BlueSky73

I don't really care about getting on the internet, but we're terrible parents and pulling our children out of school for a week.;p

Our oldest daughter is in high school, and thanks to technology she can keep up by going onto Google classroom for most of her assignments. (We did not suggest this - she did. She is still adamant that she would rather stay home with grandma to "avoid all the socializing")

How easy is it to get online during port days? How long could she get access for? We would rather not buy the internet package. Not only do we not want to spend the $$ - our other three would end up watching youtube videos all night as their sister/babysitter obliviously skyped with her boyfriend (while wearing headphones).

I have searched all over the forum, but I can't find any recent reviews on stingray excursions. The only ones I found were from Balmoral Island, and from what I gathered you can't bring your own camera and the photos they take are wicked expensive.

We are going to Nassau, Freeport, and Half Moon Cay.

Please let me know if you have any information!

With kids? Sunshine hands down. Can't beat the sports square/water park area. My boys are now 19 and 13 and were on it about 3 years ago and it is their favorite ship out of about 10 different ones.

Good to hear since we're sailing April 22! The waterworks and ropes course were very impressive, but being with kids the 3 deck serenity is what sealed the deal! ;)

Thank you for all of your responses.

I have seen a ton of pictures of the Serenity deck on the Sunshine, but I'm coming up empty on the Elation.

This is where my husband and I will spend at least half our time, so I would like to know your opinions on both!

The destination isn't important - we just want to get on a boat!

My husband and I were spoiled by sailing Oasis of the Seas last May, just the two of us. We promised our children we wouldn't go cruising without them again, so we're searching for the right ship. We have 4 of them, ranging in age from 15-8, so a good pool area is a must. However, we're taking 4 kids with us on vacation - so an adults only pool and area are quite possibly more important :)

Based on crowds (my 13 year old has Down syndrome, he and terrible crowds don't mix), pools, food, and adult areas, which do you like?

Are these the "new new" menus or the "old new" menus? We sail on May 14 and are trying to figure out which nights we may eat at one of the restaurants.

You can share a one device package across as many devices as you want, as long as only one device is connected at a time.

Thank you! With all the great information I'm finding out, I feel like I'm going to step onboard as a veteran instead of a first timer!

1. With the Voom internet devices - if I set up my cell phone on voom, can I use it to hotspot my other devices?

2. Other than contacting each other on the ship, do my husband and I really both need a package? Can walkies do this or is the ship just too big with too much interference?

3. What are the prices on the non-alcoholic cocktails/frozen drinks? I'm looking at the "refreshment package" because even though I live for cherry coke, even the regular coke on those free style machines tastes like cough syrup to me.

4. How often could I get bottled water with that package? Thinking about stocking up for those shore days...

Thanks!

I hate to ask a question that may have already been answered, but if it has, I can't find it...

I gave my husband a 28" suitcase for Christmas, and I have a garment bag, and a medium size shoulder bag, which will be our carry on with swimsuits, etc...

I have to purchase my luggage now, and I'm trying to figure out what I need - do you think a 28", or a set that has a couple smaller (24", 21") cases that can be attached to each other?

We're going on a 7 day, so 2 formal nights...and I'm not sure how to say this without sounding odd, but we wear religious undergarments - which basically means 7 more thin shirts and thin "shorts" for each of us.

I love the camera on my phone (Galaxy s6 edge). I love the lack of lag time, the picture quality - everything. But I love my phone, and I don't want anything to happen to it. However, the cost of a waterproof case is a huge difference than a waterproof camera that would be comparable to the camera on my phone.

We're going to Jamaica, Labadee, and Cozumel, but the only shore excursion we are sure about is Dunn's River Falls/Blue Hole/Secret Falls. We may try snorkeling at one of the other ports.

What are y'alls thoughts on this?

Not sure why "climbing a waterfall" is such a big deal..

If you went to Disney in the 80's, you might remember a ride called "The Wings of Man"...a ride through places you might go 'if you had wings'...there were some videos of people climbing the falls - my parents (on their honeymoon) could clearly be seen - my dad was the guy cringing at the cold water.

