mbk999

1 minute ago, DublinFC said:

 a ship doctor said a lot of people come to sick bay due to a bad reaction to the patch

I personally would need to do a lot of research for the patch option.   I know lots of folks swear by them but my wife refuses to try the patch because she had such a bad reaction way back in the 90s.  I know they've gotten better but she's been scarred for life on them I'm afraid.

13 minutes ago, DublinFC said:

I was told lower and mid ship is bette

every travel agent I've worked with has said the same thing.  My wife is also very susceptible.  We have not been on that class of ship but we've been on the Enchantment and she finds that the only time she really notices it is when we are in the theater (front).

9 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

Our first priority is getting onto ANY ship sailing ANY itinerary that fits both our schedule and our budget for the trip.

Yep.   Winterville, NC?   I'll have more $ for cruising once I stop spending lots of $ at ECU...

3 minutes ago, Traveler said:

I was on the Rhapsody for the itinerary (and we will take another cruise  with her in few month) , but next year I saw explorer is doing more and less the same itinerary , so for sure I will prefer to take her.

This is my take as well, if a bigger ship is doing the same or similar itinerary, then the bigger ship would win every time (for us).  There is nothing wrong with the smaller, older ships but as @twangster said, as long as you know that they don't offer the "wow factor" that is advertised on the RCI commercials.    I look at the smaller ships as the quick getaways, drive to a port for a last minute cruise deal, or going to ports that the big ships just can't get to.  

Convenience and price but ship edges itinerary for us.  We just booked Oasis with a meh itinerary over Freedom with a good itinerary as Oasis was a little cheaper and way more convenient for us (and my wife fell in love with the Oasis class).  If you've got kids coming with you, I'd go with Liberty as there's more to do for them.   My two cents....

20 hours ago, VinceC said:

BY THE WAY....This is a 25th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY CRUISE....

Congrats.   We did our 25th on the Allure back in October and loved it.  As it was our first time on an Oasis Class ship, we loved the main aqua show.  The advice we'd seen about that show is to not book it on the first night's sailing as it is often cancelled (due to currents?).  And that turned out to be true for us, but we caught it two other times and loved it.  Also loved the Ice Games show.  I think @rjacmentioned the observation deck and that's pretty cool too.    Try a dining package, we loved Gionvannis (went back a second time).  try the drink of the day, everyday since you have the DDP, if you don't like it, don't drink it....     We were still new finding things to do even on the last day when we found the Solarium at night was nice and quiet with some comfortable, semi-secluded seating up by the Solarium bar. 

 Oh, maximize your time and get there early to get on the ship as soon as possible.   Unless you have The Key, the ultimate dining package, or something else that gets you a specialty lunch on the first day, try the Solarium Bistro for lunch on embarkation day.  It's a much more pleasant experience than fighting the masses at the windjammer.   The first thing to do on-board is book any dining reservation for the week and then go up to the Bistro.  By the time you're done, some crowds will have caught up to you but you can explore the ship now or go hang by the pool.  

Hope you have a good cruise.

11 hours ago, Pima1988 said:

We sailed out on the Anthem and the only problem we had was the last night coming back as we skirted a hurricane.  

9 hours ago, Pen said:

We went to Bermuda in May last year, and it was super smooth.  

Thanks for the feedback. 

30 minutes ago, Sweety said:

It is between Oasis or Adventure. 6 vs 8 days. 

 

We're looking at the Freedom out of San Juan too.  Way better itinerary but the convenience of driving to the port may win out.  

9 minutes ago, Sweety said:

I am looking at Oasis next year.

My wife fell in love with that ship class so we're hoping this will work out.

10 minutes ago, Ogalthorpe Haywood said:

I’ve taking 3 cruises out of Cape Liberty, only one was bad getting out but we had bad storms for about a week leading up to that cruise. While it’s not as smooth as leaving from Florida we haven’t had much issue.

Thanks.  I'm hoping the combo of the bigger ship and summer will mitigate some of the extra motion.  

I know it's very subjective (depending on weather and individually susceptibility to motion sickness) but what have been your experiences sailing from Cape Liberty to the Bahamas in the summer?  Fairly smooth or rocky?   We are looking at going on the Oasis once she moves up there but we've always been leery about the seas  on the way down (more so for my better half).  With the OTS within an easy drive, it's hard to pass up.  

17 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Giovanni's will usually allow you to have more than 1 main course as it is a "family style" menu.  This is especially true if you have a larger group of people.

They basically treated the pasta dish entrees as side dishes for us.  We had salad, app, pasta, and main course.  

On 11/16/2018 at 3:28 PM, kuruczpa said:

Hey everyone,

I am sailing on the Allure of the Seas in Feb 2020 and am very excited as this is going to be our first cruise. It's a 7 night cruise and I think we are going to try to book the 3 night dining package. What are the top 3 (or top 5) specialty dining restaurants on Allure? Any input would be greatly appreciated!

We did Chops and Giovanni's twice back in October.  We had a great experience with Giovannis and a terrible experience with Chops.  Both the food and the service were awful.   And not, " I ordered Medium Rare and got Medium bad" but a steak that was tough and not very flavorful and chicken that was dry and rubbery.   Others rave about it and you may have a good experience, but it apparently can go off the rails completely.  

