Crazy4Cruisin225

It’s been happening to me every time I try to log in to RCL or Celebrity website. Every single time the last few months. Then I click “forgot password”, answer my secret question, and change my password to the same exact password. 

Yes. You can book your dining reservations once on board. However you should also be able to book in advance and use your OBC. It should show up in your cruise planner. 

Was on Explorer last week. Was amazed at how good she looks considering her age. I saw no issues whatsoever other than a few spots of worn carpet in the elevator lobbies. Very little rust. She is beautiful inside and out. 

I booked a cruise yesterday on the Brilliance out of San Juan for 1/26. Guarantee Balcony. Just checked the price today with the OBC promo and it is $600 more than it was yesterday without the OBC…

We like the Hilton Marina. Great location by the water, close to the port, nice pool bar. I like to go out early in the morning and watch the ships pull in. 

I have a GTY booked for June and I have nothing. Surprised yours was assigned so soon. I’ve never gotten anything assigned until a few weeks before sailing. 

They had an 80’s party on the Navigator a few months back. Had a 70’s party as well. Wife & I were surprised they were actually doing 80’s and we enjoyed it a lot more cause like the OP said the 70’s party was getting old (aka repetitive). They didn’t dress up as anyone specific, but the girls had the big hair, wigwams, big earrings. Kinda like Olivia Newton John singing “Physical”. The guys were dressed like Mr. Roboto or something like that with the dark shades. They also had a Pac-Man dancing. There were a lot of teens enjoying it with their parents. Promenade was packed. Typical 80’s music but the “big songs” were Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Queen. It was a lot of fun. 

It was quite a few years ago, maybe 2019, but we opened a bottle of wine in our cabin and brought the full glasses and the opened bottle with us to dinner…and the waiter charged us the corkage fee. Now we just leave the bottle in the room. Lesson learned. 

I have TravelPass through Verizon and an unlimited data plan. My plan (an older unlimited plan) adds one freeTravelPass day each month to my “bank” that are each good for a year. I don’t ever use them on the ship but do in port. Also when I go on land based vacations. I’ve never been charged the $10 daily fee because I know how many free days I have in that bank…currently 11. Like others have said it slows down after you use the 2GB, but still fast enough to use Maps, stream music, check email, etc. Just don’t expect to be able to watch movies on Netflix or Hulu with it. 

I was at Coco Cay last week on the Oasis. We were docked with the Enchantment and it wasn’t that crowded at all. I think as long as they keep certain areas capacity controlled by charging a fee (Coco Beach Club, Hideaway Beach, the water park), that people will at least have an option to find a quieter place. 
 

On a side note…I was talking to one of the workers who lives on the island and he told me that they’re planning to build a hotel on the island over where the trailers that the workers live in are located. This could be interesting. Kind of similar to what Margaritaville cruises does, book a 4 day cruise that drops you off at Coco Cay Hotel for a few days, then brings you back when it drops off the next group. I’m picturing bonfires on the beach at night, sunset sailing excursions, etc…. Time will tell if he was right. 

You could try Nachi Cocum. It’s quieter than Mr Sanchos and the beach is nice. Food is good and the drinks keep coming. 

For me & my wife, it depends on the itinerary. We’re going on Oasis in a few weeks. Western Caribbean.  We bought the drink package at $72.99 (just dropped to $67.99 for New Years Sale). We will drink that before dinner most days, no problem. Mimosa or Bloody Mary with breakfast. 4 or 5 pina coladas by the pool (more on a sea day), pre-dinner drink, wine with dinner, a few cocktails late night in casino or Schooner bar. And that doesn’t even include the water, soda, & coffee that we will consume. There will be a day or 2 that Royal will win (Cozumel we are going to Nachi Cocum), but we’ll more than make up for it the other days. Last cruise we broke even by day 3 😉

Now in October, we are going on a 9 night Canada/NE cruise. That one we will not buy the package. We won’t drink nearly as much in a colder climate. No frozen drinks by the pool. We’ll just buy the refreshment package for that one. 

I sailed Enchantment in July. Didn’t like it one bit. I usually sail the larger ships so that could be part of it, but it just seemed too crowded. All the bars and lounges were packed. Windjammer packed. The Solarium was full of kids cause the main pool was closed. We had bad weather the whole week so maybe if the weather was nicer more people would’ve been outside and the indoor lounges would’ve been less crowded. However, and this is just my opinion, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the ship was a floating rust bucket. Rattling and shaking. Cabin was the size of a walk in closet. Won’t be sailing her again. I’ll stick to the larger, more modern ships. 

16 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I don't need no stink'in bumper cars, I drive to the ports in Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando (near, have got to go through), and Houston (near, have got to go through).  That's bumper Car enough for me.

I hear that. Sail out of Bayonne often. 

Was on Enchantment in July to Bermuda. We had crappy weather and were pretty much “locked” inside the ship for most of the cruise as we didn’t have a balcony for the first time in 10 years. Drove to and from the port. Was a 5 day cruise. Got home Thursday afternoon and wife and I both tested positive for COVID Friday morning. Could’ve  gotten it on the ship. Could’ve gotten it in Bermuda. Maybe got it the day before the cruise at work after our pre-cruise tests. Don’t know and it really doesn’t matter. We both had a bad case of the sniffles for a few days and a lot of fatigue. She had it a bit worse and lost her senses of taste and smell for about a week. Still looking forward to Freedom OTS next month!!

