aimathy

We had an aft balcony in July for a Mediterranean cruise. We loved it, but you could hear the crew at times if they were joking or kidding around late at night. It wasn't too often, and would probably not keep me from getting an aft balcony again.

What DID really bother us, is that there were employees of some sort out there nearly around the clocking and they were all smoking. We smelled smoke on our balcony a good 75% of the time, which we hate. We were excited that Royal Caribbean has "smoke free" balconies for guests, but didn't factor in that the crew could smoke right by our balcony. That definitely dimmed our enjoyment level for the balcony overall, since we are non-smokers.

Either way, the aft rooms are lovely and if you can put up with these two things in moderation, then I wouldn't let it keep you from the room. Good luck!

We were just on the Adventure for a Mediterranean cruise in rooms 7388 and 7390, which are aft balconies and we LOVED them! Yes, you can't look down directly into the sea, but our views were still amazing. 7388 has the largest balcony on the ship and costs the same as a regular balcony. We're a family of five and we hung out out there all the time. We had lounge chairs, a table etc....we even brought a hammock!

With 7388 you get a view of both the back and the side of the ship....so your range of view is amazing. We loved pulling into ports and being able to see so much.

The only slight downside, for some people, is that the balcony is mostly in the shade. There was sunlight towards the front and at times, almost half the balcony was in the sun....but if you're looking for a full-sun balcony, this won't be it. We loved the shade though, as it kept us cool AND it was great protection when it rained. We still sat out on our balcony and enjoyed the day! :)

I would definitely book those rooms again!

I completely agree that the staff should have a place to smoke on their breaks. This ship sailed from Southampton and had smoking sections all over on one side (starboard, I think?). So I would say one solution would be that they could designate an area there for them. I would also be 100% ok if they had them smoking exactly where they were, if they just let the guests know that there is smoking and they will smell it on their balconies. I just didn't like that they advertise that the balconies are smoke free when they're not.

I'm sure wind, number of people smoking and where, all affects how bad it is. We couldn't see onto other balconies due to the angle of the ship, so I really don't know if it was just crew or passengers too.

Again, I know to some people it's petty, so I get the :rolleyes:. But as non smokers, I would just rather they not advertise one thing, when it's not what you'll get. If that info helps someone with their room choice in the future, that's great. We didn't expect smoke at all, but now we know that it's not enforced at all and can adjust our choices next time. We had a great time nonetheless! That balcony was amazing and we still really enjoyed it.

We just finished a 14 night Mediterranean cruise aboard the Adventure. Overall,it was a good trip and hopefully I can write a trip report soon. One gripe I have though, is we were THRILLED to get a corner aft balcony (7388) with a huge balcony. We spent tons of time out there and loved it.

However, what we were reeeeally happy about, is that Royal Caribbean is a non smoking balcony fleet. We definitely expected to go out there and not smell smoke. Well, we did...honestly almost every single time we were out there. We figured it would be a faint whiff here or there, but it was very strong.

When we called to speak to someone about it, they told us there was nothing they could do. So it's basically just "suggested" that it be non smoking.

To top it off, we finally realized that it was the CREW that was smoking out there! There's a crew area in the aft for them to take their breaks, and they all go out and smoke. So bad enough they advertise smoke free balconies, and don't enforce it....but they actually allow their own employees to smoke out there.

(It may have been other cabins too, but we saw the staff smoking because they were in front of us.)

It wasn't trip ruining, but it definitely felt like false advertising. For some people it may not bother them, but we hated smelling smoke the whole time. So just fair warning, if that's important to you, I would think twice about paying more for a balcony because they don't enforce this rule at all. Why have it then?

I'm sorry if this was asked before, I can't seem to word my question properly to find any info on the search option.

Does anyone know if there is a "per day" limit on the beverage packages? I know that technically they're unlimited, but each time we've had the package on Royal Caribbean, we didn't plan on drinking enough to justify the package. On one of the Carnival cruises, even if you had the package, there was a limit of 15 drinks per 24 hour cycle that you could order. That was a bit of a pain on a big night out, when my husband had a few drinks earlier throughout the day.

We're doing a Mediterranean cruise with many sea days and we think we'll get the packages, but I just wanted to check about this first, and I can't seem to find an answer anywhere!

