vettecruiser1

Very interesting. When I called for the summer months they did not even have the Cat loaded into their system to let me know if they are sold out. But they are in the system for sailing 10-12 months after the drydock. Hopefully they will come available, if not no biggie a balcony is always good.

But after having one of these on the Navigator, these are my new favorite non-suite cabins.

When I was on the phone with C&A today repricing one of my Liberty cruises, I asked about the missing cabins on Deck 7. The agent hemmed and hawed, talked to a supervisor, and came back with no meaningful information. I think it's "interesting" that a year out they're showing very limited availability for E2 cabins, and only on Deck 6.:confused:

 

I asked about the new balconies on Deck 12, but they're not even in inventory yet. I love the idea of the brand new cabins, but unfortunately I don't think my mom and her friend (both well into their 80's) would want to move up there. They chose Deck 7 because they thought they could use the stairs to get to the dining room if need be. Deck 12 is close to the pools and Windjammer, but it would be really inconvenient for all the places the two octogenarians will spend most of their time.

I have been trying to get the Panoramic Oceans views since it was leaked and no go for 2 different times next summer. No one seems to know when the new rooms will be for sale. The price they have going right now is the best I have seen in 6 months. Almost $1000 less for 3 people then it was last week for a balcony. I know on Navigator those Pan Ocean rooms were a couple hundred less then the E3 and had more space and maybe the best view I have ever had on a cruise Worth giving up the balcony to wake up and see exactly what the Captain sees from floor to ceiling.

Anybody have any experience with this restaurant. Price on drinks and food would be great. We used to eat at Buddys on the beach but they have closed since the last time we were there.

Thought about going to flamingos but this place looks pretty neat with the pool in the middle of the courtyard facing the ocean and it looks to be about 2 or 3 blocks from the pier. And anybody who has been to progreso before knows the farther from the pier the better because there will be less vendors.

Just get your tender tickets early. They hand them out at 8:30 down by studio B. I got in line at 7:30 and they started handing them out early. I got ticket 3 and was off the ship around 10:00. The captain is pretty good with getting to Cayman early. I booked with Capt marvin and had plenty of time, with time in the afternoon to do other things.

We noticed if the beaches faces away from the Atlantic seaweed was not bad, but if beach was facing towards the Atlantic it was horrible, like cancan. Also punta cano had seaweed in mounds on the beach. Beaches facing away like seven mile and the inside of Cozumel the beaches wear fine. Also you will notice it on the sail look over rail on any sea day and you will see tons of orange floating seaweed. One day it looked like we were an ice breaker cutting a channel through it.

I have used Lawson's 4 times. They offer many different types of tours. I have taken my parents (in their 70's) and they had a blast! They can accommodate a wheelchair as well. I give them 5/5 stars on all 4 of my tours! Google William Lawson Tours for their email address. You won't be disappointed!

Would love to roughly what price they are charging per person

Swatches are Swiss made and cost less then $100. Swatch also now has some very nice bracelet watches. The ships stop carrying them a few years back but most ports still have the Swatch stores.

I was on last week also. I did self-disembark, left my room at 7:00 and was in my car at 7:22 at Galveston park n cruise. Could not have been easier. As for kids 1000 is nothing. We were also on in March during spring break and there was over 2200 kids that week. Last week seemed like a joy compared to March. Granted I have one of those kids and this trip we had the best weather, flat seas and no rain until a little bit coming back one afternoon then it dried out. As for having one in diapers you have to pay attention to which ships have the H2O zones, those are the only ships in RCCL that allow babies in the water and only in those certain areas. Nothing worse and I have seen it on a cruise ship where everyone loses the pool for an entire day to empty and clean the pool, because someone thought those pool diapers keep in the waste, and now everyone on the pool deck is suffers because of one unfortunate accident.

Arrived at EZ cruise parking at 10:15 am, was at the terminal by 10:30 and on board by 11:00 am. Very smooth process-

 

The majority of the staff was extremely nice, courteous and very friendly. The ship was very Clean, nice and provided a very relaxing atmosphere. The best drinks are made at the pool bar (on deck 11)

The bartenders were beyond helpful and wonderful...they make very strong drinks. I would suggest tipping them early and tbey will take extra good care of you. Those guys get an A+

 

The over all atmosphere of the ship/ cruise was much more laid back and pretty much not much energy on the ship compared to carnival. I have cruised NCL, Royal and Carnival about 4 times each.

