Janet Foster

Each person in the Ben & Jerry's "sweet" gets one free ice cream every day. This is compensation for an obstructed view of the promenade, the cabin looks out on the rear end of the cows above the ice cream shop. The cabin is decorated in a cow motif. This cabin also used to get access to the concierge lounge like all the other suites but that benefit is no longer offered. I would do a search in the Royal Caribbean forum on this "sweet". There is a recent thread from someone who hated it, I forget what their issue was with the cabin. There has also been rumors of Ben and Jerry's being removed from the ships but as of yet that is only rumor.

I also had hear that the suites were no longer there.. but I never investigated it when we were on LOS.

Interesting.... thanks for your note.. and if anyone finds out anything else.. let me know.

Thanks Again!

Hey Janet, I'm still doing my research and i came across a you tube video of a Ben and Jerry "sweet room" which is located right on top of the ben and jerry ice cream palor. Question I have for you is:

 

Is the B&J ice cream free or would I have to pay?

 

If I have to pay for the B&J is there any other icecream on board I can have without paying? I don't want to pay to have extra pounds on the hip

 

 

Meredith

There generally is free soft serve yogurt in the Windjammer cafeteria and often by poolside. Ben and Jerry's would charge for their ice cream as would the gourmet coffee house. They'll get ya for all they can. LOL

Thank you so much, you are my new BFF and agent :D

Thank you!!

Let me check it out and I will get back with you. HOT SUMMER forcast here for DALLAS... was sweltering yesterday.

You'll have to call in anyway because even trying to book online the online reservation won't let you book for more than 4 people for one reservation..

So I am thinking that based on the number of people in your party, they will only let you have a Grand Suite GS but you should ask because you never know if they just might have a JS category that can accomodate 5.

The GS are very nice too!

Hope that helps somewhat...

Well Good morning Janet, I haven't heard from you in a couple days. I thought to myself "I know she didn't sneak and go on another cruise with her gang yet, or did she?" LOL I hope you had a great Memorial day. It was a wash out for me with a lot of rain:(

 

Ok it seems like i'm getting a lot of mixed reviews, I totally need a room for 5 (2 adults 3 kids) but it seems like the only room for that is a GS. Do you think this is true for the Freedom of the Seas? Maybe I need to call them but from past experience sometimes the people at the call center don't know:confused: that why I like to ask on here at least the folks here have actually been on the cruise. More decisions for me to make LOL

Let me check it out and I will get back with you. HOT SUMMER forcast here for DALLAS... was sweltering yesterday.

Hey Janet I've been doing a lot of research plus I was watching the travel channel yesterday and seen host Samantha Brown take a cruise on Freedom of the seas which looked so much like Liberty of the seas. Now it seems like you haven't been on Freedom of the seas but do you think they are exactly alike?

FOS leave out of Port Canaveral which is a 9 hour drive for us unlike Liberty that leave out of Miami where we would have to fly. So of course it's cheaper for us to drive than the 5 of us fly. What do you think?

 

Meredith

Freedom of the Seas is exactly like Liberty of the Seas and yes, you should book that cruise instead. Wow what a savings to drive there rather then to fly to Miami. You have now justified getting the AFT Junior Suite Cabin!!

Maybe YOU should be a travel agent.. LOL...

Meredith did you decide on a cruise?

Hey Janet the aft cabins look so much bigger. It do seems like they don't have cabins that sleeps 5. I do not want 2 cabins because I do have 2 toddlers and a teenager and I really can't justify getting a suite so I have some serious decisions to think about. Are the aft rooms reasonable?

 

 

Meredith

The aft cabins on Liberty of the Seas that we sailed on, we got Junior Suites and these rooms were perfect and yes, larger. The cabin we had JS 1406 was much larger than the same type cabins on the other decks (AFT) ... The price for this cabin was the same price as other cabins in this same category. It would be pefect for what you need .

So look into that...

Meredith:

Oh yes, I will do a review next year after our Alaskan cruise.. I know we will have a good time.

