erries

Thanks for the advice! Sounds like it would be safe for them to get off the ship and walk around in the port area to shop and look around on their own. I'd love to set them up with a private tour (believe me, that's what I'd be doing if I were going!), but they're not very adventurous travelers on their own. I'll be lucky to convince them to get off the ship at all. I was just curious to know if it was safe and whether there was anything to do around the port area, or whether you guys would recommend a ship excursion.

Thanks again!

I've visited many Florida-based RCCL ports of call (Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Labadee, St. Maarten, etc), but I've never stopped at Roatan. My in-laws will be traveling there on the RCCL Liberty of the Seas on Wednesday, April 5 (departs Galveston on April 2), and I'm trying to get some general information for them.

Where will this ship dock, and what's the port area like? I know some have lots to do while others are mostly just launching points for more interesting areas. Is there anything to do when you first get off the ship? Is it safe to walk around on your own?

As for excursions, my in-laws are in their 60s and are reasonably fit but not interested in physically adventurous activities like snorkeling or zip lining. They would also prefer an excursion through RCCL for security reasons. I looked at the list and saw a number of beach break type excursions, plus a few that do bus tours or the like. Suggestions?

I appreciate your response, since I haven't been there myself and can't offer advice based on my own experience.

How difficult was the entry into the 4X4?

Because of the torrential downpour, our second half of the tour (the grounds) took place in a regular tour bus, not the open-air 4x4. I did see the 4x4 when the first group loaded into it, but I don't remember paying special attention to the steps to get up into it. No one seemed to have a problem, though, and the guides were very attentive and helpful. There were several older folks on our tour, and it didn't seem too strenuous for them.

Day 7 -- at sea

Boo hoo, last day. :( DH and I slept in and got breakfast at the Windjammer, then found the rest of our group at the pool. The in-laws were camped out at the main pool, my parents in the Solarium. I ended up drifting between the two, spending the majority of the day by the main pool but getting in the Solarium pool with my mom several times too. The weather was hot and sunny and perfect today; it was a great last sea day to just relax, lay out, read and swim.

DH and my dad went to Izumi for lunch and loved it. They’re both sushi lovers and said the sushi was really good. They also got sake, and between that and the bucket of beer they had already been drinking before lunch, they were feeling pretty good. :D I wanted to go to Park Café, but my mom wanted to go to the Windjammer, so we compromised; we swung by Park Café so I could get a panini and made-to-order salad (so good!), and I just took it into the Windjammer and ate there with her.

In the evening we went back to the room a little earlier than normal so we could pack and leave our luggage outside our door when we left for dinner. For dessert in the MDR I had the key lime pie, which some here have said has gone downhill…but I thought it was delicious. There wasn’t a whole lot going on this evening, and my parents and father-in-law turned in soon after dinner. DH and his mom and I spent our last waking hours wandering the ship and stopping into places we hadn’t spent much time yet -- Viking Crown Lounge (normally a favorite, but the music was too sleep-inducing), the jazz club (also sleepy music), and Blaze. This was hilarious -- we went into Blaze to see what was going on, and as soon as our eyes adjusted, we saw that we were almost literally the only people there. There was one guy at the bar and one woman dancing by herself on the dance floor. The DJ was blasting club music at full volume as if a crazy rave were happening -- but it was deserted. Oh well, A for effort!

Disembarkation

DH and I packed our last-minute stuff then left it in the room while we ran down to Park Café to get a quick breakfast. I had one of their McDonald’s-like breakfast sandwiches, which was okay but not great. We met up with the parents back at the room and started to head for our departure lounge, which I think was Dazzles for Platinum members. But DH noticed the electronic board while we were waiting for an elevator and saw that they were already calling our number; they must’ve been running early. So we just headed down to the Promenade and disembarked without having to wait at all.

The rest of the process was the usual drudgery: a lot of waiting around in the terminal building. We found our luggage quickly but waited a while to get through customs. We had arranged for private transportation to take us to the airport, and DH got in touch with the driver when we were through customs. He found us quickly and loaded us up.

We did something different this time: we found it was cheaper (even including the private transportation) to fly one-way into FLL and then one-way out of PBI in West Palm Beach. We had never been to that airport before, and oh my GOSH, it was so much easier and less stressful! We’re used to the chaos of FLL on departure day -- crazy long lines to check in, drop off luggage, and of course get through security. This was the polar opposite, and we were through everything, security included, in a flash. Don’t forget to check PBI when you’re booking flights.

Departing thoughts

Despite the few bumps in the road we had, this was a great cruise. I’m glad we finally convinced my parents to try cruising, and they had such a good time. In the weeks since, they’ve already started talking about their “next” one as if it’s a certainty. Mission accomplished!

A few notes on being Platinum I forgot to mention earlier: First, we did attend the Top Tier event, though I can’t remember which day it was. Of course I couldn’t take advantage of the free drinks, but it was alright. It was in the Amber Theater, and there was a short introduction by Ken Rush, followed by a brief address from the captain, followed by a song-and-dance number that included a medley of older songs I didn’t really know. (I recognized some of the same performers from Chicago and Blue Planet.) It wasn’t a bad way to kill an hour before dinner, but I don’t know that I’d go again.

Second, we were excited to take advantage of the better coupons offered to us as Platinum members, but then after the first day we promptly forgot all about them! I know it’s our own fault, but I think not having a physical coupon book in the room as a reminder made it an “out of sight, out of mind” type thing. On disembarkation morning when we got breakfast at Park Café, I tried to use the BOGO specialty coffee coupon to get cappuccinos for myself and my dad. After I ordered, one guy started making the drinks while another rang me out and swiped my card. Lo and behold -- no coupon. What? I explained that I was Platinum and hadn’t used any of my coupons all week, but he insisted that nothing was showing up, no discounts available. By the time the second guy had finished the drinks, we still hadn’t resolved it, so they finally gave up and just gave me the drinks for free. Later I found out that DH had tried to use a coupon for BOGO beer or something earlier in the week and was met with the same response. We never did find out what the deal was with this.

