cbostic817

Just got off Freedom of the Seas. Even though we checked the parking price on Port Miami's website as well as Royals FAQ, we were surprised to see $35 a night parking price to get away fora weekend cruise. ( We thought it was 25 to 28 ) Oh..  And don't get there late as Royal terminal fills up fast. You will end up half way down the port in Terminal D ( Overflow parking 22 a day ) and, have to wait for a shuttle to get back. Just making sure you know. 

55 minutes ago, cruisestitch said:

Cruise Compass? 

Sorry…I have read it. It’s not called a Cruise Compass.  It’s actually called “Celebrity Today.” It’s the daily events document they put on your bed. 

28 minutes ago, 39august said:

So how was the service, food, etc?

The food in the main dining room was not to my taste this cruise. Not bad, just not me. The Ocean Cafe was way better. The service was excellent. A cash tip goes a long way at many bars. Oddly enough I was really liking the all access tour. That is always very interesting to me. This cruise appeared to be at capacity as the pool area was very crowded, but isn’t it always?

I literally just got off the Equinox. Here are some pictures. ( Not many ) Did the all access tour as well. Finally saw the lady that folds all those towels you see in the public bathrooms. I uploaded the cruise Compass or whatever it's called for anyone interested. 

Celebrity Equinox Dec 24th Events.pdf

Margaritaville math question here. If two “Hero’s” sail under the Hero's sail free plan, on the cheapest date, is it cheaper than the $99 dollars fare. One the surface it would appear to be, but when I do the reservations it appears to come out about the same. Is this true, or is my math off?

I thought they had a "Toptional" area on one of the upper decks. ( Tops Optional ) 

Has anyone here booked this? And what is the deposit?

This is my second time on NCL. Does the internet every go on sale? Seems a bit pricey for a 7 day. We leave on Nov 18th.

Has Anyone figured out how often Voom goes on sale and WHEN?  I caught it once reading this forum but have been unsuccessful since. I am Diamond plus and am aware of the C&A discount as well as the day 2 formula,  but that last sale a caught was even better than that. Anybody out there in Cruise Critic land have an idea?

Thanks for the information!!

Yeah... I just noticed that. The tab is still on the cell phone version. However it just shows 50% off promo. So there is no kids sail free at this time despite the current promo. 

"For reservations and information, contact us today. Hurry, offer valid June 3-30, 2019." 

Today is the 27th of June 2019

Perhaps the take away is to not wait till the last minute  LOL. Ill remember that for next time.

Thank you. I see it! Too bad its not that easy to find on their website. Anyway..Thanks again my friend.

How do you easily search just for the" kids sail free" cruise dates without having to look at every single sailing on Royal Caribbean?

Man.. I am glad this topic came up. I have definitely been paying too much. 

I'm trying to not let this destroy my faith in the integrity of the Snake Oil Salesman Community! Does this mean you have to give your cruise points back? ;):D

NOPE!! LOL. Earned free and clear...LOL

Hey everyone. Carl from Florida here. A buddy of mine ( Wifes friends husband ) and I will be on this cruise. As I have family in London, Ill naturally get there 3 days before the cruise to do some sightseeing and maybe get some of those big pieces of fish and chips! So Mr TravelingOx, Glen and appleosprey see ya there.

UPDATE: The guy that chartered that ship for that "Free" cruise is now in prison and the company defunct. I felt obligated to post this since I started this thread. Glad I did not spend my money!!!

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2014/03/18/tv-pitchman-kevin-trudeau-sentenced-to-10-years-in-federal-prison-for-bilking.html

Hello all. I took this pic 2 nights ago on the Independence of The Seas. What do ya think? Not bad for a old Samsung Galaxy S4.

I took this last night. Just got off a couple hours ago. Nice ship and cruise! What do you think??

You have another subscriber. Cant wait to hear your up to the minute review!

The fist pic is what you get in your mail box.

The second is what it opens to.

The third pic is the back with fine print.

My wife insisted this was free, but after reading the post here and doing a simple google search this is no more than very clever marketing. Nowhere on this piece does it say FREE. Very clever indeed. Almost got us.

