bitterbuffalo

Did this excursion through RC last week. The crew were not intoxicated but did have that famous happy/carefree Jamaican vibe. We had a good time and I think everyone else did too. The actual snorkeling was lacking - not much variance to see and the seas were rough. Then it rained heavily. The crew went into overdrive to make sure everyone was taken care of and having a good time.

Congratulations!

What was their reply? We are on the same trip. [emoji4]

 

Edge Effect, Acapella Group (Headliner)

Paul Ogata, Comedian

Joe Yannetty, Comedian

Following along. We're getting on next week. Don't break anything!

I'll be on this excursion in 27 days. Will report back.

You can e-mail and ask who the headliner will be at this address... web_reservations@rccl.com

 

You may need/want to wait until closer to the cruise though.

I just did this for a June 17 Oasis trip. Took them seven days to respond but I did get a well written and courteous email with the entertainment details I was asking for.

Dang. You other responders are fast.

Responses in red below.

Hello fellow vacationers!

A tad backstory - My husband and I were on one cruise back in 2001 around the Hawaiian islands for our honeymoon. And we had no idea what to expect.

Now, fast forward with 2 kids later, we are getting ready for our cruise in July on the Liberty of the Seas. And I feel unprepared.

I have a bunch of questions, and some I have been able to find out myself (like bringing a case of water on board).

Anyhoo, I hope my questions make sense. :)

We are signed up for My Time Dining - but we aren't fancy people (we don't dress up too often). Can we get away with eating at the WindJammer the majority of the time? Yes you can eat every dinner there but also don't feel like you are banished from the MDR. On a 7 night cruise there are two dress up nights - avoid those and the remainder just don't go in beach/pool gear and you'll be just fine.

Or, if I had a nice pair of capri (jeans) and my husband and son wore kahki shorts with nice tops, would this attire be appropriate? Yes.

What isn't included? Obviously if I want a massage, that's going to cost me. But if we don't get any beverage packages, will we only be limited to water? There is more than water included. Tea, juice, regular coffee, etc. Alcohol, specialty coffees and sodas not included.

And if we went to any of the specialty restaurants, would this cost extra? How about Johnny Rockets (I think that's the name?)? Rockets cost extra (except for at breakfast). There is a good breakdown for which dining venues are included and are for fee here = https://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=368&pgtype=dining

My son is 15 and addicted to video games - so this trip will be a huge challenge for him. He keeps to himself and likes to explore but also has Asperger's, so we need for him to be able to keep in touch with him. Yes, I know - people will say we need to "unplug". But that's not possible for our family.

Is anyone familiar with any bluetooth apps that we can use to keep in contact via text?

Tipping... it's freaking me out a little. So I understand that my gratuities will be added to my SeaPass for each of us per person. But it's still recommend to tip in addition to this, separately? Do not let this freak you out and ruin your vacation. It's just like in regular life in the US for tipping. Additional tipping is just that. Additional. For great/exceptional service. A way to say thank you for something they did that you appreciated.

I also read somewhere that it's not suggested to use a debit card for any charges as RC will put holds for funds in my account. Does that mean we can't get buy without a credit card?

Ok, I think that's it for now... or at least all I can remember at this moment. If you can think of anything you wish you knew when you first when on your cruise, I'd love it if you would pass it along.

Thank you!!!

Melissa

Thank you! Looking forward to Chops, Giovanni's & Sabor! (We're hoping for Giovanni's on that first night with the 10 yr old).

We'd like to get the 3 night dining package for our June Oasis sailing. On the 1st or 2nd night courtesy reservation we'd like our daughter to join us. The other two nights would be a date night. Anyone have any experience on how to handle this when purchasing online?

If we select the 1st night for all 3 of us will we be locked in to having them all be the same?

Or do we book it for 2 when purchasing then add the kid to the 1st reservation upon embarkation?

Thanks for the help!

...convenience. Nearly every morning, I'll just quickly jet over to Park Cafe to grab some coffee, orange juice and a few quick breakfast items to enjoy on the balcony. On trips where we've had a bottle of champagne in the room, I'd swing by park cafe for a couple glasses of OJ for some morning mimosas. It's ...

Getting Park Cafe easy morning coffee and/or mimosas on our balcony is 99% why we'll be on Oasis deck 8 this June. My wife can tease me all she wants for doing too much research ahead of time but - case and point right here.

I suppose getting to walk through central park instead of a standard hallway deserves 1%.

When inside I have no problem knowing I need to swing by the Globe & Atlas everytime I want an ale. What about when outside? Is there any hope of getting ANY of the ales at a pool or solarium bar?

Thank you all for the replies and information!

We're wondering (a) if this plan would work and (b) has anyone already done it and could provide insight to how it worked out for them.

