KelJ

If you choose shared, they will divide it among cabin members.  In other words, if there is $100 OBC, it will show up as $50 for passenger one and $50 for passenger two.  If it is individual, it will show up as $100 for either passenger one or passenger two (whoever is doing the redeeming).  If you and your cabin mate are sharing a seapass account, it doesn't matter whether you do shared or individual.  The OBC will just be deducted at the end off of the total balance for both of you.

Are the sandwiches made fresh daily and placed in the plastic gas station containers for freshness, or are the sandwiches premade precruise and delivered onto the ship in the plastic gas station containers and served all week.  If it is the former, I don't have a problem with them.

On 12/23/2018 at 5:26 PM, StrikeEagle said:

Just finished online check-in and I see that we  have 3 separate Setsail passes.   For Liberty of the Seas,  do we still get our Seapass cards at the check-in counter or the Seapass cards will be available in our cabin?

 

Thanks

We were on Liberty last month, and we received our seapass cards at the check-in counter, NOT at our cabin.

16 hours ago, Sstoehr12 said:

Fellow neighbor from Hollidayburg, PA here...   We are heading to the airport Friday to head off for our first cruise on RCL....   we can pick you up on the way through!  

 

And just to make sure with the unlimited drink package I can pick up waters along the way to keep in my cabin and take off the boat, right?    

Small world.  Yes, pick me up on your way!  I always have a bag packed.

With the ultimate drink package, you can get bottles of water at any bar.  Most of the time, I wasn't even asked to show my card.

Have a great trip!

Last month on Liberty in a grand suite, we received little bottles of Gilchrist and Soames shampoo, conditioner, body wash and lotion.  We received all four each day.  My husband loved the body wash, and I liked the lotion.  I never tried the shampoo or conditioner.

2 hours ago, HOSKI said:

Different ships have different still water so there isn't really a choice.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but howdy, neighbor!  Ebensburg, PA, here.  Doesn't this weather make you wish you were on a cruise right now?!

We sailed on the Anthem over Christmas 2017.  It was an eight-night cruise.  There were ten of us (me, my husband, my mom and dad, four of our six grown kids and two of their significant others).  Initially we booked six cabins for twelve people, but a couple months before the cruise one of our sons got a new job and couldn't get time off to go with us, so sadly he and his wife were unable to join us and we canceled their cabin.

Pros:

1.  No decorating (and then undecorating) back home.

2.  No gift buying or wrapping (the cruise was our gift to everyone).

3.  No Christmas grocery shopping and meal preparing.

4.  No snow.

Cons:

1.  Price (it is very expensive to sail over Christmas).

I'd love to sail over Christmas and New Year's!

Just now, bkeller0731 said:

Thanks so much!!  I guess that answers my question about friends hanging by my bungalows!  @KelJ How far away from the bungalow were the non-bracelet wearing people able to hang on the beach? I guess I am just trying to figure out how close all my friends will be able to get.  Maybe I can easily walk back and forth between my bungalows and where all my friends can set up at on the beach? Thanks again for the info! 

Our kids ended up spending most of their time on loungers on the beach between the cabana area and the swim-up bar.  It wasn't terribly far away.  You can hang out with your friends on the beach and in the ocean in front of where the cabanas are.  They just didn't want visitors in or immediately around the cabanas.

You can book it now and then, if the price drops, you can cancel and then re-book it at the lower price.

We had a bungalow at CocoCay in December of 2017, and the area was policed.  Our non-bracelet-wearing adult children were shooed away a few times.  Here is a  portion of my review regarding CocoCay and our bungalow:

The waters were rough today, so it was a rocky tender ride, but we had perfect beach weather. We had pre-booked a bungalow ($195 for up to six people), so tender tickets weren’t required as that is considered a shore excursion which includes priority tenders. Despite the fact that the bungalow holds six, the eight of us who got off the ship were permitted to tender together. When we got off the tender, we walked a short distance and boarded a shuttle that took all of us to the bungalow area where we checked in and were given six bracelets. The bungalow employees were watchful and didn’t hesitate to ask our non-bracelet-wearing kids to leave the bungalow.

The bungalows were great. They had curtains you could leave down or tie back, and most of the day there was a nice breeze. There was U-shaped cushioned seating and a nice table in the bungalow, and we were provided two lounge chairs as well for the beach. We were also provided four big bottles of water (in a cooler with ice) and floating mats. Our bungalow was very close to a restroom and also to a bar. Our previously ordered food was delivered to us. We also could have gone to the buffet as well, had we chosen to. The swim-up bar was lively, and there were a lot of fish, small sharks and a stingray hanging around.

This is from one of my reviews when we had been in La Palma:

All aboard was at 3:30 p.m. There were two people who were late. The captain announced that we would leave as soon as the people arrived or as soon as their stateroom was packed up and their luggage was placed outside on the pier, whichever came first. We (and most everyone else) were watching from our balcony as the first pieces of luggage were placed out on the pier, and we saw a police car rapidly approaching the ship (presumably skipping the security we had to go through halfway back to the ship). The couple exited the car with a bunch of shopping bags in hand and were met with both cheers and jeers from watching passengers, and, luckily for them, the couple was permitted to board.

