CJDepew
-
Posts
298 -
Joined
Content Type
Forums
Store
Blogs
Downloads
Events
Gallery
Posts posted by CJDepew
-
-
15 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:
Not predictable or possible.
Thanks. I figured that might be the case since I couldn't find any info anywhere.
-
1
-
-
No idea if RCI has a monthly movie schedule for outdoor movies that gets published ahead of time like Carnival, or if the same movies are shown fleet-wide. Is it possible to find out what will be playing on a particular ship before boarding?
Thanks
-
We were there in February of 19. I walked that whole shoreline and saw less than a dozen shells scattered about. I'd heard it was hit or miss getting one on a ship, and tried, but it was confiscated.
-
2 hours ago, Judyrem said:
I was looking at the deck plans and saw a florist near the top of the ship. I would like to buy some flowers for my cabin. I really would like to purchase in advance, but I did not see it on the cruise planner. Has anyone used the florist?
It was posted this summer that a cruiser went to explore that space and found it empty. Only reason I remember was that she was reviewing cabin 1624, and went to check the space out since it was directly above. We're in 1624 next month and it caught my attention.
-
1
-
-
Was on the Epic several years ago and have done two NCL cruises and one RCI, with another coming up on the AOS next month. Pretty much the only thing we liked about NCL better was the relaxed atmosphere in the MDR and the fact that reservations were not needed.
Paying for taxes and grats on the "free drink package" made the NCL cruise fare no bargain. I believe the daily drink package rate when we sailed was in north of $75/day. I tend to like the fruity alcoholic beverages and the selection was much less on NCL. Additionally, bottled water is not included in the bev. packages. We also found the service in general to be less friendly, although it could have just been those two ships. We were on both the Epic and the Dawn. The design of the Epic is just short of horrendous, and I'm guessing that's the reason it's the only ship of that configuration in their fleet.
We're really looking forward to our AOS cruise next month and as far as my husband is concerned, RCI is the way to go for us from now on, after having sampled Carnival as well.
-
Glad you had a great time. We're in a JS 10 for the same itinerary in February. Cannot wait for our trip!
-
1
-
-
35 minutes ago, Rebels82 said:
We will be going there in January and will report back.
Thanks! I suspect it might be a bit of a letdown from Maya Chan, since I loved the floating chairs there, but the photos still look great.
-
We usually cruise in late February, and are contemplating a short itinerary that stops on the island twice during a 4 night cruise. The only other time we've been scheduled to stop there was in early February, five years ago, and it was too windy to tender so we missed it. I'm great with low 70s as long as it's sunny. Projected weather forecasts for that month say the temps are close but there's also a decent chance of rain. Wondering what anyone else's experience has been during that time.
Thanks
-
1
-
-
Thanks, that looks fantastic. There are six of us going and it's exactly what we're looking for. We'll be at Mr. Sancho's in Cozumel the previous day, so we'll get a little of both.
-
Hey, all, just wondering if RCI has after Christmas sales on things like bev packages? To be more specific, something comparable to Black Friday sales.
Thanks!
-
Just wondering about your experience. We weren't able to book Maya Chan that day so are going to Almaplena in February instead. If anyone has photos, that would be awesome. Thanks!
-
Maya Chan was booked for our date in February by a single group. It's a shame because I love that place. We made reservations for Almaplena, which is several miles further. Will post photos and a review when we return.
-
1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:
Hi, CJ. Wow, that is high praise indeed. Thank you very much. As I go back and read it again, I see the typos that I missed, and rethink my style or repetitive use of the same word too many times when I could have found an equally useful synonym, and wish I could do a bit of editing myself. I suppose you won't be entirely surprised when I share that I am at work on that novel that my mom has been telling me to write since I was a little nipper. I don't know if my timing is fabulous, as my skills have improved over the years, or terrible, as these days it seems everyone is a writer.
I am sorry to say, 100% of the photos I took of 1624 and my husband took of 1628, were all on our balconies, where the large sizes and wedge shapes apparently impressed us even more than I realized. I have more photos of those if you want to see but we got no interior shots whatsoever.
The pictures on the Cruise Critic main site, linked below, for the JS are my husband and daughter's room, and the space and layout is identical in 1624. These are pre-renovation, but the only change is fresh carpet and soft goods and different sitting area furniture, blue and a bit more updated rather than the orange stuff. We had the beds in the twin arrangement in both rooms which gives you about a foot of space in between - they are still quite close and one of the twins has to be against the front wall to make this work. The wall opposite the beds is overflowing with cabinets - far more than we could possibly use or need with the nice spacious walk-in closet. We also had a mini fridge.
https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/adventure-of-the-seas-192/junior-suite-363919/
Thanks for the link. As February creeps closer, I'm getting more excited. Our only other RCI cruise was our first, on the Enchantment. We loved that ship, but it's much smaller.
-
1
-
-
KmomChicago, I've gotta tell you, I edit books professionally and I don't get manuscripts sent to me that are as well written and clever as your review.
My hubby and I are booked into JS 1624 for a six-day Western Caribbean itinerary in February. We've been to all the ports before, so no surprises there, but it was great to hear your glowing review of that cabin. If you have any other photos of it, I'd love to see them.
