payment and average bills. Our only debt besides the mortgage are student loans (which I cannot wait to just tackle them) and they are not that horrible thanks to tuition reimbursement and family assistance. I'll admit, outside of an emergency fund, our savings accounts aren't anything to brag about... BUT, we make sure to invest for retirement first. We also have a separate "fun" account where each check we put a few dollars ... it adds up quick.
    2 points
  34. We are officially down to the single digit countdown, so we figured it was time to get our butts in gear. Today, we finished packing and did our pre-cruise spring clean. Now, we are just trying to decide if we want to leave Friday or Saturday. We will be driving from Tennessee, so it is a twelve and a half hour drive, but with babies, it usually takes much longer. If we leave Friday, we can finally try La Bamba. We will be staying at Holiday Inn Express and Suites Airport West in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, and if we leave Friday, we will just find a hotel when we get tired.
    2 points
  35. I notice it says you Live in California.. That hurts you slightly because airfare must be a killer.. I am only 32 years old BUT I live in Ft. Lauderdale about 15 min from Port Everglades, 30 minutes from Miami, and 3 hours from port Canaveral. Also I am self employed and can do work on any cruise ship that has good internet. I also really enjoy gambling and because of this I get offers for comped cruises all the time and those are the ones I choose to go on. Because of the combination of offers sent to me, the fact that I live so close to ports and don't have to pay for airfare, and that I am self employed and can go whenever I want I go on about 8 cruises a year. I also LOVE cruising. it is my #1 passion in life so to me I have made it super important. The only other trips I take are to Vegas and Disneyworld. So for me I can use all my spare vacation money to mainly focus on cruising.. Also having children is not in the cards for me so I have a lot more disposable income than other people do.. In short I think you will find there really is no one magic way to be a dedicated cruiser you just have to go with what your given and make it work for you. But I am happy that we have a new cruising convert on these boards.. Symphony is a fantastic ship you will love her!!!
    2 points
  36. rjweber3

    Antigua

    We spent a week at an all-inclusive resort on Antigua this spring. We felt safe and found several tours to get a better feel for the local culture and history. WE wandered freely in the towns and some tourist areas. Being a history buff, Nelson's dockyard was a great stop for me. The people and the place are very nice. I don't agree with some of their methods of raising capital, but I guess they do what they must. I am referring to Investment Citizenship. A person invests (Pays) a large sum and the government awards them Antiguan citizenship. This screams of opportunity for abuse. I like Antigua. We'll go back.
    2 points
  37. Be careful not to get too caught up in the hype. Cruise lines offer many additional items to enhance your vacation experience. They are great and there is no question some of them are very popular but... do you really need them to enjoy a great cruise? Photo packages, dining packages, drink packages and so on. They are nice, no question. However they are not required to have a great cruise. Some people come away from a cruise with a large bill from everything they chose to add once onboard. Some people come away with a very small bill at the end of a cruise. Nothing wrong with either approach but one can save you lots of money to spend on another cruise. Watch for sales in the cruise planner and check often. I frequently save significantly on excursions by catching price drops. Excursions help you experience a destination. Some destinations lend themselves to an inexpensive self-explore approach, some destinations really warrant a professional excursion. Don't cut yourself short by trying to do everything on your own but be smart in researching and knowing the best approach to experiencing a destination.
    2 points
  38. Tons and tons of forced OT (which pays for the cruise) on top of about 320 hours of PTO a year (which buys me the time off, hopefully), allows me to plan for 3-4 sailings a year now.
    2 points
  39. Sail away was timed perfectly with the Costa Rica sunset. Lots of small boats out tonight. The flight of the Pelicans.
    2 points
  40. Oasis. 24 NOV 19.??????
    2 points
  41. You're lucky i'm not in charge, i would ban smoking indoors (to include the casino) and make the only place for smoking, in the aft (designated section) upper decks. If you get caught smoking in a non-authorized location, you would be dropped off at the next port. I'm surprised that Royal Caribbean hasn't been sued yet, by an employee that has been diagnosed with cancer from second hand smoke due to improper ventilation in the casinos.
    2 points
  42. Voyager of the Seas 6th September 2020 (Okinawa and Ishigaki) Voyager of the Seas 11th September 2020 (Best of Japan)
    2 points
  43. It's not a Rumor because I read it on the internet!! ??
    1 point
  44. Make sure you aren't too far from a bathroom after this...........? We ate at a hibachi place on Las Olas Blvd (can't remember the name) where you can sit basically outside and it was AWESOME!!!! We loved it! Especially nice for us in January coming from MN ?
    1 point
  45. The Crocodile Tour base area has several restrooms for the hundreds of guests coming and going on motorcoaches just like ours. The grounds are nicely kept and the path to the boats is quite nice. An Iguana sunning nearly oblivious to the dozens of guests walking past. Our boat tour will take place on the Tárcoles River. There are different types of boats used by different tour operators in this section of the river, this was the type of boats we'll use today. With three boats loading we are directed as groups based on the motorcoach we arrived on. It doesn't take long to spot our first Croc. The view upstream. Local operators offer birding tours as well as crocodile tours. There are dozens of species we'll see today and I could easily turn this from a crocodile tour into a birding tour.
    1 point
  46. We like,staying at the Holiday inn express on 24 th st, about ten minutes from port, there is a small,strip mall,across the street and really enjoyed a restaurant there, can't remember the name, but it was really good, hamburgers, fish, salads and stuff like that, but I'm sure tonyfsu21, as a local can help more than I can, but Holiday in is very nice and clean.
    1 point
  47. We personally don't spend a cent in the Royal casinos because of the smokers. We also, on some ships, don't patronize certain bars due to their proximity to the smoke smell. We stopped participating in slot pulls as well. We recently sailed on Celebrity and their casinos are all smoke free, the only smoking is out doors. So don't switch to them when you leave Royal, even though they match status. You'll be unhappy there too. Thanks to the non-smoking casino, I made a contribution daily to the Summit casino. Money that Royal will never see. There were plenty of people making sizeable daily contributions, all happy to do so in a clean environment. Also...Celebrity offers free drinks while you are actively playing. ?
    1 point
  48. I like to help the greater cruise community. I find a chair for myself that is available. Then as I have observed an area for a while, I move chair hog stuff and return to my chair. Some innocent person comes along and starts using the now empty chair. Chair hog returns and confronts innocent person who can honestly claim they didn't do it, the chair was unused. Walking to breakfast if I notice a series of hogged chairs that are still hogged when I return from breakfast I grab the towel and drop it off somewhere. Chair is freed up. I consider it a community service.
    1 point
×
×
  • Create New...