EatSleepCruise

Adrenaline Beach is nice and we sit there as well, but I do not think there is much shade. It is close to the alpine slide!

You might want to try Columbus Cove, I think the beach is less rocky and there are more places for shade. Also, the water park is there if you are included to give it a try!

I will admit that my wife loves her towel animals, so I slip our room attendant a little something extra at the beginning of the cruise and we get towel animals every night. Now, I know this might not work for everyone, but to get me off the hook, it is the best $10 I could spend!

Happy cruising!

Our roundtrip from Seattle was amazing and we are so glad we did it as our first cruise. Now, that we know what to expect, we are thinking of doing a longer, one-way cruise and seeing Glacier Bay and other Alaskan sites.

If anyone is interested, we have started a detailed review of the entire trip, including Seattle, in the Celebrity Fourm. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2106806

Have a great trip to Alaska.

While it seems like just yesterday, we have been back from our Alaskan Cruise on the Celebrity Solstice for over two weeks! We got very lucky with the weather and only got rain in Ketchikan, and a little bit on Day 6 at sea. All the other days were mostly sunny, with mild temperatures in the 50s.

We have started a detailed review of the entire trip, including Seattle, in the Celebrity Fourm for anyone who is interested. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2106806

Happy Trails Traditional Dining, Until We meet Again. Happy Trails to you, Dynamic Dining is our new Friend. :eek:

Loved our cruise on Allure of the Seas and we were thinking of doing Oasis in the near future, but we will have to wait and see how Dynamic Dining works out when we cruise this upcoming January on Quantum.

If our experiences trying to book Dynamic dining this summer are any indication, we may have to think about switching cruise lines.

We were on the Celebrity Solstice earlier this month. For formal night there was a wide range of outfits. Some gentlemen did wear tuxedos, many wore suits (including me), others just shirt and ties, and some wore sport coats with no ties.

We have been on RCI and NCL and I would not say the Celebrity crowd was any more or less dressed up. We have been cruising for about a decade and there has been a steady decline in what constitutes formal wear. I also believe the cruise companies are much more lax about enforcing the dress code.

The dining room did seem less busy on formal nights during this cruise than the other cruises we have been on, but I think that has more to do with the Alaskan itinerary. Either way, if you are worried about not being dressed up enough, I would not be too concerned. I am sure whatever you pick out will be fine.

Have a great cruise.

 

 

 

 

We ducked inside to warm up - the view was still amazing.

 

Looks like the weather for your trip was just like ours. Feel like temperatures around 35 degrees in the morning then warming up to almost 60 in the afternoon. We were also able to get close to the Sawyer glacier too. Here is a view from our balcony.

We sailed on Celebrity Solstice earlier this month and had the Ultimate Drink Package. We had the classic package as part of the 1, 2, 3 Go promotion and than got an upgrade from our TA.

The package was one of the best deals we have had on a ship. Virtually everythnig is included, and we did not pay for a drink anywhere, including the Molecular Bar and Crush Martini lounge. We also loved getting the lattes at Cafe al Bacio and 1 Liter bottles of Evian water. We must have easily drank 4 of bottles of water a day, each.

We have sailed multiple times on RCI. With the drink packages on those ships, you get some hassles and headaches from staff and there have been times we were charged for drinks covered in our package. Not the case on Celebrity. We never had any service issues, every bar staff we encountered was responsive and very friendly. Solstice was a great ship and with the ease of the drink package, I would consider sailing on her or one of her sisters in the future.

We will be doing a thorough breakdown of the package, drink for drink, as I recorded all of the drinks we indulged in during the cruise. I will be happy to report back the results of the analysis. I am a bit over the top.:D

Keep on Cruising!

The review is looking good! We just got off the Solstice earlier this month and started our full, day-by-day review here on CC as well. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2106806

We loved the ship and had a great cruise. I can't wait to read more about your family's adventures in Alaska!

Also, Brent Nixon is a rockstar! :D

Very nice. Ketchikan is a lot of fun. We just finished loading our pictures from that port to our site. Feel free to check them out.

We are just putting together our full review from our Alaskan Cruise When the thread is up and running, hopefully tonight, I will share it with you if you want.

Check out the Ketchikan Port page here to get some ideas of excursions and things to do. Do check out Creek Street and the Totem Poles throughout the town.

