Pima1988

On our planner for 7/17 there are no beach beds or bungalows showing up on the cruise planner either so I am betting they are all sold out too.

We took the cabana. There are limited numbers of cabanas. Chill only has 14 cabanas. Some things to think about are: it is shaded due to it being a cabana, and it is on a secluded part of the beach. The cabana comes with a cooler full of water and towels for the day. It has a personal cabana attendant. It also includes beach mats. If you are saying Oasis Lagoon (pool area) is running at 466 I would jump on it, as in yesterday. We paid 449 for Chill and I thought that was a bargain. I have never seen Oasis drop below 600 on our cruise for July.

@Matt I noticed you said they moved the cabanas to the middle, and it comes with an exclusive lunch. Where was the lunch? They also say something about Wacky Seagull and Wacky Seagull Jr. on the website, is that only for cabanas? What is the difference between the 2. Soo many questions, my apologies, but since they have totally revamped the island, I am just trying to figure out this new layout.

When are you going in July? We will be there on the 17th (Adventure) and our cruise planner is at 33. I am asking only out of curiosity from a pricing aspect. Just my opinion, but I think RCCL price points vary from a demand supply aspect.. IE maybe on a larger ship than Adventure they will up the price bc there will be more people, thus the demand is higher. I belong on FB the Adventure page, and posters will say OMG the DBP is on sail for 44, I paid 47 so I go over to my cruise planner to see it is still at 52. I realize later on that they are sailing a different week/month than me.

For our July trip the clam shells tend to come and go on the planner. 2 weeks ago there were none, today they are offering them at $33. I don't know if my memory is failing or I am confusing it with Labadee, but I seem to recall they also offer beach beds and bungalows. Both are cheaper than the Bungalow, but more expensive than the clam shell. Bungalows can only hold 6, cabanas hold 8. Cabanas also come with some other little perks compared to the bungalow. I want to say the bungalows cost @200. We took the cabana and pounced on it early on bc it was 449. For 6 adults that came down to @75 pp. This is our big splurge on the cruise. I broke it down this way to get them to bite off on the idea. There are only 14 cabanas. It is on a secluded part of the beach that you can only gain entry if you have a cabana. It comes with a personal cabana attendant. Shade, sofas, lounge chairs and floating mats. No need to bring bottle water or towels off the ship, just show up. The cabana also has USB ports to play your own music. We will be there for @ 6 hrs, thus the hrly break down was $12 per hr. Once I placed that in their minds, everybody agreed Coco Cay is my favorite stop. If it was just my hubby and I, I would get the clam shell. I never find the beach too crowded, but if you want shade, I find that hard to get. I am going to assume it will be even less crowded on the beach side with Chill and Thrill being opened for your Feb. sailing.

@Muerz I agree with you. My husband and I only did it 1x, just for the heck of it. We would never do it again. Unfortunately for @mpdahmer is that even if their group has connecting balconies, the dividers do not come down like they do on a ship like Anthem. For example, when we did Anthem, we had 5 connecting balconies, and the dividers were removed. We all got free continental breakfast delivered to our rooms, but we would go up to WJ to get the omelets, and hash browns. Due to that fact it was a perfect mix. My husband and I book balconies, we even did this with just an ocean view. We never were unable to find a table at WJ. It is just for us, this works as the perfect mix. We can order continental breakfast the night before with a delivery time. We get up, walk the track or go to the gym. We hit the WJ for a more specialized omelet, while it is being made we pick up some hash browns, grilled tomatoes, whatever hot items that strike our fancy. Plate in hand we walk back to our room, within a few mins, the continental breakfast (coffee, juice, Danish, etc) is at our door. We eat this on our balcony while we go through the compass, pack our excursion tote, take a shower (come back and have another sip of coffee), put on sunscreen (come back and have a bite of a Danish), double check we have everything in the tote and plan for the day as we sit on the balcony enjoying the sea or watching us dock as we sip the last bit of coffee/juice. For us, this is the absolute best. We don't feel like OMG we have to get back to the room to get ready bc of our plans for the day. We are relaxed and usually end up spending more time on the balcony bc we do what I stated, eat and get ready at the same time. Just want to give you an idea if you feel WJ is too crowded.

You made me curious so I pulled out my husband's biz passport (not the traditional blue) and he has 0 stamps. He travels overseas at least 2x a yr. on business, but usually to 1 country at a time. He has a trip next week, but this time he will be going to 3 countries over 2 weeks, so I will check to see if he got stamped in any of the countries. He also has the traditional blue that he uses for personal use when we travel together. He has 0 like me. Back to the regular scheduled program.

