smilesntravels

On 5/17/2021 at 7:36 PM, Biker19 said:

Travel agent.

Thank you.  I can't believe I asked that question, silly me.

On 5/15/2021 at 7:51 PM, Missusdubbya said:

The Royal Caribbean UK website usually shows the most availability of cabins - more so than the US (or Australian sites). You mentioned you were looking at an external non Royal Caribbean site which may not show all available cabins. 

Okay, thanks.  I'm forgetting and I probably saw it before, but besides transatlantic I don't know what TA stands for.  I didn't know I could check for availability on either of RC's sites- US, UK, etc! 🙂 I book through an agency that many probably know, but of course you can't say the name here.  It's one where you can see all the cabins available, or not.  Another one, doesn't show any cabin availability.  Anyway, happy cruising.

On 5/14/2021 at 11:37 AM, Cigar King said:

Yes.  We got off the Brilliance on March 16th, and she hasn't sailed since...well at least not as a cruise vacation.

 

It was nice to have everything open and not crowded, especially since there was a full staff.  There was not cruise spirit though.  Nobody knew what to expect and it just hung over the ship like a cloud.  

I can sort of imagine.  I'm sure lots of cruises were like that in Mid March last year.  I guess the one good thing was the lack of crowds!  Happy future sailing 🙂 

On 5/13/2021 at 7:00 PM, Missusdubbya said:

Also you may only be checking a TA site for availability? Check the UK Royal site as it shows more availability (usually).

I don't quite understand, but thank you!

On 5/14/2021 at 12:54 PM, SilkySal said:

We'll (hopefully) be on Allure on September 12 for a week and again on November 8 for 6 nights. We really love the Allure! DH's favorite thing is the free breakfast at Johnny Rockets, so hope they'll still be doing that! We like MTD but always pre-book our preferred dining times to avoid a long wait; you can cancel your time while on board if you decide to dine somewhere else. Pre-book your shows if you can and anything else requiring a reservation. If you're visiting Labadee, think about pre-booking a cabana (pricey) or a beach bungalow (more reasonable). If there are only 2 of you, maybe you could share it with friends; maximum of 6 people per bungalow. It's just nice to have a place to put all of your stuff while enjoying the beach and having a personal bungalow attendant to keep your water cooler full and bring your bar orders is a great plus (I'm lazy)! Whatever you decide, hope you have a great time on the Allure! She's a beauty! Cheers!

Thanks SilkySal!  I hope you get to do both of your Allure cruises.  I've read up about all the eating choices, and we'll definitely try Johnny Rockets either for breakfast or the extra charge lunch/dinner one time.  If we do go on this though, I'd like to try the Central Park restaurant and/or the Wonderland.  Those both sound great!

I never really think about getting cabanas, because I don't need to sit in a box on an island, lol.  But I suppose they are good where you can leave your things while you swim, walk around, etc.  We'll want to do some exploring there and/or an excursion or two.  I know I definitely want to walk around there, and maybe do the zip line or jet ski's.  So many things to do!  Happy Cruising 🙂 .

On 5/13/2021 at 6:34 PM, firefly333 said:

The theater was built for the acrobatic show. So they can come down from the ceiling. I loved the dive show, but the bleacher type seat not so much. They had others but you had to fight to get the more comfortable seats. I was solo. 

 

Comedy was in a smaller room and was the only show hard to get into. I did oasis twice. 

Oh yeah, those bleacher seats aren't too comfy.  I guess for one show, it won't be too bad.  

Do you always travel solo?  I read a while back someone saying the Oasis class would be hard for solo travelers due to the huge amount of passengers, groups and families.  I'm too chicken to ever think of going on a solo cruise 🙂 .

Thank you all for the comments!  I still don't like the idea of booking a cruise where the only option left is balcony gty. i.e. full.  But to go in October, on the Allure, to Labadee and combine it with a Fall trip to DW when it's not super hot, I guess we'll have to book this one! 🙂  Unless, I change my mind and we just do the NYE Anthem cruise.  

I just looked again at transatlantics for this fall and would love to do one of those, or a Canary Island cruise, but don't know if it will be a pain traveling to England this year when other countries might still have restrictions.

