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You are all so helpful, I was hoping to have a few random questions answered... I searched the forum for answers, but I couldn’t seem to find them.  We’re going on our first cruise in December on Serenade of the Seas.  (Well, first since I was teenager, and now I’m bringing my own teenage and 20yr old sons!) Sorry for all the questions, hopefully it’s okay. Thanks for any help ?

  1. Drink packages. Can we buy them on a daily basis while onboard, just for one day here and there?  (Rather than buying it all at once for the entire duration of the trip)
  2. Bringing drinks onboard. I read that you can bring 12 non-alcoholic standard size beverages onboard per stateroom. Does this have to be inside our carry-on luggage? Or can we simply carry it on, not packed?
  3. Are there mini fridges in your room? (We are in a couple of ocean view staterooms)
  4. When the ship is in port are you free to come and go (on & off) the ship as you please? 
  5. Excursions. How are your ID, cash/credit cards, etc., kept safe when you’re, say, snorkeling?
  6. We have two GTY ocean view staterooms... Is there anyway to make sure they are close together? (Or better yet, connected? Wishful thinking, I’m sure!)
  7. Excursion packages all say to make sure you bring your Sea Pass and photo ID... What about minors? My 15yr old doesn’t have photo identification except his passport, and we don’t want to be taking that on excursions. Will he be okay with just his Sea Pass? (and his parents vouching for him? Lol)

Thanks everyone! Any help is much appreciated.  I just want to make sure we are all set, and I’m trying to keep my anxiety levels at bay ?

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3 minutes ago, JustmeCindy said:

 

  1. Drink packages. Can we buy them on a daily basis while onboard, just for one day here and there?  (Rather than buying it all at once for the entire duration of the trip)
  2. Bringing drinks onboard. I read that you can bring 12 non-alcoholic standard size beverages onboard per stateroom. Does this have to be inside our carry-on luggage? Or can we simply carry it on, not packed?
  3. Are there mini fridges in your room? (We are in a couple of ocean view staterooms)
  4. When the ship is in port are you free to come and go (on & off) the ship as you please? 
  5. Excursions. How are your ID, cash/credit cards, etc., kept safe when you’re, say, snorkeling?
  6. We have two GTY ocean view staterooms... Is there anyway to make sure they are close together? (Or better yet, connected? Wishful thinking, I’m sure!)
  7. Excursion packages all say to make sure you bring your Sea Pass and photo ID... What about minors? My 15yr old doesn’t have photo identification except his passport, and we don’t want to be taking that on excursions. Will he be okay with just his Sea Pass? (and his parents vouching for him? Lol)

Thanks everyone! Any help is much appreciated.  I just want to make sure we are all set, and I’m trying to keep my anxiety levels at bay ?

1.  You can purchase it onboard for the remaining days of the cruise.  You can't buy it for certain days only (like if you wanted it for only sea days).  

2.  It doesn't have to be packed but since you can't get into your rooms until 1pm then you are lugging it around the ship however you brought it on.

3.  Yes mini fridges

4.  Yes

5.  If possible I'll rent a locker at the resort.  If I'm snorkeling on a boat tour, I don't worry about it.  

6.  No.  If you wanted them close together, you should have picked your own room.  I'm surprised that you were allowed to book your sons in a GTY room by themselves.

7.  Minors don't need a photo id.  However, I'm team passport and bring our passports with us on longer excursions.

 

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6 minutes ago, JustmeCindy said:

You are all so helpful, I was hoping to have a few random questions answered... I searched the forum for answers, but I couldn’t seem to find them.  We’re going on our first cruise in December on Serenade of the Seas.  (Well, first since I was teenager, and now I’m bringing my own teenage and 20yr old sons!) Sorry for all the questions, hopefully it’s okay. Thanks for any help ?

