melski94

Hello All, we just got back from a 5-day Bermuda cruise on the Anthem of the Seas and I wanted to share my "lessons learned" as a "pay it forward" for all the great forum members who provided advice to me for several questions I posted.  We are a 4 person family (42M, 39F, 13M, and 10F) and we had 2 balcony rooms booked on Deck 13 forward. I hope I can help some newbie cruisers with the info below!
1.  Do Show Up Early on Embarkation Day: Our ship was schedule to leave from Bayonne, NJ cruise port at 4:30pm.  Coming from NH, we drove to Danbury, CT the night before and stayed at a hotel (Did you know Ethan Allen owns a hotel?).  That put us about 1.5 hours from the port.  We got there right at 10:30am when the terminal opened and there was already a good number of cars in front of us.  I dropped off the family and our bags and the porters quickly put our checked bags on the carts.  I parked the car in the garage, met up with the family and headed inside to check-in.  Check-in was painless, and we were literally stepping onto the ship at 11am exactly.  They told us our rooms would not be ready until 1:30pm, so we mainly stayed in the outdoor pool until we could drop off our bags. We hit Windjammers at 1pm and they announced that all rooms were ready at 1:15pm.
2. Windjammers is great, but watch out for peak times if you hate crowds: As you probably know by now, Windjammers is a (extremely large) buffet that serves breakfast and lunch.  I think 99% of all passengers can easily find several things they like on their diverse and plentiful buffet stations (vegetarian, vegan and GF too).  However, it can get VERY crowded at peak times.  One of those peak times is lunch on embarkation day.  I think it was the only place open for that meal since not all passengers had boarded yet.  While we were able to get our food fairly easily. finding an open table was tough!  You really just need to hang out near a family that looks like they are wrapping up and pounce as soon as they get up.  Hail one of the Windjammers employees to clean the table for you.  The only times I would say Windjammers wasn't moderately to severely crowded was during lunch on the 2 days in port.
3. Prepare to be STUFFED:  RCL should just partner with medication companies that have drugs for blood pressure, cholesterol, etc... cause I can guarantee you will come back at least 5 lbs heavier.  We purchased a 3-night specialty dining package and got an extra night free from our Cruise travel agent (CruiseOne).  We ate at Izumi (2 times), Wonderland, and Jamie's Italian.  If you like sushi, Izumi is wonderful!  At Izumi, you get a $35 credit per person... so we had $140 to use each night. We got at least 6 specialty rolls, a few makimono rolls and the sushi deluxe and easily stayed under.  I think we had everything on the menu after the 2 visits. Wonderland is almost a dinner and a show... the dinner IS your show!  Here, you don't order... they just bring you just about everything on the menu.  It was pretty amazing. Jamies was great as well... they bring you samples of all their apps (charcuterie, fried rice & cheese balls, calamari, cheeses, olives, etc..) and then you choose a main and a dessert.  I got the truffle noodles and they were amazing!  We only ate at the main dining room once and it was OK.  My wife's fish (Barramundi) was a little "fishy", but my fish (can't remember the name) was good.  The shrimp cocktail were very small... but the birthday cake (RCL is celebrating 50 years) and the cheese cake was very good.  FYI, all the specialty dining and main dining room have kids menus.   I highly recommend visiting Solarium Bistro for breakfast (also a buffet, but much smaller than Windjammers... but WAY less crowded).  You'll find all the common staples for breakfast.  Café 270 is great for lunch and dinner/late night snacks (only certain nights is it open).  Great paninis on pita bread, wraps, salads and dessert.  Sorrento's pizza was great for late night craving, but they also serve breakfast (no, not pizza... mostly breakfast sandwiches).  Room Service for breakfast is free as long as you order from the "Continental Breakfast" section.  All other times its a flat $7.95 per order (regardless of how much you order... so ahead, get one of everything if you like... it will still cost $7.95 total)
4. To deluxe beverage package, or not to deluxe beverage package... that is the question: I was on the fence on this one up until a week before the cruise.  I do like to drink, but I try to stay clear of everything with sugar. I'm not a big wine drinker, so just bringing 4 bottles on board with me was not that enticing. I pulled the trigger and paid the $50/day.  My wife doesn't drink, but I was in a stateroom with my son... so I only had to pay for me.  I knew from other posts that knowing that the drinks average about $10-13... just having 5 would be my break even point.  Yeah, I ended up get my money's worth and then some.  No, I didn't go on a bender and forget most of the hours of my cruise and end up naked in the engine room!   It really wasn't that hard.  They have mimosa and bloody mary carts setup for breakfast.  Sir, would you like a Mimosa... why, yes please!   