Kew Gardens Cruiser

Quick Update:

On a whim I checked the pricing for the Oasis sailing and somehow, someway the Owners Suites are now coming out less than what I booked the JS for.

Approx $3,200 total for my wife, myself and my son! I am thinking it has to be a mistake. I called my TA who agreed but somehow the pricing was correct.

I just switched to Owners Suite 11644. I cannot believe it! That cabin usually goes for more than $2,500 PP

Has anyone stayed in an Owners Suite on Allure or Oasis?

We had never booked a suite, but did find a GS on Harmony for$3,796 for two. We thought it was a good deal. Now the same cruise is selling for $9,276 for two.

Wow that is a great deal. I was going to say that whenever I check the Harmony pricing it is usually over $2500 PP just for a JS

I have always just done regular balcony cabins in the past ( sometimes an AFT with a larger balcony)

When I went on the NCL Breakaway in May I tried to call their upsell number just to see what the cost was to do the Haven. I was able to do the Haven for $500 more per person ( upgrading from their mini suite category) and it kind of spoiled us. That cabin would normally cost around $7k-8k for two people had I booked it online

So when I was looking at doing my next cruise, the Oasis of the Seas in March 2017 I decided to bite the bullet and take a Junior Suite since we will be traveling with a 2 year old and could use the extra space and the extra large balcony was enticing. I paid about $500 more than what the balcony D cabins would have cost. However it is not a true suite and does not come with many of the suite perks

Sailing on the Oasis of the Seas in November, 7 night Eastern Caribbean. The last RC cruise I went on was in 2012 on Mediterranean Cruise, and I was 19 and ready to party but it seemed that there wasn't many partyers on the ship, mostly older people and families. The ship was dead around 1am.

 

Is this what it is like on most RC cruises? I'm going with a big group of friends aged 23-25 and we are big drinkers and gamblers and like to stay out all night. I am just wondering if RC is just not a party boat or if it was just because I was on a very expensive cruise with older people my first go around.

 

Thanks in advance! (:

I have been on both Oasis and Allure. While there will not be as many people partying as there would if you were sailing during spring break or summer there will be plenty of people out and about late at night. Both times I sailed in early May the bars and Promenade were packed at 1 AM

The few times I sailed on Princess a number of years ago the ships were generally dead after 11 PM

I've been watching and hoping prices would stay the same or even cheaper for the 17th of Sept. I am thinking I'd like to go on this cruise but can't book till my first grandbaby makes its appearance. It is due Aug 29th but not sure when it will actually arrive so I do not want to book till I know. The prices are steadily going up is this normal?

Edit- misunderstood the question

I thought you were talking about a cruise for September 2017

I live in Queens, NY so I am close to the NYC and NJ ports.

I have done several cruises out of NYC. The major downside is whenever I seem to go we always seem to get sketchy weather

Also, in general the cruise fares out of NYC/ NJ usually seem to be higher than the Florida ports so it kind of cancels out not having to pay for a flight

Gambee's Oasis of the Seas review was one of my favorites

Looks like I am going to bite the bullet and take the JS on the Oasis March 26th sailing. Now that my son is walking all he wants to do is walk everywhere. I think it would be just too cramped for the 3 of us in the D Balcony ( It is also hard to go back to a regular balcony after staying in the NCL Haven a few months ago)

I also really like having a larger balcony and was able to get cabin 6242 which looks like it is on the hump. If anybody has stayed in that cabin or the one across on the other side 6642 let me know how you liked it

Looking forward to trying Coastal Kitchen too. If anybody knows, how is the kid's menu at Coastal Kitchen?

I haven't been on Anthem yet but have been on Independence and it was one of my favorite ships. Didn't they recently add some things ( like water slides) on their last drydock too?

I live in Queens, NY and have sailed out of the NY area quite a bit but I think I am done taking cruises out of NY unless it is the summer months. Weather has been sketchy on almost every cruise I have taken out of NY even the ones I have taken in May

Planning on bring our boys on their first cruise the first week of April, 2017. My wife and I have been on two other cruises. Both RC ....enchantment and independence.

 

We have whittled our choices down to two and are finding pros and cons to both and are having a hard time deciding.

 

(1). 5 night caribbeans cruise from Ft. lauderdale with stops in Labadee and Falmouth. independence of the Seas. Pro- we've been on the ship and loved it. Really like sailing out of ft. lauderdale. Think the boys would like the area as well (15 year old twins and a 12 yr old). The price is right and may stay an extra day or two in ft lauderdale because of that. Con- we've already sailed on the ship and would like to try something different. It's relatively short. 5 nights is the Least I will cruise. Have been to both ports before

 

2) 7 nights Bahamas cruise from cape liberty, NJ. Stops in Orlando, coco bay, and Nassau. anthem of the seas. pros- it's a brand new ship and it has plenty of activities on board for the boys nod lots to explore. Have never been to the Bahamas. Really like the length of the cruise. Cons- twice as expensive. Reviews of the anthem have been very mixed. Not so sure about NJ as the port of departure or having Orlando as a stop on the cruise.