One of the main things that struck me after I got home from this cruise was how fast it seemed to go by. Maybe because we had skipped a year and had been looking forward to this for two long years; maybe because my parents were with us, and we did things a little differently to accommodate them. Or let’s face it: maybe because I’m pregnant and couldn’t drink. :rolleyes: Normally we spend quite a bit of time watching karaoke at the On Air Club, people-watching in the Promenade at the English pub, and grabbing pizza at Sorrento’s. This time I never set foot in the first two establishments at all and only got a single slice of pizza from Sorrento’s, on embarkation day. Also we normally go to the belly flop and sexy men competitions and spend some time watching the Flowriders, but due to the bad weather the first half of the trip, we ignored all that and spent our precious sunny moments parked by the pool. And I told myself I was finally going to get around to two of the free food venues I hadn’t tried on previous Oasis-class cruises -- the donut shop and the hot dog stand at the Boardwalk -- and never made it to either of those either. It just seemed like there weren’t as many days as there should’ve been; I only got to go to most of the free venues for breakfast and lunch once each, and we never set foot in the Schooner Bar, Vintages, the Champagne Bar, the fitness center, the spa, or any number of other places we normally frequent or at least visit once or twice. I don’t know how the week got away from me so quickly, but I feel like there was a LOT I didn’t have time to do.

This is all I can think to include right now, but I’ll come back and add more if I think of anything important (or if by some miracle I ever get my pictures sorted and ready to post). If you have any questions about anything, please feel free to ask. I wanted to write this review to “give back” to CC a little after asking literally hundreds of questions over the years and following dozens of other reviews. Hope you enjoyed it!

Day 6 -- Cozumel

We ate breakfast this morning at Johnny Rockets, which was virtually deserted when we arrived but packed by the time we left. The food was decent but nothing spectacular; I was mildly disappointed in my pancakes. Our MDR waitress had been trying all week to get us to come to Johnny Rockets for breakfast, because that’s where she works in the mornings…and wouldn’t you know, today was her day off. :rolleyes:

We disembarked and made our way through the port shopping area to the taxi line. Our destination: Nachi Cocom, an all-inclusive private beach limited to 100 people per day. DH and the in-laws and I had been there once before, and we loved that it’s quiet and relaxing and not crowded no matter how many ships are in port. Taxi service from the International Pier for six people was $32 one way. Below is an excerpt from a review I did on the Cozumel board:

The food at Nachi was excellent, Manuel kept the drinks coming, the weather was nice, and the beach and resort facilities were clean. The chairs by the pool were fine, but the chairs under our palapa were really hard and uncomfortable. Staff members were walking around offering floating mats for an extra fee, and although we didn't rent any, I kind of wish we would've, just to put them on our chairs to sit on.

My husband snorkeled right off the beach and saw several kinds of tropical fish, a stingray and the legs or tail of a crab or lobster or something peeking out from under a rock/reef formation. Everyone on here always says there's no good snorkeling right off the beach, and I'm sure the paid excursion is much better, but both times we've been to Nachi Cocom, we've found that same small reef area and seen some pretty cool stuff. If you're taking snorkeling gear on your cruise anyway, bring it to Nachi and see what you can find. I heard a kid who had rented gear there say it was $8 for the day.

As for the food, I got the guacamole for an appetizer, my dad got wings, and everyone else got nachos. Everything was excellent, though my dad thought it was weird that they brought plain wings and buffalo sauce in a bottle that you had to put on yourself. I can't remember what all six of us got for lunch, but I got the mixed (chicken and beef) fajitas, which were great. Coconut ice cream for dessert right before we left was the perfect complement to the heavier food. Drinks were also good -- I'm pregnant, so mine were all virgin, but the virgin pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris were tasty. :) My husband started with Dos Equis and Corona and eventually just had Manuel bring him random Mexican beers he'd never tried before, and he liked them all.

The only negative thing to report is that there was a really rowdy group there that day, and they brought two big speakers hooked up to an iPod and blasted country music all morning. It was so loud that another couple asked to be moved farther up the beach and ended up next to us. We were about as far away as you could get and still had to raise our voices to talk; it was impossible to read or just relax. So many people from different palapas were complaining that I finally went over and politely asked if they'd be willing to turn it down a little. They were super friendly and accommodated immediately, so we thought the problem was solved...but after a few songs they turned it back up again. On our way to the covered pavilion area for lunch, we saw a sign posted by the pool with the facility rules, and one of the first on the list stated that Nachi Cocom does not "provide or allow" a wild spring break party atmosphere, and guests could be asked to leave, etc etc. (Obviously I'm paraphrasing.) This situation was definitely nothing as drastic as that, but we decided to try to maybe speak to a manager about the noise level after we finished lunch. But when we got back to our palapa, all was quiet. :cool: There was at least one other ship in port that day that had sailed from New Orleans or somewhere on central time and was leaving way earlier than Allure, so maybe they were from that ship and left after lunch. We didn't see or hear them the rest of the day, and it was blissfully quiet and peaceful -- the Nachi Cocom we signed up for -- the rest of the day.

This evening at dinner, our waitress asked if we were going to Blue Planet. When we said no, she told us all about how it’s her favorite show on the ship, it’s amazing, etc. By the end of her sales pitch, my mom was convinced, so she and I decided to go get in the standby line after dinner, and DH and his mom joined us. (I think my dad wandered off to go smoke a cigar up on the pool deck; my father-in-law probably went to bed!) The standby line ended up not being necessary; by the time we got over there, they were letting everyone in, and there was plenty of seating available. Much like Chicago, I ended up enjoying this way more than I thought I would. The set pieces are pretty incredible, and some of the stunts and illusions they do are really great. (For those who have seen it: I had heard so much about the tree, and yes, that was awesome, but my favorite part was the underwater sequence.) So keep an open mind about Blue Planet, even if it doesn’t sound like it would be your thing.

Do you happen to remember the menu order for the week? Or what the menu was on night 6?

You know, the menu I found here on CC is pretty outdated (from summer 2013, I think), and I'm fairly sure the order was different for our sailing, but unfortunately I didn't take pictures of our menus, so I can't say with 100% certainty. Maybe someone else can chime in and provide an updated list?

I *am* pretty sure, however, that Day 6 (Cozumel) was the "shiitake" menu. That was the night I mentioned I got the pan-seared fillet of sole, and unfortunately it wasn't very good.

The only other one I'm definitely sure about is Day 5 (at sea), the second formal night, which featured the "jasmine" menu. This is when virtually our entire table got the fisherman's plate with the lobster tail.

Day 4 -- Falmouth, Jamaica

We woke this morning to dreary, rainy skies again. DH and I grabbed breakfast from Park Café and ate it out on the (damp) cushioned chairs in Central Park. I had a bagel and a fruit and yogurt parfait, which I’ve been replicating ever since I got home by mixing vanilla yogurt, granola and fresh blueberries. We met up with the rest of our group and disembarked.