Can I make you a spicy bloody mary with bacon and horseradish?  Of course.   How about a vodka, club soda and extra lime while you hang out by the pool?  Sure!   Can I get you a Jack and Diet Coke while you wait for the show to start?  Yes please!  As long as you pace yourself, be sure to eat and stay hydrated, stay away from sugar drinks (I never once ordered a pina colada or strawberry daiquiri, which were so prevalent I couldn't open my eyes without seeing someone having one), and keep any minor "overindulging" until after dinner (so you can sleep it off), take some precautionary Advil or Tylenol before bed... you'll do fine.  Never had an signs of a hangover (mostly from following the rules above).  I probably averaged 8-12 drinks/day.  I know that sounds like a lot (and probably is according to my doctor!), but I did find that their drinks are a little "light" compared to your average bar.  They do jigger pour every drink which means you are only getting 1.5 oz of booze per drink.  Sometimes they would pour a little more.  They also tend to give you a tall glass for your standard "spirit & mixer".  So, if you order a "rum & coke" you are getting 1 shot of rum... and then like 10oz of coke.  Of course, they are doing this to get you to take longer and therefore, order less drinks.  Be sure to ask for a lowball glass.  I also got my money's worth by ordering a few Patron Reposados tequila (which are like over $15/shot in most bars).  Be sure to ask for a bottle of water with each drink.  Even if you don't want it now, you can put it in your fridge and bring ashore when you visit a beach or go shopping.
5. Bring your Cruise Compass with you wherever you go!: The Cruise compass is a printout brochure of the next day's open times, activities, shows, etc..  You stateroom attendant will put it in your room every late afternoon.  Review it, highlight it, and do some planning.  I was kinda disappointed to see that RCL hasn't created a digital version of this yet.  They do have the iQ app, but it only shows you your dinner reservations and the shows that require reservations.  I'm hoping they enhance this soon as it could be a real value-add to their guests.  We attended some great trivia sessions, info sessions on the ship and Bermuda pier and shopping, listened to some great small musical groups, super funny comedians, and attended some great onboard shopping sales.  While it's great that RCL offers so much to do everyday, the hardest thing was making the schedule work! Many times we came up with a plan, only to realize we couldn't do it because we had a dinner or show reservation that conflicted. We found compromises and made it work the best we could. We definitely weren't disappointed or had any FOMO!
6.  You kids will love the Adventure Ocean Club or the Teens Club: Both of our kids were excited about the kids and teens club.  For those under 13, parents needs to check the kids in and out (for the kids 10-12, you can give consent to allow them to check themselves out).   There is a morning, afternoon, and night programs they can join... all are included.  The only exception is after 10pm its $7/hr per child (very reasonable) and they can stay until 1am.  The counselors are excellent and they do fun and educational activities with the kids.  The Teens club is free to come and go and my son made a some friends and they often went swimming and played in the Seaplex together.
7.  Make your show reservations in advance for the ones you can... and make the other activity and dining reservations as soon as you get on board!:  I made reservations for "The Gift" and "We will Rock you" a few weeks in advance on the RCL website.  The only thing I couldn't make reservations for in advance for shows was "Spectra", but I was able on the second day of the cruise.  We also made all of our dining reservations as soon as we got onboard.  On the second day, we tried to make reservations for the iFly (indoor skydiving) but they were already booked up for the whole cruise!  :(   Lesson learned!   Also, if you are like me and like to sit up front at the shows... show up about 30-40 mins early and you will have your pick of any seat you wish.  They have waiters taking drink orders and usually have popcorn and snacks/candy available for purchase... so the waiting isn't so bad.  We had front row middle for "We will Rock you" and it was awesome!  Spectra was a great cabaret style show, but I think they had some technical difficulties with their vistavision (these are the 19 projectors that can make the 270 degree backdrop appear as just about anything you can imagine!)  The robots with the flatscreens were working fine and are amazing!
