WAAAYTOOO

I noticed that the Deluxe drink and S&S Voom combo prices on both my upcoming Liberty and October Grandeur sailings have remained the same as what they were during the latest sale. My Christmas/NY sailing on Grandeur had been pricing the Deluxe beverage package at $49/day with it actually going UP to $51/day during the "sale". Now that the sale is over, the price on the DBP for the Christmas/NY sailing has remained the same as it was during the sale - $51/day so maybe that will be the new normal price for that one.

Well, I will jump in here to counter Matt's boundless enthusiasm for Wonderland ?? We went to Wonderland on Harmony with a party of 6. By the time the dinner was over, there were only 2 left and they were only there to settle the bill (luckily there was no real "bill" for us since we were Star Class. If I had paid extra money for that meal I would have been very unhappy). I thought the food at Wonderland was horrible and obviously so did everyone else in our party. The menu was just too weird and wasn't attractive in the least. I will say, the service was wonderful. But no matter how hard that poor little girl tried to make that meal interesting, it just wasn't happening. Unless your children are VERY adventurous eaters I would probably not include them. Perhaps you could try it yourself (just the adults) and then decide if it was something you thought the kids would enjoy and take them along another time. Wonderland seems to be one of those restaurants that people either love or hate. We happen to be in the latter group but many people rave about it. I would just hate to see you spend a lot of money on the kids' meals just to have them stare at it and then have to go to the WJ afterwards.

Agreed. We ordered 1 drink at the bionic bar when we first were on Harmony. Once was enough. Horrible drink. What a waste of prime real estate.

Beautiful home !

I have felt for many, many years that the 2 happiest cultures on the planet are the Filipinos and the Cajuns. They just love life and love everyone. I am very envious. How in the world did you end up there ?

Welcome, Brad. You MUST share some of your stories about life in the Philippines. It sounds so exotic !

We are going to be on Liberty Sept 2 also !!

If your sailing offers it, it will be listed in the Cruise Planner under "dining". The only catch to doing a BOGO is that you must dine the first and second nights of the cruise (although I have heard of some people being allowed to push the second day back....but it is entirely at the discretion of the folks onboard). The BOGO is also limited in which restaurants qualify but if you're interested in eating at Chops and/or the Italian restaurant (whichever one your ship has) then you'll be fine. Izumi hibachi doesn't qualify, Chef's Table doesn't qualify and it's hit or miss as to whether Wonderland will work with BOGO.

WOW ! I've never seen it that high on ANY cruise ! That's outrageous

As I recall (and it's been MANY years ago), the MDT was at Giovanni's (actually it was at the OLD Italian restaurant before Giovanni's) and it was a limited option meal. Unless things have changed, I would not consider a meal at the MDT to be equivalent to having a dinner at Giovanni's.

No savings for me ?? The past 2 Cruise Planner sales they've had my drink package (Christmas + NY cruise on Grandeur) went from $49 PP/PD to $51 PP/PD. Then when the CP sale ends, the price for the package goes back down to $49. Some sale !

I'm scheduled to do NE/Canada in Sept 2019 on Grandeur

7th and 8th graders are pure evil. I have no idea how any of you keep your sanity with these deranged monsters. I have even more admiration for you all now than I did before.

Personally, I dislike the WOW bands and every time we've had one I've always chosen to leave it in the box. Dan loves them though.

I am the same way. It doesn't affect me in any way. I couldn't care less.

I would be very surprised to see any Star Class suite come down in price as time goes by. As a general rule (always exceptions of course), the prices just continue to go higher. Combine that with the fact that the prices are always highest on the newest ships, I would say that your best bet is to upgrade as soon as possible if you want Star Class. Rarely does anyone cancel Star Class, but it does happen, rarely. Good luck !

They used to give you a $50 PP credit at Izumi but then it went down to $35. All I know is that Dan cannot stay within his $35 allowance but I can.

Great point about the non-refundable deposit penalty. Keep in mind that you will be paying a $100 per person penalty to move your Suite reservation from Symphony to Allure. Having said that...and recognizing that I have not yet sailed on Symphony...I am a Star Class lover and I have done Star Class on Allure (and also Harmony). It is incredible. I have stayed in a 1 BR ATS on Harmony and while very nice, it will not have the same amenities that the SC suites have. Also realize....it is a VERY long walk from the aft elevators all the way back to the ATS. If that's not a problem, cool. After having done both the ATS (both 1 and 2 BR varieties) and being up on Deck 17 near the Coastal Kitchen and Suites Lounge, I can say that I prefer being up on Deck 17. That long walk gets old FAST but I will never regret my cruises in the Aqua Theater Suites. I think it is definitely worth doing at least once. If the water slides and other new aspects of the Symphony are important, then just realize that you will not be getting those on Allure. Honestly, if you can move from Sky class on Symphony to Star Class on Allure without much of a price difference, that would be a no-brainer for me but I don't have children sailing with me that might enjoy the water slides, laser tag and other things that Symphony offers. What a nice choice to have !!

There's a running track on a cruise ship ? Who knew.... ?

I am looking forward to it for this reason, too. Like Sabrina, we really aren't beach people and the option to do many other things, besides laying on the beach, is appealing to me. It will be interesting, however, to see how the logistics are handled with the "restaurant and bar" areas on Coco Cay seeing as how there are no regularly stocked and maintained areas on Coco Cay - everything has to be brought from the ship. Or perhaps that will change now ? I am also interested in finding out how much of the new Coco Cay will be included in the Star Class amenities. We will be on Anthem in Feb. 2020 in Star Class and I am hoping that all of the amenities (except some of the "pay" thrill rides and the cabanas, etc.) will be included. I haven't heard a peep about this. I imagine it's all still being evaluated.

As a queso fundido LOVER, I can attest to the fact that the outdoor Sabors on the O class have never had it. The only place I have ever found QF is in the full service Sabors. I will check it out when I am on Liberty over Labor Day week. I will be QUITE disappointed if they do not have QF.

Terrible. If you have long, thick or curly hair, I recommend you bring your own hair dryer. My hair is short, tannish and straight as a board and I still bring my own.

Congratulations, Candie ! That's awesome. I can see how a biz would definitely interfere with your cruising ! Glad you are able to squeeze at least a couple of them in !!

Grand Marnier soufflé ! Yum. My fave dessert. If a server asked for a good rating, I think you have to “report” that.

As a RULE (things can certainly change), Caribbean formal nights will be nights 2 and 6.