Mango Mike

Count us as another couple that "now prefer" Celebrity.

My wife and I sailed Royal a couple times and really enjoyed what they offered. For our 30th anniversary this year, we opted to give Celebrity a try. Unless Royal has an offer we can't pass up or we some friends that want us to join them on a Royal cruise, it'll be Celebrity for us from now on.

As others have said, it's the "little" things that make the difference. Plus Celebrity seems to be a bit more laid back and refined.

Don't know if this has been mentioned yet, but:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2016/05/26/royal-caribbean-oasis-class-order/84962552/

Thanks for the tips - looks like a pretty nice area. Took a "drive" in and around Coconut Grove thanks to Google Earth Street View. Not sure if I want to let my wife loose in Coco Walk though!!!

The answer is because they can. The cost of real estate influences the parking charges. Beach hotels in Fort Lauderdale and South Beach are sitting on very expensive real estate. We have also seen the same thing at beach hotels in Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, etc. and hotels in big cities like NYC, LA, etc.

Makes sense. I'm guessing it might also be due to very limited space. Why build parking structures (liitle/no revenue) when you can build hotels, restaurants, offices, etc. (major revenue).

Just a major difference from what we're used to seein' up here.

Wow, everyone had me all hyped up. I was going to get my wife and I Global Entry cards - started looking into the application process and found out the closest enrollment center for us is over 200 miles away. Now I'm wondering if it's worth it.

Since we don't fly into or out of the US (only domestic flights), the only benefit we would be looking for is expedited access through airport security, I'm now thinking all we need to apply for is the TSA precheck card.

So here's my question - will we still have to visit one of those same enrollment centers to complete that process (can't tell from the website)? If so, might just scrub the whole idea and walk around the airport barefoot :eek:.

Thanks for the replies.

Definitely renting a car though (always have - always will) tend to frequent the same spots for dinner and breakfast (stuck in a rut) so taxi's can get to be "costly", plus we like to sight see quite a bit.

My only "problem" with this place is, they charge for parking. It seems almost every hotel or resort in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale charges for parking (unless it's a lower end "chain" type - i.e. Motel 6). Why is that? Here in the "good old midwest" (tongue in cheek - I actually hate it here), there's not one hotel I can think of that charges for parking -valet parking is even free (except for tip). Must be due to the wide open spaces (corn fields ya know).

Looking for a hotel for 1 night (pre-cruise) for next January, except this cruise is a bit different, flying in/out of FLL but cruising out of POM.

Normally, we cruise out of Port Everglades, fly in/out of FLL so stay in hotels in and around Fort Lauderdale, etc.

Since we're cruising out of POM, we thought it would be different to stay somewhere closer to that port (renting a car by the way). The Friday night/South Beach party atmosphere doesn't appeal to us so wanted to stay away from that area but I did find a pretty good deal on a place called "The Mutiny" in the Coconut Grove area.

Anybody know anything about this place?

Good Lord folks - take it outside if you're going to argue.

20 replies and only 1 or 2 REAL answers to their question.

The OP just wanted to know where to eat lunch. I don't believe they wanted to start a major debate on which category stateroom to book or whether Celebrity should give AQ the same bennies as CC. Sheesh.

Sounds like Larry's is exactly what my wife and I are looking for as well.

Would like to ask a couple more questions on the same topic.

1) What would be a typical cost - Port of Miami to Fort Lauderdale airport?

2) Since we're not sure what time we're getting off the ship, how do we schedule a pick up time?

Thanks

Boy, one of these days I'll learn - made the mistake of showing my wife pictures of the Alcoves on the Reflection and the ear shattering response was "Oooh, Let's Get One!".

I did a bit of research on these things and apparently they're somewhat coveted and tend to book quickly but before I do, I have a few questions:

1) It says I have it from 9:00am - 9:00pm, so I would think this could be a great place to eat lunch. Do others pop down to the Oeanview, grab a plate of goodies then come back up to their domain to eat?

2) Does the Alcove Attendant also serve as a bar waiter (i.e. will he get me one of those frozen rum drinks with an umbrella)?

3) How much do you usually tip the Alcove Attendant?

4) Does Celebrity ever host any events at night (i.e. music & wine party) on the lawn area where having an Alcove would be a plus?

Thanks

Thanks to all (no thanks to Delta). Now I just have to see if they'll change my flights at no charge.

Yes, you can make a 1:45 flight. A little reading on the Florida Departures board will help you on this question, and your transport options.

 

Florida Departures board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

Yeah, thought about that after I posted here. --- Thanks.

I posted this on the "Cruise Air" forum but then thought I would get a better response here.

