MD_Dan

We're booked on Allure in November for a 3-night cruise. I can relay the following information: - All shows (Momma Mia, Blades, Ocean Aria, and Comedy) have two possible shows. - I can only specifically identify the dates/times that I selected: * Momma Mia - Day 1, 8pm * Blades - Day 3, 7pm * Ocean Aria - Day 2, 10pm * Comedy - did not book Now that I've booked, I can't see info for the other shows.

It was not for us. You could send a message but, if it wasn't read (did mets07 say there is no audible alarm when a message arrives?), you don't know if the person got the message! Seriously, it would be better to leave a written message in the cabin and have others write a follow-up message saying they received it! This works better for us. I'm in and out of the hot tub and pool. And I frequently go back to the cabin to change anyway.

I can only tell you that I have, in the last 6 days, checked in (via website) for November cruises on Allure and Odyssey. This does not say the OP is wrong but maybe it is not fleet wide yet!

Yes, I know this is not allowed in any international port. But is there an exception for Coco Cay? I can't find it now, but one of the many Coco Cay videos tells travelers to package up the free mozzarella sticks to take them back home. I sure hope they plan to refrigerate them! If this is allowed, is it OK to bring WJ food to Coco Cay?

Yes, there is sound. And the display is fed from a camera on your side of the ship. So the picture matches the motion of the ship. Anyone who has ever stayed in a balcony would agree. But this is meant as a transition for us inside stateroom folks (which I identify with). You have to crawl before you walk. Walkers don't understand crawlers. But crawlers are not "silly."

We have always (7-8 cruises) stayed in inside staterooms until 2022 when we booked a virtual balcony. It was nice to pretend we had a balcony. But, honestly, we didn't turn in on very often. But even saying that, I'd suggest it for a hidden perk ... The inside stateroom has the beds all the way in the back of the room (perpendicular to the back wall). And the foot of the bed extends into the room. But because balcony rooms are a little wider the bed is parallel to the back wall. It made watching TV in bed much more enjoyable. And it added more space to get around the bed. It must have worked because we booked a ocean-view balcony for our next cruise!

I've cruised out of Port Canaveral several times and ask myself this same question EVERY TIME! I've read many posts here and here is my answer ... It depends on what kind of a person you are. If you want a quiet pre-cruise, stay near Port Canaveral. There are certainly nice places to eat. I don't know what the beaches are like there. Unless you get a Port Canaveral area hotel with a shuttle (some charge more money), you'll have to get an uber/lyft on the cruise morning, We tend to like something to do the evening before. The hotels in Orlando are nearly the same price as Port Canaveral. Again, unless there are shuttles to the hotel (I haven't researched this), you'll need to get from the airport (pre-cruise) but GoPort (et al) will pick you up from those hotels on the morning of the cruise. There's not a lot to do around these hotels so you'd need another two uber/lyfts to get to International Drive (eg) and back. So the answer is not universal.

worldtraveler212, The ideal would have been to let RCL handle it - they have the contact info of who was last in that room. We understand you didn't discover this until you left the ship. And we know you want to see the owner get the ring back. But this is not the most efficient way of doing it. There was no reason not to trust RCL employees. Its a long trip from Virginia back to Florida. And who knows where the owner lives. We were on Symphony 2-3 years ago. A couple in their early twenties were showing off their newly found ladies bracelet. The guy said he found it while snorkeling near the shore. He proudly gave it to his young lady friend. She was beaming with excitement. And all I could think of was the distraught former-owner.

I didn't take BirdTravel's post as negative, So I'm glad you corrected me! I see the reference now. Sorry vjmatty!!

We're wise enough not to fall for that trick! This will be our fourth cruise on Oasis Class ships. Our TA worked the same ocean-view balcony for each the 3-night and 4-night Allure cruise. Please don't hold back on info (on aft balconies). It is all being filed away in my brain for future cruises! And did I mention this cruise gets us to diamond? So what is the discount for future (balcony) cruises? I really appreciate all the info and viewpoints here on cruisecritic! I'm just a little floored by the response, "How can I not help?"

OK, I need to ask a followup question. It looks like the standard oceanview balcony has a chair. Do other rooms come with a lounger on the balcony? If I had a lounger, I wouldn't be considering a hammock!

Charles is probably right about safety. We did the tour about 5-6 years ago. We went out around the point to another cove - out of sight but adjacent to the Labadee beach. Ocean kayaking is always tougher than kayaking on a lake! The locals at the next cove had merchandise and we felt quilted into buying something.

Sorry, Odyssey is the other B2B. We're on Allure with the balcony.

After ten RCL cruises in inside staterooms (one with a virtual balcony), we've booked a balcony on Allure in November. We're looking forward to breakfast on the balcony; sunrise/sunsets; and some quiet times there. But I had a few questions ... 1. I've read online about putting up a hammock. Any advice on this (pro or con)? Are the balcony supports strong enough to hang it? 2. Are the curtains dark enough to not wake me at the crack of dawn? Remember ... We are used to inside staterooms? Or should we just embrace the balcony sunrise and leave the curtains open all night! What do you do? 3. Are headphones suggested or can we play music at a reasonable volume? Any other advice for a balcony newbie? Thanks!!

