Koz

I am in the process of finalizing our plans now for PC.  

FIrst- rental cars are dirt cheap. You can get one with taxes for about $45 for a 12PM to 7PM window.  For me, that's reasonable.

I have family who live in the area and work for the coast guard. I was planning on meeting them for a beach for a few hours and mentioned Cocoa Beach. They said the problem with this particular beach is the coral and fact that it's difficult to walk around. They instead recommended Tables Beach near Patrick AFB, about 15 minutes away by car, as a much better option.

We're not into spending around $400 for my family of 5 to tour the space center, and looked into alternatives.  One that popped up is a local Air Boat/Gator Farm option. There's a few out there and I haven't set up with a specific one as of yet.

Thanks as always Matt.

I've also received confirmation from corporate that you can't bring a nude David Hasselhoff strategically covered in Shar-Pei puppies.

Hey guys another question or two and thanks to everyone above!

We intend to arrive on the ship as early as possible. In fact, as I type this, myself and the rest of the family are already camped out, dockside, at Cape Liberty (think Black Friday in front of Best Buy), just so we can be the first to check in.

That being said, when we board the ship and make a bee line for guest relations (trying to get day bed at COCO Cay), knowing that the cabins aren't yet ready, are other attractions like Northstar and Ifly already operating?  If so, are you permitted to ride twice, i.e. once with an appointment for later in the cruise and once as walk-on? I've heard of alot of people being lucky hitting these two attractions as soon as they get on the ship, but didn't  know if that was later in the boarding process.

One thing that annoyed me on our last cruise with Norweigan (Breakaway) was that when it came to activities by the main pool, half the day at sea they would kick everyone out of the main pool for an hour or so for activities like belly flop, pool olympics etc.  I'm all for this, but it seemed like we were getting kicked out of the pool more than we were in it.  Does this tend to be the case on RC?

On 10/2/2017 at 2:11 PM, BrianAlt said:

How about a list of things NOT to bring in a carry on:

• your neighbor
• a goldfish in a bowl
• an uncooked ham
• a sofa

Anyone think of any others?

OK, here's a few-  Barbicide, a Flamethrower and a Shetland Pony.

24 minutes ago, MikeK said:

Dont remember how much the drinks were there but one thing you need to be aware of is Senor Frogs and Carlos n Charlies have caused many of tequila drinkers to miss the boat.  Anyone who has drank tequila knows how it can jump on ya.   I dont drink anymore so I dont remember where Senor Frogs is in Nassau but if its very far from the ship keep a close eye on your watch.

Will never forget Spring Break South Beach about 20 years ago.  Myself and 3 friends and we made friends with 2 other guys who arrived in Miami before their cruise left that afternoon.  Our hotel was on the strip so they asked if they could stow their bags with us in the room as we bar hopped.  Clevelander, Wet Willy's, and a few other places. By mid-afternoon we were toast and somehow the other two guys became separated from us.  We looked all over and couldn't find them.   Everything was in their bags, including passports. This was before everyone had a cell phone. In fact, I still had a pager.

Moral of the story, don't get hammered on the morning of your cruise and leave your bags in a room you won't remember to find your way back to.

3 minutes ago, Matt said:

I have to assume it's the RC website being the RC website

Probably the same reason why in my cabin of 3 people, when I try and book soda packages for the other two, it tells me that it can't process my shopping cart and that I have to call and speak with RC directly.  No rhyme or reason.

Did you try unplugging your computer and then waiting 2 minutes, then turning it back on?

Is getting Mom rip-roaring drunk at Senor Frogs out of the question?

You guys are awesome with all of your responses to this thread and others. As you may have been able to tell, I'm really big on planning.  

What makes this trip even more special is that the 3 kids have no idea that they're going on a cruise. Instead, they think that we are taking them out of school to hit a waterpark in PA and then visit some family.  We only live about an hour from the pier so you can't beat Bayonne for convenience.

Good morning to the ever helpful memebers of the board.  I have just a few lingering questions as our embarkation day nears in early November.

1)  Bracelets in lieu of sea pass cards for everyday use on ship ( I realize that they can't be used for purposes of disembarkation as we hit the various ports).  Can these be pre-ordered so that they are waiting for you in the stateroom?

2)  Bed rails- my youngest still needs them. Is it just a matter of making the request to the cabin attendant?

3)  Need to try and grab a day bed or bungalow in lieu of the 4 loungers with clam shells that we presently have for coco cay.  I've been told by RC reps that even though it shows no inventory online, that they actually hold back a certain amount of inventory for sale onboard.  Are we assured that if we are the first to board and make a beeline for the appropriate desk, that we should be able to make the change?  We are a group of 5. 2 adults, 3 kids. Is a daybed or bungalow preferable? Does one have an advantage in terms of physical location over the other, or amenities offered for that matter?  

