Random questions from a newbie

[Cruz77]

:o I'm sorry if I am all over the place here but I have a few questions that came up while I was researching my upcoming cruise on the Allure (Sept 22nd 2013) TIA for any responses I get!

 

*AO-How long can they be there? I noticed te times are 9-12, 2-5, 7- 10 so can they go to multiple time frames in one day?

-Can they be in AO while we are doing a shore excursion?

-Can the kids show up late to AO? Will they still be let in if they show up lets say 30min after the starting time?

 

*Boardwalk-I read in a thread here about the play areas on Oasis OTS does Allure OTS have them as well?

 

*Shows/Excursions-How soon can I reserve these?

 

*Zipline/Rock Wall- Is there a age/height restriction?

 

*Food/Drink-What non-alocholic beverages are included in the cruise?

-Can you bring sealed bottles of water onboard?

-How about those flavor packets that you put into water?

 

*Departure-What documents do I need to bring with me? Birth certificates/Passports?

-What time should we get to the docks?

 

Thats it for now;) I'm sure there will be more!!

[Canadian Tyler]

:o I'm sorry if I am all over the place here but I have a few questions that came up while I was researching my upcoming cruise on the Allure (Sept 22nd 2013) TIA for any responses I get!

 

*AO-How long can they be there? I noticed te times are 9-12, 2-5, 7- 10 so can they go to multiple time frames in one day?

-Can they be in AO while we are doing a shore excursion?

-Can the kids show up late to AO? Will they still be let in if they show up lets say 30min after the starting time?

 

Yes, these are just the open times, so they can drop in as you/they please during these times. And yes they can be in AO while you are doing a shore excursion, if you're comfortable with that.

[ryano]

Ice tea, lemonade and flavored water is included. There will also be coffee available at no charge too. There will be juices available during breakfast. The "freshly squeezed" OJ they offer you has a charge though.

 

You shouldnt have any problem bringing on your own water and flavor packets.

 

You will need your Passport or certified birth certificate AND drivers license or other government issued ID to board the ship.

 

:)

[akcruz]

As others have said, your kids can go to AO any of the time that they are open. You do not need to be there for the entire session it is come and go as you please. If your kids are under 9 you will be required to sign them in and out. From 9 - 11 you have the option of giving them sign in/out privileges if you want, but that is up to you. From 12 and up they sign themselves in and out.

 

You can bring a reasonable amount of sealed water on board as well as drink packets. However there is plenty of spots to get water, ice tea, lemonade and flavored water around the ship. If you want to just bring a container and re-fill you can do that as well.

 

Allure does have a play area on the boardwalk but it is small.

 

Shows, should open up anywhere from about 100 days to 60 days out. No set time, just keep watching about 4 months out. Book early as the better times go fast. Excursions are usually a bit earlier and dining varies, but is usually closer to the show times.

 

Feel free to ask any additional questions. That's what is so great about these boards.

[Duddy]

We just got back from AOS last month. I can answer a few questions:

 

They say you cannot bring bottled water and they charge an arm and two legs if you purchase it and have it delivered. However, based on the CC threads, people bring it all the time and they even sell cases of it in the ship teminal there. After you have gone through security before you board. So, in theory are you really going to make me drink 24 bottles of water before I board? LOL

 

The complimentary drinks are lemonade, iced tea, hot tea, coffee, OJ and ice water. There may be other juices in the MDR at breakfast. We stuck to lemondade and iced tea. If you bring a water bottle to refill, for hygeine reasons you should take one or two of the pre-poured water cups (in the Windjammer) and fill it that way. We got the bottles with the built-in filter.

 

On the newer, larger ships you can book shows in advance. Otherwise it is when you board. Most shows are no problem except for the ice shows are popular.

 

If you have MTD, it is also a good idea to make reservations:

 

1. If you like your waiter

2. Especially on sailing night and formal nights.

 

You have to balance return-to-the-ship time (in port), one-time-only shows, time to get dressed etc

 

You can reserve shore excursions months in advance online. Do that. Gives you time to research them, decide, pay for them and be sure you get the ones you want.

