sk8erguy1978

21 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Hi @Blackmagic17, welcome to the forums!

If you're asking if thong / spaghetti-strap bikinis and speedos are the norm on the ship, most definitely not! Lots of people in one-piece bathing suits or swim trunks and a swim shirt for some sun protection, along with the folks who are comfortable in a two-piece bikini or just the swim trunks. You may have the occasional person harkening back to the 70s and 80s in their choice of swimwear, but they seem to be few and far between.

I have, on occasion, seen men wearing speedos. 

Welcome!

Sailed Oasis in 2010 and 2012 - loved it!

Welcome!

St. Maarten / Saint Martin (you can access both): Maho Beach is supposedly fun, never been personally, on my list. We went to a different beach, one of the "nude" ones (where no one was nude) and it was - eh, a beach. Beautiful, but again just a beach.

Adventure on Anthem: Ripcord by iFly, I loved that. (Upset it's all booked for my upcoming Anthem, hopefully my suite concierge can hook me up.) We also enjoyed the North Star. Personally never done but the FlowRider (surf simulator) looks like fun.

It's an awesome ship, you'll find lots of adventure onboard.

The bank idea is best just note that it might take a few days for your bank to 'order' the Euros. They should also be able to convert extra Euros back to dollars when you return.

I also bring credit cards with no foreign transaction fee and use them as much as possible to save currency and any ATM fees overseas.

Night before I order a pizza, open a beer and just start tossing stuff in a suitcase. I'm done in about 7 minutes. I will however, double check shirts, shorts and pants maybe a week or two prior to ensure they fit and are in acceptable condition, if not I'll replace them. Also, about a week or two prior I'll go to Harmon and buy a bunch of toiletries.

On 7/27/2019 at 1:32 PM, RickinSTL said:

I was just diagnosed with PCE.. as of right now I’m unable to travel. The doctor said it may get better in the next 43 days, I have a follow up appointment on September 8th with Doctor HOTS . please help me through these trying times.. Pre Cruise Excitement is a disease lol

On 7/27/2019 at 4:51 PM, RCIfan1912 said:

Oh that is classic, very clever. We sail Anthem Sept 21 and we are really have PCE. Talking about it everyday. The only thing that sucks is PCD, post cruise depression. 

On the same sailing with a few friends, we get together often and continually discuss it - ugh lol. Our next booked cruise isn't until December 2020, talk about MAJOR PCD! We will be booking something in-between for sure!

1 hour ago, tiny260 said:

I always add a little extra gratuity on the specialty dinning, so that goes on your account.

I like this idea ... I'd expand on this and tip the bar staff a bit too.

39 minutes ago, Momof4crazytocruise said:

Cancel your current Deluxe Beverage Package and re-buy it with the credit applied.

I was thinking that too.

Can you use it at the casino? (Minus the fee for using seapass vs cash.)

Third time on Anthem in September, third time springing for a Grand Suite. If you can swing it they are nice cabins and the perks are nice too.

25 minutes ago, vanelli56 said:

Yea. We are definitely going to be getting premium economy seats at a minimum. Maybe even splurge for 1st class since we have to go X-country. We've been banking up the travel miles/points to help pay for some of that extra cost to splurge on the nicer seats.  

I love my miles lol

I'm picky when it comes to seats, times, etc so I'll try and book flights earlier to get a decent seat at an optimal time even if it costs me more...

With that said, my tip, and maybe you're aware but there are two levels of economy these days for some airlines (United, AA, etc) and to me basic economy sucks (might be fine for others). So, just read the details about the type of ticket you're purchasing.

2 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Thought about it but I think that will actually be more expensive than parking? Also when we get off the ship it'll be nice to just drive home. Go and be home in 30 minutes. 

OH YEAH! We drag all our luggage off the ship! Not that I want my vacation to be over but NJ traffic - I want to get ahead of it! 

According to Royal's website the cost is $22 a day, which sounds about right, we paid $100 for 5 days last year.

Quote

Parking Information

A safe and secure parking facility is conveniently located adjacent to the cruise terminal. Parking fees are $22 per day including all taxes.Cash and major credit cards are accepted. No reservations are necessary and parking is guaranteed.

