fonemanbob

What a great suggestion. Just ordered some. Sure beats packing a stapler or tape. Something we should have done several years ago but never thought of. We cut up an old bandanna into strips and put them on our luggage. Makes it real fast and easy to spot when traveling. Especially when most suitcases are of the same color.

I am just lloking out for RC and its crew and passengers. Thank you all for your valuable insight.

We will be on Brilliance of the Seas on Sep.23,2016. We are sailing out of Barcelona, Spain and one of our stops will be in Ephesus ( Kusadasi ) Turkey. A couple of weeks ago they decided not to stop there due to the turmoil going on but as of this weeks cruise and our cruise I wonder if they will be still stopping there.

Did chefs table last year and I was the only guy wearing a jacket and tie The wife wore a casual dress. By the end of the dinner my jacket and tie were off. In other words casual dress will be just fine. Enjoy the dinner.

We like to get to the cruise terminal around 11 a.m. This way we beat the crowds. We get on board to schedule additional specialty dinners, and spa appointments. etc. This way we can check on any promos. and check out our M.D.R. table and make any last minute additions or changes. Then its off to the windjammer for lunch and we just kick back and wait for the room to be ready. By all means ignore that e mail. Getting there at 3 p.m. or later is a nightmare. Get there early so you can start a relaxed and stress free cruise. Enjoy your cruise.

You do. One thing a lot of people are not aware of is that you constantly need to check on the price of your cruise as it changes almost daily just like the airlines. If you find a lower fare contact RC to get your price lowered. This can be done until you make final payment . It is a hassle but you would be amazed at how much you will save. Those BOGO sales and such are based on inflated prices and in the mouse print is the suggested price.

A shirt and tie should be just fine. I really doubt he would be turned away. Besides we see lots of men on formal nights in casual attire. Maybe on the Queen Mary but not on the other cruise lines. And besides you could buy him another suit or sport coat and he easily could out grow it by the time you cruise. I truly believe you will be just fine. Enjoy your cruise.

The art auction and capt"s reception do serve champagne. The art auction is free and they give out raffle tickets as well. They are interesting and I have seen some incredible bidding happen. You would be surprised at some some of the art work that will be shown as well. So free champagne and a chance to win a free painting. You might not like a lot of the art work but so what. FREE

I just read the cruise compass for the June 7, 2016 sailing and the formal nights were held on nights 6 and 11. This will give us some kind of an idea for those going on the Sept. 23, 2016 cruise.

Possibly by 8 A.M. The IF factors are: If the weather does not delay you arriving in port. If the port area is not clogged with ships coming in or going out. Bigger if is if the customs inspection goes well or not. We once had an hour customs inspection that delayed the ships passengers departures. The best suggestion is to take your luggage off of the ship by yourself and leave in the first wave of departing passengers. Getting thru customs is usually quick if their are a lot of agents on duty. We got delayed once because we had a large discrepancy of what we declared and what RC said we spent. We had ordered an expensive ring to be made and therefore did not have the item and per the jewelry rep on board had not declared it on the customs invoice. Once they saw the paper work we were on our way. SO TO ALL IF YOU THAT MIGHT SPEND A LOT ON THE SHIP RC INFORMS CUSTOMS OF THIS AND DON'T TRY TO PRETEND YOU NEVER BOUGHT ANYTHING EXPENSIVE. THE AMUSING PART OF THIS WAS THAT AS WE WERE HAVING OUR CARDS SWIPED AS WE WERE GETTING OFF OF THE SHIP IT SIGNALED AN EMPLOYEE TO ESCORT US TO CUSTOMS WITH NO EXPLANATION. THEY LOOKED AT OUR DECLARATION AND RC'S INVOICE SAW THE DISCREPANCY. RC REP WAS NOT PLEASED AS WE WERE NOT PULLING A FAST ONE. Now if you buy off the ship let your conscious be your guide when you fill your customs form. You might get caught and you might not. And they will search everything if they suspect something.

We will take chairs after 10 - 15 minutes all the time and never have an encounter ever. As if anyone remembers exactly where their chairs were. Its amazing how long chairs stay unoccupied. Especially when all that is their are towels and no personal effects. we go past the pool every time before breakfast or when departing the ship at 8 a.m. and you would be amazed at how many chairs are supposedly taken. Just grab a chair and enjoy.

Excellent question. Yes the shakes and malts are extra.

Thanks to all for your informative answers. I appreciate the feedback. The nice thing is you can bring 2 bottles of wine on board. And with only 3 cruising days most of our coffee and drinks will be on excursions. So I believe they would be cost prohibitive. Thanks again.

