Lakew92 Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Hey guys, First time cruiser going with a few people from different areas (all booked by different agencies, my partner and I booked through RC) 1st question, we all requested the 8:30 dinner time; what are the chances we can be seated together without linking all of our reservations? 2nd, Is there a cut off time for alcoholic beverages? 3rd, When at port is it easy to get on and off the boat at our own leisure? We will be in Nassau and Labadee want to do some shopping in Nassau and have a kayak adventure on Labadee. 4th. We have some friends getting engaged on the boat. Are we able to purchase two bottles of champagne for the group at dinner or before dinner to celebrate? We are going with 5 couples and only the men got drink packages, I'm assuming they could get a glass or two with their drink package but we want to toast with the ladies as well obviously. 5. We are sailing on navigator of the seas this February and hear it is going for renovations.. are they renovating the cabins as well? also any other tips or advice would be appreciated ! I am sure I will think of more questions as I go.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 Hi...you will have a great trip! There are tons of very knowledgeable people here that will give you tons of info! In answer to your questions: 1. My guess is that is that the likelihood of dining together without being linked is very slim. The main dining is huge and you guys weren't booked together. I would link them. 2. There is no cut off time for alcohol or send, but the bars will close eventually lol... They often stay open until "late"... No set time but while people are there. 3. You can get on and off the ship as soon as the boat is cleared through customs no problem until all aboard (30 mins approx before sailing). 4. With the drink pkg I believe you can buy bottles at a discount. I assume that you can share these with those without a drink pkg but I'm not exactly sure...I know someone can answer that. 5. I haven't been on navigator so I can't answer but I'm sure someone can fill you in! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 1. Suggest you visit the MDR (main dining room) as soon as you board and ask them for group tables. You'll need their names and cabin numbers or if possible, go as a group. No promises but they generally try to accommodate requests of this nature. 2. Bars close at various hours. This site has 'cruise compass' from past guests who have sailed. They list the hours for all bars: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass The cruise compass is a daily newsletter dropped off in your cabin each day. The ones posted from past guests won't be identical but pretty close to your sailing. Often the casino bar is one of the last ones open in the early hours. 3. Come and go as you please but you will have to pass through security each time (xray and metal detector). If you happen to come back during a peak like when an excursion just returned there can be a short wait but usually it's pretty quick. 4. You can buy bottles of wine/sparkling wine and enjoy them in the MDR. 5. If you are sailing in February then you are on the same sailing as me, 2/24/19. Royal hasn't explicitly said if cabins are being touched in this upgrade. In the past some ships did get cabins updates, some did not. Mariner for example did not. That's okay, I don't spend a lot of time in my cabin so I'm happy with the public areas getting all the love. At the top of this page is a menu bar with a tab called "Getting Started". Start there. Until then, see you on board! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLMoran Posted February 11, 2019 Report Share Posted February 11, 2019 HI @Lakew92, welcome to the forums! Great advice already from @mom2mybugs and @twangster. One option to consider for the champagne that will save you some money is to buy it before boarding and bring it onto the ship. Each cabin is allowed to bring two bottles of wine, and this does include sparkling wines (aka champagne). You just have to be sure to bring it in your carry-on bag that bring onto the ship, not any luggage you will be checking with the porters. You'll have that bag with you until the rooms are available around 1 PM, so be sure to pack the bottles carefully to avoid cracking or breaking. On the day you know the proposal is happening, you can ask your attendant to bring a couple buckets of ice to chill the champagne, then bring it with you to the MDR. You'll be charged a corkage fee per bottle to open it in the MDR. Since the corkage fee is going to be assessed anyway, you could even check with the maitre'd when you board to see about dropping the bottles off with the MDR ahead of time, so that there is no spoiling of the surprise by someone showing up with the bottles. That way, they can be properly chilled and brought out only after the actual proposal has happened. This all may or may not be practical, depending on whether the engagement is a surprise and how easily one couple in your group can get the bottles on board without being spotted by the future bride and groom. But it is an option and would be appreciably less expensive than buying a bottle on the ship, even with the corkage fee. mom2mybugs, tdcackler and tiny260 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2mybugs Posted February 13, 2019 Report Share Posted February 13, 2019 On 2/11/2019 at 8:07 AM, JLMoran said: HI @Lakew92, welcome to the forums! Great advice already from @mom2mybugs and @twangster. One option to consider for the champagne that will save you some money is to buy it before boarding and bring it onto the ship. Each cabin is allowed to bring two bottles of wine, and this does include sparkling wines (aka champagne). You just have to be sure to bring it in your carry-on bag that bring onto the ship, not any luggage you will be checking with the porters. You'll have that bag with you until the rooms are available around 1 PM, so be sure to pack the bottles carefully to avoid cracking or breaking. On the day you know the proposal is happening, you can ask your attendant to bring a couple buckets of ice to chill the champagne, then bring it with you to the MDR. You'll be charged a corkage fee per bottle to open it in the MDR. Since the corkage fee is going to be assessed anyway, you could even check with the maitre'd when you board to see about dropping the bottles off with the MDR ahead of time, so that there is no spoiling of the surprise by someone showing up with the bottles. That way, they can be properly chilled and brought out only after the actual proposal has happened. This all may or may not be practical, depending on whether the engagement is a surprise and how easily one couple in your group can get the bottles on board without being spotted by the future bride and groom. But it is an option and would be appreciably less expensive than buying a bottle on the ship, even with the corkage fee. Great idea on the bringing it on!!! Not sure why I didn't think of that! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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