8. Bermuda is great, but not a lot to do in the port: This doesn't mean we didn't have fun!  We took people's advice and waited until the 2nd day to go to the famous "Horseshoe Bay Beach".  Luckily, it was overcast and a little showery on the first day, and the second day was mostly sunny and 83 degrees!  Of course, many other guests followed the same plan.  Anyways, on the first day we decided to stay in the port area (Royal Navy Dockyard, aka King's Wharf) and check out the shops. We went to the clocktower mall and explored the shops.  We also went into the "Diamonds International" store which was heavily marketed by the Anthem's Shopping Director (Paige).  While seeing all the very beautiful jewelry and rare gemstones is great, the customer service is horrible if you aren't looking to spend a few thousand dollars.  After seeing pieces that were $5k-$20k, I asked one of them what is the cheapest jewelry they had for sale... she said they had an earring set that was $1000. When I said you are still way above what I'm looking to spend... she didn't say "I'm so sorry, we don't have anything under that pricepoint".... Nope, she just turned around and walked away.  How f'n rude!   We ended up finding a much better service at a jeweler in the clocktower mall and my wife got a great sterling silver ring made with a stone made from the pink famous sands for a much more reasonable price.  After about 2 hours, we pretty much saw everything in the port area.  We went back on the ship (which can take about 10-15 mins as you have to go thru security), had some lunch, and then put our bathing suits on an went swimming at Calico Jacks.  This is the black pirate ship that is literally the first thing you reach after getting off the dock area.  It's a bar/grill that has its own swimming area.  There's no beach... they have a ladder into the water and have plenty of foam noodles you can borrow so you can just float and relax.  They also have a plank on the second level that you can jump or dive off of... as well as a giant inflatable slide.  Unfortunately, they don't keep the slide wet... so almost everyone came to a halt before hitting the end of the slide.  They charge $10/pp to get a wristband to use their water access.  Rum swizzles were $10.  We also checked out the "Frog & Onion Pub" for a quick snack and a "Frog Grog" and bought some swag.  The second day we took a shuttle to Horseshoe Bay Beach.  I wouldn't recommend paying the $35/pp shore excursion to the beach through RCL.  They have public shuttles for $7/pp that are continuously headed to the beach.  It's about a 20-25 min beautiful drive.  Our driver the way out to the beach was great, he pointed out all the landmarks and gave details about the homes,  resorts and golf courses.  You can rent loungers, beach chairs, umbrellas and tents at the beach... but they are a little pricey.  We got 2 loungers and it cost $44.  They do have guys who will drag your lounges/chairs to wherever you want, but be sure to give them a tip (we gave him $5).  The water was stunningly beautiful.  Perfect temp!  Some pretty good waves due to the weather over the past day, but nothing too bad.  The grotto area to the right as you enter the beach was really neat.  I would recommend water shoes/socks as it can be a little rocky in that area.  While you aren't supposed to climb up the massive rock cliffs... there were dozens on the top of the bigger ones.  Some of the smaller ones teens were jumping into the water.  There is a bar/grill at the beach, but the prices are a little inflated (Burger & Fries for about $12). Recommend bringing waters with you... and if you can, pack some snacks (Café 270 will pack food to go).  Be sure to leave the beach by 3pm to ensure you get back with enough time for any "unexpected" happenings.  The shuttle drivers guarantee that if you get on one of their shuttles at 4pm... they will get you on the ship without issue, but I'm not willing to play with those odds!
9.  Adults can take naps too! With shows/activities often scheduled to 1am, I strongly recommend trying to find a time for a quick siesta in the late afternoon before dinner.  It will keep you fully charged to enjoy the nighttime events!  Also, try to get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night if you can.  No reason to go to Windjammers at 6am just because it's open!
10.  Be sure to keep an eye on your account!  Your Seapass card can be used to purchase ANYTHING on board.. and I mean anything!  Be sure to keep an eye on your account (you can use the iQ app, but send you an email at the end of the cruise).  You'll automatically be charged for gratuities $14.50/pp per day, but you'll also see all your other charges. Remember, things add up quick!
11. Keep an eye out for flash sales and good buys on the ship: I ended up buying my wife and gorgeous diamond tennis bracelet on the ship.  It is stunning, very sparkly and she was smitten as soon as she saw it.  The regular price was $195, but we ended up getting it for $99 during a sale.  OK, of course at that price.. it's not a lot of diamonds, but lemme tell you.. it really sparkles and she has already gotten tons of compliments on it.  They also have 2 for $20 T-shirts which make a great souvenir.  They also have duty/tax free booze for purchase, but coming from NH where liquor is state-controlled, the prices were already comparable. If you buy bottles on the ship, they hold it until you disembark (except on the last full day, where you can take it to your room).
12. Most importantly, have fun!:  It's your vacation!  Try something new... or stick to your favorite activities... it's all up to you!
I hope this has helped you.  Please feel free to leave feedback and any questions that I might be able to help with.  If I can't, I'm sure another forum user will!

