luv2cruise4ever

For our first Christmas together my husband (who'd never been on a cruise at that point) gave me a Christmas ornament depicting travel with a note about booking a cruise.  I think there are lots of creative ways to 'gift' money etc so it doesn't just look like a wad of cash in an envelope....although that's nice, too 😉

Thinking of doing the Chobolobo distillery tour on our own so we're trying to figure out the best way to get there.....taxi????  It's our first visit to ABC islands so not familiar at all.  Will be there in May if that makes a difference. 

Thanks!
Alisa

Appreciate the quick responses....they're doing the dreaded spring break cruise and my 24 yr old has never cruised without me. In typical fashion, she never paid attention to the 'details' lol so I'm a little anxious about it....probably more so than her.  I'll pass along the option for the off site parking....sounds like a great (aka cheaper) option.  Thanks again!!

My daughter and a friend are sailing a RCCL cruise that leaves out of PC on a Monday.  Neither are very experienced cruisers (her friend is a first timer) so I'm trying to make things as simple as possible for them.  They'll be staying Sunday night at a hotel in Cocoa Beach and driving to the port on Monday.  They have a check in time of 11:30.  I'm concerned if the parking deck will be full with cars of those who sailed on Saturday/Sunday.  Is there plenty of parking? Is there a nearby alternative that I can tell them about?

Thanks for the help!!

Wow....this gives me lots of great ideas to check out!! Also, to whomever asked about the golf carts on Bonaire......just look up Bonaire Cruisers.  I emailed about reserving one and they were back to me the next day.....I've read lots of good reviews and watched some Youtube videos so you should be able to find them easily.    Thanks everyone!!

First time doing ABC islands in a few months and I'm looking for recommendations on things to do in Aruba and Curacao other than beaches?  I've got a BonairCruiser golf cart reserved so I'm not worried about it.  Does anyone have anything other than the standard ship excursions that you'd recommend? 

Can't wait for this trip....last cruise was 2019 so the cruise withdrawals kicked in a LONG time ago!   Thanks for any help!!

I'll add that I've checked all the boards,etc and am looking for any additional information from people who've actually done different excursions/tours either on your own or with locals, etc.

Alisa

My information is 2 years old so take it for what it's worth.  We flew into BWI and took the shuttle to the Best Western Elkridge  (arundel mills) hotel, then took the shuttle to the cruiseport.  Since we didn't park at the hotel there was no shuttle provided back to the airport when we arrived back at the end of the cruise.  We did find a taxi very easily at the port and just took that to the airport. 

This time we are driving in from Atlanta (eek!!) because our party is larger and airfare is ridiculous.  We are parking at the hotel, then shuttling to the port then shuttling back to the hotel to pick up the car and head home.  

I say all of this I guess to say, make sure the shuttle arrangements are crystal clear. P.S. the hotel was very nice, clean and had great breakfast offerings.

27 minutes ago, luv2cruise4ever said:

Is the chocolate breakfast MDR or WJ? Sounds heavenly!!!!

Ha, I was so excited to see this I stopped reading posts.....sorry, I see now the answer is MDR.  A girl's gotta have her chocolate!!!

On 4/16/2019 at 11:01 AM, DragonOfTheSeas said:

Today was the chocolate breakfast.  Those of you on the next cruise that are new to Royal Caribbean make sure you ask which morning they are serving this. I think it is always  a sea day. 

 

They have chocolate waffles, chocolate pancakes, chocolate parfait, chocolate Danish and what they call a chocolate milkshake.  The milkshake is more like chocolate milk--but, very good.  This is always a crowd favorite and the kids love it. 

Is the chocolate breakfast MDR or WJ? Sounds heavenly!!!!

Did the Canada/NE on Grandeur in Sept '17 and doing it again this summer.  I've been seriously considering it for our first ever trip to Bermuda so I'm excited to enjoy your 'LIVE' this week.  Thanks for taking the time to share. Although 'old' it's a fantastic ship and  reminiscent of some of the smaller ships I enjoyed when I started cruising almost 30 years ago.  

Thank you so much.....I kind of figured there had to be a better way than coming through DC.  I appreciate your help!

Heading out on Grandeur this summer once again.  Driving this time instead of flying and wondering if anyone has driven into Baltimore from the South?  

We are planning on parking at the port so no need for hotel/shuttle.  Ship leaves on a Thursday so traffic to the port shouldn't be too bad, should it?  I'm thinking we get a hotel a bit out of town and finish the last hour or so on Thursday morning.  Is there a good stopping point close enough without getting into the downtown area?  If it's like Atlanta then I'm guessing there might be construction on the interstate?

I guess I'm just looking for some general advice from anyone who's done this drive.  Do's/Don'ts, etc. Thanks!!

Alisa

Hubby and I are in your age range and we did the zipline on Labadee and LOVED it. We'd never been ziplining before and we are definitely not in great physical shape but it's really not strenuous at all (the craziest part is that darn jungle truck ride up the hill). Our teenagers couldn't believe we did it (although we had photo proof!). We took them on the same cruise a eight months later and we all did the zipline together. It's really a fun thing to do and I'm not a brave person by any stretch of the imagination! Try it!!