  1. Drink packages. Can we buy them on a daily basis while onboard, just for one day here and there?  (Rather than buying it all at once for the entire duration of the trip)  Not allowed  … you can buy it during the cruise (i.e. say starting day 3) but you will be required to pay for the rest of the cruise.  This is all at the higher "onboard rate"/
  2. Bringing drinks onboard. I read that you can bring 12 non-alcoholic standard size beverages onboard per stateroom. Does this have to be inside our carry-on luggage? Or can we simply carry it on, not packed?  Per the rules … must be in your carry on.
  3. Are there mini fridges in your room? (We are in a couple of ocean view staterooms).  Depends on the ship … but most yes
  4. When the ship is in port are you free to come and go (on & off) the ship as you please? Yes
  5. Excursions. How are your ID, cash/credit cards, etc., kept safe when you’re, say, snorkeling?  Just with your belongings  … you need to plan accordly
  6. We have two GTY ocean view staterooms... Is there anyway to make sure they are close together? (Or better yet, connected? Wishful thinking, I’m sure!)  You can request them to be changed once they are assigned.  Same Class … but probably not likely.
  7. Excursion packages all say to make sure you bring your Sea Pass and photo ID... What about minors? My 15yr old doesn’t have photo identification except his passport, and we don’t want to be taking that on excursions. Will he be okay with just his Sea Pass? (and his parents vouching for him? Lol)

Thanks everyone! Any help is much appreciated.  I just want to make sure we are all set, and I’m trying to keep my anxiety levels at bay ?

See above.  Welcome to the boards

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Great questions @JustmeCindy.   I'm sure you will get answers from people with a lot more knowledge than me.  I will chime in on a couple of your questions:

 

#1-Love your idea, but I've never found a drink package that allows you that much flexibility.  You either buy it the first day (sometimes the 2nd) for the entire cruise or not at all.   Many cruises will offer a 10 punch drink card during the last couple days of the trip which might help.   On shorter cruises we bring 2 bottles of wine (allowed by RCI), buy additional drinks as needed on land or the ship, and then keep an eye out for the drink card.  

#2-if you bring wine on board (2 bottles per cabin that has someone 21 or over) you have to put them in your carry on.   Not sure about the other beverages.  

#4-Typically you are free to come and go when your ship is in port.   Make sure you have your SeaPass card and ID/passport with you.

#7-Understand about the passport worries.   The reason you need a passport when you are off the ship is in case something happens and you are unable to get back on the ship.  Can you make copies of the passport and keep them in the safe in your room?  You might be able to take the copies with you but not sure how that works if you need help from the consulate or embassy.  Our 15 year old did fine with his passport during our Western Med cruise which was very port intensive.  Not sure if that makes you feel better!

 

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1 minute ago, melski94 said:

1.  You can purchase it onboard for the remaining days of the cruise.  You can't buy it for certain days only (like if you wanted it for only sea days).  

2.  It doesn't have to be packed but since you can't get into your rooms until 1pm then you are lugging it around the ship however you brought it on.

3.  Yes mini fridges

4.  Yes

5.  If possible I'll rent a locker at the resort.  If I'm snorkeling on a boat tour, I don't worry about it.  

6.  No.  If you wanted them close together, you should have picked your own room.  I'm surprised that you were allowed to book your sons in a GTY room by themselves.

7.  Minors don't need a photo id.  However, I'm team passport and bring our passports with us on longer excursions.

 

Thanks for the quick response and all the answers! I really appreciate it.  We are new to this, when we booked the cruise they didn’t offer us anything but GTY and we didn’t know we could pick our own rooms.  They didn’t give our sons their own room... Technically, hubby and one son in one room, me and my other son in a second room.  I’ll be calling back to see if we can switch to picking our own rooms. Wish they would have told us it was an option when we first booked.

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1 minute ago, JustmeCindy said:

They didn’t give our sons their own room... Technically, hubby and one son in one room, me and my other son in a second room. 

This might work to your advantage if one of the adults wants the drink package.  As you are not required to buy packages for all in the cabin for minors.  So say hubby wants package and you don't … He can purchase it and the son doesn't have to buy anything.

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Just now, Clear Laker said:

This might work to your advantage if one of the adults wants the drink package.  As you are not required to buy packages for all in the cabin for minors.  So say hubby wants package and you don't … He can purchase it and the son doesn't have to buy anything.

Oooh... I hadn’t thought of that! Thanks for the tip!

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Just now, CGTLH said:

Also on the subject of mini fridge, they are labeled more as coolers vs refrigerator. Some will definitely keep things cold while others struggle to keep things below room temperature.

Be sure to contact the Special Needs group if it happens to be a medical necessity.

Ah, okay.  Just wanted to keep some bottled water cool, so even a cooler would do fine. Thanks ?