Harmony will most likely be the only ship in port.  I was there on Navigator and Grandeur was also there so about the same number of passengers.  
Daredevils Peak and the Sling Shot had the longest lines.  They quickly grew to an hour.  @Matt posted that recently you can sign up for a reserved time for Daredevils peak similar to a fast pass but that wasn't there for me.  The other slides had a 10-20 minute wait until lunch time.  After lunch the lines to everything had a significantly less wait time.  At 3 we walked up to Daredevils peak and waited for 10 minutes and walked on to many other slides.  
There's a lot more to do besides the slides.  We went in the wave pool and obstacle course in the morning when the lines were at their peak and enjoyed the slides more in the afternoon with very little wait.  

It would help to know a bit about you.  What do you like and if you have any kids?  
We are doing that exact itinerary in March.  I have 4 kids ages, 19, 16, 12 and 8 now.  We've been to Roatan before and loved the snorkeling there.  It was probably the best we've seen. We'll do it again with a 3rd party.  Coco Cay can be a beach/pool day for free or you can pay for the Waterpark.  We've done and enjoyed both but because Cozumel will be a beach day for us, we'll probably do the waterpark again.   In Cozumel, we'll get a taxi and either go to Mr. Sanchos or Paradise Beach.  We haven't been to Costa Maya and not sure what we'll do there.  

Thanks!  It was my plate!  

Here is a picture of our sushi class.  It was very basic sushi.  Crab, shrimp and I can’t remember what was in the hand roll, maybe spicy tuna? 

 
Three of us did the class.  It was fun but I don’t know if I’d do it again.  This was the only time I’ve eaten sushi on a ship.  I’m a bit leery of the fish freshness.  Our local sushi place has fish flown in several times a week so I’m a bit spoiled with incredible sushi. 

Thanks!  It was my plate!  

Here is a picture of our sushi class.  It was very basic sushi.  Crab, shrimp and I can’t remember what was in the hand roll, maybe spicy tuna? 

 
Three of us did the class.  It was fun but I don’t know if I’d do it again.  This was the only time I’ve eaten sushi on a ship.  I’m a bit leery of the fish freshness.  Our local sushi place has fish flown in several times a week so I’m a bit spoiled with incredible sushi. 

Here is a picture of our sushi class.  It was very basic sushi.  Crab, shrimp and I can’t remember what was in the hand roll, maybe spicy tuna? 

 
Three of us did the class.  It was fun but I don’t know if I’d do it again.  This was the only time I’ve eaten sushi on a ship.  I’m a bit leery of the fish freshness.  Our local sushi place has fish flown in several times a week so I’m a bit spoiled with incredible sushi. 

Here is a picture of our sushi class.  It was very basic sushi.  Crab, shrimp and I can’t remember what was in the hand roll, maybe spicy tuna? 

 
Three of us did the class.  It was fun but I don’t know if I’d do it again.  This was the only time I’ve eaten sushi on a ship.  I’m a bit leery of the fish freshness.  Our local sushi place has fish flown in several times a week so I’m a bit spoiled with incredible sushi. 

Once again, I wouldn't expect the decorations to be up at 1 pm when the staterooms open.  They potentially could put them up during the evening service.  Turnaround day is so busy for the stateroom attendants.  The stateroom attendants are super busy cleaning the rooms and decorations aren't quite as important as getting people into their room.  

Once again, I wouldn't expect the decorations to be up at 1 pm when the staterooms open.  They potentially could put them up during the evening service.  Turnaround day is so busy for the stateroom attendants.  The stateroom attendants are super busy cleaning the rooms and decorations aren't quite as important as getting people into their room.  

Welcome to the message boards.  I wish we could be of more help but many of us don't have experience cruising the Middle East.  My one and only cruise in the Persian Gulf was a freebie, paid for by the US Navy 20+ years.  I would suggest you go to the dreaded Cruise Critic message boards as they have some destination pages which may be what you need.  Also Trip Advisor is another good site with some shore excursion reviews.  
One suggestion would be wear clothing acceptable to local customs.   That doesn't mean head to toe coverings for your wife but things like sleeveless shirts and shorts tend to be frowned upon. Shirts with sleeves, a modest skirt or pants and pack a scarf to wear as a head covering for tours that take you into a mosque.  
Dubai is a mix of international and traditional people.  It is very safe but politics in the region is constantly changing.  For that reason, I would purchase Cancel for any Reason trip insurance so if you feel it would be unsafe you can get your money back with your cruise.  
If you are looking to buy any jewelry, gold and diamonds are some good buys.  Just do your research prior to buying anything.
Good luck!
 

