happy cruisers 2

Does anyone know who the current captain is on Allure? For some reason I enjoy finding out what I can about the captain before the cruise. I think it enhances the cruise experience. Thanks!

It sounds like BLADES is very worthwhile. We've always enjoyed the ice shows. With this ridiculous hot weather lately, the cool temps during the show should feel great!

Thanks everyone! It seems that CK is the place to go. We appreciate your advice!

For us, some cruises are more about the ship experience than the ports. We sometimes enjoy staying on the ship when the crowd departs for hours at a time. We have done our share of beach days, snorkeling, small boat excursions, etc. and no longer crave that like we once did. If a port is heavy on those sort of experiences we might just walk around the port area for a short while and then enjoy the rest of the day on board. A good book, or quiet time on the balcony or elsewhere is nice. Whatever you might enjoy is perfect, but as Montemy2319 says, there will be some things on board that aren't available.

But is CK a place to go with carry-on spinners parked by your table? (By the time we're boarded I think it will be close to 11:30 anyway.)

We're cruising on Allure soon. Upon boarding, we like to get to a quiet place to sit and get a drink and light snack or lunch while we wait for cabins to become available. At this point, we each have a carry-on bag and don't want crowds (maybe they can't be avoided on Allure!). I'm guessing we would want to head to Park Cafe or Solarium Bistro. We'll have a suite, but I'm thinking Coastal Kitchen isn't what we would want for this sit-and-wait lunch (and maybe it's not available at that point anyway). Any suggestions? Thanks.

"It was ok" sure doesn't sound too promising. We have always enjoyed the ice shows on other ships and look forward to BLADES on an Allure cruise. I'd be interested in other opinions.

Thanks for the suggestion, deButler. Someone took care of it. As for what to do in Sydney and area, I'm thinking we might just spend the time walking the waterfront and maybe stopping at Governor's Pub or a coffee shop. If anyone has ventured off on your own, near the port, I'd love to hear what you found or did. Last time we were in Sydney, it was a very rainy day. Hoping for nicer weather this next time.

You're near stairs and elevators. Having a balcony is a huge plus, in my opinion. We've been near the hump before and never thought much about it. Have a great time on your cruise!

A "problem" with cruising is there's so much to do and sometimes not enough time to fit it all in !! A nice problem to have though and probably common for a lot of us! We like to have before-dinner drinks and not be rushed about getting to dinner. Then while eating, we don't like feeling rushed to get to the show. Your solution, USCG Teacher, is similar to what we'll do. On some cruises, we find ourselves getting to bed after midnight though -- kind of late at our ages! Oh well.... very excited about our upcoming cruises. Enjoy yours!

Thanks, USCG Teacher. Good suggestions. Actually, the shows we've selected are mostly starting anywhere from 9:15 to 10:15 so we're thinking we'll ask the Concierge to get us the same dining time each evening.

Oops... should have posted this under Excursions. Maybe someone can tell me how to move it? Thanks.

I'm not too excited about any excursions RC offers in Sydney, Nova Scotia. In the past we did the Bell Museum, which was interesting. We're not really all that interested in museums, historic houses, walking with costumed guides, seeing a First Nations community, that sort of thing though. The music events seem to get some poor reviews. Depending on the weather, we may find an interesting area to walk, get a coffee or glass of wine and something to eat, explore shops, etc. Does anyone have suggestions on things you did while in Sydney that you really enjoyed?

I'm confused about the need to tell the Concierge what shows we want and when. I was able to make reservations for shows and dates on the Cruise Planner. Is there anything else, related to shows, that I would need the Concierge to do? I can understand the help they could provide with dinner reservations and table location preference.

I tip on meal delivery to the cabin, as it seems proper for me. Someone had to bring me my food, rather than me going to get it. I don't tip for someone to come collect what remains when we are done eating. Usually that seems to happen while we are out and about on the ship. Maybe the room steward takes care of it? These folks who take care of us during the cruise are usually hard working and not extravagantly paid. If I can afford the cruise, I figure I can share a little more with them than the pre-paid tips. Just my opinion and what I choose to do. I don't think there is any need to feel awkward -- just do whatever seems appropriate to you.

Oh, now I understand. I guess it's good I've not experienced that one. Hope to keep it that way too.

Is that self-imposed isolation or did a medical person on the ship mandate it?

I'm relieved to know that you're not locked in a special cabin elsewhere on the ship. Totally agree that you should stay in your cabin and have food delivered. Masking is no problem for us. We worked in medical field and wore one every day of our careers. Thanks for the replies.

Doing a land tour before the cruise sounds like a great idea. Hadn't considered doing it that way. Plus, it gives you a few more days to look forward to the cruise!

With fall nearly here now, and the incidence of viruses increasing, I'm wondering if anyone can speak to the current situation on cruise ships. Specifically, do you know if any passengers who may come down with COVID or RSV or something else are required to stay in their cabin (or be relocated to a different area on the ship)? Or is that now a thing of the past? I accept that I may catch something while on a cruise (and would certainly go out of my way to protect others) but fear having to be isolated in my cabin or another place onboard for the duration of the cruise.

On a recent cruise we frequently had a solo cruiser sitting at the small table next to us. We learned that he is somewhat of a regular customer on the ship, as it leaves a port fairly close to his home and he likes to spend time in the casino. I seem to recall that he had something to read or else he did some online game on his phone to pass time. It didn't seem like bad etiquette to us at all. We engaged in a bit of conversation at times, mostly about his day in the casino or what we each had done that day. He was very good at not wanting to intrude on our meal enjoyment or conversation and keeping that bit of polite social distance. I would think a book or tablet would make it easier on anyone you're seated near. They won't feel the need to bring you into conversation, unless you encourage it. Have a fabulous time on your cruise!

Good advice on the all-access tour, ckruetze. Thanks! We have always talked about doing a ship tour, but just never did it. Looking forward to that on Allure soon.

Does anyone have input on what the trolley tour was like? Did you enjoy it? My wife has a back that sometimes doesn't like lots of bouncing around, so that's one concern. Every time we've been to Cozumel we basically get off the ship and do a brief walk around. We've done our share of beach trips, so that doesn't interest us. Thought this time we should actually get a little overview of the area though. Hoping it won't be a super hot and sunny day!!

Very helpful description of your land tour, wstephensi. Thank you. We certainly will do a land package the next time we cruise in Alaska. The Inside Passage was great, but we need to see more than that.

Good point about the double booking. Thanks for pointing that out, Ryan79. Makes sense that you can't reserve two places. We originally thought CK would be an infrequent place to eat, but I've now learned that it's the preferred place if you are in a suite. Mostly it will depend on what looks most appealing on the menus.