-
1
-
-
So we're in Costa Maya on Feb. 26, 2020 and Maya Chan just told me we can't make reservations because they didn't realize it was Nudie Cruise day when we originally corresponded. Almaplena looks like a nice alternative. I've been to Maya Chan before and that's the all-inclusive atmosphere we're looking for. Any other suggestions?
Thanks
-
18 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:
We haven't been yet and don't intend to any time soon. The crowding doesn't bother me because from what I've heard, and as others have mentioned, the ship is big enough where crowding doesn't seem to be an issue. We won't cruise on them for a couple of reasons. One, so far every time I have tried to price a cruise, Oasis class and Quantum class have always been significantly higher priced than other ships doing the same itinerary. Second, it's my understanding that you have to have reservations for every show you want to go to. I don't want that. I want to go when I want to go. We never know how our days and nights are going to play out. Sometimes we feel like going, sometimes we don't. If all of sudden we decide we want to go to a show, we go. I don't want to be turned away because we didn't reserve a spot ahead of time.
Our upcoming cruise is only our second RCI, but I agree with you wholeheartedly. Several years ago we were on the NCL Epic, which holds 4.5k. Embarkation was a nightmare, the ship did feel crowded, and reservations were needed for just about everything. We're on vacation and our schedule is a seat-of-the-pants sort of thing. What we have planned for our evening many times changes with how our day has gone and how tired we are. I much prefer the older ships that max out at 3.5k and under passengers.
-
18 hours ago, camper49 said:
Hope your cruise is after super bowl! Ours is February 2 2020. We r driving & was hoping to find a park n cruise motel. No luck...
We arrive on Friday, 2/22, so we should be in good shape.
-
What time is your ship in port? We were at the Barcelo for an afternoon day pass with a 1pm arrival. Shade was nearly impossible to come by.
-
39 minutes ago, ryano said:
The only problem with them is their latest pickup time at MCO is 12:30 pm. My moms flight doesnt arrive until 1pm. I reserved her round trip shuttle service for 67.00 from Cocoa Beach Shuttle. A little more expensive but they run at all times of the day and even late evenings.
I have had multiple bad experiences with Cocoa Beach Shuttle. I asked Jaime from Cortrans for a recommendation after booking our return trip with them because we always arrive in the afternoon and he suggest Smart-two.com shuttle service. They were a little pricey at $80 but the service and the vehicle were both well worth it.
-
16 hours ago, BNBR said:
Hampton Inn Fort Lauderdale Airport North. Free airport shuttle and the cruise shuttle with a fee, or can just take Uber to cruise port. Plus free breakfast.
Thanks!
-
I know it's early days but hoping for suggestions. Our flight won't land until a little after 10pm the night before our cruise in Feb of 2020. Am looking for something clean and safe that has a shuttle to the port, but it doesn't have to be anything exciting because we're just going to crash in bed and get up early the next morning. My guess is that it's going to be at least $200, but hoping not to break the bank for less than 12 hours.
-
On 1/16/2019 at 2:59 PM, beachbum53 said:
One of the ports on our upcoming cruise is Grand Turk. This will be our fourth time there. Previously, we've gone to the beach that's to the left of the pier as you're walking towards the Welcome Center. However, to avoid the aggressive vendors and the fact that there will be two ships that day (which will make the beach even more crowded), we're considering the beach area to the right of the pier. How's the area below the water? Rocky? Smooth? Are water shoes recommended? Any helpful information would be appreciated. Thanks. (We might even consider walking down to the beach area in front of Jack's Shack).
We were there a month ago today. Because the weather was kind of crazy, we decided to just walk the beach, and ended up turning right at the end of the pier. The beach is somewhat rocky in places so I'd recommend water shoes. There were plenty of seating and clam shells available, but we were the only ship in port that morning. There are restrooms available on that side of the pier, and you can purchase food and drink as well.
-
On 3/14/2019 at 6:14 AM, Sue Goodreds said:
CJDepew .... Did you enjoy Barcelo? Would love to read your review of it. Thank you! 🙂
Sorry...missed this. I think I posted a review, but not on this thread. Let me look for it and if I didn't, I'll get some photos posted tonight. It was a very nice day.
Just found it...I'd posted the review on a different thread. Here you go.
-
In 2016 we booked it through Viator and had a great time. Looks like they are still offering it.
https://www.viator.com/Cayman-Islands-attractions/Cayman-Spirits-Co/d31-a26200
Does anyone else feel like RCL does ships way better than NCL?
in Royal Caribbean International
Posted
Was on the Epic in 2017 in a balcony cabin. Did not mind the split bathroom at all, but the bed was crazy short, and we're not tall people. We had a large group and some of the men who were approaching six feet tall slept on the couches because their legs were hanging off the beds.
The ship has no atrium and feels very enclosed inside. The pool deck was a zoo. Just overcrowded all the time. A couple in our group were smokers and the entire smoking area for 4k people was approximately 12x20. About the only positive I can think of was there was rarely a wait for the MDR, and the food was better than the buffet.