geogran

For better or worse, it has turned me into a CC junkie; I find myself reading threads that don't even pertain to me;)

So many generous, knowledgeable, and articulate responses - from ports to cabins to food to excursions to cost tips- it's all here!

 

I must agree, clarea's (Bob) responses are in a class of their own-thank you!

 

Thanks to CC, I think I'm ready for my first RCCL cruise 10 days away:):)

Not a joke at all. We've brought a large blow-up bath tub. We blew it up with our very own mouths!

 

A blow up pool is a good idea too. I'd bring one and allow another baby or two to play in it with my son as well just to be nice. But that's me :)

 

Here's my little guy in his bath tub on a pool deck of a Carnival cruise back in December! We had so many comments on what a great idea it was.

 

 

 

Awwwww :)

So cute and so clever - looks like a good time for all!

Downy Wrinkle Release Plus -works great - found mine at Walmart in the travel size amenity section. Just allow a little extra time to let it air dry.

 

Or, hang your wrinkled garment in the bathroom when taking a hot shower and let the steam remove most of the wrinkles. Let it air dry in the cabin overnight or for a few hours.

 

Pay for pressing.

 

Happy sails.

Fifteen

Fourteen

Thirteen

Twelve

Eleven

Ten

Nine

Eight

Seven

Six

Five

Four

Three

Two

Whoosh! Bam! Woohoo!

Goldies ! As you exit the ship turn right and walk for about 25 min.keeping the water on your right. You will walk passed the BC Hilton and Junkanoo Beach.

http://www.goldiesconchhousenassau.com/home.html

 

Thanks, runner15k for the tip and the website.

Thanks Cruise-Crazy for the Twin Brothers recommendation.

 

We will give Goldies a try. It sounds like a nice long walk along the beach and since we don't have a lot of time in Nassau we can grab a bite of 'conch fritters' and enjoy the walk back to the ship and get to see the beach along the way. I looked up those places and I think they are in the 'fish fry' area of restaurants which should be easy to find.

If Goldies isn't open, we'll give Twin Brothers a try.

I'm not much of a seafood person, but my DD says I can't stop in Nassau without trying the conch fritters....

What are the ship monitors at the elevators?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Greetings tinyterrorsma,

Sorry for my poor choice of words (monitors) ..:o

I was referring to the interactive touch screens found around the ship to assist in finding ones way to the cabin or elsewhere that I had read about in several posts on CC. I have a lot to learn about terminology - sorry for the confusion - I think I will stick to asking questions until I get my sea legs :):)

No. It's always there in your phone as part of the app even in airplane mode with wifi off.

 

Thanks for the Ship mate info; I downloaded the app to my ipad mini today and tried it in airplane mode and no wifi - works just like you said...

This will be our first time on Allure and I can see DH and myself, both directionally challenged, using it in our cabin before we head out to explore each day until we become familiar with the ship. Between it and the ship monitors at the elevators (another tip from CC), we have no excuse for getting lost now!!:D

A great app for checking out deck plans on other ships/cruise lines - thanks to all of you great CC's for sharing!

geogran

After you download the ship mate app, do you need to save the deck plan in order to view 'offline'?

Best place to find conch fritters near ship or near Atlantis..

Never been to Nassau but daughter told me I must try conch fritters :)

It's a ship - it's got pools - people get wet.

Towel off - head back to your cabin with a smile - no matter what you wear...

You're on vacation! High five if I run into you!::cool::cool:

Thanks for the review, great tips! Very easy read and helpful with a dash of humor!

First two cruises were on NCL with a balcony each time. Will cruise RCCL Allure for 1st time at end of this month with a hump balcony - hoping for the same balcony experience! It means fewer cruises but a balcony has become a must for us....

 

All from our balcony:

Alaska: Glaciers, whales, bears, sunrise, sunset, hot chocolate, the cold, the warmth, the rush of the sea, the quiet of the sea, entering and leaving ports with just awesome views, chatting with our balcony neighbors.

Western Med: sunrise, sunset, amazing beautiful ports, passing ship lights in the night, starry, starry nights, the quiet of the sea, waking up and falling asleep to the sound of the sea, breakfast on the balcony, a place for quiet reflection and conversation after a busy port day.

I don't think it will be long before everything is included anyways. Then what will everyone have to joust about.

 

I would love to see an all-inclusive non alcoholic beverage system included in the base price of a cruise - even it means a price increase - it would eliminate the confusion of what is and isn't included and be equitable to most passengers - although there may be some passengers who drink only water/coffee/tea and would not want to pay a 'surcharge' for soft drinks/fresh juice/etc in their cruise price - so maybe that is why cruise lines don't want to fine tune it any more so than they now offer....in addition to the profit they make...

 

And to your last sentence - it's human nature to find something to 'joust' about - and that is evidenced here on any and every subject - however it's not cool when it becomes personal or unruly - civility wins the day.

 

And the best lesson my parents taught me - there is honesty and there is dishonesty, there is no in between.

Thank you, Bob! I just didn't pick up on the nuances of coffee....

It looks like this package still meets our needs....and the souvenir cup is like icing on the cake ;)

 

(This is how RCCL lists this package:

The Royal Replenish Package lets you pay one set price* to enjoy a wide variety of beverages.

This all-inclusive package includes our full selection of premium coffee, premium tea, and bottled water, including sparkling and still.