No, we don't do formal nights on any cruise any more. We fell out of that after the second cruise. This time we are also going to have anytime dining because cruising with a large crowd it is sometimes hard to get everyone to dinner at the same time. So this will be a welcome change.

As far as looking at planned activities of the ship for the duration of the cruise, each cruise line has their own daily newsletter that is placed on your bed each night for the next day. Often times people will post their newsletters on Cruise Critic and then you can pretty much get an idea of what the planned activities are. Sometimes they change and then sometimes the only thing that is different is the date. So you might try searching for the newsletters under that particular ship on CC.

No I never go through a travel agent. We did that once and I had no control of the reservation through the website of the cruise line. So I had to transfer the reservation to the cruise line so that I could gain access to the reservation online. Then we added our excursions and other things we decided to do.

You will love Liberty of the Seas... she is a beauty! Don't get the cabins in the aft. We did that and I didn't like it too much as you aren't looking straight down on the water.

Hi Janet,

 

I am not a first time cruiser, but I thought I would look on this thread to see what was there. Awesome list that you put on here. I went down the list and just checked off the things that I bring when I cruise and I can honestly say that I probably take 75% of that stuff. I'm sure on this last one, it was more like 90% since I took my fiancee on her first cruise. I just got off the Carnival Freedom just a couple of weeks ago and it was great. I have done Royal in the past and after looking at a few ship reviews for Royal, think I might try to make that my next one (not sure what ship yet). I can't think of anything specific that I would add to your list at this point, but if I ever do, I will suggest it for future cruise 'virgins'. I loved your review of the ship you were on. I wrote a review on the Carnival Freedom if anyone is interested.

 

Bill

Bill:

Thanks for writing. I would love to book a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas. We loved the Liberty of the Seas so much that we know it would just be over the top!

I will for sure read your review. I love reviews...

WOW!! Janet all I can say is that you are totally AWESOME. I read your trip report and for a minute I thought I was there with the group. Sadly someone already used my theme for their room which would have been the Mardi Gras theme;) I also love you packing list of which I will be printing out. I just have a couple quick questions

 

How much was the zip line excursion? and do you only go once?

 

The flo rider and rock climbing is that something you pay separate for?

 

I know it was 10 of you all did you guys plan for a year or less than a year?

 

Thank you and you ROCK

MMitchell29:

Thanks for your note. For the zip line excursion, I believe it was about $85. This was in Labadee Haiti. You get all the gear on and they take you on a short run to get the feel of things, then they take you by jeep up a mountain for the big run. You are out over the edge of the water. Very pretty. My daughter did a zip line in Montego Bay and it was more jungle type... (need bug spray for that one..)

Flo Rider and Rock climbing on RCCL was at no extra cost you just had to sign off on a waiver.

Planning for the 10 of us, I was the one in charge (oh really???). I had done the research ahead of time and selected the cabins/ship we wanted and we all knew that we wanted to go at a certain time. So as soon as the bookings opened up (I checked almost daily when I knew they were to be available) I called and got all the cabins reserved so that they all were in a row. Then after I secured the cabins, I let all of our friends know that they needed to call in with their deposits.

Over the course of time I would email notices to everyone for discussion on the cocktail parties and the excursions we wanted to do. It was fun doing all the planning and that is how my "ULTIMATE PACKING LIST for the Newbie’s was born" .. because everyone kept asking me the same questions about what to bring ... so I made the list with everything I could think of and let them all decide what they actually needed to bring.

Our group has gone on two cruises and we just booked an Alaskan cruise for June of next year. I went through the same process of securing the cabins. It seems like each time we go our crowd gets a little bigger. So this time I think two cabins are going to have to host a costumed cocktail party. So that everyone gets a change to host. The Princess Alaskan Book for 2011 just opened up around May 12th. So we just got our cabins. Everyone gets the insurance because you never know if something comes up. And if it turns out that someone can't make it, we will call and have our cabins moved together so that our line of cabins is not compromised. LOL We like having all our cabins in a row so we can open up all the balconies so they all connect. So much fun let me tell ya!!

If you have any other questions let me know.