 

There are tons of threads with people arguing about passport books, passport cards, birth cirtificates. IMO, get a passport book. TSA, ship security, everyone prefers them. :) Money well spent.

 

There are also tons of threads with people talking about arrival/boarding time. We sailed from San Juan. We arrived at the pier at 11am. There were people still debarking, but the line was already moving to get people into the terminal to check in. I think we had to wait until 12pm or so before we were allowed to board. Plenty of time to go the the Windjammer and explore the ship. By 2pm it gets crazy in the Windjammer :eek:

 

However, all the doors to cabin hallways were closed with staff on each deck monitoring. They said 2pm to get into your cabin and they meant it. We were a 8:30pm sailing

 

Hope that helps.

 

~Bob

[Cruz77]

Ice tea, lemonade and flavored water is included. There will also be coffee available at no charge too.

:)

 

Is the Starbucks included??

 

There are tons of threads with people arguing about passport books, passport cards, birth cirtificates. IMO, get a passport book. TSA, ship security, everyone prefers them. :) Money well spent.

 

There are 6 of us going. I'm not sure of the exact cost but I have a feeling it will be pretty pricey for passports for all 6 of us. I agree about the fact that it may be $ well spent but this may be the only cruise we go on and don't plan on going out of the country. Will we be able to get on the ship with just Birth Certs? Will we need them for kids and adults?

 

There are also tons of threads with people talking about arrival/boarding time. We sailed from San Juan. We arrived at the pier at 11am. There were people still debarking, but the line was already moving to get people into the terminal to check in. I think we had to wait until 12pm or so before we were allowed to board.

 

I don't mind getting to the pier early if it means being towards the front of the line. We depart at 5pm so is 11 early enough or should I get there earlier?

 

As others have said, your kids can go to AO any of the time that they are open. You do not need to be there for the entire session it is come and go as you please.

 

So do we need to register the kids ahead of time? Does AO ever have to turn away children?

 

Thanks all for your responses. I'm just taking it all in:D

 

Sidenote:Wish there were more smilies here.

[ryano]

Starbucks is not included :) there will be a charge for any of those

[MrsPete]

They list timeframes for AO because they offer various programs. Perhaps they'll have crafts from 9-12, then take the kids to the sports deck from 2-5, or whatever. How will you know what to expect? Every night when you come back from dinner you'll find a sheet with the next day's activities on your bed -- and a sheet for your kids too. They'll let the kids come in at any time, but if you see that they're doing a cool science experiment starting at __:00 and your kids are interested, you should try to have them arrive before it begins. Also pay attention to the times they're taking the kids to lunch/dinner -- you wouldn't want to pick up your kids for dinner . . . only to find that they just ate dinner without you.

 

On the first night they'll have a sign-up for AO. Definitely have your kids attend the opening night kids' activities -- that's when all the kids are all looking for friends.

 

Kids will not be turned away from AO once they're on the ship, but at some point the ship stops accepting 3rd and 4th passengers. They are limited to how many people the ship can hold.

 

You can leave your kids in the clubs while you go on shore excursions, but this is generally accepted as a bad idea. Anyway, don't you want them to experience the islands too?

 

No point in reserving shows, but also don't arrive five minutes before the show and expect to find six seats together right up front. General rule of thumb, the first show is considered "kid-appropriate", while the later show is a little more adult -- especially if they have comedians. If you miss the shows, they're run (and re-run) on your stateroom TV.

 

You can reserve private excursions much earlier than ship's excursions -- and you'll be in smaller groups. They are always much better. The fact that they're also cheaper is just icing on the cake.

 

At some point in the week they'll have "family time" on the rock wall. At that point they'll kick out all the teens and young adults who can zip right up the wall, and they'll have time for little kids and parents. This might be the best choice. You'll find similar "family time" in the skating rink, the disco, etc.

 

People who say they've had trouble bringing water/sodas onboard tend to be traveling during spring break. They are more strict then. However, you don't need to bring water -- the ship's water is just as pure as bottled water. It does make sense to bring water bottles for shore excursions.

