AtlFamilyof4

I'm glad my husband found this link, but I think I have a few more questions that I am hoping someone here has already gotten the answer to.

1. On the certificate I received, there are two sections that ask to list 3 of my preferred ships and 3 of my preferred sail dates. Do each one of these have to coincide? For example, if I choose Allure of the Seas as my #1 choice, does my #1 date choice need to coincide with a sail date of the Allure or just a date range that I could end up on any ship with that sail date...? I hope that makes sense.

2. My husband was awarded a $400 credit from the casino to be used toward $$ off his next cruise. With the free cruise we will be booking, we will also be adding a 3rd and 4th guest (both minors) to our room. Can the $400 credit be used toward the cost of adding the 3rd and 4th guests? This credit has to be used toward a booking within 30 days of the issue date (which was 3/9/19), so we have to move pretty quickly if this can be used.

3. The certificate says that this is goof for a 7-9 night Caribbean cruise valued at $1,250 per stateroom. Does this mean that if the cost of an inside stateroom is valued above $1,250 we would have to pay the difference?

4. I noticed that one of the blackout dates is for Christmas sailings. At what date in December does Royal Caribbean start their Christmas sailings?

5. The booking instructions on the certificate say to "contact Royal Caribbean at least 60 days prior to sailing in order to enter your reservation request. Request will be accommodated based on availability within 30 days of the sailing." Does this mean that I won't know which cruise I will be on until only 30 days prior to the sail date? (This may have been partly answered already...)

I can't say anything about the ship since the last cruise I went on before this one was in 2007. But when we were on this last one, I didn't notice anything dingy or dirty about the bathrooms or carpet. sorry I couldn't be more help.

This is actually a violation of the USPH/CDC regulations, not an RCI rule. Only sealed, packaged, ready to eat food is allowed to be brought onboard. All food onboard the ship must be from documented sources that comply with all local, state, and federal regulations (including the USPH, which nearly no one in the US other than cruise ships comply with). Since you brought the food, it cannot be documented. Also, all ready to eat fruits onboard are sanitized in a hypochlorite solution before being placed out for consumption. Your food has not been sanitized.

 

Really very surprised this was allowed, security must have been having a very bad day.

 

Taking unsealed, unpackaged food off the ship is also not allowed, but this is due to local laws in the ports/countries in question.

So not trying to sneak anything on board, but I didn't see anywhere that it was posted that it wasn't allowed. I honestly was just bringing on snacks that we had brought in the car and didn't want them to go bad.

There is absolutely no reason why you won't be able to bring the kinds of snacks onboard any RCI ships and we have done so on most, if not all, of our cruises. Only non pre-packaged foods (meat, fruit etc.) would be prohibited from brining on or off the ship. Considering the prices of such items in the ship's General Store, it is strongly recommended.:)

i was able to take on oranges, apples, pears on our March 10th sailing, so not necessarily true about no non-packaged items.

I was on Freedom in January, and yes there were zumba classes out by the pool on 2 different days that I know of. Could have been more that I'm not aware of. On the 2 days that I was there, the classes lasted about 45 minutes and it was a real work out. The instructor was awesome.

oh dang!!! we were on liberty last week and i was so hoping they would have zumba, but they didn't :(

I know one of the "big" ones that were always in the promenade on liberty was the Invicta watches...apparently are good watches, but they are really big and come in a small military grade suitcase! LOL

Thanks for the quick reply! We've booked a junior suite and it looks like those don't have a pullman bed. Might have to look into either the category you booked or seeing if we can get a rollaway bed.

Does yours have the pullout sofa? And what ages are your children? I don't think I saw you mention that. If one is little, maybe you can do what we did and he/she can sleep with you (that bed is pretty big when put together) and then the older one can sleep on the pullout. I do like the pullman better for the reason of more floor space since we didn't have a pullout sofa to use, but your junior suite is over 100 sq. feet more than what our balcony room was (297 vs. 184), so I think you will have plenty of space if you can use the pullout, unless you just want a pullman...

If you don't mind me asking, what ages are your children? Just trying to gauge whether Adventure Ocean will keep my kids attention. Also, with 4 cruisers, what size room did you have?

I have a 3 yr old girl and 7 yr old boy.

We had a deluxe oceanview that had a balcony. We opted for the two twins to be pushed together and our daughter slept with us and my son on the Pullman above the bed. The space was good for us.