23 hours ago, coneyraven said:

cake w/ candle showed up and they sang Happy Birthday to me.  Best birthday I've had in years

Happy Birthday.  We celebrated my 50th and our 25th on the Allure and cakes/candles/singing accompanied each.  It was much appreciated.

On 11/6/2018 at 12:58 PM, coneyraven said:

of course, it's raining now here in the mountains of Western Maryland

As someone who also lives along the ridge in MD, I certainly hope this isn't the new norm.  This year has been too much...

Thanks for the recap!

On 11/4/2018 at 2:43 PM, jenny corke said:

is there a dress code for the normal restaurants eg the windjammer?

I think the only no-nos on the windjammers would be shirtless guys and wet bathing suits.  For the rest of the places, it's casual.  Formal night is anything from t-shirts and shorts to button-downs and slacks to tuxes.  Pretty much whatever you feel like.   

On 11/4/2018 at 2:43 PM, jenny corke said:

And is the drinks package a must or can we just pay as we go?

as @monorailmedic mentioned, it depends on how much you're going to drink.  If you're drinking a couple of beers a day, I'd skip it.  I think the break even point for me is 3 umbrella drinks and a glass of wine at dinner, with the drink package bought before the cruise on the cruise planner sale.   If you do get the package, buy it before you sail

40 minutes ago, BermudaDice said:

• I’ve read that they make Oasis class ships easy to find your way around and I have to say I agree.  The neighbourhoods mean there are only a few locations to memorise and then everything else falls in to place.  Similarly I’ve read that the ship is designed to not feel crowded.  Again I would say they succeeded.  Admittedly I don’t know how full the ship was but finding a table at the WJ was only ever a minor inconvenience and we never struggled for a lounger even on sea days.  We only ever tended to be in the Solarium however while walking through the rest of the pool deck there were always loungers to be seen, even if they weren’t right by the pool.
   
• I find it interesting that on one of the largest ships in the world with however many thousand people you still seem to always run in to the same certain people.  Like the pudgy kid who walked around like he owned the place with his vest top and flat bill cap looking like the stereotypical school bully, the girl with long braids dyed bright red, and the loved up couple who couldn’t keep their hands off each other and liked to sit in pools with their legs wrapped round each other.  Even though I understand that it’s just a form of confirmation bias – I initially noticed those people and therefore continue to spot them – I still find it interesting. 

Completely agree on both of these points.  That was our same experience.  Three different restaurants the first three nights and we saw several of the same people in each (to include the MDR).  And while finding a "prime" lounger might have been difficult, finding a lounger was not an issue at all.

As long as the ship is on-time, you shouldn't have any trouble, particularly if someone is picking you up at the cruise terminal.  Either self-assist with the luggage on disembarkation or try and get an early slot for the luggage tags.  

16 hours ago, firebuck said:

The 10 drink card was finally offered today - day 6 of 7 @Susie It was $79 for 10 drinks.

On the Allure it popped up on Day 5, same $

10 hours ago, Mikeb1892 said:

1. What other costs will I have in addition to the total price the website shows me (assuming we do NOT buy any items including food and beverages that are an extra cost)?

based on your other questions, it sounds like you'll need to get a Voom package for at least one device for internet access

10 hours ago, Mikeb1892 said:

2. Can we bring a fan that plugs in with a regular power cord (for white noise)?

We were able to get a floor fan from the room steward but I'd ask right away.  If you don't see him/her, call housekeeping.

10 hours ago, Mikeb1892 said:

4. We both use Galaxy Note 8's through Verizon for cell phones. What are our options for talking to our kids (12 y/o with a cell phone and 6 y/o) who will be staying with my technology hindered parents?

Whats App worked well for us

10 hours ago, Mikeb1892 said:

5. I will have my laptop and may need to VPN in to work. Is this possible, and what is the best method (Wifi vs direct network cable vs cell hotspot vs ?)?

Voom package.  

16 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

(Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn exc) just East of I-95 on Sterling Road

We've stayed at the Hampton Inn and you're right that there are some corporate standards but I didn't think it was up to par with other Hampton Inns   It wasn't bad by any stretch, just not as good.  The walkable dinner options are limited (McD and Taco Bell) but if you're getting in late and leaving early, that might suffice.  

6 hours ago, J_Keeble said:

maybe they got confused about which BOGO it was

Unfortunately it sounds like you ran into someone who really didn't know what they were doing.  The person helping us looked to be undergoing some on the job training as she had someone over her shoulder helping her.   Maybe you got her before she got assistance....

1 hour ago, twangster said:

The thermostat in my cabin was on high when I arrived.  I had to turn it down from 'bake' last night so I could sleep.

The same thing happened to us on the Allure, the thermostat was all the way to the red.  Very odd.   We were able to get a floor fan from the room steward to get our room close to the sub-arctic temp my better half prefers.

Loving the blog as usual.  Thanks for taking the time.

Thank you for taking the time to blog.  I hope you enjoy the cruise!  No doubt that you will!

Two weeks ago they did call Diamond Plus and Diamond at Port Everglades. They did a poor job of policing it but they were seating and calling people by C&A levels 

I can say that I wouldn’t stay at the Homewood Suites or Hampton Inn south of the airport. While convieniant they are sub-par for their brands.