NJCruisers

I wish everyone good health - it's one of those things many take for granted - until it affects you or a loved one.  That said, things have changed since my husband's new heart valve and my own health issues.  This cruise is our first real vacation by ourselves, as we've never gone away without our kids for more than a long weekend. Now that our kids are grown and need to use their own vacation days I don't see them traveling with us anytime soon!  

I aspire to be that couple that gets to cruise 2x a year.  I'm hoping this trip will kick start that.  

We'll be in Myrtle Beach the first week in June, then this cruise on Nov. 17th.  

53 minutes ago, melski94 said:

With MTD you typically sit at a table with only your party unless you request to sit with a larger group. 

 

Thanks for your reply!  So is there a way to request to sit with a larger group online? Or can that be taken care of by a visit to the dining room on embarkation day?

Also, how long should we normally plan for meals - like is an hour long enough?  I liked the idea of having dinner at 530/6 then being able to leave the ship for a bit before we have to be back on it.  If we get 6pm traditional dining we may not be able to do that then I'm guessing.  First world problems, I know!

I'm currently signed up for MTD thru my TA.  We might be in the minority, but my hubby and I were looking forward to eating dinner with others as it will only be the 2 of us on the cruise.  Is it better to switch to a regular seating?  However, I've also heard of instances where it was observed of only one or two people sitting at a large table all by themselves.  We certainly don't want that either.  We also do not have any plans (as of yet) to eat at any of the signature restaurants. 

AND, the only other cruise we went on together we enjoyed having the same waiter every night.  I guess the upside to MTD is that you get to meet a bunch more and if you get a dud, you don't have to worry about being with them all week.  We aren't picky eaters and have no allergies so that's not a concern. 

Can you tell I'm all over the place right now?  Mind you I don't sail till November but my last few vacations were Disney World so I'm still in obsessive planner mode!

20 hours ago, Atlantix2000 said:

Well the deluxe package lets you buy one drink at a time and you can't share your drinks with anyone.  The whole point of a bucket of beers is to share with multiple people so they really aren't compatible.

I guess that makes sense - can you tell I'm NOT a beer drinker?!  I am not that familiar with the ship (yet) but just thought if we were hanging out in the adults only section and having to keep walking to the bar at the main section that a bucket of beers might be a better choice for the hubby.  

I had fun looking through this post, what is the time frame to see who will be the CD on our November Cruise?  

18 hours ago, dodgestang said:

Yes....you could get 4 pack/bucket of corona at the pool bar on Grandeur last 2 times I was there....only caveat being....since I had a drink package....they wouldn't give me one

Huh, so with the Deluxe package you can't get a bucket of beers?  

On 1/22/2019 at 9:26 AM, Matt said:

St Croix, St Lucia, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao.

I think Curacao is my favorite currently.

We've only been to Curacao once and that trip my husband golfed while I went with a large group Blue Bay Beach Break with RC.  I have that booked again for the both of us, but we have plenty of time left before the ship departs.  Any suggestions that doesn't involve sitting in a car or van on a guided tour? 

I booked our Travel Insurance thru Covermore - the Price covered both of us.  I took the $100 option.

I wish my ship were on the app!  I ended up deleting it as it was useless.

I think we are going to stick with Woodwind for now - I'm sure I'll rethink this in my head about a dozen times between now and November!  I booked the afternoon excursion so we can get up, enjoy a leisurely breakfast and take our time off the ship before our 4 hour snorkeling excursion.  

I booked with Woodwind to reserve a spot, I need to research both of these more to see which one is a better fit. Thank you!

Good Afternoon,

I'm new to this board and have been reading posts the past few days.  I am excited to be planning our port days and we have never been to Bonaire.  We have only snorkeled a few times, so we're pretty easy to please. It's only 2 of us & we will be thisclose to 50 by the time we cruise. 

I'm trying to decide if we should book an excursion thru Woodwind, or if we should do one of those water taxi trips or book an excursion to No Name Beach.  Any recent recommendations would be appreciated.