dvan68

I'm not sure what people are complaining about with the hotel pickup. You take the train (plenty of signage) and get off at P4 (plenty of announcements) The longest part of the process is waiting on the shuttle itself. We generally drive in from PA and stay at the Courtyard the night before an early morning flight. They have a bar, with some sandwiches. More options for delivery if you are looking for something more hearty. We are gone before breakfast starts, but they have coffee available. No pool - but with just sleeping for 1 night, that has never been a priority for us.

Another vote for staying in Secaucus/Harmon Cove area. There is a Residence Inn, a Courtyard and an Aloft to choose from in that area. Restaurants are in walking distance and it is an office park, so separate from the actual city of Secaucus. Unless you are familiar with the area, I would not stay in Jersey City - I just did not feel safe, and I grew up in NJ.

Does anyone else think that this is odd for restaurant pricing? I would understand using the dynamic feature for offering discounts, but the base price should remain the same. How are they justifying food cost against demand? Sorry, this is my first time on RCCL, and the pressure to pre book everything is real! I'm sure I will appreciate it once on board, then we will have nothing left to pay for.

So then is the menu that is posted outdated? The price listed there is $45.99

I am also a little confused on the pricing - specifically for Hibachi. On the app (and website) the price to reserve the Izumi Hibachi Experience is $54.99, but when I look at the sample menu provided, the prices are $45.99 for Classic and $49.99 for Premier. There is no price listed for the starter (the menu states complimentary) or the dessert. My assumption is that dessert is also included - would that be correct? Does that mean that it is cheaper to just take my chances and reserve while on board - and the extra $9 is for the reservation?

There are some videos on YouTube that you can see how loud the music is at the pool. It seems not as loud at the beach. Although appealing for this area is to be adult only, I'm going to pass on the Vegas Party scene.

Has anyone done this tour with RCCL? Trying to find out how much time they allow for actual snorkeling. There are other snorkel tours, but we are not interested in swimming with pigs. Would rather see coral and fish, maybe some turtles. If anyone has options for independent tours - I am up for anything. We have to do a half day tour since we are in port from noon to 8.

Whoopsie - thank you for the correction

I understand from previous posts that I will recieve the Cabana number the night before we arrive at Coco Cay. We are with a group of people, who will be joining - there was nothing to make note of this when I made the reservation - do we give the names when we check in? In some cases only 1 person from the cabin will be coming to the cabana, the other people want the pool - Is that OK, or is it by cabin?

If you want free, then South Beach is your answer. Cove Beach is an extra charge. Check the excursions on the app or website and you can get an idea of the pricing. It varies based on the demand.

I feel like if you shop the sales, the fares will be comparable to HAL or Celebrity. However, the packages and 'extras' are crazy. I am spending much more on a peak season (July) RCCL cruise than I did on the luxury Oceania, in the same type of Balcony cabin. Last year in Sept, the beverage package was $65 per day, internet was included, and gratuities were included. We have never done RCCL before, and have not been impressed so far with the feeling of being nickel and dimed. We are with a group, so the selection was not really up to us.

Yes, it was an open beach, with jet ski rentals. It seemed like there were several locals renting the loungers, and our taxi driver did the talking, then they just asked us where we wanted to be- in the shade or out near the water. It was all very easy. Outside of the water being very warm (it was September) we had a great time there. Very relaxing - we were there about 4 hours.

Does anyone know the max number of diners at a table in the MDR? 8, 10 or something larger?

What is the largest table in the MDR - specifically the Symphony OTS? We are going with a group, but we only know 6 of the people in the group. Everyone is connected to someone in the group, but this is just different friends celebrating milestone birthdays and anniversaries. We all selected late dining; I assume that the TA will ensure that our reservations are connected to at least be seated near each other? Or is this something that we will need to confirm ourselves? The group is over 20 people so we won't be all at the same table - just wondering what type of configuration we will be dealing with.

Which beach would be the best for snorkeling? We want to rent a cabana. The new Hideaway Beach looks like it is all sand. Chill Beach also has Cabanas available- is there anything to see there?

I would recommend Fury Charters. They offer half day trips to snorkel with turtles, and leave from Havensight, so that you don’t have to deal with taxis. They keep it to only 12 passengers and it is a great time.

We were there in September. Used the taxi station in the cruise port, and they collected a bunch of us to go to Cable Beach. When the driver dropped us off, we arranged a pick up time, and he got us a vendor for a chair and umbrella. There were no roaming vendors, and a couple of stands doing drinks and we got some cracked conch. I don’t know what beach we were on if it wasn’t Cable because that’s what we asked for.

Ha! My thoughts exactly. My only thought is that they are charged by the hour for each port? The times in both Port Canaveral and Nassau are very odd. Of course Coco Cay is a normal 7-5. We’ve never been on a ship this large, so just was wondering how fast people get off

We will be on the Symphony of the Seas in July. Our itinerary says that we are in port at 12:30. What time could we expect to be off the ship? Looking to book an excursion which starts at 1:30 and we would still need to get there.

Take a cab to Cable Beach - only a 10 minute ride. The driver will have you give a time that you want to return and will hook you up with a vendor for Chairs and Umbrella. There are food and drink vendors, but no one is wandering the beach bothering you.

Can you reserve a large table for Anytime Dining for just a single night? We are a group, but not everyone knows each other, but we would like to have 1 night of a group dinner. We won't be all at 1 table - I think we are at 28 people at the last count, but maybe in the same area? This is our first time going with a group of people, and they are looking to us since we have cruised often, but the group dynamic is a whole other level than just planning for 2 people.

Our earlier cruises, I can remember being so adamant with my husband that we had to be at the terminal by 11:00am. Fast forward, since Covid we now target 12:30 - and usually 1:00. It is so nice to just walk through the terminal and head up to the ship and go right to the room. No lines, No standing. Once we drop the luggage we deal with any reservations that are needed, then go up for food. At that point the crowds are all leaving to go to their rooms. I know it is not for everyone, and I have to constantly tell myself that we are still early - since the cut off time is usually like 4:00pm

I just wish they had at least chosen to go to Nassau AND Freeport. Or maybe a private island? Of course with the expected rough seas, those tender ports may get cancelled as well. I agree with everyone - we booked at a discounted rate because of the time of year, and should be ready to accept the consequences of that decision. - we all want to be safe - we are all entitled to disappointment when you have made plans for certain activities - Oceania could have given much more detailed information in the email communication. Why should we have to find out from CC the exact days/times we will be in port. Plus no communication about available excursions

We will be getting on next Wednesday, and hoping that Lee takes a different track and misses both of our vacations!

Would bottles of water be included in the beverage package?