After walking around the port area and shopping a little, we split up. My mom and I did a ship excursion to Good Hope Great House plantation, while DH and the other parents hung out at Margaritaville for some drinks (too cold to swim, unfortunately) and got lunch at the jerk chicken place inside the port area. When we got back on the ship, we found them at -- where else? -- the cantilevered hot tub.

The plantation tour was pretty cool. We boarded a tour bus inside the enclosed port area and traveled about 20 minutes to the estate. The drive there was interesting -- we saw a few villages, sugar cane fields, banana trees, bamboo, etc -- and the driver acted as our tour guide, narrating what we were seeing and teaching us some local slang.

Once we got to the plantation, we were divided into two smaller groups -- half went on the tour of the grounds first, and the other half (my mom and I included) went to the house first. Our tour guide told us all about the history of the plantation, and she was able to answer every single question anyone could think of. We walked around outside for a few minutes and got some good pictures of the house itself and the view from the front yard (which was amazing), but while we were inside the house, a storm blew up that included the hardest rain I think I've ever seen. We were glad to be inside and felt bad for the other half of our group, who had left in a covered but open air vehicle.

The rain continued for so long (about 1.5 hours) that it ultimately ended up affecting the remainder of our tour. Our guide had to skip a couple parts she would've normally shown us, and for the second half they loaded us into a shuttle van, where we were dry but unfortunately couldn't see much through the rain-streaked windows. The guide did a great job of describing everything, though, and she and the driver were so rowdy and goofy and cheerful that we were all able to just treat it as a fun adventure instead of being disappointed that it didn't go exactly according to plan.

The tour ends with lunch, but the seating area was outdoors, and it was still raining much too hard to sit out there. So the guides improvised yet again and packed our lunches to go. This process wasn't very well organized, and it took so long that most of us were able to eat while we were standing around waiting instead of trying to eat on the bus on the way back to the port. The jerk chicken and salad were good, but the chicken wasn't nearly as spicy as I expected. They also served bread that was literally the best bread I've ever eaten; it was like the consistency and shape of a regular breadstick, but coated in sugar and deep fried like a funnel cake. I heard one of the guides refer to it as "festival", which I just now Googled and confirmed. It was so amazing that my mom and I begged for another piece!

Overall I was really happy with this experience, and I would recommend it to someone else who's looking for something different to do in Falmouth. It was informative, unique and fun. The weather was unfortunate, but the guides made the best of it, and it's not an excursion I'll soon forget.

As previously mentioned, we got into the late comedy show after dinner by standing in the standby line. We were pretty far back -- I’d say there were at least 15-20 people ahead of us -- and the couple directly in front of us said this was the third show in a row they’d stood in line for. (Maybe they were non-CC people who didn’t know to book ahead…or maybe they were idiots like me who messed up their reservations.) Since there were six of us and it’s such a small venue, I didn’t think we’d get in, but we did! The comedy show was funny, as always.

Day 5 -- at sea

This morning DH and I decided to have breakfast in the MDR. We were seated with four other people, a couple about our age from Canada and a middle-aged couple from India. We chatted with the Canadian couple all through breakfast, and we tried to speak with the Indian couple some, but the wife would only smile and the husband was a little difficult to understand. I did gather that they were in the midst of a month-long vacation to the United States; they had already visited New York, Las Vegas, and Miami. Must be nice! DH and I opted for the buffet because we were anxious to get out to the pool on our first sunny day, but in retrospect, I might’ve ordered off the menu. The Canadian couple’s breakfasts looked awesome; the wife shared some of her chocolate banana bread with me, and it was delicious. The buffet was fine, better than the Windjammer, but since we were taking the time to eat in the MDR anyway, we should’ve just gone ahead and ordered from the menu. Halfway through our meal, my parents showed up; they had seen our sticky note on our door and assumed they could just come join us. I had neglected to explain to them how breakfast works in the MDR, so they weren’t aware that they’d be seated with random people. They seemed uncomfortable when we left (they did order off the menu and were still waiting for their food), but later my mom said she was glad they’d done it and told me all about the interesting people they met at their table.

Today we had sunshine! Glorious sunshine! It seems crazy that our first real hot and sunny Caribbean day wasn’t until Thursday; this was the first day any of us got in the pools. By the time we got up there after breakfast, my in-laws were already there and had enough chairs for the rest of us. They weren’t being chair hogs, I swear -- there were empty chairs all over the place. We were on one of the middle tiers by the main pool, across from the beach pool. Of course it got crowded later in the morning, but I noticed empty chairs here and there all day, especially on the upper deck. And if you have second dinner seating, you can always move to a different spot later in the afternoon when the crowds thin as people leave to get ready for first seating. Anyway, we spent pretty much this whole day laying out, swimming in the pools and hot tubs, etc. DH and my father-in-law split a bucket of beer and refilled it later in the week. We ate at the Windjammer for lunch, and I made myself a HUGE awesome salad -- I think my body was in shock from all the heavy, rich food and just needed something nutritious for a change.

This was the second formal night, and after dinner we went to the Quest. I know the rules, so I won’t say anything about it, but it was fun. It does kind of get to be same old, same old after so many times, but it was great to be there while my parents saw it for the first time. I’ll also take this opportunity to say that I didn’t mind Ken Rush, but I wasn’t blown away by him. I gather that a lot of people here on CC aren’t too impressed with him, and I agree with the statement that he seems to kind of phone in it a little bit, but he’s entertaining enough.

Two more days to go!

Day 3 -- Labadee

I woke up way too early this morning, and when I heard/felt the engine shuddering, I decided to grab my camera and go up to Deck 16 to watch us dock while DH slept. I got up there in time to see the Labadee welcome crew -- a small boat and several jet skis. They were buzzing the ship, flying past us over and over in circles, yelling and waving and blowing whistles. At one point the little boat faced away from us, heading back toward shore, and deployed a big parachute out the back with a giant yellow smiley face on it. Pretty fun to watch, though some people seemed confused; one woman came up to me while I was videotaping and asked what was going on. I said I thought it was just the welcoming committee, and she said, “Oh, whew, so the whistling is a good thing?” I guess out of context, and before the smiley face parachute appeared, all that commotion could make it seem like there was an emergency or something bad happening.

