foxrunner

We were on Allure over the last New Years with DW and our 20 Y.O & 17 Y.O. , not Christmas but a holiday feel. We were in a balcony and boys down the hall interior. We were Western and you didn't mention East West or South.  We did date night (Giovannis) sans the boys and otherwise ate in the MDR, except one night at Hibachi.  The MDR is awesome don't feel pressured to eat specialty. You will really enjoy the relationship you will build with the MDR staff. 

Advice

1) Have fun and never forget the irreplaceable family time!

2) My boys are here due to Covid and they say "never miss dinner , or any other meal because the food is epic".  "Ping Pong and Waverider are NOT to be missed. Commandeer the rents balcony when they are in the Solarium". 

3) The early bird gets the worm, don't burn the candle at both ends. Get up in the morning, and enjoy the ship with a much lower crowd level.

4) Chair hoggery is real on holiday cruises, embrace the situation on the ground.

Feel free to shoot us any questions! 

Now I get @Twangster's bye line.

Thanks!

The price has not returned to those rates for my sailings. Admittedly prime time over New years, so look  for someone with more regular season sailings. We will re book the water park for $80 a head, because it was great! 

I think the reason that people jump all over cruise industry is it is perceived as luxury/non-necessity. People must fly and stay in hotels for work. 

4 hours ago, CrznTxn said:

 Unlike the resort industry which is fixed in place and is rising in price to the level of only top tier clientele, the cruising industry has pricing for all tier levels and offers amenities for all tastes. Also cruising allows exploration to many different countries and cultures whereas a resort is usually exclusive and enclosed isolating the client from the outside to make sure you use only their services.

Cruising also has a snobby rep that as @CrznTxn explains is unearned. I admit that I don't really proselytize about the virtues of cruising because most people just don't get it unless they have cruised.  

Just back from the Allure in Jan. We brought 2 bottles on board. They were opened and served in the in the MDR. No fee what so ever.

I have never had the UDP but on our cruise we went to Hibachi for the family and had a date night for DW and I at Giovanni's.One advantage of not using a package is you can reserve in the cruise planner prior to departure. Packages require you to make reservations once aboard unless you are cruising above JR Suite.  Sometimes it is better to get exactly what you vs saving a few bucks. This comes from  a relative cheapskate .000000000000000000

On 3/1/2020 at 10:36 AM, twangster said:

You might want to fix the thread title.  Road Beef sounds like road kill.  

Road Beef should be extra tender as it is Michelin 5 star!

Speednoodles per the usual nailed it. We enjoyed the Key benefits but really needed to catch an early flight. That is why we got the Key. I'm not going to purchase for our next cruise.

On Allure this Jan we needed to sign waivers for each activity. Super planner inside tip, you can't sign the waiver with a beer in your hand. I'm not sure how I know that....

Never been to the Club, the water park was a blast for the two 50 somethings and 2 late teens. I agree with the advice to pick one. The problem, I'm guessing you got in on the club at about the cost of the waterpark. Club prices seem to have shot through the roof. Your kids will love the waterpark and the adults will I'm guessing prefer the club. If you are frequent cruiser and will go back to CCC you might have sticker shock upon return with the Club price. If you aren't returning and paid $80 pp or less for both you might want to do both. For us the park is $80 per person and the Club runs $200 per person. My original plan was to have the teens go to the park and wifey and I going to the club. I didn't purchase at $80 per for the Club. Now it is $200 for the Club and beyond what I want to spend. A tram which we didn't take runs around the island. 

1. Family time and connectivity, and what I mean by that is connecting to each other. My wife and I will be empty nesters too soon, and the time with our sons is getting more and more precious. 

2. Retracing Teddy Roosevelt's adventure up the Orinoco River.  

We had them in checked luggage as well.  No issues to or fro.

The real secret is WASH your hands, try not to use doorknobs or railings. Keep your fingers out of your eyes and mouth. The drink package also provide a invisible shield of protection.

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

We pack Oxivir TB wipes every time and nobody gives us a hard time.

We stole this idea from @Lovetocruise2002 and had no problems bringing them aboard. We didn't keep the wipes in the original container and again no problem. We cruised in Jan prior to Corona virus, but none of us were sick during or after the cruise. We wiped down each cabin upon arrival. Worth the short money and small time investment! Those unused wipes are handy to have around the house if someone gets the flu.

On 2/21/2020 at 5:59 PM, Vancity Cruiser said:

 

 

My wife disagrees with this philosophy).

This ^^^^^ And I can"t stress this enough.....this^^^^^^^^^

What if all these extra costs equaled another cruise. Which would you rather have? 

We are stylistically active cruisers vs relaxing cruisers. Be careful you don't find yourself on the hamster wheel of we need to do everything. 

We are just off Allure this Jan. We went to JR for free breakfast and were underwhelmed. Didn't try it for lunch, and food preferences are very individual. For breakfast I'd go to the WJ ,Central Park Cafe, solarium bistro, MDR.

19 minutes ago, deep1 said:

I'd be king of the world if I did get it... Big game fishing boat captain for occupation is indeed interesting but does not make me a "man of means".  Fiancee and her kids deserve more than I can often provide... Couldn't swing booking a suite flat out but the upgrade even maxed bid was within reach... I had to try...

Best of luck, the foxrunners will dream and live vicariously through your adventure!

+1

7 hours ago, AJK said:

I have a Roadtrek SS Agile for sale if you are interested. Check out RV Trader

Checked RV Trader. Yours is the black one 2015? Right now we are on the low side of a century until retirement. Many moving parts and not really close to a purchase. Discovery stage and feeling out many options, but we are planners so who can tell. The RV show will point us in the right direction, but if your unit was for sale when I was ready, I'd be interested.

Happy Trails!

13 hours ago, AJK said:

foxrunner we have the murphy bed plan. The space is amazing for the footprint. We had a Roadtrek SS Agile with power couch that made a king bed, but the rest of the space was just not enough for a long trip. Check out the LTV Unity and Regal Brougham also. We had it narrowed down to those 3 and just came across a great deal on the Vienna.

I'm leaning more in the Rodtek style but DW wants something Vienna sized. I noticed that the MSRP is pretty similar on all these vehicles. I'm surprised that Roadtek which is smaller is as expensive as the other three. I will probably have more questions after the RV show Saturday. Thank you for sharing. Good luck finding a parking place!

We are lowly Golds (reference to Red Rising by Pierce Brown a space dystopia) so I don't think that impacts our pricing. Just one of Royals quirks.

The Renegade Vienna is one nice looking unit. Would you mind telling me the floorplan you picked and other RV's you considered. We are heading to the RV show this weekend. Probably a few years from purchase but starting to......... kick the tires. Sorry

When booking our latest cruise it was cheaper to pick your own room than go the GTY route. Have you folks ever seen it priced that way? Why?

1 hour ago, tiny blonde said:

OK, I know I'll sound like a snob, but I'm from Massachusetts and the ONLY lobster worthy of the name is, to me, one from cold New England waters.

We also hale from the Bay State and enjoy seafood. The "free lobster" is a tail only and the warm water kind. Really not bad, but you miss out on the sweet claws and leg meat.  As Twangster noted you can order cold water lobster for an up charge, I think it was around $20. 

Another thing to consider, do you need to go to work the next day? If not break it up and find something interesting to see on your drive. If work wasn't an issue I'd drive, going to the airport is such a hassle these days. It would be nice to your trusty steed wanting for you post cruise.