tonyfsu21

It’s a roll of the dice. We have had 11:00am check in times and we’re by the pool at 10:30am and other times we were still in the line to board at noon. I don’t think anyone can accurately pinpoint a boarding time with all the variables that can disrupt the plan (mostly customs). 

16 hours ago, dmattinson said:

Top Hat doesn't open until 8A BTW 

The diners may be open 24 hours. 

In the airport, the only thing open is Starbucks, Einstein bagels, Harvest and Grounds and the like (https://www.broward.org/airport/Passengers/Pages/terminals.aspx) - I'd camp out in Starbucks with a coffee or three and watch the world go by for a bit - depending on hunger around 7:30, hit one of the spots mentioned but note that even if you go to one of these places, you still need to stash your luggage somewhere.  

Top Hat will stash your luggage w/ no issues. Every weekend we see the cruisers come in for breakfast and the luggage is piled next to the front door. As for Starbucks, get out of the airport and go to the new Starbucks on 17th street right down the street from the port. 

Based on the leaked information I would say that RC designers have done an exceptional job dialing in the resort experience for the Icon. Why on earth would anyone want to get off the ship? I think we found our ship for Thanksgiving 2024!

16 hours ago, RJ22 said:

Hey all,

We are on the Nov 19-8 day cruise to the Southern Caribbean.  I was wondering what is there to do early in the morning since I am coming in on a redeye at 5:45AM and have my schedule boarding time at 11:30AM.  Anyone have suggestions on what to do for a couple of hours before boarding time?

Thank you in advance for all or any suggestions.

Also, we are on Odyssey as well for the Thanksgiving sailing & looking forward to it! The best itinerary IMHO.

8 hours ago, not easy being green said:

Find a place that has great breakfast food and coffee, I no longer have suggestions the place we used to frequent ended with Covid.

Top Hat Deli, Foxy Brown, Lester’s Diner, Joes Diner to name a few.

16 hours ago, RJ22 said:

Hey all,

We are on the Nov 19-8 day cruise to the Southern Caribbean.  I was wondering what is there to do early in the morning since I am coming in on a redeye at 5:45AM and have my schedule boarding time at 11:30AM.  Anyone have suggestions on what to do for a couple of hours before boarding time?

Thank you in advance for all or any suggestions.

Take an Uber from FLL to Top Hat Deli (highly recommended, I am a local) and enjoy a good breakfast. Uber from Top Hat to the cruise port. Problem solved. 

There’s chair hogs and then there’s Freedom 3 or 4 night out of Miami chair hogs. I have seriously never witnessed more hog sightings at 06:00 on any other voyage we have been on. Keep in mind we are D+ and sail the Freedom weekend voyages quite a bit. I would say 60-70% of the chairs and 100% of the prime locations had either a book or a towel on them and it was still dark out. This happened every single morning and I witnessed it while taking my AM walk. 

9 hours ago, RichCruise7 said:

Sailing this Sunday (23rd) out of Miami and Falmouth is one of the stops.

What's the port like? Want to tick off a bucket list thing and have a pint of Red Stripe in Jamaica, will this be doable here? Simple things and all that......

The port is not great at all. With that being said, there are some interesting excursions to take through RC. We enjoyed the rafting in Marta Brae with beach break (yes red stripes on the beach). I find the port to be sketchy at best and would advise you do not venture out on your own. 

5 hours ago, Zuzanakostol said:

I have never been Haiti, but I very want to go there. I want to ask what hotels do you recommend?

Oasis of the seas or a comparable brand…. 

13 minutes ago, Ryan79 said:

Rafting the Martha Brae or Dunns River Falls would easily be my two recommendations 

^^^^ agree with this. Both great options to try at least once. 

Can we please put this to rest? Labadee is an incredible “island” and the infrastructure that was constructed by RC provides a safe and fun day in a beautiful location. I personally cannot imagine a single facet of this place that could be described as “scary”, that’s just laughable. Maybe the small rocks at barefoot beach that cut the crap out of your feet can be described as “scary” but even that’s a stretch. Enjoy Labadee as it’s another gem of a stop and always makes for a great beach day and so much more. You could always just drink the day away with enough Labadoozie’s to make you forget about the fact that although you are safe, it’s only a hop, skip & a jump to the war torn Haitian capitol city…… Don’t be scared

On 10/9/2022 at 3:47 PM, AshleyDillo said:

I miss the helipad suite port sailaway parties on the Oasis class!

Me too. They were the best & very underrated!

59 minutes ago, Censored said:

Oasis class ships would be the best for you IMO. Bigger is simply better.  More stuff, more things to do. Promenade dark?... no. I have never sensed a feeling of darkness on the promenade. They are bright and cheery and festive.  Watch videos on Youtube. Save your money and dont book the key. (no real good reviews)   and put that money towards excursions or extras at Coco Cay.    Get the biggest balcony room you can afford. Suites are not necessary for a first time experience . Reserve Main dining room at your desired time and avoid "my time"  you may experience long line ups that way.  

