monctonguy

Yeah.I will do what I have always done in the past. I love being some of the first on the ship...great time to explore, take pics and get settled in before she gets full and busy. I am usually a meal plus a few drinks in and I still see people just showing up on the pool deck with their suitcases looking lost and trying to find somewhere to eat usually....not me!

I just got that email/vm for the first time ever for my Majesty of the Seas cruise next week. For some reason, deck 5 is the last to board. I don't think so..I paid for a drink package the first day and I am not going to miss lunch either..... See what happens when I show up at 10:30am like I have for every cruise so far with no issues.

Brilliance was new in 2002...updated in 2013....Enchantment new in 97 and updated in 2012....Majesty new win 92, updated in 2010. Not sure what you are looking for or enjoy as these are 3 pretty different ships...but for me the appeal of Majesty would be to get on her one time before the refurb as she is the oldest style ship in the fleet right now...not to mention there are usually some very good pricing to be had on her, especially in Jan/Feb!

I agree.....we should have a section on this board somewhere just for posting compasses. It's a very common asked question on any of the cruise boards/sites and may also increase traffic here if we had a section designated just for the compasses!

I have not found the fish site to be helpful at all. I have no luck figuring it out, nor getting prices to match what I see elsewhere. And I like to think I am not that technically challenged when it comes to websites. I do it the old fashioned way...I check the RCI site plus 2 other travel sites daily to watch prices for cruises I have booked. So far I have saved on a cpl cruises, the most recent is my upcoming Nov cruise where overall I saved approx. $500 on cruise(including OBC as I re-booked in CAD so benefit from a 10% exchange rate, rather than 35%) For my next 3 cruises after that...rates are almost double from when I booked overall, so don't think I will benefit from any price drops on those...but I still check.

Interesting to see what happens with Empress and where she goes. Wonder how long till we hear when and where she is going. With the slowdown in China, and the low Canadian dollar affecting us cruisers from the North, I would think that bookings will start to slow down somewhat. Of course it takes awhile for it to show up in the numbers as many cruises are booked 6-12 months out or longer. Not to mention with all these mega ships being brought on, the availability of cabins is going to go way up. I would think something has to give at some point? But I am glad Majesty is sticking around and I get to try her before her overhaul and then I want to try her out of P.C. once she is updated to compare.

While I haven't boarded at San Juan(I will be on April 23 for Adventure as well), I always recommend getting on board as early as possible which is usually around 11am. Usually smaller crowds then. You are paying for that first day(meals, drinks etc) plus its a great chance to get familiar with the boat before the crowds get on as well. I am not sure about getting on the boat to check in and then get back off to explore and then get back on before it leaves. I have never done that in any previous trips. Not sure if that's possible or not..someone here with more experience maybe able to confirm that option. But arriving the day early is the way to do that. Take that day to explore and maybe the morning of the cruise as well.

Any idea why Empress, and not one of their other smaller previous ships? This one would seem to be one of the oldest and smallest of the ones they took out of the RCI fleet and put under their Pullmantur brand.. Looking at some pics of it though on the Pullmantur, it looks like its in great shape and some things actually look newer/modern than what I have seen on Enchantment or pics of Majesty. Any thoughts?

I know there is at least one company that does cruises around Cuba and Jamaica. Smaller ships, about this size. I don't know about age. It can be booked through a Canadian Travel agency. Looks like it only stops in Havana for now. I am sure though RCI is looking to get into this area and compete if others have already entered the competition. I just don't know how much it would cost them to upgrade this ship to be comparable with their other ships in the fleet?

Well I defn fit in here. I am a nerd when it comes to travel period, and worse for cruises! I like to know everything about where I am going, when, how etc. Even for flights, I look at the maps of the airports so I know where to eat, kill some time at a bar, check in etc I visit seat guru to check out which seats to book/not book on my flights. I watch for price drops so I can be credited back or change flights if its worth it. For cruising I defn study all the deck plans, look at pics, read reviews, watch videos of the ship online. I can't imagine every forgetting a cruise I took. Although I guess some things are bigger deals to some than others. I even plan my hotel stays based on closeness to airport/cruise port as well as restaurants, bars etc in the area to enjoy as I always fly in a couple days before the cruise to be safe during winter months and want to enjoy the first cpl days of my vacation even before the cruise. I am on this site among many others almost every day. I have about 4 different travel sites I check each day for deals on cruises. It's basically like a part time job for me...lol.

