sk8erguy1978
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Posts posted by sk8erguy1978
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2 hours ago, Pen said:
My sister's and my first cruise was May 2018 on a 5 day Anthem cruise to Bermuda. I have to say I wished it was longer so I could have done more
I really wish Royal would make that a 7 night sailing with two overnights in Bermuda.
- Pen and USCG Teacher
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Welcome!
Our first cruise was themed and 3 days, it was so much and so overwhelming I barely remember it. Our second cruise was 5 days and just when we got into it, it was over. I think 7 is a sweet spot for a first cruise, but with friends on board the 11 days will fly by, don't even sweat it.
There will probably be a New Years celebration!
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18 hours ago, Morganno said:
On the HOTS FB page lots of Americans just use drivers license and birth cert to board, what if they get stuck in Honduras and miss the boat. Can you travel internationally with such documents?
I'll be taking my passport with me if I leave the ship.
I leave my passport in the safe, it would be a pretty bad situation if I lost it while in a country, I wouldn't be allowed to enter the United States at disembarkation.
This is why you should cruise with a passport though, and as stated, the ships officers will leave it with the country officials at port. Otherwise, with just a birth certificate in hand, you'll be having a fun afternoon at a U.S. Embassy.
I suspect some of these rules will apply in the situation of missing cruise ship and only having Birth Certificate & Government issued ID
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We sailed aft on a different cruise line from NYC to Caribbean, wife got sick and had trouble shaking it. It wasn't until I dragged her out of the cabin to a lower deck mid ship did she recover. On another cruise (forget if it was Liberty or Explorer) we had some rough-ish seas and I decided to use the elliptical in the gym (all the way forward) and almost fell off a few times.
So, not too much help, but personally feel either way you're feeling it more, might as well take aft for the views.
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10 minutes ago, Vancity Cruiser said:
Symphony is doing cruises with stops at both Labadee and Coco cay in January 2021. I jumped all over that one. Like @twangster posted earlier I am one of those who loves a nice relaxing beach day and being able to do it for free on 2 stops on the same cruise is extremely appealing to me
I am headed straight to Royal's site to check on prices! I would LOVE Symphony & two private islands! Take my resort to two private islands for relaxing easy peasy beach day? I'm in.
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1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:
This is really the only way to do it and as Spiralqueen noted, the % off is just a distraction. Last week I was randomly checking (as I do daily) and noticed that the price of the Unlimited Dining Package on my Anthem Feb 7 2020 cruise had suddenly slipped to $176 PP. Routinely, even on “sale” it never dropped below $199 PP so I snatched it and cancelled my previous $199 purchase. It has never re-appeared at $176. I think I caught an intern glitch !
This happened to me with an excursion, I put it in the cart and got distracted. Went back the next day and it was about $10 dollars less (for both) so - hey win! I try to make it at least a weekly habit to check prices.
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I've never seen the base price for something on sale for a particular sailing increase. For my up coming cruise, when the 30% off drink package sale happened, it was the exact price I expected from the base price I calculated from previous sales.
The marketing will definitely make it sound like it's a great deal, when in reality, (drink price example) 20%, buy one get one 1/2 off (aka 25%), and 30% really aren't that different from one another. My next cruise, the difference between 20% and 30% is $7 dollars a day per person. Sure, that adds up, but it's not as big as marketing makes you believe.
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4 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:
I always start my cruises with the best intentions..vodka, soda with lime..but eventually I give in to the allure of the frozen drinks and then it's all downhill from there..might as well indulge in all the good food onboard as well, too!
But my fridge at home is all spiked seltzer..a variety of brands representing whichever was on sale recently or available at my local close-out store.
It is becoming more and more popular and more and more companies are coming out with versions of it. I can also find it one variety at least on tap at a lot of my usual taphouses now.
I don't even try on board LOL. Goal: gain all losses during trip! LOL!
Our local beer selling guy has all different brands too, I grab whatever flavors I suspect my wife will enjoy ... I am the enabler LOL!
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22 hours ago, Xceed said:
Great! I'll have to give those a try on land!
My wife drinks both Truly and White Claw, she seems neutral to both -- although that Black Cherry White Claw does seem to be the favorite.
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Unfortunately, my fridge contains both Truly & White Claw.
Good to know Anthem has Truly for our upcoming cruise ... Although, I'm sure my wife will be all about vodka & coke, frozen drinks, rum drinks, and sangria ... forgetting all about those diet drinks at home. I know Michelob Ultra will not be my first choice on-board LOL!
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1 hour ago, Floski said:
Just be wary when they have the promenade full of "75% OFF SALE" on anything - jewelry, watches, handbags...
It's easy to get caught up in all of the hubbub and before you know it, you just bought a beautiful name-brand watch
that was a great sale, only to find the you could buy it practically anywhere for less money (errr, that's what a friend told me).
Yep, my "friend" has warned me of that too :).
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1 hour ago, kittysoul said:
@sk8erguy1978 , so basically , put a CC on file with the ship... and then have cash for tips, the casino and shopping in port...?
That's what we do, set it, forget it, cry when the statement comes last day.
If you're someone who doesn't like to charge your CC, you could put cash on the account but that becomes a hassle. Either you need to go retrieve it at the end or 'settle up' with them, both seem like a pain to me (waiting in long lines at guest services last day adding to disembarkation stress). What I've done in the past (before I started playing the credit card points game) is whatever cash I didn't use (or lose) I'd put it on my account to make my credit card bill less. I'd do that late at night while the lines are minimal.
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3 hours ago, SuZQ329 said:
Thank you!
I will look for the private deck door. We are in an aft cabin so that will be more convenient for us.