 

Flavor packets -- yes, if you're into that stuff.

 

We like to arrive 10:30-11:00. Checking in can be a lengthy process. Regardless, you won't board first: Groups, weddings, sometime suites are boarded first. We like to board as quickly as possible, go to the top of the ship and walk all the way down, deck by deck, seeing everything there is to see.

 

A good plan to help with six people /children and check-in: Buy lanyards with card-holders for the kids. As soon as their ID is made, put it around their necks. They'll have to show it before they can go up the escalator to walk the gangway . . . and then again when they reach the ship itself -- that's twice in rapid sucession. Once they're on the ship, have them hang their lanyards on the doorknob so they're never lost.

 

Plain coffee is included, but not Starbucks and specialized coffee drinks. You will find that you'll pay extra for drinks on a regular basis -- but food, not so much.

 

You can sail with just CERTIFIED birth certificates and driver's licenses. Yes, the kids must have birth certificates as well. These are hard-and-fast rules, and if you do the wrong thing, you will not sail and will receive no refund. If you think this may be your ONLY use of a passport, it's not a very good bargain. The passport-paranoid will point out that if you need to fly home or are left on an island, you'll be screwed without a passport -- but those possibilities are remote. You must weigh the risks and consequences and make your own decision. With six people, you're probably talking about paying the cost of another cruise ticket for documents.

[Cruz77]

They list timeframes for AO because they offer various programs. Perhaps they'll have crafts from 9-12, then take the kids to the sports deck from 2-5, or whatever. How will you know what to expect? Every night when you come back from dinner you'll find a sheet with the next day's activities on your bed -- and a sheet for your kids too. They'll let the kids come in at any time, but if you see that they're doing a cool science experiment starting at __:00 and your kids are interested, you should try to have them arrive before it begins. Also pay attention to the times they're taking the kids to lunch/dinner -- you wouldn't want to pick up your kids for dinner . . . only to find that they just ate dinner without you. So they will feed my kids? Is this an extra charge? Is this what happens in the inbetween timeframes 12-2, 5-7??

 

On the first night they'll have a sign-up for AO. Definitely have your kids attend the opening night kids' activities -- that's when all the kids are all looking for friends. Is the sign up for AO in general or is it a sign up for what times they will attend each day?

 

Kids will not be turned away from AO once they're on the ship, but at some point the ship stops accepting 3rd and 4th passengers. They are limited to how many people the ship can hold.

 

You can leave your kids in the clubs while you go on shore excursions, but this is generally accepted as a bad idea. Anyway, don't you want them to experience the islands too? I agree with this for sure!! I am just trying to get every bit of information that I can.

 

No point in reserving shows, but also don't arrive five minutes before the show and expect to find six seats together right up front. General rule of thumb, the first show is considered "kid-appropriate", while the later show is a little more adult -- especially if they have comedians. If you miss the shows, they're run (and re-run) on your stateroom TV.

 

You can reserve private excursions much earlier than ship's excursions -- and you'll be in smaller groups. They are always much better. The fact that they're also cheaper is just icing on the cake. So how do I find out about private excursions?

 

At some point in the week they'll have "family time" on the rock wall. At that point they'll kick out all the teens and young adults who can zip right up the wall, and they'll have time for little kids and parents. This might be the best choice. You'll find similar "family time" in the skating rink, the disco, etc. So do I just find when "family time" is on that sheet we find on our bed after dinner?

 

People who say they've had trouble bringing water/sodas onboard tend to be traveling during spring break. They are more strict then. However, you don't need to bring water -- the ship's water is just as pure as bottled water. It does make sense to bring water bottles for shore excursions. Good to know!

 

Flavor packets -- yes, if you're into that stuff.

 

We like to arrive 10:30-11:00. Checking in can be a lengthy process. Regardless, you won't board first: Groups, weddings, sometime suites are boarded first. We like to board as quickly as possible, go to the top of the ship and walk all the way down, deck by deck, seeing everything there is to see. Lol!! I know we are not important enough to board first but it would be nice to get on an empty of a ship as possible! We are morning people so we will shoot for earlier than later.

