OC PAT

29 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I believe the number is 6 or 8, depending on the type of cabana.  I believe they count babies.

Thank you.

Thanks Clarea. Is the number 6? Do they count babies?

We are traveling in a group and have registered for a Cabana Christmas week. Need some clarifications.  Discussion here said that they only let Cabana renters to enter the designated beach.  How is this monitored?  How do they know?  Are they watching the number of people using the cabana as we have 2 plus?  Did you snorkel at this beach?When are the new cabanas available?

Thank you for any info.

Thank you, good idea!!!!

😀

Thank you for your review.  Well written, easy to follow and full of good information.  We will be traveling with a family group that includes an adorable 18 month old for Christmas.  Any advise for us with respect to the little one?

Thank you MarkMark for sharing. Very informative.

Thank you for clarifying for me.  In that case, I concur with your frustration.  I do get such dirty looks that I am too sensitive to this issue, perhaps.

Handicapped disabilities are not always visible.  I can not sit behind a chair because my 20 plus old knee replacement is going sour and I am unable to bend my knee.  So I always try to sit on the right end, or in the back but sometimes circumstances require that I sit in the wheel chair row because their is a trip hazard by my leg being in the isle.  I do get around w/o a wheel chair but there may be a time in the near future that will not be the case. So please dear cruisers realize that sometimes a disability is not always visible to the negative eye.  Yes, I know some people just cheat on this benefit.

Wow your responses have been great. Leaving for the airport hotel tonight so I'll check back and see if anyone else has had a good experience.  It looks like St. Thomas is the usual go to for jewelry of these 4 islands I'll be there next Saturday.  I'll check out the one in St. Kitts since it is near the pier. as well.  Thank you all for taking the time to response. I will report next week where I ended up.

We are leaving Sunday on the Freedom and just decided to buy a temp./replacement rings for my band and engagement rings as I am loosing weight. It use to be St Thomas had the best deals. still? Looking for something in the $200.00, inexpensive. Recommendations?  Thanks for your time.

We have sailed out of San Juan too many times to count.  We usually stay at a hotel for at least one day before so we are not rushed and arrive at the pier by 11:30. Everything has always been organized and pretty easy to get through.  I do know that sometime customs will hold them up.  The ship gets in very early so I do not know why customs takes longer other than maybe there is a deeper inspection or they are just running late.  Enjoy your cruise.

Sorry to hear you would not be making this cruise. Best regards and healing thoughts.

Not much has changed except on some ships the previous overflow venues may no longer be used.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your response made me chuckle. Thanks for putting a summary of 99 pages so succinctly I added the smiles to make my message longer per cruise critic prompt and it didn't work.

Almost 100 pages. May I suggest a summary as to the original post? I leave next week on the Jewell and looking forward to visiting the Diamond Lounge. Hopefully, it will be the same staff as in December. If I detect any new info on the Diamond Lounge issue, I will report back. :cool::cool::cool:

What about the two extravagant gents who book a cabin for their clothes.

 

And for what it's worth, the husband did not get three points, only 1 for being in an inside.

 

The husband also gets no suite benefits, just a place to sleep, or whatever. :halo:

I cruised with those gentlemen last year. They were a blast to talk to but it took about 9 days before they recognized us. They need the second cabin for their wild clothes. They booked for a very extended time.:cool:

Thanks Jules.

We did tell them that these were diamond voucher drinks as a gentle reminder and still had a problem Nothing that was too annoying to resolve but something to be mindful of...stuff happens. Again thanks for the tipping info. It will be used, wisely!

:D

Thanks for the tipping guidelines. Gee, we were a little too much under your frame of reference. Good thing we are going back to, hopefully, the same staff. I struggled last cruise as to how to tip and now your advise will be most helpful.

Does the bartender get any tip credits from the ship either in the lounge or one of the voucher drinks? I do praise good service on the reviews as another form of appreciation.

Just a note we had a few occasions that the lounges would not give us the credits for one of the three drinks. We were even charged a couple of times and had to have customer service to delete the charge. We didn't sign for the drinks but they showed up on our bill. No one was sure why that happened. So check your bills on your drink costs as you go to avoid the long lines at the end of the cruise.

