nik23

We are sailing Independence, on Western Caribbean 5-day- Feb. 10-15th. Are you sure correct ship?

Thanks for quick responses, Nachi looks wonderful:D.

Do I need to make reservations online prior to cruise?

Are u on the Feb 11 Regal?

 

 

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No, we are on Independence of the Seas

Heading to Cozumel in Feb., in port 8am-6:30 pm. (4) ships in port that day. We are in our Mid 40's and have been to Cozumel 4-5 times. We have done the ship excursions in the past. Looking for something nice and relaxing with swimming, sunning and cocktails.

Love a clean, white sandy beach with beautiful sea views, beach chairs / loungers and Free of crowds.

(can't enjoy ourselves if they pack in the loungers with people side-by-side like sardines!)

May be some walking paths that lead to private little alcoves.

Bar and restaurant on side. Prefer beach chair service, but getting our own drinks is fine too.

No need for beach equipment or extra inflatables.

Taxi ride to and from.

Pay as you go or All-inclusive, either is fine

Suggestions appreciated. So far, Paradise and Chankanaab are on my radar, but even those seem a bit too crowded for me?

Thanks fellow CC members. I have used your suggestions without fail for may years now:D

I

We like the Springhill Suites and Fairfield Inn, both in Dania Beach.

 

For other ideas, try the Florida Departures forum: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=672

Bob,

Is there any places within walking distance to purchase wine and last minute supplies near the Fairfield Inn?

We booked Homewood Suites on Griffin Rd. which I believe is beside the Fairfield Inn.

Hi ALL,

Last minute booking, and trying to decide between cabins on Independence of the Seas.

Option: Corner Aft 8410 vs Corner Aft 7408?

We love the big balcony space.

Prefer privacy above and below.

Agent mentioned 7408 is 20% obstructed? (i didnt notice obstruction on any videos)

Which cabin will give us best views, and most privacy? We spend most of our time relaxing and enjoying the balcony morning, day and evening.:)

THANKS!

Can anyone tell me if smoothies from the Vitality cafe are included in the Star class fare? I know they aren't included in the drink package but I'm wondering if they are covered as all speciality dining is included? Thanks!

 

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Yes, all smoothies at spa were included back in Feb. on the Allure

We requested (2) fans on our last cruise on the Allure, and cabin stewart had them in our rooms when we arrived. (we were staying in a suite, and made the request through our Royal Genie, so not sure if that helped or not? but I do know they do have some on board)

Carnival Breeze or Vista, these two are the newer, and larger ships in the Carnival fleet. Lots of activities for the kids. (large outdoor water works, slides, mini golf, ropes course, etc.) We've done Allure and Breeze and loved them both.

Thank You for the videos, really enjoyed watching them. We will be on Brilliance next year.

Do you remember approximately what time you sailed under the bridge? We missed it last time because we were at dinner.

Can anyone walk out onto helipad? or is it just suite guests?

Thanks again

We just returned from a Star class cruise on Harmony (ATS 8330).

 

It exceeded even my expectations (and they were pretty high !). Our Genie (Reyno) arranged a lovely event in our suite for the CC Cabin Crawl. He brought sparkling wine and 3 meat planks and bread from Jamie's.

 

The program includes absolutely everything - all food and drinks. The only thing that was not included were the pastries at Starbucks. We were denied nothing we asked for. Even the milk shakes at Johnny Rockets were included. To our surprise, even the wine-by-the glass at Vintages was included (I had read in other places that this was not included). A couple of times our drinks exceeded the $13 drinks package threshold but we were never charged anything even for the overage.

 

I hope this program is expanded to the rest of the fleet. It is sooo worth it.

The only charge for us was at Vintages, on our Allure sailing we were changed the $ amount for our glasses of wine that exceeded $13, but only at Vintages.

Just returned yesterday from a wonderful week on the Allure of the Seas. This is my first review, so please be patient and kind. This is going to be a brief review of our experience in the Star Class Suite with the Royal Genie. We stayed in the Aquatheater Suite 9330. Traveling with myself was my DH, (2) teenage sons, my Sister and her husband, and their (2) teenage sons; making a grand total of 8. We planned this cruise exactly one year prior to sailing. This was a cruise to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary.

Our Royal Genie was Susan, we communicated with her via email several times before the cruise and she was always prompt with her responses. A week before the cruise we received the Loop ap for communication. Susan made all of our dining and show reservations. She put together a memorable and enjoyable list of options for our week ahead. Once on board, the Genie can be reached anytime on her personal phone.