We had room service for breakfast this morning because we wanted to get on the island early and didn’t want to deal with breakfast crowds. Our food arrived at the beginning of the half hour time range we’d specified, and we ate it out on the balcony overlooking Central Park. DH had eggs and bacon and hash browns; I had fruit and cereal. The coffee was fine.

Once ashore we decided to walk to our destination, Columbus Cove. I wanted to ride the tram because I didn’t want to have to walk through the open-air market area, but everyone else was fine with walking instead of waiting around for the tram, so off we went. The walk didn’t take very long -- maybe 15 minutes -- and it was a nice way to show my parents around and to see the changes ourselves since we were last there two years ago. Turns out we didn’t go through the market anyway because we got confused and entered the beach area too soon, at whatever beach comes before Columbus Cove. We walked along a rocky path right by the water to get across to Columbus, totally bypassing the market path.

A worker approached us when we got to Columbus and asked where we’d like our chairs set up. We found a nice area, and he brought over six lounge chairs. DH had shown me a section in the Compass that morning that specifically advised against tipping these men (not sure why), but DH intended to tip him anyway, at least a little bit. But then we realized that none of the six of us had thought to bring any small bills; we only had a couple 20s for souvenirs. DH explained this to the worker and promised to come find him once we broke our 20s, but he just stood there and stared at us silently while we started to set up our towels and unpack our bags. It was super awkward! Eventually he left, looking disgruntled, and DH felt bad, but I don’t know what else we were supposed to do.

Our weather was a bit better today; still mostly cloudy, still not quite as hot as we would’ve liked, but the sun did peek out here and there, and at least there wasn’t any actual steady rain like the day before. The water felt cold at first, but once you got used to it, it was great. We spent the day there, swimming and relaxing and drinking Labadoozies. The picnic lunch was good; hamburgers and hot dogs, “jerk” chicken, rice and beans, lots of different picnic-type salads like pasta salad, three-bean salad (this was delicious), cole slaw, etc. For dessert they had some cakes and brownies, fresh fruit and cookies. On embarkation day my mom discovered her new favorite cookie at Park Café -- cranberry and white chocolate chip -- and they had these too.

We did walk through the open-air market on our way back to the ship, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I remember. The key was to just not make eye contact; we got a few guys calling at us, but when we didn’t respond, they left us alone. We stopped at the artisan market (a building where it’s more regulated) and looked around some, and it was just like browsing any souvenir shop anywhere. If you want to buy trinkets at Labadee, shop here and skip the market stalls.

This day went by so quickly, we never really left the Columbus Cove area to explore anything else. So after the market we took a detour to show my parents Dragon’s Breath Rock, at the end of the zip line, where the water rushing in and out of the rock formation sounds like a dragon breathing. This was something DH and I had loved on our first trip to Labadee in 2008, but I don’t think we’d gone back since. Unfortunately once we got over there, the whole area was gated off and closed. :( I’m not sure why, but that was a little disappointing. Oh well, I guess we’ll just have to take them back someday!

This evening we had the comedy show booked for after dinner, but it didn’t start until 11:30. We got out of dinner a little after 10, and I was looking at the Compass and realized the Love & Marriage game show (one of my favorites) was this night and started at 10:30. I was so aggravated with myself, because I had found old Compasses here on CC and cross checked Love & Marriage, the Quest, etc before we made show reservations. I was wondering how I could’ve missed this; why would I have booked the comedy show for a time when we’d miss Love & Marriage? We decided to make the best of it and go to Love & Marriage until like 11:10 or so. Unfortunately the bingo game that was supposedly wrapping up when we got to the theater went on much, much longer than they anticipated, and by the time they got through all the Love & Marriage opening stuff (choosing couples, getting to know them, etc), it was time for us to leave just as they were beginning to actually ask questions.

The entrance to the comedy club is right across from the theater, so we hopped on over and swiped our cards… and the girl swiping cards said we didn’t have reservations. What? She checked her computer and pulled up our accounts and said that we DID have reservations… for the 7:30 show. :eek: I HAD done it right months ago, I HAD scheduled everything properly -- I just neglected to double check all the dates and times once we actually boarded the ship. We could’ve gone to the comedy show at 7:30, dinner at 8:30, then Love & Marriage at 10:30.

On embarkation day, DH and I had pulled up our schedule on our stateroom TV because we wanted to double check that we had OceanAria booked for that night. While we had it up, I remember saying out loud, “Okay, OceanAria tonight, Chicago tomorrow, comedy Tuesday. Got it!” For whatever reason (pregnancy brain? that’s a thing, right? :o), I had just totally overlooked the time, and then later assumed that all our reservations were for after dinner. We made these show reservations as soon as they were available, and no one had looked at them since. So learn from our mistake: Be 100% sure you know what you booked!

They invited us to get in the miles-long standby line and try our luck at getting in anyway, but I took one look at the length of that line and the size of the venue and knew it was a lost cause. The rest of our group stood there looking around like lost sheep while I pouted for 15 seconds, then we rallied and just went right back into Love & Marriage. We hadn’t even missed the first full round of questions, so we still got to see the vast majority of the show. It was hilarious, as always, and my parents loved it.

If it’s not obvious, I should explain that I was (and always am, on cruises or any other vacation) The Planner, so I felt responsible for everyone having a good time and getting to experience everything to the fullest. I felt bad about the comedy show all evening and the next day, because it’s one of the highlights for us, and I didn’t want my parents to miss it. Even though any of the other five would’ve been perfectly capable of checking their schedules on their stateroom TVs, I felt like it was my fault. Well, spoiler alert: We were able to get in on standby the next night. :D Speaking of which, next up: Jamaica!

Loving your review. Is the Wipeout cafe the only place to get the pretzel dogs? They sound yummy.

As far as I know, yes, Wipeout Cafe is the only place you can find the almighty pretzel dogs. I may or may not have eaten them as "snacks" in between meals on more than one occasion.

Day 2 -- at sea

DH and I had been on five cruises before this, all Eastern or Western Caribbean itineraries, all the third week in May, same as this one. Unfortunately I think I can safely say this was the worst weather we’ve ever had on a cruise. Spoiler alert: our first real, hot Caribbean day was Day 5. :( We woke this morning to clouds, rain, and temps in the 70s. After the horrendous winter we had, it was a slightly disappointing way to start our first sea day, but we made the best of it.

