KLA

11 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

FWIW, there are rumors that RC will be building a new class roughly the size of Voyager class. These would be the future “small” ships.

Just something I’ve read. I’m no expert on this sort of thing.

I could definitely see that just being a rumor (especially since the larger ships generate so much income for the cruise line) - but I would be thrilled if they did that. 

We did all MDR on our recent 5 night on Grandeur, and while some things were hit or miss I loved the Caribbean night menu. The roasted chicken might be my favorite plate of food I've ever eaten in an MDR - it was so well done. 

On 4/21/2023 at 11:00 AM, Sharla said:

I can tell you I was docked next to a rock cruise in 2022 and it was so loud on the deck that I could hear it from the next ship over, in my room with the balcony door closed. But the people looked like they were having fun!

I boarded once as one of these cruises was disembarking, and the amount of hungover rockers waiting on their taxis was almost comical. Apparently they kept the bars open quite late, and embarkation was delayed because of some passengers not leaving. Plus the pool deck was closed for most of the first day due to the stages being dismantled. 

Yes - Odyssey is one of the few ships that is enabled with Chromecast 'casting'. We used the feature often in our room. 

I think you likely need to be connected to the wifi, but not positive that you'll need to have the internet package. 

11 hours ago, DoomSlayer said:

Tropical Crush (pineapple juice, mango juice, and pineapple Red Bull) -- my favorite morning drink when I am not in a coffee mood.

Oh my husband would love this... saving this recommend! 

Non-alcoholic mojito or club soda with lime are my go-tos! 

1 hour ago, StayFrosty said:

There is a complimentary shuttle from FLL to the FLL Tri-Rail station.  This takes you right to the Miami Airport.  Not sure what hotel you are at but maybe they have a shuttle from the airport, or a quick Uber.

I just looked at this - we might try this for our overnight in Miami when flying in to FLL. If we catch a taxi or Uber from MIA if we take the train from FLL that's appealing to help cut down on the Uber cost.

We almost always fly in to FLL even if sailing out of Miami (nonstop flights and generally better pricing), and we've always used Lyft or Uber.

The Diamond lounge seemed consistently crowded on Allure - I'm going to guess because of the location.

On 9/27/2022 at 3:28 PM, Ampurp85 said:

Cruise planner will close 48-72 hours before your cruise, and you won't be able to buy or cancel anything. This is also the case for RoyalUp, they can and will upgrade people as late as on the boat. In that case you will have to go to guest service or have your concierge make the refunds for you. 

So asking this because I just now got a VERY LATE "we might decide to upgrade you to a FREAKING CROWN LOFT once you board"...

If we wanted to cancel our 3 night dining package and VOOM reservation based on that upgrade, we could go to the concierge and we would 1) get the refund 2) any leftover OBC credited to my account as a result of that refund would be credited back to me? Or would I get a direct refund?

20 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Mariner is the only ship risking a delay at this point.  Though going to be frustrating for people trying to get into Orlando by air.

 

I also suspect frustrating for people trying to drive through the state to other ports. 

10 minutes ago, tonyfsu21 said:

Good idea. Hopefully you are sailing out of Miami or Fort Lauderdale because obviously Tampa & Cape could be a big mess after this storm passes through. 

Yep, FLL on Allure.

Scheduled to sail on Saturday so keeping an eye on this - at this point the most I've done is change my layover on Friday away from Atlanta (which is feeling like the correct decision) to Detroit instead.

Just to add - Congrats!!! 

We did a B2B honeymoon on Allure 5 years ago, and are sailing on Allure again for our 5 year anniversary in a couple weeks. I hope you walk away from your sailing with as many fond memories of Odyssey as we have of Allure. 

14 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

The alcohol free beers have taken a real step up in recent years.  Still not a 1 for 1 replacement, but solid

Yeah, BrewDog and a couple others do a really good job. I really don't mind Heineken 0.0, either. I've come to associate it with being on a cruise ship at this point - haha!

58 minutes ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

I don't have an answer but...alcohol-free red wine....is it...it is jut grape juice? I am actually asking because I'm very curious. I was under the impression wine was made by fermenting grapes in sugars so...where does the alcohol that process creates go...and what's left?

So, my understanding is that there is a couple ways that this is done - but one method is basically fermenting the wine and then going through a process to remove the alcohol that was produced during fermentation. 

Most alcohol-free wine isn't great - similar with alcohol-free beer, there's only a few I can think of that have been done really really well. That said, having the option to have a cold beer or glass of wine (even if it isn't perfect) to simulate the ritual of cocktail hour or having a drink by the pool or a glass of champagne to celebrate sail away is nice to have as an option. 

I may try with the cans of 0.0% wine with the attitude of 'if it's confiscated it's theirs' and bring a bottle of alcohol free champagne + red wine on board as well and pass on the NA beer. 

I guess maybe another permutation of this question - where does non-alcoholic wine or beer fall? 

Is the limit still two bottles, or if we had cans of non-alcoholic wine/champagne/beer that we could chill down in our room and store a little easier would that be something we could carry on more of?

I know I've seen crew with 'Fre' alcohol-removed champagne, but I haven't looked closely enough to see if that's something that we could even on board. We've however had no issue ordering Heineken 0.0 at most bars on board (and typically the only people drinking it, from what I can tell lol) but being able to bring on a little bit more variety or a glass of alcohol-removed red wine with dinner might be nice.

Just put in my bids for my October cruise - JS to GS, OS, or Crown Loft for 8 nights. Suites have been showing mostly sold out for a while, so we'll see how it goes! Happy in our JS either way, but I'd love the all day CK access and the chance to try a new room category! 

I love the Hollywood Beach Marriott - it's a bit quieter, and right on the boardwalk in Hollywood Beach. Lots of restaurants to walk to plus beach chairs, towels, and bikes are included as an amenity. 

I don't think you could go wrong with either one. That said - I think I'd lean towards St. Lucia. It's just an absolutely beautiful island. 

On 7/18/2022 at 11:44 AM, Carlos A. said:

Or AirTags in case you're iPhone User

+1 for this solution - I recently went on a business trip to Europe where I had to do a bit of jumping around between countries, and it was so nice being able to see my luggage move through the airport towards my plane and see it move with me as we pulled away from the gate. Great peace of mind. 

I love the Freestyle machines - Ginger Lime Diet Coke and quick sparkling water! 

If travelling with family - yes, we'll participate in formal night. 

If travelling just the two of us - no, we'll usually book a dinner in a specialty restaurant or just stay comfy for a quiet Windjammer dinner. 

2 hours ago, steverk said:

Like everyone else here, the only advice I'm offering is never, ever invest more than you can afford to lose.

That said, I can't help but think the shareholder benefit makes the stock attractive.  If you're lucky enough to be retired and cruise 7 days per month,  then the benefit would be $1200 per year.

At $35 per share ($3500 for 100 shares to get the benefit), you would have your investment back in just 3 years.

Btw carnival would be less than 1 year!

Not quite there yet -but that's an interesting thought. 

15 minutes ago, twangster said:

Stock trading is basically legal gambling.  There will be winners and losers.    Just like money spent in a casino it had better be play money that won't hurt you financially if you lose it all.  Betting your family nest egg and going all in would not be wise.  

Haha, thanks for the reminder and advice. This is definitely 'fun' money and I'm prepared to let it sit for a while - just wanted to get some insights from those who may have been paying attention for longer.