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RoyalCaribbeanBlog Group Cruise?


Mike_

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Matt,

 

   I am starting to pre-book my cruise for winter 2016 and I am very much interested in the group cruise.

 

  Can you tell me how many people went on the first one?  I listened to the podcast, but don't remember any numbers.   It doesn't matter per se, but the more the merrier!

 

  How do you handle dinner?  Is everyone on their own or will we be grouped, etc.?

 

  I reached out to MEI and I thought the price was good for me, so I am 90% there. 

 

  Good luck,

 

Mike_

 

 

P.S.  Was your wife jealous when you got back?  Who gets left behind on the next one?  :)

 

http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royalcaribbeanblogcom-cruise-aboard-allure-of-the-seas

 

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Hi Mike!

Great questions.  We had about a dozen people that booked into the package.  More people were there that we ran into but the folks that booked into the MEI package tended to be our "core group" and we hung out a lot!

 

On Quantum, dinner wasn't organized minus one meal, where we booked Wonderland for everyone who booked into the room package as a thank you.  On Allure, it will depend on if DD gets rolled out or not when we go.  At the very least, I think it would be great if we were booked together for early or late seating.  Obviously we will have to wait and see about dining.

 

Thanks for looking into the package AND supporting our sponsor. We had a blast on Quantum and I can't wait for Allure!

 

My wife was super jealous (technically this was my second cruise in a row without her) BUT I promise to make it up to her in the next few cruises. :)

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Matt, I also am planning on going and actually I plan on booking tomorrow to take advantage of the Tax Free Promo. I am going to book with MEI so I can be included In the group and I am very excited.. I would like to suggest we have a Sabor Meet up. Ever since you went on Navigator I have wanted to go and it would be a fun group activity I think.

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Mike, I am Stephanie. Glad I could remind you and help you out. The Tax Free Promo was great. Cant wait to meet everyone on board. I was on Allure 3 times previously so if anyone has any questions about the ship, shows or anything feel free to ask.. I have to say Allure and quantum are my to Favorite Ships.. So I am excited the group cruise is on such a wonderful ship

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Lol! Stephanie! Sorry I did not realize your secret identity. ;)

 

Thank you very much, it was a pleasure and a breeze working with MEI today. They made everything super easy, answered all my questions, and provided great advice.

 

Now the waiting begins :(.

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Lol Yea Agslc5 that's my email address actually and when I first signed up I didn't realize I could put just Stephanie. I thought booking with MEI was very easy too and I cant wait for the cruise and to meet everyone. You are going to love Allure it's a great ship with great shows, great staff, and great food. Looking forward to meeting you and like you said now the waiting begins :mellow:

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Stephanie,

 

    I am excited about being on one of the newer and bigger ships, I have only completed two cruises so far, Jewel out of San Juan, South Caribbean, and Vision out of Tampa, for a Western Caribbean.   I always avoided Haiti, but Matt's reverence for Labade (sp?) piqued my interest, so I am now excited about going there too.

 

    Before I always chose cruises based on destination, now I am a little more attracted to the ships themselves.  However, I did see a Southern Caribbean cruise that did Grenada, and some additional islands like Aruba, which I thought would be new an interesting too.

 

P.S.  I also have one scheduled in September on Norwegian, from NYC to Bermuda.  I wanted to see what the other lines were like before making a commitment. However, I really like RCCL, so why change?  lol.

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I'm jealous. I'm hoping my wife wasn't kidding about maybe paying for me to go alone to get me out of her hair for a week haha. For now I'll just have to envy y'all, a group cruise with friends to meet up with sounds fun indeed.

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Mike_ it is so much fun to watch new cruisers come to the realization that ....one Caribbean island is pretty much the same as any other...and that the ship itself is the real attraction. I'm sure I'll get lots of rotten tomatoes thrown my way for that...there are lots of beautiful islands and each one has its own charms but truly...sooner or later the ports become a nuisance and you just want the ship to keep on sailing so you don't have to get off ! I truly love the sea days the best ! I have my favorites (Curacao !) and I love going to the Caribbean, but....

 

If you were on the Jewel out of San Juan then you were on one of the island hoppers which is a GREAT way to see lots of islands if that is your goal, but an island a day is way too much for me these days. I HATE having to get up early EVERY morning (that means leaving the casino early and that is a bummer !) and go see more of the same thing I saw yesterday. I am also very annoyed that the casino is closed while in port (in MOST ports anyway) :)

 

I think you will enjoy Bermuda. I put that trip off for years b/c I didn't think I would like it much...seemed kinda boring. ....but truly, the water is more beautiful in Bermuda than ANY tropic Caribbean island (IMO). It is VERY expensive in Bermuda so you probably won't want to do too much shopping unless you have money to burn but I think you will enjoy it. September should be a lovely time to be in Bermuda as long as a hurricane doesn't get you. It should still be warm enough.

