DunkelBierJay

7 minutes ago, kjw83 said:

How far out will entertainment/shows be able to be booked? We sail on April 21st, and its not available, so am curious. 

There isn't a consistent rule for Oasis and Quantum class. Just keep checking your cruise planner to get ahead of the line. I think the comedy shows fill up the quickest. If you are sailing another class of ship, you don't need to make reservations.

Great fares on Oasis out of Port Canaveral right now...easy to find if you search by port.

On 11/28/2018 at 6:55 AM, WHStoneman said:

Being 70, catastrophic emergency medical care would be my ONLY concern.  I am in perfect health, but you get to a point in your life where these things are of concern.    

I have used Allianz, RoamRight and TravelGuard for everything from cruises to land vacations. I had a medical claim with RoamRight last June, and it went very smoothly. The key is to read and understand the coverage. I may try what AAA offers on a future cruise.

On 11/25/2018 at 9:44 PM, wr2001 said:

Does anyone know the name of the monkey sanctuary that is offered on the excursion page through RCCL at Roatan? Id like to do some research since there are multiple locations that have monkey sanctuaries listed on Trip Advisor.

We went to Daniel Johnson Monkey and Sloth Hangout on Roatan in June and paired it with an island tour. We had a great time. You can email them here: [email protected]

Here's their website: https://monkeyandslothhangout.com/home/

You can also find them on Facebook

6 minutes ago, lynnmguitard said:

I am wondering if anyone can give me any feedback on staying on Deck 14 on the Allure of the Seas,  we are under the Teen Disco and are travelling with a 6 year old who is a light sleeper.  Just wondering how soundproof the room may be.

I would look up a cruise compass for Allure and look at the hours the teen disco is open. If it is open when you want to go to bed, I would avoid it at all costs. I made the mistake of being under a night club once on another ship and learned my lesson.

So, I booked the 4 night dining package and applied on board credit bringing the net cost down to $22 for a cruise on Symphony next year. There is currently no option to select restaurants. Is this something to stay on top of as the cruise gets closer, or would I have success booking high demand restaurants like Wonderland when we board?

I also understand that Izumi hibatchi is not part of any package and needs to be booked separately...how soon in everyone's experience does this appear? I booked it six months in advance on Allure and still got an undesirable reservation time.

I'll offer a slightly different perspecitve to the perceptions in this thread...I booked an excursion to the sloth sanctuary coupled with an island tour, and while we only visited desirable places from a tourism perspective, it was one of the best excursions I have ever done. We saw everything from sloths, monkeys, and parrots to chocolate being made and a wonderful water side meal that was reasonably priced by US standards. We also had some amazing street food...mango and pineapple.

Islands like that need our tourism dollar in the hope that one day it will have an effect in more places there. I found the people we encountered to be wonderful, and I wouldn't hesitate to try other options on the island as well.

One interesting note is how they bundle the deluxe package with VOOM.

One my currently booked sailing on Symphony--

Separate

• Deluxe -- $52.00
• VOOM Surf and Stream -- $12.99
• Total -- $64.99

Bundled (Deluxe with VOOM Surf and Stream) -- $66.00

So, we get to pay them another $7.00 for the convenience of buying it bundled over the course of the cruise...annoying...gotta check everything...

#therearenorealsales

I have experienced no better value for vacation spending than cruising. It opens up worlds I never would have explored. It provides fun, rest, entertainment and great food at the same time. I love being at sea too. All you have to choose is how you engage with it. 

Here’s a possible way to do it. Download the Shipmate app and go to the chats for the two ships you are interested in and see if anyone responds to a request to pick one up for you. Long shot, but I’ve found people to be nice in there. 

19 minutes ago, Keeves said:

Just wondering... why do they use so many different brands? Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to pick one for all their ships? There's gotta be a good business reason why they don't. I just can't imagine what that reason is.

My guess is that it is distribution and re-provisioning issues in various parts of the world.

22 hours ago, jenny corke said:

Hi. First time cruisers here. Loads of questions sorry.. is there a dress code for the normal restaurants eg the windjammer? And is the drinks package a must or can we just pay as we go? Also.. we werw told because we have already paid the gratuity in our price, this also includes the gratuity on any drinks we buy on board? Is this true. Thankyou. 

These are really good questions to ask before you board, so you will be armed with better information prior. The Windjammer is an informal buffet, and is a great option if you want to stay in your shorts and flip flops. The Main Dining Room has a dress code, and it is loosely interpreted and enforced. Resort casual and business casual is fine on non-formal nights. There is one formal night on cruises shorter than 7 night cruises and two formal nights on 7 night cruises.

A good way to think of buying a beverage package is....1) buy online prior to your cruise on the Cruise Planner and watch to see if the price drops. If it does, it is very easy to cancel and re-book it at the lower price. Regardless, it will always be cheaper than buying on board...always. 2) consider how many ports are in your itinerary. If you have four ports on a seven night cruise, and it doesn't include Coco Cay or Labadee, you may not be availing yourself of the drink package while on board. So, I take the cost of the package and divide it by the number of drinks you think you will get either the entire cruise or each day. If that number is lower than the menu price plus gratuity, then it makes sense to get the package. If it is higher, than paying as you go would be more economical. A rule of thumb is that most mixed drinks are $12 and beer and wine range $6-$8. This post will have answers to more specific questions. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-drink-package

Some people get drink fatigue on some cruises, and while you may drink a lot in the beginning, you may not drink a lot near the end. It all depends on what you will want to do. So, it is worth it to consider that as well.