First, embarkation was a breeze. Our Genie, Susan met us at the Star Class check-in promptly at 11:00 am as I requested via Loop communication the day before. She escorted us through check-in, which is a separate area from other guests. We then were taken to the Suite waiting area in the terminal. The wait here was approximately 15 minutes, just until the ship was cleared for boarding. Another Genie came and escorted all the suite guests in a group up to the Suite lounge on Deck 17, where we were then greeted again by Susan. She walked us to our suite for the grand tour. The entire process from cab to cabin was 25-30 minutes! So completely effortless and stress free.

The cabin was amazing and the balcony was spectacular, I can't even put into words how large this deck was. Susan had Champagne, and white wine chilling along with chocolate covered strawberries and fresh horde'vors. We then reviewed the agenda that Susan had prepared for us and we made a few minor adjustments and the week was all set. The cabin was stocked with our requested beverages: 12packs of Coke, Sprite, Orange, and Diet, and these were replenished every day. Also, the mini fridge was stocked with three varieties of beer and additional ones were on the counter. Cases of Evian water were also stocked daily. Anytime we were low on beverages, we made a quick call to Susan and room service was knocking at the door minutes later.

Our cabin steward was Erwin, what an amazing man. He kept the room clean, even with people coming and going all day. I am not sure how he did it. Susan and Erwin really work well together making sure our entire family had an amazing time with no worries.

We made a standing order for morning coffee, fruit and pastries to be delivered. For the evening we requested a cheese plate, glasses of wine, and cocktails for the adults and chicken wings for the kids. Susan pre-arranged this for us and everything was perfect. When our plans changed for some reason, we just called Susan and she adjusted our delivery. Word of advice for room service: Don't use the TV to order, go directly through the genie. They will expedite your request. We didn't utilize our Genie in the beginning of the week as much as we could have, but once we figured out how things worked, we made many phone calls to Susan and each and every requests was greeted with a "no problem, I will be glad to take care of that for you!" Wow, she really can do just about anything a genie can do!

Two, celebrations were being observed on our cruise, our wedding anniversary and the two older boys 16th birthdays. We mentioned both to Susan weeks prior in an email and she came through with a wonderful surprise each night. The boys received a large cake and a very generous gift appropriate for energetic, active teen boys. And, for our anniversary, we also received a cake and a gift. Both were very thoughtful gestures by our Genie. Another, little fun gift was, I mentioned once to Susan that I liked to relax in the morning with a cup of coffee and a crossword, and surprise, two puzzle books arrived in our stateroom with a handwritten note wishing me a nice relaxing vacation. Susan, also hand delivered aloe for us when I had too much sun in St. Thomas. She was amazing at knowing how to make our experience even more enjoyable.

Dinner, Shows, and Entertainment : Susan did everything for us! Nothing was booked in advance. Completely worry free. We let the schedule up to Susan and she was able to change, cancel and adjust as needed throughout the week as plans changed.

We ate at a specialty restaurant every single night. We also did the Hibachi grill and Sabor for lunch. And the (4) teenage boys ate at Johnny Rockets every single day, sometimes twice a day. Not a single charge to your account. All dining venues went above and beyond for our group. Once they knew we were Star Class, the sky was the limit. I've never eaten so much steak and lobster on a cruise before. In Giovanni's they brought out all the pasta offerings family style, and on top each of us ordered a steak. The waiters also kept our wine glasses full the entire dinner. We loved Giovannis so much we had Susan reserve it again for the last evening. For the other evenings, we dined at Samba Brazilian steakhouse, Chops, and Sabor. Only once did we have an issue with dinner reservations, and it was at the Hibachi bar. We arrived promptly at our scheduled time from Susan, and the hostess apologized that she made a mistake and overbooked for the evening. We were very unhappy, and decided to go phone Susan. Susan made a few phone calls and we were met at MTD by Susan and greeted by their best server. During dinner, the hostess from Hibatchi arrived extending again her apologies and a bottle of Moet. I believe Susan may have made a few calls! The evening went well and we ended up getting reservations for Hibachi for the next afternoon.

Coastal Kitchen, was absolutely one of our favorites venues on the entire ship. It is located in the suite area on Deck 17. We utilized this area on many occasions. Half of the venue was the Suite Lounge which served cocktails and snacks during the evening and the other half was a suite only restaurant that served breakfast, lunch and dinner. We enjoyed cocktails in the evening while taking in the views from the panoramic windows that encircle the lounge. We ate breakfast at Coastal Kitchen every morning. It was a place with no crowds, friendly staff, and delicious food. On debarkation day, I highly recommend eating breakfast here, no lines and no rush....it was so stress free.

The shows were a breeze as well, Susan had seats reserved for us. She scheduled the shows and times according our dinner reservations. She only asked us to arrive 15 minutes prior to showtime, in order to be guaranteed seats, otherwise she would open them up to general.