I just read through the thread and appreciate all the thoughts.

 

I'm a planner and my hubby calls me "Preparation A". I make sure I'm prepared for most anything. We have a sailboat and we sail for 3 weeks each summer, trying to pack and provision so that we have to do minimal laundry, minimal shopping and we are ready for anything. Honestly, knowing the way life goes, you can't plan too much IMO. If it doesn't take up much room and others have found it to be handy, it's not a big deal to bring at least an outlet multiplier (1 to three outlet thing). I know there have been some years I've packed stuff that was just never touched and took up room but other years I've been ever so grateful that I brought it.

 

I'm definitely going to overpack on this trip that we're taking. Fortunately we don't need to worry about airplanes since we're driving but I'd rather have it and not need it than to need it and kick myself because we were warned. The biggest thing I'm taking is a hanging pocket organizer filled with medications. I have things for whatever may come because you just never know. I have Benadryl for allergies and stings, Mucinex for any stuffiness to avert a sinus infection or for coughs to help get the gunk up, Sudafed for stuffy noses/allergies/colds, generic Prevacid for gas, Immodium for the runs, Advil for whatever ails you, Bonine for seasickness, cortisone cream for bites/itchy skin, neosporin and bandaids for cuts/scrapes and an herbal salve for everything else. Additionally, I'll have my migraine meds, hubby's asthma meds and a spare rescue inhaler that he never uses but you just never know. I also have a thermometer since we're traveling with the kids, a tweezer for splinters and such and an ace bandage. These are the sorts of things I got on sale with coupons over the last month and would hate to pay inflated prices for. It's nice to know we're set for whatever illness may come and this pack will then go straight to our sailboat for the rest of the summer to stock our medicine chest there.

 

Is there any medications/needs that you can think of that I might have missed?

 

ETA: All the meds were taken out of their boxes and put into the pocketed organizer with a post-it with the name of the med (brand name and name of actual medication), strength of medication, and doseage instructions. It takes up a LOT less room this way.

Two weeks from today.. Sounds like you have thought of everything. I generally have all items that I think I might possibly need to.. I don't mind bringing it along and often times some of our friends on the cruise will ask me for something.

Have a great time "PREPARATION A"..

If you are sailing on Carnival you may need to read their prohibited list...

WHOA!

Thank you for writing.

I did have fun making that list and I put down everything I could think of to help out our newbie cruise traveler friends who were going with us. I just knew if I didn't make a list I would hear this:

"Why didn't you tell me to bring an over the door shoe holder?" "Why didn't you tell me..." etc.. and I didn't want to be responsible for them missing out on something they would need. So that is how the list got started.

Then we started doing the themed cocktail parties on our last cruise. Our next cruise to Alaska next year is already gathering up a big crowd of our friends who heard and saw the pictures from our last cruise... so much pressure!!

I too enjoyed the input of others who had idea's as well. I know this list isn't for everyone and you certainly aren't rquired or may not need every little thing but it does make you think ahead in your planning and packing.

You are right in getting your decorations early while the getting is good..

Have fun planning!!!

Oh BTW my girlfriend who had the Hawaiian Themed party got her items at the 99 cent store also. Good party deals there..

I did not realize that we could bring so much food and water bottles on board the ship. I'll be on the Carnival Legend in a week, are we allowed to bring water bottles? How safe is the water from tap in the restuarants on the ship? I've heard some horror stories.

 

I've heard that Carnival won't allow you to bring a Power Strip anymore.

I have not heard about Carnival not allowing power strips any longer but I haven't searched on their boards either. The water on the ship is just fine, my husband and I prefer to add drink mixes to our water and prefer to keep our bottled water on ice when we come back to our cabin. It is just a matter of preference. I have never heard of any ships tap water being undrinkable.

Hope you have a great cruise and check back when you return to let us know what Carnival does and doesn't allow.

I wanted to add that there are a couple of companies that make collapsible water bottles now. We've used them in the past for hiking. They lay flat when not in use and some can be rolled up. So if you're interested in bringing your own bottle to refill but don't want to waste space they might work well for you.

