hacejm

Has anyone taking this tour?  If yes, what foods did you cook?  Will they accommodate dietary restrictions?  Our family does not eat pork.  Thanks. 

We are doing a 10 day cruise out of Rome next month on the Beyond.  We did a Celebrity cruise in April (Caribbean) and the show times were 7:00 pm and 9:00 pm.  Will the times be the same on our August cruise on Beyond?  Also, we would like to eat dinner at Eden.  What time is the show?  Is it better to eat and then see the show or is it better to have dinner during the show?  Thanks for your help.

We booked two balcony cabins on an NCL cruise for this December using our AMEX platinum card.   We booked the cruise through a travel agent.  As some of these posts are over a year old, I was wondering if anyone has gotten the AMEX benefits discussed above recently in this situation.  If so, I am going to call my TA and ask her to follow up about it.  Thanks.

Thank you very much.  Very helpful.

 

My son is just about 48 inches.  With shoes, he is definitely 48 inches (the height requirement for the ropes course).  For the ropes course, do they measure kids with their shoes on or off?  Thanks for your help.

We did this last summer on Oasis.  We got on the ship and made our reservations.  We had no trouble making the reservations and even made a change or two over the course of the week with no issue.  We loved it and plan to use it again this summer on our Alaska cruise.

My daughter went zip lining/obstacle course with me in Mexico this past summer and loved it. I know she is going to want to go on the adult ropes course on the ship. The NCL website states "Ropes Course: Must be 48" (122cm) or taller to be on the course without a chaperone." I called NCL and they said that even though she is under 48" she can go on the adult ropes course with an adult. From looking on this website, that does not appear to be correct. Has anyone actually taken a child who is under 48" on the adult ropes course? Thanks.

Thank you both for replying. You answers are very helpful.

We will be on the March 5th Anthem sailing. Our ship will be docketed in Port Canaveral from noon pm to 9:30 pm. We have twin four years old and this would be a chance to take them to Disney (Magic Kingdom) for the first time. If you have done this excursion, can you please let me know what time the bus got you to Magic Kingdom and what time you had to be back at the bus to go back to the ship? The excursion is transportation only so we would be buying the tickets in advance. While we realize our time at Disney would be limited, this is a chance for our kids to experience Disney magic, even if for only a little bit. Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the excellent and very helpful review. We are sailing on the Escape on August 6th and have a few questions:

 

1) What is the length of the After Midnight and For the Record shows? In other words, we have signed up to see these shows at 7:00 pm and want to make sure our dinner reservations will work.

 

2) I believe that After Midnight is an adult themed show. We have twins that are just about 4. They enjoy seeing the shows (for example we took them in March on the Allure to see Mama Mia and they loved it). Do you think For the Record is ok for them?

 

3) To see the Rat Pack in the Super Club, do you have to have dinner? We would prefer to just see the show. If we can just see the show, on your cruise, when was this offered?

 

4) What time did disembarkation start?

 

Thanks so much for all your help.

We have twins like you. On our RCCL cruise this summer, the design of the room could not accommodate the two pack and plays. The room steward asked permission from his supervisor to remove the sofa. Once this was done, there was plenty of room for two pack and plays. You might ask about this once you get on the ship. Good luck!!!

We stayed this summer at the Embassy Suites. The room had two queen beds plus a queen sofa bed in the sitting area. Plenty of room for everyone. The price included breakfast and happy hour each night. They had a nice pool, the beach was a 5 minute walk and a supermarket was next store (very convenient for picking up last minute items for the cruise).

Yes, we were told that the max number of toddlers at anytime is 8 so the rule would apply at night as well.

 

We had three rooms. My husband and I were in a balcony. The nanny and twins were across the hall in an inside with a connecting room to grandma and grandpa (also an inside). The twins each slept in a pac and play provided by the ship. We pushed the queen bed against the wall and the two pac and plays fits between the bed and the other wall. A family of four could share a room this way (it's tight but doable). The family would use our room a lot since there was more room for the kids to play and it was nice to sit out on the balcony. We just booked another cruise with RCCL for the summer- same room set up.

