loveandcruises

In looking over shore excursion for an upcoming Royal Caribbean cruise, I noticed that I can no longer take part in some because they require a maximum age. When did this become a thing? Who determines that people over a certain age are too old to drive an ATV or snorkel? Is this ageism? Your thoughts?

My husband loves to scuba dive and has done the Certified Scuba Dive shore excursion twice already on CocoCay, which has been the highlight of his visits there. Now, for the second cruise in a row, the Certified Scuba Dive shore excursion in CocoCay is sold out (we booked 4 months before the sail date).

Is there any way around this that you would know of? I already emailed Private Journeys on his behalf, and the person who responded said to email Shore Excursions, which we will ... but he and I are curious to hear any other ideas you would suggest. With 2 large ships in CocoCay at the same time, it's not a surprise that these things sell out.

Thanks!

We are interested in taking the #10 jitney to Goodman's Bay Beach (the same place the Royal Caribbean "beach break" shore excursion goes to). I've read we can take the #10 jitney and it costs $1.25 per person.

1) Where do we get on the Jitney near the port?

2) Do they take US dollars? Exact change?

This question is for my husband, who is a Certified Scuba Diver. We will  be on the Vision of the Seas and will be in Bermuda from 1PM May 13 to 1PM May 14 (odd hours, I know). Can someone please recommend a 2 tank dive near Kings Wharf that will accommodate these hours in port? Thanks.

OK, OK! I got the answer! I have not been on Norwegian for 20 years (before Freestyle) and was simply asking an innocent question about policy, thinking it would be better to ask those who know instead of muddling through the NCL website. I was not trying to break the law, defraud the cruise line or ruffle anyone's feathers.

If I book 2 cabins -- a "Free at Sea" one for my adult daughters who like their cocktails, and a "Sailaway" cabin for me and my husband, who drink occasionally, can my daughters get drinks and give them to us?

9 minutes ago, complawyer said:

after the 1st couple of nights, when you've settled in and found the right time, table etc,talk to the maitre'd . if anyone can arrange what you want, it's probably him. question, i can understand the time and table location, but how will youy know if you want the same waiter on a nightly basis after only the 1st 1 or two nights?

It doesn't matter to me who the waiter is -- we've been on 40 cruises on various lines and we really like and appreciate every waiter we get, and we always end up having a very nice relationship.

I haven't been on a Norwegian cruise for 20 years, before "Freestyle" happened. Because we in our family prefer traditional cruising, is it at all possible to have the same dining time, table and waiter every night in the Main Dining Room? To us, one of the big pleasures of cruising is establishing a relationship with our waiter.

I am considering a cruise on the Spectrum and, from what I have read, they don't recognize Crown and Anchor loyalty status and only suite guests have access to the private lounge. So, is this to say I won't be able to get my free drinks and other perks even though my sea pass card will be marked "Diamond"?

I have been on many Royal Caribbean cruises and have always made reservations for specialty restaurants while onboard so that I could use the vouchers for dinners for 2 that my travel agent offers me. Lately, however, I find that the restaurant that I want to go to (Wonderland, for instance) is fully booked by the time I get onboard due to online reservations. My question is: Is it possible to book and pay for specialty restaurants online and then have the charges removed from my account once I am onboard and show my free voucher?

"Oh, my God, look at the line to pay. You'd think they never saw a T-shirt before."

"Look! The robot is making the drink!"

"There's no room to sit in the Diamond Lounge."

"I'll be on deck 14"

The line for Guest Relations must be 50 people long."

"Of course it's Friday. Just check the floor of the elevator."

"No washy, no foodie. No foodie, no happy. No happy, go homey."

"Don't forget to return the towels or they'll charge your sea pass card."

"We can't see Mama Mia without a reservation."

"I never see the captain/cruise director/hotel director."

"The hairy chest/belly flop/sexy legs competition is at 1."

"Where's Funship Freddy?"

49 minutes ago, hamrag said:

'here are 5 things I've actually said on other cruise lines that would never come out of my mouth on Azamara'.

OK, true, so I've transitioned from what came out of my own personal mouth to things one would never hear on Azamara.

I am loving the hysterical responses others are posting.

"I want to see your team number and 6 ladies' bras!"

DING! "Welcome back." Repeat 4,733 times.

PS Here is a stock photo of the cheese! If Trader Joe's sold this (my USA friends know what I'm talking about) it would fly off the shelves.

As a new "convert" to Azamara, here are 5 things I've actually said on other cruise lines that would never come out of my mouth on Azamara. Please feel free to join in with phrases of your own!

"The elevator is too crowded. Let's take the stairs."

"Oh my gosh, if I see Shrek again ..."

"What is this towel animal supposed to be?"

"How many beer cans are in that pyramid and did he really drink them all?"

"The line for the bumper cars is too long. Let's come back."

Thank you so much, chef!!! You see, this is what Azamara is all about ... you ask a question on Cruise Critic and you get an answer from the Chef!!

And here's a cool fact about the Chef ... One night I was sitting outside the onboard shop that sells perfumes, texting my daughters at home, when Chef Michael walks into the shop, spritzes his wrist and walks out. "Aha!" I exclaimed, "Is that the secret ingredient?" upon which he replied that spritzing perfume on his wrist heightens his sense of smell and helps him cook better! He then insisted on taking a selfie with me and we talked about my  newfound love of Filipino food. Chef Michael rocks!

My daughters will be on vacation in Amsterdam on the 28th; I am going to ask them to look for 3 Peppers Gouda Cheese!

Recently, on the Journey, I had the most gorgeous cheese from the brunch buffet and I can't find it on the internet except in stock photos. It is a spicy multicolored cheese from Holland -- speckled in all colors of the rainbow. Does anyone know what this "rainbow cheese" is called?

My husband has been calling and emailing the divers you mentioned in Dominica but no one responds. Any suggestions? Our cruise is a week from today and he wants to book something.

Hi, I am definitely not new to cruising but I have never had this issue before ...

In past cruises, we have always booked shore excursions while on board the cruise. Then, in the cabin, we would always view on the TV screen our onboard credit and our travel agent bonus, and would see how these amounts would balance the cost of tours.

On the cruise we are going on a month from now, we also have OBC and a nice travel agent bonus. However, we've already booked our shore excursions online through the cruise line's website, and only the cruise line  onboard credit applied. How do I get the TA bonus to apply, as well?

I'm so glad I found this board. On behalf of my husband, who is a fairly new open water diver (he has already dived in Jamaica. Bermuda, St. Maarten, Bonaire, Roatan, Cozumel and Bali), where are the best places for  him to go during our 7 day Azamara cruise Nov. 30 - Dec. 7? One or two ports would be fine. Our ports are:

Barbados

St. Lucia

Dominica

Nevis

St. Barts

It's just for him; not for me -- just give me a beach and I'm fine.

Thank you!

Since there is no set seating time, I want to time our dinners so they don't conflict with the cabaret shows. I see that there is a show at 8:15 and another at 9:45. Is this the same show done twice during the night? Or is there an 8:15 show and a different one following at 9:45?