Flow Rider: Our teenage boys "lived" at the flowrider, never wanting to stop. The boys were given green arm bands to designate Star Class. The staff insisted they go in the star class line. On busy days, the staff had 3 surfers ride per 1 Star class rider. This seemed to work out very well, and the boys never received any grief or rude comments. The last night is a FlowRide Best-of-the-Best competition.

Laundry and Press: This was a special treat. We sent laundry out twice and it was returned the same day. This amenity made unpacking at home a breeze.

Private Suite Sun Deck: Not really much to say here. We only utilized it on two occasions. On both days, there were no bar staff walking around taking drink orders, you had to go up to the bar yourself to place order, which isn't that big of a deal, but it would have been a nice perk. Also, it gets very hot in the sun, and there is not a pool on this deck. Another, final observation, on sea days, it did feel very crowded.

Excursions and Debarkation: During the cruise, in St. Thomas, we had a private boat charter that was scheduled to meet us as soon as the boat docked, and Susan our Genie was very helpful in organizing a quick disembarkation from the ship so we were not late meeting our driver. We planned this with Susan a week prior to the cruise. On the last day of the cruise, we had a 10am flight, which made me very anxious, so we notified Susan and she greeted us in our cabin at 7:45 am and escorted us off the ship. Total time from cabin to cab was 15minutes.

This personal escort on and off the ship is one of the best perks Royal Star Class has to offer in my experience. No lines, means no stress and that is what vacation is all about.

Hope this quick review is helpful. Please feel free to ask questions. I kept a few notes from the trip.

Just returned yesterday, we stayed in the Aquatheater Suite 9330 on the Allure. Our Genie was Susan, and she was amazing! The entire Star Class experience was top-notch and we will definitely do again.

First, embarkation was a breeze. Susan met us at the Star Class check-in promptly at 11:00 am as I requested via Loop with Susan the day before. She escorted us through check-in, which is separate from other guests. We then were taken to the Suite waiting area in the terminal. The wait here was approximately 15 minutes, just until the ship was cleared for boarding. A Genie came and escorted all the suite guests in a group up to the Suite lounge on Deck 17, where we were then greeted again by Susan. She walked us to our suite. The entire process from cab to cabin was 25 minutes!

The room was amazing and Susan had Champagne, and white wine chilling along with chocolate covered strawberries and fresh horde''vors. Susan prepared an agenda for the week and had it ready for us to review as soon as we got to our suite. We made a few minor adjustments and the week was set.

Dinner, Shows, Entertainment and Special Celebrations: Susan did everything for us! Nothing was booked in advance. Completely worry free. We utilized the email link and Loop ap prior to sailing to relay any special requests we had. We let the schedule up to Susan and she was able to change, cancel and adjust as needed throughout the week as plans changed.

We were celebrating an anniversary and birthdays this week and Susan arranged cakes and gifts to be delivered to our stateroom as well!

We ate at a specialty restaurant every night. We also did the Hibachi grill and Sabor for lunch. We had (4) teenage boys traveling with us, and they ate at Johnny Rockets every single day, sometimes twice a day. Not a single charge to your account.

The shows were a breeze as well, Susan had seats reserved for us. She scheduled the shows and times according our dinner reservations.

Flow Rider: Our teenage boys "lived" at the flowrider, never wanting to stop. The staff insisted they go in the star class line. On busy days, the staff had 3 surfers ride per 1 Star class rider. The last night is a FlowRide Best-of-the-Best competition. It was a lot of fun and Jake from our group won and was able to sign the board of champions!

Laundry and Press: This was a special treat. We sent laundry out twice and it was returned the same day. This amenity made unpacking at home a breeze.

Debarkation: During the cruise, in St. Thomas, we had a private boat charter that was scheduled to meet us as soon as the boat docked, and Susan our Genie was very helpful in organizing a quick disembarkation from the ship so we were not late meeting our driver. We planned this with Susan a week prior to the cruise. The last day of the cruise, we had a 10am flight and Susan greeted us in our cabin and escorted us off the ship. Total time from cabin to cab was 15minutes.

Please feel free to ask any specific questions about the room. We had (4) adults and (4) teens in the cabin. It was so spacious and the balcony is indescribable!! We spent the majority of our time on our balcony. We did not want to leave and explore the ship.

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

We booked the 2BR ATS, deck 9 1 year advance for our sailing leaving this weekend. We were around 13K (after taxes and fees) for 4 adults and 4 children. Booked when 30% off every passenger rates were advertised.