Yes. But at times seemed to me they were smoking on both sides. They also have a smoking room on the 7th floor but the soft closing door closes so slowly that the smoke gets into the adjacnt Piazza del Doge. By the way..wewere on the Thanksgiving sailing and got off just yesterday.

The Davina - The good and not so good from a newbie point of view.

I have done about 17 Royal Carribean cruises and wanted a change of pace. We chose the Davina. There were three of us. Myself, my wife and 1.2 year old son.

The good

Embarkation while chaotic went relatively smooth. The ship is pure eye candy. It sparkles from end to end. The cabins were beautiful. The Gelatto was tasty. And while they charge for it outside of dinner, they were giving it away free on the day before the cruise ended. The 4-D show was worth the $7 dollar chage, andfelt and was similar to what you would get at Universal studios...Just smaller scale..- Our child sailed FREE which was a nice savings - There is child care for children 3 years and "older". Seemed to us like you could drop your kids off in the morning and pick them up in the evening. They had those children very busy.And those parents had it made.

The show costumes were excellent.The theater was the best I have seen with no columns so you would be hard pressed to find a bad seat. The Michael Jackson show was a good effort. Notably the smooth criminal part with the "lean." The acrobatics in the other shows were standouts along with the times the cast members would come OFF stage into the audience. The photagraphy shop consistantly took great pictures. Arguably, the best I have seen on a ship.

The lunch menu was great at the Calmut buffet. The pizza...The pizza! I have never eaten so much of it in all my days. No premade crust here. All handmade in front of you. The cheeses and different meats were great at the Mediterannian section in the Calmut buffet. They also baked most of their baked goods in that giant pizza oven. I had my first right out the oven fresh croissants. The main dining room was as beautiful as the rest of the ship. Room service was good. We did not wait longer than 25 minutes to get anything we ordered.

The cabin while nice had a plasma TV. You are able to feel the back of the set and find and extra HDMI slot to plug in your computer, tablet or other device. An though I dont thnk they you want you doing that, I was able to plug in and watch a couple movies from my computerat nights end. The soap dispensers in the bathroom were also nice to have. I liked having the balcony door open to get fresh air. My neighbor who was always smoking on his balcony without regard for anyone else. I complained to the front desk. The reception desk was great at handling that problem. ( Did he continue to smoke after the reception desk sent him a nasty gram?....YES...Just not as often. ) The crew was so helpful. Even on the last day..even on the last morning!

The bad

The shows had minimal sets. The Michael Jackson show lookalike mainly danced and lipsynced. The Frank Sinatra show's main singer wore so much mascara and eyeliner, I felt it took away from his otherwise great performance. The bowling should have been free in the sports bar, as that place seemed empty most of the time.

WAY TOO MUCH SMOKING! Damn!! There was alot of it. Especially on deck 14, the main pool area. Just walking from one end to the other to get to the Calmute buffet was ridiculous with all the ciggarette smoke. Still it did not seem to bother the kids playing in the pool areas.

The dinners in the main dining room overall were not impressive. The lobster was cold. So, I ordered another. It too was served cold and neither with butter. Also, way too many people for the staff to handle in the main dining room though they tried. An A for effort.

The rocking of the ship. Perhaps it was the time of year. Perhaps we did not have the best weather. But this ship seemed to rock the majority of the time we were there. Now I don't get sea sick, but even I got that "fun house " feeling at times during this cruise. Cant say I felt that way about many other cruises I have been on.

The tipping system needs work as I do not believe the money goes to the staff that actually helped you. I dont know. They get $1200 a month from what I am told and thats it. -No child care for children 3 years and "under "- Let me be more specific. The program they have is a one hour thing in the morning and another in the afternoon where a parent has to be there. Its not very useful. There are not alot of activities, so you wont miss much during the day. You will have time to babysit your own child. Dont worry..

My overall opinion...and thats all it is...Is that this ship while beautiful is still suffering from growing pains.

Diva or Distaster? Diva! because like most Diva's externally beautiful, but internally needs work.

Would I sail on her again? I say, Maybe, if they change a couple things... My wife says no because of the smoking and child care policies.