jakeil7

1 hour ago, mafig said:

 

My understanding is that it's just one elevator bank to get to the Crown Loft Suites on Symphony.

 

The aft elevators will take you to the CLS as previously mentioned. However, you can take the forward elevators, cross the pool deck and then go up a short flight of stairs (the piano stairs as I recall) to get to the Crown as well. 

13 hours ago, Cigar King said:

Will do.  So far I'm just trying to figure what is different.  For example, their included internet is 300 minutes per person.  That's pretty lame considering what they charge for these rooms.

It will vary per ship, but on our trip the internet was useless. 

Please let us know about your experience after the cruise. I’ve done both (Symphony CLS and Haven front suite on the Breakaway) and want to hear what others think.  Our conclusion:  Haven is better suite area, Symphony is the better overall ship

PS. I ended up liking the fixed menu.  They did a few things, but they did them VERY well. 

2 hours ago, cruiselvr04 said:

If we fly into Miami, we stay at a airport hotel and Uber to the pier in the a.m.

 

Post cruise it’s always better to fly out of Miami but you can cab, Uber or get a shuttle back to FFL too.

This is my typical plan as well. Typically, when you factor in the costs, it six/half-a-dozen. MIA is just easier from gate to hotel to port IMHO

50 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

Thanks for your suggestion but United First Class did have the lay flat seats in a private cubicle - still no sleep for me. We have Delta Comfort Plus seats (for the extra leg room) for our upcoming flight to Vancouver, so I plan to carry on my neck pillow just in case!

Oof. Sorry to hear that. I always had luck with the lie flats when the flight was long enough. 

49 minutes ago, SilkySal said:

On another note, I had never flown first class until last September, when we flew to Vancouver, cruised Hawaii, and flew back to Indiana from Honolulu. This had been on my bucket list for awhile but, I must say, I was not impressed. I have never been able to sleep on a plane and, for me, this was no different. Watched a movie until I felt sleepy, turned it off, tried to get some sleep but the sheep never arrived. No sleep, nada! My DH, DB and his wife were all sleeping like well-fed babies! Never again will I splurge for first class but I will definitely upgrade to comfort plus or business class for the extra leg room! DH says I can't sleep on a plane cause I'm too nosy! He's probably right but I would never admit it to him!

I will note that if you ever get the chance to do it on an international route you should try it (or even business). You will be much more likely to sleep on a lie flat seat. That said…the only time I have done that is with FF miles 😛. It is not worth the extra cash. 

6 hours ago, island lady said:

 

LOL...always someone out there trying to sell you something you don't need.  😄 😄 

Yup!  Especially RCCL 😝

2 hours ago, Thomo7 said:

Hi,

Wondering if anyone knows if Satellite phones are allowed on the RC cruises around Australia and New Zealand (or anywhere else really)? I have one already, I just activate it when I need it.

Hoping to avoid internet while cruising and just need to call or receive a call every now and then.  Thanks, JT

That would be my third choice behind using WiFi calling and the onboard cell tower. But I don’t know the specifics about the ship you are on and the costs on your satellite plan. 

You should be able to do it.  While you will have plenty of time if things go right, and a little time if things go wrong (i.e., customs is slow to open), you will have major issues if something goes really wrong (ship getting in late, for example). 

20 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

He might reroute the ship!

Alaska sounds like a good destination after LA 😝

3 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

I wouldn't think they would want to effect that sailing too, I would think they would go off as planned.

If things get worse, the Strait of Hormuz might be almost as bad. I am REALLY hoping that is not the case though. 

24 minutes ago, ILCTCRUISER said:

It’s interesting that these balconies seem much more “open” to the public.  Might they have been renovated and windows added?

I’m wondering if they were just adapted to the climate given how much colder it gets there versus most parts of Spain

15 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

Well that sucks.
 

I just went up to look up Machu Pichu urban myths of things that could happen to people who go there.  Instead I clicked on the Urban Dictionary page about Machu Pichu, well that was an eye opener. 😂

Dangit people!  First you have me looking at Silversea cruises and now you have me reading Urban Dictionary!  This thread is sending me down rabbit holes left and right! 🐰 😝

24 minutes ago, fac429 said:

We sailed to Alaska this past summer.  I'm from California, where it's legal.  Boarded our ship in Washington where it is also legal.  Stopped in ports in Alaska and Canada, legal in both cases.  The one place I was NOT allowed to have anything was on the ship.  Was kind of funny, but I played along.  I figure if I can't go a week without gummies then maybe it's time to think about whether I should really be doing them.

The problem is that while you are on this ship you are in the Bahamas (or wherever the ship is flagged). That means it is illegal on the ship.