What percentage of people actually purchase them. They would be worth it on cruising days but can"t seem to justify one for days. in port. Any thoughts. Going on Brilliance of the Seas in Sept. from Spain. This will be 7th cruise so not a newbie at this point and time. Thank you

Not worth it. There is a water park and an aquarium. You are not there that long so save your money for later on in the cruise. Enjoy the cruise. Welcome to cruising its truly worth the money.

Out of curiosity what perks are available on an inaugural cruise.

I would contact either RC or your travel agent if you used one. Look at the deck plans and stay away from elevators.

You would be wise to get the insurance package offered as you will be in foreign countries. And if you are not in port you might have to be airlifted. It would also be wise to check on your current medical insurance to see whats covered out of the country.

I have used the port garages on several occasions. I will drop off the wife and the bags at the cruise port terminal and then park the car. We like to arrive at the cruise port terminal by around 10:30 a.m. The reason being that the main garage will fill up fast due to all of the ships that might be in port. One time we had to park at an outer lot that required a long walk that"s why we arrive early. Having lived in Orlando for 10 years the drive over is not as bad. That said we moved 9 years ago but still commute to the cruise terminals in Florida. We will drive from our home in Tennessee or from our daughters home in Lakeland, Florida. If you don"t want the long drive then stay over outside of Fort Lauderdale. You may want to contact area hotels in Fort Lauderdale to see if they offer a park and cruise rate where you stay 1 night at their hotel and take the shuttle to the cruise port terminal before and after your cruise. We fly out of Knoxville a lot and stay at the Hilton at the airport and do the park and fly which is cheaper than parking the car at the long term airport parking lot. Enjoy your cruise.

Yes and possibly no. Its about a 30 minute trip from the airport to the cruise terminal. Assuming your cruise leaves at 5 P.M. and your flight is on time and not delayed or cancelled and you have all of your luggage and traffic is moving you will be o.k. to a degree. If the Uber breaks down they have no backup like a taxi or bus or limo etc. Remember if you miss the boat you are responsible for the air fare to the next port so as to be able to get on the boat. Not a great way to start your first cruise. But all in all you should be fine. If you can get an earlier flight do it. Not knowing where you are traveling from would have helped as a smaller airport does not have as many flights as larger airports do. We like to get to the port city the day before so as not to have any issues especially during the winter months. Unfortunately summer months can be as bad due to storms closing airports or diverting flights. Just an F.Y.I. Enjoy your cruise and hope you are able to do many more in the future. It"s an awesome way to travel. You won"t be disappointed.

I did the chefs table last year and the food was better than the specialty restaurants. Wine is paired with each course. My wife only drinks white where as I drink all kinds. So I got her reds on 3 servings. People were asking for seconds on food and received them. It was worth it to do one time. Yes it is pricey. Those who were at the table were very nice folks. We had an enjoyable evening and a magnificent dinner. This cruise coming up we are sticking with the specialty dining dinners. No one asked for substitutions on the wine but that said it may be possible. The wife didn't think of it. As far as vegan food goes I am sorry that I don"t know the answer. Like others have said call your travel agent and Royal Caribbean and Google it. Royal may give you the run around or pretend to know so ask for a supervisor. At least then you will get a real answer. Bon Appetite

Will Turkey be dropped from Ports of stop due the unrest there. What will replace this stop? Going there on Brilliance Of The Seas on Sept. 30,2016. Other cruise lines stopped going there weeks ago. Thanks

Yes and don"t wait till final payment to recheck the prices. Check them periodically as you can make as many adjustments as you want. You will be surprised as to how much you might end up saving.

Booking early is a plus as the times fill up fast. You can book your reservation 60 - 75 days from your sailing. Three nights will get you a 30% discount. Don"t book a dinner while the ship is still in port. Timing your dinner reservations around sunset is a nice touch. The food is always excellent as is the service. The chefs table is excellent and it helps to be a wine drinker as you get a different type of wine with each course. The food is phenomenal. Enjoy your cruise and dining.

We will be on Brilliance of the Seas and in port on Sept. 29, 2016. We are using P K travel in Athens for a full day semi private tour. The tour lasts 8-9 hrs. and costs $ 65.00 (euros). They pick you up at the dock and head directly to the Acropolis. They have never missed a cruise ship leaving port. Each vehicle holds 8-10 guests. They are top rated and very personable. Come join us just contact P K travel Greece and sign up. I originally had 96 Euros .