Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

kelsey.smiles

Members
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    29

  • Joined

 Content Type 

Posts posted by kelsey.smiles

    Scuba Certification on Allure

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Thank you for putting this up on the messageboard, it is really interesting

     

    You have actually put me off doing it! We thought very seriously about doing it, but the idea of being tired to do other things, and it certainly sounds like a lot of effort, would lead me to thinking it would be a better activity for DW and I to do on a less exciting vacation

     

    A couple of questions:

    1) What is RCI's price for this?

    2) How good a swimmer do you need to be to do this?

     

    Many thanks

    Paul

     

    Hi Paul,

     

    Glad I could help. The price is $599 and includes everything except your mask and snorkel. You only need to be an okay swimmer. There is a swimming test which was 10 laps around the aqua theater pool (200m) and treading water for 10 minutes. You can take as long as you want on the swim and use any stroke you like (even a dog paddle!).

    Scuba Certification on Allure

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Hi All!

     

    We just got off the Sept 24th sailing on Allure of the Seas, and while on board, boyfriend (28) and I (23) earned our open water scuba certifications! Because I feel Royal really lacks on info given beforehand and it's still a newer program without many reviews, I want to make sure I pass along whatever I can :)

     

    The PADI Open Water Scuba Certification involves about 8-10 hours of book/computer/iPad work, 4 pool dives, and 4 open water dives. This is true wherever you get certified. On board this translates to independent iPad work, 2 4-hour pool sessions, and 2 excursions (each about 5 hours total trip time).

     

    Equipment: You must have your own mask and snorkel. We bought Cressi sets on Amazon for $40 which the instructor told us were great. They also sell National Geographic sets for $45 on the ship. All other equipment is provided by the ship. They also suggested wearing a rash guard if you aren't wearing a wet suit (just to prevent rubbing from the BCD), but they will provide wet suits if needed. I wore a shortie wet suit for one dive, but all others I just wore my bathing suit. Boyfriend's BCD was digging into his shoulder, so he preferred wearing a shirt underneath. We also brought an underwater camera that we were able to use on our last open water dive - but note you won't be allowed to use it earlier in the course, because the instructor wants you to focus on skills.

     

    Schedule: For the Western sailing, our schedule was as follows:

    Day 1 - knowledge check (20 questions), paperwork (bring your medical form with you), and equipment sizing - about 30 minutes total, at your convenience before 6pm

    Day 2 - pool session - 6am-9:45am

    Day 3 - free

    Day 4 - 2 open water dives in Jamaica - 9:45am-2:30pm

    Day 5 - pool session - 6am-9:15am

    Day 6 - 2 open water dives - 8:45am-1:30pm

     

    Before You Go: Once you sign up for the excursion, you will receive an email with a medical form. Complete the form and send it back and they will send you an email with an access code to the online theory work. You can choose to do this on a computer or on an iPad. We both chose to do our theory on our iPads for convenience, but found the format a little cumbersome. It is basically a giant pdf file that you scroll and swipe though, with quizzes at the ends of the sections. Because the computer version uses flash, I feel it might be a little more user friendly, but I can't say for sure.

     

    It takes about 8-10 hours to do all of the work. It's no joke and really important that you pay attention and actually learn it. I spread it out over 2 weeks (30-60 minutes/day) and felt I had a really good grasp of the material. Boyfriend tried to cram it all in 2 days before the cruise and didn't retain as much. There was another person in our group who didn't sign up for the excursion until Day 1 and did his theory on a ship-provided iPad on board. While possible, I absolutely would not recommend this. You will be spending way too much of your cruise doing work and also cramming it all in like that makes it harder to retain the information long-term, I think.

     

    Pool Sessions: Plan for pool sessions to take from 6-10am on the days they occur. Note that on Allure, Cafe Promenade is the only food place open before 6am, so plan accordingly if you need to eat first. All the equipment is brought down to the aqua theater pool for you, so you just have to show up. Pool sessions are just practicing and demonstrating different skills. If you have any specific questions about the skills, let me know.

     

    Open Water Sessions: For the open water sessions, you will take the same excursion as certified divers. You meet at the dive shop 15 minutes early and must carry your own equipment. In Jamaica, we took a taxi about 20 minutes to Dressel Divers and went on a boat dive. Each dive is 30-45 minutes depending on air usage with a surface interval of about 45-60 minutes. In Cozumel, we took a taxi about 5 minutes to Sand Dollar Sports. This was a shore dive. You spend the first 3 dives mostly demonstrating skills with a little swimming around in between. By the 4th dive, all skills should be demonstrated and it is like a normal dive. At the end you must go back to the ship to return your equipment (unless you want to lug around a 30lb bag for the rest of the day). In both ports we still had several hours after diving to do our own things.

