Chadr135

All accurate, we just got back last weekend.

Be prepared for a lot of traffic getting to the ship on embarkation day. Take the ETA and add 30 minutes. 🤪

I typically book activities privately, but your positive experience will certainly give me pause in the future. Hope you're feeling better! 🙂

11 hours ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Sorry to hear that OP.  We have a cruise on the Allure coming up June 11. 

 

Kind of makes me wish our entire group (10 family members spread between WA state and MI) gets covid right now so that we don't run into your situation.  My wife and son just had it last week.

 

We are all vax'd and boosted but dread two things.  1) Testing positive within the two days of sailing.  This is our biggest concern  2) Getting sick on the ship.  This is lesser concern because we are spread between 4 cabins and at least most of the group could still enjoy the rest of the cruise.

Totally agree! Our family of four will all be wearing an N95 or a KN95 a week prior to our sailing in July.  Fingers crossed. 

On 5/1/2022 at 4:27 PM, cruiseforus said:

My husband and I are going on this cruise in July. I have a quick question, since the cruise is leaving the US and going to the Bahamas will we need a COVID test before returning back to Bayonne? 
 

Yep!

REQUIRED TESTING FOR ALL GUESTS SAILING ROUND-TRIP FROM U.S. HOMEPORTS INCLUDING SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

30 minutes ago, Keksie said:

I think the bottom line is - do you want to pay for a vacation where you can end up in a lesser value cabin, at the mercy of room service, with very little to do for days on end.  I know I don't so we will stick with driving vacations until all these protocols are gone.  

There is definitely something to be said for this. We are booked on the Oasis in July and have been hoping that these protocols would be a bit looser by then. It feels like we are pretending that there aren't asymptomatic COVID carriers on every sailing.

23 minutes ago, exm said:

No, no and no. Max $75 a person IMO. Are any cabanas available?

Nope....But I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks this price is insane. 🤣

1 hour ago, Jerseygirl1416 said:

I wouldn’t do it. The Oasis lagoon pool is so much nicer than the one in the beach club. I think the draw for some is the upgraded lunch but I love the food at the snack shack so that doesn’t do it for me either. There are so many free loungers and umbrellas available that I definitely wouldn’t pay that for a family.

 

If you want a guaranteed home base spot reserve a beach bed at south beach for $199. It gives you the bed plus 2 loungers and an umbrella with a cooler of water and floating mats.

Thanks for the advice, unfortunately they're sold out. 😕

South Beach was an option for our July cruise but they are sold out.

We have an upcoming cruise on the Oasis for our family of four.  We are considering the Coco Beach Club for our stop at Perfect Day but the price seems crazy high...$700 for the four of us. Do you think it's worth it?

Perfect Day is one of only three ports of call on this sailing, which is the ONLY reason I'm considering spending this much. But I'm really hesitating...We do have the Unlimited Dining & Beverage Packages so we won't be missing out on great food & drinks on this cruise.

Does anyone have any advice? Thanks!!

1 hour ago, koolZip said:

Kudos to the courageous cruisers who can't wait to jump on the first thing sailing. I love to cruise as much as anyone, but I'm happy to let you folks be the guinea pigs while there is still no vaccine and no real treatment for COVID. The ordeal of the passengers on the Diamond Princess was object lesson enough for me. I don't wish anything bad on anyone, I'm just not willing to take the risk, myself.

I am also in wait and see mode. I canceled this summer's cruise and booked one for next summer instead. I'll see what protocols RCCL puts into place and the efficacy of those protocols before making an informed decision.

2 minutes ago, hazence said:

 

Years ago, there was a hilarious Geritol commercial. An older couple was sitting on a bench by a river. A blanket covered their legs as they sat sedately looking at the river below.  Suddenly, happy shouts and waves...there were friends their age...white-water rafting down the river...having the time of their lives! 
 

This pandemic is not going to force me to sit on a bench, masked...as the rest of my life goes by. I will take precautions as I deem necessary for where I am. But Mr H and I will not live in fear...head spinning while “experts” change their “predictions“ “advice” and opinions  daily.
 

