CruzOnBye

The way crowds are at Disney right now, I would loveeee for all this to steer some people away! LOL. Well, the fear of it, not the actual virus obviously. We (regrettably) bought WDW annual passes for Christmas and can't deal, I mean can.not.DEEEAL. with the crowds! It would be amazing to not have to wait 20 mins in line for a beer or 2.5 hours for a ride. But hey, "happiest place on earth", right? -_- Thank goodness for cruises, RC is our true happy place ?

Oh nice! Thank you for the feedback. It looks beautiful based off the one-two pics on the website I saw.

Hey there cruisers! Hubby and I have Odyssey booked next February and one of the ports is Jamaica, and see that shore excursions are available for booking. Have any of you done these particular excursions in Jamaica, and if so, what do you recommend? We have never actually booked any excursions before and also have never been to Jamaica, so we are looking for your experience and feedback! ? The first two really caught our eye, but if it's too cold late Feb, we might be better off with option 3? Inner Tubing/Rafting & Dunns River Falls with Buffet Lunch (currently at $124/pp & 5 hrs 45 mins duration)- Ride down the White River (or similar) on your tube or optional raft and then experience the beauty of the world-famous Dunn's River Falls in one fascinating tour. Admire Jamaica's north coast on your way to the White River and gently tube down the tropical valley to the beach at Shaw Park. After a delicious lunch, visit the legendary Dunn's River Falls, where you can embark on a 600-foot-climb up the waterfall. Blue Hole & River Tubing w/ Lunch (currently at $139/pp & 7 hrs duration)- Jamaica’s natural splendors and hidden gems unfold before you on this full-day aquatic adventure along the peaceful White River and at the stunning Blue Hole. At the foot of the river, you’ll meet your friendly guides and be outfitted with a life jacket. Then hop in your inner tube for a relaxing float down one of the cleanest and most scenic rivers in Jamaica. Glide across crystal clear waters and over limestone riverbeds, as you meander through bamboo-arched jungle under a 17th-century Spanish bridge and past a historic coconut plantation. Browse for Jamaican treasures at the Chukka Gift Shop.Fill up on refreshments and a delectable meal of Jamaican jerk chicken before making your way to the tucked-away Blue Hole, set amidst lush rainforest landscapes. Here you can climb along cascading waterfalls, jump off rocks into natural swimming pools, rope swing into the water, or explore underwater caves and tunnels. Nature lovers and adventure seekers of all ages get their fill on this incredible outing. Green Gotto Caves and Dunns River Falls- No Lunch Provided? (currently at $89/pp & 5 hrs duration)- Discover a fascinating piece of Jamaican history as you tour caves and passageways and take a journey to the famous Dunn’s River Falls. Make way through the complex maze of chamber light holes, stalagmites, and stalactites at Green Grotto Caves—less than two miles from where Christopher Columbus first landed in Jamaica. Then visit wondrous 600-foot-high Dunn’s River Falls, where you can climb its cascading waters, sunbathe on the beach, or simply admire the Falls before returning to ship. This tour is provided by an operator that has been third-party certified to meet the Global Sustainable Tourism Council's Criteria for Tour Operators. Thank you all for your feedback!

I gain more and newer happy places every cruise! The last trip was to Coco Cay, and the entire island was our happy place!

Aww bummer! That’s ok. Just means we gotta sail on Ovation sometime! Thank you for confirming.

Really?! I had no idea they had complimentary items at Fish &s Ships, I didn't see that on the menu posted online. I wonder if it's ship specific? We're sailing on Independence in May and if that's another place for some snackage to score for the Faa-Reeee that would be awesome!

Hubby and me are trying to average two a year if possible, inside cabins. More money to spend on DX drink package and maybe an excursion. We feel like we're never in our room except to shower. Half the time I'm sleeping poolside or beachside Cococay so I don't even sleep much in the cabin itself lol!

When we were on it last year, we had no idea that Johnny Rockets did breakfast until after the fact! I was so bummed! I'm hoping to go on the same class again so I can enjoy that little perk. Harmony has a lot to offer in the food area, it's pretty awesome.

We were on Harmony last year and ate at the Solarium Bistro on our final night, and I wish I knew how amazing it was prior to then because I would have gone back! We had eaten there for lunch but it was like being in a mini Windjammer, so nothing too special. But when we went for dinner that night, we were seated at a table, we were only ones in there except for another couple (around 8pm), you order your food with the wait staff, but then you can walk up and get apps and salads, pasta salads, etc., at the buffet portion while you wait. I thought it was incredible! It was our favorite meal. I had fresh fish for dinner and it was just so tasty. Then we walked out to the Solarium bar afterward and sat in the jacuzzi with our drinks. During the day Mini Bites was also on point, those nachos though! My hubby loves the Dog House, they were pretty good. But I preferred the pizza in Sorrentos for snackage. Harmony has been one of the best ships for us as far as food and snacks go. You'll love it!

