pa6860

I’m on the Quantum now.  Had a great time in Skagway.  Our ship was a couple of hours delayed leaving port due to a rumored rockslide that blocked the (RCCL shore excursion) train from returning.  Again, only rumor, as I heard this from a local.  The first train made it out, but a rockslide occurred after that, cancelling all other trains.  
 

The actual ship port had no issues whatsoever.    

2 minutes ago, beerman2 said:

If you like living on the edge!
Possible -Yes

Probable- Maybe

Unlikely- If any type of delay.

 

FLL can get very crowded going through security.

Great point.  That in and of itself (delays at FLL checkin and security), would make a 0900 flight quite risky.  
 

Having elite status on the airline (shorter line at check in), and TSA precheck may help tho.

We just disembarked the Odyssey yesterday at Port Everglades.  We did self disembark.  We left our stateroom at 0736, and were at the taxi stand at 0743. We literally walked (leisurely) straight off the ship.  No wait.  No line.  Signs on our way to Customs told us to have our passports ready, but didn’t even look at them.  Walked straight past officials, did facial recognition, and onto our Uber for the airport (we went to Miami for a noon flight).  Easy with no probs.

of note, self disembark on the Odyssey started at 0700.  But if your ship encounters any customs delays, that might be cutting it close for you.  Either way, good luck!

4 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

I was quoting someone who is on the Odyssey -- I'm not on it.  Is Curacao the first stop on the itinerary?  Where is it headed next?  Has it been announced? 

Ahhh, ok, got it.  Thx for sharing that post though.

I’m assuming Aruba is going to follow suit.  Hopefully corporate can get a solid answer from Aruba ASAP, then hopefully we can go somewhere else willing to accept the Odyssey, even if it means going back to Coco Cay! 
 

Honestly, most likely we’ll probably have 7 sea days on this cruise….

25 minutes ago, livingonthebeach said:

 

Someone who is on that ship right now wrote the following on FB:

"From the “things that do not go as planned” department… we are on the newsbreaking Royal Carribean Odyssey of the Seas… on first night we had to return as a passenger lied and came down with full-blown covid. We just arrived in beautiful Curacao but due to the crew having FIFTY cases and two passengers sick, we have been denied permission to disembark. Are we upset? No! Not at all. Totally support decisions and are making most of it. The safety protocols are terrific on the ship, and we are keeping at a safe distance from others mostly staying on our balcony. And we saw a shark! Love and light to you all… #royalcarribean #covidcruise"

We’re on the Odyssey with you and feel the same!  Having a blast!  But admittedly washing my hands even more and making sure my family are strict about wearing masks!

yeah, disappointed we can’t do Curaçao (and most likely Aruba either), but just trying our best to roll with the punches and enjoy being on a cruise for the first time since the pandemic started….

We’re on Osyssey right now.  Most everybody is masking up as per policy.  Some aren’t.  Enforcement is hit or miss, but overall not an issue.  While sitting in the bar and reading a book while sipping on a cocktail,  not masking.  Basically if you’re not moving about, and have drink near you, no one seems to care if you’re masked or not.

The only indoor place I see much less masking is in the Royal Theater.

overall, it been a non issue for our family, but of course, other’s experiences will vary.

the captain just announced that the Showgirls show That was cancelled yesterday was due to positive Covid case(s) amongst the performer(s).  The positive test came from routine weekly testing.  The crew member(s) is doing well, quarantined, and being monitored by the medical staff.  We were also told to possibly expect more cancellations.  
 

all that said, I see no negative impact on our cruise whatsoever (so far 😉), and we’re all having a blast.  Masking is compulsory for everyone all the time while indoors (except when eating/drinking), and although we don’t see complete adherence (esp in the Royal theater), we do see most people being good about it, and still having fun.

We’re on the Odyssey right now.  We asked our waiter, and lo and behold got the strawberry chilled soup today.  And my kids got seconds 😀!  Our waiter said he’ll make sure we get get chilled soup nightly from here on.  I going to request watermelon thanks to y’all!

