bellebud

My 22yo daughter and I want to take my 80yo mom on a cruise within the next 6 months or so, just the 3 of us.  East Coast homeport. 5 - 7 day cruise.

We've all cruised before on a few different lines.  Quality time is the most important thing for this trip.  We probably won't do any ports (my mom needs her walker to walk anywhere, she'd prefer to stay on the ship and relax with us). We're fine with that. 

So my priority is (hopefully) the 3 of us sharing a cabin.  We've done connecting balcony cabins, which are fine, but no where to really hang out.  We've done the 2 bedroom family suites (NCL), which would probably work (give mom the master, daughter and I share the kids bedroom/bathroom).  There's the dining table and living room for us to be together when we're not roaming the ship, but mom gets her privacy, which she wants. 

We've been on Princess, Celebrity, NCL, RCL and Disney.  We pretty much don't care about the line for this trip.  We want a nice cabin, we'll eat and relax, listen to music, and just be together. 

Any suggestions?  

wow!! thank you so much!!!

Looking for a beachfront hotel near Port Canaveral for a few days before our cruise. 2 other families will be joining us for those 2 or 3 days, 1 of the families hoping to get a pet friendly place. All together we'll have 7 kids and 6 adults. Just looking for an easy place w/ food/pool/beach (don't want to have to travel from the hotel if we don't want to).

We'd like to be able to taxi to the Port instead of renting a car.

tia for any suggestions :)

thank you for this review… we're going in late July for a 5 day on the Dream (double dip at Castaway Cay - that's why we booked it).

I want to rent a cabana, but am wondering if we won't use it much. That's what happened on our Labadee stop - had a beautiful cabana, but because we did the zip line and roller coaster they have, we were in it about 1/2 hour total time.

I'm just beginning to research Castaway Cay, so I don't know much about it. We're really looking for beach days, but if they had something really cool like the zip line or roller coaster, we'd do those things. But if it's 'active' activities (bike riding), I don't see us doing that.

not on a cruise, but happened to my dd when she was little and we were staying in Universal. It was a new suit, and it was totally see through after 2 days. I just chalked it up to the chemicals in the pool - I'd rather have a lot of chemicals than a gross pool.

It depends on the Concierge whether they send an email the week before. On the Oasis we didn't get an email so I sent one to the Concierge on the Wednesday before we sailed and asked if the cabana we like was available. I got a reply within an hour that it was available and it was booked for me. I'd think the Concierge could help you with the other things you asked about. Hope this helps.

Nizar Laatiri is currently in the CL on Explorer. We just got off the Explorer on Saturday 6/28, and I have to say that Nizar was one of the best concierges we have had. He was very personable and attentive. We really enjoyed his personality and professionalism.

 

Eric

thank you both! I just got an email from Nizar this afternoon - perfect timing! (or does he read CC???) :p

hope this is ok to post here... you all seem to know/use the concierges enough that you may know.

we're sailing the Explorer in July in the Royal Suite. I booked kind of late, didn't get to reserve anything (I was hoping for a Cabana on Labadee and the zip line, coaster, etc there too). I was told by the booking agent (called RCCL directly) that we'll be able to reserve a cabana through the concierge on board. I'm wondering about the other things on Labadee too.

The agent told me the concierge will be contacting me via email a week or so before the cruise. Should I just wait, or should I email now? Or is it too late and I'm out of luck anyway?

Thanks for any help :)

thank you NJ Johnny :)

We'll be on the Explorer in July, docking in Kings Warf from 8am to 4pm on a Saturday (don't know if that makes a difference).

Myself, dh, dd14 and ds13. So far, not doing a cruise excursion. I think just looking for a nice beach day. Was going to go to horseshoe bay, have been there once for a few hours (from a cruise). Never thought about a day pass at a hotel until I just read it in another post. That might be something we'd like.

What's the nicest hotel we could get a day pass for? Restaurant, maybe pool, nice beach, restrooms, etc.

thank you for the info flowers44 :)

for our July cruise, I'm wanting to book an OTW cabana. We're in a suite, so I could book on Barefoot Beach. BUT, the OTW cabanas on barefoot beach seem to not have steps right into the water, as I believe the OTW cabana's on Nellies beach do.

