Iluv4n6

I used to be a web-only check-in guy and felt more in control and less apt to make mistakes using the keypad and computer screen. But after taking the suggestion of members these boards a couple cruises ago, I started checking my wife and I in with the app and won't go back. Being able to scan in our passports and snap photos from the app really speeds up the check-in process. I thought my usual fumbling with the small keypad on my phone would slow me down compared to the online check-in process but it never did. Or maybe I'm just better tapping small keys on my phone than I have been giving myself credit for.

In our experience, the check-in wait times (after you are inside the terminal) can vary quite a bit and the appointed times probably won't be checked by terminal staff after the first couple appointment times. For our last cruise on Allure through Port Everglades in Sep, we had a noon check-in time and entered a sizable but generally moving line outside the terminal at about 11:30 AM. When we reached the door (at about our check-in appointment time), there were no signs for appointment times -- they just wanted to get all guests processed as efficiently as possible. Inside and after the bag scan, we entered the main room with probably two dozen small lines you could pick from to be checked in by staff using tablet computers. This is where you arrive at the luck-of-the-draw stage of checking in. You can't know which passengers will have problems with their check-in information, or which staff's tablet will go down preventing a line from being processed efficiently. To my wife's (minor) annoyance, we each entered a line next to each other. This turned out to be a good thing because one of the lines experienced an appreciable delay compared to the other. The one in the delayed line (I won't say who) ducked under the rope and we merged into a moving line to marginally speed up our check-in. In the early days after the restart and before passenger numbers returned to normal levels, we breezed through check-ins. We also recognize that each terminal's check-in layout and process is a bit different and some are better equipped to handle a larger stream of passengers than others. It may also be that our last embarkation day was during a partial network outage at Port Everglades that affected many of the check-in staff's tablets. All things considered, we will go with the flow of check-in even if it is a bit choppy so we can board the ship sooner. We like to nail down some reservations and stop by our muster station right after we board and would prefer not to do this later in the afternoon. Then we enjoy our first beverage and, mentally, our vacation really kicks off. What we will do for our next cruise is actually check in on the earliest date possible (45 days form sail date) and not dilly-dally with the check-in. Nab an early check-in time right off the bat so you don't feel compelled to re-check a bunch in an effort to snag an earlier appointment if you can. Happy Cruising!

Thanks @berkeleykel, @Summer Bee Sweet, and @ChessE4! Always great to hear from folks who have experienced what these ships have to offer. It sounds like the entertainment is similar for both Grandeur and Serenade. If we go on one of the ships out of Tampa, we'll choose the cruise Tampa, based on schedule/cost/itinerary--nothing new there!

Yes – plan to check out cruise compasses when we are back home and I have a better Internet connection soon. Appreciate the reminder!

We are considering booking Serenade or Grandeur out of Tampa to check out a smaller ship and to fit a cheaper cruise into our vacation calendar. This would be our first cruise on a ship below Voyager class (i.e., one without a Royal Promenade) in a long time. The current fleet guide notes that Grandeur features Broadway style shows. The description for Radiance Class/Serenade does not indicate anything for shows, even though the ship would have a theater like they all do. We are familiar with the range of entertainment on Oasis, Freedom, and Voyager classes. And we may stick with the larger ships because of how much we enjoy all the fun things they have to offer including great entertainment/shows especially on Oasis class. We really like the shows and musicians on the ships. But we would like to hear from recent cruisers on Radiance and Vision classes (Serenade and Grabdeur in particular) to compare the range of entertainment options these ships offer. Might tip the scales one way or the other for which cruise we select. Thanks! Iluv4n6

Good to know I'm not out on my own limb with this issue! Will keep checking back here to find out who the lucky person is who is able to log back on first.

On our last visit we took an excursion to the Carambola Beach Club (the tour to Nevis we wanted to go on was cancelled, so this was our back-up). Very nice beach with good beverage service and food options. On our first visit to St Kitts we took a taxi to the Ship Wreck beach bar, which is a fairly short distance down the same beach as the Carambola Beach club. This is a fun, kitchy ramshackle bar with great food right on the beach. Lots of monkeys around for photo opps.

Decisions, decisions! Our next cruise (wife and me) will be on Allure, in part because it was a good deal for Oasis class. We also love two of the venues on this ship that we want to enjoy again before they are amplified away some day: the Champagne Bar and Sabor. Aruba is also a big plus on your itinerary. I would second @AshleyDillo if only because the funds you save on the cheaper cruise can go toward the next one.

All ships in Oasis class have so much to offer -- the neighborhoods (especially Central Park), the Aqua show, and Jazz on 4 (cool jazz club in the Deck 4 Entertainment Place) are at the tops for my wife and I. And if you happen to have a drink package, or even if you don't and you want a nice place for an after dinner drink, you have to stop by the Champagne Bar in the Royal Promenade. Allure is the only Oasis class ship still to have this classic establishment. Great drink menu and wonderful bartenders!

Thanks, @AshleyDillo! Will have to remember to do that, so I don't accidently order an expensive beer or bottle of water...

This is a major plus for my wife and I who will be sailing as Diamonds for our first time on Sunday! We prefer the "smart" drink menu anyway, including some frozen multi-colored ones we can enjoy by the pool...

