Do mind answering questions for a very much so new comer?

[mommyof2monkeys+princess]

My husband and I are celebrating our 10th anniversary this year so we are going on a short cruise. This will be our first cruise. We have it on hold currently and will offically book it tomorrow. We are going from Miami to the Bahamas. We leave June 13th (Friday 13th LOL) which is our anniversary day. :D We were engaged on a Friday the 13th and then married the next year on a Saturday the 13th. This will be our first official vacation with no kids WHOA!!! The kids are 8, 6 (will be 7 by then) and 1 yrs old.

 

We are paying for a guarenteed oceanview room.

 

1st .....How does check in go?

 

2nd.... We were know there is the posibility of being upgrade but I have also heard you can paid to upgrade at checkin for cheaper than purchasing the higher room. Is that true? We would like a balcony but I am trying to work the system to get it as cheap as possible LOL. Any advice?

 

3rd....On the day the ship pulls into port do you have to get up at 5am? :eek: I am so not a morning person. I am sooooooooo looking forward to sleeping in for a few mornings for the first time in 8 yrs KWIM.:rolleyes:

 

Any other advice would be great???

 

I am also looking at planning my own excursions in the Bahamas. I really want to do the dolphin swim at Atlantis it is $2XX something through Royal and it is $140 on Atlantis's website so I am going to check and see if more is offered through Royal. Any advice on that?

 

Thanks

Tammy

[TEXASMUNK]

1. Check-in....

 

Porters will take your luggage, usual tip is at least $1 per bag.

 

you will enter terminal, greeter will direct the flow of traffic.

 

you will pass through security, have your docs and ID ready

 

you will then join the throng in line for check in, RCI has it down pat, so it will take some time, but who cares, you are on a cruise!!

 

Agent will take your docs, check your ID, confirm your credit card info and give you your SeaPass Cards..these are for everything....you charge drinks, goodies, gifts, etc on the card. tours bought on the ship will also go to your onboard account...You can check ti via your TV or by stopping at the Purser's Desk during the cruise.

 

Upgrades; DO not, repeat, DO not count on it!!!! If you get lucky, you will be assigned a cabin above the catagory you guaranteed. As for pier upgrades, that Golden goose has been cooked. So many folks figured it out, that Rci will pretty much hit you for the rake rate for a pier side upgrade. It does happen, but, very,very rarely

 

Getting off; They want you OUT of your cabin by 8am.

[PattyG12]

Hello Tammy ... We did the short cruise last year. What ship are you sailling on? if you're expecting an upgrade .... DON'T!!

 

We did the Dolphin Swim in Nassau. Very nice. If you're going to Cococay, relax and enjoy the beach.

 

Leaving on the last day .... you'll need to be out by 8. That means out ... not get up. Sorry.

[Gonzo70]

I agree with the first person that responded to you. An additional tip or two: Even though your documents will say to board at 1Pm or so, they typically start boarding by 11am, so you can arrive earlier than your documents say to. The Windjammer is open for lunch once you board the ship, as is the pool, the bar by the pool, the spa to book appointments, the main dining room to check your seat assignments, and the speciality restaurant to make reservations. Be sure to keep all your valuables in your carry-on and you may want to pack a swimsuit. Your luggahe may take several hours to arrive. You can not enter your stateroom until approximately 1pm.

 

As for the shore excurions, the extra price may involve transportation. If you book through RCL they provide you with transportation to the shore excursion and back to the ship. If you book direct with Atlantis, you probably need to pay for a cab ride there and then back. It may still be cheaper to book direct with Atlantis, but don't cut the time you need to be back on the ship close as the ship won't wait for you if you are late. If you are on an RCL excursion, then the ship often will wait for you if the excursion is late returning.

 

Have a great cruise. :)

 

P.S. One more bit of advice: If you are flying to Miami, if possible fly in the day before your cruise to help decrease the chance of missing the ship due to your plane being delayed. If you are driving to the port, this is much less important. Even in summer time planes often get delayed. Also coming in a day earlier gives you an extra day of vacation!

[It'sRC4ME]

3rd....On the day the ship pulls into port do you have to get up at 5am? :eek: I am so not a morning person. I am sooooooooo looking forward to sleeping in for a few mornings for the first time in 8 yrs KWIM.:rolleyes:

 

 

I you are referring to the last day of the cruise, when the ship returns to the port of embarkation, yes, you will need to get up early. But not at 5AM, unless you really want to get dolled up to go to the airport. We usually roll out of bed at 7:00 and head to breakfast.

