MaiseyM

I think many people use a review to vent about the shortcomings they perceive on a cruise. Those who had a wonderful time often don't take the time to write a review.

I was thinking along the same lines. Some with negative experiences want to post and warn others, while others may be more likely to arrive home and tell their friends and family how wonderful it was.

Hi there. Please let me know exactly what info you need concerning Jamaica and I will be more than happy to share.

 

 

City Tour

Call Don ( Adrian McKenzie). Don is the real deal. He has been the driver for many of our local Missionary trips. He is honest and takes care of his customers. Very Knowledgeable and will give you a great tour. If interested I can provide his number. About 4 Hours

 

Beach

Right off the bat I can tell you that Royal Caribbean's port at Jamaica is very nice. They offer trips to Dr. Cave Beach. It's very nice. However, some drivers will try to take you to 'public beaches' because they'll get a kickback. Be very sure when you get in a cab that you decide the price and location first. If going to Dr. Cave and you pass Margaretville you have gone to far. The port director can get your money back but it's a day wasted.

Thank you. Approximately now long were you gone on the tour? All Day? Half day. Did you get a sense of culture? I am bringing Tweens and I want them to see a little beyond the beach alone. Thank you.

well, I am sure the OP never thought a simple question would create so much banter not related to her original post..

 

She had already decided her boys were going to wear pants...

 

Anyway ...I have certainly enjoyed reading the posts they have been most amusing....

 

I live in SO CAL, beach area and board shorts are the norm all year round...I enjoyed a change of pace when we were in the MDR on a cruise.

 

 

MaiseyM...glad you found some pts that will work for your boys.....

Lol. I know the 'what to wear' threads can be debatable, which is why I stated from the beginning that I intend to follow the rules/suggestions. I just wasn't sure if people dress up their younger kids too. I figured my 13 yo will be dressed up, but I wasn't sure about the younger ones. Problem solved, I just have to shop and then take a few nice family photos of us all dressed up :)

The planner in me couldn't help myself today. I found Uniform pants (Tan, light tan, black, blue) on sale today. I bought about 6 pairs since they were on sale. I figured they are more likely to be on sale now vs. Easter. I need about 3-4 more pairs, but I'm holding off on those since I know this particular child will need to be fitted closer to Cruise time. I was going to hold off but the sale caught my attention and the planner in me needs to know I'm on my way to being ready.

John&LaLa: Oasis in March, Harmony a few months later.

You may want to check out some local consignment stores/events in your area. I have seen quite a few nice pants for young men and even some shirts and jackets. Agree not to spend a lot of money on items that will not be worn a lot before outgrown. Local uniform companies and even golf stores may have some pants on sale at the end of the seasons.

Right. My son needed a sports coat in a pinch for a forensics state meet and I had to buy one quickly. It turned out that Target had one that did the job. Granted, it's not super formal, but he is a growing teen and I didn't want to spend too much. It does the job just fine.

Any thoughts on how people will get to the top of the slide? Especially if it's 100 feet? I would almost think you would need an outdoor Elevator or something. Or are people going to climb 10 floors in line? Maybe there is a simple answer, but I'm trying to figure out how one would get to the top.

When we took our "young men" if it was a warm cruise one pair of pants and a few polos or button downs, now we did get into the formal wear as I purchased them tuxes, just something I wanted to do because I never had girls, and wanted all my men to pose for formal photos and the easiest way was to get them on a ship.LOL

But this was 7 years ago and so much has changed on cruise lines.

 

But really, your guys will be in board shorts all day long, so honestly you can get by with very little.

 

But, this is my suggestion for some of your packing list:

 

2pts. 1 light, 1 dark(for formal nights)(either pair can be worn on the plane) Often after all day in the sun and water it's nice to have a pair of long pants for the evening so you are not chilled.

3 polos or button down(print can hide stains)

1 shorts

1 rash guard...which will probably be worn the most, but easy to rinse every night and will be dry by morning

2 board shorts.... can be worn on all excursions as shorts and again easy rinse and dry

2 t shirts at the most(shirts used in the evening can be used during the day)

hoodie

 

Don't worry about small stains, or bring the stick as another poster mentioned.

 

I don't know about you but I enjoyed seeing my sons when they were young being a little more "formal", I know they certainly got the compliments.

 

BTW DH & I always change out of our formal wear, because I like to gamble in the evening and the smoke smell often sticks to formal attire.

 

Also I might mention that I am the leave it lady. If the boys have some items you are ready to discard or are being close to be out grown bring them use them one last time and leave them.....I do the same for my DH and me.

Thank you for the detailed list and understanding of having boys. My boys were dressed up for a wedding last night (only one in a sports coat) and they looked nice. I agree that it's good to see them dressed up.

Hey MaisyM, I think we are going on the same cruise in December 2016..For my grandson, I always pack three dress khakis..Black/brown/navy..Then lots of shirts to mix and match with endless possibilities. I usually reserve the black pants for the formal nights and choose 2 dress shirts with matching ties. The brown and navy pants, I alternate the casual nights with cotton button shirts or polos. The very first night for dinner is pretty laid back and isnt a big deal what you wear. My guys (men folk) usually wear what ever we boarded in as we have first seating. It's always us gals that have to change and can't be seen in the same thing...lol:D

Yes! You can see me go through my trial run on Oasis, then we can share Harmony together :)

I understand it's not complicated, but I ask because dress codes in other situations (not cruise) tend to change a bit when dealing with kids. Either way, I intend to follow the suggested/required guidelines and will be shopping up before Spring. We had a dry run last night with a wedding and I noticed some of the smaller things (belt, black socks...) that I will need to buy in addition to shirts and pants. The planner in me wants to get it now but they may very well grow out of it by then.