We took my parents to the Windjammer for breakfast late, around 10 or 10:30. Because of the weather or because it was the first day and people still didn’t know their way around to the other venues, the Windjammer was packed. On our last Allure cruise two years ago, it was always a free-for-all, very difficult to find a table when it was crowded. But now they have lines at the entrances, and they give you hand sanitizer and ask how many are in your party, and seat you in an organized way. We never had to wait in this line longer than five minutes the whole week, for breakfast or dinner, early or late, and I much preferred it to wandering around aimlessly trying to find a clean table on our own. The Windjammer was so crowded they were seating people in Izumi, which is where we found ourselves. They had a drink station set up on the sushi bar with water, juice, coffee and tea, which was nice because we didn’t have to carry drinks very far. We took my parents into the Windjammer and gave them a quick rundown of where everything is and how it works, then had a leisurely breakfast. We all thought it was funny that they were playing Oriental music (loudly) in Izumi even though everyone was just eating eggs and cereal. :p

DH and I were feeling mopey about the weather, but my mom, the eternal optimist, declared that she was going to get in her bathing suit anyway and go to the Solarium. That rallied the troops, and all six of us soon found ourselves out there, where we spent most of the day. Mom and I found a pair of lounge chairs under a covered glass section where the rain couldn’t blow in (much), and we read and napped pretty much all day. The other four spent the majority of their time in the cantilevered hot tubs, along with about 5,000 other people. I saw absolutely no one in any of the pools at all this day; even when the rain briefly let up, it was still cloudy and cool, and I’m sure the water was too chilly. I dipped a toe in the Solarium pool once and yelped out loud. (Later in the week, when it got way hotter, that pool felt awesome.)

Side note about cruising while pregnant: Obviously I knew this cruise would be a little different for me than normal -- no zip line or Flowrider or rock wall, etc -- but I didn’t account for how much of a bummer it would be that I couldn’t get into the hot tubs. Especially during those first few days, that’s all anyone else in my group wanted to do, and it was frustrating. I sat a few times along the divider between the two halves of the cantilevered tubs and dangled my feet in, but that wasn’t comfortable for long with nothing to lean my back against. I also didn’t realize how bummed I would be not to be able to drink. I’m not a big drinker normally, and it hasn’t bothered me much to give up wine with dinner, etc, but all those nonstop fruity drinks? Torture! I did have a couple virgin drinks -- a Mango Lava Flow, a Labadoozie and a Wildberry Lava Flow -- and that helped some, but man. First world problems, yadda yadda. :cool:

We had lunch at Wipeout Café, and I introduced my dad to my beloved pretzel dogs. You know, it’s funny, on the first day when we were showing them around, I pointed out the hot dog stand when we were on the Boardwalk and said we’d have to try it because I never did on my first Allure cruise… and then we never made it there all week! My dad and I ate more than our fair share of pretzel dogs, though, and my mom used Wipeout Café as her default go-to place to refill her soda cup when she was on the pool deck.

Speaking of which: None of us got any drink packages except my mom, who got the cheapest soda package. With my dad and I both mooching off it, we definitely got our money’s worth. It was great to fill up the big insulated cup on pool days, and I used it a couple times to grab a Sprite in the casino as we went to dinner. At every single place any of us ever used the card to get a regular glass of soda, the bartender never once actually swiped the card or even looked at the name -- just glanced to verify the Coca Cola symbol stamped on it. So moral compasses aside, just know that it’s extremely easy to share. ;)

This was the first formal night, and we all dressed up for the captain’s toast in the Promenade and then dinner. Dressing up for formal night with late dinner seating felt like a little bit of a waste, especially on the second formal night when there was no extra fanfare like the captain’s reception. We got dressed up and left our staterooms at 8:30, then went back and changed again after dinner two hours later. Of course we could’ve gotten ready earlier, but the main reason we chose late seating was to have more time during the afternoon to extend our day, so we didn’t want to leave the pool or whatever and go get dressed up. Anyway, I digress. I know dress code is a hot topic on CC, so I’ll just say that while I did see a few prom-worthy full-length gowns and tuxes, I didn’t notice anyone in the MDR wearing shorts or flip flops or anything like that. Then again, it wasn’t until the second formal night that it even occurred to me to look around and notice anyone else’s attire; shockingly, what 2,000 total strangers chose to wear to dinner didn’t affect my vacation at all. :rolleyes:

My dad and I went to see Chicago after dinner. Months before, when we were reserving shows online, my dad surprised everyone by declaring that he wanted to see Chicago. No one in my family has ever been a fan of musicals, and my dad hadn’t seen the movie and didn’t know anything about it, but for some reason he really wanted to go. No one else had any interest in going, and while I secretly didn’t either, I wanted my dad to experience everything he wanted to on the cruise, so I reserved tickets for the two of us. And… I’m glad I did! It was awesome! I’ve really hated the handful of musicals I’ve been forced to watch on TV or DVD over the years, but it was different live. The sets and costumes were great, and the actors were phenomenal. It’s a long show (1.5 hours), and I’ll admit I found it difficult to stay 100% awake and alert during some of the slower parts toward the end, but hey, we’d just eaten a heavy meal, and I’m pregnant, so I’m always tired. :o But I do recommend this show if you’re considering it at all.

Next up: Labadee!

Day 1 continued

By the time we were finished with our roast beef sandwiches, we could see people out on their Central Park balconies, so we knew the rooms were open. This was one advantage to being delayed earlier: we didn’t have to lug our bags around the ship while we waited for our rooms to be ready. We had three Central Park balcony rooms; mine and DH’s was next to my parents’ (though it wasn’t connecting), and the in-laws were a few rooms down. My parents’ room had the bed near the balcony; we had ours near the closet. The funny thing is that I entered my parents’ room from the balcony (we had our stateroom attendant remove the barrier) more often than not, so to me both rooms felt equally crowded, because I was always entering by the bed. :rolleyes:

We spent the afternoon taking my parents around to show off all the parts of the ship we’d been talking to them about for two years. They were overwhelmed but excited, and I was pleased to see how quickly they learned their way around. We employed a post-it note system on all three stateroom doors throughout the week; when you get up to go to breakfast or whatever, just put up a note with the time and where you went. This made it easier for us to find each other on the ship without having to wait around and go everywhere together.

