CFC

Sorry about your trouble. I'm glad it worked out, it is unfortunate you lost your obc and had to pay the higher rates! It is a good reminder to us all on the importance of reading all confirmations fully.

I have most things on auto pay, unless the subject said something like authorization needed or cancellation notice, I would assume all is well. Lastly, I don't reconcile my credit card, so I wouldn't notice a credit necessarily either. I kinda glance over it and if it is in the ballpark, I just pay it off.

Have a fun cruise!

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Laser tag would be cool.

My kid would go nuts for laser tag.

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Itinerary first, I will not go on a ship that stops in the Bahamas or Costa Maya. Waste of my time and precious vacation days.

Ship for me is second.

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Dad and Nine year old son will be on the Adventure of the Seas without Mom. So we are looking for fun and easy excursions.

Has anybody take the Soufriere By Land And Sea? Currently 100 A and 60 C.

It is 7 hours long but from my reading this seems normal for St. Lucia and all of the sights.

--overview--

Explore St. Lucia's rich heritage and lush beauty on a combined bus-catamaran tour. See landmarks and fishing villages on the road from Castries to colorful Soufriere, the town built by early French settlers near the Pitons volcanic peaks. Discover the island's rich biodiversity on a visit to the mineral mud baths and savor authentic Creole flavors at lunch. Enjoy splendid views of the coast on the return via catamaran, dropping anchor in a secluded bay to swim. SL72

Mud Bath: Discover hot mineral mud baths inside the iconic volcano.

Buffet Lunch: Enjoy a variety of local specialties served in an Estate House.

Scenic Sail: Relax over complimentary drinks while cruising the coastline via catamaran, stopping to swim in a secluded bay.

Dad and nine year old, are taking the Adventure of the Seas without Mom. So we are looking for easy and fun excursions.

Really wanted to do the Concorde Experience but have read some reports of them not opening when scheduled. Also, it seems that RCL used to have an excursion but they were dropped for inconsistency of their hours.

Was looking for any feedback on the Tiami Five Star Catamaran & Turtles. It is currently priced at 106 adults 80 for kids. Anybody taken this excursion?

---write up--

Set sail for a fun day in and on the water with a welcoming crew. Cruise Barbados' scenic coastline to a sheltered bay where you can swim, relax on the beach, or join a guided reef snorkel. At a second stop, thrill to the special opportunity to swim and snorkel near sea turtles in their natural habitat. Refuel onboard over lunch and drinks and enjoy a fun ambience on the return to Bridgetown. BB51

Scenic Cruise: Enjoy tropical breezes and coastline views from a spacious catamaran with room to sun and plenty of shade.

Swim & Snorkel: Visit a sheltered beach with optional reef snorkel tour and a site where sea turtles typically gather.

Food & Beverages: Morning coffee/tea, baked goods, juices, hot and cold buffet lunch, and drinks all included.

I will be sailing on the Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan, departing on 12/28/2014. It is my understanding that formal night is generally the 2nd and 5th nights. Does this change when New Year's Eve is on night four?

I will not be wearing formal attire and wold like to book Giovanni's Table instead.

Thank you .

I would be surprised if Royal does not put eggs benedict on the menus somewhere for bkfast for all passengers when the ship sails from NJ. All it will take is some complaints on the ship to the F&B higher ups and it will get done. See what happened when one passenger already complained about no kids menu on the first day....a kids menu was added on the 2nd day. A little patience and some calm and reasonable complaints to the right people usually gets the job done especially if the complaints come from several people onboard.

I respectfully disagree, we pay a premium for RCL for a better management staff -- that has experience and understands their customers and market. How can any business not 'know' they need a kids menu when they sale cabins to kids?

If any restaurant opened in my city without a kids menu, a very limited two page menu, no eggs Benedict, and waiters or managers that don't know this, they would not be forgiven and the reviews would be brutal.

I for one would not give my money to such a poorly run business on land. It seems to me that RCL makes decisions clearly for better operational efficiency (not with the guests experience in mind) and excuses are offered.

I do believe RCL will capitulate but to me it shows their true DNA. Instead of providing a menu and items for the guests WOW, they want to save the labor on a 'complicated' breakfast item.

Such a long post on eggs, I guess I like eggs Benedict more than I thought and this must have struck a nerve. My two cents.

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I like to fly in the day of the cruise but only first flight out , early am, and non-stop. Lastly, I make sure that the specific airline I'm flying on has a least a few non-stops flights after mine, that will still make the port deadline. If not, I then force myself to fly in the day before.

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My son broke his arm two weeks before a 10 day med cruise at six and two weeks before a 14 day European vacation this year at 8. We did fiberglass both times with no issues. More importantly, we went to a large a-z store online and bought a black kids sling. It was soft, comfortable, didn't show dirt, and was washable. He said it was useful, highly recommend.

At his age, we were restricted to mild excursions due to age restrictions . We viewed those offered by the cruise line for his age group and booked them. They were all rather tame but we had a great time even with the cast! We did get one extra pillow to help support his arm while sleeping.

Hope you have a great time!

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Thank you clarea, I intend to skip MDR on formal nights and dine at Giovanni's instead of dressing up.

