Melissa at Mohair Meadows

Of course, being able to communicate with fellow cruisers via Cruisecritic as soon as possible is a big plus.

Other than that, when I booked my April 2016 cruise (in June 2014) there was a terrific perk - 25 bonus points. So after this cruise we will be Elite with those points. I was tempted over the past months to take the price cut that came through, but it was never enough to upgrade to get the extra points and by just rebooking at the lower rate, we would lose those extra points.

Happy cruising.

:D

Melissa

Do you know what the cost is for a Persian Garden Pass (for those not in an Aqua Cabin)?

Is there a daily price, weekly or do you have to get it for the entire 14 days?

Are there any specials?

Thanks. Enjoy yourself. We'll e on the Eclipse in April.

Melissa

Are the passes priced per day per week? We'll be on the Eclipse 14 day cruise. Any idea what the charge is for a 14 day pass?

Melissa

I haven't gone searching for threads on this event but I'm sure people have mentioned the idea that perhaps profits were ahead of safety on this one. Would the captain make that call to sail or would head office tell them get out there we've got thousands of paying passengers. They are rightly taking allot of flack for the decision.

RCL probably would have taken as much flack or more if they had cancelled - specially from those cruisers who were arriving and ready to go.

Melissa

I think its great that they are making a change so quickly to prevent this from happening again. Yes, it is unfortunate that this happened to so many cruisers - but no-one was badly hurt and they did receive compensation for the cruise.

It sounds like the officers and crew responded to the crisis very well. RCL should be proud of them. It gives me confidence that if something were to occur on a ship I was on, proper procedures would be followed.

Stuff happens - the smart ones had trip insurance to make them whole.

Melissa

First time I felt it was off the coast of Norway. Luckily the beer wasn't taxed and we imbibed freely (students, you know).

Other times, while scubadiving I could feel the seas during our rest stops between dives. Learned a valuable lesson. don't drink coffee or orange juice before going on small boats. The acid makes it a lot worse.

Now I just use Bonine and don't have a problem. But we've been very lucky and haven't really experienced any rough seas while cruising.

Melissa

I am so enjoying your review. Great pictures. Did you hear of anyone doing a sunset cruise in Curacao or Barbados?

We will be on the Eclipse April 3. I can hardly wait.

Melissa

Tips for drinks are included with the Drink Package. If you want to tip for exceptional service (or extra strong drinks) you are free to tip additional - but it is not needed.

Tips for the staff that serves you throughout the cruise is either due at the end of the cruise (if you are eating in the MDR). The are paid in advance if you have Select Dining. These include tips for your room stewards, waiters, maitre'd, butler (if you have one), etc.

Some people have a perk where gratuities are paid by their TA or Celebrity.

Melissa

Do 'Chic Nights' feature special menu's as formal nights used to?

(Lobster, Wellington, etc).

I take a 3-hole folder with side-pouches. a hi-lighter and a narrow, light 3 hole puncher.

I hi-light the events I want to attend, punch and file the daily in the folder. Keeps it protected, available and a good souvenir of the trip.

Melissa

Is it worthwhile shopping for Cellphones in St. Martin or Aruba for a Samsung Galaxy S6 or Note 5 Smart Phone? Can anyone estimate the savings or the cost?

Thanks. Melissa

After our next cruise, we'll finally be Elite. Would like to give the Cocktail party a try.

Melissa

On our last Equinox cruise we had the classic package. This worked well for us, but I wanted to try the molecular bar and some of those martini's. So with 4 days left on the cruise we upgraded. It was worth it for those few days to enjoy other drinks/wines. Next cruise we'll start with the Classic and decide if the upgrade is worth it.

Think if it not as downgrading the Aqua Class - but upgrading the Standard Class. Just like real life.

Melissa

the infant still needs lifeboat space.

Capacity is determined by the number of 'souls' on board and an infant is considered a 'soul'. If the ship has capacity for 3000 souls, they can charge for 3000 people.

Frankly, a cruise is not an ideal venue for a baby. The baby can't use any of the pools if it is still in diapers. The buffet would be preferable for dining - I know I wouldn't want to share a table with an infant in the MDR - or even be close by. The elevators are always crowded without the hassle of a stroller and baby paraphenalia. To say nothing of the crying and spitting up that accompanies babies. Finally, it is inconvenient for the parents and other guests. And I wouild say the same to my kids if they wanted to bring along one of my grandchildren. I am good with the cruiseline charging as much as possible for an infant as a deterrent for bringing one on board.