I am not a fan of the Bionic bar. We were on the Anthem, which has a bionic bar, but it was constantly broken down. In my opinion it is really just a show. Kind of like a bucket list, been there, done that. Go to a bar, get your mocktail, walk by and watch it do its thing. Maybe it was Anthem and the location of the bar, but that is how we felt.

I say this often, but I don't think about alcohol fatigue on a long cruise. I would at least by the refreshment package that is running at 20 pp/per day, the deluxe is running at 49. Thus, really what we are talking about is a $29 difference. That equates to 1 $12 cocktail during the day, a glass of wine at dinner and another at a show for me to not only break even, but also be ahead of the game. That being said, I also make a call on this decision based on how port intensive the cruise is. IE my cruise is 8 nights. We are only stopping at Nassau, Bermuda and Coco Cay (Coco Cay the drink package works on the island). Thus, it is only 2 ports where we will be on our own to purchase alcohol. That means for us it is more cost beneficial to buy the package. When we did Anthem 5 night NE/Canada, we had 3 ports, and 1 true day at sea, 2 if you include embarkation day (all aboard was 2 pm, we got there @ noon) . We purchased the package, but we really didn't buy alcoholic drinks in port, maybe a beer/wine with lunch. I think part of it was being busy doing touristy things, and part due to if I want to drink I can do it for free on the ship (can't say boat here unless you want @twangster to admonish you). Now if your cruise is port intensive, than maybe buying the refreshment package is a better deal. Final reasons we buy the DBP 1. My husband is not a big drinker, but he finds it fun to try new drinks like the Lava Flow. If he doesn't like it, he pitches it and orders a new concoction. I laugh bc this guy is a bourbon and coke guy, but on a cruise by the pool, everytime I look at him when he gets a drink it is something blended, and than he complains he now has a brain freeze. 2. We are huge fans of RCCL trivia. They usually offer it a couple of times during the day/night. On all of our cruises it usually is held in Schooners, sometimes it is held in another bar, but it still is a bar. It lasts about 30 - 45 mins. We get a drink there too. Soooo if you buy only 1 beer during the day at the pool. Hit Trivia either in the afternoon or evening and order a bourbon & coke. Go to late seating dinner and order a Malbec with your lamb shank. All the while during the day you get your specialty coffee, fresh squeezed OJ in the a.m., and bottles of H20 since you have a refreshment package. You are there. 3. I don't believe in alcohol fatigue unless you go in with this idea you MUST drink 4 or 5 drinks per day due to the cost. See my original point if you purchase the refreshment, than the difference is 29 bucks (got mine at 47). Thus, for me it is close to 2 drinks and the rest is me getting non-alcoholic beverages. In essence, 1 drink by the pool, 1 at dinner and I am only losing 3 bucks a night. 4. Nothing like turning on your tv while you on your cruise to see your bill charges. ? I rather have it paid in full and not wait in line on the last night. Old adage/joke how much is your time worth? For me, even if I only spend $24 in alcoholic drinks, and when you tally it I am $3 per day in the hole, (assuming refreshment only package) I would rather pay it all up front than rather wait in line at the customer service deck for 45-60 mins to pay my final bill. Hope that helps in your decision making process

I have been told it is just for maintenance, no refurbishment. Lady G will get a major overhaul in 2020 or 2021 (can't recall)

Interesting that the Navigator will be the 1st ship to dock. @twangster is on Navigator right now. He stated that the person in charge of Perfect Day Coco Cay will be leaving the Navigator for this position.

@JLMoran is correct you can link them up on your own. We went as a family on Anthem last yr., no TA for the group, some purchased with Costco/Sams club, some purchased on line, and some used a TA. My brother got all of our reservation numbers and called RCL. They linked us all up. This yr we are going as a group with my husband's family. I am the point person, and we all went through my TA. She linked all of us. She did the same for our galley lunch, and the girls spa day (time).

It is per night, not day. So on a 7 day cruise, it is 6 nights. Day 1 can actually become a full day. For example, we have boarded as early as 10:30/11:00 a.m. There is no 1 or 3 day package. Remember to look at it from a whole $$$ cost. Let's say you buy the refreshment package for 20 bucks. It will include sodas, coffees, and bottle water. We got our deluxe for 47 pp day. That means to break even I only have to have 2-3 drinks per day. I will easily have at least 1 drink at the pool during sea days. Than have a glass of wine at dinner. If we are hanging over dinner I will have a cappuccino and amaretto. Boom I am costing them money. The beverage package can be used at Coco Cay and Labadee, their private islands.