That is awesome for the dessert. Very sweet
True story. Two years later sailed Anthem as an anniversary and forgot again. LOL. As we walked past we were quickly reminded. #thisisforty.
Enjoy the cruise! Sailing her in September, third time. It's a great ship.
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Interesting, guess I wrongly assumed they would only charge you for the pineapple... Maybe that's where the $9 dollars comes in?
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8 minutes ago, cdixon22 said:
Hi All,
I have read that there is a limit on drink prices ($13 or $14) with the Deluxe Beverage Package. Does anyone know how mush the drinks served in pineapples/coconuts are on Coco Cay, and do you get a discount / pay the overage with the Deluxe Beverage Package.
Yes you only owe the difference. Not sure how much the pineapple drinks are unfortunately.
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9 hours ago, SuZQ329 said:
We are also getting married during the stop in Port Canaveral on Cocoa Beach. It’s going to be perfect! We will be wearing our wedding apparel back on the ship for dinner... not time to change after the ceremony anyway. So excited.
Congratulations! We took Anthem to Bermuda and were married on the island. A destination wedding via cruise ship with family and friends is the best way to do it, IMO!
My tip: If I remember correctly, the entrance to the private sun deck (at least one of them) is aft a bit, inside, just before the bumper cars/basket ball/etc area. We walked past it a few times LOL!
What are your dinner plans, specialty restaurant or CK? The wedding dress should be obvious enough, but definitely let them know you just got married, they will make a big deal about it :). They gave us this cake to share, even though it was the DAY BEFORE we got married, the gesture was still sweet (pun?).
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19 minutes ago, twangster said:
On Sunday I took Lyft from Port of Miami to FLL. I also took it from FLL to my hotel in Miami at 3am two weeks before. Doing it again this Friday.
No problem finding drivers.
It does help to be specific in Lyft or Uber. Don't just say "Port of Miami" but specify "Terminal A Port of Miami". A lot of ride share drivers in South Florida don't speak English. Having the exact destination in the app saves a frustrating conversation unless you speak Spanish well.
14 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:In the past year, we have taken Lyft out of FLL many times and have had no issues getting a driver. Longest wait was about 9 minutes.
However, our last Lyft driver who took us to Terminal A, I had specified "Terminal A Port of Miami" when I requested a Lyft and even then it was quite the challenge to explain to him where we needed to go. Like @twangster said, English was a challenge so there was a lot of pointing lol.
Glad to hear no issues, didn't think there would be, just know if a ride is over 45 minutes, they don't know the destination until after accepting it (at least that's my understanding, please correct me Uber/Lyft drivers if I am wrong).
I've ended up quite far from my destination while not being careful after a night out of drinking ... LOL! So, great tip, know your Terminal A's
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26 minutes ago, AnnetteJackson said:
You should have plenty of time to get to the port in time since you are arriving early morning. Another option might would be a private car service so they are waiting for you already. Then you dont have to wait for someone to pick you up.
Pray for good weather and no traffic jams - haha
23 minutes ago, twangster said:Since you know the risks and accept that you might miss the cruise, FLL is approximately 50 minutes by Uber to the Port of Miami but traffic can be a pain in South Florida. IF everything is on time and no weather or mechanical delays you should have ample time.
I've flown into FLL for a Miami cruise (great price SWF to FLL) but it was the day before. We took a cab which at the time cost about 80 dollars (give or take, it's been many years). I'd like to echo the private car suggestion by @AnnetteJackson pointing out the distance by @twangster. It might be fine at FLL, but, Uber (and probably Lyft) will not know your final destination, just get a warning "over 45 minutes" so who knows how eager a driver will be to accept. Again, FLL they will probably do it, but thought I'd point that out. (That would be a reason I'd get a car service, just to not have to deal with the hassle of an unwilling Uber/Lyft driver.)
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17 hours ago, sabarwolf said:
It's been my experience that some (not all) persons' discomfort with the Speedo is a reflection on their own body discomfort.
That's exactly why I'd never wear one, no matter how great my body looks. However, whether you have the everyday gym bod, dad bod, or even a bit more 'fluffy' there is nothing wrong with owning it.
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On 8/2/2019 at 3:10 PM, JLMoran said:
If I remember right, they also have rinse-off spigots close by the entrance to get the sand off your feet after you've been on the beach that are also useful before you hop back on the shuttle.
Yes, conveniently next to the restrooms, which if I remember correctly, have showers.
On 8/2/2019 at 11:38 PM, DJsMrs said:Also - if you walk literally 5 minutes down the beach the crowds are nearly nonexistent and it’s so beautiful. No chairs, but natural shade and you can lay out a towel It was amazing
We we went to crystal caves that morning before the beach and if you haven’t been - it was pretty cool We were the first tour through so no crowds and absolutely amazing
+1 to the tip about walking a bit for a nice secluded spot. We loved Crystal Caves, very interesting and cool.
We have gone first day and second day never too bad with crowds but we usually travel in September to Bermuda, however, I agree the second day is usually a bit calmer.
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1 hour ago, twangster said:
Some things can't be unseen.
You said it, I was thinking it! Ha!
I bought a pair of speedo brand bathing suit (but it's a regular man's bathing suit) just so I can do this joke: "be right back, going to put on my Speedos!" ... They are usually relieved to see a "normal" bathing suit when I return.
Formal night vs. Chops...
in Royal Caribbean Dining
Posted
We purposely book Chops (or whatever) on the formal nights so we don't have to get too dressy. We are Jeans and T-Shirt kind of people and at this point in our cruising career, we like to dress nice but over the formal night ordeal. We have also been known to enjoy fine dining in the Windjammer on formal nights :). That's us, we feel like we aren't missing anything different. (For the record, we aren't even really dining room people.)