We ate dinner in the main dining room every night (late seating), as we always do. I guess I’d like to try specialty dining someday, but after how much we pay for the cruise itself, it’s hard to pass up “free” food. ;) Unfortunately the dining experience this first night didn’t live up to what we had described to my parents; the service was, to be blunt, pretty awful. Our assistant waiter didn’t seem to know what she was doing, so our main waiter was running around like a chicken with her head cut off trying to refill drinks, offer bread, and so on in addition to taking our orders, delivering our food, etc. I think from the time we walked in, it was over an hour until we actually had our meals. Our main waiter seemed nice, but she was clearly overwhelmed and stressed out, and it showed. We found out much later in the week what may have contributed to this: the assistant waiter told us that the assistants rotate every week, so every Sunday she’s working at a new station with a new main waiter. I’m not sure why they do it this way, but we chalked it up to the two of them getting used to each other and the way they both operate, because service the rest of the week was impeccable. We actually ended up really liking them both, especially the main waiter, who was always quick to tell us if we were making a mistake and ordering something that wasn’t that good. I eventually gave up and just ordered whatever she recommended. :D This first night I had the seafood spaghetti.

A note on main dining room dinners in general: I never had a “bad” meal, though by far my least favorite was Day 6, when I had a Caesar salad and the pan-seared fillet of sole. I remember the Caesar salads being fine on previous cruises, but this one tasted strange. The fish was okay but not very flavorful. Other than that, I loved everything I tried: lobster bisque, beef tenderloin, caprese salad, chicken marsala, crab cake, orecchiette pasta, creamed wild mushrooms, fisherman’s plate, and so on. My favorite desserts were the sticky bread and butter pudding (seriously, skip the tiramisu on Italian night and get this!), cherries jubilee, warm chocolate cake and key lime pie. They only offered escargot one night, but every night they had baby scallops in the same butter garlic sauce, and it tasted nearly identical. My dad got that the first night and loved it so much that he ordered it every subsequent night, regardless of whatever else he got. He dipped his bread in the butter garlic sauce after he ate the scallops. We also had a couple picky eaters at our table who got the chicken and/or steak from the non-changing menu multiple times, and they reported that these were good too.

After dinner we went to the aqua show, which was just as awesome as I remember. The ship was rocking a little bit, and I was worried they might cancel, but they didn’t. This show was a great way to say “Welcome to cruising!” to my parents -- they were very impressed with the high dive acts -- but next time I don’t think I’ll schedule anything for the first night. Considering the stress we’d gone through at check-in that morning on top of it just being a long day in general, we were exhausted.

…which made our last snafu of the day into a bigger deal than it would’ve been if we were more rested. :mad: DH and I went back to our stateroom after the aqua show, and it was sweltering in there. We had turned the AC down as cool as it would go, and it was comfortable when we left for dinner several hours earlier. We called maintenance, who said they’d look into it. After about 15-20 minutes, we heard a clicking sound and were able to feel cool air coming out from the vents above the closet. We waited a while longer, but no one came, so we finally called maintenance back. Turns out they don’t need to actually come into your room to fix it, and that clicking sound had been them “flushing” and resetting something. They were monitoring it from their end and confirmed that the temperature was dropping in our room. We had to wonder whether they ever would’ve contacted us if we wouldn’t have called back! So just FYI, if you’re having AC problems, don’t assume that they’ll need to come into your room… and I guess you’ll just have to guess when it’s fixed. :confused: But to their credit, we didn’t have AC problems (or any other stateroom issues) the rest of the week.

I ended up going on a tour to the Good Hope Great House on my recent Allure cruise, and I wrote about it here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1970890

I did end up touring the Good Hope Great House on my recent Allure cruise, and I wrote about it here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1970890

My mom and I did this tour on our recent Allure cruise. We boarded a tour bus inside the enclosed port area at Falmouth and traveled about 20 minutes to the estate. The drive there was interesting -- we saw a few villages, sugar cane fields, banana trees, bamboo, etc -- and the driver acted as our tour guide, narrating what we were seeing and teaching us some local slang.

Once we got to the plantation, we were divided into two smaller groups -- half went on the tour of the grounds first, and the other half (my mom and I included) went to the house first. Our tour guide told us all about the history of the plantation, and she was able to answer every single question anyone could think of. We walked around outside for a few minutes and got some good pictures of the house itself and the view from the front yard (which was amazing), but while we were inside the house, a storm blew up that included the hardest rain I think I've ever seen. We were glad to be inside and felt bad for the other half of our group, who had left in a covered but open air vehicle.

The rain continued for so long (about 1.5 hours) that it ultimately ended up affecting the remainder of our tour. Our guide had to skip a couple parts she would've normally shown us, and for the second half they loaded us into a shuttle van, where we were dry but unfortunately couldn't see much through the rain-streaked windows. The guide did a great job of describing everything, though, and she and the driver were so rowdy and goofy and cheerful that we were all able to just treat it as a fun adventure instead of being disappointed that it didn't go exactly according to plan.

The tour ends with lunch, but the seating area was outdoors, and it was still raining much too hard to sit out there. So the guides improvised yet again and packed our lunches to go. This process wasn't very well organized, and it took so long that most of us were able to eat while we were standing around waiting instead of trying to eat on the bus on the way back to the port. The jerk chicken and salad were good, but the chicken wasn't nearly as spicy as I expected. They also served bread that was literally the best bread I've ever eaten; it was like the consistency and shape of a regular breadstick, but coated in sugar and deep fried like a funnel cake. I heard one of the guides refer to it as "festival", which I just now Googled and confirmed. It was so amazing that my mom and I begged for another piece!

Overall I was really happy with this experience, and I would recommend it to someone else who's looking for something different to do in Falmouth. It was informative, unique and fun. The weather was unfortunate, but the guides made the best of it, and it's not an excursion I'll soon forget.

I was on the Allure last week, and my group of six went to Nachi Cocom when we were docked at Cozumel on the 23rd. Four of us had been before, two years ago. We had a great day! Taxi service from the International Pier for six people was $32 one way. The food at Nachi was excellent, Manuel kept the drinks coming, the weather was nice, and the beach and resort facilities were clean. The chairs by the pool were fine, but the chairs under our palapa were really hard and uncomfortable. Staff members were walking around offering floating mats for an extra fee, and although we didn't rent any, I kind of wish we would've, just to put them on our chairs to sit on.