Thanks!! :D

I have to agree with a few other posters on here. CAN they wear shorts? Yes, if you chose not to follow the suggested dress code. So the question is really "should we follow the guidelines?", and that's just up to you. I have three kids and we always have them follow the dress code along with us. Regular pants are only a few inches longer than nice shorts and no less comfortable. I just like that they're starting to learn that in certain circumstances, it's a good idea to follow what's suggested. But again, they won't get turned away if they're in shorts.

Go to Little French Key! You WILL NOT REGRET IT!!!! It was one of the best private excursions we've ever done on a cruise. It's a private island, beautiful water, hammocks, tiki bars, snorkeling, kayaking, delicious lunch, animals....etc, etc. Check out their website. Just google Little French Key and it comes right up. They pick you up at the port and return you when you're done. It was an amazing day.

Thanks for a great review! We sail the Adventure in July and have been on her before for our honeymoon. We look forward to it and appreciate your balanced review.

Thanks! I'll have to go back and look at the info again, but for some reason I couldn't find it.

And yes, col, we're on that cruise too. :) We can't wait!!!

Before this thread gets moved (:))......I'd really like to get input specifically from Royal Caribbean folks, because I've been doing research and I'm getting discrepancies about which ports are tender ports or not. It seems like maybe some ports have the capabilities to do both and it depends on which cruise line you're on to determine which it is for that day.

We will be doing a Mediterranean cruise in July and our ports are:

Gibraltar

Villefranche

Civitavecchia

Livorno

Genoa

Malaga

Lisbon

I just want to know what to expect in terms of timing for our private excursions. Any fun tips would be appreciated too! It's my husband, myself and our three kids 18, 14 and 6.

Thanks!!

Robinola, your post just made my night. Talk about looking at the bright side of things! Instead of complaining about the lines, it's kind of fun to imagine it as the first rodeo of the trip...much more exciting. :D

That's awesome. :) We saved a ton of money recently on our cruise when they rolled out the Kids Sail Free promotion. It made such a happy difference in our spending money. Enjoy!

I'm hoping someone can help me, since I'm confused! :)

We booked a cruise where our daughter is sailing "free" under a promotional package. When I'm putting in the cost per person, and I just splitting it evenly amongst the five of us? Or do I actually make hers that much lower?

Thanks!

I'm just curious.....can they cancel your cruise if you paid the deposit, but did not pay the cruise in full by the final payment date? I'm asking because we cruise in July and our final payment was due on May 6th. They asked way-back-when if I wanted the balance charged to my card on that date and I said yes.

Well, I checked my online reservations today....and the balance was never paid! :eek: I panicked and called, and paid it in full. But it made me wonder if they can or will cancel a cruise if you don't pay in full on-time. I'm glad I caught that now and it's resolved!!

My youngest was 10 months old when she went on her first cruise and we had a great time. I have two older children, who were 9 and 12 at that time, and a cruise was the very best way to have something available that everyone could enjoy. The older kids had all the on board activities and kids clubs and that gave us time to have fun with our youngest too. We did great excursions (she was even at Stingray City!) and made wonderful family memories.

Personally, I don't think cruising with a young one is any tougher than regular life with one! And let's be honest, any vacation with a child that young is still "work" to some degree. Our daughter was a good traveler though, tried new foods, adjusted to schedules easily....so perhaps if you're worried that your baby will have issues with this, then I could understand some concern.

I say go for it! :)

Thanks for referring me to Verizon's info. However, I called them with this question and then went to a store with the same question...and I got two different answers. That's why I was hoping to ask and get info from someone that has actually done this with Verizon and an iPhone.

Nolatravelgirl, do you happen to know which plan you chose, if you had Verizon, when you've traveled? I'm hoping to cross reference my two Verizon answers with someone that actually did it, so I can get the "right" answer!

Thank you!

Hi all,

Any advice would be appreciated! I'd like to know if there is a way to use my iPhone in Europe. I've gotten a few answers from people, but it seems like I'm getting alot of conflicting information. For example, I was told that I can just replace the sim card for each area we're in, but then someone else told me that iPhones are locked and you can't do that. I'm confused! Obviously, I'd love the ease of being able to keep my own phone and use it during our trip.

We will be spending a week in Paris, then a day in London and then a two week Mediterranean cruise that goes to Gibraltar, Rome, Pisa, Genoa, Malaga, Villefranche and Lisbon.

I have an iPhone 4s and Verizon is our carrier.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer! I appreciate it!

