The Fun Researcher

Any of those rooms that hold 5 or more are going to be even more costly per person. We've always bit the bullet and gotten two connecting (normally inside) cabins. Some ships have very few of them so you have to book early or double check before everyone books. By booking two cabins you will be paying full price for all four of them, but if all go in one cabin then typically the 3rd and 4th are each half the cost of the first two persons. The huge benefit of the two connecting rooms is the two full bathrooms, and the overall space feels a lot bigger even though it's just a small connecting door that is open between cabins. Having said that, sleeping four in one cabin wouldn't be a deal breaker for us. I would do that for sure, but the problem is we're a family of 5 so it wouldn't work anyway and now the kids are older (15, 18, 21) Dan

LOVE that this is free. It will help greatly with our family Alaskan cruise in July with 16 of us spread across 5 family units. (some first time cruisers) If I remember correctly you don't get text notifications though right? Like no *ding* or *buzz* letting you know you got a text? Don't you have to specifically check the App every once in a while to see if anyone texted? (Speaking of Apple iPhones) Dan

You’re no fun. 😊

Up to twelve non alcoholic drinks up to 500ml each. (16.9 oz)

Does Odyssey have an indoor pool? I'm seeing conflicting info. 👍 Dan

I spoke too soon. No indoor pools on Symphony or Liberty. That’s no good for a large number of the months of the year. While I like both ships, not being able to enjoy time in a lounger by a pool is a downer. Maybe even a deal breaker. Need a ship designed for cool weather. Will just make the solarium on the Symphony extra crowded Dan

I would probably look at Freedom class or larger. Freedom class is where they started to add the really nice splash play area on the pool deck for the little kids. Nice Adventure Ocean kids area. They also have the ice rink. Easy to navigate around the ship without being TOO big, etc... Hard to go wrong though with anything Freedom and newer. Dan

Looks like a great combo. Two excellent ships.

Awesome. Both ships?

Thanks in advance. Dan

Yeah, there is no "right way" to this one since everyone has their own tolerance for what is considered disrespectful to fellow cruisers or not. I wasn't there so just picturing it based on the OP's description. When a group takes over and makes it exclusionary to the rest of the passengers that's when things get questionable. We're also very family focused but wouldn't dream of rearranging all the furniture in a big circle (to exclude others), bring down pillows and a bunch of strollers, taking over and having your dinner at the bar, etc... just seems a bit much. Like I said, I would simply move on and probably have a chuckle with my wife at the whole situation. Boleros typically isn't our primary lounge, but I do love when things get hopping in there. Fun to watch and be a part. If I was hoping to enjoy that space I would feel frustrated in the OP's situation. Not sure why I'm even discussing this🤣 other than to show some sympathy to the OP, since I can picture and understand the frustration. Cheers. Bowing out.

That still stands correct? Up to twelve 16.9oz (maximum) bottles or cans per passenger of non alcoholic beverages can be brought onboard as long as they are in a separate travel case like a backpack or suitcase?

If you purchase the soda package, after the first night ordering a soda with dinner (MDR) they will remember you have the package and many times have your soda's ready or at least they don't check your card or have to sign a bill each time. A soda with lunch and dinner eats up $8 of that $8.99. For us it's worth it. Even if we break even or come out a few dollars short on "getting our money's worth" the convenience is worth it. We normally get 2 or 3 soda packages between our family of 5. Dan

I agree. There's always that line (subjective) that can be crossed though. Personally we like to take into consideration your fellow cruisers. Some may describe the OP's situation as "cramping someone else's style", others may call it a lack of self awareness or even rude. By the description of the OP, Boleros was taken over by one group, essentially excluding others from being able to enjoy the venue. It's a judgement call, but by the OP's description this group was not considerate of others, had little self awareness, and essentially took over a bar for themselves. Personally I would simply roll on to another location and have my fun elsewhere. If I WAS dead set on enjoying Boleros and walked up on what the OP describes (especially starting so early like 5:30 and extending on) I'd be frustrated too.

Easy to say when you aren't the one impacted. Other than the kids laying down on the floor in Boleros I don't think any of your examples were mentioned. We're super easy going, but like anyone we eventually reach a point where something becomes irritating. Must be nice to be impervious. 😊

Luck of the draw. We ran into the same issue on the Oasis way back in 2015. Really turned us off. NOTHING against South American or Latin based cruisers but on our particular cruise their kids were regularly running around the promenade at 1am (maybe a time change issue), some just camping out/ laying down in some of the middle carpeted promenade areas, in the bars, etc... It felt like we could never get any quiet, chill time even very late at night. I love the idea of large family/friend gatherings but be considerate of others who want to use the common spaces, bars and lounges. Thank goodness we tried another Oasis class, (Allure) this past summer because there were little to none of these issues and we had an amazing 8 night southern cruise. Dan

Switching keys will be fine. Just make sure everyone has the correct one when getting on and off the ship and if you are making purchases.

If I my wife and I could take 11-12 days off in a row I would love that option of an 11-12 night cruise from Bayonne. It's a long drive from Michigan, ~11 hours but still saves a lot of airfare considering our family of 5, plus no airport hassles. We're doing a cheap 7 night in March on the Anthem to get us to Diamond and to experience a Quantum class ship (Quantum; we're also doing out of Seattle this upcoming summer to Alaska) Dan

Any of the AMPED Freedom or Voyager class

We've sailed the sister ships and the interior cabins are just fine. We love the quiet and dark that they provide. I wouldn't worry about it at all. We don't spend much time in the cabin other than to sleep and get ready for dinner. You can get all the views from the pool deck, walking deck on 4, etc... Dan

Chops Grille or Jamie's Italian will get you out of the craziness of the Wind Jammer on embarkation day, and provide a very nice lunch. Would need to check your Cruise planner though. Sometimes it's open and sometimes not on embarkation day. Probably $21 - $25 pp. Dan

Love these stowaway piano players. We had a pleasant surprise with them on the Navigator spring 2019 just after the ship was AMPED. Was so much fun to see them in the elevator playing away while we went from floor to floor! Dan

Yeah, was kind of afraid of that. For being a top 5 most visited cruise port it sure seems like there there would be better/more options to choose from. Dan

God bless you that are able to afford, or willing to spend, the cost for a Grand Suite. Do you ever leave the room? 😍 Maybe someday when we're retired and have even more excess disposable cash, or once in a lifetime splurge. For now we need to get the kids through college, ugh. 😊 Dan

Looking for something that will interest us enough to get off the ship in Nassau. It will be my wife, son(15) and my in-laws. Some walking is o.k., but a lot of walking is not due to my FIL's bum knee. We love all inclusive days, but it's tough in Nassau with our son only being 15. RUI is out. Breezes gets lackluster reviews lately. Margaritaville is not all inclusive... Junkanoo is an option since it's public and we just need to pay for drinks, umbrellas and chairs. Any other all-inclusive options to recommend? We also like island tours that give you a more knowledgeable feel for the culture, food, and the island as a whole. Thanks in advance! -Dan