Can anyone verify that? While my family would rather the more quiet Barefoot Beach, I'd also love the steps right into the water from the cabana.

thank you for sharing your trip. I have to say, your love for your granddaughters really shows, and put a big smile on my face! They're precious, and they're lucky to have you guys as their grandparents. :)

good start... waiting for more :D

and the girls are adorable!

The difference would be that you'd have to walk around the front of the ship to get to the lounge. It that it's a big deal, but you lose some of the convenience.

 

We chose 12512 as opposed to 12012 because we wanted to try the starboard side, didn't know about the lounge door until we were on board.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

ahh, thank you.

OP again... so I assume 12012 (directly across) would also be a great choice? or would 12506 be better?

OP here... thank you all so much! I'm going to try for 12512 when I book. Can't wait for the dates to come out!

The real question is whether you want the perks and "intangibles" of concierge. Since you have experienced it on other lines' date=' you know what to expect.

 

If you want the space but don't care about the concierge perks, consider booking 2 cabins, either connecting or across the hall from each other. You have to book an adult in each cabin, but no one cares who sleeps where. If you can trust the kids, they can share an inside cabin across the hall from your aft balcony cabin at quite a cost savings (on some cruises. Saving will vary by cruise date!) Yes, you'll pay adult fare for the kids, but it usually still works out money-wise.[/quote']

 

as for the perks and intangibles, I guess it depends on what Disney's suite concierge area/services are like. NCL is totally and completely amazing in this area. Princess was nothing to write home about (the room itself was wonderful though). I'd pay for NCL's concierge/suite services, but not Princesses. I guess I should read more trip reports from concierge guests to help decide.

i'm looking to book a summer 2015 cruise on the Fantasy as soon as the dates come out. myself, dh, dd14 and ds12. We've been on a few cruises, the last few ones in concierge suites (3 on NCL and 1 on Princess). We've all become a bit spoiled by staying in concierge suites, and since we spend quite a bit of time in our cabin, really do enjoy them. We love, love, love the Haven on NCL... being able to get away from the crowds for meals, sunning, relaxing, etc.

If I book a 1 bed suite on the Fantasy, does anyone have a recommendation as to which cabin? I'll hopefully have a few choices at least, since I'm checking every day for the dates to open. I like the idea of deck 12 with the lounge right there (I guess).

We've discovered after our last cruise (on Princess), that we love an Aft cabin too. I see on the Fantasy, if we do Aft, it will be a regular cabin, which is really fine, if the balcony is nice. But then I'm thinking, on our Princess cruise, it was Alaska, so we lived on our balcony. Cruising the caribbean in the summer, i don't know how much we'll use the Aft balcony, if it's worth the smaller cabin and not being concierge.

Any thoughts are appreciated :)

another question... (I asked this in it's own thread, but no one's answered)...

On the Gem, my family enjoyed the Great Outdoors to sit and eat and watch the wake of the ship. Is there anywhere to sit and relax on the aft?

The shows - Rock of Ages - NOT FOR CHILDREN! Everyone onboard was pretty much in total agreement on this one - not appropriate for children. EXTREMELY mature subject matter and language including the "f word" (3 times by my count) and other words like sh*t, a**, and simulated sex acts onstage.

 

can you be more specific as to the simulated sex acts? I know this is a family friendly board, so be vague, but specific if you can :rolleyes:

 

I'm trying to decide if I can take my very mature 13yo dd to see it. The curse words don't bother us, drugs/drinking wouldn't bother us. Making out would be ok if it doesn't go on and on - what else is there? tia! And thanks for your review! I'm loving it!

are those deck 14 cabins sold as 'balcony' cabins???

thank you so much for your review and pictures/videos. We're taking our first Alaskan cruise in July (on the diamond) and have an aft suite booked. Your review has given me such a good idea of what to expect.

And I like the pics of the empty rooms. Really lets the beauty and detail show.

thanks again!!!:)

Wow Don! That was a great tr!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share it.

I stumbled on this thread, had no interest in the Epic, but your wonderful attitude, style of writing and pics got me hooked! Like a book I couldn't put down. :)