 

The Caribbean band played out by the pool every sea day and we're enjoyable to listen to. Room steward was very friendly and did a great job as well. The waiters at dinner were fantastic while the food was average (although the waitstaff were very eager to please and made sure u liked everything or tbey would bring u something else)

The country band was cheesy and would be more what I would expect to see on carnival. Not good at all and I am a big country fan who usually loves any live band.

 

You don't want to miss motown night on the promenade. ..that dude was amazing. 70's night on the promenade was very fun as well.

 

Now only a couple of negatives.

***if u are worried about political correctness, u should stop reading now***

- the ship was over run with Mexicans (people who reside in mexico, not Mexican-Americans)...i would say over 50%. They were rude, loud , obnoxiouos, demanding, rude , obnoxiouos, starting drunken fights with the staff, rude...u get the hint. They would cut in line, step in front of you at any point to get their way, the kids running wild, no discipline...it almost ruined the experience.

I have cruised more than a dozen times and have never seen this.

 

- the only other negative was the lady black jack dealer from the Philippines. She was as rude as they come and acted like she was doing u a favor by allowing u to gamble. After my experience at the casino, I didn't go back.

 

Other than those 2 major negatives, the ship, staff and all other services were fantastic.

Actually per the Capt. when he was greeting people on Monday, their were only 521 Mexican nationals out of the over 4000 on board. Some were a little pushy but this was one of the most calmest cruises I have been on in some time. Not many complaints to be had and actually there seemed to be more teenagers then anybody else that I noticed especially after 11:00pm in the Café.

Just off today 8/2. In the compass it also list dinner room attire as casual (no beach attire or bare feet) every night except the two formal nights. Before when we cruised in March it stated smart casual (no shorts). So it looks like the change is for good. Packing just got easier. Also we docked today at 7:15 and I was in my car out of Galveston at 7:22. Fastest ever to get off.

Do you know what time they started handing out tender tickets?

We were on the same cruise. We booked pretty far in advance so we got the 5:30 dining. The computers were a problem the entire trip. Boarding, leaving the ship, the photos, just about everything. Other than that, we really enjoyed it. At Grand Cayman, we booked an excursion not thru Royal Carribean. We wanted beach time, and there was really nothing that the ship offered. We booked the Westin thru Resort for a day, and it was tremendous. I think the hotels in 7 mile beach don't let the cruise ships unload thousands of tourists all in one day. However, you can get tremendous Cayman beach access thru Resort for a Day and probably other deals, just not thru the ship. The long wait for the people doing Royal Carribean excursions was due to the ship getting to the Cayman port early. They tendered the RC excursions first, but the excursions were not started early, which made the wait very long. For us, the Westin was a cab ride to the beach, so there was no wait for us.

What time did you get to Cayman since you got there early. We are on this route in a couple of weeks and it shows 10:30. I too have reserved a non-cruise trip, so wondering what time did you get off. More time on the island is better since we are getting there late morning. What tips would you give for getting tender as early as possible.

Been twice, once last year not much of a crowd. Then this year during spring break, it was booked beyond capacity based on what the owner said when we checked in. We waited 45 minutes to check in, pay and get a boat ride. They did not run out of food but by the time the last ship got in and those people came over there was no lounge chairs to be had. I want to say we were told there was over 500 people on LFK that day one of the busiest days they could remember but the place is spacious and once we got settled the crowd was very manageable. The only people complaining were the ones from the last ship. Even on the busy day I did not want to leave it is truly paradise.

Interesting rows of chairs and umbrellas between the cabana and the water, I was hopping to have a direct line of sight so my son could go play at the waters edge and I was able to still see him. Does not sound like that is possible right?

Has anyone rented one, if so what was your experience? We are not getting into Cayman until 10:30 so thinking of renting one so we will have a decent spot since we are getting in so late and not have to fight having to find a chair.

Also are the cabanas in a good location are all the other beach chairs crowded around them? I found some photos but they are very old and it is hard to tell how the set up is.