On 7/16/2022 at 9:51 PM, slyster said:

Wow!  Thank you for this!  I will head to Cafe Latte-tudes when I wake up!  I’ll check when I board.  

 

Can you tell me what late night snacks they had in the Park Cafe?  

They had the Roast beef sandwich, pizza, some cookies and some cakes. 

9 hours ago, slyster said:

 

Thank you for that.  I see it has cafe latte-tudes, but that is paid coffee right?  I do have a refreshment package.  I'm not sure how early they open though.  

Just off Enchantment a few days ago. Cafe Latte-tudes opened at 6am each day. Late night snacks were in the Park Cafe in the Solarium and it closed at 12:30 each night. This was on the Bermuda 5 night. May be different with a different itinerary. 

Thanks for the info. Sail to Bermuda in 2  weeks. Already applied and paid the $40 each, but was worried I wouldn’t get my approval in time as I won’t be able to take my pre-cruise test until Friday afternoon (day before cruise), cause I’ll be on the road. Now I don’t need to worry about that!

We fly down from NJ to do a quick 4 night cruise every year. No Disney/Universal. We just fly down Sunday, spend a day and night in Miami, then go on the cruise. And we fly back home Friday afternoon. We get the weekend at home instead of rushing straight back to work on Monday morning. 

8 hours ago, dcgrumpy said:

I'd definitley bid for those prices.

 

I'm in an OV Balcony on Harmony in May. My minimums are $250pp for Junior Suite, $700pp for Grand Suite and $1000pp for Owner's Suite. 

I did put in bids for all 3. Figured it was worth a shot and we’ll see what happens. Like I said, if I don’t get upgraded I’m fine with the aft balcony I already have. But I’m hoping that someone really wants my high demand cabin so I can move up. They’re also offering the Royal Suite with a minimum of $250pp but I didn’t bid on that. 

Just got my Royal Up email for Adventure in June (Bermuda 5 night). Currently in an aft balcony on deck 9. I’m fine with my current room and don’t usually try to upgrade through this program, but the minimum bids are pretty reasonable. $60pp for Junior Suite, $80pp for Grand Suite, $125pp for Owners Suite. Definitely gonna have to try for some of these. I know I wouldn’t get the double points for being in a suite, but my wife would kill for a real tub instead of a phone booth shower. Thoughts??

You won’t lose the $795 deposit for the boys room. You’ll most likely lose $300 of it. Just call Royal and tell them that you want to change your sail date to the new one you want to book. Pick the new cruise before you call. The booking number will transfer to the new cruise and the $300 will be added to your balance due. Keep in mind that it won’t be price protected so you’ll be paying the current rate. Check for price drops often. 

Sailed the Freedom a few times before all the upgrades. Can’t really help you with the HVAC question because I’ve never had that problem in her. As far as the burgers at the Windjammer you are going to be disappointed. I was as well after being spoiled by Guy’s on Carnival. Coco Cay has a large pool with a swim up bar. Comedy shows change over time so I can’t help you there other than to say last time I went they were good. They did have the Quest last time I sailed but I did not participate. 
 

However, Freedom is a beautiful ship. I sailed about 13 cruises on Carnival and NCL before boarding her as my first Royal cruise. I was blown away by what I had been missing all those years. For me it was the little things like live reggae music by the pool instead of a DJ. The flow rider, which is free. The unlimited drink package is truly unlimited (not 10 per day). As far as food goes, in my opinion Carnival has better food in the dining room, Royal has a better buffet. There is a Johnny Rockets if you want burgers, but they will cost you. 
 

The main cruise lines are more similar than different so all I can tell you is don’t  go into it comparing to what you’re used to. Just enjoy it and have a great time! 

I would choose Freedom from Miami. In fact, I did for this October. It’s an easier drive from the airport. The port itself is nicer (just something about sailing out of Miami). The ship was just updated with the new pool deck and slides for the kids. Hotels are a bit pricey for the night before, but there are some within walking distance of Bayside Marketplace, where you can go the night before and have a nice dinner and some drinks, and watch the ships leave. If you choose Orlando you can stay near the port and there are good restaurants there too, and I have and will again, but I prefer Miami. 

Just cancelled our Allure cruise for 1/30 and moved it to Oasis 1/29 next year. Not scared of catching COVID cause I know we’d both be fine. However, we have to fly to Florida to catch the ship and I don’t want to be forced to quarantine in my room or locked in some hotel down in Florida, not allowed to fly home, if I test positive on the ship (even if not sick).  Also not a fan of wearing a mask while it’s hot and humid. I’d rather enjoy my vacation without worry. Still plan on going on our Bermuda cruise in June (will drive to Cape Liberty for that) so if this is all still going on at least we can get home. 
 

Again, not worried about cruising…just worried about being able to get home afterward.