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Welcome, you've gotten answers to everything already but I'll offer a couple extra bits:

While your wine / non-alcoholic beverages technically must be in your carry on luggage, it's worth noting that airline rules don't apply.  Each piece must fit through scanners but you aren't limited to one carry on per person so it's really a matter of how much can you carry on.  (Of course, if you're flying to reach the ship, that will limit you.)  You'll also be carrying it all until your room is available around 1PM (unless you purchase the Key which includes dropping carry-ons somewhere).

You can go to guest services and get room keys so everyone has access to both rooms.  (Only the original cards can be used for expenses but I'm guessing you're paying the bills for both rooms so it doesn't really matter.)  Then, you can also sleep in whichever room you like.

Passport debates are quite common.  Most agree having them makes travel much easier than birth certificate plus other ID.  However, there's no agreement over what to do with them for excursions.  Some posters will argue they should stay in your cabin safe because if you miss the boat, the ship staff will retrieve them and leave them with the port authority when the ship leaves.  Others will argue you should keep your passports with you at all times when you are off the ship just in case of emergencies.  One thing is certain...You cannot fly without a passport so if you do get left on an island and the ship staff didn't find your passports, you are stuck until you can get to an embassy and get new passports made.

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On 10/28/2019 at 4:29 PM, mworkman said:

They are cooler, not mini-fridges. I say this as if you need to keep anything real cold (like meds) so that you are properly informed. Don't expect the coolers to keep anything real cold.  I have found that it's hit and miss for getting one that's above par.

Absolutely agree. After several Disney cruises and their lackluster beverage coolers I was thrilled last year when we had an actual small refrigerator on Anthem that was top notch. This year on Adventure we were back to a Mickey Mouse cooler. I can only assume that a prior Anthem guest in our stateroom had a medical necessity that I benefited from. Hit & Miss for sure.
 

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20 hours ago, Atlantix2000 said:

Welcome, you've gotten answers to everything already but I'll offer a couple extra bits:

While your wine / non-alcoholic beverages technically must be in your carry on luggage, it's worth noting that airline rules don't apply.  Each piece must fit through scanners but you aren't limited to one carry on per person so it's really a matter of how much can you carry on.  (Of course, if you're flying to reach the ship, that will limit you.)  You'll also be carrying it all until your room is available around 1PM (unless you purchase the Key which includes dropping carry-ons somewhere).

You can go to guest services and get room keys so everyone has access to both rooms.  (Only the original cards can be used for expenses but I'm guessing you're paying the bills for both rooms so it doesn't really matter.)  Then, you can also sleep in whichever room you like.

Passport debates are quite common.  Most agree having them makes travel much easier than birth certificate plus other ID.  However, there's no agreement over what to do with them for excursions.  Some posters will argue they should stay in your cabin safe because if you miss the boat, the ship staff will retrieve them and leave them with the port authority when the ship leaves.  Others will argue you should keep your passports with you at all times when you are off the ship just in case of emergencies.  One thing is certain...You cannot fly without a passport so if you do get left on an island and the ship staff didn't find your passports, you are stuck until you can get to an embassy and get new passports made.

Some excellent information, thank you so much!! 

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57 minutes ago, JustmeCindy said:

Some excellent information, thank you so much!! 

We leave our passports in the stateroom safe.  The one time (long ago in Dominican Republic) that I took my passport with me, it got soaked and almost ruined because the power boat we we were on hit bad weather, lost power, and floundered for awhile.  Therefore, my advice for your valuables (seapass , license, and some cash) is to put them in a water-proof, phone sized lanyard and tuck underneath your swim shirt/suit. while snorkeling,  It there is a leak and your $$ or seapass get wet, no real harm.  Passports are a different story.   Now we generally stick with RCI excursions so we are never left behind.  The exception would be routine ground transportation to shopping or the beach.  Have a great cruise.

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Last week on Anthem my daughter's milk spoiled by the next day in the cooler.  I should have done what I did on the Empress and added a bucket of ice inside the cooler/fridge but forgot.  They were supposed to have a medical fridge for it because it is mixed with her medication but instead we got a gallon of distilled water, lol.  We worked it out without asking for assistance.  Wasn't worth it for a short cruise.

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