tonyfsu21

I have wanted to post this story for a long time to all the RCBlog readers here; mainly as an FYI. Perhaps this might apply to a large $ jewelry purchase???
 
 
Here's How A Drug Deal Can Go For Visitors Of St. Lucia
 
 
Let's say a person gets off the ship in good ol' Castries. And let's say they bump into a drug dealer and buy some weed. This person likes the sample of what he has bought, exchanges some pleasantries with the dealer including "my name is John and I'm on the Jewel of the Seas, I have to be back on board at 5 pm." The drug dealer replies "OK Mon', we have the best weed here in St Lucia I can sell you some more to take home if you like. Like buying Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee, John buys a pound or two to bring back home; his only concern being how to get it past the Royal Caribbean security. Doing that, particularly in the chaos of an hour before the ship leaves port; has got to be quite easy.
 
A successful hook up? Not so fast.....
 
The drug dealer; after taking John's cash and making a profit; talks to the local police. Perhaps in exchange immunity or perhaps for $, he squeals that he sold John on the Jewel of the Seas a couple pounds of weed a short while ago.
 
The country of St Lucia has no resources and no desire to capture/ prosecute a drug using tourist. If they did there would be no room in there jails for the natives. So what do they do?
 
The St Lucia police make a phone call to US or British customs. (Really, it's a phone call). It is not inconceivable that there might be some money for information exchanged at some point, but I am not sure of that. But if I were a betting man....
 
So.....US customs is waiting for "John and a couple pounds of weed" upon disembarkation when he arrives in San Juan. Now, they have no idea what John looks like. But that's where the dogs enter the story....
 
While we are all waiting in line to get through customs so we can catch those flights at the airport; the beagles are working and looking for "John with two pounds of weed." The Customs officials seem to be taking their time.
 
The beagles and their keen noses are trained to sit when they smell dope. They don't go ape shit crazy. There's no barking. Just a calm "sit". They are sure to get a confirmation from a couple different animals. Certainly that area is under video surveillance and really being observed by more Customs people behind the curtains than you think are really there.
 
So if you are going through Customs and you see the dogs working, it is very possible that they are looking for a guy named John who was really set-up and game over long before he ever realized it. John, his wife, and all their luggage are politely asked to step into the office when they reach the customs desk. Then that process through customs for the rest of us goes lickedy split.....
 
 
 
My wife and I have seen this happen couple times in our cruising history. 

IMHO one does not need "other" choices when Oasis of the seas is an option.

IMHO one does not need "other" choices when Oasis of the seas is an option.

^^ right on, Matt! Now that I think about it we always arrived within 15 min of the open time and it was seamless.

I have sailed several sold out Thanksgiving cruises on Oasis & Allure and have been able to walk in and get a table for 3 at lunch. Seems like people don't eat speciality much for lunch or I'm just as lucky at lunch as I am at the blackjack tables!

The airport is less than 1 mile from the cruise port. I am local to Fort Lauderdale and recommend taxi cab to and from. On the outbound that's a lot of time (4pm departure). Your better off taking a cab to the beach and having lunch before heading to airport. I see tons of cruise passengers with luggage in tow all over Fort Lauderdale beach each and every weekend so you won't look out of place. Good thing to keep in mind is that Fort Lauderdale is not a traffic inflicted nightmare like some of the other metro ports, you can pretty much get to the airport from anywhere in greater Fort Lauderdale in less than 20 min. Enjoy.

Just look at it as an awesome way to get away and enjoy yourself. Certainly the newer and larger ships have more to do and better options but your on vacation!!! Turn your phone off and have a nice frozen drink by the pool. Don't let the critical cruise critics get you down.

Update**** I called back the CR phone number and the lovely "Connie" informed me that I am in fact now a member!!! I have not the faintest clue as to how or when I was enrolled? I immediately updated our family cruise on Harmony in 2017 and got more than $3k discount off the current promotion! Thanks for your knowledge and info!

Update**** I called back the CR phone number and the lovely "Connie" informed me that I am in fact now a member!!! I have not the faintest clue as to how or when I was enrolled? I immediately updated our family cruise on Harmony in 2017 and got more than $3k discount off the current promotion! Thanks for your knowledge and info!

I've got a couple thoughts:
1. Call ahead and reserve a pack & play for the infant to sleep in.
 
2. Most importantly: bring a low profile stroller (umbrella type, maclaren). This seems trivial but.... When the cleaning staff has there carts out in the am & pm you will go through hell & a handbag to push a standard size stroller through the corridor. Perhaps someone can chime in as to if the loft suite area has wider hallways then the standard corridor? I hope so because I booked the same room! Let me know.

I can't stand going on vacation and dressing up. I do that daily for work. Although I avoid the MDR in favor of the speciality venues, I have always worn either khakis or nice jeans & a shirt w/ a collar and never had a problem. To me IMHO you should dress how you want on your vacation.