We went to Sol Y Mar last month.  I personally would not recommend it.  Here is the portion of my review that deals with Roatan and Sol Y Mar:

Roatan. We had breakfast in the Windjammer and then walked around the very small port area. We each had a drink at a little outdoor bar and then walked to our designated excursion meeting area. We had prebooked the Sol Y Mar adults only beach day with a meeting time of 10:45 a.m., which was the latest time of the three choices we were given when we booked. At 11:00 a.m. we set off on about a 10-to-15-minute ride in an air conditioned bus to Sol Y Mar. Though a short ride, we were taken through very dirty, unappealing areas of the island. There were junked cars everywhere. Our guide was Nicole, and she was very friendly and informative and ended up being a babysitter to some. All in a day’s work, I suppose.

I have mixed reviews about this place. When we arrived, Nicole walked us to a section of the beach which was very crowded. There were probably more chairs than loungers on this beach, which I thought was odd, but we found two empty loungers and moved them in such a way that one was under a tree and one was partially in the sun. It was cloudy when we arrived but soon became very sunny… and we got the sunburns to prove it!

Our excursion included unlimited drinks and “snacks.” The only snack was nachos, though they ran out of cheese. There was chicken and/or something else set out there as well, but our package didn’t include those food trays (as evidenced by the color of our bracelet), which was fine with us as we purposely had eaten a big breakfast. There were flies all over the food areas and trash areas. The workers kept the food covered until they were serving it. When the woman wasn’t serving food, she was swinging a towel to chase the flies away. 

The bar was separate from the food area but still very close to our beach area, and the drinks were good and strong (and there were no flies). Bar service was very good.

This is a very rocky/shelly beach. I wished I had worn my water shoes (which I had packed for cave tubing in Belize) because it was extremely uncomfortable to walk in bare feet on the sand and in the ocean. On this particular day, the water never was deeper than three feet, no matter how far out you went, and there were no waves whatsoever. In addition to the rocks and shells, there was a lot of nasty seaweed. 

There were some bar waiters coming around to the loungers, and there were natives just over the dividing line of the beach that were selling bracelets and cutting open coconuts and selling them. There was a guy walking around with a big sloth that you could get pictures with (for a tip) and a guy with a small monkey named Kojak who would sit on people’s heads for pictures (also for a tip). We got a few pictures with the monkey.

At first I was very disappointed in this place overall. Then we got in the water to cool off, and I realized the abundance of beautiful shells. We even found a huge, beautiful conch shell. Once I just sat on the ocean floor in a non-seaweedy spot, I found myself really enjoying digging for shells. In fact, I spent too much time, did not reapply sunscreen, and really paid for it the rest of the week. However, I started to have a better opinion of the place. 

While this section of the beach was supposed to be adults only, there were a few little kids on the beach and in the water, but they were no bother at all. Non-motorized activities were included, but we didn’t use any. Also, probably after we were there an hour, the place really cleared out. At 3:00 p.m. we stumbled back (some more than others) to where the bus had dropped us off. We had to wait a few minutes for some stragglers, and then we were taken back to the pier. Nicole told us that she receives no salary and works for tips only. Thankfully, it seemed that everyone was tipping her as they exited the bus.


 

8 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

 

Ok, well I am sorry i don't understand what happened then.

 

I go to Cozumel regularly from Texas both for land and cruise visits.

 

Since Cozumel stopped observing  daylight savings they are 1 hour AHEAD of Texas in winter,  and the same time in the summer, which is what i thought you said the compass stated.

 

[I enjoyed reading your review as we are going on the Liberty shortly, but I am unable to find it now. I remember you went to Sol y Mar ( which we went to in December) and was going to suggest you copied and added that to the Sol y Mar thread on the Roatan board if you haven’t already, as there are few reviews and  people were asking about the adult-only pass.  unfortunately I cannot find your review anymore, so apologies for posting here.]

I can’t explain any better what happened either. I just know it was frustrating...but we ended up having a great time in Cozumel. 

I noticed as well this afternoon that my review seems to be gone. Host Bob, can you offer any assistance as to why my Liberty review disappeared?

3 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

 

I recall from you review you were sailing from Galveston?

 

Cozumel is on EST Year round since changing a few years back and at present Texas is on CST so YES as the Compass stated “Cozumel is one hour ahead of ship time” (assuming the captain didn’t adjust ship time). If your ticket said 9.45am that would be ship time (I think the rep was mistaken or confused), which would be 10.45 local time. 

 

I am assuming when you say you returned at 10.45am this was the time according to your clock? Were you using a cell phone - as it would appear that something you were using had adjusted to local time?

 

Just a suggestion, because  otherwise your timings and the rep don’t make sense to me and I am wondering why more people weren’t at the meeting point when you originally arrived.

 

Glad it all worked out in the end but if it was a cell phone something to keep in mind for future trips.

Our cell phones adjusted to Cozumel time when we docked and turned off airplane mode. We never changed our watches,  which were ship time. As per the tickets (and the Compass), we went to our meeting point at 9:45 a.m. ship time and, therefore, watch time (which was 8:45 a.m. island time). We returned to the meeting point at 10:45 a.m. ship time and watch time (which was 9:45 a.m. island time). 

