galavant3

I've been on one Celebrity cruise (Summit) and we were in Aqua Class. I will never again be able to sail Celebrity without booking AQ. It would drive me crazy knowing that Blu was there and we weren't able to take advantage of it.

We loved Blu, the food, the atmosphere and the service.

In find it interesting that people feel perfectly comfortable going to dinner wearing shorts when the policy clearly states "shorts are not permitted at dinner". To me, it seems a little "in your face".

That said, I really don't care what anyone wears to dinner and it would not bother me in the least if the policy was changed to allow shorts at dinner.

I have to admit, I don't understand what the big deal is about putting on a pair of pants.

Back to the original question. I would tell the 16 year old what the policy is and let him decide what to wear. To me, he is a young "man", not a young "boy".

They can join you for check in. Enjoy!

I have a travel size plastic bottle and I just pour some in from the big bottle at home.

 

I do the same. I wouldn't even notice if there wasn't shampoo in the cabin.

Couple of questions.... Room 11329, air conditioner working oK? How is the room steward (ess) ? Where is the safety drill held at?

Thanks! Anxious for 9 days to get here.

I think we were in that cabin (but am not positive). We had our muster in the Aqua Theater.

We just did ziplining through the ship and it was very good. 12 very high, very long lines.

We opted to book through the ship because we were two women and two 16 year old girls and just felt more comfortable.

Thought we probably would not have time to do both...guess this means we'll need to go back!

 

Thanks for your info.

I understand. We need to go back and catch Peggy's Cove.

Wow thanks for the info! I looked at the Arcadia Bike tour in Bar Harbor, but have not seen anything about the Coastal Bike in Halifax...that sounds amazing. Was this a Royal excursion or something else you found there? We have reserved a 4 hour taxi tour already to Peggy's Cove, I wonder if we would have time to do both. Do you recall how long that excursion was?

Here is the website (I am pretty sure...) and we took the Salt Marsh Trail. It was 3-4 hours. We did it though the ship but it wasn't Royal. I'm not sure you'd have time for both.

The New England cruise was one of my all time favorites. Enjoy!

Finally some conversation about biking...great! I tried bringing it up on the New England board regarding out upcoming cruise, and didn't get many replies. I think the idea of the ships renting bikes is fantastic. Wish they would. I'm having to research where to rent bikes on our upcoming New England cruise. It is a great way to see a port.

We did the Acadia Bike tour in Bar Harbor and it was very nice. However, the Coastal Bike Tour in Halifax was absolutely amazing. The ride itself, was about 10-12 miles and not challenging. However the scenery was breathtaking. I was stopping every minute to take pictures because each view was better than the last. It was a one way trip that ended at the ocean (bonus!).

You are riding on an old train track so there is not traffic. If your cruise includes Halifax, I highly recommend this!

If I could figure out how to include photos, I'd give you a sampling....

Last week I saw someone getting off the Navigator with a bike. I don't know if it was a passenger or crew member.

It happened to us. I think they may figure the number of diamonds on board into their decision process. Good luck.

That makes perfect sense. Good luck!

OH, NO!!!! I hope they don't consider replacing the pool grill with a dirty water hot dogs. :eek::eek::eek:

On the other hand, what I wouldn't give for some NY Pizza!!

I love the veiled insults that come with the dress code threads. Iif your teen wants to wear shorts and doesn't care its because they are not mature.

 

OP, your son will be fine in shorts. My teen will be wearing them for all casual nights.

I promise you that was not how it was intended. My point was just that at age 14 some kids are more mature and consider themselves to be closer to adulthood and others are still "kids". It really is a transitional time.

I think girls dress up as that is the fashion at the moment. I don't personally think it is to follow any rules. I don't think long trousers equates to maturity either. I think some parents, as you say, find it important and some do not. Whereas I do understand 'uniform' it doesn't bother me, at all, what teens wear. Except for my daughters shoes, I have nightmares about them.

I haven't give it much thought but I would have to agree that girls just like to dress up and it really isn't about compliance.

It does seem like people always think "kids" should not have to adhere to the guidelines which is what made me think of maturity level.

Bottom line is parenting is hard enough and I don't think dress code on a cruise ship is the "hill to die on" for any of us.

My boys are older now so it isn't an issue but when they were teens, they followed the guidelines for dinner and then changed into shorts afterward.

One thing I have noticed over the years is that teenage boys are not always dressed appropriately but the teen girls sure are! I took two 16 year olds on the Navigator last week and they were dressed up every single night (they changed after dinner). I will note that I didn't see any shorts at dinner (but will admit to not really looking)

It was important to me that my kids learned to dress as requested but I understand that it isn't an issue for every parent. Some kids are not comfortable wearing shorts because it is widely publicized that they are not allowed.

The wearing of shorts sort of puts the teen on the "kid" side and not the "adult" side. Every kid will feel differently about this. Some will care, some will not. I think, to some degree, it will depend on the maturity level of the teen.

Thanks for the info! I think this thread turned in to a mix of both current Galveston itineraries though the original post and title would be for the May 18-25 cruise including Roatan & Belize. That's the one I'm on starting this weekend and wanted to know about the time change since these 2 ports don't observe DST.

