leighi123

ddloml - thank you, that was the type of information I was looking for.

boaterette - We do have a Celebrity cruise "on our list" of options, but the cost is more and also we'd have to drive a long way to port, we live right by Canaveral so its a lot easier, the dates are better for us too - coordinating 6 peoples schedules here. Also I have no desire to be IN the casino, I was more interested in avoiding it in general for things like the evening shows and general moving about the ship for activities.

hartsnvt - thank you for the map! I couldn't find it before for some reason.

RuthlessBoss and jackson bernard and KPfromCT - I have zero desire to "start a war", I'm asking because it affects my health. I can't just "hold my nose".

The map shows where one is "allowed" to smoke, but that doesn't tell me where one can smell it in surrounding areas (you know, like having a "peeing section" in the pool - doesn't always contain things)

I agree there are other nasty smells - perfume is gross and gives me a headache, but is annoying, not a health hazard (for me)

Smoke gives me asthma attacks, and if severe can stop breathing. So if we end up on this cruise, I need to plan areas I need to avoid and alternate routes around the ship as needed, I do not mind going up or down floors if need be. That was the entire point of my post.

I don't care if other people smoke, that is not my problem and not my business. - my grandma who is coming with us is a smoker herself.

I just cannot be around it at all and wanted to plan accordingly.

My father is planning/paying for the trip so its ultimatly up to him which ship we end up on, but its looking like this is his top choice due to cost and ease.

Go on carnivals website and look at the floor plans. There are numerous ways to get around on the ship without passing through the casino.

I did look, but its very difficult to tell by looking at deck plans how far smoke wafts about. The friend of my dad's who went on the ship isn't allergic to smoke and mentioned it as an issue without us even asking. My dad just asked him what he thought of the ship and he said it was clean, good food, good staff, good activities, but smokey.

I believe the only thing forward of the casino is the Showroom which is on 3 levels. This is such a non issue in my opinion because of options.

The Liberty is such a beautiful ship with many positive features and great itineraries.

The itinerary is one of the reasons we are considering this ship - as well as the timing, and the price (there will be 6 of us going, 5 adults and one kid). Smoke is a BIG issue for me because of my severe allergy (its not a "dislike", its a "I will not be able to breathe" type issues). On Freedom of the Seas it was a big pain in the butt to avoid and even going "around" by going outside, people were always there smoking so was difficult when trying to make it on time to a show or whatever. I will have my grandma so we have to take the elevators instead of the stairs as we usually do too.

Are there any areas that are smokey that I will need to be aware of to avoid? I'd like to figure it out in advance so I don't have to worry about it on board (I'd like to stay healthy so we can have more fun!) :)

1. What is the set up like as far as "screens" (computer/tv/movie)? Are they every place? or in just one area of the room? I ask because my son cannot do screens. Is there a way to avoid screens?

i.e. Disney he was hardly able to go - only when they had a specific activity and I had to drop him off right at the start and collect him right at the end. RCL there was only a couple computers in the corner in his age group room and they never seemed to be on, and they let him play in that room when the other kids watched movies in the younger kid area where the TV was.

2. How are food allergies handled? i.e. I heard they go for trips to the ice cream bar, my son is allergic to dairy. Is it possible for them to grab him an alternative so he can still go along with his friends? Or for me to collect something to leave with them that he can eat when that activity happens?

(he is used to eating something different, so wouldn't mind if he got a fruit cup while everyone else ate ice cream for example).

I'm guessing eating meals with the kids wouldn't be a great idea, because he doesn't eat "kid food" (i.e. the junk they usually have on kids menus), is vegetarian, and has allergies. Unless there is a way to get a meal sent to him for him to eat while the other kids get their food from the kid buffet or whatever it is?

He is super social and will want to be with the other kids as much as possible - and it will be 5 adults + him on our trip, so he will want to have kid time!

We are looking at various cruises for december, and one we are considering is on Liberty.

My dad's friend was on this ship and mentioned that you have to walk through the casino to get to some places, and also some of the smaller shows/entertainment boarder the casino. - So you get the smoke from the casino.

Is this avoidable? I am allergic to smoke, and also will have my sensitive 7yr old with me. I don't mind walking farther if there is a way to avoid it, but I'd also not want to miss the entertainment because of smoke.

Thoughts?