BTW, I was never worried about traveling during hurricane season.  Bigger waves don't bother me (unless I'm floating around in them.)  I just didn't want to spend time in Orlando and DW when it's hotter/muggier and more buggy.

On 5/14/2021 at 1:10 PM, BecciBoo said:

Our favorite cruise month is September, most of our 25 cruises have been in Sept. 2 of them in Alaska on the last cruise of the season, but most in Carib and we have had no deviations at all due to weather.  Allure is my favorite of all the Oasis class, Symphany was also excellent.  I love the meandering creek in Solarium, there are actually bird hitchhikers in the bushes, check it out.  We are with Silky Sal on Allure Sept. 12 as well.  Can't wait!🤞

I've heard about the bird hitchhikers, too.  The solarium and Central Park sound/look so nice, that's why I want to do the Allure.  There is a similiar itinerary on the Symphony, but it's out of Miami and for this cruise- Port Canaveral is better.  Enjoy your upcoming September cruise.  

16 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

If going to book Allure and combine with Disney then you want October.     September can still be hot plus it can be active with tropical storms or hurricanes.    

 

When we did Allure Jan 2020 I am pretty sure we booked our enterntainment online thru the cruise planner something like 60 or 90 days before the sail date.

the ships are designed so that you really don't feel like you are on vacation with everyone.     The day of embarkment everything will be busy as everyone is boarding and exploring at the same time.   

We went to Parks Cafe to get the traditional hot roast beef sandwich they make (which is really good) and it jammed packed that day but decent the rest of the week.    

the Windjammer (buffet) can have quite a long line in the morning if you get there between 8:30 and 10:00 am (popular times).    I am usually up much earlier as I enjoy watching the sunrise with my latte and my morning walk on the jogging track.   

 

 

Hello again, Sunshine.  Yes, I agree that Oct will be better for DW.  I wish the cruise wasn't sold out for the Oct itinerary, but it's probably better that we take that one instead of the Sep one.

That's nice about getting up early and going for walks before going to breakfast.  I think I read that it can get pretty busy in there.  I can get up early, but it takes me forever to get ready and get out the door, even for work! :) 

15 hours ago, Cigar King said:

I think that's what we're expecting, but, we'll have to wait until cruising resumes to really find out what the experience will be like.  FWIW, we were on the final cruise of the Brilliance before it shut down.  Less than half full.  It was weird, although it was all due to the lack of passengers.  

Cigar King, do you mean before it shutdown the whole cruiseline because of the pandemic?  I assume that's what you meant.  Interesting.  It must have felt strange being on a cruise at that time.  We did a cruise in Dec. 2019, a couple months before it started to get bad.

2 minutes ago, LeeW said:

Disney World is never buggy, but October is cooler than September.  What we don't like about Oasis class ships is booking entertainment but they do that for crowd control.  The only time we really see large crowds is when they have something going on in the Promenade area, and when shows are getting out.  Of course our best cruise on Allure was when it couldn't get back to Fort Lauderdale due to hurricane in September.  The shortened cruise after that only had 30% of passengers.  Had more waiters in Mytime Dining than guests, so they started having only half of them work each night and closed one of the Fixed Seating dining areas.

Thanks Lee.  You know, I actually read that somewhere- that DW isn't buggy.  I did a search on that topic.  But, I guess I'm thinking of Orlando in general and when we're at the hotel.  I'm going to pick a nice one with tropical pools, where we'll spend one day just relaxing.

So the other classes don't require making reservations?  And is that before you sail?  It will be our first RCI cruise.  I'm dying to see Labadee and keep going on other cruise lines, lol.

12 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I did oasis when it was probably full. I even got in a wait list list to see shows in the theater twice, the diving show twice and the ice skating show twice. Shows are my favorite thing. If people book but dont show up then those waiting get in. I always got in.

 

Go when you want.

Thanks again firefly.  Yes, and I've heard RC's shows are pretty good.  Part of the reason I want to do the Allure vs the Anthem is because of the diving show.  Good to know you got into your shows from a waiting list!

15 minutes ago, lazydayz said:

I think you should book for October, which is when you want to go.  Florida is certainly much more pleasant in October, and September is much more active for hurricanes.  So I would book Allure in October and not worry about capacity.  I have sailed Allure at 100% occupancy or more, and didn't have a problem getting into any show.  Even made it to the Comedy Club.  

