Hydrophilic

We were on Harmony over our February break. My daughter enjoys playing games in the arcade after dinner. If I remember correctly most games cost $2.50. (Although some games may have cost less.) Occasionally, my husband and I would join her for a couple of games of air hockey or skee-ball. As you can imagine it adds up quickly if you go every night or spend a great deal of time there. We set a limit on our daughter’s card and we paid when we played as a family. As to whether $50 or $100 would be the better buy, I think that depends on how often you plan to frequent the arcade and how long you plan to spend there. (I myself find skee-ball rather addictive.) I’d probably spend the $80 myself. Whatever you decide, have fun! 

We sail in 45 days and am in the same boat. (Pun not intended.) I, too have heard that entertainment gets released in batches, but I’ve also heard that cruises farther out have entertainment available for booking. Although I don’t know if Oasis is included in those cruises.

I’m frustrated, as I am a planner by nature. However, I’m trying to reframe it as an opportunity to log into my cruise planner daily and feel that little jolt of happiness that comes from the knowledge that I’m going on a cruise.

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It’s heartening to read these posts from fellow cruisers that love reading as much as I do. My husband is a non-reader and can not comprehend my obsession with reading on vacation. On our cruise last February, I could not find my Kindle upon returning to the ship from Labadee. Panicked, I unpacked everyone’s backpacks, looking through them several times. I broke down in tears, convinced that I left it in the cabana. My husband watched this scene unfold, a look of incredulity in his face. He said something like, “It’s no big deal, you have that one book with you.” Through tears I replied that one book wasn’t enough and what was I going to DO for the rest of the week?

Luckily, my husband had the wits to call his sister, who was traveling with us. His nephew picked my Kindle up, thinking it belonged to his mom and packed it in her bag. I immediately rushed to their room to be reunited with my device. My SIL and nephew were also very nonchalant, stating that they were just going to return it at dinner, which was still HOURS (or many chapters) away!

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My husband and I have cruised three times without our kids. The first time was in 2013 when they were 5 and 6 years old. The last time was in June of 2017. On our first two cruises, which went to Bermuda, we checked in with them once a day while we were in port. On our last Oasis Cruise, we checked in about once a day, usually via Face Time. I think it depends on individual children and their personalities, but my kids liked the contact. My son tends to be highly anxious and knowing that we were OK and that he could “see” us helped alleviate a lot of his worry and concern. We kept the calls very short and light, sharing our day, and letting them share their day with us. My mother-in-law said she used the calls to reassure my son when he talked about missing us.

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We were on the same cruise with you! As I scrolled through the photographs, I kept looking to see whether my family was pictured in any of the crowd shots. I knew the odds were pretty small. As luck would have it, we did the same tour in St. Thomas (one of my all time favorite RCL excursions) and there was my son in the waves, and my husband and kids playing in the water! My kids were so excited to see themselves in your review. My son is convinced that he is "famous". We reminisced about last year's cruise and talked about our upcoming 5 days in Independence. It was a lovely way to spend a cold, icy afternoon here in upstate NY! Thanks for sharing. [emoji3]

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Thank you all for your replies. It sounds like we will be able to have one cabana for three adults and four children. 😀 Thanks again.

We reserved a cabana on Nellie's Beach for our February 2017 Independence cruise. There are 4 people in my family. My sister-in-law and her two sons just booked the same cruise. I was wondering whether we would be able to have seven people use our cabana, as it seems foolish for my SIL to have to book her own cabana, especially as my family includes two children (8 and 9) that will not be spending much time in there at all. It isn't a monetary issue, as we would be willing to pay additional monies to cover the "extra" person. (And tip our attendant accordingly.) I was just wondering if anyone has ever attempted (or succeeded) in exceeding the "cabana occupancy".

Thank you!

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Thank you for the review and lovely photos. I enjoyed them whilst eating lunch at my desk.

I have to ask... You said you used an iPhone 7 to take those amazing photos. (You have quite an eye.) It's time for a new phone for me, so I was wondering if you had an iPhone 7 Plus, or just a regular 7? I want to be able to take quality photos, but the size of the 7 Plus is a deterrent.

Thank you. [emoji3]

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Thank you for your replies, everyone. :) With final payment due tomorrow and the Anthem itineraries still not available, I will have to book another ship and risk the loss of OBC. Thanks again!

I am booked on Allure for the end of June 2016, but am not able to cruise then. Final payment is due tomorrow and I need to change my reservation to another ship before I lose my deposit and OBC. (I booked the Allure cruise onboard Liberty last year.) The issue is that I am interested in Anthem for June 2017, which is not available . (So frustrating.) As I am running out of time to change my reservation, should I just book another ship until the Anthem itineraries are available? Or could I be penalized for changing my reservation so many times?

Thank you!

What a great idea! My idea is pretty specific (and gives it away) but you could create a rebus puzzle with a photograph of a Lincoln Navigator and a lot of 'C's. You could also modify this with the Navigator over the seas, as you will be going overseas. Hope this help. Have fun!

I will be following along. We just got off Freedom on February 22nd and are in the throes of Severe Cruise Withdrawal. We loved Freedom and the Western route.

