tonyfsu21
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Posts posted by tonyfsu21
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32 minutes ago, DuaneG said:
I totally get that and it is just a place to lay our head for the night before we get onboard to our nice accommodations. Thank you for the help.
I can help you decide but the time of year dictates the price of the hotel. During season (Oct - March) that dump of a Red Carpet Inn referenced above can cost a significant amount of money per night and the hotels on the beach get $1000+/night.
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31 minutes ago, WAYNO said:
Well, this is where we stayed in February. They had a shuttle, don't remember if it was complimentary or if we paid for it, but it got us to the port.
Speaking of the hotel, it was dumpy, but no more so than any other hotel we've stayed at in Florida. Online, all motels are gorgeous. But it seems when we check in, the hotels never got the memo that they're supposed to be really nice.
They're all the same.
I have to disagree re: dumpy hotels in FL. In Fort Lauderdale we have everything from the dump you stayed in above to the 5 star Ritz Carlton Fort Lauderdale beach resort. It all boils down to what you are willing to pay. As a local, I would have advised you to stay away from this hotel at all costs as it’s certainly a dump.
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Guys Burger Joint for the win!
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2 hours ago, endofturn said:
I've been on Liberty, Navigator, and Independence prior to any sort of revamp. You end up with 3 upcharge restaurants, and a Johnny Rockets. I've never been on an Oasis or Quantum ship, but I see the push for stuff like the solarium bistro or el loco fresh or the hot dog one as an additional fast casual option for people to enjoy.
Johnny's cover charge was $5 the last time I was on a ship, and now it is $10 so obviously they are making money from it. And when something is making money, why change. But short of a revamp to add an El Loco Fresh or other fast casual options, what do you think the possibility is of ditching the Johnny Rockets license and converting the locations to a complementary location on the smaller ships?
Are they in too tight of a squeeze right now trying to make up for lost money that losing out on that $10 burger cover is too much to bear or would it allow them to give additional value to some of the older ships without an expensive makeover? I assume they're playing JR for the license and portion of the cover and not the other way around so if it was The Burger Hut or something, would it cost as much to license and operate?
...I'm probably just hungry looking at Shaq's Big Chicken and Guy's Burgers and wishing for more similar locations on the smaller RC ships.
Complimentary Guys Burgers is a major win for CCL that’s for sure! My hope would be RC outbidding Carnival for the Guys Burger Joint poolside when the contract ends and Mr Flavortown becomes a free agent.
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1 hour ago, FSUFAN said:
I don't have to do jack squat. Last cruise we went on a 5-day Bahama deal, I didn't even get off of the boat.
Next cruise is just me and Mrs Fan.
The cruise after that is with my grown kids and their spouses to Alaska (R/T Seattle on the Quantum). We tried the "rent a large house" thing and we were still falling all over each other. With the cruise, the only interaction that is somewhat mandatory is dinner. We are mostly on different floors. They may want to party late into the night, and I am ready for bed. I get up early and my daughter is an early riser (her hubby is a sleep-in guy) and she will meet me for coffee on deck somewhere (she is shipping her kdis off to her MILs for the week - she tells me "I need a vacation too dad" - LOL). Mrs Fan wants her tea in the room on the balcony and wants to be left alone to wake up. It works for the family as we can interact as much or as little as we want.
This ^^^^^^^
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We have been cruisers since I was a kid in the 1980’s in Fort Lauderdale. I am well traveled and have yet to find a land based vacation that was a better experience then a cruise vacation. The all inclusive (not referring to cost just amenities) aspect of the Oasis class ships is my families favorite vacation. Taking it one step further, Deck 17 makes cruising even that much better! The pool, the food & drinks, the balcony, the casino, the shows, the activities makes for an endless list of fun for everyone in my family. Can’t wait to get back on another ship very soon!
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It’s been raining all day in Fort Lauderdale. You can tell (at least I can after 40+ years in this city) that a storm is brewing! If you are leaving tomorrow out of any FL port, you should probably plan to not sit by the pool. Sunday should be back to normal though.