You are correct. The time changed for those two stops on the 6/1 sailing.

Just off the 6/1 sailing. We were group number 5 so we were off before the masses. At that time, the line was not bad at all and the crowd seemed manageable. However, two bags were MIA and by the time we found them, we were up to group 11. By the time we got in line, it was a zoo. People were complaining about the heat and the lines.

I'll do self assist next time.

I don't know if this was the case or not because we didn't have a clear view of the customs people for very long but the two groups ahead of us had birth certificates instead of passports and they took forever. We had passports and it took about one minute for customs.

For a small child?

Q: Can cribs/rollaways be provided in my stateroom? A: Royal Caribbean provides Play Yard's for use onboard. Play Yard's are similar to a playpen. Cribs are no longer provided.

Play Yard's specifics:

For use by children unable to climb out, less than 24" tall, and less than 30 lbs. Mesh on four sides Sets up in less than one minute Strong and stable, yet lightweight Approx. dimensions 28"W x 38 7/8"L x 31-1/4"H Mattress/pad is 1" thick Sheets are provided Folds for storage and includes carrying bag with handle

Play Yard's should be reserved in advance so that we are sure we have enough onboard.

Please Note: Only one Play Yard per stateroom can be reserved in advance. Requests for additional units must be made onboard.

Did the time change on the ship or did it stay on Central Daylight Savings (same as TX) the entire cruise? I noticed 2 of the ports (Roatan & Belize) don't observe DST so are an hour different and wondered if the ship-time changes or not.

We changed our clocks BACK one hour at 4 AM on Tuesday and then FORWARD one hour at 4 AM on Friday.

We had one passenger miss the ship on Friday (Day 6 in Cozumel) and I'm wondering if he didn't realize that the time had changed. (he was brought to the ship via the Pilot boat.)

We got an hour on the Navigator last week so maybe they've changed the coupon.

Chocolate Sensation for me. DH could eat the ice cream every night.

Agree, I really like the chocolate sensation. I so also like the pistachio, butter pecan and coffee ice creams.

Once there, I was asked if for my Passport or ID. As a Texas resident, I was required to pay.

Interesting. At no point was I asked if I was a Texas resident, nor was I asked for any form of ID. Sounds like they are still working out the kinks.

We were on the April 6th cruise..... 2 couples. One lived in Virginia, one lived in Tennessee. Both WERE MADE TO PAY THE TAX, even though they pointed out they did not live in Texas. No more buying booze on board on a Texas cruise.

I'm curious to know where you heard that non-Texas residents were not supposed to pay the tax? It makes sense but I haven't seen that.

Yes, you absolutely have to do the math to see if it makes financial sense...now more than ever.

We paid $21 in tax for 6 bottles They didn't ask our address, but DH put the stickers on after we got home.

I think the 750 ml bottles are taxed a bit lower so that could explain the difference.

I wanted to report in after having first hand experience with the new Texas liquor tax.

I was trying to compare apples to apples to make sure it made financial sense to buy the bottles on board.

I selected three bottles then asked the assistant manager what the tax would be. Based on what I read, I expected the tax to be $3.75 per liter. He told me that it was $3.75 per liter but up to a maximum of $5.50. So, the more bottles, the less tax per bottle. It didn't sound right so I asked if he was absolutely certain. He assured me that, as the assistant manager, he was certain. (he was wrong)

To offset the $5.50 (which appears to be a made up number), on board the Navigator, you receive a 10% discount if your purchase exceeds $50 which mine did.

When you disembark, you go through customs as usual and then, before leaving the terminal there is a table set up. The people there will be calling out to ask if anyone has liquor. Interestingly, I seemed to be the only person that purchased liquor on this trip because I was literally the only one at the table.

I claimed my three bottles and expected to pay the $5.50. I was informed that the cost would be $11.25 (3.75 x 3). I mentioned that the assistant manager on board told me the maximum tax would be $5.50 and she just looked at me (rather sympathetically) and repeated that the amount was $11.25.

I found the whole set up to be rather odd. There didn't seem to be any way of enforcing the payment of the tax. Being somewhat paranoid by nature and a rule follower to a fault, I wasn't positive that my name wouldn't appear on some sort of a "liquor list".

Also interesting is that I was given three stickers and was told as soon as I reached my destination, I was to apply the stickers to each bottle. I was bored in the car so I did put two of the stickers on but now I have a liter bottle of Bombay Sapphire with no sticker (lost in the car somewhere). My fingers are crossed that TABC doesn't raid my home any time soon.

For anyone interested, here is an example. Here at home Johnny Walker Black is $40. On the cruise ship it was on sale for 2/$68 or $34 a bottle. (note that the "regular price on board is $39.99 - exactly what it is here).

So, after my 10% discount the price was $30.60 plus the $3.75 tax for a total of $34.35.

If I had purchased the $40 bottle locally and paid the 8.25% sales tax, the cost would have been $43.30. So, the net savings to buy on board is $8.95. Of course the savings will vary depending on the brand.

I can confirm that you are allowed 1 gallon of liquor duty free (but not Texas tax free). I previously thought it was just one liter.