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DJsMrs

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Everything posted by DJsMrs

  1. No VR on allure - and arcade games aren't included in Star Class... you may want to pre-pay your arcade credits as you get a bit of a discount
  2. It always kills me that people reference American laws when boarding a ship that is going to a foreign country. It's not just US laws that you have to obey. Besides, if you really look at it - I live in Canada. Marijuana is legal here. There are many US states that have decriminalized and legalized pot, but if you think for one minute I would travel with MJ in my luggage or on your person you would be incorrect. This would include CBD. Flying domestically is a completely different ball of wax... you can fly with these products domestically in Canada, and probably in the US without anyone really batting an eye. But travelling with these oils, tinctures, etc is probably coming, but we are not there yet - and wouldn't it suck to have your vacation ruined because of choosing to ignore a rule. On a cruise you are travelling internationally - I think people forget this key point. Having said that - I definitely smelled weed when I was on my balcony on Mariner in December... so people are definitely bringing it on board. For the OP - I would connect with my doctor and see about a week-long temporary substitution for while you're on the cruise... if there's an option to avoid the risk you should be aware of it.
  3. Same same We sailed in December and none of our reservations showed in the app until we were on board. It was mildly disconcerting, but they were in the cruise planner on the interweb, so that allayed any concerns.
  4. Beach looks murky and sea-weedy - The sargassum is what it is... but the murky water is mildly off-putting (especially after your photos of Roatan with all the blues). Did you go in the ocean? We're on this same itinerary in July, when the weeds will be worse, and we're really struggling to get off the ship in Costa Maya - hence my questions. Loving the blog!
  5. We're sailing out of Galveston in July and I reached out to a multitude of transport companies for our group of 10 for transport to and from Houston. It took a reasonable amount of time, but we finally landed on one. The company we confirmed provided us with the following: 1. confirmation of vehicle type 2. all fees and add-ons 3. included tips and taxes 4. pickup times and locations I'm hesitant to mention the company until I've had experience - but there are many many transport companies out there...
  6. I wish they'd just add it into the price and get rid of this debate period, and pay the crew a little more. I appreciate people wanting to tip people directly - but what about the kitchen staff? Laundry staff? Support staff without whom your servers and room attendants could not do a good job? It's impossible to tip them directly, hence the need for a tip pool.
  7. Would they consider something up at Bacalar? Some sailing options up there - boat tours with swimming and fun in the water and Cenotes to explore might be an option for them.
  8. My husband and I avoided wonderland for the longest time, until we couldn't cruise, and then our first sailing back after Covid I said "we're doing everything we can just in case the shut this all down again". Wonderland was on that list. I should preface this with the fact that we are adventurous eaters, have travelled a fair amount, and we've exposed ourselves to a lot of very different foods and love trying new things. Wonderland looked to kitchy for us and too gimmicky. And I seriously wondered about that weird Mad Hatter - Joke was on us - we really enjoyed it. I mean, take it for what it is and don't take it too seriously - but the food was interesting, and most of it was delicious... but just doing something different and eating something we typically wouldn't eat on land was the appeal for us. Textures were different,flavours were unexpected and a bit surprising - but not in a bad way. We've been back twice since then and always go when we're on a ship that has a Wonderland. Give it a try. Worst thing that happens is you didn't like it. Best thing is you have a fun night with friends trying something new! Either way you'll have something to talk about.
  9. Take a Screenshot of the reduced price so you have evidence, also document the failure of the broken link.
  10. We usually put kids in jeans/khakis or nice (nicer) shorts and a golf shirt and sneakers.
  11. They will tell you on the ship. Announcements will be made. It will be printed in the Cruise Compass, and as you disembark the ship there is usually a sign or three telling you. Pro tip - if you look at the app on your phone it will always give ship's time. Embarkation times are always in ship's time.
  12. I'm a 100% live and let live and I really don't care if people dress casually in the dining room (you're on vacay - be comfy!) - but I also have a strict no furry nipples rule at the dinner table wow
  13. Access to the suite sun deck - nice and quiet up there if that's your jam. Suite Concierge will reach out prior to the cruise - so if any shows are of interest that's the time to request a reservation. Suite boarding area - although everything is so fast these days you almost don't need it. Just more comfy seating in the terminal and sometimes some snacks. Suite passengers do not have access to drinks throughout the ship - so if that's important a beverage package might be in order. Don't forget - 2 bottles of wine per stateroom are permitted...
  14. Thank you for this! We're looking at this exact cruise in 2024 and you're helping seal the deal!!! Great and informative with fantastic photos. Thank you
  15. Huge second for Holland House in St. Maarten - stellar.
  16. When we were in Cozumel December 2021 we did the excursion to Punta Sur (through Royal - because we had an unvaxxed kid at that time who was too young to be nuked). The excursion was really great. The guides were great, some sight seeing (which I'm typically loathe to do - I despise being herded around like cattle). The beach time was great and there is a boat that can take you out snorkeling at the reef - several people we were with went and said it was pretty amazing. You don't need to book a reservation through RCCL to go to Punta Sur - there are many options, but there is some great snorkeling on the reef (2nd largest on earth - the Mesoamerican Reef, google it!).