We booked the 2BR ATS, deck 9 1 year advance for our sailing leaving this weekend. We were around 13K for 4 adults and 4 children. Booked when 30% off every passenger rates were advertised.

We are in the 2br ATS suite with 4 adults, we were wondering if bottles of wine are stocked/ delivered for you if requested? Or do we have to bring by the glass back to the cabin? We would really enjoy our evening sushi, or cheese plate with a nice bottle of red. (of course I understand, we can carry-on 2 bottles, but with the beverage package, I wasnt planning on carrying any on.)

Thanks for the review, it is very helpful!!

Hi, we too are staying in A2 9330, next month! super excited.

Regarding the questionnaire email from the genie, I just received it Jan.3rd for our Feb. 12 sailing.

Thanks for posting questions, Ill be following along for responses.

Would love to hear more too, have 2br ATS booked for Feb.12.

Any insight on thermal suite access would be appreciated.

I have been searching for a two bedroom (or one bedroom on a deck other than 14) . I've searched for up to May 2018 and have found nothing. How soon in advance do you have to book to get a choice OR is it not available online and one has to call?

Just noticed 2BR on Deck 10 of Allure available for Feb.12-19, 2017.

Just opened up!

Thanks to CC RollCall member for alerting me of a final payment change, For my Feb. 12th cruise.

I booked Allure Jan.2, 2016 via phone with a Royal representative, and she stated price quote and final payment of Nov. 29th. I had documents emailed to me, as well. The documents stated final payment was Nov. 29, 2016. I also checked MyCruise planner on RC website reguarly and the final payment date has always been Nov. 29th.

So, to my SURPRISE this am while reading my roll call, that final payment for other cruisers on my sailing is Nov. 14th....yikes, that's Monday!

So, I checked C&A cruise planner, still 29th, then I called directly to C&A and YES, my final payment per RCL representative is Nov. 14th. So I questioned WHY and HOW this can happen? and IF and WHEN were they were going to notify me of these changes?!? Rep. had no answer for me. He stated all bookings on this sailing after March 6, 2016 have the Nov. 14th deadline for payment. I booked before that?

If I would not have been on Cruise Critic and If I would not have called, not sure if I would have had my cabin after Nov. 14th! :confused:

PLEASE check or call RCL for final payment information!

A few quick questions, we are booked in 9330 2 BR ATS in Feb. 2017, with (4) adults and (4) children. Does the second bedroom feel tight when both Pullmans are down? we are trying to decide if all four kids should bunk in there or put the one family in there with (2) adults in lower and (2) children upper? Glad to here your friends utilized the deck loungers one night...I was thinking the same thing:D

You mentioned you have (6) guests in cabin, are they all adults? How is the sofabed?

Next, Regarding drinks on balcony during the day? Will the genie bring you cocktails or buckets of beers? or do you need to order room service? or go out to bar every time you need a beverage refill? Is the mini bar filled with just sodas or does it have alcohol options to make drinks too? I noticed your post with the Star Class amenities for InSuite Cocktail service and I got a bit worried when the time specified 3-5pm.

Can you post some pics of the rooms, balcony etc, PLEASE.

Love this thread, makes the waiting more tolerable.

THANK YOU so much for answering all of our questions. Hope you are having a wonderful trip.

We do all of the above plus I take AirBorne everyday while on the cruise. Works for me, so I will continue.

Agree, we start taking Airborne 2-3 days prior to flight and continue until about midweek of cruise.

That's great to hear. I just got off the phone with them too. Saved $300 earlier this week and now have and extra $100 obc.

 

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Me too. Saved close to $900 Wednesday, but lost $300 OBC. Called today, and price same, so they added $100 OBC for the WOW sale. Every penny counts! Check prices every day.

Thanks cruise critic for keeping us all on top of these ever changing sales.

If you are C&A member, try the C&A line 1-800-526-9723. My cabin category was sold out as well, so I just called and inquired and the agent checked the base rates and was happy to adjust our fare without cancelling and rebooking. Saved over $800 (but lost OBC), it was definitely worth the phone call.

Sorry, I should have read the rest of the thread before replying. Just noticed things worked out for you. Congrats!

I'm really bummed. We booked the P2 (panoramic view) and because this category is sold out, my only choices are to go to a regular ocean view or a balcony. I am not comfortable being in a balcony with my children. I asked if she could just adjust the rate. She said I would have to cancel my reservation (lose my cabin) and "hope" that it was still available to rebook. So not happy right now. :mad::mad:

If you are C&A member, try the C&A line 1-800-526-9723. My cabin category was sold out as well, so I just called and inquired and the agent checked the base rates and was happy to adjust our fare without cancelling and rebooking. Saved over $800 (but lost OBC), it was definitely worth the phone call.