1 hour ago, oldplayer532 said:

Please more news and updates about you cruise! My kids are on board with you! I checked and couldn't find any "Live from Odyssey" from this sailing!

Patient was evacuated last night without incident.  He and his traveling companions.  Looked to be about 8-10 people total.

of note, the 3 porters were wearing full hazmat outfits head to toe, with industrial gas masks that covered the entire face.   The suitcases were completely wrapped tight with clear plastic wrap.  
 

Obviously a communicable disease type of evac.  
 

Overall, I must say, watching all this, I do feel more comfortable with Royal, and their protocols for Covid, and Med evac policies and procedures.  They truly take this seriously and as a passenger this week, I feel safe and pleased with Royal.

Hello all.  Boarding the Odyssey this weekend for our Christmas cruise!  Kinda concerned about capacity, so want to jump on reservations sooner than later once we board.

Do you have any strategies on what to book first?  We want to book shows, iFly, Northstar, and Specialty dining.  We also

wanted to book things like bumper cars etc.

questions:

1. Would you prioritize jumping on getting one type of reservation over the other once on board?

2. For iFly and Northstar, is there a difference in booking strategy between the free version vs the paid version?  Can I reserve multiple free/and or paid sessions of each?

Thank you so much!  And Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Thanks for the info everyone.  Looks like it’s only on a specific day, which should work for us. 
 

If necessary, I’ll just ask our stateroom attendant if we can do it earlier (family of 5, we’ll be able to fill up that bag pretty early on in the cruise!)

Hello!  Going on a 7d cruise next week and trying to figure out our packing plan.

We’re diamond, and plan on using the $10 off the wash and fold stuff-the-bag option.  

Is the wash and fold offered on ANY day, or just on a specific day?  Do we just ask or stateroom attendant for the bag to stuff our laundry into?  How long does it usually take to get our laundry back?

thanks!

Love your review!  Thanks!

We just got off the Harmony a couple of weeks ago, and am truly reliving our great time.  And despite cruising Oasis class ships 8 times, I’m still learning new tips from you.  Really appreciate your posts!

12 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

 

One minute to get from the terminal to the airport? This makes everything else you post suspect.

Yes, one minute!  

JK.  Typo.  Meant 6:39 am, NOT 6:29.  10 min from port to FLL with no traffic.  Sorry!  

15 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

That is one heck of a taxi driver!

 

But in all seriousness, OP, Oasis class (which is Harmony) gets in early and disembarks really early.  Despite it's size, disembarkation is surprisingly smooth.  You would do self-disembark.  We personally walk down at 6:45.  That lets all the super early people clear the terminal and you can basically walk right off and out the door.  So don't put your luggage out the night before.  Keep it.  Then in the morning, just grab your bags and walk out of your room around 6:30 - 6:45.  Walk off the ship and through customs.  There is a line of taxis with no wait at all.  You don't need to prebook transportation.  Just walk off, hop in a cab (like pa6860 did) and go to the airport.

 

You should have no issue at all making this flight.

Haha, oops!  I meant at FLL at 6:39!  No traffic (obviously) at all.  Sorry!

Like others have said, easy with self-disembark.

We just got off Harmony 2 wkends ago. 

1. In line at 05:50 (yes, early). Maybe 10 families/couples in front of us.

2. Disembarking started at 0615, and were in the customs line by 0620.  

3. Customs actually didn’t start until 0625.

4. Outside the terminal at 0628.

5. Literally straight onto a taxi (many out there)

6. Arrive at FLL at 06:29.  $13.

We did the same when on the Allure last summer with similar results.

Good luck either way!

After boarding we walked down the Promenade, checked out the boardwalk, and then headed up to Central Park. I had decided to make all of our reservations at 150 Central Park since that's where we would be celebrating our anniversary, but we could have done it at any of the restaurants. They were just opening when we got there. We didn't have any problems getting the nights we wanted, but we had to compromise a bit on the times. I was hoping for 7:00/7:30 for each of them, but we could only get 6:30. I'm not sure why, exactly, as the restaurants never seemed crowded when we arrived. Maybe they wanted to leave some availability for walk-ins?

