Brobbins246

This is a little off topic, but does anyone know what a typical shot of alcohol costs? I've got the refreshment package too and plan on mostly drinking what's included, but if I want to spruce up my virgin colada with a shot of rum, I'm thinking it'll be cheaper than if I buy a fully loaded colada off the menu. By the way, thanks for all the NA ideas! Before I saw this thread, I thought my most elaborate drink on the refreshment package might be a milkshake.

This is good news. My 11yo daughter pretty much eats nothing but hamburgers when we go out to restaurants (no cheese, ketchup only) so I'm glad to hear they should be decent. My goal is to convince her to try some new foods on this trip, knowing we don't have to buy all the different meals separately, but I know she'll still want many burgers too.

We're signed up for a Nassau private historical/cultural tour with Island Marketing cruise excursions in April. Hopefully it won't be too confusing or scary finding our contact person when we get off the ship and they'll take good care of us. I've known for a long time that Nassau can be creepy but we're giving it a go.

Oops, I just realized my cruise on Allure was listed as sailing on March 32, 2019. I'll be waiting forever for that date! I meant March 31, 2019. Sailing out of Miami with my husband, two kids, MIL and FIL.

Thanks for the input. I certainly don't want to treat them rudely, and actually thought that might help save them some time and energy too. No offense meant.

I've heard about the pushy beach merchants that approach you while trying to relax, selling their wares. I've also heard they usually respect a spoken, "No Gracias" but has anyone tried using a sign? I mean seriously, I would consider bringing a sign to stick in the sand or hold up that says "No Gracias" so they don't even talk to me. I want to zone out and not be interrupted every five minutes. Do you think that would work?

March 32, 2019 on Allure out of Miami! Our family of four + MIL & FIL

I know we can bring two 750 ml bottles of wine on board per cabin which we'll definitely be doing. Do you know if our cabin mini fridge will be large enough to hold these to keep them cold? Also how does corking work? We're lowly gold C&A members so I doubt we have any perks relating to that. Sailing on Allure if that matters. Thanks!

Do you think this would be offered for porting back into Miami, and flights home from Ft. Lauderdale? I'm guessing that might be too great of a distance but curious.

I'm sorry for the confusion, you're correct - there's only one option for the Soda & Voom package. I was thinking of the multiple device Voom packages without the beverage. That's what I get for trying to respond to messages from my phone without looking at all the details. ? Now that I'm on my computer, I have good news...the one you're seeing is the Surf + Stream option - the better one. On the description, note how it mentions high speed and streaming: And then if you go into the Additional Terms & Conditions link for all the fine print, it makes it more clear, referring to the VOOM Surf and Stream. Hope that helps!!!

You should see two options for the soda and surf package. The one that's called surf voyage is the surf only one (without streaming). Correction - see my next post below.

All the activities such as the guac making class, galley brunch, and ship tour have become available for me in the Cruise Planner, with Black Friday just a few days away!! I sail in about 140 days. Two questions: How important is it to pre-book activities, i.e., do they fill up quickly where they might not be available on board? Can I expect any discounts on board for these, or do you think the Black Friday prices will be my best bet?

I'll be on the same itinerary on Allure sailing March 31st (but with older children), so I've been on the hunt for similar excursions. All your plans sound great and I don't see any major flaws there. Just be cautious walking around in Nassau if you venture out from the port area. We're booking a private cultural/historical excursion with a tour guide who I hope will keep us safe. Good pick for the monkeys/sloths in Roatan - we're doing the same thing but just with a different tour company that we're looking at for a few other activities. I'm the most excited about that excursion!

I'll be able to check it out on Allure in early April, 2019. Hoping by then they have the push notifications figured out.

It doesn't have push notifications yet so it might not work if you need the other person to see or respond to messages quickly.

Also, do they ever do anything else for "Cyber Monday"?

Has anyone used the 3rd party shore excursion company called Island Marketing, and if so, how did it go? Their web site URL's are always {town name}cruiseexcursions.com, but it appears their business name is Island Marketing. I'm looking at excursions offered by them in Roatan, Nassau and Costa Maya and they look pretty reputable from what I've seen on reviews. Their website states that they've never stranded someone on the island by not getting them back to the ship on time, but if that ever happened, they would cover expenses for lodging, transportation, etc. to deal with that situation because the reputation of their business would be on the line. (Wonder how iron clad that is.) :-) They seem to offer really nice excursions for reasonable rates, more than the RC cruise planner options or other 3rd party sites I've checked out. But nothing like putting all my eggs in one basket, so I'm looking for input from you all as well. thank you!!

We're traveling with my in-laws in March under two separate accounts. (Ie, they have a separate cabin and registration ID from ours.) If we only buy one package to be primarily for my immediate family, will my in-laws be able to be photographed in some of our pictures when we're together and have them show up in my account?

Never mind, I just found my answer about the open times! I finally found on the Cruise Compass where it lists the daily hours for the zip line under the Sports Activities section. Looks like it's open around 1-3pm on embarkation day, late afternoon on port days and two blocks of times on sea days in the morning and afternoon. (At least on the most recent Allure sailing that matches our itinerary.) We should be good.

We sail on March 31, so I better start feeding her more or put rocks in her pockets. Do you know about the open times too?

Does anyone know if the zip line on board the Allure has a weight or age minimum (my daughter is just under 70 lbs now, and will be age 11 at cruise time), and when it's usually open? I've checked out a few cruise compasses and it looks like mid-afternoon on sea days for sure, but what about embarkation or port days? TYIA!

You can search Black Friday in Matt's blog posts and see what the sales have been over the years. If I recall, the site had 30% off everything for Black Friday 2017. It changes from year to year.

I know this won't solve the entire problem, but maybe you could buy a package on board just for the last few days of the cruise. You won't get the pre-cruise discount, but you might make up for it by not having to buy it for the entire 11 days. You guys could save up all your drinking for the last few days, then go out with a bang. ?

Are the other drink packages subject to the rule of getting it for all adults in the cabin? For instance, I plan on getting the soda package for my husband, but no package for me because I'm good with the complementary drinks. Will I have to get the soda package as well?

My family of four would like to do a dolphin excursion, but only have my kids (age 11 & 16) participate and my husband & I will just watch. Do you know if any RC excursions have pricing for this, or do I probably need to book an independent excursion? I know some of the RC ones have a lower rate for kids, but I'm looking for a lower rate for spectator adults, which I haven't seen yet. If it matters, we'll be doing this either in Nassau, Roatan, Cozumel or Costa Maya.