hayley_bopp

The sad part is one spin class only works off 1 cookie... or maybe 2

It depends on the ship. I think on Quantum they were like $20 per class, but I noticed on Freedom it was cheaper.

I've done a couple of spin classes.  Very intense but I enjoyed them (if that is possible).
 
Make sure you sign up early for them.  Last couple times I decided to sign up later on and found it completely sold out.

Yes, just go to Guest Services on the last day and you can deposit cash to your SeaPass account to offset any charges you have made.

I have reached the age if I have to wait 1/2 hour to occupy and toweled chair the towel gets moved and I sit.

I can't guarantee I'll save room but I can guarantee that I'll cram dessert in regardless!  ;)

Thanks for your replies.
 
Got our seapasses all printed off today - just the drink packages to book now and we're pretty much good to go  :D

I have booked cruises for lamer excuses!

I bought a bottle of Cruzan Banana rum at the Hilltop on St. Thomas, but haven't been able to find a nice, easy recipe for a banana daiquiri.  
 
We've been trying to replicate many of the drinks we had on board.  Personally, I think I need to go on another cruise and take better notes.

To DocLC's point, Sabor Modern Mexican is the restaurant found on the Navigator and other ships.  You pay the cover and pick whatever you'd like off the menu.  Sabor Taqueria is found on Oasis class ships, and is a la carte.  

Save room for the dessert. :p

You can essentially eat as much as you want although you are limited to one entree. Note that on Navigator, Sabor is NOT a la carte; the fee you paid covers all food.

Matt, I'm disappointed that you didn't recommend doing two dinners on one night: one early and one late. ;)

I had to respond to this post, as I was on this ship when this sad event occurred.
 
 
When the captain came on the public address to announce that someone had gone overboard (11pm), he said that he was turning the ship around to begin the search until the Coast Guard could arrive on scene. Many, many people went up on deck as he requested to put as many eyes as possible on the water to search, but to no avail. It was less than 2 hours (about 90 minutes, I believe) until the helicopter was able to arrive and participate in the search. The ship stayed on site for about 4 hours before the captain turned back to head into Fort Lauderdale. 
 
Even when we reached port, we did not know the identity of the person who was missing, nor the circumstances of his going overboard. 
The captain and the crew acted quickly and efficiently, in my view. The crew was clearly as shaken by the event as were the passengers, but maintained their professionalism. 
 
Just a perspective from someone who was actually there. 
Prayers of comfort and strength to his family and friends.

I am terrible at remembering all of the different themes.
 
The themes are according to the ingredients of the food rather than by the ethnicity...if that makes any sense.  For ones that I can think of...pomodoro (sp ??) is the Italian theme, there is one for shitake which features mushrooms, one is thyme or maybe it's basil (can't remember the menu that goes with that one !), that's all I can think of at the moment, but it goes on and on.  My guess is that if you are going for 2 consecutive weeks that there will be some recurrence.  I have been on a couple of longer cruises but I just don't recall whether the menus repeated or not.
 
I seem to be one of the few remaining cruisers that actually LOVE the food in the MDR.  We almost never go to the Specialty restaurants.  If you are a steak snob then you will probably not be satisfied with the MDR steak.  It's not great.  If you are sushi lover then there's no substitute for Izumi (not sure if NAV has Izumi or not) but I don't find the need to really go to the specialty restaurants myself.  Maybe I'm just cheap.  I can't see paying for food again when I've already paid for it once, as part of my cruise fare.  We often get complimentary dining from the casino and we will usually go for those but overall, I stick with the MDR.  Others love paying twice for their food, so more power to them !

Thank You so much!! I can't wait to share my experience on Allure of the seas, with others.
I'm very thrilled to be going on this cruise. My countdown is now in the 30's, so I'm getting really excited!!!

I downloaded Periscope yesterday just so I could watch Matt's periscopes. I don't really understand the technicalities of the app yet and have yet to watch a live one but I'm very excited to watch more and to watch some from actual ships! This sounds like a good way for me to find more!

I'm following you too CruisingCat71 :-)

Welcome Hayley 
This is a great forum to find out who is periscoping, from where. and Matt periscopes everyday sometime usually between the hours of four and nine. When you are following someone, it will notify you when they come on to periscope.

I've found and am following Matt, mpoole3 and Rich_Tripp. Yay!

Keep playing with it, you should get it. Matt's username is @therclblog , once you follow him your phone or tablet should make a noise to notify you he's online. Normally it's around 7 eastern time, give or take a hour.
If you have any problems just ask us, best of luck.

I downloaded Periscope yesterday just so I could watch Matt's periscopes. I don't really understand the technicalities of the app yet and have yet to watch a live one but I'm very excited to watch more and to watch some from actual ships! This sounds like a good way for me to find more!

They can and will dock on either side for all the reasons listed above.
 
As for the name "port side" (and "starboard side"):  Many answers, but the one I've always accepted is that in the earliest days of sailing ships, there was no rudder, but there was a "steering board".  This was hung out near the back.  It was not directly in the center but off to the right side.  Why the right side?  Because most people are right-handed and that is their strong side with which to operate the steering board.  The"steering board side" became abbreviated over the years to become "starboard".  The left side was called "port side" bacause you always put that side towards the dock so as not to damage the steering board.  

Views can change from port to port.  Sometimes you'll face the land, other times you'll face the sea depending on the pier setup, your ship, and how many other ships are in port at the same time.   And if there are other ships sharing the same pier, you may just find that pretty view blocked by the ship next to you.  You can wave to the folks on the other balconies 40 feet away from you.  :)  Enjoy the cruise!

I'm off on my first ever cruise this summer - 2 weeks on Navigator. I'm getting the Ultimate drinks package and planning on trying as many cocktails as possible so I'll let you know when I get back!