Fairlynew

I agree that Sharla is very helpful.

An Update:  We are 313 days away from sailing, and the cabanas on Labadee showed up today.  Following the expert advice here, I decided that the cost of $264, while not bad for a family, is more than I want to pay for two people.  That will almost cover a drink package for one of us-I'd rather sip cocktails at Labadee than sit in cabana.  The clam shells for $49 are a better option, but the pricing seems to be per person, not per shell, which is weird.  Since we upgraded to a GS, we have access to Barefoot Beach so we are going to wing it and hope that we find a shady spot.  

I think your awesome live blog inspired others to book the same cruise!

More than the air temperature, the water is cold.  I've been to the Bahamas in March and May and found the water to be a bit too cold for my taste both times.  Of course, I am a Southerner.  I don't even like to go in the ocean in NC until July.

Thank you to all of you for your replies!!!  It looks like a cabana is much more than we need.  We do want shade, though, so I will look at the options when they are available.  Again, I appreciate your help and advice!!  This is the first time we have done a cruise with just the two of us, so the planning is very different than with a family group.

Thank you for your replies.  Actually, JLMoran, it was your post of your cabana in Labadee that got me interested.  Are the ones that are not over the water on the beach or farther away?  Also, this trip is just me and my husband.  Would we better off with just a couple of beach chairs and an umbrella?  Can you reserve those?  Thanks again for the replies.  

I have seen great pictures of Cabanas on Labadee.  I know some are in the suites area and not in the cruise planner, but i thought there were some on Nellie's Beach, but they don't appear in my Cruise Planner.  My sailing is March 2020.  Does the fact they aren't appearing mean they are sold out or are they just not available yet?

Interesting.  I have found dining packages.  Not sure we are going to book any because we will have access to Coastal Kitchen for the first time.  We have done specialty dining before and liked it, but we are in the rare minority that also enjoyed the MDR.  I guess we're just not that picky.  Food that i don't have to prepare that is served to me has to be pretty bad to get a complaint from me.  

When do drink packages show up in the Cruise planner?  We are 330 days out-a long way-I have never planned anything so far in advance.  Also, our itinerary includes Labadee.  We will have access to Barefoot beach, but I don't see anything in the planner about reserving cabanas, etc anywhere on Labadee.   Does that mean they are all already booked?  Since there are only two of us, we would probably rather reserve an umbrella and two chairs.  Is that possible?

Many thanks for all of the help I have found on this site.  

One more question (at least for now)-the information above says that Sky class do not require reservations for shows.  Is this true on the Oasis?  For some reason, I thought I had to reserve shows, even in Sky class-if I do need to reserve shows, should i do so in advance or have the concierge do it once we board.   I have the same question about CK dinner reservations-in advance or on board?

Obviously, I misspoke-another question popped into my head as I was typing-so not just one more question.

We have decided that we want to avoid hassle.  We very rarely travel without children and just want to be able to relax.  I have booked Sky class.  I know that Star class includes lunch on embarkation day-for Sky class, can we have lunch in Coastal Kitchen or are we limited to the Windjammer or the cafe?  I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all of the help!

If you buy The Key, do you still have to make reservations for shows?

We did a cruise years ago with children in a very similar age range (even had twins).  We did adjoining rooms and were very glad!  Two bathrooms were key-if any of your children are female, I highly recommend 2 bathrooms.

Thank you.  We have been to Jamaica to an all-inclusive resort in Negril, but not to the Falmouth area.  My husband is checking golfing in Scotland off his bucket list in August, and while he's gone, I'm doing a cruise to Havana and Cozumel with a friend.  Other than that, we have not been to any of the other ports.  We did one Caribbean cruise, Disney, years ago, and did not like it-not enough for adults in our opinion.  But we had a great time on a cruise in northern Europe in  August and want some warm weather, so we are giving it another shot.  We like to learn and explore and laze on the beach.  I am a history buff. 

I have decided on a ship (Oasis) and a cabin category (Sky class)-last decision is itinerary.  I'm looking at January or February of 2020.  I know from experience that Nassau and Freeport are not warm enough for my southern self until at least May.  That leaves out CocoCay.  I have three choices, all from Miami: 

1. Falmouth Jamaica, Cozumel and Labadee

2. Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas, San Juan and Labadee

3.Philllipsburg St Maarten, San Juan and Labadee.

I welcome any and all advice as to which is better.  The price varies about $600 between the three choices, so a factor, but not a huge one.

I am planning a warm weather vacation for January or February of 2020.  After consulting with my husband, we are doing a cruise instead of an All-inclusive land resort.  We did not enjoy a Disney cruise in the Caribbean years y ago with young kids, had a great time on a multi-generational Alaskan cruise with Princess (to see Glacier Bay) and loved it.  More recently, did an RC cruise from Southampton and it was awesome.  We were on Navigator of the Seas before the dry dock and loved it.  We are going to try an Oasis class for the winter.  I'd like to do a suite and am unclear about some of the advantages to Sky class vs. Sea class.  I know that Sky includes all day access to CK-wonderful.  I am more curious about what the concierge offers-do we get reserved seats for shows or any sort of priority for show reservations?  I'm a little worried (and alternately excited) about the size of the Oasis class ships and would like help navigating it.  I'm not ready to spring for Star class (don't want to be spoiled forever) but I can't tell if Sky class will give me enough help to justify the extra cost over a Junior suite.  Hence, I am asking the experts.  Many thanks in advance.  

We had this package on navigator of the seas in September and had no issue choosing our restaurants once on board.   Moreover we were able to change and dine on night 3 instead of 2 with no issue.