I'm assuming all six are going to the Port Canaveral. For four, I would definitely rent a car (about $100/day)! But a six passenger car will also be difficult. It looks like Enterprise has a 7 passenger minivan for $180 per day. That's exactly what you'd pay for a shuttle. So I'll revert back to a previous answer. Stay at a property north of MCO that shuttles pick-up from. Rent a car for the Orlando part of the trip but return it on the evening before you cruise (so you don't get charged for an extra day). But on the cruise day, arrange for a shuttle to Port Canaveral. It will save you the hassle of returning a car before your cruise.

Meadowlander, Lets go back to shaking hands! I was just trying to show that it is easy to offend someone. I once said "Holy Cow" and a person of the Hindu faith was offended. She said, "Yes, cows ARE holy!" We agree on so much. I'm sorry again for my choice of words. Lets end this thread as friends!

Meadowlander, Where I come from, anyone who does anything to make them feel "superior" is a bad thing. I don't think this is the goal of ANYBODY dressing formally. You correctly defended an earlier post when someone referenced "trailer park" in defining people who didn't dress to their standards. As a person whose family once lived in a trailer park, I applauded you! THAT was an attack on a particular group of people. But you turn around and refer to a poster's "rich friends." THAT was an attack also. In each case, a point was enhanced by throwing a specific group of people under the bus. See how the nuisances can get a person in trouble? Cost of clothing is not a class thing. There are men's suits that cost less then high-end athletic shoes! In the end, people want to "look good." And that differs from person to person. You correctly called me out on my statement regarding the relationship between photos and and clothing. So I'd like to explain ... IMHO, "Formal Night" is an RCL gimmick to sell photos. People dress formally and get a professional picture. We have NEVER purchased a photo package from RCL. I'd love to know how many have. The photographers have to go! But RCL will keep them as long as there is $$$ to be made!

Meadowlander, We are arguing about a two-letter word! "Dressing up" is a common expression. I imagine you have used this word in your lifetime. The opposite of up is down. But I did retract that choice of wording You have taken my poor choice of words (which I corrected) to imply I'm an elitist "in this specific example". We came to the same conclusion from two very different points of view. Can we agree to shake hands and stop attacking my character?

"Dressing down" was not intended as a slight. Perhaps dressing casual would have been a better choice of words. Its amazing the nuisances people read into words.

Superior is not a word I would use here. Dressing formal is not superior. Certain places required formal dress - wedding, funeral, some religious services. I think any of us have noticed a decline in these social norms. And that's not a bad thing. We, as a society, have the right to determine our social norms. Our parents and grandparents dressed ed to fly on a plane. We don't. And its nothing any of us should be offended by! We live in the present.

First post in this thread. I expect to catch flak on both sides. But this is a viewpoint from the center... I'll begin by saying that I like to dress up for (what I consider) "formal" events. There are social norms. So I understand that viewpoint. But people are on vacation and have the right to dress the way they want. We can give them "the look" for breaking the social norms but cannot interfere with their choices. They are paying passengers just like us. Their dress should not change the feeling we get while dressing nice. We can't dictate our habits to other passengers. I've always viewed Formal Night as a chance to dress up and get pictures taken. I wonder how many people dressed down buy pictures?

Mel, You ask a lot of good questions! Is there a way to preload money on to your onboard account? If you booked through a TA, they can do that. But I don't know of another way. How is the food on the ship? Is a dining plan for the specialty restaurants worth the money? Opinions are mixed but there are so many options its very hard to not enjoy a meal. The menu for the Main Dining Room (MDR) is posted. If there is nothing there that tickles your fancy, head to the Wind Jammer (WJ), Royal's buffet. I'd suggest trying at least one specialty restaurant. Also, is the non-alcoholic beverage package worth buying? We never have! Breakfast comes with coffee; tea; powdered orange drink (think Tang); milk - the only thing a drink package adds is fresh orange juice. Lunch and dinner have the same powdered orange drink; ice deal; powdered lemonade, coffee, and tea. So the real difference is the real juice as compared to the powder stuff. You can bring drinks on the ship (per person, a 6-pack of soda/water and a bottle of wine). As a former soda addict, this was a lot cheaper than their package, Any other tips and tricks I should know? Something we rarely discuss here is that RCL tries to up-sell nearly everything. People begin to think they will go thirsty if they don't get a drink package! The internet package is pricey ($20/day). There is so much to do and see, you won't miss unplugging from the world for a few days. And speaking of tips, there's "tips". They are automatically added to and drink or food you purchase. You will need to tip the wait staff and room attendant. See the suggested tips.

We stayed there and are considering staying there on our next cruise! A clean hotel. Their breakfast was a little pricey but Grandpa's cafe (https://www.grampascafe.com/) had a perfect NY style breakfast on the same block. A Publix was a short walk away. We found that rental car companies don't charge a fee for one-way rentals when you drop off at a major airport. So we dropped the car at FLL and a local bus took me directly to the hotel. The next day, we paid about $10 pp for a hotel shuttle to Port Canaveral. It was perfect! We've stayed at the Wyndham Garden - just north on Federal Highway (Rte 1). And found the highway noise to be a problem. But the Dello was not noisy.

I appreciate the advice and sharing your experiences. On previous cruises, we would meet with the waiter/waitress and head waiter/waitress about the next evening's menu. They were very helpful. DW has kidney disease and a transplant/dialyses is in her future (hopefully not before our November cruise). And I'll be a kidney donor (maybe before the cruise). Its not as bad as pcur's friend.