Just wanted to get bloggers' suggestions for any entertaining cruise-themed reads they may have enjoyed onboard or while waiting (anxiously) to get back onboard again! I haven't perused much in the way of cruise-related books thus far, but thought it would be fun to load the kindle with a couple before our next trip. I hope this doesn't mean I have to provide a book report after our trip...

Thanks @Jax! Just was checking out a couple recent cruise compasses for Oasis that confirmed the same thing: Formal Nights on Days 3 & 6 for our itinerary. Looks like we'll have to adjust from our habitual Days 2 & 5 for formal nights... And book Izumi Hibachi for Days 4 or 5.

Makes total sense. But this is the first 7-nighter we've ever been on that doesn't have a sea day on Day 2 so I'm not sure what to expect. May need to dive into some recent cruise compass archives...

We have a W. Caribbean family cruise coming up on Oasis on Feb 6 (test kits have arrived and keeping fingers crossed!). Because Cocoa Cay is on Day 2, would this possibly bump the first formal night in the main dining room to Day 3? So maybe formal nights move to Days 3 and 6 (or 5) instead of the usual Days 2 and 5 on a 7-night sailing. Curious about this because we want to pre-book Izumi Hibachi for our family on a "regular" night...our family wouldn't want to miss the formal night menu in the main dinning room. Thanks!

We have really enjoyed Megan's Bay Beach on the north side of the island (opposite of where the cruise ship docks on the south side). It is easy to get a taxi (or open air buss) to the beach from the port. The ride offers some great views. Megan's Bay is not a resort, but it is an awesome beach and has a nice beach bar with lunch items.

Hi @Kvb! Our family is going on the Feb 6 Oasis W Caribbean cruise...fingers crossed. We also hope production shows will be back up and running by then. One of the first things we'll do when we hop on board is open up the app and reserve some shows. Fun to do when quaffing your first vacation beverage.

Thanks all for your feedback! We may consider Ft Myers to fly in/out of on a future cruise vacation with embarkation in S FL, and when the available flights give us more cushion on the front and back end to not be scrambling to make any connections. I also can appreciate the potential problem of having the *budget* airline cancel the only flight they have for the week, besides my main concern of simply being able to transport the family with a decent cushion. But if I see a good rental car option/price from Fort Myers, I may still be tempted to roll the dice.

Some new airline options are opening up for those of us in the north-woods (e.g., Green Bay) for direct flights to new places in FL this winter. One of the options I just saw was on Sun Country direct to Fort Myers. The price is compellingly low (compared to the cost for flights to FLL or MIA) so it warrants serious consideration for a 6-member family cruise vacation this Feb on Oasis out of Miami. The arriving flight would come in an couple extra days ahead of time. So we would roll the dice and take our covid tests at the hotel after we arrive in FL. The trickiest part would be getting from Miami to Fort Myers for a 3:35 PM flight on disembarkation day. Flixbus departs from Miami Airport at either 9:00 AM (arrive Ft Myers @ 11:20 AM) or 12:00 PM (arrive Fort Myers @ 2:30 PM). This seems kind of tight either getting us all off the ship and to the MIA airport bus stop before 9:00 AM, or for the later option getting from the bus terminal in Fort Myers to the Fort Myers airport ASAP. I would guess that the early option on disembarkation day would be the only one to consider, and that would mean self assist for every one. On the plus side, Oasis is scheduled to dock back in Miami at 6:00 AM. Seems probably too far for Uber/Lyft. I haven't researched any other transportation services between MIA and Fort Myers so far other than Flixbus. Larry's Limos? Although we likely will opt for a more expensive flight to either FLL or MIA that would make for easier connections, Sun Country probably could save us ~$1,000+ in airline cost for our family group. Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions from bloggers who may have flown in/out of Fort Myers for their cruise vacation.

The energy and high spirits of the crew and entertainment staff. They all seemed to take customer appreciation (and appreciation of their own jobs) to a higher level based on our experiences on two cruises this fall. To say they were happy to be back would be an understatement...same for us!

Thanks @DunwoodyDad I may try the app check-in this time for expediency. for comparison, I don't this the website check in process requires an image of the passports, just the passport numbers. Good to know you can add the passport info later and get the same check-in appointment for everyone right away.

Thanks @twangster and @FionaMG I think our family members can play nice with the same login. We'll just have to keep the credentials from the two young grand-kids.

Thanks @FionaMG, for confirming what looks pretty obvious on the website...that I can check in everyone in our family through the linked reservations. But I have learned the hard way that what looks obvious to me may not match how a website or app actually "works." And I am with you about doing check-ins and the majority of my pre-cruise stuff on the website. To save us those total 30 seconds (6 cruisers x 5 sec each), we have head shots of everyone in portrait and landscape mode. Will be interesting to see if RC still only accepts landscape photos for online check in a couple weeks like was the case a couple months ago.

We have a 6-person family cruise coming up on Feb 6 and I've linked the 3 reservations/cabins for CP purchases. After doing this, It looks like I probably would be able to check us all in at the same time (with family member PP Nos and head shots handy). But I thought I'd double-check this in case a family member listed on each reservation needs to login to complete their own check in. Each reservation has at least one adult, so separate check-ins would not be all that hard to do. I would just rather take care of all the check-ins for our family at the same time for ease of mind, and so I know we all have the same arrival appointment. Any clarification on the extended family check-in process is appreciated.

@TeresaMcGood to know. They must use dynamic pricing like everyone else. I will still check in with them first for any central/south FL group rides.