SpongeAlan

Just did this on 6/29/23 and it was one of the best island visits on a cruise I have ever done.  I was a little concerned that about getting to the resort as early as possible and had no trouble doing that at all.  We got to the resort by 8:45 and paid our $25 each and used the lazy river and the pool.  The beach area was mainly for snorkeling.  We did not have the chance to snorkel, but it looks like it is a very hot spot to do that as there were several boats there, along with those who just walked in from the shore.

We had lunch and drinks at the hut right by the beach.  Used our $10 vouchers so it was pretty low cost at that point.  Food and drinks were excellent.

I was referring to a week of gambling on a cruise. I usually bet $20-$25 per hand as well. I think we agree. 

The 6:5 BJ really sucks, but its not going to stop me on my upcoming cruise. I play so little, maybe once every 2-3 years, the 6:5 vs 3:2 will not effect me greatly.  The difference on $500 BJ wins is $600 vs $750 payouts.  Not enough to keep me away.

If I have a good 1st or 2nd day, i will probably be at the $25 table with the 3:2 anyway. (I hope!)

I have a ton of OBC and I like to play Blackjack.  Usually budget $200-$300 to lose at most.  Will I be able to withdraw ~$300 of the OBC at the casino and use it to play Blackjack?  I will most likely play around 10 hours in total.  If by some crazy chance I win, will I be able to cash all of my winnings in for actual currency?

Why is this so confusing? 

Darn, that ends prior to my May 2020 sailing.

On the Oasis in May and the current price is $59.  Started at $56 a few weeks ago.  I keep hearing about this "Labor Day" or "Black Friday" sale that should be coming.  I really hope for that.  $487 total for the week, may just be too over the top for this luxury.

Let me ask, is anyone else like me...If I do not have the package, I will have a drink in the afternoon by the pool, then a cocktail with dinner.  That's about $26 per day or $182 for the week.  I tend to be very cheap in some ways, lol.  But, if I get the drink package, then I am getting Specialty Coffee in the morning, perhaps another with lunch, or maybe a beer.  Then 4-5 Margaritas or Pina Coladas thru the day at the pool.  Three Gin and Tonics at Dinner, a couple drinks at a show or any other entertainment at night, then if I am playing blackjack it could be another 2 or 3 depending on how long my $$ lasts.   Plus bottled waters thru the day. 

That works out to be the equivalent of about $180 per day.  That's how I justify the very high cost of the plan and get past my cheapness as I feel like I get great value.

Who am I kidding.  i am getting the drink plan eve if it says at the current price.  (Don't tell RCI)   

Finally back into that sweet spot where I can take the kids again "NOT" during the summer.  Got 2 insides on Oasis out of NJ in May 2020 for $1700 each. Never thought I was ever going to be able to get on an Oasis Class ship for anywhere near that.

Now lets see a nice drop in the Drink package and I will be Golden!!

Ugh!  That was not the answer I was hoping to hear.  Carrying 6 bottles of Wine in my backpack onto the ship is not going to be fun.  Oh well.

I was hoping I can get some clarity about the Wine policy.  I was going to bring several bottles on board.  I am completely aware that I will pay $15 for a 750Ml and $30 for a 1.5ML for Corkage.

My question is:  Do I need to bring this wine with me as a carry-on, so they can record how many bottles I have and charge my Account, or can I keep the bottles in a box, and have them put on the ship with the rest of my Luggage?  Not sure how they would count them to charge me this way...

I really want to avoid having to carry 6 bottles of wine around the ship prior to going to my room.

Anyone have any insight on this?

TIA

Did the 5 day and the 9 day.

9 day is the big winner. Felt unsatisfied on the 5.

I am sorry but my searching skills on this site are not too keen, so please bare with me.

Does anyone have the quintessential packing list for all of the items you would need for your cruise?

A list or a link would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Boarding Anthem in less than 3 weeks. Cant' get enough info about the ship. Thanks for posting.

Was the rate $19/day as I've seen in some posts?

That's what we paid.

Do you have current knowledge of parking availability at the pier? I've seen conflicting info of a ramp being close to the RCCL pier bldg, but others saying it may not yet be open. Would appreciate if you have info

I had no issues parking at all. Not sure what you are speaking of. We dropped off passengers and luggage. I drove to the lot, paid and parked. Back to the terminal in less than 5 minutes.

Just curious because I was on the Liberty earlier this month. Was smoked salmon served for breakfast? How was the food?

I happen to love the Smoked Salmon for breakfast. It was on the menu at the Dining room Breakfast. Now as far as the Windjammer, it was only placed out on the buffet one day. However, if you asked, which I did, it was available and they would serve you as much as you needed. Only by request though.

