loki007

you are really buying a guaranteed spot. I bought one on odyssey in December for $300 i believe. Like Matt said most are on the upper deck, so could be windy on a sea day. We had rainy weather so I spent most of the day in the solarium anyways. I probably would not buy again and use that money for something at coco cay or a port. 

you do not need a passport to get off the ship in coco cay, just your sea pass card. Nassau i would recommend taking your passport although its unlikely you will be asked for it. 

we did this in Rome last year on Celebrity. They can offer in Eurozone because you do not have to clear any customs when departing the ship. It was a great end to our trip. had the pool to ourselves for the entire day. 

but you will be able to walk off as soon as they open the gangway. That isn't always right at the stated time but usually pretty close. i think you're safe planning to be off by 8:30

I would suggest a video tour on youtube of the ship. I like Harr travel but there are many. Pool area is a good size. You can go to the key lunch and then the pool. Plenty of time on embarkation day. I would tell you on Mariner get up there early on sea days. 

we were just at Hideaway. we grabbed chairs as soon as we walked in and found them far enough from the pool that the DJ wasn't too loud. We loved our day there.

8 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

If you're dropping stuff off at 9:00 and not using the chairs until after lunch, that's far more than an hour (chair hog). If you're using the chairs from 9:00 until you leave for lunch, that's a different story and the staff monitoring the chairs (as well as other passengers) would have seen you there throughout the morning (NOT a chair hog).

agree but what they are doing is tagging the chairs for 30 minutes so i lose my chairs despite enjoying them for 3 hours then heading to the windjammer for lunch when you decided to sleep in and wander up an noon and are stunned there are no chairs

i'll be the naysayer on this policy. If I choose to get up and head to the pool deck at 9:00 to get some seats i should be able to go to lunch for an hour and come back to my stuff. Maybe the right solution is to sell reserved chairs on the cruise planner. Then I can buy them and leave them empty all day if i want. 

you should be able to find a cruise compass thru the link at the top of the page for liberty that will show you the show times. Do not miss saturday night fever. It is the full broadway production. If you need to go to the Windjammer for dinner or get room service and skip the main dining room. 

Not sure of the specifics but they seem very similar to me in terms of building points for comps. I think Blue Chip might be a little better when it comes to cruise offerrings. I get offers for balcony staterooms for 2 on Royal but Concierge class on Celebrity. 

been to the beach club 4 times. I have experienced what you describe on one visit. The other times it was ok. They have fixed this problem at hideaway beach. there are several bars and I found the service very efficient. 

Chichen Itza (or chicken pizza as my kids called it) is really spectacular and I would recommend it if you have a chance to see. Much grander than other Mayan ruins in the area. 

43 minutes ago, ScottD said:

Funny you mention Mariner as another you don't like- I see nothing but people LOVING that ship.  

I know I was so surprised when on it. I have seen so many good reviews. It really had to do with the crowds. If you were not in the solarium at 6:15 am you were not getting a chair on sea days. people actually slept in there to reserve chairs. I was just on Allure and you could get a chair at noon, no problem. The line at Sorentos was 50 deep anytime you went. The entertainment was also terrible, worst I've seen. We had 2 families and the consensus was 1 and done with Mariner. 

Used it a couple times. Look up your resort on TripAdvisor and make sure it gets decent reviews. We did one in Cozumel, name escapes me, and the resort wasn’t a great experience. Burgers and dogs instead of the expected Mexican flare. Unfortunately Falmouth is not a super appealing port. You might find staying on the ship a nicer resort experience

We completely agree with you. We were on Odyssey for 6 nights in December. What an odd layout. Playmakers being so out of the way in the seaplex, it was an afterthought for us. The elevators were terrible. I got the feeling that they tried to take the Celebrity Edge Skeleton and make a Royal Ship and it did not work. Next to Mariner our least favorite Royal ship. 

Uber would be around $125. Definitely the most convenient. It a 45 minute drive. There are also bus transports from the airport. 

there are water dispensers in the windjammer  You can fill your bottle. 

the are mats to use at coco beach club. As far as value it depends what you paid for it. My rule is less than $200pp is worth it even if your gone for an hour on an excursion. That said we were just at Hideaway beach and for $26pp I think its a great option as well. 

17 minutes ago, DoomSlayer said:

I've never had that problem if the kids were right next door or directly across the hall.  In fact, one time I called Royal for reservations and asked for a suite to accommodate us all, he was the one that talked me into using two rooms with adults in one and kids in the other.  That rep ended up saving me a lot of money.  I have been doing it that way sense with no issue, you just have to call to make the reservations that way and link them, you can't do it on-line.

i definitely thought it was odd that 2 twenty year olds may be denied boarding but still switched so someone 21 was in each room. It was a casino royal rep I was talking to. 

my rule is never wear pants, those are for work. Shorts are for cruising 

i just booked 2 rooms and tried to put two 20 year olds in one room and was told I they could be denied boarding. I would leave your reservation as is with 1 adult in each room and as already stated go guest services to get extra keys. We have done this many times with out kids. 

other than its one of the most beautiful cities in North America....nope 

we were just on allure and you needed to insert your card to open doors

used it many times for our 10 day france and italy cruise last year. Very reliable. 

understanding you are looking for a cabana but  i would say that getting to hideaway beach early and grabbing chairs by the pool (not in the sand to protect your hubbies nether regions) would be a better day than a cabana at chill island or south beach. We were just at Hideaway and it is awesome, not sure we will ever go back to Coco Beach Club. You can hit the covered open air bar (pool tables, shuffle board, band), and slice of paradise for some pizza without getting sandy.