That's a great question, if it did appear, I don't know if I noticed it or knew it meant something special. I'll have to look on my next cruise when I check in next month at the 90 day mark. I did scan our passports with no issues...I'll pay more attention to what it says on the app next time, this helps thank you.

Thank you! Before our next sailing in a few months I'll call them and ask what the protocol will be, maybe it will help speed things up as we go through Ft Lauderdale port.

Hello cruisers! My hubs and I were on Mariner in December. During the 90 day check in process with the App, I took our pictures with the phone and they were uploaded and it seemed like we were all set. When we arrived to Port, after we went through security and arrived into the general waiting area, I wasn't sure if we were allowed to just go on up and scan our seapass via the App when they called for Gold status to board the ship, so we went to the actual lines with the nice lady who printed out a seapass (even though we had it on our app) and took a picture (which again, we already had done precheckin). Was that step necessary? Did we duplicate all our efforts there? I mean, it didn't take long, but if I can just bypass all that it would be pretty cool! If we check in online/on the app and have our credit card info done, our passport and license info done, pictures uploaded, do we still have to go through that line and have them recheck everything? I was confused. I want to feel expert gold-status by my next cruise haha

Thank you! Enjoying learning all the tips and tricks and seeing everyone's experiences posted.

This is so cool seeing the results everyone is ending up with in choosing GTY! We just selected GTY for the first time! We're still at the "interior level" but hey, maybe it will be upgraded to a tiny view lol! It will be on Odyssey of the Seas 2021, so I'm sure it will be awhile before we get an assignment. We also booked a cruise this month for a sailing in May 2020 on Indy, and we asked about GTY but they were actually not available which I thought was interesting. I kinda liked rolling the dice and seeing where we'll end up, especially on Odyssey next year! We never have a preference on where we're at, we feel like we're not in the room enough to care, and when we are, we're passed out hard from all the fun! Good luck to all of you waiting to see where you'll end up!

That is such a great idea! On Mariner last month I managed to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night, but on my way back to my bed, my face smacked to the back of the TV that was swung out and I busted my lip good! Lights are at top of the list for our next trip.

I have one of those card holders that stick to the back of my cell phone and I keep mine there as my phone is always with me for pictures.

I laugh so hard when I think about my hubby and I trying to make this work! I knew where the icecream machine was, he knew where the funnel cakes were, so we decided to tag team it. The icecream was melting down my arm as I made my way toward him in thew beautiful 85 degree weather, and he didn't see me at first, all he saw was me running up and plopping the icecream onto the funnel cakes!! We laughed so hard! So, the better way to do it, is to bring the funnel cake to the icecream machine...unfortunately is wasn't as obvious to us at the time LOL. It made for a great moment and some laughs by some passing by. ?

Update 12/30: So we just returned last week from our amazing cruise on the Mariner! Day 2 we arrived to Cococay (about 77 degrees that morning), and my husband and I were the first to arrive to the swim up bar (like kids in a candy store). My hubby went right on in, and I was barely tip toed in and wasn't sure I could make it. The bartender, laughing, was like "Come on in! I'll warm you guys up with a drink when you get over here!" I threw myself in all the way, and swam to the bar where a nice stiff shot and a CocoLoco was waiting for us! Incredible experience. The water was cold, especially until the sun came out not long after. It ended up being a beautiful, warm 85 degree day! The island is truly incredible and very well done. We were excited for the return back on day 4, unfortunately, due to the weather we were unable to dock. I can't wait to go back soon!

@Neesa Thank you so much! Florida girl here too so I'm right there with you! Sounds amazing! You're right...some coco locos and I won't notice the chill ?

Hello! Someone who visited CocoCay a few months back told me that the water in the pools, or swim up bar area may be "temperature controlled". Is that true? I tried to look it up online but didn't see anything confirming that. We have a trip this month there and I'm dying to do the swim up bar but, I also don't want to be shivering while enjoying my coco loco drink ? Thank you!

My husband and I are generally beer drinkers, but on the cruise, all bets (and beers) are off! My favorite drink is called Liquid Marijuana! I've only found two bartenders on the last 3 cruises who know how to make it. It was introduced to me by a bartender from Jamaica. Sure enough, on the last cruise ship, a bartender who was also from there knew exactly what I wanted. Spiced Rum, Melon Liqueur, Coconut Rum, Blue Curacao, Sweet & Sour and Pineapple Juice. Plus, it's fun watching the other guests jerk their heads toward you in curiosity when you order it. ? My husband's goto is a Long Island, but he holds the tequila. Long Beach is also very good!