@twangster what was in the jet pilot drink? I will be on Adventure in July, and my husband flew fighters in the AF. Adventure does not have the Bamboo lounge, but I would love to order one for him as a joke. Never mind I googled it. Not sure if the recipe is right, but if it is, I am not sure how you can stand up after 1 of those. The recipe calls for 3 types of rum and Southern comfort, plus cran, pineapple and OJ.

I guess I am wrong and my memory failed me. Back on topic. Royal does indeed do a Coco Cay and Key West cruise 4 nights out of Florida. I did it, but ...Enchantment might not be your cup of tea. I view Enchantment like Lady G. It does not have the bells and whistles. No water slides, limited specialty restaurants, it is a small ship. I liked it because it was port intensive, just like Lady G compared to the Anthem or Adventure when it comes to the Caribbean. I liked the Anthem more because there were more passengers and options, such as I Fly and North Star. Hoping Adventure will be the perfect fit...mini golf, ice skating, flow rider, etc.

If you don't mind lugging some crap, go for it regarding Coco Cay. Coco Cay is a great beach day. You will not be disappointed if you are a beach person. The water is insane. Crystal blue.

Miami to Nassau 1st night Nassau to Coco Cay 2nd night Coco Cay to Key West 3rd night . Sea day. Key West, 4th night. We left at 6 p.m. sailed all night and got back by 8 in Miami. Hence it was 4 nights. I know this for multiple reasons.

I am praying and hoping you are correct @twangster. We are due to be in CocoCay in July. We have tendered 2x, thus it will be unique to dock this time around.

My husband and I also do a couple of things. 1. We order room service breakfast (free). It is continental. We order the night before, get up early hit the gym, or walk the track (taking the stairs). Stop at WJ, and get an omelet since we know we have continental will show up within minutes upon returning to our cabin. Take the stairs back down. This keeps us away from piling on at WJ. 2. We eat dinner late. We go to the WJ when it opens for dinner. We make 2 plates . One is our appetizers while we get ready for dinner, shrimp, veggies, etc., anything we can pick at it while we shower and dress, which fills up our stomachs. The other is our late night snacks (typically a deli/cheese plate that we put in the min-fridge and something sweet) The thing is by doing so, when I go to dinner, my eyes are not bigger than my stomach. Again this is pre-planning. 3. I do specialty restaurants, but from a weight issue, I like the MDR more. In the MDR you will have the same server every night. By day 3 they know your likes and dislikes, iows, your eating habits. The MDR usually offers the wedge salad, 1x during the cruise. However, bc I have sailed with RCCL multiple times, and use the MDR often, I ask on night 1 can I have the wedge salad the next night? I have never been told no, even though it is off the menu. My husband knowing my eating habits will chime in and say, can you give her that in a child's portion, bc otherwise I am the one left eating it or it is wasted food. I also order multiple appetizers. I will order a salad or soup as an appetizer, and ask for the calamari (appetizer) for dinner. No offense, but point being it really is up to her. I am in my 50s, keeping weight off is a battle. Going on a cruise with booze and unlimited food makes it even harder. Yet, I have never gained a pound. I attribute this to planning. I could take the elevator. I could sleep in. I could not ask for off the menu meals at the MDR. Notice it is all I could. Not trying to offend. Just saying she has options to stay on the path. For me, the splurge night is not lobster, but lamb shanks.

I am not sure what you mean by beach loungers. Clamshell, beach beds, beach mats? Lounge chairs are free. I agree with melski. You can rent beach mats for $13 for the day. That being said, I am someone who travels lightly. 13 bucks for a beach mat is worth it in my eyes if it means 1 less suitcase.

No it was 4 nights. We left Miami at 4 or so. Got to Nassau the next a.m. That would make it day 2, but only 1 night We than went to Coco Cay. Again we docked early. Day 3, 2nd night. Day 4, 3rd night we sailed to Key West. Sea day. Day 5 , Key West. We sailed that 4th night back to Miami and arrived back to the port by 7-8 a.m. Hence, it was 4 nights.

I have to reiterate use the stairs every time. I will be honest, that is what we do. It was only on our 4th cruise that I used the elevator. We were on a family cruise, and I remember remarking OMG they have the day of the week on the floor, how cute. 1 family member said to me we have been on this ship for 5 nights, and now you are just noticing? My response was, this is the 1st time I have taken the elevator on any cruise. Don't know which ship you will be on. but you will be amazed how many times a day you climb the stairs. It will start day 1. You can wait for an elevator after the Muster Drill or you can walk the stairs and get there quicker IMPO, drink 2x as much water as you do at home. Between the sun and alcohol you will dehydrate faster than just hanging at your desk at work. I have never gained a pound on a cruise. I am a grazer. Lots of small meals. Lots of water during the day. I do the deluxe beverage package, but with every drink I get a bottle of water. I do not order a new drink until I have guzzled down that bottle of water.