Pre-paying your gratuities compensates your stateroom attendant and waiters in the Main Dining Room and Windjammer...basically all complimentary restaurants. They work very, very hard, so getting to know them, and make friends with them, and remember their names for the survey you will be emailed after your cruise and giving honest feedback goes a long way. It really helps them, and some of my fondest memories on cruises are talking and laughing with the people who are there who make the experience so special. Your drink package cost includes a gratuity. You can always tip bartenders and wait staff more if you like. Sometimes, I give them a little cash in the beginning when I am getting to know them.

1 hour ago, Boltswin said:

I don’t see it so much as nickel and diming, as much as a constant sales pitch. As with most on here I’ve learned to either ignore it or politely say no thanks. However I agree that it does worsen the overall experience.

I have to agree with this. Embarkation day is a little annoying with the specialty restaurant waiters constantly trying to get you to make a reservation, or browsing the jewelry store when I just want to look.

Fjords for me...been pretty much everywhere else

Tough one for me...I voted Voyager Class since it has everything and isn't mammoth, but Radiance Class has a lot of appeal...

20 hours ago, AGSLC5 said:

Now to be fair I took this cruise right after its dry dock before it went to Cuba.

I heard the stories about terrible sailings right after the dry dock, but I also paid attention to reviews a couple months after, and it seemed like people were really enjoying the ship after the kinks started getting worked out. I sailed on her a little oer a year ago, and thought the food was every bit as good as other ships, and the crew were fantastic. I experienced no issues with hot or cold tempertures, smells or anything like that. I loved the no smoking casino too. The only thing I didn't care for was my cabin selection on deck 9 under the Viking Crown lounge. A dance floor was just above our ceiling. That can happen on any ship, though. Other than that, I can't think of anything on that ship I didn't like.

Here's a spoiler from the app on Allure

No one knows until it happens. I have not been on Majesty yet, but I absolutely love Empress, and I have sailed every class but Sovereign and Quantum. I think there is a market for the Vision Class ships that are remaining because of the low cost of many of their itineraries, so I hope there are no plans for any to leave any time soon.

On 3/18/2018 at 7:33 AM, NalaJane said:

We are heading out on our cruise from Tampa this summer.  We will be there early the day before.  We DO NOT want to rent a car - with that.  Do you recommend staying closer to the cruise port or would you go ahead and stay closer to the beach?  ALSO - if the cruise departs at 4pm, what time should we board.  Thanks everyone!  It's our first cruise.

Last January, my wife and I sailed on Brilliance out of Tampa. We stayed at the airport Marriott, which was awesome because we were in our room within ten minutes after getting off the plane. It's really good for an airport hotel.

We took a Lyft to the port in the morning, and it couldn't have been easier. The ride took about 15 minutes. Get to the port when you want...as early as 10:30 so you can start your vacation! Right after you board, it seems really frenetic...best thing to do on Brilliance is go to Deck 11 and head aft to the Windjammer (buffet). I think it opens at 11.

I sleep better on RC beds than my own...

On 8/31/2018 at 6:57 AM, Michael Vitale said:

Great review, but for me, Nachi was NOT all that. I much prefer Mr. Sancho’s, and will be there on the 14th. Actually had reservations at Maya Chan on the 13th and cancelled after seeing all these seaweed issues. Still not sure what we’ll do in Costa Maya. 

I may try Mr Sanchos on my next visit!

4 hours ago, BermudaDice said:

Thanks for the tips!  I think we may be giving Mama Mia a miss since my GF has seen it recently in a theatre.  However I do like the sound of the Aqua Shows so I will be sure to look in to booking ahead of time.

In your experience with the main dining room were there times where MTD didn't work well or worked better?  I know the standard times have a couple of sittings.  Are you best to book a time which are mostly in line with one of the standard sittings or does it not really matter?

We never had an issue because we went pretty late, and there was only one night when we waited about five minutes. I've heard stories of people waiting around 20 minutes in the early seatings.

The Aqua Shows are great, but watch for Blue Planet in the Amber Theater. That show blew me away. Incredible visual effects on the stage. If you go with a reservation, try to get there early and sit high in the middle on the main level or close to the middle in the mezzanine (I think the middle is reserved for suite guests).

You are greeted with this view of a rotating earth as you enter, and that's before the show starts....it's kind of like Cirque du Soleil and just as good.

If you haven't pre-booked your shows, I recommend doing that to make sure you can get in before it's opened to those who didn't pre-book. Once you know the times of the shows, I would go in and book your preferred My Time Dining times for each night of the cruise. That way, you won't have to wait around too long for a table. If you don't want to pre-book your shows, you could set your times for MTD on boarding day in the Main Dining Room on Deck 3...we recently did MTD on Allure and it worked ok for us, although we didn't have the same servers every night.

In Sint Maarten, it's fun to get a cab to the Marigot on the French side, have breakfast and then head to the beach at Orient Beach, Maho Beach or Philipsburg.

I recently started running again after taking about three years off and am back up to 3 miles per day...I had to get my run in on Allure in June, and while the track is ok...due to the time of year, and the fact that we were docked in Nassau one day I ran, the heat was stifling because the ventilation on that deck is pretty much non-existent. I should have run that day while still at sea and before the sun came up. The thing I like about running on Oasis class is that you are close to the Promenade and water in Cafe Promenade pretty much any time of day you choose to run.

Matt did a podcast with a guy who ran a marathon on each RC ship he sailed -- Episode 171 on the RCLBlog podcast...very interesting...

Below is a screenshot of how my running app tracked me while in port.

46 minutes ago, cruiselife said:

What is the absolute earliest departure flight you can book out of the FLL airport if you are cruising from Port Everglades and make the flight? There is an 8:30AM flight available for a great price, but I am pretty sure that is too close for comfort. Just thought I'd ask someone with experience at this port and airport to confirm.

Technically you could make it if everything falls into place, but there are far too many variables, and I wouldn't risk any flights earlier than 11 am even if I am getting off the ship as soon as it clears.