We were in Cozumel last month.  The ship stayed on ship time, while Cozumel time was an hour earlier.  Here is a portion of my review related to this topic:

This was the only port where port time was different from ship time, as port time was an hour earlier than ship time.  Today’s compass states, “Cozumel is one hour ahead of ship’s time.  Arrival and departure times, as well as Royal Caribbean shore excursion times, are advertised on ship’s time during your cruise vacation.“

Once off the ship, we found our meeting point (indicated by a sign with the name and tour number of our excursion).  It was now exactly 9:45 a.m. ship time (our meeting time according to the tickets), but no one was there.  Slightly panicked, I went to another representative at a different excursion sign, and the rep told us that the time on the tickets is island time and, therefore, to return in an hour, which would be 10:45 a.m. ship time.  We did return at 10:45 a.m. ship time, and sure enough that was our excursion meeting time.

YMMV.

We used Bernard's Tours and had a great, stress-free time.  Bernard knows the scheduled times of the big planes coming into Maho, and he will curtail the stops on his tours to make sure you experience the planes.  The website is bernardstours.com, and Bernard has garnered rave reviews on Cruise Critic and Trip Adviser.  I haven't read of anyone missing a ship when on one of Bernard's tours.  He offers group tours and private customizable tours.  I recommend that you consider this as an option.

6 minutes ago, pippy32388 said:

Also if you have no shame find a cruise buddy who has a drink package and can slip you some free drinks (not really allowed... but I think most people on this forum has gone to another bar to pick up a drink for a friend at least once). Same as this if you befriend a diamond or higher level buddy they might bring you into the diamond lounge for their free cocktail hour. 

Popping some popcorn for this one... 

3 minutes ago, stevea36 said:

RCI's rules were changed on September 1, 2018 to state that all wine and non-alcoholic beverages are to be in your carry on luggage.  

 

We packed wine in our luggage in January 2019. So did other people. Lots of people had flown in that day. Staff just wants to make sure it isn’t hard liquor. 

5 hours ago, stevea36 said:

2 additional items:

1- any wine or soft drinks that you bring onboard must be in your carry on luggage, not checked luggage

2- I suggest you contact the RCI special needs department regarding your allergies and any other needs.  You can email them at special_needs@rccl.com or call them at 866-592-7225

 

It is not a requirement that your wine and soft drinks be in your carry-on. We often put the wine in our checked luggage. People who fly to the port on sailaway day sometimes don’t have the opportunity, or desire, to remove the wine and carry it on. Also, I don’t like lugging the wine around until the cabins are ready. Sometimes we get called to the naughty room; sometimes we do not. It’s not a big deal. You just open your suitcase in front of them, show them the wine bottles, and then you take the suitcase to your cabin. 

15 minutes ago, resjes said:

Thanks! I am getting an Uber to the port. It says departure is 4 pm and i bought the Key. I have not received a packet yet with info on when to arrive. Will they tell me when the liquor gets delivered so it won't get stolen ? Also i ordered 2 cases of water b/c I am dehydrated a lot of the time so I don't want that stolen as it was like $80 a case. What is the cheapest way to drink alcohol? I don't drink hard alcohol anyway. I emailed them about the allergies.

Your room steward will put the liquor in your cabin. It won’t be sitting out in the hall. You don’t have to be there when it’s delivered. 

2 minutes ago, HodgeNNicole said:

Depends on the nature of your cabin mate. If it is your significant other and they share the same address as you, then link the two of you together and your cabin mate will acquire your status through the relationship. Other than that scenario, your cabin mate will only get whatever benefits they actually qualified for on their own

 

Is this true?? My wife has never cruised Royal before and I am a Diamond.  We live in the same house and have the same last name I can just link her to me and she becomes a Diamond??? Will that work with our 4 year old son as well??

This doesn't sound right??  I hope it is but...

 

It is true. Both your wife and your son will become diamond. Call before you sail. 

There are spring and fall TAs open for booking now. I just booked on Friday for April 2020. 

Conch Fritters across from Hilton. 

1 minute ago, RCCL Fan said:

And what's the rationale for this law?   This menu has like almost every type of alcohol on it.

 

 

Texas alcohols.

22 hours ago, mishelly76 said:

We are doing an Everglades excursion through the cruise ship as our flight leaves later in the day and it seemed a good way to kill some time and see the Everglades. 

 

Has anyone done this? 

 

I'm wondering how the luggage process works?  Do we still put it out the night before and then grab it ourselves and take it to excursion meeting point?  Do we carry off our own luggage? 

22 hours ago, Host Clarea said:

Pending instructions onboard that differ, you would put the luggage out the night before, pick it up after leaving the ship, and take it to the excursion bus.

We did this in November of 2017, and it worked just as Bob has described.  We put our luggage out the night before, collected it when we disembarked, and then we boarded the bus.  The luggage stayed below the bus until we arrived at the airport.  We saw lots of alligators on the airboat ride and had a very enjoyable time.