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JBC

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Everything posted by JBC

  1. That is terrible, and for the price they are charging for these cabanas, that is unacceptable. I can't believe a customer service person told you it's because they have to walk across the island to get drinks. One, that is not true, who the hell would layout those logistics, and two, even if it was true, that is a Royal problem and not a customer problem. We are going to Coco Cay in February, and while we are not renting a cabana (way overpriced), we are probably going to buy beach club passes. There are two ships at Coco Cay the day we are there (Anthem and Mariner), and we are worried the main pool and other areas may be really crowded with two ships. Hopefully they cap the ticket sales for the beach club. I really hope Coco Cay lives up to the hype, but I have seen a fair amount of negative comments here and there. Labadee is great. Give me a bungalow on Labadee and that's all I need. Never had a bad experience there, the attendants are always great. Hoping for the same experience at Coco Cay.
  2. I did this exact thing this past April (Adventure in FLL). Here is my story: Our flight was like 9:20 or something like that, it was direct. The next options were like 12-1 pm with layovers and they actually cost more. I decided to risk it. Did the self disembarkation, was in line around 6 am. There were a lot of people already in line, I would say a few hundred probably, the line was long already at that point. The ship got into port on schedule, but then there was a hold up for something, we didn't start moving until about 7 am. I asked someone from Royal what the issue was but they didn't know, said it should start soon. I was nervous already from the night before because I debated last minute to change our flight and there literally was not a single seat available for purchase from Southwest on any flight that day, they were all full. I even called the airline in case the website was wrong. I had a group of 8 (my wife and two kids, my sister and her husband and my parents). So if we missed our flight then standby for a later flight wouldn't really be an option. We got through customs relatively easily and made it to the airport around 8:15. My group of 4 have pre-check, the other 4 did not, but thankfully we all made it through with about 20 minutes to spare before boarding began. So when I was home at my house by 1 pm the same day my cruise ended I was thrilled, but I was a nervous wreck for about 4 hours that morning. Worst case we had about a 40 minute window before they closed the boarding door. A 9 am departure is very risky, but we would have made it. If there wasn't a holdup with starting to get off, we would have easily made it and I wouldn't have been as nervous. The uber or taxi ride to the airport in FLL is like 10 minutes, and there are lots of taxis and shuttle vans waiting. It really depends on whether you like to gamble or not, lol. I would say the ship is on time and things go smoothly more than 50% of the time, so the odds would be in your favor. But it is far from a guarantee. Would I do it again? I'm not sure, it would have to depend on how bad my flight options were. If I did do it again, one thing for sure is I would make sure I was in line to get off at 5 am. I guarantee even if you were in line at 5 am, you still wouldn't be first in line. Good luck!
  3. I have been looking hard at that Freedom cruise out of San Juan, but the airfare is crazy. With the wife being a teacher and also really not wanting to take the kids out of school, we are limited to the winter and spring break weeks, which greatly compounds the problem. The flights are just about more than the cruise. Flights to Florida at those times have gotten crazy in recent years, but San Juan is worse. I really try to stick to the major airlines, some of the budget airlines are brutal. Frontier just got added recently to our airport, although I have heard mixed reviews. I would ride in the bed of a pickup truck before flying Spirit again.
  4. I agree, that is pretty lousy. Those are the little things that they should do. The difference on their bottom line is minuscule, but it goes a long way towards good customer service. I would be very annoyed with that.
  5. I have never witnessed any issues on any of the cruises I have been on, and I frequent all the various establishments in the evenings until late. I think most people on cruises are genuinely happy people and in good moods. I can't imagine the staff would tolerate a belligerent drunk person very long anyways.
  6. I was on Adventure in April, and they do not have any Broadway shows. They have an older style revue show, just singing and dancing, I can't even remember what it was called. When we sailed there was a Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons cover group that performed one night and a comic one night, both of which were good. There was also an Adele tribute show, which was one of the women from the revue show backed by the ship orchestra. Entertainment is definitely a significant step down from Oasis class, although the cruise was also cheaper than Oasis class, so I guess you get what you pay for.
  7. Even though there are four main dining rooms, don't they all serve the same menu?
  8. I was on Adventure last month. Previous ship classes for RC that I have been on are Freedom and Oasis. The ship itself was fine, very beautiful, but IMO is a noticeable step down in the overall cruise experience. The shows and entertainment were just not as good as the stuff on Freedom and Oasis class ships. Even our dining servers, they just didn't seem to be as personable or as "on the ball" as the ones we have had on the aforementioned class ships. I attributed that specific aspect to just luck of the draw, but as for the rest, I chalked it up to you get what you pay for. Comparing the same class room on Adventure to DCL is more than likely less that half, maybe even a 3rd of the cost. Don't judge RC by Adventure, check out the larger class ships. The entertainment on Oasis class ships is top notch. We have Anthem booked for our next one, looking forward to checking that out. In the future though, I doubt I would go lower than Freedom class.
