Ditchdoc

Some things children might enjoy .... Skagway - White Pass & Yukon Route Railway - Adults and children alike will probably love this scene train ride - it is a one of a kind adventure Icy Point Straight - Forget paying for whale watching - bring binoculars ... at times whales will surface right at the pier. If you land tour --- Denali - dog sled training center Fairbanks - paddle wheel boat river trip Any opportunity to ride the Alaska railroad

Agree .... these days, when going to MacDonald's can cost $30 for two or Ruth Chris at an average of $100+ per person ...... a top notch meal, eight courses, premium ingredients, wine, good service, live music, luxury atmosphere ...... its a splurge .... but a nice one.

Wife and I are both Diamond .... we both get a free 8x10. The quality of the photos can vary depending on who is doing the shoot. We see good and bad and sometimes they are so bad they are not even put in the system. More recently, the old way of printing all the pictures and you get them off a rack has been replaced by a kiosk where you select and an hour or two later you can stop by and pick up what you selected. This makes sense for a number of reasons. Either way, at Diamond, free is free even if the photo is not great.

For a special event .... maybe. I did Chefs table with my wife for our 40th ..... though a bit pricey ... we felt it was worth it. It was a fabulous meal.

Well ... if they serve so-so free food .... maybe you will buy into the specialty restaurants. Its all about marketing.

True ... other factors include .. stability systems that help negate movement No ship is too big when it comes to the ocean and its power consider .... I go fishing on a 20 to 30 foot boat ... in 10 foot waves ... you spend more time going up and down than you do goring forward. Large cruise ships over a a 1,000 feet in length laugh at 10 foot seas, you barely notice. Cruise ships are generally made for near shore where waters are typically smoother. Some people are more prone to motion sickness than others and even small movements induce unwanted affects. You can get into more detail with wave height, period and are they on the bow or off the beam. I have been on cruises where the horizon would move from the top of the window to the bottom and beyond as the ship rolled. Fortunately, this is rare.

Reservations made. Central Park Balcony. Looking forward to not only exploring the ship and all it has to offer but also .... seeing it decorated for the holidays.

Just saw a post from JT Travel that a TA is doing a a "Icon Welcome Event" cruise on January 20. That narrows the window quiet a bit.

Good input ... I would rule out the 27th ... she will be there by then. So now we have a window between the 21st and 26th. Now we just need a lottery Winner gets a rubber duck

It appears the exact arrival in Miami is either not known or a secret. Not known could stem form many variables such as weather, logistics of supply and so on. Secret could stem from marketing, building anticipation etc. The first cruise is January 27. Its obvious the latest Icon could arrive would be early AM on the 27th. Dock time cost money so I would not expect Icon to arrive and spend days at the dock. Though much is prepared and done in advance, there is probably an official process of paperwork and inspection by the Coast Guard and so on. On the other hand, back to marketing and politics, there will no doubt be some kind of welcoming ceremony that includes A welcoming regatta, ships whistles, fire boats spraying water, and general hub bub. My best guess is an afternoon arrival on the 26th with much fan fair as she docks. This would give a full 24 hours or more for on boarding food and supplies before the inaugural cruise the next evening. This is my best guess....it is just a guess.

I wonder about the Captain and those directly involved. Safety and human life come first and there are several decisions when it comes to providing the best care possible. You can bet the Captain collects every bit of information possible and reports are written by everyone involved. Then the Captain no doubt has to file his own report based on all information available. Everything will then be reviewed and scrutinized for cause and what can be done if anything to prevent a future occurrence.

Probably a teen just being reckless. Already some are saying "RC needs to do a better job protecting us". Its truly sad and unfortunate but we have got to stop blaming others for our own ignorance.

Ditto on the "you do not have pay for extra packages to have fun", especially being your first cruise. The WOW factor of the ship and free activities will keep you entertained. Drinks and excursions will always be available, even without packages. It will be a great time and memory regardless.