What I wouldn't give to have a 9 night cruise.  I feel lucky to take a 7 night one!  Can't wait for our schedule to be more flexible in 10 years!
I miss your blogs and I am so excited for this one!   We cruise Navigator in July in 2 of the new rooms on deck 11.  I'd love to see where the new fitness center is now.

Go to the MTD desk as soon as you board the ship and see if you can change your reservation time.  That will make things less stressful however I've had the same experience as @ChessE4 where the wait staff will make every attempt to get you out early.  

We've never done a shore excursion in San Juan.  You can go to El Morro (walk or taxi) which is $7 per adult and my kids have enjoyed it and offers some great views.  Then walk leisurely back through Old San Juan to the ship.  The walk back to the ship is all downhill so it makes it a very easy walk through shops, etc.  

I know $1000 is quite a bit of money but there are so many cons to 1 room.  Think of the smallest hotel room you’ve stayed in and shrink that.  With the pack and play and the couch made into a bed there really isn’t much room to even walk around. You and your spouse can’t have a conversation let alone watch tv if they go to bed early or nap.  I personally wouldn’t do it but that’s just me. 

While I've never been on Freedom, I have been on both of her sister ships.  Here's my take on negative reviews:  ignore them!  You can find any of the same complaints on any land or cruise vacations.  Remember, there are always more people willing to write a negative review than a positive review. 
1.  Food is very subjective.  Are you a foodie?  If so, then you may want to skip the MDR and eat at specialty restaurants.  I think of the MDR as above average wedding type food as they are serving a thousand people at the same time.  My family is fine with it.  We've had some very good dishes and some just ok dishes but never anything horrible.  If you don't like what they bring, just ask for something else.  The wait staff really works to help you.  Windjammer isn't my favorite (not a fan of buffets in general) but its fine.  It can be crowded during peak times but since there are only 2 of you, it won't be a huge deal to find a table.
2.  Very rude passengers.  You can find them at any time on both land and cruise vacations.  I haven't found anyone super rude but there are many people who think they are special.
3.  Over-crowding.  I've never found the Freedom class or any RC ship to feel generally overcrowded.  There are crowded times (after muster drill, after shows) but if you are ok to use the stairs, it isn't a big deal.  
The blog is taking a group cruise on Freedom over NYE so there are many people here willing to sail on Freedom.  Looking at Freedom's schedule, Freedom would have been recently renovated under the Amp program by when you sail.  Now is a good time to book as other ships that have been Amped have gone up in price once it was published what would be done to the ship.

Is your boyfriend over 21? If so, make him be the primary guest.  It would be easiest to use a Travel agent and let them figure it out.  It’s no cost to you and they can figure out the payments.  
If you are both under 21, you can’t cruise without someone 21 or over.  