  9. I will throw myself out there on this topic. Whenever we cruise, my wife and I buy deluxe drink packages for each of us. They come with a souvenir cup for the soda machines. My wife and I drink zero soda, and honestly, we don't let our kids drink a ton of it either. We don't buy an additional package for the kids, we let them get some soda with the cups from our packages. Technically, this is wrong and against the rules. Shoot me I guess. I'm just not going to spend an additional $125 for my two kids to have some soda during the week, when I have already paid for it for myself and will not drink any of it. If the kids didn't use the cups, then they would sit in our stateroom all week. I am sure many others do this as well, but again, if you are going strictly by the rules, this isn't allowed.
  10. Yes, always cash (as long as I have it on me). They definitely prefer cash over writing it on a receipt. I will bring a stack of ones and fives and leave them in the safe in my room, and take as needed throughout the week. So if I am heading to the pool for a few hours, I will grab some ones to take with me. Same for heading out to the bars or shows in the evenings after dinner. That is how I do it. I try to minimize what gets charged to my account, and in my opinion, the recipients prefer cash (I've never asked them directly).
  11. I echo what most others have said, always do the pre-paid gratuities, always tip the porters. The wait staff and room attendants almost always get tipped on the last day, providing their services were good, which they always have been for me. I always have the drink package, and I will usually tip with that as well. If someone is bringing me a drink, whether I am sitting at a lounge area of Schooner, by the pool, or in a show, those people always get an extra buck or two per drink. If I am going to be sitting at a bar for a while, I will tip every drink there as well, especially at a crowded bar. It's amazing what a few dollars will do for the amount of attention paid to you. It makes me feel good, they are appreciative, and to me it just improves the overall experience. My thoughts are by the time I have boarded the ship, I have spent many thousands of dollars on cruise fare and flights. An extra $100 or $150 over the course of the week in dollar bills makes no difference at that point. That said, I see plenty of people handing off their luggage without tipping the porters, and plenty of people with drink packages that don't tip anything additional, so doing that certainly isn't out of the norm. I am sure there are lots that don't give anything additional to the room attendants or wait staff either. That's just not me.
  12. Say it ain't so! I am going on Adventure for 6 nights next week. We have two formal nights, I was hoping the 2nd one is lobster like usual.
  13. 1. I have never walked it, but I think it would be a fairly long walk. We have always used golf cart service, they can take about 6 people at once. All you have to do it tip the driver. 2. The buffet, bar and bathrooms are right there behind the bungalows, so less than a minute walk. 3. Yes. Tell the attendants you want drinks, and they will bring you drinks. Tipping will speed that process up. 4. Can't help you with this. When you are looking out towards the water from your bungalow, the ship will be directly in front of you in the distance, and the aqua park will be to the right. 5. There is no real better location, they are all right next to each other. They will let you pick from whichever ones are available when you arrive, so if you are the first one there then you can pick any one you want.
  14. That seems like a lot of people for a bungalow. I rented one for 8 adults and 2 kids once (kids were 6 and 8), and the attendants didn't bother us, but it did seem a bit crowded. Are there any more available? The next time I went with that same group I reserved two bungalows and it was much better. The attendants do a pretty good job of keeping people out of there if they don't have bracelets, so if you have people in the bungalows on either side of you, which you probably will, then it could get crowded if the kids are all hanging out directly in front of your bungalow. If they stay down closer towards the water, then it might not be an issue. Of course, for $10 or $20, the attendants will probably let you do just about whatever you want, as long as it isn't bothering other guests. So you could always go that route if need be. My first choice would be to get two of them though, the attendants would put you right next to each other.
  15. My Easter cruise on Adventure has it at $44. That is about as low as it goes now a days. If you do buy and see it go lower you can cancel and re-buy directly in the cruise planner, you don't have to call anyone. $49 isn't terrible.
  16. I would keep your bungalow. The aqua park is very close, as is the lunch area and bathrooms. As far as a crowd, the bungalow attendants do a very good job of keeping non-bungalow guests out of that beach area. I have never felt crowded at the bungalows. When you get off the ship and past the building at the end of the pier, there should be some guys in large golf carts parked there. For a tip they will drive you directly to the bungalows. Otherwise it's a long walk. I am not sure what the other transportation options are, we have always used the golf carts.
