OBX

We were just on the Allure about a month ago so, unfortunately, be prepared to go to the port side of the main pool deck bar. I guess they realized that a bar close by is a money maker with cigar smokers! In the ship compass they announce a "Cigars under the Stars" there mostly every night (around 8pm till late) but it isn't an organized event as I previously enjoyed on the Adventure. It's just the only place to enjoy a cigar and meet other cigar enthusiast's. According to the bartender they also have a limited selection of cigars. I usually bring my own so didn't ask to see what was being offered. We will be on the Navigator in January and the Freedom in late February so will report on the cigar experiences after getting back. Hope you have a great cruise on the Allure as she is an amazing ship......just not very accommodating for cigar smokers, especially on the windy foul weather evenings. We were on the Allure during the meeting of the three sisters and enjoyed that experience greatly. The Harmony definitely received a very special welcome home!

Just returned from a b2b on the Allure, staying in a JS. It was our impression that CK was basically for Sky and Star Suite guests since it is on deck 17 where all those suites are located. I went up to check it out but entry to the restaurant required one to swipe their sea pass, so was denied entry. Didn't see anyone around to help out so we forgot about eating there with so many other great places to dine. Unless the Oasis is different, those in the Sea Suite category (JS) can have dinner there, but only one time per week. We didn't get to try it so cant comment on the food but did hear from others that it was very good.

Lets hope not. Living on the coast and being an enviornmental consultant I have seen the damage these helium baloons can cause to marine life if released. Most enviornmentally concious businesses will not use them. Google "Balloon impacts on wildlife & the enviroment" for more information. As a side note, where I live on the east coast, even plastic shopping bags have even been banned. I would hope RCCL has considered the potential marine life dangers involved.

Being a lifelong, third generation mariner, here's the best way to decipher reported sea conditions. A forecast of 10 foot seas in open waters means a mariner should expect to encounter a wave spectrum with many waves heights (low dip to crown) between 5 and 10 feet along with a small percentage of waves up to 15 feet and possibly even as high as 20 feet. However, the rule of thumb for safety reasons is to normally expect the worse in lieu of the average. In 15 foot seas you should expect an occasional 30 foot wave but with most of them being somewhere between 15 and 30 feet. So, long story short, when you hear a nautical weather report saying a certain number for the "seas" height, the wave height in a worse case scenario would be to double that number to cover the occasional 30 footer.

We are getting ready and very much looking forward to our Feb b2b winter escape on the Adventure in a few weeks: Feb 13 and Feb 20, 2016. Next after that is our early spring b2b on the Navigator: Apr 2 and Apr 10, 2016 which will be a special trip for us as the Navigator was the very first RCCL cruise we ever took years ago and the one that hooked us forever! Its gonna be nice to see the changes she's gone thru since that first time aboard. Just like all here, the excitement of a cruse is one of those special times in life to relax and enjoy old friends and also meet new ones. Our fall cruise this year will be a b2b on the Allure on Oct 23 and Oct 30, 2016. After cruising on the Oasis twice, we now look forward to being on her "bigger" sister. The past two years we have cruised just after Thanksgiving and a week into December, but my wife says its pushing her too hard to get ready for Christmas so we thought it would be fun checking out a Halloween cruise!

Doc, The club is on deck 5 forward, starboard side at the entrance to the Star Lounge. Its one of those places you could walk by and not really notice. Just a door kinda in the foyer as you enter Star Lounge. I find it to be a nice little get away place, quite and well furnished. They have several air purifiers that move the air so its really never overwhelming with smoke.

I was on the Liberty last November and they had a 5 or 6 shelf humidor in the Connoisseur Club so I would imagine, with the Freedom being a sister ship, she would have one as well.

Just curious, but has anyone ever gotten an OBC and a C&A balcony discount together on any of these promotions? Seems we have in the past but I may be wrong.

Just back last Sunday from our b2b on the Liberty. Disappointedly, as Steve mentioned above, there was no "Cigars under the Stars" event held the entire two weeks. However, I did spend some time in the Connoisseur Club (Deck 5 forward) and met some great people and shared discussions on our favorite smokes. I have found that you can meet some very interesting people during the time it takes to enjoy a good after dinner drink and fine cigar. There is a small bar in there as well, so you can also pair with a scotch or bourbon and can even buy a cigar if you didn't bring your own. On occasion there was a cigarette smoker but I really didn't find it a distraction as they were in and out quickly. I spoke with the Club Concierge about a "Cigars under the Stars" event and he said that he had never held one during his time there, so I guess it probably has something to do with each individual Concierge. We will be back on the Adventure for a couple of weeks in February, so I will provide another update when we get back. I hope they still hold the event as there is something special to me about sitting under the stars on a beautiful night with a good cigar.

We are doing a b2b on the Liberty beginning the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so I will check out how the event is done on a Freedom Class ship. I sure hope it wasn't an exclusive event for the Adventure.........stay tuned!!

While on a Freedom or Voyager class, keep an eye out in the compass for the "Cigars under the Stars" night. Last March while on the Adventure I attended the event, up at the Sky Bar above the main pool area along with a half dozen other cigar enthusiasts. For $20 the Connoisseur Club Manager paired everyone's individual preference in cigars with a proper cognac or brandy for their choice of sticks. I met some great people and it was a fun time. Check it out next time you are on a Freedom or Voyager class cruise. The event is usually held around 10 pm and if I remember correctly it was about mid week.

We were on the Adventure last March and they were not on her at that time. From what I had heard the 2014 dry dock was to repair propulsion problems similar to those the Freedom had last year.

Interesting.............I'm not sure I would set out to intentionally spend $450 on pre-cruise and onboard purchases just to get 3 extra cruise points. $450 will buy you an inside cabin for a week on many RC ships and that gets you 7 points. If it worked out that I did spend that much then I'd think it was cool but on our last cruise we had a $400 OBC and we had a hard time spending it!...........but we did :)

Hi Matt.......new member here but long time lurker. Just saw your inquiry about Sabor. We just returned from a back to back on the Freedom last week so have some good news for you. According to Capt. Thor at one of the top tier events, a Mexican restaurant (not named) is to go into the space where the Crypt is now located when she goes into the much needed dry dock refurbish. During our first week (Nov 30-Dec 7) we sat in Nassau for two days while divers removed the main shaft propellers forcing loss of two port visits (St. Thomas and St. Martin). It wasn't a big deal to us as we mostly cruise now for the ship experience since we have been to most of the Caribbean islands on past cruises. Thought you might want to know what we heard from the man that ought to know! Happy Holidays!