  17. Take the kids for a wander over to Junkanoo beach (or take a taxi). We always brought a few sand toys and could easily spend the day at the beach with them at that age. Nice to get off the ship for a few hours. The beach is literally 10-15 minute walk, and you could have a wander through the straw market to kill a bit of extra time. Cheap and cheerful!
  18. We booked a room through our timeshare at Harbourside and got 4 entry tickets to Atlantis. We went and checked in but we didn't even open the room - we just boarded the shuttle over to Atlantis. I will say this... we were there in early December (before xmas break) a few years ago - and by the time you get off the ship, shuttle to the hotel, wait in line, check in, wait for a second shuttle, get over to Atlantis, get in to the park (the property is huge!), and get situated your morning is half over. Then depending what time your all-aboard is you don't really have THAT much time in the water park. Lines weren't crazy - but even a 15 minute wait adds up to an hour for 4 slides. I left feeling disappointed and rushed to get on rides all day - and then rushed to get back to the ship. I wouldn't do it again, unless we had a much later (like 6:00 all-aboard). It's a lot of money for really having time to get on maybe 10 slides.
  19. OMG - The art auction. I don't even know why I care that it's there - maybe because it's never really the "deal" that they project it to be and it feels like people are being taken advantage of or fooled into buying something that they are told is worth more than it is. I just cannot understand why on earth someone would buy art on a cruiseship. It seems so strange. And then the pain of shipping it home. It's bizarre. And while I know some people look forward to the bionic bar - I truly miss the champagne lounge. It was such a great place to grab a cocktail or glass of bubbles before a wander around the promenade. I know there are other bars - but just somewhere more "loungy" on the ship is missed by me and my hubs.
  20. It's random testing, and only at airports, so if you're sailing it's unlikely you'll be tested. Especially since everyone is tested prior to boarding the ship.
  21. No - I don't.. and frankly the hassle of then figuring out what we have vs. what we don't have isn't much of an advantage. In this case I knew it was my bag (not my husband's or my kids') so I knew exactly what was missing, and what I would need to get through the week. If we had cross-packed I'd be buying various clothes for various people and it really complicates everything for a family of four. It would have been nice if they lost the kids' bag for the week - it would have been a quick trip to GAP for a few things and they wouldn't have cared one way or another lol
  22. I sailed in December (flying in from Vancouver - Calgary - Orlando) - and upon landing in Orlando my suitcase was the only one in our family not to arrive. The airlines were not (and I'm guessing are still not) equipped to handle sending your suitcase to a port of call. In my case I ended up at Target at 11:00 at night trying to find some basic clothes to get me through 7 days at sea . This was no small feat as Target, even in Orlando, stocks mostly "winter" clothes in December and cruise-weather clothes were hard to come by. Luckily we were sailing star class and I just sent my stuff out every day to be laundered. When the ship returned to Port Canaveral my suitcase was at MCO so we swung by the airport to pick it up on our way to the hotel (we had an extra day in Orlando after our cruise). The airline (Westjet) reimbursed me for all my clothes and toiletries that I purchased, with the exception of the suitcase that I had to buy to haul all my stuff in (which is so dumb - what was I supposed to put it in? A giant target bag - a la "the Clampets come to Harmony of the Seas?" haha Lesson learned - you really can get by on a cruise with one dress, one bathing suit, one coverup, basic makeup (luckily my shoes and accessories were in a different bag), one pair of shorts and one pair of pants and a couple tshirts. It wasn't ideal as I had basically bought a whole wardrobe to wear on the cruise - but after my initial meltdown when I accepted that my bag wouldn't make it I let it go and decided to not let it ruin my week. As a follow up - we sailed again in April, this time out of Miami on Symphony... and guess what. Landed... no bags. Shocker. In this case we missed a connecting flight in Toronto and were re-booked to get to Miami on Delta via ATL. We had a 6 hour layover in Toronto, so one would assume our bags would have been able to be moved onto this flight - but ... apparently not. Luckily they made it on a later flight - also into ATL, then to FLL where they landed at midnight and were delivered to our hotel at about 3 in the morning. Tremendous effort by Delta crew at FLL - I was shocked our bags made it. But after December, I was fully prepared to do some shopping - and Miami in the morning would have been more fun than Target at 11:00pm lol We just flew to the states again this month and had a connecting flight through Calgary again - I now have air tags in all my bags. While it won't help me get it back in a pinch - I would at least have an idea of whether or not I need to immediately go shopping for essentials rather than waiting to hear back from airlines... especially if I'm going on a cruise because before we leave the gate I can see if my suitcases are on the airplane.
  23. I wouldn't invest in a day pass at Atlantis for a 5 year old. By the time you taxi over there, and then have to leave to be back on board for departure you really don't have a tonne of time to ride the slides. Additionally, he's probably not even tall enough to ride a lot of the slides. I think you'll be disappointed. We took our boys who were 9 and 11 at the time and the lineups for slides are long so we didn't really get to take full advantage of the slides... it was less than ideal - but still an experience for kids who are tall enough. What about a beach day? Or a day-pass to margaritaville or something? It's walkable from the port - or at most a short taxi ride. Can swim in ocean or pool, there are slides there, access to sun and shade and food. Or get tickets to the Aquarium at Atlantis - it's supposed to be impressive.
  24. If you can drop luggage first and then the car - it's a 10 minute walk straight down Hornby back to Canada Place, so if you're mobile it might be faster to walk - especially with traffic around the port.
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