4) When needing to make a change to an excursion like the one above do we head to the excursion desk or guest relations?

5)  What time do you think would be the earliest we'd expect to board the ship in NJ?  I'm always big on arriving early and being the first to board, just because you don't get caught up in all of the chaos.

6)  For a sail-away in the fall is everything still organized outside as we leave NJ if the only issue is seasonably cold weather?

Thanks as always!

Thank you kindly. 

Thank you. I saw the same and wanted to ensure that they were in fact the closest. Booked with Hertz.   Every Enterprise car I've been in smells either like a chain smoker was in the vehicle 10 minutes before me, or that there is something  wet and dead buried under one of the seats.

Good morning. I'm looking to confirm which particular agencies the group here has had success with while in Port.   I know that each agency has multiple locations within the immediate zone, and wanted to obviously pick the ones that were closest/within walking or quick shuttle distance.  Never rented a car for 8 hours before!

Thanks for any feedback you might have.

Wondering if I'm missing something, as my Anthem cruise on 4NOV has been showing the same discount for the last few months.

So, if on Day 1 I approach one of the two MDR's offering My Time Dining for our 6:30 PM time as already set, can I request a particular table and to be with the same waiter/waitress for the entirety of the cruise? We don't plan on hitting any specialty restaurants.

15 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

@Koz...not sure how important your hair is to you but if you are anything like me (I normally use a $300 hair dryer...i know...eye roll) then the hair dryers provided are quite weak.  If you are like my husband who needs the dryer for two minutes then it should be sufficient.  It's usually a small, fold up travel dryer.  As far as toiletries go, all the standard rooms I have been in only provide what @Sarah has mentioned above.  I don't believe there is conditioner provided in the standard cabins.  In the suites, the line is L'Occitane I think which is pretty decent.  There you will get bar soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and body lotion.  I personally take my own too.

Thanks all.   It's actually more of a concern for the wife more than it is for me.  I don't even use the hair dryer, but she does spend a good amount of time and if it's underpowered it's not going to work.  Sorry for the 20 questions but as the days march on these thoughts do indeed pop into your head.

Good morning.  I've been hitting a ton of blogs and sites looking for any tips/info on Anthem and one item stuck out yesterday.  "Bring your hair dryer, bring your toiletries" like shampoo, soap and conditioner.  I was under the impression that SOME type of hair dryer would be provided, and that soap, conditioner and shampoo would be constantly refilled by the cabin attendant, maybe even already set in some fixture in the shower.

Is the hair dryer under-powered?  Can you please confirm if basic toiletries are in fact provided? I recall that they have been on past cruises but this is our first time on RC.

Thank you,

I booked my cruise in Mid-July and was able to book Northstar and skydiving the same day, along with all shows and dining. We were well outside of 90 days at that point.

Is crime scene tape and fake blood surrounding your  preferred section generally frowned upon? Asking for a friend.

4 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Only real reason to bring your own that I can see is if you've looked over the recent menus for Vintages and other places, and found absolutely nothing that would appeal to you, or if there's something special you want to have to celebrate an occasion. Otherwise, try out some new wines, and don't worry about it if you find you need to throw away the glass.

Oh, and if it's a really bad glass, just try and avoid doing a spit-take into the waiter. 

Duly noted!

19 hours ago, Matt said:

Yes you can share it with her (or anyone).

Thanks Matt.  Knowing now that my package allows for the 40% discount I don't have to worry about bringing wine onboard and paying a corkage fee to drink it in the dining room. It will actually work out to be cheaper if we just buy the bottle OB and store it in the main dining room. May still consider bringing a bottle or two onboard and keeping them in the room.  

Question for those in the know-  I have a deluxe beverage package and my wife does not (separate cabins with 3 kids in tow). Can I buy a bottle of wine a dinner and share it with her or do I have to drink it all myself?   Is it still a 40% discount off a bottle of wine if you have the deluxe drink plan?  Thanks for any information!

Good afternoon. I have really come to value the opinions of those of you on the board who have "been there, done that."

We are considering Sandy Toes for our full day beach excursion.  For a family of 5, with 2 adults and 3 kids, we are looking at $315.

Has anyone been to this location before? Good, bad or other feedback?

Any other recommendations on where we may want to go for a period with no crowds, sandy beaches, peace and quiet, etc?

Thanks, as always!