I've got the best drink ever!!!!! It's any drink that I can get for free while playing in the casino.

I have not heard that the new suites benefits will be extended to other ship classes beyond the Q and O classes.
 
I sure hope they do, but as of yet, I don't believe that they have.
 
We were in the Royal Family Suite (deck 8) on the Liberty in May of 2015 and it was really nice.  So much room (there were just 2 of us) and the balcony was incredible.
 
Even without the new suites perks you will enjoy the big family suite.  There will be a table on the balcony large enough to eat outside and you can order meals off the MDR menu rather than being limited to what is normally available on the room service menu.  Breakfasts are especially nice out on the deck.  ...and if you decide you do not want b'fast on your balcony, you will be able to have b'fast in Chops which is a lovely perk.  Unfortunately, the Concierge Lounge on the Liberty is a small, cramped and very uninspired space (no windows) so until they get a Coastal Kitchen you may or may not get much use from it....but it's there.
 
Perks like unlimited beverage packages, unlimited specialty dining and unlimited wifi (once Voom is installed) are very nice and it would be great if they eventually pushed those perks out to the other ship classes but my guess is they're going to see how the costs and profits are affected by the limited implementation before they make it a fleet-wide program.  Just my guess.

I'm in owners suite on Brillience of the seas right now & can back up the fact that an email will go out 1 week before. The suite lounge is great with appetizers and open bar every pm from 5:00 - 8:30! Well worth booking a suite, we will never go back to a lower category stateroom after this experience. Just booked a crown loft suite on the harmony!

Ok your young @ looking for a good time. South Beach might be right for you and your partner. If you do decide to stay in Fort Lauderdale check out the W Fort Lauderdale beach, Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach or the Atlantic Hotel. I believe you will like these hotels and they are right on the beach and appx 10 minutes from the cruise port (shuttle service available). By the way your gonna love Oasis of the seas it's simply amazing!

@ J_Keeble- I've lived in south Florida my entire life specifically Fort Lauderdale. It all boils down to what you are looking to do? Lifestyle? If your looking to party all night long and ok with paying tourist prices @ $20.00USD per drink then Miami (south beach) is your place. If you are traveling with a family or just looking to relax I highly suggest you stay on Fort Lauderdale Beach and maybe take a day or night trip to Miami Beach. Both cities are close enough together that it's neither here nor there as far as where you decide to stay. I can tell you this though, the traffic in Miami is HORRIBLE and nearly everyone speaks Spanish. Simply put, Fort Lauderdale is Miami minus the traffic and language barrier.

@ J_Keeble- I've lived in south Florida my entire life specifically Fort Lauderdale. It all boils down to what you are looking to do? Lifestyle? If your looking to party all night long and ok with paying tourist prices @ $20.00USD per drink then Miami (south beach) is your place. If you are traveling with a family or just looking to relax I highly suggest you stay on Fort Lauderdale Beach and maybe take a day or night trip to Miami Beach. Both cities are close enough together that it's neither here nor there as far as where you decide to stay. I can tell you this though, the traffic in Miami is HORRIBLE and nearly everyone speaks Spanish. Simply put, Fort Lauderdale is Miami minus the traffic and language barrier.

Matts answer is very understandably PC. In my experience (20+ Cruises across many classes) it is normally a request that is denied. Save yourself the hassle and just open the doors yourself. You have adjoining rooms so there is no harm in opening the doors to create a large balcony. It takes seconds to open and the doors secure nicely with a hook in the open position.

You can do it yourself with a car key and avoid RC telling you they can't do it.

^^ it's not all about what they can do. I feel good about giving them extra $.

7 day cruise give them a $100.00 bill and you will be good to go. Small price to pay for A++++++ service.

100% ocean view.

They are the same ship. I've been on both 4 times. I would say for some reason for which I cannot validate that the Oasis seems to be the party ship more so than allure. Either way your going to enjoy your vacation because IMHO these 2 ships are the greatest ships to ever sail. Here's a couple tips:
1. Make sure you do the chefs table. It's pricy but the food is amazing and the wines is endlessly flowing.
2. Skip the lunch buffet and go to park cafe in Central Park. Get in line for a roast beef sandwich with horse radish & au jus! The best sandwich ever.

I am local to Fort Lauderdale. Stay at the Embassy Suites in Fort Lauderdale (17th street). You can leave your car at the hotel for the duration of your cruise and they offer a very reasonable shuttle service. You are in close proximity to the port so there are other options like Uber or cab. Not to mention you are in walking distance to several good places to eat dinner the pm before. Happy hour great at the embassy.

Just an FYI: when the horses crap or pee in the water and you are not in the front of the line it gets quite nasty. Lesson to be learned here is to be in the front of the line or you will get crap on you. I would avoid the horses in the water and find another excursion...