Tips and tricks- ideas?

[Chaosgirl426]

I have cruised with other cruise lines in the past and my husband and I are embarking on our first Royal Caribbean cruise in less than 2 months!! A few things I have learned over the years other than 'planning, planning, planning' is finding the time to relax. In the months leading up to my cruise, I tend to do as much research as I possibly can. I figured I would share a couple things that I have learned, and that I think are really cool in general on a cruise (mind you I have been stalking this blog for a month or two before posting).

1. $2 bills are not seen as often on land anymore and even more rarely at sea. I stock up for a while and bring them as tips for my room steward and bartenders and whatnot for the fun of it!

2. A journal. I bring a small notebook and essentially 'journal' every night before bed. I write down everything so I can remember it in a few years (I do this for a lot of vacations, not just cruises)

3. Dry erase markers are awesome for leaving notes for your room steward, and sometimes they write back!! (on the mirror), i also bring tape and tape the $2 bills to the mirror and draw pictures to them too, it's fun!

4. Alarm clock to wake up with a familiar tone, power strip for more plug space, hilighter to decide what you want to do (or family MUST do's)

We are going with 'BGG@sea' and will be playing board games for most of the trip, but I have planned some entertainment and food venues, and of course excursions. We will be on Symphony of the Seas, and I have looked at as much as I could. My birthday is on day 4 of the cruise. 

My question- what do you reccommend? what are must do's on Symphony (aside from the obvious Abyss, flow rider, water slides, carousel... and wonderland?)?? anyone have any tips for haggling with the market people in Labadee? I saw the magnetic hook idea, and i may try that this time around!! :)

[Hoski]

Just remember that the power strip should not have a surge protector in it.

[Chaosgirl426]

I normally use an old school 3 prong, 5 slot power strip.... i dont know if it has a surge protector... hmmm... 

[SpeedNoodles]

I just wouldn't bring a power strip at all.  A USB charging hub works well and you'll have no trouble getting it on the ship. Most electronics will charge with one these days.

[ChessE4]

1 hour ago, Chaosgirl426 said:

? anyone have any tips for haggling with the market people in Labadee? I saw the magnetic hook idea, and i may try that this time around!! :)

At Labadee there used to be a store with fixed prices (price tags) because multiple vendors rent space in the building.  The vendors along the cart path are the ones that require bargaining.  Their first price could be 2 or 3 times what the item is worth, based on my experience.  Thus, unless there is something you really need there, I gravitate towards the fixed price store.  Last time I visited was 2015.

[Skid]

3 hours ago, Chaosgirl426 said:

My question- what do you recommend? what are must do's on Symphony

Here is a posting of mine after being on Symphony in May. I think you are going to love that ship!

Here are some things for you to think about..hope this helps.

For a GREAT view, go to deck 14 port side, all the way forward past the cabins. Go through the door on your left and you'll be on a bridge wing overlooking the helipad. It's a great uncrowded spot with chairs and loungers. Can get pretty windy, but great anyway.

Speaking of uncrowded, this was our first time on an Oasis class ship and we were absolutely amazed that it never once felt crowded. What a pleasure. Take your time to walk around the ship and explore. Every deck, every staircase, every nook and cranny has amazing and sometimes interactive art work. Check out the musical stairs on deck 15 leading up to the Windjammer. Also check out the picture on deck 5 in the entrance lobby to the MDR...it actually puts you into the picture when you stand in front of it.

The entertainment on this ship is the best. Make sure to make all your reservations as soon as they come out. Every show on this ship is great. Most importantly, make your reservation for the Aqua Theater show for as early in the cruise as possible. Reason for that is because that show can easily be cancelled and rescheduled due to ocean caused movement. If your reservation is scheduled towards the end of the cruise, you may well miss it altogether. (In our case the day 2 show was cancelled, but we got to see the rescheduled show on day 6.)

Suggestion: make your reservations on cruise planner as soon as they become available. Standby lines for the shows were all very long. Same thing if you want bungalows, beach beds or clamshell loungers on CocoCay. They don't have a lot of them and they sell out quickly. aaaah, Cococay...what a magnificent job they did (are are still doing) there. Phenomenal. 

For events on the Promenade (such as the 80's show, which despite what I said before, obviously does get crowded))...instead if standing there, we arrived early  at the Schooner Bar on Deck 6 (Promenade is on Deck 5) and got a small table and chairs that overlooked the stage. It was perfect.

If your itinerary includes St. Kitts, I highly recommend the Thenford Gray Grand tour.  Others on this blog have also recommended it and everyone we have sent has had a great time. He is the best tour guide we ever had. Even if you are not lucky enough to get him personally, it will most likely be one of his family members and you won't be disappointed. It's a 6 hour tour, includes beach time and costs only $55 per person. He WILL get you back to thip on time. We have done it and this past rip my sister in law and her friend went and loved it.

If your itinerary includes St. Thomas, we chose the Royal's Trunk Bay (in St. John) outing just to have the piece of mind of the ship waiting for us. We paid $66 for it and felt it was worth it. It included a narrated 40 minute or so boat transport from St. Thomas to St. John, a narrated 20 minute or so ride from dock in St John to Trunk Bay Beach, guided snorkeling with free rental gear. The driver to the beach (on very winding roads) was the safest, nicest driver we've ever had. If you get the chance, ask for Smittie. The beach was actually not crowded at all (because most on the tour did the snorkeling further down). It came in 3rd on my beach list, tied with Megan's Bay in St. Thomas.  1 is Barbados and 2 is Bermuda (we have not been to Europe).

Cabin: We stayed in 10264 (ocean view balcony). We loved the location, no noise at all, close to elevators and midway between dining on 5, pool on 15, Windjammer on 16, Boardwalk on 6 and Central Park on 8.

If you happen to be doing any specialty dining, 150 Central Park was the best ship restaurant we have been on. Loved it--food and service were top notch.

We did buy the KEY at $19.99 per person and thought it was worth every penny. The debarkation day breakfast and escort off the ship to awaiting luggage was fantastic. Alo, an unpublished perk we had was that we never had to get our card scanned for pool towels. What made that so great, besides avoidng any erroneousd charges for unreturned towels, is that we have had to wait on line to get our card scanned when returning them. Just drop them in the bin and walk away.

Feel free to ask about anything else and happy sailing! 

 

Also, here some use useful information posted on June 6 from @ChessE4

My recent discovery on Oasis-class ships is Central Park.  Not only will you find specialty dining and complimentary dining (Park Cafe), but in the late afternoon and evening, there are small concerts, such as a classical guitarist or a vocalist and musician.  We found many music venues simply to loud for us, so we made it a point to check the Cruise Compass everyday and show up about 10 minutes before a scheduled performance.  We got ring-side seats, and it felt like we had our own private concert.  On the whole, in good weather Central Park is simply delightful.  Being in crowds on the Promenade can be thrilling, too, but when you want something more peaceful, don't overlook Central Park.

Also remember that Windjammer isn't the only place to eat breakfast or lunch.  If it becomes too crowed for you, try the other venues spread throughout the ship. 

As a teenager, my son joined the teen group on several cruises, but he enjoyed them more at 16-18 then at 12-14.   What I have learned is that you don't have to try everything -- go at your own speed, but don't be afraid to try something new.  At 66, I tried the zipline and lived to talk about it.  Spread your show reservations over the entire cruise so you don't feel rushed.

[Chaosgirl426]

Thanks Skid!! I cant wait until vacation!! ( i say this 12 hours into a 16 hour day...) I reallly can't wait until vacation!! i deserve this so much and i love hearing about all the interesting stuff there is to find and do!