I haven't been on the grandeur, but I can tell you what my kids did on Liberty last week. I have a 3 yr old and 7 yr old. My two age groups were Aquanauts 3-5 and Explorers 6-8, so I think a couple of yours would fall into that.

Both groups had at least 8-10 activities scheduled each day, anywhere from pajama night movie party, pirate night with a parade in the promenade, themed days w/ corresponding crafts, dodgeball/gaga ball, computer time, painting, and pretty much anything else you can think of.

I was very impressed with the variety of activities they had.

again, i'm not sure about Grandeur, but that may give you an idea

I would think that it was. We were sitting about 6 seats away from the aisle where she fell. I actually wondered at the time if the Captain was going to detour to another port to get her to medical care. What a horrible fall. Hope she is doing OK.

she had a neck brace on - did she injure her neck badly or i wonder if that was just precaution.

the charge is $7/kid and they will only charge you for 1/2 hours if you aren't gone the full hour, but it's from 10:00 pm-2;00 am. We used this every night with our 2 and for us it was worth it

Nice review, thx for sharing, love the idea for the shoe organizer, definitely stealing that one!!!!

 

 

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I loved the idea too! I hung it over the outside of the bathroom door.

another thing I did was in the closet. My daughter has a hanging shoe organizer that I took to put the kids shoes, socks, underwear, belts, our socks & belts in. it was very easy and took up very little space. I attached both pictures.

LoL, thats a radiance Class ship in the pic.

ha! I didn't even notice..

i was on this cruise also and I wonder if it was the same lady we saw on a stretcher face down being wheeled out of On Air the previous day... I hope she (or he) is ok!

just got off a 5 night with 2 kids and here's a quick review that I thought might be helpful:

Boarding: we had someone drop us off around 10:50 and we were on the boat around 12:15 or so. Part of that was my fault because I had packed the snack bag we had traveled with and I had fruit in it and I had also brought a knife to cut it with (while we were traveling in the car for 10 hrs). I completely forgot I had it in my bag, so that was detected and taken, which of course, I was ok with and very apologetic.

When we went through security and was directed into a line to get our seapass cards, we were directed to the diamond/diamond plus line after the lady looked at our boarding pass and we are only gold.. it was a MUCH shorter line than the other line... so I wasn't complaining ;)

First day/night: this was the kids' first cruise and they were not used to the abundance of food and eating a lot at each meal (including dessert at lunch and dinner). I didn't realize how much they were eating til my son threw up everywhere in the pullman bed that night. A cabin steward came in and replaced all bedding AND the mattress! I kept apologizing to him and he was very nice about it. I worried about it being seasickness or something worse, but he was fine the rest of the cruise.

We were able to go to the Adventure Ocean open house and register early (began at 1:00 pm) instead of waiting til 4:00 when the registration opened.

Other Days: We played Bingo (and won $500!), shopped, went to the variety show (which my son ended up being a part of), the adult game show (which was awful because we had a lot of college spring break kids on the cruise and they were the ones participating), karaoke (which was awful for the same reason), gambled, watched Frozen from the hot tub (which my daughter LOVED!), went to the ice show, played putt putt. We did not go to the saturday night fever show - we just weren't interested in it.

The casino, especially craps table, was constantly crowded with college kids and loud. I was fine with it since I don't play craps, but the casino and adult shows were where we mostly saw all the college kids. Surprisingly there weren't that many younger kids on the boat.

We went to a character breakfast the first morning, and I would say we could skip that next time (they had it again with different characters the last sea day). It wasn't that my kids disliked it, but since there were other photo opportunities on the boat with Shrek, etc., I feel like we could have skipped it.

Adventure Ocean: My kids LOVED Adventure Ocean! My son was begging to go back every time they were open, which totally surprised me. They always had things for them to do including pirate parade, games, movies, making crafts, painting, etc. We didn't utilize the in-room babysitting, but we did use the late night party zone (which is from 10:00 pm - 2:00 am and is $7/hr/child). The great thing is they charge for 1/2 hours, so some times we were only charged $3.50. Little tidbit.

Last Day: Our time slot to get off the boat was 9:45-10:00 and it was closer to 10:00 when we were actually called. We were picked up and leaving by 11:00.

Room: We were on the 7th deck in front of boat and right off the elevator. I thought we would hear elevator dings all the time, but I never heard it once. It was a very good location for that reason.