Can a nine year old eat in Giovanni's? I have read conflicting information. While the description on the website says "family", I thought I also read 12 and above as well. I tried to login and make a reservation but the website was down.

I ask because I received Royal email about buying a dining package for my upcoming cruise and they announced a new better priced kids option at $8 (children's menu.)

Royal Refreshment - does anybody know if the 'soda' package includes plain soda (carbonated) water? This is pretty much all I drink.

I will have a daily cup of regular coffee, sparkling water, and occasionally a glass of wine with a nice dinner.

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Here's what I would ask- being that you are that open to that many ships.

 

Where are you on NYE? And where are you supposed to be on 1/1?

We usually do Disney every year for NYE. This year we wanted something different for the amount of money we spend.

I work at a University and we are closed and my son is out of school, so the dates are set. Found a great airfare to SJU and said why not? So we arrive San Juan on 12/27/2014 and depart 01/04/2015. It just happens to be over NYE.

We do have a hotel booked just in case but thought a cruise might be fun.

Hi, dad and 9 year old son are off to San Juan for NYE. We already book our air now, we need a ship. Any advice? Great 'problem' to have.

Adventure of the Sea?

No love in the reviews. The most affordable (not considering Carnival) with many features. Cat z is available and price just dropped.

Jewel

The best itinerary and like that the last day is at sea and Grenada seems interesting. $200 more for this inside gty.

Celebrity Summit

Best value cat 6 ov with large obc make this $100 less than Jewel. I'm worried about the sedate kids club and activities on board. Lastly, I don't dress up for dinner (sorry on vacation), khakis and a polo or dress shirt. They don't seem welcoming to that.

Carnival Valor

Should consider as it gets better reviews than AoS but the decor is pretty dated and the food pics look horrible.

Yes, with zero guilt. We dragged our child to Naples, knowing they wanted to be in the kids club. We didn't feel comfortable leaving him. One of the worst outburst we ever experienced. Had a long time out, went back to the ship and dropped him off at the club. We went back out and had a wonderful kid free walk in Italy!

Lets have a poll.

 

What would annoy you most on a cruise?

 

a) A woman who wears her robe to the breakfast buffet.

b) A large guy wearing speedos at the pool.

c) Someone's knickers hanging on the line in a cabin 5 rooms away.

d) Some busybody who worries about everyone else's business/dress etc and spend the cruise criticising them or complaining to others about them.

 

There is only one of the above that would have ANY affect on my fun at sea.

:)Like

We've done this a few times and have been rewarded with a great deal on a cruise, other times we've lost out due to the price(s) not dropping or airfare costs increasing to the point where the total cost was still higher than we wanted.

 

My rules for trying this type of thing are:

-Try to pick more than one cruise to follow, it will increase the chances that at least one of them drops in price

-Be prepared to not cruise if the prices don't come down to where you want them.

-Be realistic. If you are holding out for prices that are unrealistically low you'll be disappointed when they don't drop to your expectation.

-Keep an eye on airfare costs.

-Factor in the value of any promo (1,2,3 go for example) that you'll most likely NOT get with a last minute deal.

 

Lastly, if there is a cruise you absolutey have to do, don't play this game. It's always nice to get a deal but it's never nice to miss the boat (pun intended :D) by holding out.

That is sound advice. What am I trying to save, a few hundred dollars? It is not worth the risk of being "stuck" in expensive resort in PR.

I negotiated the price down a bit and upped the obc for the Celebrity Summit 12/27. Paid in full, now to obsess over the ports.

Thank you all.

I think you have laid out your options quite nicely. Try looking for a place with a 90 day ticker for alternatives. I found an OV cabin for $1249pp with $400 OBC.

 

Carnival IS quite a bit less expensive, and MIGHT have more for your son, but Celebrity DOES have a pretty good kids program as well. For you, Celebrity has better food and less of a party atmosphere. I'm a big fan of X but REALLY wish they had a piano bar like Carnival. Pros and cons all around, but...

 

Being with your son on a cruise over new years... PRICELESS! Enjoy!

 

(You could also consider a tour of the Arecibo Radio Telescope, an hour west of San Juan.)

Thanks, I called them a bit ago and their total was $3,000. That surprised me.

The prices I quoted include all taxes and port fees, I listed the obc out.

I looked at the pricing history, if I'm reading correctly, it seems celebrity didn't lower the base after the 90 days.

Apologize for asking the same question. I'm looking for advice from the wise CC gang.

Me (43 m) and my 9 yo son will be in San Juan, PR over New Years and want to do a cruise. Leaning towards Celebrity Summit, the final holiday 90 final payment deadline is 9/20/2014. Used another place and counted 77 in/out cabins below aqua, concierge, and suites available.

12/27 Celebrity Summit ocean gty 2,800 $275 obc and tips included

12/27 RCL Jewel ocean 2,200 $215 obc

12/28 Carnival Valor ocean gty 1,730 $25 obc

I'm leaning towards Celebrity and I think the price is fair but I can do any of these. Never been on carnival, I like eating well and less party scene. If the collective thought is celebrity will discount, then I will gamble on that. In any case, hopefully one would still be affordable.

Anybody care to share their thoughts?