macruisefan

I've never even looked at The Windjammer for dinner. What's the selection like? Is it the same as lunch? Or do they have the same selections available in the MDR?

I'm a little confused by your question. Are you asking who owns Royal Caribbean International? That is the name of the cruise line that runs the ships. It is owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd. That parent corporation also owns Celebrity, Azamara, Pullmantur, and others...

If ALL other factors were the same, I would say FLL, simply because it's closer. However, this would be the LAST deciding factor on a trip of that length. Look at flight times, connections, prices. Whatever works best that ends at either airport is perfectly fine.

In St. Thomas, you will be at Crown point, either alone or with one other ship, so the port won't be that bad. The town will certainly be busy.

In Nassau and St. Martin, 4 ships is pretty standard. It'll be busy, but nothing they aren't used to managing.

I take antibiotics also!! If you've ever had a diverticulitis attack you won't want to be in the middle of nowhere without help. I don't see a problem with it and neither does MY doc!

Now here is a situation where I agree. Certain diagnoses do merit being in this situation. However the vast majority of those who seek or take antibiotics prior to, or while traveling do not need them, and should not be taking them.

Carrying antibiotics "just in case" is simply a bad idea. It results in over treatment, can interfere with culture results in serious illness, and contributes to antibiotic resistance. If someone needs an antibiotic, the responsible thing to do is seek professional medical attention to make sure the appropriate treatment is used.

We check our expiration dates and replace as needed. A lot of our travel pack meds expire before we use them up, and that's what SHOULD happen.

An interesting side note: All medications carry an expiration date. But if you are in a pinch, don't hesitate to use them if you don't have an alternative. Medications really don't "go bad", but after the expiration date, the manufacturer will no longer stand by the efficacy. In reality, it's more of a liability thing than anything else. Most medications are completely stable, or lose a very small amount of their efficacy over a long period of time. I tell this to patients so that if they are in a pinch, they still have something. Case in point is when someone calls me with an asthma exacerbation and they discovered their inhaler expired a few months ago. Well, using an inhaler that's only 95% effective is better than nothing at all!

Obviously it's always good practice to keep things current, but if you are in a pinch, usually you're better off than you might think!;)

Not when I was on there back in October!

Um, not what? Do you mean it was not smoke free, or there was not a smoking area?

Haven't been on Freedom Class in a few years. Is the entire Viking Crown now smoke free? I believe there was still a smoking area last time I was on board. Thanks.

What is required if only one parent is traveling with teen?

Lots of patience and a barstool at happy hour!;)

Royal Caribbean may have to step it up a little more in Port Canaveral as Carnival is moving some big ships there in 2014.

 

http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/9479.html

What about Carnival bringing in ships makes you feel RCI may have to "step it up a little"? Why on earth does one affect the other?

I agree. I probably wouldn't do laundry, but if RCI started putting self-serve laundry facilites on their ships, why would I care? It's not like I'm forced to use it.

Playing devil's advocate. I once had a stateroom just past a laundry facility. Loud, hot and dirty every time I went by. Busier with people coming and going. Did it ruin my cruise? Of course not! If I were on a ship with laundry facilities, would I rather not have a cabin nearby? Yep!

Wow...I simply asked because this is our first RC cruise. We usually only take a carry on and do one load of laundry mid week. It saves bag checking fees for us. One load is never a big deal.

Don't sweat it. Like just about everything around here, this somehow manages to be a "hot button" issue. In all seriousness though, the rates for wash & fold and even pressing and dry cleaning are shockingly low. They are much less than I pay for those services when I am home. So, even though people like to rail against it around here, the wash and fold service is a great way to go.

IMHO set the rules clearly in stone pre-cruise so neither you or the teens will not be upset. There is a curfew on ship(usually 1 AM but that might not be what you want...or they want. IS there any activity you want to make a group activity? Do you want to always have the evening meal or breakfast together? Even though DD is traveling with a friend, there will be lots of other teens on ship and they will be bonding very quickly with others, sharing activities and having teen centered fun. They may want to sleep in after staying awake late each night...TALK with them.

Wait. Did I miss the part where the OP asked for parenting advice?

If the email address that worked is a generic rccl.com address, please let me know. However, if it's a personal email address, please don't post it.