I know it's up to me and hubby (who lets me plan the whole trip,) but needed help deciding.  Thank you!  You're right about hurricane season.  Actually my very first two cruises were during hurricane season, out of FL, and we didn't have a problem.  

14 minutes ago, Cigar King said:

The ships are designed to sail full, and pre-covid, that's how they usually sailed.  Generally they handle the crowds well.  At the busiest times you may notice them more.  If you're flexible though, there's hardly any impact.  I'd suggest you pick the cruise you want, and enjoy it.

 

Cheers

Thank you.  I thought I read or heard a while back that post-covid they wouldn't be completely booking ships full.  But, when I do dummy bookings I see that some are pretty full where some decks are w/o any open cabins.

I do always try not to sail during summer vacation, easter week, thanksgiving week and the two weeks for Christmas and NY. 🙂 🙂 

Hi all,

I posted recently about whether to take Anthem of the seas for a NYE eve cruise this Dec., out of NJ, vs an Allure cruise out of Port Canaveral this Sep., or Oct.  I still haven't made up my mind, but am leaning towards the Allure.  I like the itinerary better, plus if we do that one we'll stay about four nights in Orlando to do Disney World.  I've never been and know it will be great to see and compare to Disney Land which I saw many times as a teenager.

My question might be a stupid one, who knows, but I couldn't find any thing about it when doing a search.

For the Allure the itinerary I want has several departure weeks in Sep and Oct.  I would much rather go in Oct, because it shouldn't be quite as miserably hot and hopefully less bugs.  But the two departures in Oct seem pretty full.  On a cruise site where I book through a friend I can select the cruise I want and then pick the cabin and deck, etc. I guess that is called a dummy booking.  Anyhow, there are hardly any suites left and most other categories have only 'balcony gty.,' 'oceanview gty.;' etc.  Soooooo, I assume that means the ship is pretty full.  On the late Sep. choice, there are lots of cabins left.  I can see how many cabins are left when I pick a balcony and there are a good deal left.

So, I know the Allure is a huge ship and if it's fully booked can anyone tell me if it will be way too crowded and hard to get around and have to line up for everything?  Yes, I know, you make reservations ahead of time.  I don't know if my previous cruises were booked to capacity.  So part of my question is--- should I book the late Sep. one because it's not full, even though I'd rather go in October?   And, should I also just assume that it might fill up anyway and therefore I'd be booking in Sep, when I don't want to go for no reason.  If any of you understand what I'm talking about, I'd love to hear your opinions (please explain, not just write one sentence.)  Thanks a bunch!  Happy Cruising....soon.

P.S.  I don't want it so hot and buggy when we're at Disney World.  On the cruise it won't matter that much.

6 hours ago, AryMay said:

I believe Hurricane Irma hit in 2017. We were there twice on a B2B cruise in November 2019 and were able to find shade near the cabanas. It meant sitting in the back row of loungers under the trees, but not a big deal since it wasn’t crowded in the least. 
 

As far as the erosion of the sand, I would expect that might just be a result of the tides. When we stopped at HMC on our first week, there was a wide stretch of sand between the loungers and the water’s edge. Also the sea was totally calm. 

 

 

The following week there were large waves and by the time we left the water was washing under the loungers (all the way up to the back row.) 

 

Oh, interesting point and pictures!  Your second one is what it looked like to us, not as severe though, the second time we were there.  But, the water only started coming up on the loungers later in the day.

Lucky you for doing B2B cruises.  One of these days we'll do a cruise longer than seven days, or a back to back.

23 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

There is shade in the tree line, same line as the cabanas...particularly past the Pirate Bar. Not so much south of the Pirate Bar.

I should have said that I don't see any shade on the beach where people lay out, excluding the cabanas or clam shells.  The loungers aren't spread out among the trees like they are in Grand Turk.

The last time we were there was Dec. 2019.  What hurricane are you asking about?  I forget when the last one happened.

I don't see any shade on the beach.  it's a great beach and as others have said, the water is gorgeous.  I guess there's shade if you sit in the bar, or walk around under the trees, or at the bbq lunch.