And we won’t get into the discussion about “shipping” controlled goods across the border even when they are legal in both places. 

3 minutes ago, chfenton said:

Also for those judging, I'm trying to understand the difference between this and the 100's or probably 1000's of people who buy Tramadol, Retinol or any other drug inside the Mexican ports 100 feet from the ship -who are never stopped even though the cruise lines know the next stop is the US where the importation of such without a prescription is illegal?

I am going to attempt a guess here. The difference is that Mexico, the Bahamas, etc. are trusting the cruise lines to deal with their immigration and customs duties to make the cruise more seamless. Violations of this trust might end up with immigration and customs stations at the end of every dock. NO ONE wants that. The US is different since you do go through immigration and customs when you get back 

35 minutes ago, leisuretraveler223 said:

I guess I was look for some real life answers.  I honestly have trouble thinking they're going to actually kick off a couple of unremarkable 50 year-olds for having a pack of gummies in their luggage.  Confiscating seems reasonable, but actually booting us off the ship for a first offense sounds a little draconian.  I get that they CAN do that, but I would like to hear if anyone can attest to that actually happening.

The issue isn’t the harmless 50 year olds. You are traveling outside the United States where the laws are much more conservative. Others have referenced getting kicked off and banned. However, the worst case scenario is getting thrown in jail in a foreign country. Is this probable?  No. Is getting banned probable?  That is a certainty if you are caught. 

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

Ran the numbers for Icon as well, sailing the same week as the Silver Sea cruise, and a GS on Icon is ~$400/day more than Silver Sea😱

But is that just the new factor that afflicts most large cruise lines?  Looking forward to sailing Icon…in about 3 years 😜

13 minutes ago, Rogueperson said:

 

This is such a lynchpin in the itinerary.  If the Red Sea and Suez is closed off, then you either disembark early, and an entire segment is cancelled, or they have to go around the Cape of Good Hope adding significant time to that next leg to get you back to Miami.

Worse, it isn’t just the time. Several of those east med ports won’t be safe to visit. Basically, they will most likely have to redo the entire 3rd (and 4th?) leg. 

But as others have already mentioned that is still a while away and things can change quickly. I’m sure HQ is already putting together their alternate strategies to deal not just with the WC, but all their east med cruises in 2024. We just need to sit back and wait. 

7 minutes ago, Vibe said:

Drama:

Divide Between Ultimate World Cruise Passengers Is Causing Major Drama (msn.com)

 

There is drama unfolding on the nine-month world cruise. (mamamia.com.au)

Hm. That must have been why the Today video interviews said that there was not drama 🤷‍♂️. But pins vs others is not a new thing and SOMEONE was going to complain about drama - that happens on a one week cruise. Not surprised. Also not judging - it could be a way to create views or RCCL giving those who have spent a lot with the company more face time. I’ve seen both and heard as much in these forums and on my trips. 
 

But if this isn’t real (or if it isn’t s just one passenger), there will be some other drama later I’m sure.  The clique-ish nature of humans is one reason I would think very hard about this trip if I ever did have enough money and time to do it.

so I will sit here on this thread and live vicariously through those actually on the trip. Hope you are enjoying your trip!

2 minutes ago, BND said:

There's lots of speculation they won't as it didn't sell out.  That's good for the cruisers, but not the cruise line.  They probably need to rethink the length.

OTOH, this seems to have generated a large amount of publicity. Worth sailing with a half full ship? (Assuming that does not change). Hard to tell.  But I think at least this sailing has been worth it for them. 

1 hour ago, island lady said:

Sooo...decided it would be a good day for laundry.  Sent out very stuffed bag of "boil and fry" and did my usual "beat the clothes against a rock in the stream" hand wash.  😄   

 

 

I was sitting here looking at this picture shocked (shocked, I say!) and thought you were hanging those from the sprinklers. Then I realized that you were using a cruise hack 😛🤦‍♂️

5 minutes ago, island lady said:

To pack back up on the last day...it was raining clothes over the rail.  😉 

I approve of this approach! 🤣

Been there, done that. Unless you have a physical impairment that affects going up and down stairs you will be fine!  At worst, you unpack on the main floor and move stuff up the stairs by hand.  In addition, the 2 story unit feels so much bigger and being able to look out the window from the bed is great (there is a curtain there as well). The only issue is if you are traveling as a unit bigger than a couple but even then you are probably fine. 

Labadee for its laid back vibe as opposed to Coco Cay which is nothing more than a money vaccum for RCL. Yes, I have been to both (on the same cruise, come to think of it!) 

9 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

Yes, you can make it.

 

* Just have a Plan B.

This. Always have a Plan B and understand what changing your flight is going to cost because the airline won’t treat it like a flight delay or cancellation.