Ethelfleda

It's good to know that I won't be the first old and fat person to do the Flow Rider. I figure that I'll be standing in line with the 8 and 10 year olds though :rolleyes:

Trust me - there are plenty of us older, rounder people on the flowrider. I'm usually pleased with the age range of those riding the stand up - I am generally no where near the oldest in my mid40s (but am usually the fattest, particularly of the "every day" riders).

FYI - their signage demands bare feet on the flowrider. I've never seen them allow any sort of foot covering.

Cheers,

FL

Although food is ALWAYS subjective, I've been on the Liberty and have personally found the food in their MDR is among the best I've experienced on Royal (see my signature line - I haven't been on that many ships, but I keep going back to Liberty - have been on her twice and have two more cruises booked on her).

Either way - you are bound to find something you enjoy. Ask the waiter for a new option if you don't like what you get the first time. They will bend over backwards to get you something you do like.

Enjoy your cruise!

Hello L,

We are in 13244 in October. Looks like we miss you by about a month. Hope to cruise together again sometime.

 

R

I hope you'll give us a review after being in 13244 - I've got that same cabin booked in April of 2017. I'm hoping that the living room (above us) won't be bad compared to other public areas, and I"m excited about the overhang (I"m not a fan of too much sun).

FL

I am also very motion sensitive (and suffer from occasional vertigo) - When in cars I must either drive, ride shotgun, or take meds.. I must sit at or in front of the wing in planes (and take meds), and I take medication around the clock on cruises.

My preferred med (as many others have said) is Meclizine (that's the generic for Bonnie, Antivert, less-drowsy Dramamine, etc..). I get mine 300 at a time on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Meclizine-Generic-Bonine-Chewable-Tablets/dp/B00EMLC07O?ie=UTF8&keywords=meclizine&qid=1461951794&ref_=sr_1_2_a_it&sr=8-2

That said, you can also get them in 100 count bottles for a little less than half this price. They are a very tasty raspberry chewable tablet.

While I'm on a cruise I take the medication around the clock, I believe that most people use 2 doses per day.. read the package directions of course. I can neither diagnose nor prescribe! (I take a different number of doses per day, per my vertigo prescription for Meclizine). I recommend you have him start taking the medication the night before your cruise. (also try it out well in advance to make sure he doesn't have any allergic reactions or anything). FYI that the medication can cause a bit of drowsiness - some people find it more challenging than others - he can try a half tablet to see if that works well enough for him if necessary. Alcohol will increase the sedative effect. Most people start to get used to the med after a couple of days and don't find the sedation continues throughout longer term use but ymmv.

Regarding cabin choice - I found that the ocean view cabin mid-ship on deck 2 of the Freedom class was AWFUL for my motion sickness.. the distortion of the thick glass made my motion sickness worse whenever I caught a glimpse of the outside world. I do much better in either an inside, or a balcony, even if they aren't low and to the middle of the ship. You won't find me in an OV cabin again - at least not one with thick distortion heavy type glass.

I tend to prefer a mid-ship balcony these days - being able to see outside helps me a great deal - and feeling the breeze on my face also helps me if I'm feeling particularly sensitive. I've also done well in Promenade view cabins that are also mid-ship.

I love to cruise - but not if I let my Meclizine wear off!!

Cheers,

FL

We would like to take all our kids on a cruise with us. However, my son gets terrible motion sickness. He is a volunteer EMT and can't wait can ride in the back of an ambulance. He doesn't fly well either. Would a patch or something work on someone this sensitive?

The last time I was on the Liberty I hated the mattress (so hard!) and they were out of egg crate toppers. I had the room attendant provide several extra blankets and folded them up to give me at least a bit of padding. I wound up taking several naps per day instead of sleeping in "normal" lengths of time because my hips were hurting too much to get more than a few hours at a time.

I've emailed in advance (to special needs) to request a mattress topper be placed on my bed for the trip I've got booked in June and their reply was that one would be placed on my bed before I arrive. We'll see how that works out, but I sure hope they can arrange it!

I used to love the mattresses on Royal and slept very well and comfortably.. the new versions are terrible for my hips.