Have a great trip!

Just an update to my very successful visit with the travel agent yesterday where we felt that we found 'the one' to help us with this booking. Matthew ended up spending almost two hours chatting with us! and never made us feel rushed or any less than the most most important item on his agenda at the time. He came across as so enthusiastic, sincere, kind, and transparent, and we found that he had excellent answers to our questions, much more insight and in-depth knowledge from his 25 cruises, and access to rooms that other ta's we had spoken with didn't seem to have. For example, others told us that "to get these prices you must book guarantee rooms" - whereas Matthew said it's whatever you want.

 

While originally he was able to specify some good insides, we ended up deciding on 2 balcony rooms because they were so reasonable and we felt this was a such a good opportunity to experience being able to stand outside our own big sliding doors, given the prices. I came to the personal conclusion that I prefer the idea of specifying the room rather than being at the guarantee mercy of the room assigner in this case, especially since we’re taking my parents. And Matthew was able to reserve the exact rooms I was interested in - BB, side by side, sort of mid ship but slightly forward from the elevators, above and below floors with other cabins, and on the side of the ship which did not face the inside room doors, and no view obstructions. He also reminded us that the balcony could be opened to share with my parents.

 

His agency had some simple perks including a coupon book and lower deposit and he was able to combine them with an OBC credit per room of $50 that was offered by another site. And he was very upfront about saying they would track the prices and adjust accordingly if they came down, and also make arrangements if they came down after putting down the final money.

 

I’m quite proud of myself the way I researched for him and the way it worked out, and I hope that when the whole trip is said and done that I can look back and be very satisfied that he truly was there advocating for us both monetarily and if needed, in a problem solving capacity as well. I have a good feeling about this. I can’t wait for May 2015!

Way to Go! Sounds like you got exactly what you wanted. Now, the fun of planning begins. What ship/itinerary did you end up choosing?

We have been on both, with our Indy cruise being earlier this year. I had heard Hairspray was going to be on Freedom, not Indy. I could be wrong.

With Freedom going into drydock and getting all fixed up, I would pick her.

If you are looking for something different, the Indy 8 day itinerary we did this year was nice and let's you see St. Kitts, which is beautiful. It also has a short stop in PR, which allowed us to check out the El Yunque rainforest, which was something different to do.

Either way, you cannot go wrong. You are going on a cruise! :D

Terminal will be done for the inaugrual cruise. Parking garage probably sometime afterward. Parking garages are fairly easy to assemble once they get going since they are put together like Legos.

Thanks. Like many things with QOS, it does not look like the terminal will be ready in time! LOL.

The walk we did to the water falls was sponsored by Enchanted Island Eco Tours. They were great and I highly recommend them. Top notch, very knowledgeable.

The wife and I are in our thirties and neither of us athletic, and we thought it was moderate difficulty. There were definitely folks older, and in worst shape than us who did the walk and everyone on the bus said they had a good time.

Good TAs are tough to find. We have a few different TAs we use for price comparison and travel perks bonuses.

Often, you get the best onboard credit, free gratuities, or other bonuses from a TA when it is coupled with a cruise line's own promotion. I have found great variability with TA promotions, from $50 additional OBC from one company, to free gratuities from another TA, for the same cabin!

When it comes to deciding on the ship or itinerary, Cruise Critic is where we turn to get information and data to compare ships and get advice on what trip we should take.

I agree it is worth the trip. There plenty of different trails to take.

We are going back to PR twice next year, so we opted to do the Rainforest over city tours or other tours as we knew we would be in San Juan and seeing El Yunque was something different than our typical cruise excursions.

I can not comment if it is worth just driving through the rainforest. I think you need to get out and walk and experience it, not just see it from the confines of a bus or car.

We did not do the drive, but we did the rainforest walk to waterfall excursion at El Yunque and it was great. If your are capable of walking up and down stairs, and enjoy nature, it is a great trip.

Does anyone know the expected completion date for the new terminal and parking facility?

I did look at the 8 day Independence, but wasn't sure about the ship. I noticed it doesn't have the 3-D theater or the DreamWorks experience, which I thought my family would enjoy. It does have some nice itineraries though...maybe I shouldn't count it out.