I took the advice of other posters here and took an over-the-door shoe organizer to put all the extras in and keep off the counters. I could have probably done without it only because it mostly kept my "in case of" stuff (meds, ponchos, bags, etc.) I could have in hindsight just left them in the suitcase under the bed. I did make a point though to keep our room pretty organized and picked up, so I never really saw a mess or the need to have that extra space. I also took extra hangers for the whole family, but the only extras I used were for the kids (the kid size ones). Of course, they don't have those in the closet, but I am so glad I took those.

Other: My husband got the select premium beverage package ($200/week) and it was worth it. He was under the daily average on some days and then over on others, so it worked out in the end that we would have spent more without having the package.

I'm sure I have forgotten a lot of things, but this is what I remember off the top of my head. So any questions, ask away!

we will be on the falmouth, jamaica cruise in a week and I really wanted to do the dolphin cove excursion. on this particular sailing, it's not one of the excursion options to purchase, but i was considering using a tour company off the ship; however, when i called a couple of them, they told me that royal caribbean has a contract with dolphin cove and other companies can't book an excursion with cruise passengers... what?! so just because i'm on the ship, i can't do certain things in jamaica??

anyone have luck with booking dolphin adventure off ship?

We have found the lines to be shorter the earlier we arrived at port. We usually get there before 11am. The couple of times we have arrived after 1, due to flight delays on day of boarding, the lines were really long and slow.

and that is what we are planning on doing, getting there sometime between 10:00 and 11:00. I remember on previous cruises getting there and the lines just being so long and slow... I didn't want to have to fight through that with my daughter, hence my inquiry :)

Hi OP...

You also might want to take a look over on the family board. There is tons of info on cruising with children. Hope your family has a wonderful time!:D

and I was on the family board, and to be honest, I just forgot to check over there before posting here, so my bad for that. :D

As I say first day they are closed on most ships all day, although they do an orientation in the afternoon/evening where you sign up for them and give them a lanyard to attach their sea pass cards to so they can wear them if they want.

 

As soon as you get on board there will be a desk you need to go to. Normally with little ones there will be someone directing you straight over to the desk. This is where they will look up their names and cabin numbers on a manifesto. They then attach a thick plastic self attaching wrist band that is color coordinated to their wrists. This shows their muster stations as they will take them direct to muster if there is ever an emergency.

 

Just be careful especially with the little one they do not do too tight. They are not adjustable or very flexible as they are designed NOT to come off!!!! I normally make sure I can get my pinky finger in between the wrist and strap so in doesn't cut in over the week. They will only cut off!!!! If it is irritating just ask them to cut off and attach a slightly looser one. They don't intentionally attach too tight but sometimes they are trying to talk to parents at the same time so it adjusts when they take their eyes off!

 

Regarding allergy bands, luckily my daughter only has an allergy to medicine. We have always had to list it on the registration form and they have written something at the top of the page. I have never seen them issue an allergy bracelet but must say I have not really looked for one either.

 

I would probably air on the side of caution and get one anyway. My philosophy is better safe than sorry! It would probably be more comfortable as well if it is the same as the other bands. Don't get me wrong they are not awful just irritating if too tight as not very flexible!

 

Regarding breaks

 

Generally speaking they are open all day in port, if you are going to coco ay at all adventure ocean is on the island for them.

 

At sea there is a break from 12 until 2

Sea hours are 9-12

2-5

7 to late night

 

Some days they do offer lunch for a nominal fee for the 2 lunch hours and same goes for some evenings.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1984388

 

I have put a link to this reviewer. Whilst they were on a 4 night cruise they posted the welcome aboard info for kids club and a sample activity page (it's on p37 of the review to save you time going through!)

It states if they have allergies to take the child's sea pass card but we never used to leave our dd with hers as she was prone to losing things I am not sure what they do if you have the card.

 

That link should give you a better idea on times and offerings

Sorry it was long again

Just trying to be thorough !

Don't apologize for being long - it was great information! Thank you!

the allergy band I am thinking of is only a few bucks and you can get it at CVS, so I will get one of those just to be on the safe side :)

Not a problem! If the youngest is three then you can still do the family dining. They speed the meal up for the children and then the kids club collect them from the restaurant I think and let you finish your meal in peace. Also a note to say formal night the kids club does offer to take the kids to dinner in the windjammer (nominal fee) to let you eat and enjoy your meal.

 

Just remember no kids club the first night on most ships. We always went straight to guest relations to book a babysitter first night.

 

If you have any questions about the kids club let me know.

I will happily help where I can:)

i think we are actually going to keep the kids with us on formal night seeing as how my daughter is so incredibly excited about her "formal" dress she got. my son, not so much excited about the jacket i have for him...