I did notice the last time we were there was that it looked like the shore had eroded some.  Much less length of sand (from the trees to the water.)  I guess it had been five or six years in between cruises to Half Moon.  I don't know if that has to do with any hurricanes, or not, though.  We always find it pretty sunny too.

On 5/6/2021 at 10:41 PM, lovescats5 said:

1. We loved Anthem and are looking at Allure for 2023.  That being said, I feel there is more to do on Q class although there are more food choices on Oasis class.  We tend to cruise off season with a now teen ager granddaughter.  Have not see all that many kids regardless of ship.  Not a fan of DW, took our kids (now 43 & 40) to Disneyland many times and for our big Disney World trip they were unimpressed.  We spend 2 days at Epicot and 2 days at the World village, or whatever it is called.  Not a fan of waiting in line.  Hope you make a final decision on which cruise to take.  

Thanks lovescats.  I love cats, too.  it's one of those things.  I always pictured DW as larger and more impressive, compared to Disneyland so would like to see it.  I don't like lines either, but it's been years since I've been to an amusement park.  So, cruise to relax and 3-4 nights for DW and Epcot or Animal Kingdom.

I had it in my head that Allure would be a beautiful ship mostly because of the Boardwalk and Central Park area, but a few so far said they like the Anthem better.  I guess I'll figure it out soon.  All the responses have helped.

And yesterday I saw a post about NY & NJ keeping the port closed for many more months.  Hopefully that is just a rumor and not true.

23 hours ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Most agencies will allow you to reprice your booking.  Royal allows it up to final payment and agencies can call Royal and get yours repriced up until final payment.  If the agency is providing you with OBC they may reduce the amount of OBC if you get the price reduced. 

Okay, thanks.  I see so many on here that mention 'final payment.'    I see final payment mentioned pretty often.  I don't quite understand.  We book a cruise and then pay for it.  I see on one of my online cruising agencies when they list their specials and sometimes it says 'reduced deposits.'  I guess a lot of people pay for a cruise in payments???   We do maybe one a year- book it a month or so before it leaves, once I finally make up my mind.

10 hours ago, Sunshine3601 said:

The large balconies are very nice too.  As you are new to Royal one thing to note.  If you book now and see the price cheaper in the future you can call customer service and request a reprice.

Just a week or 2 ago I called and saved $295 on a sailing I booked for Anthem march 2022.  

If you decide to do the NYE cruise it is best to book now as holiday sailings usually sell quick.  I suspect once people see cruises are sailing of the US they will sell out really fast for holiday sailings.

 

I've been reading these boards off and on for years and have heard people mention that about the price drop?  Is that only for RCI?  I book through an online agency, and the woman who books us is a friend/acquantaince in real life so I trust her, but I don't want to bombard her questions or special requests.  

We actually did two cruises a week before Christmas, so it wasn't a holiday cruise but in the holiday season and all decorated (which I planned so it wouldn't be super crowded, full of kids and a higher price.)

I was leaning towards the NYE cruise since a few of you mentioned that it might be better since it's longer and you like that ship better.  You can't say why?  Just because.  But the seven night Allure would give us about four nights in Orlando for DW, etc.  No I wouldn't go for one or two nights.  Three at a minimum, but prefer four.  Anyway, I've been wanting to go there forever and it would be nice to finally see it in the fall.  Sorry to ramble!  I'm not one of those people that write one sentence responses 🙂 .

2 hours ago, taglovestocruise said:

A four night on Mariner would be called by some a party cruise, it would be my last choice, although we love Mariner.. We have been on Allure, Oasis, and Symphony four times.  Three have been transatlantics and one Caribbean. We have the Harmony transatlantic booked for this Oct.  You can see we love Oasis Class. Even though it carries 6000+ passengers it rarely feels crowded. It is much larger than Anthem and has more dining venues and I would say more shows and things to do. Even though it is a older ship it is in top shape.  We just spent about two months trying to decide between Odyssey April 2022 transatlantic and Allure April 2022 transatlantic, we picked Allure once again. Pretty sure the Harmony TA in Oct. will be cancelled.  Picking either Allure or Anthem will end up being a great cruise.  The two extra nights might lean me towards Anthem, but probably not.If I was in your shoes I would be watching  Anthem and Allure YouTube videos all night .happy cruising

Oh lucky you for doing all those transatlantics!  I keep wanting to do one.  Last year was no, of course, and even most of this year.  One of these days, but either the itinerary is too long (over 15 nights) or leaving out of Spain or Italy (not interested.)  I want to leave out of Amsterdam or South Hampton so we could visit Stonehenge.  Amsterdam I've been to many times, but it would be nice to cruise out of there.  Or I find a ship I like but it's either too long or has only one port of call, or no stops to the Canary Islands or Azores, which I must see.  Then I start thinking about a British Isles cruise, and then somehow end up booking another Caribbean cruise, lol.