If cruises require me to sit in a deck chair, masked...six feet from others...I will just “Cruise” on our lake and enjoy every day.
 

If the Cruise industry is paying attention, they will see that there are not enough safeguards known to science to placate the fear of certain people. So why alienate those ready to cruise by trying to get terrified individuals on board? Make some sensible changes, with a light hand...and we can wave to the fearful as the ship pulls away.

If they are trying to get terrified people on board, they certainly aren't doing it with cheap rates! 😂 

There are certainly a group of people that will cruise no matter what, I doubt they are making changes for that segment of their customers. I would assume they're more concerned about losing the families that simply choose to vacation and enjoy their families in a different way other than on a cruise ship.

2 minutes ago, bouhunter said:

We agree.  If the cruise lines require masks, we'll happily stay away for as long as that is required.

Exactly...I'm not spending thousands of dollars to wear a mask. We canceled this summer's cruise for a beach house instead...We did book Oasis for July of 2021, fingers crossed things get sorted by then! 🙂

10 minutes ago, CRUISEFAN0001 said:

How you came up with that conclusion is beyond comprehension...

Wearing a mask isn't a vacation to me, pretty simple. 🙂 

I wear a mask in public right now because I think it's sensible. With that being said, I am not going to pay for a vacation where I need to wear a mask for a good portion of the trip. I'll simply wait to cruise again until it is safe and healthy to do so without a mask.

On 4/16/2020 at 12:26 PM, Johnny_71 said:

Doing pretty well here in Ohio... Have been quarantined since our return from the Freedom of Seas March 8th sailing. 

 

I just heard the US CDC has extended the no sail order to June 26th.  Personally, I can't wait to start planning the next cruise... question for the group... Are you still going to cruise when everything opens up? or wait for a vaccine? 

We have had our late-August 2020 cruise booked for quite some time and have been hoping that things would get better. But, I don't see any kind of big changes, specifically in regards to widespread testing, happening anytime soon. I'll leave politics out of this as the admin. asked and leave it there.  I just don't see us able to go on a cruise a few months from now in a way that is "safe" and fun.

This is my DREAM cruise, a great itinerary and an aft-facing corner balcony (bucket list), so I'm pretty bummed.  😔

7 minutes ago, pplwatcher said:

 

It's nice that this site sends notifications if someone quotes a post.  A year later, I can respond quickly.

 

It was my first time doing it, so I tried to be careful to not inconvenience the crew.  I had open access to two catwalks on the bridge that were maybe 8 feet by 20 feet, but they were mostly for standing.  I probably could've dragged a chair up there, but it would've felt awkward.  The guys manning the bridge were just inside some windows.  I suspect a person could do it, though.

 

I could go out onto small catwalks on each deck, but they were very small, and had the potential to be slippery since this particular ship was in cold weather for half the trip or more.  The captain put a little lounge chair out on one once it got warm, so I probably could've done that.  The spaces were maybe 6 feet by 6 feet.  They were mostly stair landings so that you could go from deck to deck outside.

  

The actual "deck" of the ship was not a place to hang out at all.  Most of it wasn't really a deck at all - the containers were stacked 12 deep from the hull so the ship was essentially a bathtub full of containers, with some catwalks in between them.  I wasn't allowed out there due to risks of shifting containers.  There were small decks on the port and starboard, but they were completed covered and were very much working spaces where a person wouldn't relax.

  

All in all, it was a 1,000 foot long ship, and I had access to maybe 50 feet in length, in a 12-story conning tower.  The only true outside access was on the stairs going up the conning tower and the small catwalks at the top.  I've tried to upload a video that shows one of the catwalks - let's see if it loads.

Thank you so much for the quick and thorough response! 

Is there a way to ascertain (pre-booking) the amount of outside access you will have, or is it a bit unpredictable?