Agree re: promenade. I have never once thought this area was dark even on the freedom class ships. If anything (especially on Oasis class) this area is the most vibrant and well lit areas on the ship. 

On 10/8/2022 at 5:56 PM, Lisa1 said:

Hi, we are first time cruisers and I've managed to really confuse myself.    Our family is me (52f), my husband (55m) and two teens, ages 17 and 15.   We've always done all-inclusives for spring break but thought maybe to try a cruise.   My kids are typical kids that like lots of stuff to do and don't mind crowds or lines.   My husband and I are quiet people and don't really like crowds, hence why we've always avoided cruising.   I think our teens would really like to try out a ship though.   I'd like to do a southern Caribbean at the end of February 2023.  I've looked at some other destinations but I'm afraid they will be cold unless we go to the southern part of the Caribbean.    We can't afford a suite level but I think I can add the "key" to get priority embarkation and disembarkation, plus at the ports, to avoid some of the lines.   I didn't even realize a balcony doesn't have to be "ocean-view"!   Who knew that there were balconies on the inside of the ship?!   I've read we can also go to some of the smaller food places and avoid the lines at the buffet.   I've looked at Oasis, Odyssey and Harmony.    People on this forum talk about "oasis" class ships being "dark" in the promenade, which I don't think I would like.   It probably would make me feel closed in.    I like openness, air and light.    Can anyone offer an opinion on which ship would be best?   Some of you may say I should not cruise at all, and I would respect that opinion too.   Please be nice; I probably sound like a first time cruise idiot.    Thank you, Lisa

You cannot go wrong with any of the three you mentioned above. Oasis class would be the best choice in my opinion for your kids and the massive volume of open outdoor space on this class of ships. Watch some of Matt’s ship walk through videos and you will be able to make the correct decision after seeing all aspects of the different neighborhoods. 

On 10/7/2022 at 1:33 PM, OasisQueen said:

we're scheduled to arrive their in 2 weeks. all the excursions are sold out.

You could always take a taxi to eagle beach. No excursion necessary. 

1 hour ago, billnye97 said:

Currently I have a GTY Balcony on Freedom and prepaid my gratuities. If I do a Royal Up and win, say, a suite level how do they handle the gratuity change? I believe that suites have a higher per day gratuity. Does that get charged as well at the time of the Royal Up? 

Since RU is 3rd party, the additional gratuity is most likely added to your seapass onboard account. 

27 minutes ago, Thorntor said:

We are presently on the Allure and boarded last Sunday.  Last Saturday afternoon we received an RCCL email saying our Royal Up bid had not been accepted and we had the option of canceling our bid or waiting “up to departure” for possible upgrade.  Not wanting to unpack and then have to move, we cancelled our bid.

Hope this helps!

Out of curiosity what you have upgraded from/to? I imagine there’s more incentive to unpack and move going from let’s say a balcony to a suite or a suite to star class. 

57 minutes ago, Sunny_D said:

Thanks, this is our first time staying in a suite and I was unaware of how many (or apparently how few) categories are considered to be above CLS.

Make no mistake, it’s possible. We stay almost exclusively in Sky so my Royal Up bids are from CLS to Star class. Next up, Odyssey Royal Up from sky to star in November. 

4 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

As I posted above, because you can also be notified after you have unpacked in your original cabin and many people would not want to re-pack and move.

I didn’t realize they notify you after 1:00pm. I’ve won several royal ups at the last minute and it’s always been before 1pm when the rooms are ready. I understand the hassle though if that’s the case. 

11 hours ago, Cile said:

Thank you, but I will not wait last day. If I don't get answer day before I will cancel. 

Nov sailing around a holiday = low probability of a Royal Up winning bid. Why would you cancel the bid there’s absolutely no reason to? I’ve been notified of a win at noon while drinking a beer by the pool on embarkation day. It’s easy, your bags are re-routed to your new stateroom it’s a seamless process. 

11 minutes ago, twangster said:

There are glass doors that sometimes will be closed and it requires a suite key card to open the door.  Much of the time they are propped open but certain types of people like to close them as they pass through.  If your cruise has some of these types of fellow guests your deck 17 neighbor may be closing the door all the time.  In that event they won't be able to come directly to your deck 17 suite door.  

I am this neighbor but I have horrendously annoying family members that enjoy randomly showing up and knocking on our door at the worst times. It’s really nice to be able to control the situation on deck 17 and I apologize in advance to those whom I inconvenience. 

17 minutes ago, Eddy said:

Wondering who goes to this lounge that used to be overcrowded  at happy hour for the free drinks.  Ive noticed that with the new format on free drinks, the room is quite empty.  I use it for a better quality coffee in the morning if I dont have a suite.  The appetizers  are mediocre at best . The concierge is there to answer questions.   

Loading the drinks on the sea pass cards was one of the better post Covid changes RC has made only bested by the new lifejacket safety briefing protocol.