spiralqueen

Allure has it. 

Going on a Thanksgiving cruise! Grandeur Nov 23, 2019. 

On the lanyard front, if you do decide to get one, I HIGHLY recommend a detachable one like this so you can easily hand off your seapass card to people who need to take it to scan without having to take the whole thing off your neck. It’s one of those things that might not be the most fashionable in the world, but IMO the convenience factor far outweighs that.

36 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Funny you mention this. Someone recently posted that they saw an offering akin to Chef's Table, but held in Vintages. Can't remember who or what ship, or even what to search for to find it. I think it was four courses instead of the five offered at CT, but otherwise the same concept of a meal focused on wine pairings.

This probably isn't what you are referring to, but this is on my Cruise Planner for a sailing on Allure and it would shock me if this wasn't held in Vintages. 

Yep, this website is DANGEROUS for the wallet. I went 17 years since my last cruise (I was 14) and found these boards and the podcast when I was researching for a May 2019 cruise. Suddenly I also had a November 2018 one booked as well as May 2020, Jan 2021 and Michelle at MEI is going to price out a November 2019 for me tonight or tomorrow.

My M.O. is pausing the podcast in the middle of an episode to call my mom and go “.......so I was having some thinky thoughts. What are your feelings on a cruise for X?” My parents love that I plan everything out and reprice regularly which has saved us hundreds and I love that doing so makes me all the more excited and connected with the trip. Works out well for everyone! Now I just have to convince my brother to join us one of these times.....

It's been a bit since I've seen this show on Broadway, but I recall it not being too far off from the movie. Common sense Media says the movie is 13+ and parents on average would say it's 11+. IMO it is definitely appropriate for a 16 year old and maybe for an 11 y/o. It depends on your child. The iffy parts are passing references to sex but it's not like there's ever a sex SCENE or anything. 

2 minutes ago, tiny260 said:

@JLMoran , I don't drink so I don't get the ultimate, but here as of late I have been getting the refreshment package if for no other reason to be able to get as much bottle water as I need, If I pass a bar, I get 2 bottles, they are the small bottles so I go though 6-10 a day. Just a thought, that way you still get you coffee and OJ.

I wouldn't do it at the $26 PD that is offered but at the $17 I got it for on Black Friday seemed reasonable.

Yes, in my experience, it was quite easy to get my money's worth out of the refreshment package for $17, but full price starts to put it on the cusp of value vs convenience. I also found getting the water bottles every time I ordered something at the bar made me drink more water than if I had to go find a water station to get the free stuff. So really, if I squint and turn my head juuuuuust right, I can argue that a refreshment package is better for your health! 

When I was on Enchantment a frozen virgin daiquiri was $8. I'd imagine it would be the same for a Miami Vice. Though I have heard that prices vary by ship so which one are you sailing on?

I found that it was incredibly easy to get my money's worth out of a refreshment package I got on sale. A la cart, one round of a virgin frozen drink and a bottled water was $10. I got the package for $17 a day. IMO it's easier to get your money's worth out of the refreshment package than the deluxe package because you don't have the alcohol fatigue element and it includes soda, bottled water, specialty coffees/teas, and virgin drinks. Those can really add up. 

I'm looking to book Maya Chan for an upcoming cruise because it looks amazing, but I have a couple of questions before I pull the trigger.

1. I read the FAQ on Maya Chan's website about their cancellation policy, but didn't see it addressed on if they give refunds if you change your mind before the cruise leaves or if you can't go on the cruise at all. Does anyone know or have experience on their policy for this? 
2. Also how far in the future have you made reservations before? Is May 2020 too far out to book now? 
3. What sort of non-alcoholic drink options are offered there? 2/3 of our group is sober and we are wondering if we can get things like virgin daiquiris or other yummy virgin drinks that are more fun than water or soda.
4. Did I read something about a new pool addition now? Or am I conflating it with another resort?

Thanks in advance for all the help! 

@Cinfalee I wish you luck and am rooting for you to find someone! I saw you post this in our FB roll call group (I’m Alex over there) and was struck by what a great room it is. 

1 hour ago, twangster said:

I love Central Park.  I often book a cabin on decks 6, 7 or 8 so that I have easy access to Central Park, especially at night.  

That's one of the things I am most excited about for my May cruise on Allure. We have a cabin on deck 8 and I can't wait to pop over to Park Cafe for breakfast to eat on our balcony and then enjoy a nice book on my kindle on a bench in Central Park. 

Welcome Mike! Nice to see another Keystone Stater here. Your icon is making me thirsty!

Mine would be first cruise as an adult (last cruise before this one was in 2001 when I was 14) and first holiday sailing (kinda....the cruise left on Black Friday, but we flew down on Thanksgiving so I’m counting it!) 

I’m almost regretting looking at the updates this morning because now I’m STARVING for Mexican since those pictures look so good! But in reality I have no regrets and I’m very excited to follow along with you on your trip. Have a fabulous time and I’m looking forward to seeing how you cope without a suite! 

@DunkelBierJay this was exactly my logic as well. It was a no brainer for my family because we are 3 adults who were all planning on getting internet anyway and had agreed on lunch at Chops  one day. One of the most appealing things to me about The Key is the reserved seating because I highly value shows and I haven't been to any of them before as this will be my first time on Allure. 