This past summer we were on the Carnival Glory. Our kids were in an inside across from our balcony room with the nanny. The nanny would sit in our room while the kids napped and would watch them on the monitor. It worked for us. One piece of advice- bring a power strip since you might need extra plugs (we did- we have twins). Have fun!

We just returned from a 7 day cruise abroad the Freedom of the Seas with our twin 16 months toddlers. In total, there were 20 kids on board under the age of 3. I hope this post will help other families with young children who are considering a RCCL cruise.

 

General Background

We are experienced cruisers, having been on Carnival, NCL, Princess, Regent, Oceania, Azamara, Costa, etc. We are also Diamond status on Royal Caribbean. This was the kids second cruise, having been on a New England cruise with Carnival when they were 8 months old.

 

Baby Splash Pool

This pool is dedicated to children who are not yet toilet trained. The pool is only 1.5 inches deep but it is plenty of water for little ones to have fun in. We spent hours there splashing in the water.

 

H2O Zone

As long as we were holding the toddlers or they were walking through the splash zone, the toddlers were allowed to use this area. They ship did not want children who are not yet toilet trained to sit in the water for fear of contamination. While my little ones preferred the baby pool, it was great to have another water area on board that they could use.

 

Toy Borrowing Program

In the nursery, there was a book that showed pictures of the toys. You simply signed out what you wanted to borrow. It was a nice treat to have some new toys to play with during the week and even nicer that we didn't have to worry about getting the toys to and from the ship. There is no cost to borrow the toys.

 

Nursery

As we had family on this trip, we only used the nursery once. However, it was nice to have a place where the kids could go if the adults needed a break. In our case, we all went to the ice show and left the kids in the nursery. The nursery can accommodate 8 kids at a time (with two staff). The staff we meet were warm, outgoing and clearly loved kids. While you pay for use of the nursery, we thought the freedom it provides parents to be 100% worth it. As a side note, the staff told us most families use the nursery at night so that the parents can have dinner, grab a drink, etc. The nursery was open each day from 9:00 am to midnight.

 

Dream Works

Although not specifically a toddler issue, my kids enjoyed the character breakfasts on the mornings of the two at sea days and the character parade the last night. It was fun getting to take pictures with the characters.

 

Dinner

Each night the kids went to dinner in the main dining room at 5:30 pm. The waiters did a great time making sure that they had all their favorites- mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, etc.- and that the high chairs were waiting for us.

 

Overall Comments

RCCL offers the nursery and swim facilities on the Freedom and Oasis class ships. We really feel that RCCL has made it easy for parents with little ones to enjoy their vacation and has provided facilities that also ensure that little ones have a great time. Other than Disney, to my knowledge other lines simply do not have such facilities for toddlers. If I am wrong, I would love to know. My family is already planning our summer cruise and will be going with RCCL again based on the toddler facilities.

My vote is for Azamara. Royal Caribbean owns celebrity as well as Azamara. Azamara is considered their luxury line and your status carries over. My husband and I are in our late 30s. We have been on Royal Caribbean, celebrity, Azamara, Regent, princess, Carnival, NCL, etc. I can truly say that Azamara is our favorite line. Top-notch service excellent food some alcohol included. You will have a wonderful trip with them.

I saw an old post with the following as the order of the dinners. Does anyone know if this is still correct? We leave next Sunday for our cruise and are trying to decide what nights to eat in the specialty restaurants. Thanks.

 

Posted May 16th 2012

 

Night 1:

 

Appetizers

Strawberry, Kiwi, and Pineapple Medley

Smoked Fish Tapenade

Vidalia Onion Tart

Sopa de Tortilla

Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup

Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho

Caesar Salad

Spinach Salad

 

Entrees

Pan-fried Pork Medallions

Truffled White Mushroom Linguini Alfredo

Slow-Roasted Prime Rib

Grilled Mediterranean Quesadilla

Pan-Seared Golden Sea Bass

Aloo Gobi Methi

 

Desserts

Strawberry Pavlova

Chocolate Cherry Cake

Savarin

Low-Fat Blueberry and Peach Cobbler

Sugar-Free Pot de Creme

Night 2 (First Formal Night):

 

Appetizers

Shaved Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melon

Shrimp Cocktail

Escargots Bourguignonne

Lobster Bisque

Oxtail Broth

Papaya and Pineapple Soup

Caesar Salad

 