This was the final thing that helped me to take my very first cruise after years of thinking about trying cruising, was once the drink packages came along. Prior to that, I only did AI's down south and liked the idea of all I can drink, not worrying about a huge bill at the end and also getting to try new drinks. Now of course since I have started cruising, there are many many other things I enjoy about it obviously! But having the option for a drink package is very important to me(within a reasonable cost of course) I have never ever felt that I "had" to drink my money's worth....if anything, I am grateful for the package each day as exceeding $50/day in drinks isn't hard when most of the drinks I enjoy are around $10 on average! The 4 day cruise only has one stop prob in Cozumel..so with "3 sea days" you may find you drink more than you planned. I know I did on my last 4 day cruise on Brilliance!

They do have it...110% or something and your credited with an OBC for the difference or at least the last time I looked at it that's what it was. But it was limited to 24 or 48 hrs after you book and I thought it was only for the RCI website deals? Either way, nothing worth even talking about imho.

Maybe they are loading all the big weekend sales into their system??! :rolleyes: I did hear there is some 30% off sale coming this weekend..which is usually better than the BOGO sales they have.... I have 4 cruises booked, so I am hoping that's the reason anyways....haha

Just booked Adventure of the Seas for April 23/2016. Going with friends who have never cruised RCI before and this itinerary looks amazing.......very excited for this one!

Interesting....although I know I spend so little time in my room during a cruise, that I would only see my door about once a day... not to mention there is so much going on during the day, that its impossible to go to everything you want to see and check out, so not sure how much "extra" time there would be to do these type of things. Then again, I don't have kids nor ever cruised on Disney so can't compare. Roll call sites would defn be the place to try and link up with something like that as mentioned above!

Never done a balcony yet(waiting till I can get a good C&A discount on them) but did a oceanview once. For me, I can cruise 3-4 times a year doing an inside, whereas a balcony would prob cut that down to 1, maybe 2 a year. So at this point its the cheapest so that I can cruise as many times as possible for now.

I will be watching this closely as well...as I am contemplating a nice long solo cruise that would bump me into Diamond next year, prob in the fall. Sounds like there could be major differences coming if they are going to start to allow you to "buy" points during cruises. I assume everything will require more $ spent/more cruises to be taken to obtain the levels, but time will tell.

I always seem to have 2-3 cruises booked and planned so always have something to look forward to after the next cruise. I think its normal to look ahead, especially if future cruises are different or new ships from what you have done before. That being said, I look forward to every cruise and learning as much about it as I can. The only time when that is not the case now is when I take EOS, as I have been on her 4x now....but that doesn't mean I don't look forward to it. I just know her very well and the stops etc.

That's what I will do this weekend. I have looked at a few videos on Majesty, but wasn't looking specifically nor did I notice any upper level bar. It will be an enjoyable way to spend a few hours this weekend!

Love that last pic....usually what it looks like at home when I leave for the majority of my cruises...cold, barren, snowy, ...and to touchdown to warm sunny skies, palm trees and then head to the boat is an unbeatable feeling!!

Yeah, that's what has me confused. But I have never been able to find a picture of this and over on CC I had people say no, just some guy with a cart that goes around with drinks?!

I have done some looking around and can't seem to confirm. I have come across posts or info that talks about a upper deck pool bar or mast bar on Majesty. But I can't seem to confirm this in any photo's I have seen. I also cruised on Monarch and don't remember her having one. Is it similar to the "Sky Bar" on Brilliance for example? I don't think that Majesty has a big bar on the pool deck like the Oasis bar on Enchantment so they must have a 2nd bar somewhere around the pool area?

That is a lot of bags!!..lol The perks of not having to fly to the cruise port I guess eh?!

Yup..followed the link and ordered myself some luggage tags as well. Always worried about the paper ones just tearing or ripping off. And seeing as how often and much I like to cruise, I figured it was worth it! :D

Lots of options for hotels in Orlando as well as Port Canaveral. From there you can book a private car or a shared shuttle or rent a car. There are some hotels in Orlando as well as Port Canaveral that offer packages that include shuttle service to and from the airport/port/airport which could save some money travelling with that many people. I prefer hiring a private car..its a flat rate, much quicker and easier. Lots to consider and lots of options. I have done this 5x now, but never did the rent a car thing.