If one loyalty ambassador gives you another LA's email address, regardless of the format (RCCL, Gmail... whatever), it's a safe bet that it's not a "personal" address the LA doesn't want published. Feel free to post whatever email address you get. Some people around here seem to mother a little to much....

What is your bankroll? If you are getting $950 cash when you walk on you must be a high-roller.

We bring a couple hundred bucks each and play the penny machine or blackjack. The most I ever got was a pen and a hat.

 

 

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I wouldn't consider myself a high-roller. But maybe I am for cruising- Definitely not for Vegas! I play blackjack, usually start at $25/hand, and play up to $100-250 per hand. I usually bet a little lower on the cruise because the games aren't as good. inconsistent players, less experienced dealers, I play more for fun on the cruise than when I'm in Vegas (also fun, be a bit more serious).

Give me a break. People ditch scooters everywhere. I've seen it in Key West, Martha's Vineyard, Mexico, San Diego. It's common sense that using a scooter comes with some dangers. Of COURSE the cruise lines recommend against it, they don't make any MONEY on scooters.

We get it. Scooters aren't as safe as staying on board and playing trivia. Seriously people, unlock your screen doors, cut the tags off your mattresses and get out there and see the world....

Sweet! Thanks for the info. I hadn't thought about booking through them because I have an agent friend who I book through using the Amex Platinum and get a lot of goodies that way.

Hypothetical, if I booked through them, would the better rate I get mean I wouldn't get the cash? Or are the two separate?

I've never seen or heard of this happening on RCI. There are some matchplay coupons given out as part of the goodies based on Crown & Anchor status. But I do not recall seeing them any other time.

no.

I was approached by one of the casino hosts on Oasis last fall, and they encouraged me to email them when I cruise again, so I sent an email last week.

I received this email from Club Royale in advance of my Liberty cruise this month. Anyone have any experience with this? Do you really think they are going to give me "cash"? Or do you think they mean casino or on-board credit?

Dear XXXXXXX,

You have a casino rebate in the amount of $950.00 from your sailing onboard

the Oasis of the Seas on 8-31-13. It will be available for you as cash

onboard on the Liberty of the Seas on 1-23-13, when you arrive. Once the

casino opens, please take your photo ID to the Casino Cashier to claim your

cash.

If you had that much faith in your own competence you won't miss the ship in the first place.. The Captain himself gives the orders to leave without all passengers, and then a series of events must take place including having the securty department enter your cabin and removing your passports. If you think he that incompetent you shouldn't trust him with your life in the first place by boarding a ship he is in charge of sailing.

I don't just take my passport in case I miss the ship.

It would be a safe bet that more people lose or have their passport stolen on vacation in a year then the system I described failing.

And there it is again. Everyone's favorite argument that doesn't take into account the gravity of the problem. Losing a passport will cost less than $100 to replace. If you end up out of the country WITHOUT your passport, it's going to be a substantial greater hassle getting back home. And don't give me this nonsense about them getting it to the port agent when it happens. I have heard plenty of accounts both way.

It's not just about the "risk" of either problem, it's about the severity of the problem should it occur. I'm sure a lot more people are awoken unnecessarily in their homes by a false smoke alarm then people awoken by an actual housefire. Yet no one advocates getting rid of the alarm in order to avoid the much more likely, albeit much more minor eventuality.

Amazing how many people fail to grasp this concept....

If you miss the ship and had your passport in the cabin safe it would be waiting for you at the port office. but if you take your passport with you for the day and happen to lose it as many people have done... now your in a major jam.

So, you're more comfortable relying on the competence of the crew to actually retrieve your passport from your stateroom safe, than your own competence to not lose the passport in the first place? Sorry, I actually have a little bit of faith in myself and don't spend my entire life relying on others to hold my hand and take care of me. I have this thing called personal accountability.:)

In my opinion, the most important thing to carry ashore, besides the S&S card and photo ID(if required), is the phone number of the port agent. If you find that you are going to miss the ship, then call them, or have the police, hospital, etc to call them for you.

A little clarification please. Are you actually saying you'll go ashore in a port WITHOUT photo ID if it isn't required. Sorry, maybe you can argue not needing the passport, but an adult going anywhere without a photo ID is simply foolish.

I hate walkie talkies on cruise ships. Just a noisy intrusion that's totally unnecessary. I find they are either used by people incapable of using common sense to find their travel companions, or by families who are letting children way to young wander the ship alone.