Cheers,

FL

If they only give you double points and not triple, wait a couple of weeks and then call crown and anchor's customer service. In the past for me (US, not UK) they have just taken a look to confirm I was the only one listed in the cabin, and then applied the extra points. Worth a quick call.

Cheers,

FL

So, I just told them at the pier that DH was a no show.

I checked on board and they said his name was not on the booking.

 

Not sure if this mucked up their system but they did not charge me the tips on board....so I had to queue on the last morning to get them added.

 

Interestingly enough the post cruise survey was still sent to his email and not mine!

 

Just waiting to see whether I get double (or triple) points as I was in a suite.:rolleyes:

You can always buy the soda package for your kids - it is $9.44 per day, per person (includes gratuities). Then they can get unlimited soda (if you want them to!). (and yes, coke products).

Hi,

I was wondering what the cruise line charges for coke/pepsi per drink? Not sure how much we are going to drink but my kids that's a whole diffent thing, lol.

Thank you!

Actually the rules indicate that you must ride the flowrider barefoot.. no shoes of any kind (even water shoes) are allowed.

I'm baaaack. Sick of me yet? Ok two more questions. the Easy one first.

 

1. I noticed on the flowrider "rules" that you have to wear "secure shoes" - what does everyone use? Just beach shoes - the kind you wear when the beach entry is too rocky? Anything else?

 

2. I love all the great looking pools on the Allure after cruising disney for all these years and having small vats of boiling ick disguised as swimming pools. Love to sit by the pool but in all the pics I have seen, it seems that there is no where you can sit near a pool and see the ocean. Any tips on where I go for that on the Allure? Which pool(s) and where to sit...

 

Thanks again everyone!

Ha! If you found some that start with a 9, they are indeed on deck 9. Did I mention the website is horrid???

Don't stress over it - find a nice floor plan and just look for the cabin number on the deck that makes the most sense. There are no duplicated numbers, so if you found it - that's the right one.

(personally I prefer Deck 9 on the Liberty, although Deck 8 is fine too)

Thank you for your quick response. It is confusing! Some are quoting numbers beginning with 9 (so I thought they were deck 9) and some are cabin numbers beginning with 1!!

 

Think I'll go back to the deck 8 cabins - seems more straightforward :)

They are on Deck 10 - and the website is terrible. If you want to see that room number, pick another cabin on Deck 10 and then just look for the cabin you actually wanted to review. Just make sure you switch back to the one you want before booking.

Hi all, hope someone can help.

 

I'm trying a dummy booking for the Indy and in some catorgories it states "deck 0" I can't find deck 0 on the deck plans! Anyone know what these deck 0 cabins are?

Looking at a cabin on the hump on deck 7 or 8. Is there any reason to chose port over starboard or vice versa?

I prefer starboard on freedom class ships only because that's the side with the elevators that go all the way to the 13th deck - vs. port that goes to 11.

That said - I'll book on either side for a center hump balcony!

Loving this review! I'm also a flowrider addict, and am going solo on the Liberty in June just to get more time in. I love my fellow riders, but I hope we have a few less than you did on your cruise! :eek:

My fear is that the slides are going to bring EXTRA people up to look at and then they will decide to try the flowrider, and the lines will be even longer than they have been in the past. Eeek - stay away!! :p

Keep the rest of the review coming - I especially want to hear if disembarkation has improved from when I was on the Liberty's repositioning tour from NJ to Galeveston in November. That was a horror story! (especially the LONG taxi line - I've lined up a shuttle from Galveston Express this time because no way am I chancing that again).

Thank you for the intel - I'm cruising the Liberty in June (and again in October) and I expect that the hours will remain similar. Good to know I was right to grab the late seating at dinner - can't mess with my FlowRider stand up time!