 

A good plan to help with six people /children and check-in: Buy lanyards with card-holders for the kids. As soon as their ID is made, put it around their necks. They'll have to show it before they can go up the escalator to walk the gangway . . . and then again when they reach the ship itself -- that's twice in rapid sucession. Once they're on the ship, have them hang their lanyards on the doorknob so they're never lost. Kiddos are still pretty young (8, 6, 6) I don't 100% trust them with something this important. On our Disney trips hubby is usually the holder of keycards. Will they need their cards while on the ship?

 

Plain coffee is included, but not Starbucks and specialized coffee drinks. You will find that you'll pay extra for drinks on a regular basis -- but food, not so much. I figured this much. I am fine with average coffee but hubby likes frappuchinos. Are those big$$$?

 

You can sail with just CERTIFIED birth certificates and driver's licenses. Yes, the kids must have birth certificates as well. These are hard-and-fast rules, and if you do the wrong thing, you will not sail and will receive no refund. If you think this may be your ONLY use of a passport, it's not a very good bargain. The passport-paranoid will point out that if you need to fly home or are left on an island, you'll be screwed without a passport -- but those possibilities are remote. You must weigh the risks and consequences and make your own decision. With six people, you're probably talking about paying the cost of another cruise ticket for documents. I know that these have probably been some folks famous last words but we have no intention in doing any kind of all day excursions. We will try to do smaller closer type things as Grandpa (73) is sailing with us and is not as mobile as we are. Yikes!!! They cost that much?!?!

 

Thanks for such helpful information! My WDW forum friends sure did steer me into the right direction!!

[SinCity2003]

 

You can sail with just CERTIFIED birth certificates and driver's licenses. Yes, the kids must have birth certificates as well. These are hard-and-fast rules, and if you do the wrong thing, you will not sail and will receive no refund. If you think this may be your ONLY use of a passport, it's not a very good bargain. The passport-paranoid will point out that if you need to fly home or are left on an island, you'll be screwed without a passport -- but those possibilities are remote. You must weigh the risks and consequences and make your own decision. With six people, you're probably talking about paying the cost of another cruise ticket for documents.

 

I just want to throw out one caution here. If any of you have a chronic illness that could require hospitalization, a passport is the way to go. We were going to go with just the birth certificates, however our DS has Type 1 diabetes and I would never, ever forgive myself if something happened and he had to be flown out and couldn't be because we didn't have passports. Having said that, there's only 3 of us. If there were more (in your case 6), I would make sure 1 adult and the child with the medical condition had passports and the rest had birth certificates, that way a parent can get out with the child.

[Cruz77]

I just want to throw out one caution here. If any of you have a chronic illness that could require hospitalization, a passport is the way to go. We were going to go with just the birth certificates, however our DS has Type 1 diabetes and I would never, ever forgive myself if something happened and he had to be flown out and couldn't be because we didn't have passports. Having said that, there's only 3 of us. If there were more (in your case 6), I would make sure 1 adult and the child with the medical condition had passports and the rest had birth certificates, that way a parent can get out with the child.

 

We are very fortunate to have no serious issues. I appreciate you mentioning this though!!

[Cruz77]

At some point in the week they'll have "family time" on the rock wall. At that point they'll kick out all the teens and young adults who can zip right up the wall, and they'll have time for little kids and parents. This might be the best choice. You'll find similar "family time" in the skating rink, the disco, etc.

So this applies to the zip line also?? Sorry forgot to add that in my response to your reply.

[Luetta]

Our friends did not have passports last time we sailed and got a bit of hassle at the pier at check in, they were let on, but given a hard time.

 

The wives had certified birth certificates & drivers licenses, the issue was the birth certificate had their maiden name on it, and the DL had married name, they asked for Marriage license and my friends didn't have it. Might be a good idea to bring that so the names end up matching.

[cruisenanny]

Our friends did not have passports last time we sailed and got a bit of hassle at the pier at check in, they were let on, but given a hard time.

