KathyC

I'm always hesitant, especially on FB, to post in the sailing groups as I'm advertising I'm not home that week. I'm even hesitant to post on CC, or anywhere, as there is no vetting of the posters and who knows who is out there just to rob you when they know you are out. There is no way of knowing if the people in the group are actually on the sailing or not. FB uses real names, so it's much easier to figure out where you live than on CC or other places. I'm not very trusting...I admit that. I'm even weary of posting in the periscopers group that I'm traveling, as most members are there to lurk & watch than actually scope. But I do it anyway....

We had a way too long dry dock between September 2017 and May 2018.

If you're eyeing the October 28 repo...we're on that sailing. Boston to Ft Lauderdale, 12 nights.

Awesome thanks! This will help fill my seven days at sea for sure!

Nice resource, someone worked hard to put that together! I do have to point out, that the lava flow ingredients are incorrect. "LAVA FLOW" (rum, coconut syrup, pineapple juice) Only since this is @Matt's drink, do I stress the importance of getting it correct. :D

I've done yoga classes, but most recently on Harmony not Anthem. I think they are as good as your instructor. One we especially enjoyed was on Labadee. It was supposed to be on the beach but even at 8:30am it was way too hot and sunny, so they put us in a covered area and it was soooo nice. And not sandy! :D The fitness class pass is a new option, so no one can really weigh in on the value of it yet.

Thanks for the amazing pictures and scopes from the trip!!

I'll have seven days at sea on Serenade later this year...I can only do so much trivia and poolside sitting; may be something I take on. I can print out deck plans and make little marks where they are. It's like the Small Wonders hunt on Harmony! :D Now I only need to know what to look for...

As long as you leave your stuff on the loungers, you'll be fine. It's harder on CocoCay for the chair hogs as they can't rush out at 6am and start throwing down towels. They actually have to get on a tender to do that. LOL I haven't been to CocoCay in a long time (but will be there next month, yay!) but based on my experience at Labadee if you get off relatively early in the day, and head past the closest beaches you'll have a better shot at four together, as most (inexperienced) people stop as soon as they find chairs, instead of venturing out. We have a bungalow reserved for our May visit. They became available around 90 days out, and disappeared a few times. One person on my roll call on CC had called about a month ago (during a disappeared period) and was told there was only two left; she grabbed one. They re-appeared a week later and have stayed available on the cruise planner ever since. So either no one has jumped on that one, or there was more than two left when she called. Haha. I know people book and cancel these things at will, so keep checking back. Every time there is a sale you'll see options change as people reprice. I got mine during a sale for $209. Have not seen it that low since, but it gives you something to watch for. You can always book and then re-book at the lower price if you see it go lower, if you want to grab one and hold onto it.

Look at the time that your ship is in port that day. If it's a 7am to 2pm stop, then you will have to do something early. Also, if it's a stop that requires tendering from the ship to port, then extra time is added in for that and would cause the excursion to have to leave earlier. Another thing that causes the early departure time is distance from the port to the snorkeling site. If it's far away, you'll have to leave all the earlier for travel time once in port. You may want to consider snorkeling in a different port if any (or all) of these apply.

I have an idea for a video, for a day that you are looking for something to do or the weather is not cooperative. You can do a ship tour, noting placement of these access points in the stateroom areas. Then we can all choose rooms with that in mind! LOL Or...I can give you my room number for later this year and you can tell me if there is one near my cabin. That works too. :D

Gee he sure was rude!! I'd love to hear what his excuse was for no water refills. I guess they pull in seawater, desalinate, and treat it to order as well? LOL

Don't forget, you'll be paying the onboard prices not cruise planner prices. It will be more than you see in advance.

If you think about it, you hear the horns and you go straight to your muster station. If everyone went back to their rooms to get their life vests it would cause so much more crowding in the halls and stairwells, plus delay getting off the ship. Isn't it better just to keep them there? They already have a full set at the life boat stations anyway, so I'd rather have the extra space for my stuff! Not that I bring too much, mind you...

So excited to see your pictures and videos!! I'm getting more and more excited about my 12 night sailing on Serenade in October, thanks to you and Nick. Our first time on this class of ship.

We got off Quantum on Easter Sunday in 2015 and they had a huge spread put out in the Windjammer with all sorts of Easter goodies for the kids. We went there for breakfast, saw the display, and it was impressive. Definitely a treat for those coming on board. I heard a LOT of grumbling from people getting off our sailing about it. If you went to the WJ for breakfast the morning of debarkation you saw it, but couldn't have any of it. Apparently it was "offensive" to people that it was not available to their kids, since after all they are on board on Easter and it should've never been put out while they were still on board. Heard people complaining about their kids crying cause they couldn't have any...oy.

We had an amazing week on Harmony last September; she's a great ship! We didn't even come close to doing everything available.

We have not done that exact excursion, but a different one that included a stop at a little alligator preserve/zoo type thing. I can see the moderate part being getting on and off the airboat, and while you are seated the whole time the boats do move fast, and turn on a dime, spin around and the captain/driver makes it a fun ride (well, ours did anyway). That can be scary to some people. But we all wore seat belts. You did get some spray when the captain was having fun. Our zoo activity included a lot of walking; maybe the "Fish Camp" does as well?

I have a Wines Around the World tasting that I can pre-book for an upcoming cruise. It's held in the dining room and there is food samples that are paired with the wines. Try looking under Entertainment in your Cruise Planner. Mine did not show up until about 90 days before sailing.

The pay per show thing was to pay for an experience, not to just sit and watch the show. You got a meet & greet, backstage tour, drink, preferred seating kind of thing. Shows are still complimentary to sit in the audience.

That's what we do. Walk up to the person seating you, tell them you want milkshakes, and they get them for you. You never even leave the hostess station. We did it twice on Harmony. Had to use both coupons, ya know...

I'd have to read through the entire policy to be sure, and it's way too early on a Sunday. LOL!! My suggestion; go to the Allianz website, click on the annual plan options, and download the three policy certificates. Then get a big cup of coffee or tea and read through them to see what fits you best. There may be more answers to your questions than I can provide.

You can add cancel for any reason coverage for an additional cost. We did not add that to ours, because the only thing that will make us cancel IS a reason! LOL

The plan we chose covers all four of us for one year. For me, that's three cruises and who knows what for two college boys.

Here is a screenshot of part of the page from my certificate of insurance. You'll see trip cancellation is clearly covered for many reasons. You can actually go to the Allianz website, choose the plan, and download this certificate to read it before purchasing.