JerseyJoe

I've seen other people comment on other threads that they order something called 'savory bites', sounds like small bite-sized seasoned bread things, and that only people who have been on RC before know about them. They are supposedly to die for.

I know that warnings have been issued for tourists in Nassau. Because of this, we will probably opt for one of the private island excursions (Blue Lagoon, Balmoral Island, Pearl Island...). I have watched some YouTube videos of people walking to Junkaroo beach and other places, and they pass by some shady-looking areas. This concerns me, especially since we will have our kids with us, and they might be scared by the aggressive straw market sales tactics. So, I have a couple questions: If you book an excursion through RC, do you need to leave the port (and through some shady areas) to get to the transportation for the excursions, or does it pick you up right there? If you've done one or more of the private island excursions, I'd love to hear your thoughts on them. We really aren't interested in the dolphin, sea lion, or stingray experiences (although might be cool to be able to watch other people doing it for a few minutes). We would be more into a beach day, maybe some snorkeling and paddle boarding or kayaking.

We got the refreshments package for all of us, because we want the peace of mind of not having to worry about how much we are actually spending on the ship. It is all paid for, including gratuities. We got the package for $20 a person, and they add 18% gratuity to it. So, for 5 days, it came to $100 + $18 gratuity per person. We don't want to have to say "no, you've already had enough to drink today". The kids can get a couple mocktails, fill up in the Coke machines, get juice, water bottles. I think we'd easily spend over $20 each per day (maybe not on the port days, although the package works in Labadee). Then we'd have to worry about the 18% gratuity on top of the money over the $20. I think it would add up. At least for our family. I think it makes sense for us, but won't really know until after since it is our first cruise. I just really wanted to mention the gratuity piece, since I hadn't seen anyone else mention it.

Our kids all have passports. I was replying to the comment about needing a passport AND another form of ID, which was later retracted.

What about for children? Do we need birth certificates for them if they don't have drivers licenses?

Oh, great, thanks. I was reading elsewhere that said we needed both. We all have valid passport books.

Do we really need to bring a passport AND a birth certificate as identification? As difficult as it is to get a passport (and the fact that you need to provide a birth certificate in order to get one), I would think that would be enough. I just don't like having to worry about birth certificates being lost or damaged during the trip, because it is such a hassle getting a replacement.

We felt the same, let them indulge without having to worry about how much they are drinking. There will be 6 of us cruising, and we got the refreshments package for all of us, at $20 per day. Another thing to think about, is that if you get the package, you are pre-paying your gratuities, an 18% charge will be added at checkout. So a 5 day cruise at $20 per day ended up at $118 per person for the package, or $708 total. $708 seems like a big chunk of change to put out at one time just for drinks for a 5 day trip, but I think we would easily buy over $20 per day in drinks, they add up quickly. Or, we'd have to say no, you can't have another soda or mocktail or coffee. Now, we don't have to worry at all. We can all get whatever we want, and not have to worry about tipping either.

I've seen that picture, but it wasn't clear to me that it was actually considered 3 separate dining rooms as opposed to one dining room that spans 3 floors.

That was very helpful, thank you. Having never done a cruise before, I didn't have an understanding of how it worked. I assumed there was one massive dining room, not 3 separate ones.

Thanks. There will be 6 of us, so we will be making reservations. I'm not sure what to expect, or how many people can actually fit in there at one time. And if there are disadvantages to going at a certain time (for example, showing up for dinner at a time when a huge group of non-My Time Dining people are being served dessert).

I've read that it can take up to 2 hours to complete a meal in the MDR. So, if the regular seatings are at 5:30 and 8:00, will it be difficult to get a table at other times if there will be a ton of people still in there from those times? Also, is it possible to get a table at those times if you are using My Time Dining, or are you limited to times other than those times?

This may be a silly question, but I've asked a few people I know who have done cruises and they couldn't answer for sure - are we allowed to bring towels off the ship for shore excursions? We shouldn't need to pack our own towels, right?

What do most people do when they go on excursions? Do you bring your phone or camera with you for pictures? Do you worry about them getting wet, or having it stolen if you leave it to go into the water?

We are timeshare owners, and our points can be used at Holiday Inn locations, so that is good to know that this is a good location.

Thank you for this!

Our cruise is April 21-26. I'm not sure we'd want to do anything like a water park. Even if it is a top of the line water park, my kids have never been to the Caribbean, so we'd prefer to have an experience that is uniquely Caribbean, like snorkeling or something like that. Plus, there are a couple of really cool water slides on the ship (Navigator).

Some good tips. Any others?

First cruise coming up next month, and the logistics of such things as where to stay before and after the cruise, getting to and from the port, etc, are really stressing me out! The cruise itself is not stressing me out. I'm looking for some expertise to help ease my mind, so if you have any experience of any of the following issues, it would be greatly appreciated! We will be leaving out of Miami on April 21 (Easter). We are looking at probably flying to Florida on the 19th or 20th (leaning towards afternoon/evening of the 19th). Looking at flights, it is about $100 cheaper to fly into Fort Lauderdale than it is to fly into Miami. It is also cheaper to leave out of Philadelphia than it is out of Newark NJ. We are about an hour from Philadelphia and about 30-40 minutes from Newark, so not that much of a difference there. Would we be better off staying in Fort Lauderdale or in Miami? I've seen people comment that they don't like the city of Miami, and that the beaches of Fort Lauderdale are much nicer. But when it comes to getting to the port, would it be much easier for us to get there from a hotel in Miami than Fort Lauderdale? Getting 6 people and luggage from the airport to the hotel, and from the hotel to the port - I've seen people talk about the Go Airport shuttle over Uber for that many people. Will they take us and pick us up from wherever we need to go? Will it break the bank? Will we need a car to get around in either Fort Lauderdale or Miami for a day and a half, or will we be able to easily get around without one? We return back to Miami on the 26th. Would you recommend looking for a flight on the 26th, or to spend another night in Florida that night and flying home on the 27th? If we fly home on the 26th, I wouldn't want to book a flight that is so early that we cut it close getting there, but also not one that is so late that we have hours of sitting around with nothing to do. If we are booking a shuttle when we get back to take us either to the airport or a hotel, what time do we book it for if we don't know the exact time we'll be getting off the ship? Being huge cruise ports, I'm sure these details have been ironed out over the years, but it's all new to me, and I can't find any one resource that tells you what to expect in regards to getting to and from the ship. I'm really just looking for people's experiences in what they've done that worked for them, or maybe didn't work for them. If there's anything I didn't think of in my questions, feel free to add it as well. Thanks!

Wow, I loved pretty much every one of those bands back in the day, and saw many of them live. I saw Trixter MANY times.

It depends. When you booked, you should have been given the option to choose between 5:30 or 8:00 pm seatings, or to choose something called 'My Time Dining'. If you chose MTD, you can eat at whatever time you like, either by reserving in advance by the day, or by showing up at the time you want. Most people say there can be a minimal wait (up to about 15 minutes) if you just show up.

Does anyone have any updates on the status of the new waterslide on Navigator? I've seen various things, such as the tubes kept getting stuck, there was a leak down onto the deck below, they have opened temporarily for testing but only for a short time... I'm hoping it will be all sorted out by our trip on April 21, they were what prompted us to book this ship over another option because my kids were excited by it. Just looking for news on this.

Recipe says potato flour.

Ok, now I have to ask - what are savory bites?

We definitely wouldn't. If we eat an appetizer, we can't even eat our meal at all.