We are sailing on Freedom of the Seas on 2/15/15. (11 days!) I think that the Murder Mystery Dinner sounds like fun, but it is only offered on Night 1. We have two children (ages 6 and 7) for whom the Murder Mystery Dinner would not be an enjoyable experience. So, would Adventure Ocean be open on Night 1? I can't recall from our Brilliance cruise last year. Thank you so much. :)

I am so glad that you asked this very question. I have a Fitbit and was wondering the same thing. I suggested to my husband that we add international data to my cell phone so I could sync my Fitbit, but for some reason he wasn't keen on that. (He doesn't understand my Fitbit devotion.) I am glad that all of those steps on my upcoming cruise won't be "wasted". "Wasted" steps are tragic. (And just in case anyone out there is feeling feisty, I use the word "tragic" in an ironic, self-deprecating manner.) :)

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I am enjoying your review. The pictures you took of Brilliance brought back some nice memories, as we took our kids on their first cruise on her back in February. Of particular interest was the photo of the outdoor seating area. We sat at the table to the right for lunch on Embarkation day. Out of curiosity, I asked my kids whether that table looked familiar. My DD (just turned 6) shrugged her shoulders, but my DS immediately identified it as "where we ate on the first day!" Thank you for bringing a smile to our faces this morning.

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I feel your pain. I am still in shock at what I just paid to fly to Orlando for our cruise on Freedom over President's Week. The airfare for the four of us was almost as much as the cruise itself. Unfortunately, I am a teacher, so I am limited to traveling the weeks in which school is out in the Northeast. Sigh... In a mere 19 years, when I retire, I will be able to travel during the "off times". Until then, I have to pay premium rates.

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On our Southern Caribbean cruise, I was hanging out on the balcony at night and noticed a reddish glow in the distance. I knew that we would be passing Montserrat, so I assumed it was lava flow from the volcano that erupted in the late 90's. I went into the room and told my husband that I thought I saw lava flow from Montserrat in the distance. He laughed at me and told me that the was no way I could see that from the ship. (How would he know?) He left the room to find some food and came back a few minutes later to tell me that I was, in fact, seeing lava. The captain made an announcement telling passengers about the source of the reddish glow. A day or two later, he brought the ship close enough to view the devastation of the town Plymouth. I took some amazing photos from our balcony that I share with my students in third grade every year when we discuss volcanoes.

Like many previous posters, I enjoy sitting on my balcony when we enter or leave port. I like watching the daily activities of people who live on the beautiful islands that we like to visit. In St. Lucia, I watched a woman who must have been late for work run across the plaza in heels, while doing her hair in a fairly complicated style that I could not have managed under the best of circumstances.

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One of my favorite cruise memories involves a dolphin sighting. On our Explorer cruise last August, my husband and I were taking a stroll along the top deck above the pool just before sunset. It was very quiet, no other passengers in the immediate vicinity. There was, however, two maintenance crew members walking along the rail. As we walked closer to the rail, two dolphins leaped out of the water against the sinking sun. It was pretty cool for us to see, but what made it even more special was the reaction of the two crew members. They spoke excitedly to one another and then turned to us and said simply, "Dolphins! Beautiful." I always think about those two men whenever I find myself too busy or distracted to notice the beauty that surrounds me in my daily life.

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I am really enjoying your review. You are bringing back some wonderful memories. Thank you. My husband and I sailed Serenade out of San Juan about (oh gosh, can it be?) 8 years ago. (It was our last cruise before we had children.) We love Old San Juan, El Convento, and the Southern Itinerary. We have cruised twice since then (5-day Brilliance, Western Caribbean, kids in tow and a 5-day to Bermuda blissfully alone), but our Serenade cruise remains very special to me. Reading your review makes me want to try to talk my husband into a Summer 2016 sailing... In addition to the three cruises we already have planned! Hmm... August 2016 will be our "13-year anniversary". That is worth celebrating with a cruise, right? Thank you again!

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We were in stateroom 8614 in August 2013, which was "on the hump". The balcony was standard-sized, but the views forward and aft were terrific. It was also in a convenient location.

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Thank you all for your time and advice. If all rooms with sofa beds have the bed by the closet, then I guess "it is what it is". I will move onto to obsessing over some other small detail, as I often do. :) Thanks again!

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I booked Allure for February 2016, stateroom 10200. Taking advantage of the search feature on CC, I discovered that the bed is by the closet, not the balcony. We are taking our two kids with us and would prefer the bed by the balcony and the sleep sofa by the closet. So, now I want to switch my room. My question is whether the agent at RC would know the location of the bed in another stateroom, or if I should try to search for an available cabin with the configuration I would prefer. Thank you.

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We sailed on Brilliance out of Tampa last February. We stayed at the Hyatt Place Tampa Airport/Westshore. This hotel had both an airport shuttle and a shuttle to the pier. Nice (big) clean rooms, with a decent breakfast included. It is in the flight path of the airport (Hence, the name airport in the name of the hotel.), which can be a bit loud. A piece of advice... Call the hotel for shuttle pick up when you land. We called from baggage claim and had to wait a while for the shuttle to arrive. Would absolutely stay there again if we sail from Tampa.

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Yes, I am looking at the non-suite beach (We are just "commoners", after all. Perhaps one day we will rise to the suite life.) Thank you for your input. I will go with a beach cabana. 😀

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Assuming that there are still cabanas available on our upcoming cruise... Which cabanas would be best for a family with two children (ages 7 and 6)? Ideally, we would like a cabana that would allow us to keep an eye on our kids while they are in the water and playing in the sand. Which cabana "type" would be best? Thank you!

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