At the moment it is just a discussion among ourselves and nothing official from RC.

Thank you..good to know.

Since I have your attention I do have a question regarding tipping. I know...it is whatever you feel appropriate. I just would like a guide line. Do you tip every day or at the end of the cruise? Does the bartender get some sort of tip like the do in the lounges off of each drink you order? We both worked in the service industry at some time in our working lives and appreciate the hard work and good service when it is provided. We want to let them know that we noticed that not only did they do their job well but smiled, were prompt and often went the extra mile to make our cruise experience very positive. Thank you for your input.

So I have been trying to follow this conversation and would appreciate a confirmation to what I took in. There is talk or rumor that RCCL may take away the Diamond Lounge privileges to "just" Diamonds because there are so many folks. There have been some lounges so crowded that they have not been the quiet oasis of the past and required the use of an over flow area. Has RCCL made any clear statements that they will be doing this? If indeed this is the future perhaps grandfathering the current " just" Diamonds will avoid a massive uprising. Since the" just" Diamond are most likely going to continue to cruise based on the loyalty status they will be Diamond plus in the near future.

We became "just" Diamond two years ago and have enjoyed the Diamond Lounges. Our bartenders became very apt at making my husbands drink which was not always the case outside the lounge. We met some very funny and delightful folks in the lounge that were always willing to share their stories and advise. We were on the Jewell in December and it was rare that the lounge was too busy for one bartender but it did happen now and then. Guests were mindful of this challenge and flowed with it. The attached bar on the other side (Viking Lounge?) was usually empty and underutilized so they did open the door and added a few more tables The area was roped of by a sign saying private party. We were there two weeks and the consignor did ask in the beginning of the first week for our sea pass cards to confirm our status which was done quietly

The consignor was fabulous. Always a friendly greeting and filled with great advise when asked . Folks in the suite lounge felt the same way about their lounge. The lounge provides an intimacy of fun not found on our cruise ship bars.. So it is not just the free drinks that would be missed if the lounge disappeared for" just" Diamonds. We will be back on the Jewell in March and hope the same staff will be assigned to the lounge. I am hopeful that they open the over flow area so we can enjoy our drinks with my sister who is on her first RCCL cruise. They have the beverage package.

Don't walk...too long and too hot. As you leave the ship, one walks thru the terminal and many stores to the outside area. Cabs are lined up and it is crazy but you can tell the dispatcher that you want to go to Pirates Cove. The taxi is a mini bus and they will leave when they are full. You may have folks going to the Boatyard in the same cab. Pirates Cove is the first stop. The water are calmer there. Regarding the turtles...it's hit and miss. Go early and let them know you are interested in a turtle snorkel. Enjoy.

It is so hard to nail down only one positive experience since we have had so many. My top 3;

1. We travel with a group of friends every three years. Sadly, on the next to last night, one of the men had a massive heart attack and died. He was barely in his 50's. We were all devastated. Why is this a highlight....? Because the ship and crew came together for us and his widow and sister from including our tribute and prayer in the Sunday morning service, to guiding the family as to what will be expected and arranging for a family member to fly from Washington, DC to be with the widow. RCCL response made me a life long fan of their company.

2. I am sentimental and proud of our country so I was deeply impressed when we were on our Alaskan cruise that they had a Memorial Day service on the deck early morning in Glacier Bay (which I call God's Cathedral). They had a vet ( a Seabee) who was a passenger speak and one of the crew singing Patriotic songs. My dad was a Seabee in WWII and wow, talk about tears.

3. Finally, I just love the Parade of Flags when crew members carry their flag from their whole country. The joy in their faces is very touching and understandable.

Thanks cb at sea, that really helps. Just like a good from Virginia! We're on the eastern shore of Md. and about 45 minutes from your eastern shore border.

Thank you for your responses. We both have had one point in our careers depended on tips for our incomes. So we tip and want to be fair about our tipping, hence my questions. We don't tip for poor service but certainly want to acknowledge those who do their job well. Since there is no cost for coffee/tea room service a tip wouldn't be added. I will keep ones and fives handy for the room service tipping. Again thank you.