ksawyercruiser

We were on the Liberty, and the wait to get a tender at Belize was 2+ hours at 9 am. They were giving priority to RCI excursions. It was a madhouse and many passengers were ranting about missing their independently booked excursions. I vowed to only take an RCI excursion when we go back. It may have been a fluke but that's what we experienced. We ended up having a fabulous pool day on the ship ... After we contacted our tour operator, explained the situation and cancelled our plans.

Good luck and have fun on your cruise!

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Love this review. Love the pics. Makes me remember the reasons we cruise. Happy sails to you and Judith.

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Just an FYI ... I was making specialty dining reservations online for our November Allure cruise. My daughter is 11 but was charged full price for all reservations ... even though her age was listed correctly on the booking.

I called Royal to see if we could get it corrected. I was told:

1. I could cancel all reservations and rebook onboard. Not an option I would consider because we selected very specific times based on shows, excursions, etc.

2. Keep the reservations. Go to guest services on the ship, have them cancel all reservations and rebook for the same times at the correct pricing.

So #2 is what we'll do. It's not a ton of money -- maybe $50 or so because we've booked three restaurants. But I wanted to let my fellow cruisers know that the special pricing for kids is not available on the RCI website (at least for my cruise). And getting it corrected can't be done over the phone.

Se

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Look for spa specials in your Compass to save money. I did one of the daily specials on the Allure and really enjoyed it. Review is in my signature if you'd like to read about it.

Enjoy your cruise!!

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$3800 for four of us thanksgiving week on the Allure in an ocean view balcony. Kids half off deal. We felt very lucky to get this!

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Berry white sangria from the Viking. Perfect for afternoon cocktails. The muddled fresh berries totally make the drink.

Cheers!

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Yes, you need to get a "ticket" to self-depart. They are only supposed to allow a certain number of people do this. In Feb, I was able to get early departure but when my kids (adults) tried, they were told that they were out of spots for self assist and had to wait until the number they got in their staterooms.

 

In June, the self assist departure seemed to take a long time. The line seemed endless as I watched them.

 

There are often no lines at the Guest Services desk.

That's what is great about these boards. You learn something new all the time. We have never gotten any tickets to self depart. I guess we just got lucky. I apologize for giving incorrect info!

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No need to request. Just don't put your luggage out and leave at the appointed self-assist time. Meeting place will be in your compass. We've done this a few times and found it to be the easiest way to disembark.

Happy cruising!

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They are basically the same ship. Allure is a few centimeters longer. When we were on the allure, the crew joked that the Oasis was Allure's shorter, heavier older sister.

I would be over the moon to sail either one of them! 4 months and we will be back. Can't wait.

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We have cruised Disney three times. And we've sailed on the allure. Totally different experiences but all amazing cruises. You're in for a treat! Allure is magnificent.

We bring 12 packs of bottled water and coke zero (the only soda we drink) every time we cruise RCI. Never had a problem. That doesn't mean you might not have an issue. But the worst case is you get your beverages at the end of the cruise. I've seen people put 12 packs of soda through the security scanner and drink them while they are waiting to board.

And, of course, you can bring on 2 bottles of wine or champagne per cabin.

Have a great cruise!!

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So, there is a rule that says no shorts are allowed. Are jeans acceptable? What about a shirt without a collar? Do the rules address those things?

Jeans are acceptable. There are no rules on shirts except no tank tops for males.

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I belong to a country club here. Yes, you see lots of 'nice' shorts there (the rules allow them, unlike in the MDR on RCI ships.) But I've never heard anyone refer to them as "smart shorts." The poster I quoted first has it correct. :rolleyes:

 

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Thanks for the clarification on nice shorts versus smart shorts! Very, very helpful.

I was responding to the poster who asked for examples of smart shorts. I'm not advocating people wear them in the MDR. So you can relax now. :)

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I think I'm close… maybe 4,975,331 points away. I'm only Diamond on the strength of my Celebrity cruising. Since the points aren't reciprocal…. yeah just short of 5 million I believe.