We did the 8 night Independence of the Seas earlier this year and it was a great cruise. We do not have kids, so I can not comment on family activities, but the folks we met on-board who had children commented that their kids were having a good time. From what we have heard, the family program on RCI is top notch.

The ports of call on the Indy 8 night are a nice change from the typical 7 night cruise. Not sure if he will still be the Cruise Director with Quantum coming out, but Joff Eaton was great on the ship.

We have sailed on Freedom of the Seas too, and think this class of ship is perfect for families.

Have fun planning your cruise.

IF you want to go into Orlando, the the best RCI ship would be the Freedom Of The Seas , out of Port Canaveral, about one hour from Orlando..if, you would like the Oasis or Allure, the 2 largest cruise ships in the world, they leave out of Ft. Lauderdale ( Port Everglades), so perhaps flying into Miami or even better, Fort Lauderdale, would be best..you can fly from London to NY or Atlanta, OR Orlando, then fly to Ft. Lauderdale...

 

Big Al

YES! YES! YES! Big Al!

I just put my brother on Freedom on August 31st and he loved the ship and cruise. We have been on both Freedom and Independence of the Seas (her sister ship) out of FLL and recommend both ships.

But, our heart may always be with Allure of the Seas, the best cruise we have been on to date! We had such a great time and always recommend the Oasis class ships if they meet your budget.

Happy Planning!

Welcome to Cruise Critic and Congrats on the marriage and honeymoon. We have sailed on Allure of the Seas and love the Oasis class! There are plenty of great threads on Oasis that will give you hours of additional reading to learn about the ship.

Do make your show reservations as earlier as possible! I suggest the Aqua show the first night, and then the Broadway show the second night, which is formal night.

The ports of call are pretty standard and Cruise Critic does offer some Shore Excursion Reviews you might want to check to get ideas of popular things to do.

We have been to St. Thomas and St. Maarten a few times and have various excursions from Snorkeling with Turtles to Island Tours. These are pretty standard islands and you can find things to do that suit any cruiser.

On our last visit to St. Maarten we did a Maho Beach break and it was a blast. You can read our review of that excursion.

Of course, be sure to update us here on CC on how the planning is going and ask questions, us cruisers are a talkative bunch.

Enjoy the cruise planning!

For a first cruise, I do agree that the ship is just as important as the ports.

Having been to all the ports, minus Grand Turk, I would say that you can find activities and excursions on all of them that wil make the members of your family happy.

All three ships will probably offer your family plenty of options to meet everyone's need, especially given when you plan to travel. Time of year is just a big a factor affecting who is on your ship as the ship/brand.

Looking at your options, I would suggest the Breeze. Newer ship, plenty of options, and the ports are the best.

We went to St. Kitts earlier this year and loved it!

We also did a walk in PR in the El Yunque Rainforest on the same cruise and that was also great, and sounds like something most members of your family would like. Or perhaps trying the more rigorous hike excursions offered in the rainforest might even be more your style.

Of course, with enough planning you can have a wonderful time on any almost any cruise.

Glad to hear you found our blog article about maximizing TA perks useful.

Cruise Critic is really the best place to get information on the ships and itineraries. Even a really good TA is nothing when matched to the 1 million+ users providing updates and reviews here.

We use a couple different TAs, but only contact them when we have narrowed down our choices to either one or two ships, or a ship with a few different sailings.

Enjoy the cruise planning...oh, and the cruise! :p

You are not missing anything. I think you just like to do more than us on an island! :D We usually try and do one or two things, take it easy and relax, especially at beaches. This is totally reasonable given your timelines. Sorry to confuse!

If you stay near the port on SE 17th St it's really easy to take the SunTrolley to the beach and you don't need a car in that area. Holiday Inn Express and Hyatt Place have free airport shuttles and free breakfast. They offer port shuttles, but it's cheaper and more convenient to just take a taxi. Hyatt Place is a good deal through ValueTrips.

Yes, SE 17th street is a great location.

On our last cruise on Independence of the Seas we stayed at the Embassy Suites. The hotel was going through renovations, so it was a bit noisy. But, for the price and location, you get a free wine reception and complete breakfast, I would stay there again. It is also a quick walk to catch the water shuttle and see the FLL sites. The year before, we stayed at the Hyatt Place-which was okay. If we had to choose, we would do the Embassy again.

Have a great vacation!