Thanks again for all the wonderful input.

We were planning on staying at a Premier Inn at Kings Cross, because we will be coming in from Paris to St. Pancras on Friday evening. We thought that being close to the hotel, especially at night after a long day, would be easier to get everyone there and in bed at a reasonable time for our sightseeing the next day. So basically, if we do the coach from Victoria on Sunday, we would either have to take a cab from the hotel to Victoria for the coach or we would have to stay at a different hotel closer to Victoria and then catch a cab from St. Pancras to Victoria area the night we arrive. It's probably about the same either way, correct?

The cost is not a huge consideration (at this point, with the expensive of this whole trip, it's not making-it-or-breaking-it) but obviously, there's still a nice chunk of change to be saved if we do the coach versus private transportation. I think (thanks to all the great input!) that I have a good idea of what each involves now, so I can at least make a good decision based on what we're willing to tolerate! :)

And thanks for the ideas for London as well. I was there a number of year ago, but my family has never been there. Normally, I am a traveler who likes to delve into a few smaller areas or things, and have never been a huge fan of whirlwind "see this! look at that! over there!" kind of tours. However, I've also learned that traveling with children (especially our 5 soon-to-be 6 year old now), that sometimes just seeing the significant landmarks with an overview is enough. Since we will only be there one day, and the kids are looking forward to seeing the big landmarks, I think we will most likely wind up doing a ho-ho or possibly, even a private tour. (And let's not kid ourselves....giving a tired 6 year old a break from walking now and then, is never a bad thing while sight seeing!) This will allow us to show them an overview....and hopefully ignite their travel bug so they will be excited to travel back there in the future!

After we return from the cruise, we will most likely take one of the tours going back to London before our overnight stay before our flight.

Thanks for all the help!! I appreciate it so much. :D

Thanks eandj!

JB - If you should happen to see this, would you recommend the National Express bus from Victoria Station to Southampton? It's obviously much less expensive than the private car, but do you think that by the time we add in a cab to Victoria, then the bus ride, then a cab to the port....that it may just be enough of a hassle that it's easier to do the private car? Or do you think that despite the extra effort, it's not too bad?

Thank you so much! Your opinions were very helpful, and John Bull, the detailed message was wonderful. Thanks to each of your for your help. I really appreciate it! :)

Can you please offer any advice or suggestions?

We are a family of 5 (myself, my husband, DD - 18, DS - 14 and DD - 6) and will be leaving for a cruise from Southampton in July. We will arrive in London on Fri night (from Paris) and were planning to tour London on Saturday, stay the night and then get a private car to the port on Sunday morning. We were choosing to do this so we would have one full day to see London.

However, I usually like to stay near the port the night before, and now I'm second guessing our plan. One day in London won't let us see nearly enough, but at least it's a full day. If we leave Sat night to go to Southampton to sleep over, we will lose a good chunk of Saturday too. However, I'm not sure how stressed we will be making sure we get to the cruise port on time, if we're leaving all the way from London.

Which would you choose and why?

We are going to be taking a 14 night Mediterranean cruise this July with our children and I was hoping to get some sort of idea of what they do in Adventure Ocean for that many days. We've done Caribbean cruises for a week, and our children loved the activities. I'm just wondering how much the activities vary compared to the Caribbean and what they wind up doing for two whole weeks.

One of our daughters will be in the 3-5 program and our son will be in the 13 year old program. If anyone could help, that would be amazing!

Thank you!

We are going on a Mediterranean cruise to celebrate our daughter's high school graduation and our son's 8th grade graduation. We have all three kids' birthdays and our son's confirmation, along with the graduations, all within a month and a half of each other. We decided to pool the money for smaller parties, bite the bullet, and do a once in a lifetime trip!

One other thing, if you are flying....do not take snacks/drinks from home. Wait until you get to your port city and stop off at a store there to purchase everything. We have done this in the past too for diapers and baby food at it saved SO much space in our luggage. Most car services will provide a free stop, and many hotels have a store within walking distance or a shuttle that can take you somewhere.

PS Someone mentioned not bringing food off the ship. We have asked on more than one cruise and were told that whole fruits, vegetables or plants could not get taken off. We have never had a problem with the snacks for the kids. But I would check before you leave if you have concern over that. I don't know if the cruise staff just didn't care enough to enforce it or it really was okay, but I'd hate to see you have a problem.