 

Has anyone out there sailed on both of the ships? How would you compare the two? Any opinions on the Anthem?

Downside of cruising for NY/ NJ in April is the weather could be unpredictable. Weather could still be very chilly the 1st couple of days and the last 2 days coming back. Waters could also still be rough sailing out of NJ in April. If you enjoy cruising out of Ft Lauderdale I would take the 5 day on the Independence and enjoy the warmer weather for the entire cruise

So $500 for 3 people to upgrade to a JS on a 7-day cruise?

 

I'd do it, mostly because I dislike the "D" stateroom layout on Oasis and Allure so much that the extra cost is worth it.

 

Note that for $500, you STILL won't get nightstands with drawers! (Pet peeve, rant over).

I am considering it because having a bathtub and larger bathroom with my little one will make it a lot easier to give him a bath. Also we might still want to have a pack n play or something in the room because he still will only be 2. It would be probably be very cramped in a regular D3 with a pack n play in the room. Do you get the concierge in the JS? I loved having that when I was in the NCL Haven because they really helped with stuff like dinner reservations

How much is that same "D" balcony category on Oasis in March?

It is higher than the April Allure sailing. Approx. $2,850 for myself, wife and son

So if I did the Oasis from Orlando in March I can do a JS for $3,350 for the 3 of us as opposed to $2,450 for a D Balcony on the Allure in April

Hmmm, decisions, decisions.

I know if you have kids the current promotion offers huge savings.

Yesterday the same cabin I was looking at on the Allure ( D3 Balcony) was approx $3,150 for 3 people ( myself, wife and 1 year old) using the BOGO 50% off promotion

Now under new promotion it is approx $2,400 ( savings of $750!)

I did the Haven on the NCL Breakaway in May because I was able to get a great deal by calling their upsell department about 10 days before the cruise. However the NCL Haven comes with a lot more perks than the RCL JS cabins and by doing the upsell I paid about $3,000 less than what I would have paid had I booked the Haven online

It definitely is tempting to take the extra space especially with my little guy but I am not sure about $1,500 more

I am also not familiar with the Coastal Kitchen. Is this a restaurant that is exclusive to suite guests?

Are you glued to one particular week? If not, try all possibilities.

No but that week was one of the better weeks price wise for any sailings February- August which is when I would prefer to sail

Thanks all for the input!

Sounds a lot like what NCL does with their "mini suite" cabins which basically are balcony cabins with a slightly larger and nicer bathroom

Current promotion I would be paying around $2,450 total for 3 of us in D3 and around $4k total for JS. Doesn't sound like it is worth the difference of more than $1,500

Thinking of booking the Allure again next spring. I have been looking at an Oceanview Balcony (D3) or a Junior Suite.

A Junior Suite might be nice since we have a 1 year son ( who will be 2 at the time of sailing) and the extra room will be helpful

However Junior Suites are going for 50% more or higher than D3's under the current promotion. Junior Suites on the Allure do not come with any other Suite perks

Has anybody stayed in both that can let me know if the extra price is worth it for a JS?

I was on the BA last week.

Great photo. Did you get a picture of the woman we left behind in Bermuda

My 3 year old used the little Guppies room quite a bit. It's just a small room with toys they rotate each day. There were never more than 1 or 2 kids in there (ages ranging from about a year to 3). They do have a few organized events for parents and young kids in the mornings, but we never participated in those since our son is 3.

 

You might be interested in the review I wrote of the Breakaway. I wrote it from the perspective of my 3 year old and it includes lots of pictures (including of the Guppies room and the Daily's which lists the Guppies activities) and tips for young kids.

 

You'll have a blast. Enjoy! I'm happy to try to answer any other questions you might have.

 

Review is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2326291

Awesome! Love the review!

bump. Anyone?

Hi all. I am staying in a Haven cabin on deck 16 for my BA 05/15 sailing. This is the 1st cruise that I am taking with a child ( 1 year old son)

Can anyone provide details on what is in the kids area on deck 16 and how is it different from the Splash Academy on deck 13?

Anyone that has cruised on BA with an infant care to share their experiences with the Guppy Program for 6 months- 2 years old?

Thanks

Upgraded yesterday from Mini Suite Guarantee to Haven Courtyard Suite on 05/15 Breakaway Sailing for $750 PP ( $1,500 total for my wife and I. They didn't charge anything for my 1 year old son)

If I would have waited until next week it might have dropped to $500 per person but I didn't want to chance it with only 3 H5's left.

At the end of the day I only ended up paying a little more than half of what I would have paid had I booked cabin directly online ( Saving almost $3,500)

We love 16128 on the BA. We've had it twice and have the same cabin booked on the GA in October. Here are a few pics.

 

 

Awesome. Thanks!

So I bit the bullet today on the Haven Upsell from Mini Suite Guarantee to Haven H5 on my Breakaway cruise. Cost went down today from $1,000 PP to $750 so I jumped on it. If I had waited until next week it might have gone down to $500 PP but I didn't want to chance it

I was assigned 16128 which is apparently 500 square feet and much larger than the other H5 cabins