My husband snorkeled right off the beach and saw several kinds of tropical fish, a stingray and the legs or tail of a crab or lobster or something peeking out from under a rock/reef formation. Everyone on here always says there's no good snorkeling right off the beach, and I'm sure the paid excursion is much better, but both times we've been to Nachi Cocom, we've found that same small reef area and seen some pretty cool stuff. If you're taking snorkeling gear on your cruise anyway, bring it to Nachi and see what you can find. I heard a kid who had rented gear there say it was $8 for the day.

As for the food, I got the guacamole for an appetizer, my dad got wings, and everyone else got nachos. Everything was excellent, though my dad thought it was weird that they brought plain wings and buffalo sauce in a bottle that you had to put on yourself. I can't remember what all six of us got for lunch, but I got the mixed (chicken and beef) fajitas, which were great. Coconut ice cream for dessert right before we left was the perfect complement to the heavier food. Drinks were also good -- I'm pregnant, so mine were all virgin, but the virgin pina coladas and strawberry daiquiris were tasty. :) My husband started with Dos Equis and Corona and eventually just had Manuel bring him random Mexican beers he'd never tried before, and he liked them all.

The only negative thing to report is that there was a really rowdy group there that day, and they brought two big speakers hooked up to an iPod and blasted country music all morning. It was so loud that another couple asked to be moved farther up the beach and ended up next to us. We were about as far away as you could get and still had to raise our voices to talk; it was impossible to read or just relax. So many people from different palapas were complaining that I finally went over and politely asked if they'd be willing to turn it down a little. They were super friendly and accommodated immediately, so we thought the problem was solved...but after a few songs they turned it back up again. On our way to the covered pavilion area for lunch, we saw a sign posted by the pool with the facility rules, and one of the first on the list stated that Nachi Cocom does not "provide or allow" a wild spring break party atmosphere, and guests could be asked to leave, etc etc. (Obviously I'm paraphrasing.) This situation was definitely nothing as drastic as that, but we decided to try to maybe speak to a manager about the noise level after we finished lunch. But when we got back to our palapa, all was quiet. :cool: There was at least one other ship in port that day that had sailed from New Orleans or somewhere on central time and was leaving way earlier than Allure, so maybe they were from that ship and left after lunch. We didn't see or hear them the rest of the day, and it was blissfully quiet and peaceful -- the Nachi Cocom we signed up for -- the rest of the day.

About us

My group consisted of myself and DH (both 31) and both sets of parents (late 50s, early 60s). DH and I and the in-laws live in southwestern Pennsylvania, and my parents live in West Virginia. DH and I had been on five previous cruises, all with Royal, all Eastern or Western Caribbean itineraries, two on Oasis class. My in-laws had been on four altogether, three with us and one on their own, all Royal. My parents, on the other hand, had gone to Myrtle Beach, SC for every single summer vacation since they got married 39 years ago and had never even been to Florida, let alone on a cruise on the biggest ship in the world. I knew it was going to be outside their comfort zone, but they’d heard us talking about it for years and had finally decided to give it a try.

Pre-cruise

We flew out from Pittsburgh on Saturday morning with a layover in Atlanta. We arrived at Fort Lauderdale early afternoon, collected our bags, and caught the hotel shuttle from the airport to the Holiday Inn Express on State Road 84. The location wasn’t the best, but we had waited too long to book the hotel, and there weren’t many choices left in our price range in a better area. It wasn’t dangerous or anything, and the hotel itself was perfectly suitable for a one-night stay, but it was on a busy major road that wasn’t very pedestrian-friendly, and there wasn’t much around there anyway. We got wine for the cruise across the street at a Winn Dixie, and we took the hotel shuttle to Las Olas Blvd. for dinner at a really great Italian place called Caffe Europa. I wrote a little more about the hotel and restaurant here on the Florida board if you’re interested:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2048772

Embarkation

We caught our hotel shuttle’s first run to the port at 10am. Some people were heading for the Carnival Freedom, so we stopped there first and dropped them off, but we were soon on our way into Terminal 18 after dropping off our bags with the attendants at the curb. As we were walking into the terminal, I looked at my watch and said to DH, “Help me remember that it’s 10:30, because I want to time this.” I was thinking of reporting back to you fine people about the breakneck speed with which we would undoubtedly get through and board the ship, especially since we were Platinum for the first time and would have boarding priority.

I should’ve known better. :rolleyes:

Something I should’ve mentioned at the beginning: I’m currently 21 weeks pregnant. When we approached the check-in counter (no line at all for Platinum that early) and got started with registration, the guy handed us the standard health forms (with questions about whether we’d recently been sick or exposed to anything), and he casually asked, “Anybody here pregnant?” This will be our first child, and I’m not going to lie: I’ve really been enjoying the attention. :o I’d like to say I assumed he’d just have an extra form for me or something, but honestly, my reaction was so instantaneous that I didn’t have any time to think about it at all. I cheerfully said, “I am!” and then watched as he froze and eyed me up. “Do you have a note from your doctor?” he asked, and I started to feel nauseous.

So here’s something everyone here should know and shout to the heavens so some poor idiot like me won’t have to go through the same thing I did: If you’re more than 24 weeks pregnant, you can’t go on a Royal Caribbean cruise. If you’re less than 24 weeks, you have to have a “fit to travel” note from your doctor stating how far along you are and confirming that your pregnancy is not high-risk. If you go to Royal’s site and search the FAQs for “pregnant”, it comes right up:

Q: Can I cruise if I am pregnant?

A: Royal Caribbean International cannot accept guests who will have entered their 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during the cruise or cruisetour. A physician's "Fit to Travel" note is required prior to sailing, stating how far along (in weeks) your pregnancy will be at the beginning of the cruise and confirming that you are in good health and not experiencing a high-risk pregnancy. The "Fit to Travel" note should be faxed to the Access Department at 1-954-628-9622. Please contact us at 1-866-592-7225 or at special_needs@rccl.com if you have already booked a cruise or cruisetour and do not meet this requirement.

So it’s clearly stated in the FAQs -- if you search for it specifically. We’ve never come across this policy before in seven years of cruising, and there was no indication at any point during our reservation process that clued us in. I’m not blaming Royal at all -- I just want to be clear that this wasn’t very well advertised. Ultimately it’s entirely my fault for not thinking to research it ahead of time, but like I said, this is my first pregnancy, and it simply didn’t occur to me to seek out their policy about it.

