Baby_Bear

Thanks so much to all you for your helpful replies! Tons of great info and much appreciated! I will definitely email the dining group 2 weeks before and request a table for 2. And the tip about the Park Cafe is great!

I'm really glad to hear how much you all like RCL. We actually really liked the food on both Carnival and HAL (dining rooms and specialty restaurants, not the Lido) and its great to hear how good the food will be on RCL as well. I had read that last year all the menus on RCL were upgraded. And we are looking forward to seeing some of the shows. We always wanted to try RCL, but so far Carnival and HAL always seemed to have the best itineraries for us, so I'm happy this one worked out.

So - first cruise booked on RCL! I'm traveling with my mom on Vision of the Seas on the 4-day cruise going from Miami to Cozumel over Memorial Day. Just booked today! We have previously been on three Carnival cruises and one Holland America cruise. Apologize for the cliched question - but what can we expect? Could people who've also been on the other lines elaborate what the differences are? Similarities? Good points, bad points?

Also, I had a couple of questions I was hoping all you RCL experts can answer :)

1) Does RCL allow early boarding? Our flight gets into FLL at 12:15 and since we only have carry ons, I think we can be out of the airport and at the cruise port by 12:45. Is that OK to board, although our cruise leaves at 4:30?

2) When are the cabins usually ready by on embarkation day? We are in a JS if that makes any difference (probably not). It would be nice to get unpacked and then go to lunch on the ship.

3) Are there a lot of tables for 2 in the main dining room? My mom and I will be meeting up for the cruise after a couple of months and we wanted to just hang out and chit chat, catch up on family stuff, etc. We'd love a table for 2 but are not sure if we can grab one since we booked late. We are in the 8:30 seating.

4) Do you have to reserve for shows or can you just show up?

5) Lastly, are most drinks, wine, etc. in the $7-10 category? Just trying to figure out how much I should budget.

Thanks in advance! We are excited to be trying a new cruise line and finally going on RCL! I know this is not a new ship but the RCL webt site said it has just been refurbished so it should look and feel pretty new :)

So a suite perk is reserved seating for shows? Or is that only on certain ships? That would be really nice! I'm looking at a cruise on the Breakaway for later this summer.

As far as passports go on the cruise - our experience was exactly as you said. We did not have to take the passports with us for the Italian ports and Monaco but were advised to carry them for Dubrovnik. We were just on the Breeze for the Aug 26 sailing so this is pretty recent.

No idea about your second question, our cruise started in Venice but I'm sure others can chime in.

Is this included in the 24 hour pass or is it additional?

We had taken the Alilaguna shuttle boat from the cruise port to San Marco. Cost of a RT is 15 euros. I don't recall if there was a 24 hr pass. You can buy tix in advance at Venicelink.com. They will have info on if you can buy a pass - I know you can buy a 72 hr pass but I am not sure about the 24 hr one.

Why so little reviews about the Breeze?

I was on the Breeze for the Aug 26 sailing and had a great time. Here is a link to my review with lots of pics.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1705453

Thanks for all the info.On the Breeze in Aug.Looking forward to not seeing pink as on the Splendor.Does anyone have any live video of the GS.The still pictures do not do it justice.

Am so keen to see the GS video as well....getting so excited now! Can't wait for the inaugural cruisers to return and start posting their impressions!

B40 - looks like we will be on the same cruise! See you around the ship on the 28th!

Kim - thanks a ton for your review. Really enjoyed reading it and all the pics - seems like there were not too many reviews on the Valor so it was most helpful to read. And I hope your fund raising effort was very successful! Ciao and happy cruising!