On 8/6/2018 at 11:56 PM, pplwatcher said:

I did a transpacific this year on CMA CGM (the Rhone). It was very nice. I'd offer my most critical observations as:

 

1. Take your own snacks. Seriously, bring a grocery bag full of stuff if you want it. I had a small refrigerator in my cabin. I don't know if they all do or not.

2. I was the only passenger on my ship, so you have to be very able to entertain yourself. The captain had come from another line that ran transatlantic and he said that there are more passengers on those routes.

3. My cabin was very nice. Since I was the only passenger I got the largest cabin, and it was probably 500 square feet or so with a bed, desk, and sitting area with couch. I took a cruise ship back home and the freighter cabin was more comfortable.

4. My ship actually had a small internet connection (which I discovered a week into the trip). It was very expensive, so I just used it to send a text once per day to my wife. But it was there.

5. There's little or no outside space. You'll spend most of your time in your cabin, most likely.

6. I thought the food was very good. My crew was Romanian and Sri Lankan for the most part, so the food tended to favor those types of recipes.

 

I'd recommend it. You don't have the amenities of a cruise ship, but you have other advantages. It was cool to be the only passenger on a 1,000 foot ship.

 

Also, I made my reservations through this company: http://www.cruisepeople.co.uk/details.htm. They were on the ball while the Maris company was non-responsive to my initial inquiry.

Thank you for these tips, I've always wanted to try this...Is it common to not have much access to an outside deck?  That would be a real downer for me!

30 minutes ago, E23NK1 said:

Hi everyone,

 

Anyone have experience or photos for Freedom class Aft balcony 7710?

I have had deck 10 aft rooms before but there are 3 of us sailing and RCCL now holds deck 10 rooms for groups of 4...so my only Aft rooms available were 7710 or 8412...I booked 7710.

Was just looking for info on balcony and superstructure...also is the room any larger than side balconys?

 

Thx for the info.

 

Check out this post:

We are booked in the FOS  in 1700, an aft-facing corner balcony...Very excited!

On 5/29/2019 at 1:28 AM, Merion_Mom said:

 

I never saw it busy on the Anthem.  The word "deserted" comes to mind. 

Same, I've never seen it busy!  Hopefully their contract with JR ends soon and they can replace them with more quality food.

On 6/1/2019 at 1:51 PM, davekathy said:

Make sure to call the C&A desk at 1-800-526-9723 and advise them of your welcome aboard gift preference. The selections are per person as well as all the other diamond benefits. 

I don't see scotch! 😉

2 hours ago, grapau27 said:

We got off Independence on 5-28.

There was a band continually singing the wishy washy song to encourage people to wash their hands.

Personally I always give my cutlery a good wipe on my napkin before I use them.

Graham.

I love that song. It's also oddly tied in my mind to fun vacations.

11 minutes ago, AxyP said:

Just to clarify:

I am not anything high on the loyalty list. My first cruise two years I had the drink package, and with every drink I was handed a receipt to sign, and the receipt included a tip line. I never had an error in billing.

Last year, same cruise, same boat, same lack of high loyalty level, and same drink package. I did not get a single receipt for any drinks. The only ones they gave out were for people ordering a la carte or over the $12 limit.

I apologize if I have created a lot of confusion. I just needed to see if anyone knew if this was now typical so that I could be prepared with cash, which I will be, so that no matter the situation for this cruise, I will be prepared.

 I do agree it would be nice to not have the receipts, both for convenience and to be green, and I would like to be able to 'charge' the additional tips, beyond the percentage taken already. I realize it may not go straight to their pockets, but I have faith they would at least get something extra from it. Maybe I am being naïve. So cash it is.

I appreciate everyone's help.

BTW - for future reference, what is OP? I thought when first mentioned it was some code for bartender. Is it something else?

Thanks again.

Original poster 🙂

Try the app Hopper!

2 hours ago, Artemus said:

I like to stare at men in shorts in the dining room and kinda shake my head. I think I’m going to start doing a wolf whistle  when men walk by my table in shorts. I have the ability to disguise where it’s coming from.

What an enjoyable vacation! 

We goto the MDR on the first day and submit this request in person...Never had an issue. 🙂