tonyfsu21

I live in East Fort Lauderdale & I can tell you that anything along the 17th Street corridor is a good choice. Embassy has a publix supermarket & total wine as well as a bunch of places to eat within a 2 min walk. I like high floors looking South at Hilton Marina as well. If you have any questions I can answer. Oct is well within our season down here so expect to pay top dollar no matter where you stay (unless you are going super low end).

Haha^^^

Ok thanks Matt. Were you able to choose male or female sitter?

Anyone have any experience with using RC Babysitting service at night? Have 4yr and 1yr olds and thinking about putting them to bed and having sitter stay while my wife and I are out for a few hours in the evenings. Specifically we booked a crown loft suite on Harmony and plan on putting 4yr old on pull out downstairs and 1yr old in pack & play. Will the sitter just stay upstairs in the loft while the kids sleep? I purposely booked the loft so that the kids could sleep downstairs hoping a sitter could watch from upstairs. Anyone ever done this?

@firegal: I understand your concerns but it does bring on some questions.

1. By enjoying smoking a cigar in an open air environment I dont see how the smoke affects your clothing any more than a person walking down the street smoking on a cigar. Perhaps I'm wrong?

 

2. There are areas inside the ship where people smoke such as the casino. Is it possible your clothing smells because of the casino?

 

3. It's a non issue as far as a cruise ship is concerned within the USA since there is no smoking permitted on balconies. I do understand your issues as I too hate smoking and the thought of a cigarette makes me want to vomit. In 2016 you have to be pretty uninformed to be a smoker knowing full well it causes cancer. I "did" however enjoy smoking a celebratory cigar (no inhaling ever) a couple times on my cruise ship balcony when I sail .

I highly recommend Indy of the seas 4 night out of Fort Lauderdale. This is NOT an "old and tired" ship by any means. The Indy is a very large ship with so many options (especially for a 4 day sail). Don't waste your time & energy looking at other short cruises, this one is AWESOME!

@Todd- I'm on my way!

@bcarney- with all due respect its not even a hobby it's just something I like to do on vacation to relax. If the S&P 500 continues to produce for me I will smoke my cigars on the balcony and just pay the fines with a smile:) so I hope you don't end up next to me.

And as the guy in the cabin next to you...thank God it's banned.

 

Your hobby is smoking. The by-product of which is smoke, which stinks up my clothes, my hair, and generally makes it hard to breathe.

 

My hobby is drinking beer. The by-product of which is urine. Would it be alright if I peed in your clothes, in your hair, and into your nose?

^^^ I don't inhale.

I've used it on both Oasis and Allure and it's fast! Real fast! I actually think it's faster than the crap Comcast service in my home that cost me more than $200/mo!!!!!!!

^^^^ I for one wish we could still smoke cigars on the cabin balconies! That was such a relaxing thing to do and I miss it very much.

@John- That's a lot of $,$$$ and you certainly deserved a solid customer service experience from RC and they did not deliver. Do you think we all just expect too much and that our new and harsh reality is this poor customer service? I see it everywhere, it's not just RC. I just can't help but think that this type of service is the new norm. Will it ever get better? Todd hit the nail on the head when he mentioned yanking the gratuity's until the issues are resolved! This most certainly gets the job done. In any case, I hope your next experience is better than the last.

Mike- I don't know about all this craziness surrounding the "burden of proof" and customs. Unless your wife has the Hope Diamond or the Godfathers pinky ring on her fingers I do not think you need to over think this at all. I can tell you my wife walks on and off the ship wearing 3 Cartier Love bracelets (yellow, rose and white gold) a diamond ring that would blind you + Gold Rolex and gold + Platinum necklaces from Tiffany up the wazoo and has never ever once been asked a single question by customs. We go on cruises quite a bit since we live next to the Port. I just don't think you need to prove anything and at the end of the day if your telling the truth about the jewlery's origin than no harm no foul.

^^^ I totally agree. The agents look at you like your a moron if you declare the expensive stuff. I will make it a game time decision.

UltraJewels^^^^^. I actually took advantage of the promotion a few years back when I purchased a nice Breitling wristwatch. I really had little confidence in actually receiving a check from the MX government but sure enough it arrived and it was good.

Ahh ok, got it Bobroo. Now that u mention it I bought my wife a Cartier love bracelet on a cruise awhile back and the sales lady did curiously ask what ship we were on. I asked her why she needed to know and she responded "marketing". I told her the wrong ship since there were 6 in port. I bet they tip off the customs agents somehow. Interesting.

Doc- I am totally lost on the drug dealer reference above your post but, ok. I want to point out that the carribean authorized Rolex dealers are just as legit as the authorized dealers in the states. I'm an educated buyer who has purchased more than 10 Rolex watches (just not from authorized dealers in carribean). I would not be foolish enough to spend 30k on a watch from a street peddler and I'm hoping nobody on this thread would either. With that being said I have seen my share of tourists buying "Cuban cigars" from the street vendors in Cozumel... Not smart & NOT Cuban cigars.

^^^^ this sounds like the bar/grill at the Hilton Marina I believe.

What do u want to know? It's relatively new (built last 5-7 years). The location is literally 500 feet from the Port Everglades West entrance. I have never stayed because I live in the neighborhood next to port. I recommend you look into Embassy Suites on 17th street. Lots of places to have a nice dinner before cruise within walking distance.

@ Todd. I will most likely pay the duty on the watch provided I can get enough of a discount to offset. It's strange that more people have not chimed in on this. I don't think it makes a difference which Rolex model someone purchases and I really wanted to gauge impressions people had with the carribean authorized dealers. It makes little sense to purchase the same watch in the US when you can buy in the carribean tax free.

@floatme: other than Chinatown I can't imagine a worse place to purchase a Rolex than the Pawn Stars store in LV. They mark up prices just because they are on TV. The stainless sub is $8700 brand new from Authorized dealer.

@ Todd- I don't need the box, just the watch. I would pay with Amex platinum and put it on my wrist. I wouldn't buy a gold Rolex submariner off the internet, I prefer face to face with an authorized dealer. Again, I'm not concerned about authenticity as I would only buy from one of Rolex's noted authorized dealers. I have been quoted $30,000 + 6% tax in US. Hoping for a similar discount, tax free and game time decision on declaring. Watch MSRP $34,500.

I figured since the purchase will be made at an authorized Rolex dealer in carribean there wouldn't be concern. I am wondering if anyone has received better discounts if any on Rolex in carribean?

You may just have another option..... We have a new rail system in South Florida that may be in service by the time u sail:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brightline

 

This is a high speed rail with a terminal In downtown Fort Lauderdale (I helped build it) appx a 10 min drive from cruise port. This new rail line will take you to Orlando Intl airport where u can get very easy transport to and from port Canaveral.

Anyone have a positive experience in any East West Carribean routes shopping for Rolex specifically? I normally purchase from authorized dealers in the US but im curious if anyone has received any good deals at the Carribean Authorized dealers? Any discounts on higher end 30k+ models specifically?