My doctor’s office is not open on Sundays, but it is affiliated with the local hospital, so I started by calling the hospital. I was eventually put in touch with a random nurse (after whom I should name this child, ha ha) in Labor & Delivery who listened as I explained the situation and agreed to try to find a doctor who could access my medical records. I gave her the fax number we’d been given, and she said she’d call me back. During this time all six of us (the other five were checked in, SeaPass cards in hand) were taken to an out-of-the-way corner of the terminal and told to wait there until we got this straightened out.

Long story short, after over an hour of pacing and waiting impatiently, multiple phone calls back and forth with Super Nurse, and a few botched faxes (it didn’t come through clearly enough the first two times), we FINALLY got everything worked out. The staff members who worked with us were ridiculously patient and kind, given that I was practically on the verge of hysterics a few times, and the woman who served as our main point of contact personally escorted us to the front of the line when I finally had my SeaPass card. They had already started boarding, so we didn’t get to take advantage of our Platinum status, but we ended up boarding the ship soon after noon. So it didn’t end up delaying us too much in the grand scheme of things, but man, what a stressful way to start our vacation. It wasn’t until we were seated on benches outside Giovanni’s in Central Park, sipping pina coladas and balancing plates of roast beef sandwiches from Park Café on our laps, that I finally began to fully relax. We were finally on a cruise!

To be continued.

No lockers but it's a private beach, so the only other people there are other guests like you. It's never crowded, and we've never had a problem just leaving our bags under our umbrella.

My family sailed on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas on May 18, and we stayed the previous night in Fort Lauderdale at the Holiday Inn Express on State Road 84. The hotel shuttle picked us up from the airport and made a few stops at nearby hotels before dropping us off at Holiday Inn Express. Our rooms were clean and neat, beds were comfortable, air conditioner and shower were satisfactory, and complementary breakfast the next morning was plentiful and good. There was a shopping plaza across the road that had a Winn Dixie, where we bought wine for the cruise. I think there was a McDonald’s and a Wendy’s there, but not much else within safe walking distance food-wise.

The hotel has an arrangement with a shuttle service called All Star; we used it to get to Las Olas Blvd. on Saturday night and also to take us to the port Sunday morning. There was a schedule for port shuttles when we checked in, and we got the earliest one, which was at 10:00am. Shuttle prices vary depending on number of people and destination; for six of us going to Las Olas, it was $18 one way. We had a snafu on the way back, but it was well handled. My husband called the number on the business card he’d been given and told them specifically where we were (standing on the curb outside the Cheesecake Factory), and they said a van would come get us within 20 minutes. Long story short, the van allegedly drove by and didn’t see us (not sure how!), and when we eventually called again, they sent a second one. We ended up wasting over an hour standing on the curb when we could’ve been doing other things, so I was pretty disgruntled…but then when we got back to the hotel, the shuttle driver apologized for the mishap and didn’t charge us the $18 for the return trip. I don’t remember the price of the ride to the port the next morning, but I believe it was similar to most hotel-port shuttle costs in the area.

Las Olas is great for strolling, shopping, eating and people-watching. We saw several restaurants that looked (and smelled!) good, and a lot of them had outdoor seating. We decided on Caffe Europa, a semi-fancy Italian place with nice décor and amazing food. Our group got everything from chicken parm to pizza to the daily special (a salmon dish), and it was all excellent. Wine, appetizers and dessert (try the gelato) were delicious too. It was a little on the expensive side, but it was a great way to start out our vacation. I would recommend both Holiday Inn Express on State Road 84 and Caffe Europa on Las Olas.

These 2 places are not in the same place. Harbor Shops is about 2 miles from your hotel and Las Olas is about 5 miles from your hotel.

 

The Harbor Shops is a suburban shopping center. It has Ace Hardware, Total Wine, Publix, a consignment shop, a boutique, Payless Shoes, a diet ice cream store, Coco Asian Bistro, and a few eateries/restaurants, mostly chains (Duffy's, Firehouse, Moe's Southwest, Five Guys). Lauderdale Grill there has live music some nights, some good blues bands. Most people like Duffy's, an inexpensive sports bar/grill. There are other restaurants and strip centers in this area that you can walk to once you are there, but it is suburbia, no ambiance.

 

Las Olas is a lovely old street downtown where you feel like you are in Europe. It has boutiques, galleries, bars, and cafes. Some classics that are not chains and not expensive/fancy: Noodles Panini, Big City Tavern, Le Bonne Crepe, Cafe Europa. The main area is about a mile long.

Thank you so much for this feedback: this is exactly the kind of response I was hoping for. Las Olas it is! :D

After two long years, I'm finally boarding the Allure again in three days! This review is so much fun to read; I couldn't be more excited for this cruise. Thanks for sharing!

My group of six is sailing on the Allure this Sunday, and we'll be spending Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale at the Holiday Inn Express on State Road 84. Assuming the hotel shuttle will take us to these areas (or we can get a van-type taxi that'll hold six), I'd like to maybe check out the Harbor Shops or Las Olas Blvd. Our flight lands around 3:00, so we'll be able to make it to the hotel and check in and drop off our stuff and then have the evening to explore. We'll want to get dinner at some point (nothing too fancy or expensive, but something different/local/non-chain would be nice), and we'd also like to hit up a Total Wine or grocery store or somewhere to grab wine for the cruise. Could you guys tell me a little more about the Harbor Shops and Las Olas? Are these areas close to each other? Easily walkable? Assuming nice weather, I'd like to be dropped off somewhere where we can stroll around and window shop and then pick a restaurant that looks good on the spur of the moment, instead of having to plan ahead for a specific place. What would you guys recommend?

I'm on the same cruise and would also be interested in dinner suggestions. We're staying at the Holiday Inn Express on State Road 84 and will be without a vehicle, so at the mercy of cabs or the hotel shuttle.

My group includes six people in three staterooms, so that's six bottles of wine total. As we're physically going through security to board the ship, do we have to carry the bottles in pairs by stateroom, so they can verify it's only two bottles per stateroom? Or can we have all six in one container as long as we're all six going through security together?

No answers for this?

Wow, thanks so much for this heads up! We're leaving on the Allure next weekend (!), and I probably wouldn't have thought to check this. My group of six appreciates it! :D

My group includes six people in three staterooms, so that's six bottles of wine total. As we're physically going through security to board the ship, do we have to carry the bottles in pairs by stateroom, so they can verify it's only two bottles per stateroom? Or can we have all six in one container as long as we're all six going through security together?