Itchy&Scratchy

we were in PR in mid-November. Walked over to the Fort and did the excursion in it for $7 pp. It was quite interesting.

Never felt unsafe. We went to Walgreens which is right at the entrance of the port - I forgot my hairbrush at home. :)

Our friends hopped on a bus and did a tour of San Juan, they were bored, but didn't feel unsafe.

Oh, and we docked at 2, but by the time my mom found the right exit, we finally walked out way past 3 pm.

6 hours ago, kathy884 said:

Our next cruise is the Getaway with two days at sea and four port stops.  One though is that semi private island. Havest Caye, which mostly sound like a big pool stop.

we did this one 3 weeks ago. We liked it. Nothing to do but sit on the beach in Harvest Key and look at the aviary/butterfly house behind the beach. The beach itself was underwhelming, compared to FL panhandle beaches.

We do not get off at Harvest Caye, but from talking to some friends and family members who have, they say it is really worth it to visit.

not really worth it.

1 hour ago, www3traveler said:

Burn The Floor is a Latin Dance production show done in the theater a couple of nights during a 7 night cruise.  There a show about 7:00 P.M. and the same show repeated about 10:00 P.M.  The show lasts about any hour.

 

In addition a small number of dancers will perform in the Main Dining at least once during the cruise.  You would have to check your Freestyle Daily as to which evening and what time.

 

Enjoy  It is a wonderful production however the music is very loud. 

that's exactly how it happened on the Getaway 3 weeks ago

2 hours ago, WinksCruises said:

If you've always sailed an inside cabin, it might be an affordable option for seeing what balconies are all about. 

THAT would turn me off from ever booking a balcony.

Princess went about hooking us on balcony cruising the right way. We'd always got inside rooms... Princess upgraded us for FREE, without us even asking, to a fantastic, slightly obstructed balcony. Now we are hooked. However, I am still an insufferably frugal person, so, we'll be in an inside cabin on the Allure. But the next cruise on Princess? Yeap, we are on a balcony.

On 12/17/2018 at 5:59 PM, Wishing on a star said:

I saw the nice entrance to Playa Palancar as we drove right by it on the way out.

since it was just a short walk away, why didn't you just walk over to Playa Palancar and stay there instead?

On 12/19/2018 at 3:13 PM, crewsweeper said:

Sounds like you were docked at Punta Langosta downtown.  And yes that can be a nightmare as you have to go throught he mall to get to the street. Haven't been from street side to ship at the new International Pier shopping area.  Last time we docked there we went from excursion pier to ship and back through security without having to go inside a dufry store.

we were there in mid-December, and I don't think it was a nightmare or even a major inconvenience. We simply walked through a small mall, asked where the taxi stand was and were pointed to the escalator. Same thing back. 4 minutes tops.

No duty free shops to walk through for sure.

28 minutes ago, toad455 said:

 

Doesn't feel like anything will change over the weekend, making it the longest shutdown in history. Hopefully the government gets it's act together next week and reopens the government. Flying into Miami in 3 weeks for my cruise and getting a little worried.

why are you all worried? Planes are still flying into the US and people are coming to the States. My dad is flying in from Europe tomorrow, and we have no worries about his entry into the US.

On 1/3/2019 at 1:14 PM, Spunky946 said:

We got off the navigator in Miami last Sunday and it was nuts.  Only had a few working and at times they would stop the disembarkation on the ship and we would get stuck waiting.  They were running way behind.  About 50-60 minutes.  Then when we got down there and went through they barely looked at our passports and didn’t ask any questions and just waived us through.  

 

We were told they had a lot of call offs because of the shut down.

we had the same situation happen 2 years ago, except for no govt shutdown was happening, and it was 3 hours behind. We finally got off the ship at noon instead of 8 am.

On 12/28/2018 at 1:05 PM, zqvol said:

 

Two weeks ago instead of going to Nachi, I went to the money bar, and honestly I enjoyed it just as much. I had better service. The food and drinks were better and the snorkeling was better. It is also 100% pay as you go and there were fewer children there.

so did we. However, it was very cold (mid-december) and the water was very rough. Two red flags and nobody was swimming. We couldn't even sit in the shade, because it was very cold and windy.

Not much sand for DS to dig in, but he managed anyway. We did enjoy ourselves. DS was the only kid for a long time, until some other family arrived with 2 kids in tow.
The bathroom was great - very clean and large, I was very impressed. Service was fast, but there weren't many people at all that day (too cold).

3 minutes ago, WinksCruises said:

If you read the Compass alert is says Photo ID or Proof of Citizenship + your Seapass card.

Thank you! You are right, I read it as "Photo ID Proof of Citizenship" and got stressed out over nothing.

15 minutes ago, The Fun Researcher said:

Sorry OP, I don't want to derail this thread, but I can't PM on these boards.  Itchy, I see that you've sailed the Freedom and Voyager classes a good amount (as have we), and also sailed the NCL Getaway.  Did you do a review of the Getaway that you could link me to, or do any comparison the Royal's ships?  I'm curious because friends of ours really like NCL but I'm leary based on my research.  Mainly with the pool decks, lack of royal promenade, and public spaces.

 

Dan

In short, I would pick RCI over Norwegian any time. ETA: that said, we do prefer NEWER ships.

We couldn't use the free specialty restaurants on the Getaway due to them being right next to the casino and being smoked through. The food was average (I do realize that RCI's food has become quite sub par in the last few years). We did enjoy the Getaway in terms of family activities and the entertainment was very good, but as far as I know, RCI is a bit superior in those two ways. Plus, we love the Royal Promenade.

And now I can't wait to get on the Allure, because it offers even more entertainment and family activities!

a quick question: on the Nassau Cruise compass it says "proof of citizenship required" on the way back. Did anyone actually check the proof of citizenship? I don't really want to carry our passports to the beach... Thanks!

