RCVoyager

There are tons of chairs. They just may not be in the shade or right near the pool. There are lounge chairs on several decks.

It was updated with new bedding and carpets a couple of years ago. A steakhouse was added and a few other things. It's a great ship. I would say that if the mini golf carpets have not been replaced by now, it is a real shame. Otherwise an awesome ship.

I can help a little with your questions, but first let me pay my debt of gratitude to your husband and family for his/your service. Without it, and millions others we would not be free to share ideas on this forum, let alone actually go on cruises which everyone on here loves to do. With regard to your stateroom on the Navigator I would say you have nothing to worry about. The ship is huge and has built in stabilization. Unless there is unusual weather you won't know you are on the water the vast majority of the time. I will say a few years ago my now deceased beloved brother had his last cruise on the Carnival Magic which is a similarly sized ship with similar stabilization. He was in a wheelchair and the only handicapped staterooms were all the way forward on deck 2 or 3. He wasn't kept awake by the movement but rather the sound of the ship cutting into the surf. It was a constant pounding even during calm weather. However, that was deck 3 you are on deck 8. I didn't look at the deck plan to see how far forward you are. He and his wife were all the way to the front. I don't think you have anything to worry about in that regard. There is a section of the mail dining room that is for 'My Time Dining'. Not sure about when you can make reservations and it may be a little difficult the first night, but should be fine after that. We love RCCL, but typically choose our trips based upon what is best in given situation. We are on the Carnival Breeze next month (my wife want to go to Grand Turk) and are working out the details of our 'My Time Dining' as well. We had planned to do the standard early seating, but two of our ports are noon to 7 which would cut into our port time. Hopefully you can work out what you need, and hope we can do the same. I see a potential snag there. I'm sure the ship will be full, but they pretty much always are, and for the most part, they are built to handle crowds. I hope this helps a little.

This is right in my wheelhouse. To me San Juan is easily the best North American port from which to begin a cruise. I guess it may not technically be North America, but it's easy for people from North America to get to. With a January sailing, your chances of good weather are much higher out of San Juan than anywhere in Florida. You get much deeper into the Caribbean from San Juan than Florida. Most Americans have been to Florida many times but much less to Puerto Rico, so it will be new for some. Nowhere else in North America is so much History concentrated in a small area as in Old San Juan. The tourist areas are cleaned up and in full operation. These are a few of the reasons to stay the course. If you can go 2 or 3 days early do it. There is so much to do there. Be sure to go at least one night early because of weather concerns in the States getting there.

I tend to agree with you about San Juan, but I am getting concerned that currently in the Summer of 2021 the only ship scheduled (on Cruisetimetables.com) weekly from San Juan is the Carnival Fascination. The Freedom is back there in November 2021, and I didn't look to see where the NCL Epic is next Summer, but there is some concern there. I haven't been everywhere, but San Juan is the ultimate home port for me, and I would consider it a major blow to cruising should it cease to exist as a viable option.

Apparently the family's new talking point is that the grandfather could not lean out the window because of the distance between the rail and the window. Maybe that's true, but it still does not change the fact he leaned far over that railing before picking the girl up and holding her far enough out that when she dropped, she dropped to the ground rather than between the rail and window on the ship. No reasonable person could fault the cruise line.

You can probably find an operator in the port who can give you a good day at 7 mile beach for less $ than going through the cruise line. Heck, it's about a $4 cab ride apeice to get there and 4 more to get back. The question is what kind of accommodations do you want? You can negotiate all of that on the spot. Cayman is safe and aside from some traffic, easy to get around.

I'm somewhat surprised CBS broke this video. It seems the media would like nothing more than to take down one of these giant cruise lines with all those ships burning all that fuel and dumping trash in the ocean (their perspective... not mine).

The easy answer is to say, don't worry about it. The cruise lines are in business to get you to spend your hard earned money on a fun and rewarding trip to places you probably wouldn't ordinarily go to. They are all pretty good at that. While there is no doubt that I also look at the weather ahead of time, RCCL has staff meteorologists whose only job is to ensure your safety and comfort on your trip. The Voyager class, Navigator included, are wonderful ships. You've done the hard part. You've saved your money and paid for the trip. Now, go have fun. Next time, book a 7 day. You will like that even more.

If we do Canada New England it will be with a larger family group, and we have some family who have never been to ME, and are looking very forward to it.