 

The wives had certified birth certificates & drivers licenses, the issue was the birth certificate had their maiden name on it, and the DL had married name, they asked for Marriage license and my friends didn't have it. Might be a good idea to bring that so the names end up matching.

 

Oh wow, I am a little surprised that they were allowed to board without providing the "link" of the marriage certificate.

I agree with you, it is a VERY good idea to bring the marriage cert, Before I got a passport I was always asked for this document when I showed my DL & BC for boarding.

[Cruz77]

Can anyone tell me the difference between a passport card and passport book.

[JenGang]

From what I understand, the card only allows for land travel but the book will allow air travel.

 

Can anyone tell me the difference between a passport card and passport book.

[Cruz77]

So I'm not worried at all about air. We fly a lot and NEVER have issues. Will the card work for cruises or just "land" travel? Is cruise considered land travel?

[cb at sea]

The card will be no more good to you in a foreign country on a cruise than your BC and D:.....don't bother. Either get a real passport, or just use the BC/DL thing. We refuse to pay for a passport until it's required for cruise travel!!!

 

BTW, I've never needed a marriage cert. to "bridge" my BC and DL.,...the birthdates are the same!

[reney313]

I've read a few things here that I want to clarify:

 

1. Booking Shows/Entertainment. For most ships this is either not available or not a big deal. However, for Allure of the Seas, I would definitely recommend booking the shows online. If you don't end up going when you have it reserved, that's OK...they'll give your seats to those in the stand by line. But if you don't have them reserved and want to go, you may not get in...especially with 6 in your group. You've reserved in advance, you might as well have fun reserving the shows in advance too. One less line to stand in onboard. You can always change them on your TV if they have a different time available.

 

2. Using your BC and DL. Personally, I have my passport---but I have not always. I couldn't find it one time when going to cruise. I simply took my DL and BC. If for some off chance you got stranded, you would still be able to fly home (you are an american citizen, they're not going to tell you that you can never come back). It just might take more time and more hassle. In a medical emergency, I can see some arguments, but I you have already assessed that risk. As far as the marriage document though, I have personally seen someone denied boarding for their last name being different and not having the bridging document (marriage certificate) even though birthdates are the same, etc. Maybe it depends on the port agent? I would ensure you have it...you have plenty of time to get the required certified documents together. Don't wait though. Check on them now (ensure BC's are the state issued ones, not the one from the hospital, etc.)

 

3. Zip Line does have a height restriction. Some reviews show the picture. I didn't take note as I'm tall enough :)

 

4. Most of the AO activities are free. I don't have kids, but I do remember seeing some optional paid activities for late night and maybe a speciality dinner at Johnny Rockets? I imagine each ship is different.

 

5. The first day AO open house isn't to sign up for each of the activities but to sign up who can sign the kids in/out, get information, look around the facilities and meet the AO staff, etc. Adults are not allowed in AO except for during the Open House (I think..there might be some other times, but in general, for safety of the kids, no lurking adult types can be there).

 

6. Your kids will get wrist bands after they board that have their muster info. They'll still want their cards to get in/out of the cabin, and other things (I guess). I'll let other parents opine here if they need them for sure or not. I see most kids that age with lanyards and their cards so I assume they need them for something.

 

7. I wouldn't recommend showing up earlier than 10:30, but generally 10:30am-11:30am at Port Everglades would be considered the early group. They will board C&A members (past cruisers), suites, etc. first so you may not want to get there at 10:30, but closer to 11:00 to alleviate too much of a "sitting and waiting" time with the kids.

 

8. Check out the Port Boards on this site for each port of call. You'll find a ton of information that will include both independent excursions as well as ship sponsored excursions.

 

9. I also recommend joining your roll call. That is another section on these boards. Those will be the people going on your cruise. Often times they will provide tips, share shore excursions, and host onboard activities. If the others have kids it might be a good way to meet some for your kids to know--sometimes even the night before sailing if you'll all be in Fort Lauderdale.

 

10. Last, there is also a new cruiser section of these boards. don't be afraid to ask questions as you have here on the main RCI board, but you also might find some additional info. there that some of us would not have thought to mention.

 

And finally, enjoy your planning and your cruise!