Thanks- we were trying to figure out a good configuration for which rooms to get (6 of us, in probably 3 rooms).

On Liberty, do the windows open for Sea View rooms?

See my pics/notes on our cruise here:

The Little Sewing Shop Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Review Feb 17-21, 2014

I'm a single mom and went on this cruise with my 6yr old son - we had a wonderful time!

See my review and pictures on my blog!

The Little Sewing Shop Enchantment of the Seas Cruise Review Feb 17-21, 2014

Great! One less thing to deal with.

Not planning on doing any special dining, not sure yet on excursions (the only one we might do is weather dependent), no drink packages (I only drink water!), and nothing else I don't think. I might see if I can sneak in a pedicure at some point (I'm traveling alone with my 6yr old).

I'm all packed and good to go then! I can't wait to surprise my son tomorrow, he has no idea yet, and will find out when we get there when we drive to port tomorrow!

We already set up pre-paid for our dining tips, but is there a way to do it for the room attendant as well? Anything else we can pay for in advance? I don't want to have to deal with all of that later.

We were on deck 9 I believe, in an inside cabin with 3 of us (my sister and I, and my then 2.5yr old). It was plenty big for the little time we spent in there.

I don't know about a pen, but I brought a highlighter to keep track of activities we wanted to do. The Flowrider was my favorite part, its the one thing I'm disappointed we won't have on our cruise on monday!

What time are the shows in the evening? How long do the shows last?

If we want to go to the earlier show and later dinner, what time should we reserve for dinner?

I'm still going to try to switch from My Time to late seating, but if not, I'd like to try and reserve the same time for each night.

ETA: What time do the pool and bungee trampoline things close?

Favorite thing to do in Nassau is the Ardastra Zoo.

http://ardastra.com/

It is very clean and the animals are well taken care of. I was very impressed and I visit aquariums and zoos wherever I can.

 

CoCo Cay is a favorite stop, very different from Labadee. Snorkeling area is roped off and there are staff watching from towers in the water. There is also a map of sunken ships, planes, etc.. so you know where to swim.

Looks similar to our zoo: https://brevardzoo.org/

He would like the sunken ships and things - last cruise was a disney one and they have a "hidden mickey" that you look for when you snorkel - we never found it, but we spent a lot of time looking!

What about any of the snorkeling tours? I see a few different ones, one has sharks? He would LOVE that.

coco cay has some of the best snorkeling, but a 6 yo seems a little young as the best fish are in deeper water. The lifeguards in the stand toss food out to attract them.

 

I'm sure a 6 yo would just love the beach with a couple of buckets and shovel.

He has been snorkling sense he was 2 and could swim well before he could walk, water depth isn't an issue! He is on the swim team and swims at least a mile or more each practice 3x a week.

We do the beach thing at least once a week (he surfs/boogie boards/swims while I get to sit and watch), so I'd like to do something a little different for at least part of the day.

I got my son simple, plain black dress shoes from Payless for $12. They are comfortable too!

The ship has soy milk on board but we did have an issue once getting it a breakfast however upon speaking with a supervisor it appeared very quickly.

 

The ice cream all has dairy as does all of the sorbets. A lot of people do not realize this and have them thinking that they are dairy free when the do contain some dairy.

Good to know, thank you. I'm hoping Ben and Jerrys has sorbet, theirs doesn't have dairy/artificial anything, and he can eat it!

I would call and ask to speak to someone in the Special Needs Department on Monday. Ask your questions on that call --- especially if it is possible to get switched from My Time Dining.

 

I would strongly suggest you also go to the MDR once onboard and speak to the Maitre'D. If you have to stay with MyTime Dining, ask to be seated at the same table every night and ask to speak to the Head Waiter to place his order the night before.

 

Hopefully, you can be accommodated, will have a well trained staff, and will have an issue-free cruise.

 

Hoppy

I will do all this, thank you for the suggestions!

I dine My Time and have a Gluten Free requirement. It's never been a problem having the same wait staff each evening and dining when I'm ready to. Have a super time!!

Good to know if worked out that way, I was worried I'd be explaining a long list of allergies to new people every night.