Melissa

After several years of taking a scuba diving vacation on my own, I decided to take the kids and DH on a cruise so they could experience the Caribbean too.

I knew nothing of cruising and paid top dollar for an inside cabin, but we had a blast. It was so sad when we left. I knew we needed to do this again.

Since then we've cruised RC, Norwegian and Celebrity. Each line has its + and -. We've never had a bad cruise.

Melissa

I'm reminded of our first cruise with Carnival.

I was totally ignorant. I did use a TA, but may as well not have. Booked over New Year's Eve. Paid a premium for a holiday sailing. It wouldn't have mattered to us if we'd gone a few weeks later and saved a bundle - who knew?

We must have paid almost full price as I recall the cost was almost 10K for an inside cabin (2 adults, 2 kids) + airfare from MN.

Since then I've found Cruise Critic and mention it to everyone I hear is going on a cruise. I have learned so much. Thanks to all of you. :)

Melissa

I believe they are called "children".

Not necessarily children. I think RCL has more of a party atmosphere. Because of all the physical entertainment options, there are more young families, 20 and 30 year olds. It is a much faster paced vacation when you are trying to get everything in.

We've been on many Caribbean cruises. We don't feel the pressure to visit the islands or attend every activity on board. We like to kick back and relax. Read, eat, sleep, gamble and I'm a happy camper. :cool:

Melissa

We try to board between 11:00 and 12:00. Getting our first mimosa upon boarding sets the mood.

First stop - Café Bachio for one of their fabulous coffee concoctions. Then over to Bistro on 5 for lunch. Never crowded and always delicious.

After lunch we check out our dinner table - we like to sit with a group at late seating. Have to see what's for dinner. Could be a good opportunity to reserve a specialty restaurant. (First night often has discounts). Once that checks out, it's on to the Spa. They have drawings sometimes. DH won a free acupuncture session one year.

The rooms should be open so we take our carryon to our rooms. Sometimes the other luggage is there too. I like to unpack ASAP. We meet the room steward and express our wishes (ice, egg carton mattress, pillows, empty refrigerator, etc).

Going out again to the muster drill. (Stop to get a drink first to make it go faster). Finally, it's to the back of the ship for sailaway. (Sometimes DH goes to take a nap at this point). .

We have some time after sailaway to explore, visit the shops/specials being offered before our late dinner. I think at 6:00 I can go get Sushi. No need to dress up on the first night.

I like to go to the first show as it previews many of the shows during the week. Maybe a little blackjack before ending first day. Got to get up for lox and bagels; eggs benedict for first sea day. Gosh I need a cruise. :D

Happy people don't comment.

Melissa

The one slot pull we participated in developed a glitch. We had about 60 people involved and were letting it ride after each person did their pulls.

At one point the machine froze and wouldn't allow any more play. It seemed the machine had maxed out. (It was a Wheel of Fortune machine). We had to cash out keeping track of the money at that point and start again from zero.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Melissa

I am organizing a slot pull for our cruise. Not being a slot player, what is the best machine to use for the group?

Also, has anyone got suggestions for the setup?

I've read to not let the casino pick the machine.

Pick a machine on the aisle.

Can the slot pull be organized while on-board or can it be organized prior to the cruise? (I'd like to be sure enough t-shirts of various sizes are available - our last cruise only had size medium).

Any help would be great. Thanks.

Melissa

I am organizing a slot pull for our cruise. Not being a slot player, what is the best machine to use for the group?

Also, has anyone got suggestions for the setup?

I've read to not let the casino pick the machine.

Pick a machine on the aisle.

Can the slot pull be organized while on-board or can it be organized prior to the cruise? (I'd like to be sure enough t-shirts of various sizes are available - our last cruise only had size medium).

Any help would be great. Thanks.

Melissa

I want Andy's job.

We are overnighting in Curacao and I would love to do a sunset cruise. However, we are not that mobile and find the catamarans difficult to relax on. Getting up after sitting on the canvas is painful.

Can anyone suggest an excursion where the boat has actual seats and does a sunset cruise?

Melissa