Lol!!!! We are right there with you! :)

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My son wears dark jeans and a nice shirt. He's a teen. When he was much younger, under 10yo, we did allow him to wear khaki shorts to the MDR. We are horrible parents. :)

I'm always surprised when folks don't know what smart shorts are. Visit a country club ... You'll see many examples of nice shorts with polos.

To the OP ... Have a great cruise!

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We met a lovely older couple on a cruise with 43 RCI cruises under their belts. Told us they were no where near pinnacle and would most likely never reach that status. Puts it in perspective!

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I can help with the first two ...

1. You can't reserve shows on the Vision. And you shouldn't have any problems getting a good seat if you arrive 15 minutes early.

2. I have read on the boards that you can request a pillow topper from your room steward. We found the bed on the Vision to be comfortable.

Have a great cruise!! :)

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The Money Bar beach area is next to where some snorkel boats take their guests. It costs nothing except what you and your party consume. Taxi fare is less than $10 for 4. They rent gear there. We have been there several times. http://www.moneybarbeachclub.com/

I second the money bar. Some of the best snorkeling we've done. Be sure to do the recommended snorkeling path. It is highlighted on the wall where you rent equipment. Also great food and great service. We will go back. :)

Enjoy Cozumel!

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The staircase goes from deck 8 Starboard aft up to the spa and is a short cut to the Solarium. Really neat for those in cabins on Deck 8 aft.

We used that staircase constantly. Quickest way to get to the solarium, park cafe and the pool deck. It was very convenient. :)

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The prohibition party is so much fun. I highly recommend. Most people go in costume. But you can easily get away with a fedora for men with a dark suit. And a black dress with pearls and a boa for women.

The drinks are unlimited and strong! Some are served in coffee mugs. I don't think there was any food.

You can see pics and read about our experiences in the allure review in my signature. I think it starts around page 7. Enjoy!! We will definitely be doing it again on our next allure sailing. :)

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Kim, The more I think about your statement, the more I agree with it.

We also have 2 more RCI cruises booked, I have not lost hope at all.

 

We take a lot of short cruises, RCI, Carnival, and even now Princess.

First and last holiday cruise for us.

 

I do not think we saw a lot of knock down drunks staggering around as much as a BIG crowd of people needing to get their $$$ worth on the drink package. Crowds like this at all the bars will just encourage more smuggling, Not that I'm a saint. :eek:

LOL! I'm definitely no saint either. ;)

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We just returned from the Vision today. We were in aft cabin 7652. Everything about this cruise was great. I highly recommend the Vision.

 

 

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So happy you had a great cruise! I had a feeling our experience wasn't typical. We've sailed on the enchantment twice and loved it. So we had high hopes for the vision. We have three more RCI cruises booked. So hopefully better cruises ahead. Any cruise is a good cruise. But this one didn't meet expectations. I would discourage anyone from booking a short cruise over a holiday weekend. Lesson learned. :)

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$468 for two people in a balcony room on the Liberty. Five nights. Including port charges and gratuities. (I won the cruise in the slot tournament.) Not too shabby! :)

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The most I've ever spent was around $11,000 for four of us on Mariner in July 2005. She was the biggest and the best at the time... we probably overpaid... and it was worth every penny. To this day, it is one of my favorite cruises. The ship was almost new and that was a time when the ships were big, but the quality was still there. I think the cabins cost me around 9k and we spent over 2k onboard between excursions and drinks.

 

 

 

I'd pay it again in a heartbeat if the experience were the same. Now we can get suites for a less money, but its not quite the same all around experience. That was one of the last times we spent a significant amount of money on excursions. Now sometimes we leave a 7 day cruise with under $300 of onboard charges.

That sounds lovely. We have become more bargain cruisers. But there's something about the big splurge that adds a bit of excitement.

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I may be old fashioned, but my 16yo son removes his baseball cap anytime we are in a restaurant. Even if it's Johnny Rockets.

That's just how I was raised. And I would never allow a baseball cap during a show. I don't care what others wear ... They paid to be on the same cruise I did ... But the rules with our family is no hats. Probably my southern influence. And my husband went to cotillion, for crying out loud. :)

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