Just off IN with child with severe allergies. The staff was wonderful and took excellent care to make certain the food he ate was safe. They did however ask that we did a few things to make it easier for them. Dinner only in MDR for 1st seating with just us, no other guests (Head Waiter took care of his meal and prearranged everything the night before), breakfast in the MDR early and at our own table to insure no one else ordered items on allergy list, lunch in MDR or CHOPS which was preordered (suite lunch location) and lunch on Labadee preordered and brought to Barefoot beach for him. RCCL did a wonderful job and now that the 1st cruise after allergy diagnosis went well, more in the future booked. Harder for those without allergies but worth the restrictions so that he was safe and had a great time. :)

I think we will be fine with the buffet for bfast, he usually only has fruit at that time anyway (not a big morning eater). Did you have the option of preorder lunch for WindJammer? I believe that is what we did before.

I'm so glad they will deliver lunch on their island, it would be hard to drag a 6yr old off the beach to get back on the ship just to eat and then go back again! That makes it a lot easier for me, I don't think he could eat anything but some fruit if we picked from their regular food. Its just me and him traveling together.

This is the link to special needs form on line... Do it on line... there is a place to note additional special needs. And... after you send it you'll get an email confirmation. Make sure you give them an email and phone number. It is okay that it is within the 30 days... they are so nice in special needs!

 

http://www.RoyalCaribbean.com/SpecialNeedsForm

Thank you! I had the same form in paper format, I was worried it would take too long to mail/process. I filled out the online version and sent it!

We booked just a couple days ago, and are departing on the 17th.

1. The only dining option was "my time". We for sure want to go to the earlier show, and eat later every night. Is there any way to change to late dining? If so, when/where?

I prefer fixed dining so the staff will know our dietary needs and I won't have to explain it each meal, my son has quite a long list of allergies. How are allergies handled for "my time"? Does staff have info on what ingredients are in the food for example, or we will be waiting around while they check every night?

2. I have the special needs form, and it says to send it in 30 days in advance, which, we can't do obviously - should I still bother to send it in? Or bring it?

3. Is there automatically soy milk on board, or just if you request it in advance? Little guy only has it with cereal at b-fast, and probably not even every day. Where can we find it at breakfast time? I'm wondering if it would be easier to bring a carton of almond milk to stick in our fridge and just not worry about it. He can live without anyway.

4. Is there dairy/dye/flavoring fee ice cream on board? (disney had rice dream). Or does ben + jerrys have sorbets? (he can have mango and lemon)

5. For lunch can we still order meals the night before and have them sent to windjammer to collect when hungry? We did this last time, and it was easier than waiting for someone to tell us what foods had what ingredients each time.

6. How are allergies handled for the meal for Coco Cay? I can't remember what they did for Labadee but it seems he had something special - he can't eat any of the menu items I see (he can eat animal products including cheese, which is in most veggie burgers for example).

I'm going on Enchantment of the Seas on Feb 17th. It will just be my son and I (I'm a single mom).

Our other two cruises we went with 4 other people. My little guy is going to want to be in the kids room the whole time, so I will be spending a lot of time alone, which I never do because I homeschool and I'm a nanny, so always around someone!

Just so you know there will not really be anything for you to do but sit around and wait to get off the ship.

Well we won't have to wake up super early, and we can take our time with breakfast. Seems like last time somehow we had to get off fairly early and it was a rush/crowd, I'd rather take my time.

Most ships will start boarding passengers around 11am. If you get to the pier between 10:15 and 10:30 you should be one of the first on board.

 

If you do self debarkation ( carry your own luggage off ) the you could stretch it out and leave the ship by maybe 10 at he latest. If you do not want to carry your own luggage off hen go to guest services and ask for the highest # luggage tag available.

Thanks, 10:30 sounds good to me (we live a little over an hours drive away).

I don't mind carrying bags, we will only have 1-2 between the 2 of us, and they have wheels!

What does "priority check in" mean?

We want to get on the ship as soon as we possibly can! What is the best way to do this? Best time to arrive? We don't mind waiting if we can get on sooner.

Also, when is the last possible time you can get off? We are being picked up by car from port, so no need to rush off for a flight or anything. :)

Here is some more info and a nice map:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/ports/newport.cfm?ID=529

I don't know about your specific questions, but I called them today and the lady I talked to was very nice, very helpful and even helped me with something I didn't know about in the first place! Very friendly too, I was pleased.

Our first RCI cruise my son didn't even have a passport, we just used his birth certificate. So a passport isn't 100% required depending on where you are going.