Can you get other drinks besides beer. Do they have a full bar?

I have searched liberty site but can not find any prices, do you mind sharing what the price per person was for this adventure. Also when they contacted you and asked about a private excursion did they mention if they was going to be a different price? I will have a 8 year old and not sure he will want to jump from some of those cliffs, so we might asked them to take us tubing and to lunch and beach.

Im kind of agreeing with getupgo. We are taking our kids on their first cruise in a couple weeks. Last year was OUR first cruise ever. They chose this cruise as they wanted to do the stingrays in Grand Cayman. We arent that cruise experienced and loved it last year and will this year as well, but if for some reason we werent able to make that stop in GC, it would be a huge disappointment for my kids and us as that is the main thing they are looking forward to.

 

Im sure none of you have ever had anything not go your way on all of your cruises? Maybe you didnt post about it and probably it didnt bother you all that much. Some people sail for the ships some people sail for the different ports. This port may have been important for the OP.

 

I realize that weather and conditions are no fault of the ship or crew but its still a disappointment when you cant stop somewhere you've been looking forward to for a year or more.

You better prepare yourself and kids for disappointment. GC is missed due to winds and sea conditions because they can't tender guest ashore safely. Also if you do get to shore, stingray city could be cancelled due to wind and sea condition. I'm about 50% on my cruises for making into GC.

The casino also had a couple of times where their was a special of 2 for 1 or % off certain drinks. It was always in the evening and it was listed in the Compass in very small print.

Also 2 weeks ago on day 3 they had the premium drink package marked down to $99 for the rest of the cruise which was mostly port days but it was a good deal since the increase in price meant you only needed to drink 8 drinks in 4 days to make it work and that was easily done. I don't know if this is offered every week or only when they don't sell enough of the packages.

Was on last week and yes it was enforced after day 1 and the wait staff even tells you on Day 1 no more shorts the rest of the week. With that being said they did allow my 7 year old son and all the kids that I could see on the my family time dinning (level 4) to wear nice shorts to dinner, so the parents did not need to go get them changed. If it was not formal dinner he wore golf shorts and a polo and all was good.

just of navigator, no tender tickets needed or given. First hour there is a mad rush with lines in the stairs to get off. Ship tours get on tenders a t a different part or side of ship depending on when their tour leaves. At about 9:30 or so lines are gone and tender process is smooth, we just walked down and got on one.

Many thanks! Did you actually go out to the boat deck and stand under the boats too?

Most do, there are a few muster stations inside but not many.

Self assist started at 7:30 this past week as we docked almost at straight up 7:00. They have 4 times 7:30-8, 8-8:30 and so on. They do not make annoucement so you have to be in your meeting place to know when to get off as the staff direct you off the ship. If the ships gets in latter these times will change and the ship has been known to come in anywhere from 6:45 all the way to 8:00 depending on the wind conditions and current and if you are late leaving Coz. I signed up for the 7:30 went down to the 4 level of theater at 7:20 and we waited about 5 minutes before being let off. Was off the boat and thru customs in about 40 minutes. In the car and driving by 8:05 since we parked accross the street so we just walked our luggage over to galveston park and cruise.

Thanks for the review and pictures. We're on NOS next year and she seems to be a big neglected when it comes to reviews and pics. Especially since post dry dock.

 

Question...is the sun deck above the panoramic view deck 12 rooms open to the public or was it reserved for suites?

Yes the deck above 12 is open to the public with many sun chairs for all.

Also, we were docked at the International pier last week. Taxi prices have gone up $1 on all trips since last June and it sounds like they are about to go up another $1 in the near future as cabbie thought it had already taken effect when he dropped my family off at Nachi.

great review, we had same feeling about Sabor living in Dallas but so many other Texans loved this place that we may have to try it next month, we did love the Italian place and Izumi and will do both of them at least once.

I too tried sabor last week and if you have ever been to cantina Laredo in Dallas then you will know what to expect in sabor. It is not tex-mex but true authentic Mexican food made with locally grown food. It is now my most favorite place since they took away portifinos. All though the chef in Giovanni's was a chef in portifinos and when I asked for a dish that I remembered from that old menu he actually made and for that he was awarded the coveted WOW card!