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Currently on Odyssey:  Gym is open. Some treadmills are down to help with social distancing. No reservations needed. Masks are strictly enforced even on treadmills. 

Have you noticed a difference in service due to less staff?  Or maybe they brought on more staff?

Do you happen to know if the fitness center is open?  We sail on 1/2!

Sailing on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 out of Galveston.  We are driving to the port.  We have done this before and stayed in Galveston the night before the cruise, but my husband is vegan and gluten free and we had trouble finding somewhere to eat.  We are considering spending the night in Houston and driving to Galveston early the next morning.  We have a “well check” appointment at 12:30 p.m. on 10/20.  I assume we will be battling Houston rush hour traffic whether we head to Galveston on the afternoon of 10/19 or the morning of 10/20.  I would appreciate any thoughts regarding benefits/drawbacks to spending the night in Houston the night before the cruise!

We sail on July 10 and we’re told to arrive at 3:30 for a health screening. They seemed very strict about not coming early. Does anyone know how strict they are about this now?

We are also looking at Riverside for 7/9/21.  Seems nice.  Lots of good reviews but not many reviews from pre-cruisers.  We would only be there one night.  We arrive in FLL around 3 p.m.  We have stayed in Dania Beach before (Springhill Suites) and it was ok.  One main consideration is that my husband is vegan and gluten-free.  

On 7/21/2019 at 7:49 AM, klfrodo said:

Just an FYI. Your mileage my vary.

 

self carry luggage

Allure of The Seas

left the cabin at 7:30AM

sitting in Terminal 3 Gate 5 by 8AM

What time did you arrive at the self-assist line? 

Did you stay at Springhill Suites in Dania Beach? We board Allure on Sunday and are booked there. There are 6 of us, so I’m wondering what the best way to get from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the port with two adults and four teenagers. I have heard many Uber to the port (like you) due to slow shuttles. 

On 6/30/2019 at 4:10 PM, Vacation Lover1 said:

Anyone know if Keens qualify as water shoes for this excursion? What about Crocs? or does it have to be the standard beach type of water shoes?

If you don’t have water shoes they will provide you with them. I definitely would not wear open toed shoes. The path is uneven and rocky. You could cut your toes!

14 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

The problem is the distribution of people in the rooms. 

 

If one person buys a photo package, that package covers any photo in which someone in that stateroom appears, and any minor (under 18) children of anyone in that stateroom. 

 

If you want to buy only one package, and you are in room 1, then make sure every photo has either you or any of your minor (under 18) children in the photo.

Thank you for the information.  I am not sure why Royal told me differently. It seems like a great deal for $250, but not such a great deal for $750!  I assume $250 is as good as it gets, since we sail on 7/28/19.  

On 5/9/2019 at 6:00 PM, Mr. Candyman said:

It's not just their minors, it's any of their children under 21 years of age.  That was my concern about included my 19 year old but someone posted a picture of the photo prices from Grandeur and that's what it said in fine print at the bottom.  Hopefully that doesn't vary by ship.

Hello! I am sailing on Allure this month, and we have three rooms.  I called Royal a few minutes ago, and was told I would have to purchase a digital photo package ($250 per room) for each room, even though there were children under 21 in all of the rooms.  Should I call back?  The person I spoke to did not seem familiar with the fine print, but she told me she double-checked the rules.  The description of the photo package says nothing about children in other rooms.  Is this an unspoken rule, or has anyone seen it in writing?

Room 1: Myself and 14 year-old

Room 2: My husband and 16 year-old

Room 3: Our 20 year-old and 17-year old

The water is not dirty! This is a picture of my group. The pictures are expensive but great quality. 

2 minutes ago, JIA2000 said:

I have read rave reviews about the Amazing Secret River in Cozumel. I have a couple of questions.

 

1. I'm a terrible swimmer. I read a review on a cruise line's Web site saying that they provide life jackets. Can someone please confirm this? Also, it is easy to navigate through the waters if you're not a swimmer?

2. I also read that the lockers are provided and are free. Is this true since you are not allowed to bring watches, cameras, etc.?

 

Thanks!

 

Justin

We were there in May. Great experience! Yes, they provide life jackets and water shoes. They also provide free lockers. 

Well shoot. Thanks for letting me know!

My kids (19,17,16, and 14) want to snorkel while on our cruise to San Juan, St. Maarten, and Labadee next month. We already have an excursion planned in SM, so we are thinking about one of two snorkeling excursions in Labadee: Speed Boat and Snorkel and the Snorkel Safari. There was a post about this several years ago, but I was hoping for recent reviews. The snorkel safari seems to be a catamaran that takes you to a spot, whereas the other excursion transports by speedboat. Other than that, are they the same? I realize Labadee is not an ideal snorkeling location, but is it decent? When we snorkeled in Bermuda we saw nothing. Any advice about these two excursions would really be appreciated. 

Can someone give me the link to current cruise compasses for Allure? I believe there is a website that posts cruise compasses for RCCL ships, but I cannot remember the site. Thank you!

Your review (especially the Cruise Compass) is very helpful. Thanks!

On 1/1/2019 at 5:50 PM, preschool teacher said:

If you do the speed boat snorkel...the snorkeling is great...I have gone twice and I’m going again in 20 days...I was very surprised the snorkeling was so good the first time I went....the price is not bad either....the ride there and back was fun too...

How was this excursion in January? I have not heard good reviews about snorkeling in Labadee so I would love some feedback!

The total time RCCL gives you is accurate. We did this last year and my teenagers loved it. This year (we are going in July also) I think we are going to do it in St. Maarten because they give you 12-15 minutes of air time versus 5 minutes. 

My teenagers did it last year, and they were not impressed. We are going to Labadee again in July and they do not want to do the zip line again. For them it was more of a “bucket list” activity.  To put things in perspective, however, we had been to Mexico in 2016 and did a phenomenal zip line adventure.  If you have young kids or have never ziplined, the Labadee one will probably be great!

We have a party of 6, each traveling with a large suitcase. Any advice on the most economical and efficient way to get to FLL?  

2 hours ago, Roose said:

I was interested in the key but as our whole party are vegetarian I contacted Royal Caribbean about the Chop’s grille lunch as nothing vegetarian was listed on the menu. Sadly I was told our dietary requirements could not be met and we should eat somewhere else! 

We purchased The Key for an upcoming trip on Liberty of the Seas. My husband is vegan and gluten free.  😳 I was told Chops could accommodate his needs.  We cruised in May on Anthem and my husband coordinated with the head waiter regarding his diet. It was wonderful. I think it is more difficult to accommodate on the first day, but I do think Chops is capable of helping you out. For my sake, I hope so!

1 hour ago, molly361 said:

New RoyalUp offer received now based on us being in a JS

 

3 day cruise

 

$200 pp for a GS

$400 pp for a CL or OS

$550 pp for a 1 bedroom aqua suite

 

 

It sounds like you received a Royal Up email before this one where you bid on a JS and the bid was accepted? My apologies if I missed that post....

We are looking at booking an 11:45 am flight on the day we arrive back from our Allure cruise in August. The difference is that are coming into the port at FT. Lauderdale, not Miami. There are 6 of us. Wondering if that time is doable?  We bought The Key, so I’m not sure if we would be able to enjoy the breakfast that morning. (We may end up cancelling The Key....waiting to see more reviews).  

Has anyone bid the lowest amount and the bid was accepted?