I actually do have a few questions about the kids club though...

1. do they take scheduled breaks during the day where they are closed, say lunch or dinner time? i think i had read that on here somewhere.

2. do they give the kids armbands at the beginning of the week? my son has a peanut allergy and i considered getting him a band, but i wasn't sure if they handled that

i will probably think of more questions...

I am glad that you can roll with the punches. Some of these people need to get a life. I still remember some of my first questions and now they seem silly.

There is no place for the sarcasm and outright rude remarks.

I don't know why these idiots lurk on these forums as they seem to want to change the basic concept of these pages....no question is a dumb question.

But they continue to do it in spite of being reminded that it is classless and just maybe they don't have a clue.

I was impressed by your responses ....enjoy your cruise.

I have a pretty thick skin, so I don't get flustered easily ;)

You would think with this being my 5th cruise (or 6th I can't remember... LOL), i wouldn't have these "simple" questions, however, all that changes when you travel with little ones. There is a whole new set of questions and concerns that pop up!

Thanks for the tips!

Sorry if this is long!

 

Our DD has been traveling on RC since she was 6 months old. We were never offered nor seen kids board first.

 

I know a lot of posters recommend waiting to get on until later, but I also appreciate that sometimes if kids are in routine with times they eat they can't always hold out to late afternoon especially if you are eating early sitting in the MDR so I can see your thought process on boarding

 

Personally I would recommend getting there early.you may queue for a while to get through security but remember there are probably one security screen line for every 6 check in desks so once you get through security. The earlier you check in even if you are not priority boarding you should still be one of the first general boarding groups called.

 

Obviously I don't know how old your children are, but we used to take either a new coloring book or kids magazine or a small toy to keep our DD entertained whilst waiting. Once on it was straight to windjammer to get a seat and food before everyone else found their way there.

 

A few other friendly tips.

 

If you have a stroller make sure you know where the elevators are closest to the windjammer when you first get on. They will be quieter as most people boarding head for the nearest elevator. Eat well and then let the kids have some fun before the muster drill. They will probably find it long and restless especially if they are younger.

Another piece of advice head to the muster 10mins early whilst you can still use the elevator if using the push chair. We learned the hard way the first time traveling with her because it was so busy people were literally falling over her chair.

 

My last piece of advice is if you are eating in MDR. Again not knowing how your your toddler/s is / are sometimes it can be long for them. I know you can opt for quick kids dinner which is fine if you are intending them to go to kids club after. However may not suit you if you want to enjoy your meal. We had a great waiter that brought our DD a plate of sliced fruit as soon as we entered the restaurant. It kept her entertained until the food arrived. We thought this was excellent and asked for it every cruise until she was old enough to be no longer bored at a long meal.

 

Really hope this helps

Have a great time!

My son is 7 and daughter 3. I'm not at all worried about my 7 yr old, it's my 3 yr old that gives us a run for our money... We have screens though that will hopefully keep her busy (if she hasn't worn them out on the drive down). And she won't be in a stroller.

we opted for MTD this cruise simply because we are cruising with kids and know that our normal 2 hr dinners on previous cruises probably weren't a good idea this time around.

Our thought was also to board a little earlier so we could go to lunch before it got overcrowded.

thanks for the tips!

My son has autism and is 4. Rci advised us that we could use priority boarding to stop meltdown in queues.

 

 

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I completely understand that rationale!

What's with the 'mean behind the screen'?

 

OP...when my oldest was in a stroller, NCL and CCL both had us skip the line for embarkation. I don't think I asked for preferential treatment, but was directed to cut ahead anyway.

 

However, RCL has never had us cut ahead due to a child in a stroller. Not that I've asked either. I agree with prior posters that there's no need for families with a toddler to cut. Though I don't agree with the snarky/tongue in cheek manner in which that info was conveyed.

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

Thank you! I agree about the "mean behind the screen" - there's no need for it. People won't want to post simple questions if they feel they will get this kind of response...

And, yes, I agree that we don't need to cut just because we have a little one - was just curious if what i heard was true ;)

If spookwife is correct in her boarding order, perhaps your source boarded early because his/her large group was a wedding. And he/she assumed, wrongly, that it was because of kids.

 

We waited in a massive line to get through security, and my daughter needed to go to the restroom. No restrooms till you are through security! She barely made it. Go before you get to the pier!

that's a good point - i don't know if it was a wedding or not, but that's a good possibility