On 1/9/2019 at 7:44 AM, Esprit said:

Your reference to the Windjammer chicken has just brought back awful memories of our only RCCL cruise aboard IOTS.

Royal Caribbean - Independence of the Seas 2009

omg, our very first cruise just happened to be on IOTS in 2009!  We LOVED it! So much, in fact, that we came back on IOTS 5 years later with our offspring in tow.

31 minutes ago, 4774Papa said:

If you do something like that or if you love a beach outing, then Nassau can ;be  fine.  We live next to the beach and don't do beach outings, and have done enough encounters in the past.

thanks! Yes, due to having a 7 yo beach junky we only do beachy things on the cruise. :)

The nearest white sand beach is a 6 hour drive away from here, however, I do find Panhandle beaches to be wonderful and much better than some beaches we have visited while cruising.

thank you so much for your review! I am still reading it, though. Very funny and entertaining!

We will be on the same cruise in 79 days! I am sooooooo looking forward to it. Even though we are going to be in the inside room... Not even a balcony!

22 hours ago, cruiseguy1016 said:

 

I have been asked to show a photo ID many times to re-board the ship.

and this only happened to us in Puerto Rico... We brought our driver's licences. 

we usually arrive around 1 pm, due to our flight landing at 12.

I'd bring water shoes... There are a ton of sharp rocks on the beach adn in the water, and I had plenty of minor cuts and pricks on my feet, but when my 4 yo sliced his foot pretty badly on a sharp rock... he refused to go in the water for the rest of the cruise. Any water: shower, ocean, and pool. And Princess Cay was our first stop....

3 hours ago, 4774Papa said:

Nassau, next time we won't even get off the ship.

we'll be there for the first time in 2 months, and I booked a stingray encounter at the Blue Lagoon. I hope we enjoy it.

13 hours ago, SoccerMom9195 said:

Is the crepe station set up at night on Getaway?

Our last cruise on the Gem only offered them during the dinner hours in the buffet.

We love going later in the evening to enjoy a crepe and ice cream. 

yes, it is. But, to our major disappointment, they overcook them to death. Literally.

Crepes were wonderful on Jade, but absolutely overdried crispy crunchy crap on Getaway. Might have as well named them biscotti...

The station is at the buffet in the evening, however, it's on the opposite - empty - side. The buffet is served on one side only during dinner, so you walk over to the other side for crepes.

We finally started asking to bake/fry/cook them for half the time and they became much better, but still not as heavenly as Jade's.

We were on Jade in November 2018 and on Getaway in December 2018.

Here is a Jade crepe.

On 1/7/2019 at 6:32 PM, HazzaGrazza said:

After watching the videos of cruises in storms though, I'm terrified we're going to have really rough seas and start listing badly and capsize in the middle of the ocean. 

 

on a ship that size you won't even feel it... and definitely won't capsize.

Get a cabin in the back of the ship and you are all set.

P.S. no need to be anxious, but, perhaps, some medications or therapy would help? After all, it's supposed to be the time to relax and enjoy your marvelous vacation, and not to bite your knuckles while being stressed to no end.

16 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Don't make the mistake of comparing only cabin  prices. That included international airfare (or air credit) and no charge for beverages, internet, restaurants, some excursions/booze/etc plus commission sharing by TAs will surprise you. Also, look for O's two new Allura Class small ships (1000+) due in 2022.

so, what you are saying is that a 7-10 day Thanksgiving cruise on Oceania (to the Caribbean) for the 3 of us will cost me less than $3,500 (that's including the cruise fare, gratuities, flying to a Florida port, and simple beach trips at the destinations)? And the kicker is that they only have 3 sailings, and none of them actually cover just the Thanksgiving week, so we personally couldn't go anyway.

We don't do specialty restaurants, I force my DH to give up his phone for a week making it a family vacation, and we don't drink.

Can I expect the total price to be under $3,500 for the 3 of us? I don't think so, because their website says: so, you only get to choose one - either the booze or the excursions or OBC. 

SEASWEPT BREEZES

10-Day Voyage
Riviera - November 25, 2019

Fares from $1,799 per guest

Special Offer

With OLife Choice*, our limited-time inclusive package, enjoy Roundtrip Airfare*plus choose one: 

FREE - 6 Shore Excursions 
FREE - Beverage Package 
FREE - $600 Shipboard Credit 
Amenities are per stateroom

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

 

That's good to know, my cartoon friends. 

Avoids awkward questions when getting off the ship with a couple of loungers in tow. 

 

JB 

at least they were at that particular beach. :) Across from the butterfly farm.

25 minutes ago, cruiseratheart_09 said:

I know I need to get over having her in the middle (first child over here and I’m frightened of everything 🙂)  I understand that vehicles might not have the set up for a middle installation and then parents with multiple kids can’t pick and choose where they install. I only have the one so I definitely forget about those other circumstances! But you are absolutely right because in some cases you cannot help where you have the car seat. 

 

And I’m glad your mom was ok with your executive decision lol!

the safest place for your DD is the middle, because it's farther removed from all the contact points. Especially, if she is forward facing in a harnessed seat or a booster. SO, if you can achieve a tight, secure install, and the vehicle allows for a middle installation, just leave her in the middle.

Sorry to digress, I do that in real life as well! :)

9 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Sorry but, Princess is not much better. How about Oceania (do the bottom line comparison math on included vs optional costs - particularly if international airfare is in the mix). You may be very surprised at Oceania's true value.

I am extremely frugal, and Royal/Regal Princess does wonders for us, especially for what I pay for the cruise. We don't need any extra added value or anything optional.

I did look up Oceania once, and the price was nowhere near what I am prepared to pay for a cruise.