  17. I always cruise at either winter break or Easter break, and I have always paid less than $50 for the DBP. I am sailing on Adventure over Easter this year and it has been at $44 for the past few weeks. I originally bought it on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday for $47 a day, but then I cancelled and re-bought it a few weeks ago with voom included for $53 a day, which I thought was a great deal. I would be annoyed if I couldn't get the DBP for under $50, not that it would stop me ?
  18. I would assume Freedom still has a connoisseur club, but I am sure it will get removed when Freedom goes in for it's next refurbishment. Seems to be the way they are going. I was on 2 years ago and went to the CC twice in the evenings, and both times it was dead.
  19. I can't completely remember, but one is the kids area and the other two are essentially side by side? There is no pool in the adults only solarium. I don't recall a big difference in any of them and they are all equally crowded. If it is a sea day and you want to hang out by the pool with some shade, you better be up really early if you want more than 1 chair. I was really surprised that at 8 am on a sea day the majority of chairs with shade were "taken". By late morning just about every chair will be gone, aside from a solo chair in between people here and there, or a few on the top deck in wide open sun. My family likes to enjoy the pool area for most of the day on sea days, but I can't be in complete sun. So I just get up early, before 8 and go grab some chairs and unlike most people actually stay there. My wife will take the kids to breakfast, and when they come back I will go grab something, and then by 9-10 am we are all at the pool for the day, but at no point do we just throw our stuff on chairs and leave. It always amazes me that I will get there so early and see all the chairs around me saved (towels, bags on them, etc.) and people won't show up until 10-11 am, sometimes later. That is so rude to me, but despite what anyone says, it is rampant and very common and the staff don't seem to do much about it. It's my only real gripe about cruising.
  20. The water park at Labadee is the inflatables in the water. At least that is what I am assuming you are referring to. The bungalows are very close, I don't believe the cabanas are. For that water park though, you have to buy a time slot, they are 1 hour increments. I don't believe there is an all day pass, unless they changed that.
  21. My kids are 9 and 11 and we will let them go on their own for short periods, like hitting water slides when we are sitting out of view at the pool, or going from the pool to the room, going from the room to Sorrentos or something like that. I don't think we would have a problem with them "wandering" the ship at 12 or 13, as long as it wasn't for more than an hour or two at a time, and we had a set plan to check in with each other. My wife is more hesitant with that stuff than I am. I always point out to her that after about age 9 or 10 I was out of the house all day and my parents had no way to contact me and my rule was just be home in time for dinner. I would just tell my kids we will be at the Schooner Bar, come check in with us every hour.
  22. The Bungalows in Labadee are worth every penny imo and I book one every time I am there. It is the first thing I do once my cruise is booked and the cruise planner is open.
  23. I am surprised to hear about these miserable MDR experiences. I am pretty easy going with regards to restaurant food, and I have been to many fine dining establishments all over the country, and in comparison I have never really had an issue with MDR food. Over my handful of RC cruises I have done most of the specialties on as well, never had any issues with those either. You are making me question Matt's reviews, because in his live blog for Symphony, he had Thanksgiving dinner in the MDR, and he didn't mention any issues. I guess if I ever do a Thanksgiving cruise, I will avoid the MDR entirely!
  24. Get off the boat right away and grab one of the golf cart drivers that are waiting on the other side of the buildings at the end of the pier. They are free, throw them $5 and they will drive you to the bungalows. When you get to the bungalow area to check in, if you have a drink package, throw each attendant $10 and tell them to let you know when the bar area is setup. Last time were were there 4 of us were drinking beer and they brought a cooler full beers to our bungalow without us asking. For the other two people that were with us, they kept their drinks full as well. We brought a blue tooth speaker with us to play quietly, the weather was perfect, it was a great day. The lunch area and bathrooms are right behind the bungalows, and if you have kids, the aqua park and water slide are nearby as well. For the trip back to the ship, if you can't catch a golf cart, the tram loading area is close too. I get a bungalow every time I am at Labadee, they are well worth it in my opinion.
  25. If you have an upcoming cruise or cruises, always make your purchases for things like drink packages and internet packages on black friday or cyber monday. The odds are that those are the best the prices will get. You really have nothing to lose, if you ever see it cheaper after you have purchased it already, you can cancel and re-buy it online directly in the cruise planner, no need to call anyone to cancel. Your refund for the cancelled purchase will take a few days to show up on your card and the new purchase will be charged immediately, but that is the only "issue", if you can even call it that. $42 a day is the cheapest I have seen a drink package, but I think those days are gone for 2019 cruises. Anything in the forties is a steal, and low fifties is not bad either. It is not in Royals best interest to sell me a drink package at $42 a day, I can tell you that!
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