 

Just google collapsible water bottle.

I saw those at Target... Not bad.. When you are done drinking you can fold it up and put it in your pocket!

Very nice... I bet you do feel more prepared..

Thanks GlendaleCruiser!~

Always happy to help!

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages onboard. However, at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring on board one bottle (750ml) of wine or champagne, per person, only in their carry-on luggage. A $10 corkage fee per bottle will be charged should you wish to consume this wine in the main dining room; $14 corkage fee per bottle in the steakhouse

So I will answer this two ways. My daughter went on this cruise and she hand carried a bottle of champagne in her carry-on luggage. Then she brought two bottles of wine that were wrapped in bubble wrap inside her checked luggage.

I love this... GOOD STUFF and GOOD ADVICE!!!

After our first and second cruises we really got it all together and knew what we needed as well. Our first cruise we were so UNPREPARED!!

The stress load will come off of you all if you just follow these wonderful guidelines by Mrs. Pete!!!

I just returned from my first cruise. Because of this thread, I packed an extension cord with several outlets on the end. That was so helpful! I never could have kept my camera batteries charged to film this video!:

I used it to charge my iphone, and play my bose sound dock. And since I couldn't get the outlet in the bathroom to work, I used it plenty for my blowdryer.

OMG i love your video you made... HOW COOL... I have forwarded it to all my friends!!

It's great!!

Glad to hear the extension cord/list helped. I learned from my first cruise that an extension cord was needed for the 2nd cruise.. so I am glad my list helped you had a more enjoyable first cruise! Sure looks like you had a good time!! HAAAA

We had to bring the power strip because we also brought our little MAGIC BULLET blender to make frozen drinks!..HHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAa

So hopefully you will get to go on another soon, Pop Star Mom??? :-)

I will be looking for your video to catch onto something in the future.. like GOOD MORNING AMERICA or a commercial??

I love that people are reporting back what they used and didn't use. And I love this thread.

 

But, although this has been said before, it may be buried in the middle and bears repeating, everyone is different. I read one post that said "Why bring all that stuff, there are stores in every port, you can always find a store and buy what you need, or buy on board.

 

I'm sure that person would feel like it was a fun adventure to wander around and get to see the port from a local's point of view. When I fly places, I love just wandering around looking in local stores.

 

But on a cruise I, on the other hand would hate spending even 10 minutes of my vacation doing that.

 

Neither is right or wrong - just different.

 

I over pack. I know I over pack. My husband loves my over packing and my excessive planning, and laughs at (but is happy for) all of my lists. Plus he's willing to carry the extra suitcase.

 

Knowing your own tastes and preferences is an important part of this list. So maybe we should add "know your travel preferences" to the list.

I over pack. I know I over pack. My husband loves my over packing and my excessive planning, and laughs at (but is happy for) all of my lists. Plus he's willing to carry the extra suitcase.

OUR HUSBANDS MUST BE TWINS.... LOL.... he laughs at me all the time but he sure is appreciative when he is looking for eye drops or toothache gel and I have it ready at hand.

I really do enjoy reading what helped everyone... it is what makes this board fun!!

The white board and or sticky notes wouldn't have gone over well with our group because we all had AFT CABINS on different levels and if we had been up at the front of the ship I am telling ya.. no one would have wanted to walk all the way back to the aft just to read a note.. so the walkie talkies proved very useful.

We would love to do a Med Cruise... I think our next one is scheduled next year for Alaska whenever they decide to open the block... LOL..

Best Regards!!!!

Janet

google rum runner flasks

We have always brought case of water and soda on board with us and even a case of red bull. I think I could have sold the Red Bull easy.. We just put a room luggage tag on the cases and stacked it up with our luggage for the baggage handlers to take.

Never had a problem. We kept them iced down and it was very refreshing to come back to the cabin and get an ice cold drink. If you went to the bar and got a soda, the small glasses they are served in are so small you would drink it down in one gulp. Plus I am not a big fan of fountain drinks. They taste watered down. By all means bring your own!!

Glad you enjoyed the list.