I know in the past it was put out daily. I assume that due to the high cost of this item, they are trying to limit the amount provided.

I was on the 9 day prior to your sailing. Can't wait to relive some of the great times we had by seeing your photos.

Looking forward to them and subscribed!!!

Never had a problem at Cape Liberty New Jersey. Taped a tag on top, some packing tape once around so the bottles will stay in tact.

Always makes it to the room.

We're in this cruise on Sept 19th...SpongeAlan, are there cabs at Horseshoe for returning to the ship?

YES. Many.

I normally feel that the prepaid tips are adequate for the service that I receive. Last week we were on the LOTS and we had a Waiter and assistant waiter that were the best that I have ever had on a cruise. I felt that these guys went out of there way to make Dinner special that I would have felt bad not showing them that I recognized this. The total that I gave was $100 which for the 4 of us, for 9 nights is a pretty small price to pay. I felt great doing it. I know how little these folks make and they have families to support.

Its not a matter of whether you agree or disagree with the extra tipping, if it makes you feel good to something nice to someone who has done everything they can to enhance your trip. Go for it!

A shout out to Darryl and Selven at table 652 on the Liberty. Anyone on that ship would be lucky to have these guys as your servers.

We were on the Liberty last week and we took a cab to Horseshoe Beach. The cost to Horseshoe is approx $40. We had a bunch of us going and it was $7 per person each way. The cab actually takes you to the entrance of the beach area. The bus, which we have taken in the past, drops you on the main road, and then you have about a 10 minute walk downhill to the beach. That's not so bad, the bad part is walking back up the hill after being on the beach for a few hours and the Bermuda sun hitting you all the way up that hill. Been there, done that! Not any more.

Just another option. There are tons of cabs available.

I would say that the break even point on the packages is about 4 drinks. If you plan on having more than that each day, then I say go for it. If you like to go out after dinner and have some drinks at the club or the piano bar, then it would be a no brainer. I was with my kids and I didn't want to over-indulge with them around. Perhaps if me and the wife would have gone alone or with some friends, then the packages would have been the choice.

I also find that drinking fills you up, and I like the food on the cruise, so I didn't want to replace food with alcohol.

The problem is that the line is so transparent in its desire to move everyone towards the packages by charging extremely high prices for individual drinks that they almost make the choice for you if you are a 3 to 4 drink per day person.

Here are some approx. prices that I saw last week.

The Drink of the day was $8.50 or $10.03 with tip.

Craft beers (12oz Bottles) ranged from $6 to $7 or about $8 plus with tip.

House level wine was $8.50 or $10 with tip.

Mixed drinks varied from $10 to $14 with Tip.

We brought 2 bottles of wine on which saves a few bucks.

I find those amounts to be quite high.

 

One question: Who was your cruise director? Luke or Dru?

It was Luke.

He seemed to do a great job.

We just got off the LOTS on Saturday and had one of the best cruises we ever experienced. The ship is in great shape, the service is amazing and in the opinion of our group of 11, the food was good to very good.

I do have a few constructive criticisms that I want to share. Maybe RCCl is watching.

1. There are good programs for the kids under 18, but my 18 year old daughter found there to be very little directly geared toward her age group. She still had a great time, but things for her to do were not as abundant as for the lower age groups.

2. Drinking on the ship. Me and my wife normally will have 2 to 4 drinks per day. We would have not benefited from the drink program. I also know that if I did get one of the drink programs, then I would have been drinking a lot more than I should, and that's not a great idea. I would have made sure I got my monies worth. But as far as the drink prices, I think that $14 for a Pina Colada is extremely high, as well as the cost for most of the drinks with the inclusion of the 18% gratuity. I definitely would have purchased more drinks had the prices been only a little over priced.

3. I think it would be a great idea for RCCL to have an app that would provide you the ability to communicate with others in your group on the ships. We found that we all still carried our phones with us to take pictures. I think that if they could provide the ability on an app through Wifi and allow people to communicate. I wouldn't mind paying a small fee for this. It would have to be much less than the fee for Wifi though. The app could have adds on it for stuff on the ship. They could really create an additional profit center with this.

That's really about it. Every thing else exceeded our expectaions. Can't wait to cruise Royal again.

MDR dress code is dead. Went to MDR on first formal night and looked at the tables around me and saw two tables with people wearing T-shirts, two tables with people wearing no jackets with polo shirts and a few gents with shorts. My first thought was to join in and dress comfortably the rest of my nine day cruise. Wore nice shorts and collared shirts rest of the nights, and on second formal night slacks and collared shirt. It was nice to be comfortable at dinner. Packing will be much different on next cruise. I love the change.