My wife and I rode the Radiance from Vancouver to Seward a week or so ago. This site was very helpful, so I figured that I would return the favor with some thoughts about our cruise.
First off, we had a great time. The ship is nice and clean. The staff is great. Food was great. I probably gained 100 lbs.
We booked a Grand Suite so I was expecting some perks. We got more that expected.  We booked the starboard side thinking that we would see more than the port side since it was a northbound cruise. Maybe we did, maybe we didn't. If we ever do it again, I'll book the port side. We arrived in Seward before 4:00 am and docked on the starboard side. That is one noisy pier!
Check in at Vancouver was a bit chaotic. The lines were long at around 1:30 when we arrived. We were ushered into the regular line. After about 5 minutes (and remembering what I learned on this blog) I inquired with security about a line for suite guests. He thought for a moment then escorted us to the suite check in line where we only had to wait for the couple in front of us to finish. Check in was a breeze then. They took our pics, looked at our passports and gave us our sail cards. We later learned that the computers had been down for a few hours causing the backup. 
Next up was security. I had bought a bottle of Havana Club while in Vancouver and had it in my backpack. I had every intention of declaring it and reclaiming it at the end of the cruise. The backpack sailed right through the scanner with not a word from security. My guess is that to the scanner it looked like a bottle of wine which is allowed.
After that was US Immigration and Customs. Just used the scanners. Took like 5 minutes tops for both of us.
Walked on to the ship and quickly found our cabin. Our luggage was there. So was a plate of welcome goodies, 2 sets of binoculars (GS perks) and a bottle of sparkling wine courtesy of our TA and Royal. We spent a bit of time checking out the cabin, sitting on the balcony, and finding the bottom of the wine bottle. A note here about outlets. There are 2 110VAC and 1 220VAC outlets on the desk / makeup area. There are 3 or 4 more 110VAC outlets under the end table by the curtain. If you book a GS, bring a long extension cord. With that and the CPAP cord, the wife was able to breathe all night. There is also a very low power outlet in the bathroom for a shaver. I used it for my Waterpik.
The next morning (at sea day) we were surprised to find a note inviting us to brunch in Chops. Another perk of a GS. The brunch was quite good. Sushi, several types of finger foods, desserts, wine. All served by the officers of the ship. The Capt. even made an appearance and spoke to each guest individually.  We had dinner at Chops that night. The filet was amazing.
The following day was Ketchikan. While we were out exploring Royal left more edibles in our suite. This happened a few times during our cruise.
We hit the Concierge lounge daily even though we had the DDP. There seem to be snacks there all day, but alcohol starts at 4:30. Drink types there are limited, but with the DDP the waiter/bartender had no problem going out of the lounge to make us Mojitos. Drinks in the lounge tend to be stronger than those in the regular bars. In the regular bars the bartenders are required to measure the shot - there is no such requirement in the lounge.  Service in the lounge was impeccable. The Concierge, Ricardo, was super helpful before and during the cruise answering every request cheerfully and making reservations for us without delay.
We used room service for breakfast one morning. We ordered full American breakfasts at no additional cost. It was delivered hot and on time. We could have ordered room service dinner as well. In a GS you are provided with the full MDR menu from which to order. We never did.
On the morning of debarkation (or is it disembarkation?) we were invited to Chops for breakfast. After that we did go to the WJ to meet some friends. It was packed. The quiet Chops breakfast was a great perk.  We did not have a priority debark time only because we were traveling with a group. Had we not been, we could have left as early as 6:30 AM. 
One last thing. We had been told that we had $100.00 on board credit. On the advice of our TA, I went Guest Services the next to the last night. There I discovered that we actually had $300.00 credit. The $100 was actually per person. The other $100 was because I got a RCI Visa and used it once before the cruise. The important thing here is that the credits are assigned to individuals not cabins. I had $200; my wife $100. Mine had been used up and there was a balance due. My wife's was untouched. The Guest Services agent cheerfully connected the two accounts which lowered our bill another $100. It also turns out that there are two types of credits - refundable and non refundable. If you don't use all of your credits, make sure that you ask for your refundable credit to be applied to your CC. I'm not certain that they will do it if you don't ask.

You could go to Playa Mia on your own for $30 USD (no food or drink) plus transportation.  I am someone who avoids ship tours and have been there without a ship tour.  We literally had an extra hour at the beach after the excursions left and we still returned to the ship 90 minutes prior to all aboard.  Playa Mia is also very crowded with 7 ships in especially during lunch.
IMHO, for $55 USD, go to Nachi Cocum.  That is the only place that limits the number of guests to about 100.  It is about $30 pp more (including a taxi) than the Playa Mia excursion but does include lunch and bottled water.  This would really give you a quiet beach day.

Picking up kids from AO.

Happy Anniversary!  Following along as I'm in a major dry dock!  We loved Symphony when we sailed for our anniversary in May.  

I wonder how many people are like me and would like to gamble but won't go near the casino because of the smoke.  I can't stand the smell and hate how that smell lingers in your clothes after being around it.  

I was on Navigator and the shore excursion desk was willing to work on cabana location.  I went on embarkation day to ask about our cabana.  They originally assigned me one but then said they were trying to put adults only groups in one area and groups with kids in another.  I wanted to be near the slides and we were assigned near Daredevils tower and were happy.  Grandeur was also in port the same day as us so I'm not sure how they decide the cabanas between 2 ships.

I was on Navigator and the shore excursion desk was willing to work on cabana location.  I went on embarkation day to ask about our cabana.  They originally assigned me one but then said they were trying to put adults only groups in one area and groups with kids in another.  I wanted to be near the slides and we were assigned near Daredevils tower and were happy.  Grandeur was also in port the same day as us so I'm not sure how they decide the cabanas between 2 ships.