But that's not all. You can also choose fresh squeezed orange juice, non-alcoholic cocktails, and any fountain soda, which includes a Coca Cola® souvenir cup. Bottoms up!)

First time on RCCL (Allure) and considering the replenish (non-alcohol) package which lists as one of the items 'premium' coffee and 'premium' tea.

 

 

My husband likes 'good' coffee a couple of times a day, but not necessarily latte's, espresso, etc. What is the difference between 'premium' coffee and 'specialty' coffee and 'regular' coffee on RCCL? I have seen these terms used on posts here and trying to distinguish one from the other..to determine if it's worth our while to go with the Replenish package for the premium coffee, premium tea, and bottled water offered.

 

If we each purchase the replenish package, how does one order 'premium' coffee versus 'regular' coffee and is premium coffee available at all venues or just certain venues? Premium available with room service?

I drink tea, and wondering what is considered 'premium' tea - and is it available at all venues? Is iced tea included in the package?

 

With the replenish package, can you get bottled water in the MDR as well as other restaurants, or with room service? Or just in bars? (some of us have our vices, and mine is bottled water :) and more bottled water :)

Best to ask your physician - mine advised against the patch for me since I'm very sensitive to several drugs. She suggested I use Bonine (meclizine) and ginger capsules.

 

The evening before my first cruise, I took two ginger capsules, and then two ginger capsules twice a day throughout the cruise (it also helps with digestion :)

I took one Bonine the morning of the cruise and one the first evening because I was feeling some motion sensitivity as we sailed away.

I also wore a Sea Band the first day and evening since the sea seemed a little choppy, again the second morning.

I took any more Bonine after the first day and I stopped wearing the Sea Band after the second day.

I followed the same routine on my next cruise and this method worked very well for me.

I never actually got sick, just a little sensitivity/motion the first day and evening.

 

I've heard that it is always better to take something prior to sail away and BEFORE you actually feel sick - otherwise it takes a long time before you start feeling better.

 

Best of luck with whatever you decide to take or use!

You have just started the 1,000,000,000 post this year on this very subject.

Why doesn't anyone search the subject before asking a question??

 

 

Maybe we just like seeing you throw a hissy fit....

A positive response to the OP as to how to search the topic would be so much more helpful than a negative response...

Or how about just a helpful answer to the OP or no response at all...

 

To the OP, just keep asking questions, someone here will always be willing to help and just ignore the rest:):)

Quote:

Originally Posted by whogo View Post

"Just moving the thread up in order to keep reading the blogs."

"Congrats on posting the 600th post to our roll call."

"51 Fridays to go before we set sail..."

"Kira's fever broke and the laxative is working..."

 

I don't want to be behind Kira in a LONG embarkation line.

 

 

:D:D:D

Hope they left Kira at home....

)

One note here, IF perhaps hubby and I were much smaller people, perhaps our clothes would take much less room. I know that my swim suit takes up a space the approximate size of a woman's shoe box, while my size 2 niece can pack hers in the coin pocket of her jeans. Suffice to say, some of us just need more luggage.

 

 

Love your post - especially the quote above!

To Langley Cruisers - yours was a very nice dignified post presenting a bigger picture of where the gratuities/tips go and so true regarding the cabin stewards, wait staff, and others that perform countless behind the scenes services - I personally believe they are worthy of the gratuity - but also respect others who feel differently.

 

In a perfect world, the Cruise Line would include this into the price of the cruise and hence avoid a lot of the dissent. Since they don't, the decision is left to the discretion of each person to either pay or challenge it with Customer Service and request adjustments accordingly based on your own personal situation.

 

Seems like an equitable solution to a passionate subject.

When we flew to Europe for a 7 day Med. cruise with 3 additional days on land, my DH took one medium suitcase and a backpack. I took one medium suitcase and a small carry on for meds and a change of clothes. Halfway through the cruise, we sent some things to the laundry on board ship which helped tremendously. We just don't care for dealing with large suitcases..

Take whatever you feel you most comfortable with, even if it means an extra suitcase or carryon!

Enjoy your cruise!

Enjoyed your highlights - lots of good information for both on and off the ship that will be useful for our first time on the Allure in late August! Liked hearing a positive report for the MDR and room service breakfast sounds like a must!
Thanks for sharing..

Not doubting your previous experiences, but I get emails from Royal telling me I can book things on cruises that I don't even have booked.

 

Too funny! Maybe that's a new marketing strategy..

BTW - I enjoy reading your posts - they are concise and precise and witty.

Maybe I'm a little ' short' sighted here but there are many venues on the ship where shorts are perfectly appropriate for dinner and everywhere during the day. However since the cruise line 'suggests' no shorts or t-shirt , etc at dinner, what's wrong with showing a little decorum? it's not like they're asking anyone to wear an evening gown..and why push the boundaries... Although some people seem to crave the attention - be it positive or negative...

To Molly361,

 

"Britanis (1) Royal Majesty (2) Cunard (5) NCL (2) Carnival (3) Princess (4) HAL (3) RCI (32) Celebrity (3) "

 

Your signature above indicates you've sailed a lot of different lines - how great is that?

RC = 32 - RCI wouldn't be one of your favorites, would it?:D:D

 

I've always believed in this old adage: 'Knowledge isn't knowledge unless it's shared'.

 

All of you kind folks on CC prove this to be so true! Thanks again..