CookieDiva

Well, DH is there. Haven't gotten over there yet - but only minutes away!

Captain says it's the first time that they've been able to dock in about 6 weeks.

I feel very fortunate.

Laying on our mattress in our Freedom cabin right now. Seems just right.

In just a regular room. Had requested a mattress topper before cruise. The bed was very satisfactory for us. Slept very well. [emoji106]🏻

Yep. Was able to stream on YouTube.

We're on FOS right now. They tell us that we have VOOM.

Well, at least now you know you won't get charged exceeding the data plan.

You will probably find many uses for it once you have it.

Very true! My daughters have commented that they hope that their dad can enjoy the trip and not have a camera lens permanently in front of his eye. [emoji849]

Uhhhhh. Kinda moot now. DH decided that he wants WiFi for the cruise.

The cord is reattached. [emoji6]

Thanks everyone! All of our family have iPhones. I think that we will just turn off our data, ask everyone to use text rather than iMessaging for the week, and use the pay as you go method that was mentioned above.

We will look for WiFi when we're on the islands to have more extended conversations through iMessage or FaceTime if necessary.

Only if you are going online.

 

We have V and don't need a pkg. we just pay as you go. Our bill usually has an extra 15 to 20$ for a week cruise. Calls are 1.79pm and text are .50 out and .05 in. Very cheap. You can make several calls and do a lot of text for 20- 30$. We don't need data to call or text

 

Your ports could even be cheaper.

So is there anyway to do this with a smart phone? Is there anyway to turn off data so that you just get calls and texts?

(Sorry to seem so stupid.)

Only if you are going online.

 

We have V and don't need a pkg. we just pay as you go. Our bill usually has an extra 15 to 20$ for a week cruise. Calls are 1.79pm and text are .50 out and .05 in. Very cheap. You can make several calls and do a lot of text for 20- 30$. We don't need data to call or text

 

Your ports could even be cheaper.

Good info! Thanks!

It would help to know what capabilities you intend to use.

Good question! Could be anything. Whatever would be the most cost effective but keep us minimally connected in case someone needs to get a hold of us.

I hope you are on good meds and make rapid progress before you leave. There should be no reason to keep you off the ship. Neck pain is not contagious! Make sure you take any meds in their original containers.

Yeah - was hoping for a steroid dose pack. But no, instead I'm prescribed ibuprofen, a muscle relaxer and Tylenol w/codeine. Those will go great with my alcohol package. (Not!)

In my experience, your symptoms are not conducive to denying you boarding. They are on the lookout for those who have diarrhea, vomiting, fever or have had in the previous 48 hours, and if you have been to certain countries where illness/disease is prevalent.

Thanks. Makes sense. Like I said, it's panic time for me. It'll all be good on Sunday! [emoji4]

Thanks Bob. That tells me what I need to know.

Our daughter is 8 months pregnant and we sail on Sunday. Don't want to be totally unconnected. We're signing up for a cruise travel package with Verizon - 100 mbs of data, 100 minutes of talk and some texting on just one of our phones.

Is that all we need to do? Or do we need to pay RCI for that connectivity as well?

...will that be a problem for boarding on Sunday? I'm having terrible neck pain and spasms. A combination of stress and trying out new pillows.

I swear that I've read that people have been denied boarding because they've been treated by a Dr in the days before their cruise.

Thanks everyone. I think that I'll try just to think of Coco Cay as being a nice bonus IF we're able to tender there.

Did anyone get to tender there this year?

I've been reading report after report of cruises on the Freedom this year. I don't know if I've read any that say that they were able to go there.

I do know that sea conditions can change by the hour and that there can be no predicting of the future but I'm just wondering if I should expect not to be able to go there, and if we do, then we are very lucky.

Actually, trying to decide if we want to do a beach stop in St. Martin's. If we do get to go to Coco Cay then we won't need another beach day, but if we don't get to go to CC, then we'd probably like to spend time at the beach at St. Martin's.

We've already done the prepaid gratuities, but if we were to decide that we wanted to give a little extra to our room attendant, or our waiter in the MDR, can that be done with OBC? And if so, how?

Hate hearing this. I hate ANY kind of solicitation. I avoid it like the plague.

I guess that we'll be eating in the Windjammer on our last evening and will be "missing" our room attendant every day.

Never mind. [emoji8]

Sounds like a fun review! Will be on the Freedom in 13 days. Woohoo!

Yes, I think so.

Thanks

If you take snacks off the ship, make sure they are prepackaged and sealed. You cannot take fruits, vegetables, meats, cheeses, etc. off the ship.

Is this the case in all ports?

Not available on FOS April 3-10. Boooooo.

It was an hour long and we missed the sunshine on the pool deck. It did get you to the front of the line to get off the ship, which was nice. And the taxi's were waiting for us. And they had a raffle, which you had to be present to win. So for a few lucky people it was well worth it.

 

You can get the coupons from all the hecklers on the street. It did inform us of a lot of freebies and raffles. I don't like to plan my day around that kind of stuff. My MIL and her friend loves it though.

 

In my opinion the best thing to do is hang around the pool, walk around the entire ship on Deck 4 (it's gorgeous and almost deserted), the ice show, Love and Marriage and Quest (for a laugh) and the ice show. They have tons of seminars and sales which ear up your time and are basically sales pitches. .

Thanks for your thoughts and tips. I know that we'd MUCH rather lie around the pool than waste time [emoji6] at a sales pitch.

We had went to the port shopping seminar, so we were given stickers for priority to debark first and there was a line of open air taxis to take us into town to shop ($4 pp). We were given lots of coupons and freebie vouchers for the stores.

Were the seminar and coupons and freebies worth your time and effort? Just curious because we'll be on the Freedom in 3 weeks and 1 day (yeah baby!) for our first cruise and were wondering about the best things to do and those to skip.