Entrees

Filet of Beef

Shrimp Ravioli

Grilled Seafood Brochette

Roasted Duck

Sauteed Seasonal Mushrooms

Potato Curry

 

Desserts

Bittersweet Chocolate Souffle

Double Strawberry Cheesecake

Marinated Cherry Bake

Low-Fat Berry Mousse

Sugar-Free Coconut Vanilla Layer Cake

 

Night 3:

 

Appetizers

Roasted Butternut Squash and White Bean Salad

Crab Cake

Bresaola Carpaccio

New England Clam Chowder

Harira Soup

Green Gazpacho

Caesar Salad

Focaccia and Tomato Salad

 

Entrees

Beef Stroganoff

Conchiglioni Pasta

Pan-Seared Sole Fillets

Shrimp Gyoza

Slow-Roasted Double-Cut Pork Loin

Vegetable Vindaloo

 

Desserts

Berrymisu

Orange Chocolate Parfait

Sky High Lemon Meringue Tart

Low-Fat Cranberry Yogurt

Sugar-Free Coconut Custard Slice

 

Night 4:

 

Appetizers: Summer Fruit Medley

Crab and Noodle Salad

Chicken and Cabbage Dumplings

Cream of Mushroom

Seafood Laksa

Guava and Banana Soup

Caesar Salad

Rainbow Salad

 

Entrees:

Surf and Turf

Lasagna Al Forno

Roasted Free-Range Chicken

Asian-Fried Tofu

Pan-Fried Basa Filet

Khoombi Bhonna

 

Desserts:

Passion-Berry Mousse

Banana Cream Pie

Coconut Creme Brulee

Low-Fat Mango Pudding

Sugar-Free Pineapple Parfait

 

Night 5:

 

Appetizers

Caprese Salad

Antipasti

Scallop Risotto

Creamy Roasted Garlic Soup

Minestrone

Strawberry Bisque

Caesar Salad

Insalata Mista

 

Entrees

Lamb Shank with Rosemary

Rigatoni Pasta

Garlic Tiger Shrimp

Chicken Marsala

Eggplant and Roma Tomato Bake

Kaju Paneer Dhansak

 

Desserts

Warm Chocolate Cake

Raspberry Panna Cotta

Tiramisu

Low-Fat Angel Food Cake

Sugar-Free Chocolate Mint Cake

 

Night 6 (Second Formal Night - this is the night we skipped in favor of Chops):

 

Appetizers

Eggplant and Kalamata Olive Tartare

Seafood Salad

Creamed Wild Mushrooms in Puff Pastry

Cream of Asparagus

Double Duck Consomme

Roasted Peach Soup

Caesar Salad

House Salad

 

Entrees

Thai BBQ Chicken Breast

New England Bay Scallops and Ziti

Fisherman's Plate

Slow-Roasted Aged Prime Rib

Greek-Style Vegetable Moussaka

Kabuli Chana

 

Desserts

Dessert Sampler

Cherries Jubilee

Low-Fat Double Passion Fruit Cheesecake

Sugar-Free Red Berry Tart

 

Night7:

 

Appetizers

Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Salad

Shrimp Cocktail

Spinach Dip

Cream of Pumpkin

Onion Soup

Chilled Raspberry and Pineapple Soup

Caesar Salad

 

Entrees

Shrimp and Mahi Mahi Tempura

Potato Gnocchi

Roasted Turkey

Grilled NY Strip Steak

Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Calzone

Paneer Makhani

 

Desserts

Chocolate Brownie Sandwich

Key Lime Pie

Banana and Crunchy Nut Parfait

Low-Fat Apple Cake

Sugar-Free Key Lime Pie

Thanks for the information. Is there a train or bus from Skagen to Grenen? Could my family take a taxi?

My mom, dad and sister are going on a cruise this summer that stops in Skagen, Denmark. They would like to also visit Grenen, Denmark and were wondering if there was an easy way to get there.

 

Also, they have heard that in Grenen there is a tractor pulled bus that takes you to the point where two seas meet. Do you know if the tractor pulled bus runs in June? If yes, do you know the cost or the times of day it runs? Thanks for your help.