     

    Overall: I do want to note, that while we are thrilled we are certified, and don't regret doing it, it definitely took a toll on us. Something about all the swimming and breathing compressed air really tires you out, and on days we dove we didn't have energy to do much else other than lay around and read. If you are considering getting your certification on board, be prepared that your whole vacation will revolve around diving. We barely experienced the night life on board because we were so tired and had some early mornings. Also the first 3 open water dives really are more serious than fun.

    With our busy work schedules, getting certified on our vacation was the only way we could do it (and also it was surprisingly cheaper than our local dive shop), but if your schedule and where you live allows you to get certified pre-cruise, I would recommend that so you can spend your cruise dives just enjoying the scenery.

    Also would like to note that royaldiver@rccl.com was very responsive to any questions I had before sailling and forwarded my emails to the actual dive staff on the ship.

     

    I hope this was helpful - let me know if you have any questions! :D

    Oasis of the Seas: Can't Miss?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We love breakfast at Johnny Rockets. Although they charge extra for lunch and dinner, breakfast is included. It's really nice to sit at the tables outside on the boardwalk in the mornings.

     

    My favorite special drink is a mudslide. They put chocolate syrup down the sides of the glass and it's basically an alcoholic chocolate milkshake. So yummy.

     

    I recommend bringing a highlighter, so that when you look through the cruise compass, you can highlight what you're interested in. Makes it a lot easier to keep track of all the goings on.

     

    Also, when we were on, they were offering kitchen tours for something like $20 or $25 each. It wasn't listed in the cruise compass or on the cruise planner, they just offered it to us at dinner one night. To us, it was worth every dollar. Really neat to see how all the food is prepared in such massive quantities. Might want to ask someone onboard if you're interested.

     

    Enjoy! :)

    Sandals and Flip flops

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Are sandals, flip-flops and dressy flip flops allowed in the main dining room on Jewel of the Seas? My clothes are dressier but I was planning on wearing flip-flops for most of them...

     

    Yes, they are allowed. Whatever kind of flip flops you like, $1 or $100 - if someone else has a problem with your shoes - that's their problem. You will have no trouble from the dining room staff. Enjoy your cruise and dress however you feel comfortable :)

    St Thomas Scuba - private diving - dive shops?

    in Scuba and Snorkeling

    Posted

    We dove with Coki last summer and had a great time! They set you up with the tanks on the beach, close to the water. You are able to rest the tank on a table while you get all strapped in. You do not have to walk very far to get in the ocean. I can't remember how we did our fins but I don't remember any trouble - and it was our first time diving. We saw a lot of cool sea life - including an octopus! - and wouldn't hesitate to dive here again. They also let you use snorkel gear before/after your dive for free and the beach is a nice area with several food spots for your husband to hang out and snorkel while you dive. We chose this place because of the excellent Trip Adviser reviews and weren't disappointed at all!

    MTD - Must You Make a Reservation?

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Maybe this is more unsual than the norm, but last summer on Allure we ate in the main dining room every night without a reservation and waited less than 5 minutes every night but one. One night we had to wait 15 minutes and were served complimentary champagne for the "inconvenience." Note that there were only 2 of us, so no large party issues, and we tend to eat a little later, usually around 8pm I think.

    My Time Dining - clarification please!

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We used MTD with no reservations every night of our Allure cruise last summer. One night we waited 15 minutes and were given complimentary champagne for our wait. All other nights we were seated practically immediately.

     

    FYI - even if they are not able to seat you at a large table with mixed company, almost all of the 2 person tables are in groups of 3 or 4 and are very close together. We made friends sitting next to us easily even though we were technically at separate tables.

    Money exchange question for Med cruise.

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Check with your bank to see if they have European ATM partners. For example, Bank of America is a partner with BNL D'Italia in Italy, which means with a BofA debit card, you can use any BNL D'Italia ATMs with no charges. Check Google maps ahead of time to find an ATM near your port.

     

    I also recommend the Capital One credit cards for avoiding foreign transaction fees. I have one just for this reason. Note that this doesn't apply to cash withdrawals though, you'll face "cash advance" charges if you use this to get foreign currency.

    Fresh Fruit on Allure

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    Hello! :D

     

    I'm very excited to be sailing on Allure in September. Am hoping someone can tell me where on the ship I can find fruit? I love to snack on apples or bananas throughout the day. Also, a little more far-fetched, but any chance I could find some peanut butter to go with?

     

    Thanks!

    Help! Overwhelmed for upcoming visit.

    in St. Thomas/St. John

    Posted

    We visited the beach at Coki Point Beach last summer and had a great time. It isn't that big of a beach but we didn't find it very crowded. There were multiple food places - nothing fancy, but good for lunch. You can rent snorkeling equipment from the Coki Dive Center - we saw some beautiful fish just by swimming out from shore - or take a beginning scuba diving class with them for more fun (I saw an octopus!). There is also Coral World Ocean Park here which has a lot of aquariums and marine animals to interact with and watch - check out their website, your 3 year old might love it.

×
×
  • Create New...