tonyfsu21

We toyed with the idea of DCL but afraid it’s gonna be Mickey overload. At least when we visit the theme parks when it’s time to go we just exit the park and say goodbye but not sure I would be ok with not escaping the mouse on a cruise ship. Plus no casino!!!!! I think we are better off on Oasis Class ships as there is plenty to do for kids. We can’t keep them off the carousel or kids rock wall.

Yeah, this is a couple more reasons the band is wonky. If your gonna release something called the Wow band then at least make it a complete replacement for the card w/ some kind of wow factor. It sounds like they were quick to release technology that’s pretty much obsolete already.

IMHO it’s an epic fail. There will be people on both sides of the fence but for me, it’s no good. When you want a drink at the pool the bracelet needs to physically come off your wrist so that the attendant can take it back to the bar to scan for your drink. Also, I would say the RFID works about 40% of the time for entry into your stateroom. It’s sometimes less of a hassle to just pull the card out of my pocket.

Personally, I wouldn’t stay at either (just as personal preference) but since you have listed the (2) above then here you go: 1. Riverside hotel is a historic hotel which was renovated not too long ago. The most appealing thing about this hotel is it’s prime location on Las Olas Blvd. For dinner or drinks you are surrounded by many different options to choose from. There’s a hotel bar and restaurant called “boathouse” located In the rear of the property directly on the new river which is a pretty nice spot to see all the boat action on the river while dining. Your still about a mile from Fort Lauderdale beach and there is a water taxi stop adjacent to the hotel property which is nice. 10 minute Uber to Port. Overall good location, older hotel. 2. Holiday Inn 17th street. I don’t necessarily see how this hotel is grouped in with the Riverside as far as comparison but it’s your basic Holiday Inn Express. No matter where you go in the country they are pretty much consistently the same. The location on 17th street is across the street from Starbucks, Einstein Bagels, La Spada Subs, Panera Bread, Burger Fi, Boatyard, Southport Raw Bar, Kelly’s Landing, PDQ, Mcsorleys Irish Bar exc exc exc. On the same side of the street you have the Harbour Shoppes including Publix, Total Wine, TJ Max, Duffy’s sports bar and grill, Gilbert’s restaurant, Manhattan pizza, Carlos and Pepe’s, La Bamba, Joe’s Diner, Carrabas, Indian Harbour, lunchroom exc exc. You are a 5 minute Uber from the beach and from the cruise port. Given these 2 choices I think Riverside Hotel is your better option of the two but if the price is not a concern then I would urge you to seek other options. Try a nice resort on Fort Lauderdale Beach to get the real Fort Lauderdale experience. I prefer Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach, W FLB, Hilton FLB & Atlantic Hotel. Marriott Harbor Beach is pretty awesome as well (think beach, lounge chair and a flag you plant in the sand every time you would like your beach attendant to bring you another drink).

Much like @Lovetocruise2002 I am partial to the oasis class: 1. Symphony 2. Harmony 3. Oasis 4. Allure 5. Independence 6. Mariner 7. Voyager 8. Brilliance BA4103F6-D2FD-41D2-9254-22DF7F55758F.MOV

I always add $20.00 additional tip because 99.999% of the time the server goes way above and beyond for my kids (especially in Jamie’s Italian for some reason).

Yes, the only hang up at Terminal A seems to be the elevator bank right when you get outside. PITA

That’s good because 75% of the machines are technically “penny slots”. But you can’t bet 1 cent so the term is BS. Max bet even on a penny slot can be $5+ per spin. Good luck

Interesting. I didn’t even know you could do this. We never step in the MDR either so this could be useful in other places.

I personally am tired of the casino Royale representatives lack of knowledge regarding their casino program. Every single time I call it’s a different response. I’m thinking TA is the way to go. I decided to just leave RC (for at least 1 cruise) out of frustration.

Lol that makes a lot more sense then. At least there is a payoff of sorts seeing family. From the post it looked like you wanted to get off to get something to eat.

This just wouldn’t be a great idea IMHO. Especially since your just getting something to eat. 1. Logistics of explaining why your getting off a cruise ship you just got on to go get something to eat must be a red flag w/ customs. 2. There’s nothing in downtown Fort Lauderdale (food wise) worth going through the hassle and expense of getting off the ship for. 3. Lots of room for error. Lose track of time, problems getting a ride share, customs issue exc exc. The payoff is just not there. I would stay on the ship and enjoy your vacation waving bye bye to Fort Lauderdale as you sail out the inlet.

I just looked, it was $277.20 for Beverage and $31.60 for the dining. More then I figured. Oh well, nothing is ever really “free”.

Yeah I noticed even the “free drink package” and “free speciality dining” ended up costing me $175.00. Curiously odd. I think we’re gonna give it a shot in the name of doing something different.

I remember sailing the NCL sky many years ago and one of the people we were with was at his own blackjack table where the dealer was dealing (2) hands to him at $100/hand x 2 and he was treated pretty well. I think he had a comped Cruise (which doesn’t say much because it was only a 3 or 4 day sailing) and comped meals in all the speciality restaurants pre “free speciality dining promotion”. Fast forward many years and my last sailing on Mariner in March I was playing consistent $100/hand blackjack and $500 per spin roulette and I have not achieved the highest player rating level to date. The person next to me on roulette was playing close to $1000/spin so it was an exciting table. I will probably play the same level action on the NCL Encore for Thanksgiving & maybe that will get me somewhere with the NCL casino program but who knows?