So you think the Oct TA will be cancelled?  Why did you pick Allure over the Odyssey for 2022 TA-the itinerary or the ship itself?  Even though there are newer ships, for a while now I've found the Allure alluring...lol.

1 hour ago, Sunshine3601 said:

Yes, that sums it up very well.  If I had to choose between anthem or allure I would pick anthem.

 

If I had to choose between a 9 night NYE cruise or a 7 night cruise, I would pick the 9 night Nye cruise.

 

 @smilesntravels if your plan is to do disney someday, you want a couple days there.  Disney park, hollywood studio, epcot, universal, disney springs, their water park is very nice for adults too, lots to do and you would regret if you only had 1 or 2 days there.  

 

You may want to check out obstructed view OV balconies on Anthem.  There are some that really dont have much obstruction.  

 

Thanks Sunshine.  I actually like the larger balcony cabins on Anthem, and already priced them.  So a few people now say they'd pick the 9 nt.  It is what I want- a longer cruise with more sea days, and Labadee.  I would love to say that I've been to Haiti, even if it is their private closed off section.

Well we would do 3-4 nights in Orlando.  But 4-5 would be better, that's why I thought maybe do the four night cruise  But now I'm thinking no to that.  I agree one day isn't enough, but also thought if we don't have a lot of time to at least spend one whole day at DW.  Thanks for your opinion on the Anthem.  I now know it was the Aqua show on Allure that I'd like to see, and the Rock of Ages show (or something like that) on the Anthem is what didn't appeal to me.  Anyway, all the responses are helping me to decide.

Just now, smilesntravels said:

Well thanks for that.  The one thing I didn't ask about was what cabin to get 🙂 .  The man just mentioned that he's getting a grand suite on his next anthem cruise.  So I said great, and mentioned that we're getting a balcony cabin.  I'd love to try a suite sometime, but the cost is kind of high.  I plan a good deal of trips for us and always like nice hotels, newer ships, a nice all inclusive resort, etc.  So O class is wider than Q class.  I think I read something about that.  I read a lot of reviews, just don't post a lot in here.

I agree on the 9 nt cruise, too.  As long as we're in a balcony cabin on a nice ship, that is what I want!

On his next Allure cruise, not Anthem.

40 minutes ago, RFerrington said:

I'm a little confused about what cabin category you are considering.  One of the responses above mentioned suite....so I'm going with that.  While I love the Quantum class ships (Anthem), I am NOT a fan of the Grand Suites on the Q class.  They have a wall that separates the bedroom and sitting area and it makes the suite seem very small and cramped.  I have never been in an Owner's Suite on the Q class but I think they are very scarce to begin with.  The suites, in general, are much bigger on the Oasis class (Allure) than they are on the Q class.  That rule goes all the way from Junior Suites up to the Star Class suites.  Since the Q class ships are narrow (as compared to the O class) there is just less room....pretty simple.  All things being equal, I would probably want the longer 9 night itin but if you're looking for a nice, big suite, you're going to get a better experience (IMO) on Allure than you would on Anthem.  Of course, as a general rule, Anthem suites are cheaper than corresponding suites on Allure so there's that.....

Well thanks for that.  The one thing I didn't ask about was what cabin to get 🙂 .  The man just mentioned that he's getting a grand suite on his next anthem cruise.  So I said great, and mentioned that we're getting a balcony cabin.  I'd love to try a suite sometime, but the cost is kind of high.  I plan a good deal of trips for us and always like nice hotels, newer ships, a nice all inclusive resort, etc.  So O class is wider than Q class.  I think I read something about that.  I read a lot of reviews, just don't post a lot in here.

I agree on the 9 nt cruise, too.  As long as we're in a balcony cabin on a nice ship, that is what I want!