 

I like the NCL ships very much. I have not been on the newest ones (Breakaway or Getaway) but I was on the Epic and I loved it. The rooms were a tad snug but I found that RCCL did the same thing with their biggest ships....so it's a "trend" of sorts, I guess. Bigger ships...smaller rooms....more people...bigger profit. In fairness, I understand that the rooms on the Quantum class are a little roomier than the Oasis class. I haven't been on a Quantum ship so I can't attest to that...just what I've heard.

 

So back the point of this missive. The ships ARE the attraction. Some people don't like the really big ships but I do. I love Oasis and Allure. LOVE them. There is so much to do and the casinos are SOOOO nice. I don't have small children to entertain but if I did, I think I would want to have the distractions...I mean attractions...that the big ships have to offer to keep them amused. ...and there are a lot of them on the big ships.

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Mike_ I agree with everything Waaaytooo was saying. Once you have seen one island you have seen them all and the ship is the main attraction. I am super Loyal to Royal. I just got my diamond plus status so that tells you I am loyal. You are in for such a treat. The minute you step on Allure you will be blown away by it's size and beauty. I was never bored and it is just a really great ship. Jewel and Vision are nice too but there is nothing like the new ships. I cant wait to talk to you on board to hear your thoughts. I love meeting people who have only been on the older ships and hearing their thoughts on the new ships.. Which NCL ship are you going on? Is it Breakaway? I have never been on NCL but wouldn't mind trying it.. What made you pick it?

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I sense the casino is a thing...  ;)

 

Yes, I booked on the Breakaway.

 

I have actually been to Bermuda before, twice.  I was stationed there for two short tours while in the Navy.  I was young and poor then and found it boring. I am older now, but still poor, so we'll see how this goes.  I plan on doing all my eating and drinking on the ship.  I want to rent a scooter for three days and spend each day on a different beach and just taking it easy.  If I remember correctly, Bermuda rolls up the sidewalks at 5:00 PM, so not much to do there at night anyway.  I am interested in what it will be like with a ship in the same port for three straight days. 

 

Since I had never cruise before I tried better rooms on port intensive itineraries. I figured if I didn't like it I could get off.  However, I am coming along in my thinking and enjoying the ships more, the excursions less.  On the last cruise all the diamond clubbers were preaching the same, so it must be a learning experience.

 

Thanks to all, can't wait until we start planning some things.

 

P.S.  I picked the 6:00 PM dining time, as that seems to be the hardest slot to get into.  And, if dynamic dining comes our way or we can group up for some of the nights that would be great. 

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Yeah, Stephanie, that casino discount is awesome at the moment. I hope it stays that way !! The tax day discount was helpful too...$200+ more off ! I sense that the casino changes are being pushed back even further. I think they're encountering some problems...which is fine with me. I like the program JUST the way it is !

 

I look forward to playing (in the casino !!) with you on this cruise. Are you a slots player of a table player ? I despise slots so I rarely play any slots other than the occasional video poker. I will be at the Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em table or the 3 card poker table or the regular poker table. When I was on the Oasis in January they still the electronic poker machines - which are ok...I don't hate them the way some do - but I do prefer a live dealer. I am guessing that Allure is still using their electronic poker machines too. UGH

 

Well, I am off to Japan for a week (business) so I won't be blogging much - or maybe at all - while I am there. Take care everyone !

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Hi WAAATOOO, What is your real name? That way I can just call you that lol. Well I actually enjoy playing slots and tables. I am a sucker for the new movie themed slots. I love the hangover machine on Oasis. I won about $600 on that machine. But I also like Roulette and Blackjack. I like Texas Hold' EM but I have never played it on a cruise before. I have only played it in a land casino. ON the cruise do they play limit or no limit? I also prefer a live dealer. I just think the computerized one is well to computerized and I feel like I might be getting ripped off. Have a nice time in Japan. Talk soon. - Stephanie

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Stephanie (and anyone else who might be interested) my name is Raye. Thanks for asking.

 

It is always a no limit game. I have never seen them play a limit game on any ship. When I cruise out of San Juan the Marriott has a limit game at night but I've never seen one on a cruise ship. I just don't think there's enough people interested enough. Sometimes we have trouble just getting a no limit game going. ...and then sometimes, like on the transatlantic I took several years ago on the Jewel, we played all day every day and all night for 12 days. There was always a waiting list just to get on. You just never know !

 

I know what you're saying about the electronic tables. Lots of people don't like them b/c they feel that they are subject to "electronic whim" but I have never really had that concern. I usually do pretty well...I just like having a live dealer better...more personal.

 

I saw the hangover machine on the Oasis but never played it. Slot machines are nothing but money pits for me ! Now THERE'S where I think the machines can be set to exploit "electronic whim". If you enjoy poker and also table games then I recommend the Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em table game. It's one of my top 2 faves - the other being 3 card poker.

 

It is raining like crazy here in Okinawa. I will be here all week and it's supposed to rain the entire time I'm here....which sucks in more than 1 way since I will have to be outside climbing telecom towers most of the time ! Not looking forward to that very much !

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