Oversized vehicles, such as campers and RV’s, that occupy more than one space, will be charged double the normal rate.

The height restriction of the garage is 7’ 4”. There is an open lot adjacent to the parking garage to accommodate vehicles with height restrictions.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/driving-directions-port-cape-liberty-new-jersey

In 2013 we sailed Adventure and it had a late night buffet thing on the pool deck. That was the first one I'd seen since we first started cruising in 2007 and the last.

4 minutes ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Always did around 11:30-12:00 but this time I want to get there at like 10:00 AM. Is that gonna be a huge problem? Are they gonna even allow us to drop off bags and park at that time or should we get there a little later like 10:30? Thanks again! 

I'd almost suggest getting there at 10AM because the traffic builds up. It's better now with the new terminal and flow but still sucks. Have you considered an Uber since you mentioned only being 30 minutes away.

Sunscreen (but that's important for me, I'm Irish!) & Camera. I am usually wearing flip-flops and bathing suit already - I'm that guy.

2 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Bonus with TTN is you can roll up 30 mins before your flight if you aren't checking bags and have zero issues making the flight.  

Same with SWF, last flight recently, curb to beer was 15 minutes and there was a 'long' line.

11 minutes ago, Skid said:

Yup....before the merger, Continental basically ran EWR. Other airlines were kind of at their mercy.

Thought so, catch 22, United gets me to most places from EWR direct but they own(?) terminal C so my Priority Pass Lounge access is useless LOL! First world problems.

SWF is about 15 minute drive from me, very small and simple airport but limited flights. I like the JetBlue direct to FLL or MCO. Allegiant flies direct to PIE (Tampa area?) I believe and maybe a few others. To fly into SWF to get to Bayonne, NJ ... I mean, if the price is right maybe, but it's a 90 minute ride so rental car is going to be the most affordable. 

United is pretty big at EWR too, one of their hubs, I believe.

Quick Google shows it to be hit or miss if they are reusable on next cruise. (If the new sailing honored the old band.) Hmm.

Guess it doesn't hurt to try

Just now, YOLO said:

Reusable how?  Within the same sailing or different RCL sailings?

Sorry, poor choice of words. It's my understanding, I can bring the bands on another sailing and have them swapped (?) for bands compatible on that cruise.

1 hour ago, MikeK said:

The Wow band is free for Jr Suite cabins and above.

My wife and I stayed in the Grand Suite twice on Anthem and didn't know the WOW bands are reusable until I heard Matt mention it. So, we left FOUR "FREE" perfectly good & reusable WOW bands behind over the two sailings. Will not make that mistake a third time in September!

1 hour ago, FloridaCruiseGirl1210 said:

Thanks definitely considering it! We will be on Adventure so maybe we will be at the IWC dock?

I believe so.

A link provided here: 

Points to this website: https://visitstthomas.com/cruise_ships.html which shows IWC for all ships except "Oasis & Allure" (I assume it's all Oasis ships including Harmony).

For reference, if you're on a larger ship like an Oasis class (you can see the Oasis in the background of my photo lol) it's Crown Bay where you dock (or did in 2010) so just need to add that cab time in. Otherwise, Havensight is right there and just need to add in the SkyRide down. Unless you walk, which, wow, but some do!

40 minutes ago, KricketB73 said:

I'm not sure if RC still has it, but in 2016 we did a Rum Tour.  It took us to Bluebeard's Tower and a pirate museum.  We got to sample more flavors of rum than I could even count then ended up at a fun bar by the tower and amber waterfalls.  It was a very fun day!!

Just added this to my list of possibilities for next visit!

Nothing to be ashamed of (although I would have been too) we've all been tricked from time to time. A lot of people have tricks to get you to buy stuff. We are at the point where we ignore, keep walking, or if it comes down to it, be rude. They'll act offended, but they aren't. Enjoy the cruise! 

Edit: Also it's a good lesson for us all, keep your guard up and trust no one.

We have done Magens Bay and enjoy it. Another beach in St Thomas that's equally gorgeous is Sapphire Beach. We enjoyed it there too. Maybe even slightly better, but admittedly, it has been a few years since we've been to St. Thomas. Looking forward to it in December of 2020 on Harmony.