reallyitsmema

Leaving the bathroom door not latched leads to it slamming in the middle of the night from the motion of the ship.

You should be fine if all goes well. We have been at our gate before 8am in the past. I would not try this if you are sailing on a holiday weekend, especially Thanksgiving weekend.

Odyssey all the way. Many more food options and better shows. Much newer ship with better cabin layout and better furniture on the balcony.

I like to get the refreshment package for the specialty coffee, bottled still and sparkling water, fresh squeezed OJ and freestyle machine. I don't get it on all cruises because I don't think I get my monies worth if we have a port intensive cruise. We have friends that get it all the time because they don't drink alcohol but love frozen mocktails.

Just get a cheap little tea light or a tap light. We have a puck sized tap light that we use on the older ships that don't have a built in nightlight. The large mirror in the bathroom reflects the light, making it seem brighter. We have also used a small LED flashlight that I keep on my nightstand. I use it to get across the dark room without stubbing a toe and then just put it on the counter in the bathroom. It is actually too bright if I point it towards the mirror in the bathroom.

Ah, I thought I missed a ship! The earliest time for our upcoming sailing was 11. I am used to getting earlier than that but we haven't sailed from Boston since the restart.

What Royal ship sailed from Black Falcon Pier in August?

Mocktails are in the refreshment package, not the soda package. They are non-alcoholic versions of the real thing. I just don't like drinking all that sugar, I prefer a nice cookie. 😄

That is where we used to go too but started going to South Beach to try something different. There is a Snack Shack at South Beach too. We have taken the tram there but lately, we have been walking there. We go straight when you come off the pier and go to the zero entry end of the Oasis Lagoon. We walk a few laps in the pool before it gets too crowded and cool off a bit. We then walk the rest of the way to South Beach. There are lots of sign and a few people under umbrellas that will point you in the right direction. We have found a path that goes through the trees and bushes that takes you right to South Beach. It is shady and keeps you out of the roads that the trams run on.

You can get ginger ale and club soda with the soda package. Club soda with a lime is my drink of choice most of the time if I am getting a drink at the bar. I don't bother getting a soda package or refreshment package though if the ship doesn't have freestyle machines.

We have not found there to be lots of kids at South Beach. There are definitely some but not like you see at Chill Beach. We bring our own blowup pool noodles and just float out in the water past the Floating Bar and palapas that are in the water. It is usually pretty quiet out there until the tide goes out and more people go out to the sandbar.

Quantum class does have some pullman in suites. We had a 2 bedroom GS and there were two pullman in the second bedroom.

It will be cozy with four people but families do it all the time! Allure does not have the trundle type sofabeds, but a 3 and 6 would fit fine, if you think they can sleep together. Some families get connecting cabins but I wouldn't put kids that young in a cabin by themselves but others would. Suites are larger but also much more expensive. My sister used to do two cabins with her family but they did a girls cabin and a guy cabin. She was in one cabin with her daughter and her husband was in another with the two boys.

Different ships and cabin types have different configurations. Some ships have pullman beds that come out of the ceiling, some have sofabeds and some of the larger capacity cabins have bunk beds, though not many. Sofabeds aren't all the same either. The older ships have sofabeds that are pretty small for two adults but would work for two little kids. The new sofabeds have a trundle that pulls out that can be left at a lower height, giving both people on the sofabed their own defined space. Cabins can have a combination of pullman and a sofabed or just pullman or just a sofabed. Not a very specific answer but if you tell us what ship you are looking at and what type of cabin, people should be able to answer a little bit better. 🙂

Of course there is uncertainty, we have cruised enough to have missed ports, had itineraries changed last minute and have had to cancel outright more than once. It doesn’t change the fact that the OP is disappointed and wants off the ship.

I saw somewhere that there is a form they can file with CBP to dispute the charge and ask for a waiver. I forget if it was in this forum or another social media site. I would look on the CBP website and see if you can find something.

While the OP can be dramatic, I would be very disappointed if our Radiance sailing had sat in Seward for days and lost the ports we were looking forward to the most. I know there is nothing the cruise line can do because of the weather but free drinks would not be something that would take the edge off for me as I hardly drink. We planned our first Alaska sailing for a long time, thinking it was going to be a once in a lifetime trip. Luckily, we have had the opportunity to go back. I am not sure if we would have gone as far as leaving the ship and trying to go out on our own in terrible weather, but it is her choice to do what makes them happy. Weather has caused havoc this summer. I hope things calm down a bit before we head out again in a few weeks.

@Ozark_Kid Beautiful job. Barn door was a good choice and also really nice looking.

Oldest: Sovereign Newest: Harmony Favorite: Anthem

Best thing we did when we did our cruisetour was to pack a separate suitcase for the land portion and one for the cruise portion. We had the land portion first and the cruise suitcase was tagged to stay on the bus the whole time. We packed rollaboards with the things we needed everyday and had daypacks to have on the bus. It helped that we flew first class both ways, so had no baggage fees. Packing cubes helped a lot and we had extra compression cubes that we made our dirty laundry cubes. I need my "stuff" too and was pretty happy with what we brought. We needed almost all of what we brought for the land portion as we road ATVs and did some muddy hiking that made some clothes one and done. We overpacked for the cruise portion, but what else is new. 😄

I have seen you discuss that other chair. I hope you have discussed it with your care team and that it fits your current needs. I know my Dad had a really hard time in his portable wheelchair and almost fell out of it on me once when I was taking him to an appointment. Transitions from one surface to another can cause havoc, especially in the cobblestones of Boston. Taking the new one on Icon sounds like a great idea. You will be an old pro with it by then!

Lots of wrong information in this thread. Star class includes all gratuities, not just Coastal Kitchen gratuities. Sea class and Sky class do not include gratuities. If someone dines in Coastal Kitchen, their dining gratuities are directed to Coastal Kitchen for the nights they eat in Coastal Kitchen. If they eat in the MDR, their dining room gratuities will be directed to their waiters their. The OP asked about tipping in CK. Many of us tip above and beyond the standard gratuities and leave those gratuities in CK at different times, some nightly, some at the end of the cruise. Carry on......

I hope your customized wheelchair comes in time for your cruise. You will be so much safer in something that has been specifically designed for your safety. I look forward to hearing all about your cruise. 🙂

We tip at the end of the week if we are eating all of our meals in CK. We typically get a few waiters for the week, though some ships are better at having you have the same waiter all week. If we are only doing a few dinners, we would likely tip each night. We have also given the manager an envelope to split between the waiters when we have had too many to remember them all.

People like to go and watch the surf and the storm approaching in the distance. When there is a really bad storm, some people will go to the sea walls along the beaches, in the pouring rain, and watch the seas go over the walls. We went to the beach today because the storm is over 300 miles away still. We will watch what happens on the tv when the storm gets closer.