leisuretraveler223
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Sailing out of Seward in July and booked Alaska Railroad, Gold Star Dome for our party of ten. Only thing is, the train leaves SUPER early (6:45am). Celebrity is offering a nondescript train transfer leaving at a much more humane 11:30 am. The price is basically the same, but I can’t find a good description of the train. Is it the same train, same route? Anyone have any experience with this?
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Probably a basic question and I feel a little dumb that I can't find the answer. Do Haven bookings include specialty dining? Or is that still an additional fee?
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Labadee? Turmoil in Haiti
leisuretraveler223 replied to Joesantos's topic in Royal Caribbean International
I was in Labadee Friday, no concerns at all. -
As a general rule of thumb, the ship will stay on ships time if local time moves ahead, but will adjust if local time moves back. That way if someone leaves the ship and starts looking at the incorrect time, they will think it's LATER than it is and will be back earlier. Ships are much more likely to adjust their time on a western itinerary, so no one making the same mistake will think they have an extra hour and get back to the ship late.
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Frustrating experience: Night one, about 8:30 pm, we wander into Sugar Beach and decide to get some indulgence for our sweet tooth. I go to the counter with a small bag of candy that totals a whopping $7. I go to pay for it and there's a problem. Something wrong with my account. Twenty minuted I'm stuck there as they are calling who knows where to try and figure it out. Meanwhile, there is a line building behind me and I'm like "forget it, I don't want it that bad", but they literally have my card and I can't get it back. Finally, they come back and say I need to go to guest services and fix my account. Really? It's 9pm on night one of an 8 day cruise, we are literally at sea for the next 48 hours, and I've got a hard stop over $7? of course, at 9pm of day one guest services is a train wreck, so I waited until the next morning, and when I finally got there, everything was fine. They couldn't figure out what the issue was the night before. Grrr.....
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That's what I've been accustomed to in the past, but these were absolutely the same tail that you could order from the Chops selections for $16.99. Being from Massachusetts, I don't really lose my mind over lobster, and kinda chuckle when others do. I mean, it's good, but it's not some rarity any more. You can buy lobster tails in just about every grocery store across the country. Watching people gorge themselves on piles of tiny previously freezer-burned and overcooked scrawny tails soaking in butter always seemed kind of hysterical. One decent tail is really enough.
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Enjoyed Labadee. While we were all in suites, we skipped Barefoot Beach Club. I've been before and I don't love it. I prefer the beach on the other side (Adrenaline Beach, I believe). Barefoot Beach Club is fine, but it's just kind of a small beach and cove and I just don't love the feel. Water was great and there were plenty of loungers. One wish: There are a lot of fun things for kids at Labadee, and lots of water areas to be. They have one floating tiki bar in the water off Adrenaline Beach. There is no reason for kids to be out there. It's a crowded bar on a float that says "no jumping". I do not think it would be unreasonable for them to say that is an adults only area. Just the floating tiki bar, not the whole beach.
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The ship was BUSY! This is probably my tenth time on an Oasis class vessel since Oasis launched. I've been on as a solo, a couple, a large family and a group. I've been on over holidays, and all seasons. I've been on when it was close to or at capacity (although that is a somewhat ethereal number). But I've never found everything as busy as I did this time. Every bar seemed to always be full. Even the Suite Lounge was crazy. In the past, I found the Suite Lounge was busy immediately preceding the two fixed dining times, but this time, it was basically packed from a little before 5 until 7:30 every night. Had to wait for tables every time we went there. I don't really get it. There are only so many rooms, and only so many people, Why everything seemed so busy this time was a little head scratcher. Even the suite sun deck, which historically always seemed to be under utilized, was pretty much full every day. Not a complaint as much as a general observation.
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Hiro was very good. Albeit a little longer than I felt it needed to be. It's about 50 minutes and it was cool, but honestly felt like I could've seen it all in about 25-30 minutes. Didn't make it to Hairspray, but did see 1977, the ice show and that was FANTASTIC! I'm not a big figure skating enthusiast, but to sit close and watch them was really impressive. Great music too!
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Traveled in a group of four. My wife and myself and another couple. We were in a crown loft, they were in a grand suite. Enjoyed the suite deck, suite lounge and other suite perks. But dined in MDR every night and were perfectly happy with it. Looked at Coastal Kitchen Menus every day, but honestly liked the wider variety in MDR. Coastal was great for breakfast several days. Lots of talk about MDR food, but I think overall it is much as it has been for the past five years- order the right items and you'll be happy. Items that are made well in "large format" come out great. So the prime rib, fried chicken, beef tenderloin, lasagna, soups, and most of the sides were excellent. Sadly as has always been the case, pork chops were overcooked and dry (easy to do if you don't have a really nice piece of pork), and the seafood for the most part was ho-hum, but what do you expect when it's all frozen? One major bright spot was the lobster tail. Yes, they limit you to one and then have an uncharge, but these are MUCH better tails than the scrawny little ones they used to serve. One lobster tail is plenty, if you're hungry, order something else to go with it.
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Travel Insurance Recommendations
leisuretraveler223 replied to kellyco's topic in Royal Caribbean International
I take a different approach. I do not buy travel insurance. There isn't a single right answer, but rather it depends on the individual and the circumstances. I look at a number of possibilites: First, I have a plan through MedJet Assist for medical transport if necessary. It's a multi-year plan that covers me anywhere in the world. So, I've got the potential expense and logistical hassle of getting home covered. Second, my current health insurance will reimburse me for medical expenses incurred while traveling, so long as I'm not in an area the US State Department has advised against traveling. Now the critical component to this is "reimbursement", I'm going to have to foot the bill and they will pay me back. Now, I own a business and have access to a very large amount of credit, so I can float even a large medical expense until I'm reimbursed. Look into what your current insurance covers and consider the possibilities. What I do not insure against is any "loss of trip" eventuality. I travel regularly, probably in the neighborhood of twice a month, sometimes a long weekend, sometimes a week or more. If I suddenly have to cancel a trip last minute, or cut a trip short, I might lose the cost of the trip, and I might be disappointed, but I'm no poorer. In other words, there is no huge risk or exposed liability there. I like to say that I "self insure" in this way. In the past ten years, I've had to cancel two trips last minute- two out of probably 150-170. I lost about $4,000 between the two events. Or, about $25 lost for every trip taken in that time frame. So I have DEFINITELY made out better not buying that type of insurance for all my travels. Now, things may change. If professional circumstances, family issues or even health concerns suddenly increase the probability of having to cancel, I might reconsider this and hedge my bets a little differently. There are two thought processes around travel insurance: one is "peace of mind". Some people feel better knowing they are covered. There is some value in this, but keep in mind it's also the emotional string the insurers always pull on to sell their product. "Peace of mind" is valuable, but how valuable is very subjective. The other view of any insurance product (travel, homeowners, life, liability,etc.) is that it is an INVESTMENT tool. From this view, travel insurance is almost universally considered a bad investment. So, it's not for me, but it's a calculated decision. I encourage everyone to consider what they are insuring and why, and do what is best for them.