Can you Board before 2:00pm & Bring Sodas

We are going on a cruise on Jan 27th on Radiance of the Sea out of Tampa.:)

On our E-Doc it says to board at 2:00pm ?? in the past we would board around noon. My ?? is can you board around noon as in the past or do they not let you on until later now like 2 pm ???:rolleyes:

Also in the past we would bring our own sodas on board for 2 reasons 1 it's of course cheaper & the other is I like Diet Dr Pepper & they don't have it. Has anyone brought their own sodas on board ??? Any problems in doing this ????:eek:

For the 1st time we decided to try Our Time Dining due to DH is going to a Technology Conference & not sure when some events are planned!!!! Is there problems with on time dining as when you want to eat cause I read you need to make reservation for it???? or not ????:p

Is there a formal night with On Time Dining on this 5 day cruise???

Thanks in advance for your help!!!!

I sure hope I like the On Time Dining cause I always loved the set dinner time with the same people at a certain table at a certain time. It was nice getting to know them better each day.:)

Any thoughts on Radiance of the Sea such as good & bads. BTW we are platinum but I'm sure it's not anything special.:o

Thanks again for info & help ???

Yes, you can board as early as 11:00am. This often depends on clearing the previous cruise pax through customs. We are usually on-board the Radiance, or any other ship, by 11:30 and eating lunch in the Windjammer by noon.

Yes, you can bring soda, pop, soft drinks on-board with you. In Dec we did 4 b2b's so brought 24 cans of Sprite Zero in a backpack to cover our 18 days.

Happy Sailing

You can board before 2pm, that's a good way to beat the crowds. As far as the soda question....do a search in this forum on "soda" and you will find plenty of heated threads on this issue. The official RCI rule is NO you can't. But it depends on the mood of whoever is screening your luggage. If you want to take a chance that all of your soda will be confiscated, go for it, but as I said it is against the rules so you are taking a risk.

According to RCI's web site you are not allowed to bring soda on board. In the past they have not enforced this. Recently they have started to enforce it on some ships/itineraries.

Yes and No

You should be able to eat anytime during the open hours with MTD...you don't need a reservation, but if you show up at a very busy time, you may have to wait a bit...bring a drink! I've never minded a short wait...anticipation!!!

There is always a chance that they will begin enforcing a policy that's never been enforced, but we have brought soda on board every one of our 14 cruises (7 with RCCL) and never once had a problem. We do it for the very reason you cite -- we like soda that just isn't available on board (Diet Dr. Pepper for me; caffeine free diet coke for the rest of the family).

(Actually, when I say we never had a problem, that means we never had a problem with the cruise company confiscating our beverages. We actually did have a problem one year when two of the cans, packed in with clothes and other items, ruptured, spewing soda all over the other contents of the luggage. They now get wrapped in plastic or bubble wrap and placed in their own tote bag.)

I appreciate all the great info. I like to board early around noon to get situated before sailing so that is good that you can.!!!!

MTD I really hope I like it !!!!! :( Just a new way to dine due to conference & give me a chance to experience something different, I guess.

I'm still unsure on what to do about the sodas ????:mad:

We were on the Radiance in October and we were on the ship by 11:30am. I was just reading a review and they had some kind of issue and were not able to board till 5:30pm. So it just depends if they have issues that day.

We also brought some pop on board.

Did you just tag the pop with your luggage or did you carry it on?

Thanks!

I taped strapping tape around the soda so the box wouldnt rip and then put on a luggage tag on the top and gave it to the porter with our luggage. No problems. It was in our room when we got there.:D

May I ask when your trip was when you tagged your soda & left it with the porter, what I was wondering was it recently ???:o

We were on the Radiance in October and we were on the ship by 11:30am. I was just reading a review and they had some kind of issue and were not able to board till 5:30pm. So it just depends if they have issues that day.

 

We also brought some pop on board.

Hi Brenda - Happy New Year

Thanks for the info really appreciate it.:

Thanks for the info on the sodas, I really do appreciate it.:)

I have another ????:eek:

It's on MTD do they seat you like they do for breakfast & lunch ???? or by yourself ??? :p

Thanks for the info on the sodas, I really do appreciate it.:)

I have another ????:eek:

It's on MTD do they seat you like they do for breakfast & lunch ???? or by yourself ??? :p

Whichever you prefer...you can ask to be seated at a larger table with others or ask for a table for your party only.

Did you like MTD or prefer seating time ??? ;)

We like eating with other people & not by ourself unless we are celebrating something special.:o

Just wondering after reading that there was an illness :(on board a few weeks ago & if they cleaned it up & everything is well on board???:mad:

How is the weather in Tampa as of now since we leave tomorrow for our cruise on Thursday the 27th of Jan.:eek:

Tampa Bay is supposed to get strong storms tonight. Tomorrow the high is supposed to be 68 and windy, then 62 on Thursday with lows in the 40's.

If you go to WTSP.com and click on weather, it's pretty easy to navigate.

I hope you have a wonderful cruise!!!

We went on the cruise that left on Jan 27 & got very sick for 2 weeks.