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2 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:
Royal is on it and will make sure all cruises are safe and as storm free as possible!
Yes they will, but it’s still gonna be wet & windy while ported in Miami/Fort Lauderdale.
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It’s going to be windy & wet. Hopefully once you head out into the Caribbean it will be business as usual with sun & fun!
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9 hours ago, Floski said:
Unfortunately for the cruise lines, this strategy won't last too, too long. If they can't get more new crewmembers vetted/approved, then
the service will continue to erode as present crew get worn out. I'm sure the lines are working super hard to remedy this issue.
I wish I could be on any deck on Oasis right now.
It might last longer then one would think. I would imagine filling the service employee roll is a never ending revolving door in Indonesia and India. The issue will be experience. Families will still happily cruise.
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There’s the pre-Covid cruise vacation experience and now the “post” Covid experience. Unfortunately for the customer it’s just a shade of what it was. Given the massive demand for cruise vacations the corporation can settle for less regarding staffing and experience and families will still cruise. Personally, deck 17 on Oasis with my family sounds really great right about now!
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32 minutes ago, 10-42 said:
Be carful, there are two of almost the same sites. The first is the one Matt is talking about. The second isn't on 17th Street and not close or as close to the Port as the first one is.
Marina mile is only a 5 minute drive from 17th street.
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1 hour ago, AlohaLivin said:
I don’t know why they transfer any status to children. I mean it’s seems ridiculous to me to have an 18-year-old be D+ when they haven’t actually had to earn that. Certainly Pinnacle would seem wildly unfair. Just my opinion. I realize it’s hard to have a fair and balanced opinion of this if you have children in your home that would benefit, people don’t often to go against what is in the best interest of their children regardless of the fairness to others, but still looking at it objectively it seems quite unfair. It would be like if I was able to pass the education I earned onto my children without them having to also earn that education. Maybe it’s a silly analogy but it’s early on a Monday
What about if your kids sailed with you every single time and have just as many days at sea as you? I get it, they didn’t pay but they were still on the ship and still recognized as revenue generating customers by RC. Often times we end up spending equal or in some cases more money on the kids while onboard so it’s certainly significant.
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I personally think the rules should be the same regardless of tier level.
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Interesting. I thought all levels were transferred to immediate family (kids, spouse exc). I can tell you that it certainly transfers all the way up to D+ because my kids have it listed on their cards.
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8 hours ago, sammy79 said:
How hot is it in July? Is it sauna hot with high humidity? Thinking about western caribbean cruise next July but I’m worried it would be too hot to enjoy the ports. Thanks!
It’s an enjoyable sauna with a slight breeze coming off the pristine & crystal clear water.
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I don’t get the whole hair braiding thing especially from a random on the beach. It just seems dirty. What about lice? In any case, I’m glad you didn’t end up paying $300 for some hair braids.
- Baked Alaska and CruiseMom82
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On 4/17/2022 at 7:44 PM, smokeybandit said:
I know Carnival has a mini brewery on a couple ships. Has RC ever tried/considered this?
I think RC should do this for sure. It’s a great addition to the newer CCL ships.
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8 hours ago, Matt said:
Wont help you now, but in the future two recommendations:
1. Always dispute billing discrepancies onboard the ship. As you are about to discover, once the cruise is over, it's difficult for the shoreside team to quickly and easily look and resolve onboard spending. Get billing problems solved before you leave the ship.
2. Look at your bill before the cruise ends. You can go to Guest Service at any time and ask for a copy of the bill. On many ships, you can also review it on the Royal Caribbean app.
This is solid advice. I always seem to notice the charges made in error AFTER we get home and there’s really not much that can be done unless you use Amex. I have had some success with removing $1000 for a cabana that was never rented, multiple towels from the pool and also a Royal Up that was never initiated (go figure).
I know it is asked a lot forgive me. Hotels with shuttles to the ship in Fort Lauderdale
in Royal Caribbean Discussion
Posted
This is the perfect area for either port as it’s close to the airport and quick access to the highway.