Thanks to the other mom/relatives to boys that can relate. My boys won't grumble, but I just wanted to know if I should go out and buy a few mix/match outfits. Many thanks!

Wow. I guess I won't be lacking for any drink opportunities. Nice list. Thank you.

Thanks. Ditto to the poster above. Can you share more about the Jamaica excursion? Approximately how long was that excursion? Tia

Thank you all. I'll have a little shopping to do before we leave to ensure we have the right clothing for them. They have some now, but I don't think it's enough for an entire week. Thanks.

Thanks. It is Caribbean. Three boys, ages 13, 11, and 10. So, somewhat young men, but not 'men' yet. I just don't want to buy a too many formal clothes since they don't wear them typically. I will have to find a way to mix and match and make sure they don't stain the pants too quickly so they can re-wear them a few times. Thank you.

OK, I feel like I have general sense of what to wear for MDR nights. In short, I prefer to follow the suggestions and keep it on the more formal side, as requested. That said, I have kids who will be 13, 11, and 10. On non-formal nights, should they be wearing pants as well (no nicer shorts)? What about shirts on those nights? I assume they can wear a short sleeve with a collar. ??

Any other tips on trying to stick with their rules/suggestions? TIA.

Wow. I hope you can get the resolution you are looking for. I agree. You have been more than patient.

I'm not sure if I joined my roll call. I have to check. That's another good idea. I am sure after you have cruised for a while you are more trusting of independent travel companies, but I am still a little nervous. I am sure the CC forum will help though. Like you said, I wouldn't mind avoiding the overcrowded tours where you have 18 inner tubes all connected by a rope to go down some waterfall (one of the concerns mentioned on the RCCL review of an excursion). Thanks for the tips.

Thank you!! Very helpful. I will read that forum; I was looking for it earlier but couldn't find it so I thought maybe there wasn't such a thing. I agree, I don't want to be unsafe (Jamaica) or do anything that causes me to be in some crazy broken car with a sketchy driver, wondering if we will fall off the mountain or something. Btdt, not interested in doing explorations like that. And yes to the timing; I will be paranoid about getting back on time, so I can't even see myself being comfortable with an hour before:roll eyes:. Thank you for the tips and sharing!

I still have time to think about this, but I have been looking at the excursions offered by RCCL and I haven't found anything that jumps out at me as something that I really want to do. Some of them are longer than I would like (i.e. 7 hours) and some don't accommodate children. I am wondering how people find their own tours and if there are things I should be aware of if I do go off course and find my own. I found some companies with a google search or with Trip Advisor and they received good reviews. Beyond that though, I don't know how what I need to know in the event I do decide to book on my own. I am specifically looking for ideas in Cozumel and Falmouth in March. TIA.

Thank you. I think I am going to look at Miami as another option. It appears to save us a little bit on each ticket, which adds up when you have 5 tickets. I am wondering if SWA is going to have competitive rates. They haven't started selling tickets for March, 2016 yet.

I've thought of doing something somewhat similar for my children. I was thinking of giving them clues that have to do with the ship as well. Maybe photos of things that they won't 'get' until they know they are cruising. Or key words/photos of headliner shows, comedians, fun drinks... something along the lines of the ship stuff vs. excursion. All good ideas.

Who was he and where is he going?

 

3. Sounds like I am a bit different on this one. I probably put down 2 or 3 deposits for each cruise that I actually end up taking. For example, I currently have two cruises booked for next thanksgiving one on RCI and one on NCL. AS we get closer I will cancel one, I don't know which yet though :). Second example, I don't know when my sons springbreak is yet for 2017. I will probably put down deposits on 2-4 cruises sometime soon that look interesting and might be the week of his springbreak. Once the dates come out from his school, cancel the rest.

That is so smart. Thanks for the tip. I never know when spring break will be for schools. Reserving the week before and the week after Easter makes a lot of sense. Thanks.

I just booked a year and a half out for the newest ship, Harmony. Since they were offering sales do cruise over Christmas, which is typically pretty pricey, I booked it now. Given the prime travel dates and it being a brand new ship, the rates were pretty good. I am hoping I don't have any reason to cancel. Having the option to cancel and not lose any money allowed me to book without too much thought and conversation with DH. Now we have something booked and we'll probably just go with it. Unless there is some other great travel opportunity. This also forces me to take a vacation and allows me to save up for it with a fair ant of time. I can save for air fat, hotel, excursion, drink packages... My goal is to have everything all paid up front and not worry about a big bill when we got home.

I get the mental breakdown of wanting to hold it one RCCL card. I too have Capital One and like it for the same reason. We charge almost anything we can and haven't used the points in a Long time. I'll be cashing in for my next two cruises.

I like how it covers hotels, taxis, air, cruises, and anything else associated with travel.

If you think about it and have the time, can you let us know the results? I wanted to book one as well, but I was under the impression I have to wait until I was on the ship. Even if I have to book one in a sunnier spot, I would do that over not having one. Thanks.

Great ideas here. I too was looking at traveling from Miami to FLL. I had no idea that you had less expensive options. I was thinking along the same lines as the OP. I have to explore these options. I have a party of five, so the cost savings may help.

You can pay a mortgage with the credit card? I don't think I have ever heard of that.