Some choose a cruise because of the ship. Some choose it for the itinerary. We have sailed the Adventure of the Seas three times mostly because my wife and I like to sail from San Juan... the Adventure was home ported there for 15 years. Most of the big new ships do Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries out of FL, and we mostly prefer deeper Caribbean trips. So, we have never been on one of the newbies, but we love the Adventure and now that it has moved are looking at a New England/Canada trip on her. Without having been on an Oasis ship, we don't have a good way to compare, but we see the Voyager class as the sweet spot, not too big and not too small. It's a beautiful ship, well kept, and cheaper as Matt mentioned. Certainly we will get to one of the new ships one day.

Gotta disagree. I would be very happy for my friends and have no additional concerns whatsoever. The friends will know they got it and you didn't, and if they are a good friend may buy a pre cruise or post cruise dinner for you. And they will remember what happened for a long time and see you in a better light because you were the bigger person.

Agree 100%. I love cruising and always want friends or family to cruise with us. On a previous RCCL cruise, when I was the point man, there were only 2 aft balconies left and we needed 3. All 3 paid the same price, but my wife and I gave up the aft balcony and took one on the same floor right beside the 2 aft balconies (without discussing it with the other two couples). Seeing the looks on their faces and enjoying the conversation about their great balconies... especially when both parties realized what we had done for them, made any sense of missing out fade to a feeling of having really done a good thing. That was 2016, and they still talk about it. It was a small gesture that made an impact on the 6 people involved.

That is a solid first post. Thanks for the info. I'll be in touch with Paradise Rentals.

As always, I know I can come here for answers, and I appreciate that. We are interested in renting a car for the day in St. Thomas. I have confirmed that our ship docks at Havensight. Is there a car rental nearby that anyone knows of? I have searched Travelocity and Booking. Both only bring up airport rentals which is a good bit out of our way and would cost a good deal of time to pickup and drop off. Thanks.

As with everything in the mainstream media, in my opinion, it has more to do with whomever supports their agenda than anything else.

I want the family to get the closure they need, but I hope RCCL's attorneys match the effort of their's and that none of them see a penny from this.

I guess I don't understand your point. RCCL is pushing back and doing so in a professional manner. They are defending their position, and while it should not have been done is a public manner, the original info was leaked in an attempt to pressure RCCL into buckling. What is not "squeaky clean" about the cruise line's response?

I'm warm natured. I would plan on shorts, tshirts, and flip flops. My wife is cold natured. She would plan on jeans and something with sleeves... possibly layers she can remove. Someone else mentioned if you are out after sunset, for an hour or so, it can get cool pretty quickly.

All the replys are correct. One way to know is to watch your ship on marinetraffic.com. It's a cool website.

I don't think they are talking about ships home ported in San Juan (Freedom), just those stopping by for the day. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Your ship will port on the South end of the most history packed concentrated area in the Western Hemisphere. There are two world class forts, the oldest churches in the west and a million other historic sites with in a 15 minute walk. There is plenty of shopping and restaurants, including a Senor Frogs right across the street from the dock. You can make San Juan a beach day, but there will likely be better beach days on your cruise. You can make it a tour day (Bacardi Distillery or the rain forest, ect), but with all you have right in front of you, there is no need. My recommendation is once you finish at Senor Frogs, walk directly West on the outside of the wall (it is a walled city, but the Eastern half of the wall has been removed). Once you curve around the wall you will see the city gate which is how the city was entered for centuries. Once inside the gate it's 2 blocks up the hill to an amazing Catholic Church (and by the way, I'm no fan of the Catholic religion, but this place is awesome). It's open all day long and contains the grave of Juan Ponce De Leon. Once out of the chuch head up the hill North and West until you see the El Morro. What a fort. Even my teenage daughters liked it. You can get ice cream and drinks about anywhere along the way. It's a nice day. Read up on it. OSJ is a great place. Find the sites you and your family want to see. It's all in a 7 square block area.

Really cool pix. Thanks for sharing. CoCo Cay is not a big place.

We actually agree. I think you make my point. I think it's crazy to have a full time ship in New York, but with 50,000,000 people within a 1 day drive, RCCL can fill a ship every week. It is not a purchase I would make. However, if given that trip, I would gladly take it in a heartbeat. So if anyone wants to pay for my wife and I to go on the Anthem in January, I can give you my email address. Kidding of course. Peace to you Ogalthorpe.

Just checked Marinetraffic.com. It appears as though they just left NYC with Coco Cay as the destination.