 

There was no extra charge for either 150 CP or Wonderland. My understanding is that only Chef's Table and Izumi Hibachi are excluded from the packages.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

Thank you!!!

What a great review! Thank you so much for sharing with us.

We are also doing the Harmony (in October), and have also signed up for the 3 dinner package (starting on the second night).

If I may ask, how easy was it to get the specific restaurants you wanted on the day and time you desired? Where and when did you make the reservations? We also want to do Jamie’s Italian, Wonderland, and 150 Central Park.

Finally, was there any extra cover charge or premium you had to pay for Wonderland or 150?

Thank you very much!!

I would like to plan a day at Walt Disney World when we are in Port Canaveral, I have a few questions I hope some of you can help with. My understanding is because there is only about 7 hours in the park you need to go organized and know what you want to do. We have never been and will be taking my 5 year old granddaughter. Any must see or must do for a 5 year old? We are going in February on a week day should we waste our money on a fast pass. Does anyone have a itinerary that they did that seemed like they got the most out of such a short visit? Any other suggestions is greatly appreciated.

Shirlden, are you still interested in attempting WDW as an excursion? If so, I'd love to help. I'm just not sure if you're still following this thread.

I absolutely believe that with realistic expectations (crowded, tired, a lot of waiting around, expensive, etc), and detailed planing well in advance, you can still have a magical time that can hopefully be well worth the time and effort.

I never knew! I always thought the porters had to stay in line with you (and the 100's of other people). Had no idea they had their own quicker line.

Thanks for the tips! I'll definitely take advantage of that on our cruise.

That's why I love CC so much :)

1. we were just on Oasis in March. The self-disembark ran until about 7:45. We had GREEN 2 tags ( first off after self-disembark) and were called at about then.

2. with a porter's help, we were in the parking garage at 8:00.

3. you know the rest of the story regarding traffic/fog/smoke on 528, customs hold ups, late arrivals, etc.

4. Without any of those unforseen delays, I'd bet you'd be able to get to AK by 9:30 if you hustle.

Thank you so much audome78!!!!!

That's so helpful, I appreciate your input!

It looks like it took you 15 min to get off the ship, get luggage, and clear customs. Does getting a porter expedite things or get you through quicker than without a porter?

Thanks!

Our experience with the Oasis is if you do self assist you should be off the Oasis well before 7am. We just got off last Sunday and we were walking off at 6:30....

 

Just a suggestion.....a lot of people will choose to do self assist on the Oasis, so my suggestion is to go down really early to get in line before all the elevators become jammed!

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!

If I may ask, what time did you get in line, and how long was the line at that point?

Thanks!

Thanks for your comments folks. I appreciate your concerns, and yes, it would definitely be crazy to do what we are planning! But I think with annual passes and FP reservations, we'll still have a great time :)!

Does anyone know how long it takes to disembark Oasis if we self disembark at 7am vs, being first group called off ship (the group immediately after self disembark)?

Thanks!

I can hardly envision a scenario where you would have more than 3 hours in the park.

 

Given that you want to visit a NEW attraction ... the QUEUE for this attraction can exceed that wait time.

 

I don't know your specific circumstance but from my reading you would be paying a FULL DAY ticket for a Disney park ($100+) and parking, to experience ONE ride which you might not even get on ....

 

add to this 6 kids and IMO ... you're kidding aren't you?

I hear ya CaptBJ!

Actually, we all have annual passes, I can reserve fastpasses ahead of time, and don't mind spending just a few hours in the park as we'll be back again in a few months.

We actually have til 2pm, so with FP's we should get in one pandora ride, expedition Everest, and the safari. That will be well worth the time for us:).

Sorry. Maybe a better question is:

When should I expect to be off the ship and in the Parking garage under the above scenarios?

Thank you!