As to whether everyone needs to get it or not, I thought I read somewhere that everyone over the age of 6 needs to get it, but when I was buying it in the cruise planner, I had to buy it for each person individually. Then, when the price dropped to the current $19.99 I was able to individually cancel the purchases and rebuy them. It wasn't like it is with the drink package where it automatically forces you to get it for everyone in your cabin. 

24 minutes ago, Sh2738 said:

I haven’t used it and personally I believe that it is a waste of money but that’s just me. It is pricey at 19/day/person. Maybe if it was just 19/day and if you didn’t have to only get Chops. But with only getting one lunch with no choice about where, basic internet for one device, everyone in the cabin must purchase, and only other benefit being early boarding/getting off at ports. It would amount to an extra 280 for two people. Is not close to being worth it in my viewpoint. Maybe if it was lunch everyday or if you were able to go someplace else, we can’t eat at Chops so it isn’t a perk for us. 

 

Others might have have different opinions but to me I view it as a waste if money for not really getting anything out of it. But that’s just me. 

I'd respectfully disagree. The internet provided is the faster version, so it's not "basic" internet per se and it is one device per person. It also includes a nice debarkation day breakfast, private hours on different attractions like the zip line, rock climbing wall, and Flowrider, and reserved seats at the shows. I'm also not discounting the value for me, personally, that I can drop off my carry on bags for someone to bring to my room so I don't have to lug them around until rooms are open.  I will give you that it loses value on non Oasis or Quantum class ships or on longer sailings, but to say you don't get anything out of it is a bit unfair, in my opinion. I do appreciate, however, that you acknowledge that that is your opinion. I'm seeing in far too many places that people are saying it's a valueless scam as if that was a fact and it really rubs me the wrong way and makes me defensive. 

It really is addictive! When I saw people talk about it, I always assumed it was one of those online gambling things that required real money. Then I found out a bit over a week ago it’s free. Aaaaand now I have a bit over 25,000 reward point things.  Halfway to $100 OBC!

Thanks for the update! I was paranoid about something like that, which is why I'm stalking the entertainment section of the cruise planner for my May sailing. When you say "the facebook person" was this a Royal Caribbean employee, or a passenger who had recently used the Key? 

If I were you, I would keep them juuuuust in case anything changes. I got the Key for an upcoming sailing as well, but I'm still keeping an eye out for entertainment to open up. Also, I believe I read somewhere that reservations are still required for the comedy shows due to the small size of the venue. 

On 12/25/2018 at 7:59 AM, bhageerah said:

  As you have already stated on the way out there were quite a few that had to be claimed on the way out.  I have found that a multi USB plug works very well and keep it packed away in my cruise luggage.  

I actually had my luggage pulled for the "naughty room" on my November Enchantment sailing because they were claiming I had an extension cord when the only thing I had was a USB hub . When I went down to claim my bag I had to politely argue with security to try and convince them I didn't have anything. After about 5 minutes of rooting through my bag in the open hallway, they finally relented and let me have my luggage without taking anything, but it was annoying enough that next time I will bring the USB hub in my carry-on. 

1 hour ago, Jason said:

I checked my Cruise Planner earlier today and The Key price dropped 20% to $19.99 per person per day for Freedom of the Seas June 2019 so I decided to purchase it for my wife and I. I’ve been debating doing it anyways and with only 100 Key purchases per ship I didn’t want to regret waiting and then find out they’re sold out. We were going to get VOOM anyways so I figure the other benefits will be nice especially since this is our first cruise. Extra perks are always a plus even if it cost a little bit to enhance one’s experience. 

Ohh thanks for posting about the price drop! I had already snagged it for my May Allure sailing at full price, but I just saved a bit over $100 by canceling and rebooking. 

I was a big fan of the virgin strawberry daiquiri and also the strawberry lemonade they have onboard. The latter  is on the rocks and made with strawberry mix, lemonade mix, and soda water which gives it a bit of a lift. Very refreshing and the lemonade cuts the sweetness a bit. 

If you could make a note or take some pictures of what kind of food is offered at Solarium bistro for lunch that would be fantastic! Thank you for being so generous with your time. 

Harmony: May 10-17, 2020

Anthem: Jan. 15-26th, 2021 (will be over my birthday, yay!)

1 hour ago, rjac said:

Do the "Secret Sands Beach Getaway" in ST. Thomas. Fantastic beach, great water and a nice grass covered sand bar about 50' off shore. Excellent for snorkeling, turtles, tropical fish and shallow (about 10'. Best part is the fellow "in charge" of the lounge chairs. His name is Kareem and he will provide you with a chair, drinks (rum punch, cold beer, soda, water) snacks and snorkeling gear. He is also a very good photographer with your smart phone. No charge for anything he provides for you, all he asks for is an appropriate tip. We've been to that beach twice and will definitely go back in the future. Oh yeah, plenty of shade and a bath house (very clean) that's a couple of years old. 

I’m going on this in May and thrilled to hear that there is also snorkel gear you can borrow!