The Plan - We are thinking about not having any dinners together as a family on our June Oasis Western Caribbean cruise. Most nights I’ll get ready for dinner then take the kid to Windjammer while Mrs. Cruiser gets ready. After the kid eats will drop her off at Adventure Ocean then meet up with Mrs. Cruiser as we make our way to our My Time Dining reservation. How’s that sound?

Also - Is Adventure Ocean open day one? I’d like to get the FNDR deal to start our nightly dating routine off right.

I've seen people write Adv. Ocean is typically open 7pm - 10pm for the night slot but I also looked at a recent Compass and didn't see the hours on there - at all. Is there somewhere else I should look to verify the open hours?

And yes of course if by some surprise our daughter wants to eat with us and not go to the kids club we'll all be together. We're near certain she'd rather play then sit through a lengthy dinner with us.

We're here! Leave tomorrow! The parking voucher from the hotel says "enter cash lane". Does that mean we will need cash for parking through the 40% discount deal?

Hi paulmlac – we’re on the same cruise!

I’ve never been on DCL before but I’m a bit of an over planner. I like to over plan ahead and then go with the flow during. Anyway…

1) What Ex techie said above. But note that one of the two outlets at the desk is used for the wave phones docking charger. I assume that won't need to be plugged in 24/7 but will need to be planned around the phones charging. Also – there is one more outlet at the desk but specifically for the room hair dryer.

4/5) I’ve seen recent Navigators from the Dream following our same itinerary. The dress nights are: Mon - Cruise Casual / Tue – Nassau -> Halloween or Cruise Casual / Wed – Castaway Cay -> Pirate or Cruise Casual / Thur – Day at Sea = Optional Dress Up

I’ll be kaki or jeans with a camp shirt most nights. Going to wear a dress shirt for dress up night. No tie or jacket here. The kid is definitely wearing a costume on Halloween night… us parents are leaning towards something simple just to be in the spirit. For pirate night I’m just wearing a black camp shirt and will use the bandana DCL will leave in the stateroom.

For room service tipping - do people tip actual cash or can you sign a receipt adding in the tip to be charged to your room account? Thanks.

We're on the same cruise 5soccer9 (remembered you from the roll call)! Parking at the terminal is currently listed for $75 ($15 per day). I'm not sure when the new $16 per day increase is happening?

We're parking at the port but will be using a 40% discount from staying at a nearby hotel for the night before. Here's the list of hotels with that option if that's something you'd want to consider.

http://www.portcanaveral.com/PortCanaveral/media/Cruise-Assets/Parking-Voucher-Program_6.pdf

There is a brand new Homewood Suites in Cape Canaveral that literally just opened and they are offering a park n cruise rate if you want to leave your car and take their shuttle. When comparing costs between staying in the airport area or in the port area take into account any potential cost savings included with a park n cruise type deal.

EDIT - Haha! For some reason I didn't see that Capt_BJ had already posted about Homewood when I was writing this?

I haven't been a member of this forum long enough to know if this is against the rules so forgive me if I'm not supposed to post external links. This Tip Calculator is awesome and thought I'd share for both the original poster on this thread and anyone else who has similar questions about how tips should be calculated for your Disney cruise. http://disneycruiselineblog.com/cruise-planning/tip-calculator/

Thank you all for the information!

Sounds like boarding around 12:30 will be perfect for us if we wind up not getting an earlier spot so no worries there. We’ll be staying in a hotel and doing the 40% off parking at the port deal. Since we can dictate when we show up I’m trying to limit the amount of time the 8 year old waits in line.

Great to hear about the improved beer selections. Two Hearted is one of my favorites!

I’m not one to make things difficult for my server (spent a lot of time as a waiter in my youth) so I think I’ll opt for walking a beer into dinner.

Will be a first time Disney cruiser aboard the Dream 9/16.

First - thanks for any help!

(2) - I've read all about wine at dinner (corkage fee, etc) but I haven't seen anything about beer service with dinner. Can I order a beer at dinner from my server? If not can I grab a beer from a bar before and just walk it into dinner?

(3) - I'm not a fan of most mass produced beers (Bud, Heineken, etc.). I like IPA & Stout craft beers. I've read somewhere else that one of the bars does serve some better choices... the sports pub themed bar from memory. Any news on if those choices have expanded to other bars on this ship?

(4) - Since we're first time Disney cruisers we have that last 75 days out slot for picking our boarding time online. Do select times "sell out". For example if by the time I go to select our boarding time is there a good chance that noon will already be a time I can't choose?

On the Disney reservation page is shows the due date for the balance remainder. The same date is also when "check-in begins" and "pay in full to start booking" any activities. If I pay the remainder early will I be able to book excursions and check in... or still wait for the selected date (thus no reason to pay early)?