Cheers,

From 3-13-16 sailing

Boogie boarding- 52 inches tall

Stand up surfing- 58 inches

Lessons with a group of up to 8- $69/1 hour

Private rental of the FlowRider- $345/1 hour (we have seen up to 20 in a group)

 

Advanced Stand Up- ASU

Stand Up- SU

Boogie Boarding - BB

 

Day 1:

1-3 BB

4:30-6:30 BB

 

Day 2: At Sea

9-9:30 ASU

9:30-11 SU

11-3 BB

3-5 SU

 

Day 3: At Sea

same times as Day 2

 

Day 4: Roatan

9-9:30 ASU

9:30-10 SU

10-11- Teen Stand Up ages 12-17

3-4:30 BB

4:30-6 SU

 

Day 5: Belize

9-9:30 ASU

9:30-10:15 SU

10:15-11 BB

3-4:30 BB

4:30-6 SU

 

Day 6: Cozumel

9-9:30 ASU

9:30-10:15 SU

10:15-11 BB

3:30-5 BB

5:30-6 SU

 

Day 7: At Sea

same times as Day 2 and Day 3

My TA was able to remove my spouse's name without penalty shortly after final payment was made. I'm not too worried about wanting to add another person to my cabin - since neither my best friend nor my spouse can go on this one I'll just take the double points and be thrilled with my privacy :-)

Thanks for the input!

FL

Another advantage to waiting is if there's is a chance someone else wants to go in her place, they can be substituted for no charge until very close to the sailing date.

An extension cord/power strip type of appliance was collected from me on my first cruise (and of course returned after disembarkation).. now I bring a super cheapo thin one and they have always let me have it. The one with the short, heavy duty cord and safety cut off switch was the one not allowed.

Carry on is easier imho. They'll just confirm it's wine and send you along.

So we are bringing two bottles of wine on RC, do we carry on or put in luggage. My assumption is luggage, but wanted to check.

I am looking forward to my next cruise in 76 days (final payment due tomorrow, and just paid yesterday). My wife cannot join me after all, and I'm trying to decide when to remove her name from the cabin so that I'm not penalized on price for going solo. Better yet, is there a way to fox the system to reduce the pricing somehow? The cabin right now is about $230 more for a solo than we locked in the price as a pair so I'm afraid to contact Royal until later in the timeline.

I am aware that I will get her taxes and port fees back, and will get double points for going solo. I'm just not sure when is most advantageous (or least painful) to remove her name. Is there a sneaky way to get some of her fare back without paying the difference (as in, reducing the solo supplement from 200% by timing things properly?)

All things being equal, I'd normally just wait until shortly before sailing to let them know she's not going to be able to join me. In the past I had no reprice or penalty for doing so, and I got back port fees and taxes (and pre-paid gratuities) without a problem.

Is there a better (cheaper) way?

Any advice is welcome.. as are snarky comments - because I love the snark around here sometimes!

Thanks for any suggestions,

FL

My favorite is Pinel Island.. it's a pain to get to (and back from), but it is lovely.

I'm just hoping they keep people away from the flowrider during stand up hours.. "Oh that was hard to do, and it hurt a little.. maybe I"ll just ride the waterslides". Yes please!

Do Royal Caribbean ships need waterslides? I am not convinced they do.

Okay - I've downloaded Periscope just to follow you! I'm booked on the Anthem in 2017. I'd be interested to see how long the flowrider lines are for stand-up riding as the cruise goes on.

Looking forward to seeing what you have to show us on board.

As an ER nurse it does not do my reputation any good to be sniffling at work when I sneak a peak at Cruisecritic during a momentary lull in the action. Beautiful story!

Thank you in advance for your live review! I'm looking forward to following along. I"ve got a 12 night booked on the Anthem 14 and a half months from now (but who is counting??)

I"m a big fan of the D2 cabins on the aft hump (9th deck, center hump)

Anyone have good tips for the liberty?

What is the oldest person you've seen on the Flowrider? I'm turning 40 right before my Feb cruise, and I don't have a surfer bod. Can you just body surf it (on the board but on belly)?

I feel you on the non-surfer bod - but don't let that stop you! I sure don't! Most of the diehard stand up folks on board the Liberty of the Seas recently were in their 40s and 50s, with one gent who got VERY good who turned 65 during our cruise. There were a few others of more advanced age who tried it, but they weren't in the line day after day like the rest of us.

If you don't want to try the stand up, go for boogie boarding. Both are fun!

FYI - I'm 44, and I'd say I"m out of shape except round IS a shape.