 

If you're referring to when the ship arrives at a destination port during the cruise, chances are you will not have to get up early for immigration or anything else. The only exception to that is if your itinerary takes you to a foreign port (such as the Bahamas) and then back to a U.S. port (such as Key West, FL) during the cruise - in that case you will have to go through immigration at Key West, which an be early in the AM. I couldn't tell what itinerary you had, so I'm not sure if this will be the case for you.

[mommyof2monkeys+princess]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I can believe I forgot to put the ship and such.

 

The Majesty of the Seas; out of Miami to Coco Cay and Nassau

I think we will definitely still with RCI excursions and not risk missing the ship to say a few bucks.

And yes I was refering to the final day as to when we had to be out of our cabin. Thanks for letting me know it is 8am. Most of the time 7 to 730am is still considered to be sleeping in with my 3 so I am use to being up and about at 8am.

Oh and we are not flying. We just moved last year to Orlando so we will be dropping off the kids at grandma's on the way down half way between Orlando and Miami ;) We will do this Thursday night and get a hotel. which reminds me of another question

More questions I forgot

1. Do we need a passport yet for the Bahamas? Dh's just expired and I lost mine a few years ago so we need to get them. I thought I saw that we don't need them until 2009. Is this right?

2. Does the salon offer services while waiting to disembark? I was thinking it might be really cool to start out with a couples massage. What is the approx cost?

3. Anyone have a hotel in the Miami area they like?

Thanks for the advice about the upgrades. We will see how it goes. I guess I am cheap LOL. I am sure dh would pay the extra $900 in a heartbeat. I just think of all the stuff I could buy with the $900 LOL.:D

Tammy

[vickiw0318]

No, you don't need a passport. You will need an original birth certificate and other i.d. Please check the Royal Caribbean website for exact details since certain birth records (like hospital issued birth certificates) are not accepted. Most everyone here (me included) would urge you to get passports. Should you need to fly back for any reason from the Bahamas, you would need one to get on an airplane.

 

Traditionally, on the first afternoon, the spa has an open house where you tour the facility and sign up for appointments. The lines can get fairly long and the massage appointments can go fast. I once had my haircut as the ship was pulling away from the dock, so I know those appointments start around that time. So, make the spa one of your first stops and book a couples massage. I don't know the exact cost, but massage costs are higher than DH pays on land.

 

The Majesty does not have as many balconies as the newer ships. Just cabins on Deck 10 and these are all Junior Suites and above. If one is important to you, I would suggest booking it now.

 

P.S. If you want to sleep in, don't get an oceanview far forward on the Majesty. I've had one on Deck 6 and I guarantee when they dropped the anchor first thing in the morning, they got my attention!

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Have sailed on Majesty of the Seas four times. I'm another one who doubts you will get an upgrade at the pier because Majesty's three-day cruises almost always sail close to full. They are extremely popular cruises. No harm in trying.

 

I agree about getting to the ship by about ten thirty or eleven. It is cool to get on early and eat lunch in the Windjammer Buffet. One thing I don't believe was mentioned--you won't be able to go to your cabin until 1:00PM that first day. So if you are on the ship early you can use the time to walk around and acquaint yourself with the ship.

 

Have a great cruise. We really like Majesty of the Seas and love Coco Cay.

[cruiseguy1016]

 

3. Anyone have a hotel in the Miami area they like?

Tammy

 

 

The Holiday Inn Port of Miami is a great hotel. If you have a water view room you can see your ship come in. The hotel is right across the street from Bayside Marketplace which has many restaurants and stores.

[mommyof2monkeys+princess]

Thanks again for the advice. Yes, we are putting through the process to get our passports. Dh has to renew is so I already have the form. He gets to mail it so that makes it easier. I lost mine so I have to start from scratch.

 

As for the upgrade we will just see what happens. My thinking is we will be excited enough for our first cruise we can save the balcony experience for next time. ;)

 

Thank you for the Holiday Inn suggestion. I will check that out.

 

Tammy

[realtreebar]

we got off the boat and took a taxi in nassua cost $4.00 a piece dropped us off at dolphin encounters LTD. my daughter and I swam with the dolphins and it was worth every penny. we bought a CD of us doing so! they have a ticket counter in a little strip mall by the marina you could pick the times you wanted to go. the boat is just feet away from the ticket counter. we had no problem returning to the ship by 3pm so I would not worry about missing the ship! just a little help for you! google dolphin encounters . com