With your JS perks this info might not interest you but we also enjoyed breakfast at the Solarium Bistro. We didn't visit on our first Allure trip last August but this past May we enjoyed breakfast there several times. Fresh and large variety and very nice atmosphere.

Same problems on the May 28th Allure sailing. Extremely disappointed because this is the first time my two teenagers had cruised and we have no formal photos to show for it. Luckily I'm still one of those 'old school' people who also uses an actual camera so at least I have those. Whether they are RCCL employees or not, they represent the cruiseline and should be expected to provide the same level of impeccable service.

Just printed my SetSail pass and completed online info for a Sept sailing using Chrome without any hiccups or issues at all. All excursions, wifi and drink packages were purchased with no issues either. Have also done the previous 2 cruises using IE and no problems there either and I'm using Windows 7. It's the nature of the beast when dealing with technology but I certainly wouldn't cancel my long awaited trip when I'm sure help is a phone call away.

Heading out on Grandeur in September...first time on her. Taking a friend on her first cruise while I go on my umpteenth. Really looking forward to getting back on a cruise ship and not a mega-ship. I want to feel like I'm on a cruise and not at the mall. Looking forward to this review!!

Got the same email a week or so ago regarding Allure sailings.

DH and I were on Allure in August with 8 friends. Won a free cruise playing bingo so we're going again in late May with the teenagers in tow. It's a different type of cruise experience, especially if you've been cruising a while (as in well before these mega-ships sailed onto the scene). That being said, it's a beautiful floating city and I know you'll love it!

Taking a friend (first time cruiser) on the Grandeur in September so this will be a cruise filled year.

Look forward to your posts about your adventures on Allure.

Happy Sailing!

Hopefully we can still get the same great deals for the end of May....I did see where the return trip was already looking cheaper than the trip down but I assumed it was because we'll probably get the car Saturday morning and not return it until Sunday morning right before we board the ship. We plan on driving straight thru to home on Sunday. We're actually not that far from McDonough so good guess! Thanks for your help!

I have great news for you!

Your return will be much cheaper than getting down here. Every year the major rental car companies get too many vehicles stuck down here after Spring Break. On the first Monday after Easter (April 17th) all the rental car companies drop their rates to $4.95-$9.99 per day with unlimited mileage just as long as you drop the car outside the State of Florida. It will be a couple weeks before the rental car companies announce this on their web site, BUT...If you go to enterprise.com right now, put in your dates with a pickup location of...

South Fort Lauderdale

2601 S Federal Hwy

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316

and then your drop off location (I used Mc Donough, GA for a faux booking) you should get $4.95 per day/ $57.51 per week with all taxes and fees included with no drop charge. Warning: If you pick up at FLL you will add $32.00 per week in extra fees and taxes.

The above pickup location does not have a port shuttle, but it's just outside the State Road 84/Marina Mile Port Everglades entrance and a taxi there would be about $10.

Loanshark....this is EXTREMELY helpful!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your wisdom!

Four of us on Allure of the Seas in May. Due to the age/mileage of our personal vehicles we're thinking of renting a car in the Atlanta area (we're about an hour south of the airport) and driving down on Saturday before sailing on Sunday.

Has anyone done this? If so, which rental car company did you use and where specifically did you drop the car off in FLL? I saw where Budget has a 17th St Causeway location with a shuttle but the website is indicating we can't rent from Atl to Fll.

We'll be coming in on Saturday so would need a hotel with either a shuttle to the pier or we'll have to drive over, drop everyone off then go return the car. Ugh....this shouldn't be this complicated so I'm hoping someone has some actual tried and true suggestions. When my husband and I were on the Allure in August we just flew but with 4 of us it just doesn't seem cost effective.

Thanks for any help!!

Alisa

Interesting that the taxes are higher...hmm....hopefully we'll still come out ahead!

I never win anything, ever. I did start screaming...and the 2 people with me had mixed emotions about it :p ...no, they were really happy for me but like all of us, I'm sure they wish it had been them!

Thanks for the replies and fingers crossed that I can call and get it on the books asap! The teenagers were extremely jealous so getting a date nailed down might give me some peace and quiet!

Plus yes, we're aware we'll have to pay taxes/fees, etc....but it's better than paying for the whole thing!!

Thanks for your quick reply!

This one is being handled thru the Comp dept most likely as that's the email address listed on the certificate. I've already sent it in with our list of ships/dates but wondered how long it'll be before I hear if we get one of our choices. Between the blackout dates, our work schedules, etc we're fairly limited as to when we can sail.....we were already planning on going again and taking the teenagers with us so we'll either upgrade or get an additional cabin(which I marked on the paperwork).... I'd prefer to start planning but can't until I know the date, etc...not to mention needing to make arrangements for the time off, etc.

I selected dates for next May/June so I'm hoping they don't wait until closer to sail date to notify me. I think I'll just call and see if I can start getting some answers. Am hoping someone here has dealt with this and can give me some ideas what to expect.