Delta just informed us that they changed our return flights for an upcoming cruise that would allow us only 46 minutes layover in Atlanta. I'm thinking that might be cutting it a bit too close.

Our cruise is out of Miami but our flights are out of FLL (cheaper). Our current flight leaves FLL at 2:45pm. I picked that flight time figuring it would give us enough time to get from POM to FLL. Looking at Delta's schedule, they have a flight that leaves FLL at 1:45pm that would give us a 1 hr 45 mn layover in ATL (a bit more manageable).

My question - can we make it to FLL from POM on a Saturday morning to catch a 1:45 flight (taking into consideration traffic, security, etc)?

Delta just informed us that they changed our return flights for an upcoming cruise that would allow us only 46 minutes layover in Atlanta. I'm thinking that might be cutting it a bit too close.

Our cruise is out of Miami but our flights are out of FLL (cheaper). Our current flight leaves FLL at 2:45pm. I picked that flight time figuring it would give us enough time to get from POM to FLL. Looking at Delta's schedule, they have a flight that leaves FLL at 1:45pm that would give us a 1 hr 45 mn layover in ATL (a bit more manageable).

My question - can we make to FLL from POM on a Saturday morning to catch our flight (taking into consideration traffic, security, etc)?

Read last few posts...

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1079834

Not really a "hole in the wall" type place, but my wife and I always head to The Parrot Club in Old San Juan for mojito's and a sandwich (lunch menu). Have always left very happy (and that's not because of the mojito's).

some shuttles will go from POM to FLL for $15 pp

 

lots of threads here on the same topic

Yeah, tried the "search" feature , but being the computer savvy person that I am (:rolleyes:), I was getting all sorts of hits so thought it would be easier just to ask.

Not big on shuttles since usually they want to make sure they're full before they leave so can't really rely on timing.

Wow, am I doing this right?

Looking for the approximate cost for a taxi from Port of Miami (POM) to Fort Lauderdale Airport (FLL). This website says $85.

http://www.taxifarefinder.com/main.php?city=Miami

If so, might have to rethink flying into FLL. Could be cheaper to fly into MIA.

Out of curiosity only, why not just stay on the ship? With most everyone else in port, you would have the ship mostly to yourselves.

You can add my wife and I to those that have switched to Celebrity.

Having been on a few Royal cruises, we opted to give Celebrity a try for our 30th anniversary this year. Just got off the Equinox about a month ago. Booked it again for next year.

Yep, Celebrity for us (we'll still cruise Royal depending on the circumstances though).

April, 2019

Might have just been been your particular cruise for some reason.

We've sailed RCCL a couple times and have always been met with friendly smiles/greetings. Promptness has never been an issue either. Ships were always clean and well maintained (except for normal wear and tear you'll see on nearly any ship). The last drydock for the Brilliance was 2013, so it's been a few years.

That being said, the missus and I just returned from our first Celebrity cruise aboard the Equinox. Given the experience, we are now Celebrity faithfuls. I will admit, the food was better than what we have had on RCCL and the beverages on Celebrity far surpasses RCCL (IMO). But what we like most on Celebrity was the laid back ambiance and upscale atmosphere.

One thing that you obviously need to take into consideration is the youngster. I would think RCCL should have a better "kids club" than Celebrity just because of the demographics (there were only 4 children [under 12] on our cruise). I haven't looked into it, but it seems to me that there would be more for the young ones to do on Royal, (although my wife says I act like a child sometimes).

Most importantly, it would probably be more helpful to learn more about the two of yours likes and dislikes.

Freedom class ships are great, laid out well (they actually have a few things that I wish the Celebrity S class ships had), but are (IMO) a bit more crowded/busy, more activities, etc vs Celebrities laid back/refined atmosphere. So it would probably boil down to what type of people you are.

I've only been on 1 Celebrity cruise (Equinox), but that 1 cruise was enough to convert my wife and I to Celebrity cruisers from now on.

My answer is to let her do what she want to do. We took our 10 year old granddaughter on an AK cruise and picked Princess because of its kids club. She took one look at the club activities and pronounced them stupid and childish. She was there to see AK and not to play games inside with other kids.

 

Now that is one brainy kid.

 

DON

Best answer yet.

Remember, it's her vacation also. I would in no way "encourage" her. The most I would do is suggest it and let her decide on her own.

Our daughter has been on a few as well and has always much preferred spending time and making memories with mom and dad than hanging out with others she'll probably never meet again.

Tough call. Least amount of motion would be on the lowest deck at midship (+/-). Of course there's no sun there.

The further you get from that location, the more motion you'l most likely feel.