+1... Yuk I would rather drink listerine! I also like Frangelico, hazelnut flavor. Try a Frangelico Martini or a chocolate cake shot. Chocolate cake shot is Frangelico, any chocolate liqueur (IE Godiva) and vanilla vodka shaken with a few ice cubes. I know you love red velvet cake, so you may want to experiment and see if Chambord works better for you than Frangelico. @JohnK6404 as you can see, specialty liquors like Baileys or Amaretto are included, now you may have to pay an upcharge if you go really fancy, but the up charge is only the difference from the DPB coverage and the charge for the drink. IE you go to Coco Cay and purchase 1 of their drinks in a pineapple. It costs 13. DPB is 12. You will pay 1 dollar plus the 18% grat on that 1 dollar. IOWs, it will cost 1.18 out of pocket.

I have been to Nassau 2 times, and the 3rd time I will be there is in July. I have never felt unsafe. I would say the locals will approach you as soon as you get off the ship, just say Thanks, no thanks, and they will leave you alone. I will also say, be smart and view Nassau like any big tourist area, such as, NYC, or Venice. There are good and bad areas, 1 wrong left turn and you will go from the good area to the bad area very quickly. My husband and I be it Nassau or an RCCL private island leave our valuables in our safe on the ship. He cleans out his wallet of all credit cards, except 1 and maybe 50 bucks in cash. In his wallet he carries, our driver licenses, our sea pass cards, and that 1 credit card. I don't carry a beach bag or a purse in Nassau. The only jewelry I wear are my engagement/wedding ring, and my eternity necklace. Good luck getting my diamond rings off my hand -- I swell in the heat. I do this, not out of fear, but there is no reason to take anything more. We put sunscreen on before we leave the ship, so if he has all of that, and I am with him at all times, why do I need my purse? FWIW, I am also someone that my friends laugh at when they see my purse, they call it a wallet on a string. I don't feel that I need to even bring my cell phone if I am with my husband. He takes his, so why do I need to take mine? The only time we separate is if 1 of us is going to the bathroom. FYI, I am a Jersey girl that lived right outside of NYC, and now resides in Virginia right outside of DC, same as my husband. NYC and DC are scarier to me than Nassau. Hubby also has learned due to that exposure, if you want to be sure your wallet will not be stolen, place your cell phone in your back pocket and your wallet in your front pocket. You might not feel them lift from your back pocket as a man, but you will def. feel them lift from your front pocket. Point being the way we travel we are less likely to be targeted, which is why maybe I feel secure. Think about it. I have done the excursions with RCCL. I have no desire to repeat them. This time we will go on our own to Graycliffs, and I have absolutely 0% fear.

We did a 4 night on Enchantment about 2 1/2 yrs ago. We went to Nassau, Coco Cay and Key West. I want to say our sea day was between Coco Cay and Key West. I loved that cruise for 1 reason. We were able to do all of the excursions we wanted bc they were offered at multiple ports. I love Key West, such a great walking town, and you have to love the chickens everywhere, acting like as if they owned the town and putting up with us humans invading their space. We went to the Blue Heaven in Key West. What a great place to eat. Def. order the Key Lime pie if you go there. I swear the pie slice has to be at least 6 inches tall. All of the food portions were huge. The ambiance is amazing too. The bar is an old boat upside down so the bottom of the boat is the bar itself. They also had a psychic off on the side from the bar. The restaurant/patio area feels like you are at a funky friends home, mismatched chairs, obscure paintings, exotic plants, etc. Fun, fun, fun. My husband and I laughed because of course in Key West you have to visit the southern point marker. We walked down there and see a line of maybe 100 people waiting to get a photo shot at the marker. We looked at each other and said at the exact same time. OK, saw the marker, been there, done that, let's go to Fat Tuesday for some drinks! I will say that you can tell Key West is a tourist town when you go shopping. Very artisanal, but also very expensive for the products offered impo. I can buy handmade soap on Amazon, same quality, but 50% less in price. FYI I think we docked at 10 or 11. I recall that because we went to Blue Heaven for brunch. We sailed @ 6, bc I remember that our MTD was 6:30 and we were sailing out of port while we were getting ready for dinner. Plus, I have pics of us on the pool deck overlooking the port and in the background the sun was setting (Nov. cruise) Honestly my only negative from this cruise is Enchantment was just too small for our tastes. I would never sail on Enchantment again due to its' size and nightly entertainment options.