Fast forward to 1993 - my sister and her husband climbed the falls on their honeymoon. Now its 2017, and my husband and I are celebrating our 15th anniversary, and we are FINALLY getting our chance to climb the falls...

I recently lost my dad, so I make it a point to take advantage of every chance I get to feel a closeness to him. I like to think he will be looking down and smiling at us as we connect on this experience.

So, to me, climbing the waterfall is a big deal.

You might get more responses if you post your questions on the Jamaica Ports of Call, located here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=111

See - this is why we pose questions to those with more knowledge - didn't even know one existed!

I posted a question about this a couple months ago, now that our cruise has been booked its time to get serious and book the shore excursions ;)

Our main reason for choosing this particular cruise is to climb Dunn's River Falls. Looking at the cost of the on-board excursions and y'alls suggestions led me to looking at "private" tours. Not only am I looking for suggestions for a company you have used in the past (or one to stay away from for that matter) I was wondering if there would be time to climb Dunn's River, go to Blue Hole and Secret Falls AND still have time to shop?

There are so many other places we want to see...need an overnight docking!

We've only been on Carnival, but for this cruise we were asking ourselves the same thing...and after a little research we decided to go with the Oasis. We leave on May 14 - I can't wait to see this ship in real life. We watched several "tour" videos on Youtube, and then found not one, but 2 documentaries made about the Oasis. To my knowledge they've never made one about any of Carnival's ships. ;)

Even though we are not new to cruising, this will be our first time on a ship since 2010, and our first time sailing with Royal Caribbean...so we know things have changed. A lot.:)

Beverage packages, internet packages, dining packages....we will certainly book before we sail, but on and off I kept seeing posts about there being sales these packages. We sail on May 14 - what is the likely hood that there will be another one before we leave? I'm always the one that buys something the day before it hits the clearance rack. ;)

My husband and I have booked a junior suite...we will be celebrating our 15th anniversary. We will have a week without our three children and have a desire to have fun and enjoy the late night view, sounds, and scents of the open ocean together...

I had to laugh...my husband and I will also be celebrating our 15th anniversary, and a week without our four children. We booked a room on the hump - a larger balcony for this purpose. Glad to know we won't be the only ones enjoying the magic of the open ocean!:kiss-mark:

Thanks for the response! I think I am going to go for it. I know we will love it and yes, being close to the water is a great thing. I appreciate the help. Booking now!!!!! :D (oh the cabin is 6608...

We just booked cabin 6608 last night - how was it? :)

Please forgive me if this has been asked and answered, but I couldn't find anything when I searched the forum...

My husband and I are planning book OAS, but are having a tough time with cabin choice...I was wondering how much of a difference are the cabins with (oceanview) large balconies? My husband is 6' 8", so I was thinking a larger room might be worth it. And also, I know we don't want an adjoining room, but would a balcony next to adjoining rooms have noise concerns?

Thanks...and don't be afraid to leave favorite/hated cabin numbers...that's the next hurdle. :o

We used Courtney Taylor tours for our Dunns River Falls excursion and had a great time.

I'm guessing that is a non-RCL excursion...do the prices vary greatly? Not that it really matters...of course we don't want to pay the sun and the moon, but this trip to the falls is the focus. I am concerned that all of the RCL excursions fine print says that there may not be time to climb to the top of the falls. I think I would be crushed.

Looking on the RCL website, there are SEVERAL shore excursions to Dunn's River Falls, which is the most important thing for us to do on this cruise.

If any of you can remember waaaay back to when Eastern Airlines sponsored the Wings of Man/If You Had Wings ride in Tomorrowland at Disney you might remember the scenes from Dunn's River Falls - groups of people climbing the falls and playing in the pools at the bottom. My parents are in those scenes - they were on their second honeymoon, so we couldn't think of a better place to celebrate our 15th anniversary. :)

Would love to hear any and all suggestions and reviews of the ones you have been on, or have heard experiences from friends.

Hello there...I actually joined this forum to answer TA question for myself...especially since we are much closer to our chosen cruise date than I'm guessing folks normally book.

I'm finding the prices online, even through the warehouse travel services, are nearly the same...even the "perks" and "rewards" are almost identical. What does change is the final payment date. How flexible are TAs with payments?