We have done a central park balcony and liked it. Its a nice view and allows you to people watch. There was very talented acoustic guitar player that would play some evenings in central park and it was very nice to just sit on the balcony, listen, and enjoy a glass of wine. All in all, I think central park is one of the most amazing things ever put on a ship.

Spot On ..... Thanks The NRD is the only reflection on the invoice. There is no separate line item for the $300. To me, its just odd that the choice appeared briefly that one time during check out and there is no mention of the option on the RC web site that I found. Maybe RC makes more off cancelled cruises by keeping the deposits and would rather people do not know about the refundable deposit option. Anyway .... thanks for the info.

Other than the Jones Act that forbids a foreign flagged ship from sailing from a US port to a US port without stopping at a foreign port, no problem.

Just made a reservation on Icon for next year on the RC website. As I was nearing the end of the process, I would swear at one point, I had the option of paying an extra $300 in order secure a full refund up until the final payment date. Not knowing what the future will bring, I elected to pay the extra $300. When the typical email arrived with the reservation information, it contained the typical 50% Per Guest 74 to 61 Days Prior to Sailing 75% Per Guest 60 to 31 Days Prior to Sailing 100% Per Guest 30 to 0 Days Prior to Sailing No where was I able to find documentation I would be entitled to a full refund up until final payment due. No amount of searching makes any mention of this guaranteed refund for a fee. Am I mistaken, can't read or just loosing my mind?

Some days I think RC is slowly digging a hole for its self with higher prices, lower standards of service, crowding, and every amenity coming at an extra fee on top of high base rates. I already started comparison shopping and when a week for two starts costing 10k and more, I start seriously thinking "what else could 2 people do for 10k?" and there are a lot of options.

Check in with guest services and make sure they know you are B2B. Let your state room attendent know. A day or two before turn around, you will get a note/letter on where and when to assemble that morning. Have your documentation with you. Follow their instructions. There is usually a select lunch for B2Bs once the paperwork is done. Enjoy

It takes a village....at the same time....you are not the parent. I would be real hesitant to correct some one else's child unless it were to prevent injury. Never the less... I understand. Sometimes I just want to strangle the kid, the parent, or both.

I am not so wealthy that I want to spend $1000 or even $500 to sit on the beach for a day. But .... isn't there always a but ... As said, if you get off the ship pretty early, you can easily find a nice spot to your liking most anywhere at no cost. Then again, I know that traveling with family, especially if there are several, can be like herding cats and you may not be able to find an area for everyone by the time you can get them there. Then again, , if the family is willing to split the cost, then perhaps one of the 'pay to play' areas might be a good option at a reasonable cost. Good luck and enjoy.

Humm ... been trying to think of something that was really bad ... nothing comes to mind. We tend to stick with scenic and water related or party boat tours. There have been a few where we got a little uncomfortable due to weather, rough terrain and so on. A lot of it comes down to being willing to "rough it" just a little and being prepared. I mean, if you go kayaking in Nova Scotia in October with a lobster cook out on the beach then flip flops, shorts and a T shirt are probably not going to work.

I could be mistaken but it appears to be on Deck 5, port side forward. This would be in the general area of the promenade near Spotlight Karaoke and Starbucks. That is said to be the assembly area. The life boats are on decks 5 and 6 just outside the assembly areas. They hang from deck 6 over the running track on deck 5. There are 18 boats, each holds 670 people. I hate to think of the terror and confusion that would ensue if they were actually needed. That is why I think there is an assembly station/area so crew members can actually coordinate boarding rather than have 600+ people fighting to get on board all at once. As others have have pointed out, it is in the app, there are signs, including the back of your room door, and any staff can help you. Oh yeah, then there is Google. Happy sailing

Next one will be 8000 feet long so they can land wide body jets and have a high speed railway in an oval to get around.

The best spot in CoCo Cay....stay on the ship...its nearly deserted....and free.