Liesel

Thank you so much, EM

Has anybody stayed in cabin C3-9293  Concierge Class. Is the balcony view obstructed? Also, due to the fact that it is at the end of the ship, could there be a problem with motor noise or sea sickness,?

Just received an email from RCI warning us about the Zika virus in certain areas, including Mexico.

We will be going on the Oasis to Labadee, Falmouth and Cozumel, leaving this Sunday, 2/26/17. Should we be concerned visiting any of these areas?? I am also wondering about Labadee/Haiti.

We have been to Labadie a few years ago and loved it. But at that time we were on a small ship, a little over 2000 passengers. So we just got a free beach chair and stayed for a couple of hours; no money spent except for a drink.

Now this time we are sailing on the Oasis (first time on a large ship for us). So I am thinking that with that many passengers, would you even be able to get a free chair and would there be tons of people around you. I see on the excursion list that RCI added a lot of activities since we were there. Also, I don’t remember all the loungers for rent; like the beach lounger for $45.

We are two seniors and will probably not be able to spend more than 2-3 hours in sun.

Any suggestion if the beach lounger would be a good choice, or should we just chance it and see if we can get a free chaise?

Oh, I forgot; the airline is Delta.

We will be cruising with Royal Caribbean from and to Port Canaveral flying into and out of Orlando. Our return flight does not leave until 4pm. It is just my husband and myself. We are thinking of possibly taking the Cocoa Beach shuttle to and from.

But what to do until 4pm??? I definitely do not want to wait that long at the airport with our luggage. I don’t think you can even check your bags that early.

Any suggestions?? I know that RCI will make arrangements to get your luggage directly to the airport, but that is for Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. I don’t seem to be able to find out if they are also offering that service to MCO Airport.

Thanks everyone for your helpful suggestions. I just booked into the Homewood Suites. So my next chore is to book the transportation from Orlando to the hotel in Cocoa beach and back from the ship to the airport. I am not sure that I want a huge van since it is just my husband and myself.

Question: If I were to book with Cocoa Beach Shuttle, do they pack lots of people into the same vehicle and make lots of stops?

My husband and I are cruising in February and I am checking on hotels in Port Canaveral for one night pre-cruise. We are flying into Orlando and thinking of taking a taxi or shuttle to the hotel. We don’t want to rent a car.

I have been looking at a few hotels:

Residence Inn, Homewood Suites, Country Inn and Doubletree; all in Port Canaveral.

When checking, they all seem to look the same. They are all pretty much in the same price range. Has anybody stayed at any of these and had a great or a negative experience:) or might suggest another hotel?? The Radisson is booked for our time period.

We just booked a cruise with Royal Caribbean leaving out of Port Canaveral.

It looks like a lot of people here are concerned about transportation to the port from a hotel in Orlando.

Has anyone booked a hotel in Orlando through the cruise line?? I was told that they will book at the Doubletree at Orlando Airport that would include free shuttle service the next morning to the pier. I think she said that they also book into the Park Inn which also included shuttle service to the pier. Does this sound too good to be so??

We are flying into Tampa and renting a hotel at Clearwater Beach for two nights before starting our cruise to the Caribbean from Tampa. In hindsight I am not so sure if this is a good idea. We will be three adults. Any idea what a taxi from Tampa airport to Clearwater Beach might run. And then we will have to take a taxi back on a Saturday morning to get to the ship I am worried about price and time line. Would we have enough time in the a.m. to get to the ship early?

I would welcome any suggestions.

Thanks you all for your quick response. It is very comforting to hear that there is no noise problem with Deck Seven. So I will keep my reservation.

Now all I have to do is check ever so often to see if and when the 5:30 pm dining will become available. Apparently, they are "already" all booked for that time. We don't like my-time dining. You would think that it seems awfully early to be booked for dining in June 2015 for a 7-nights February 2016 cruise.

We tentatively booked on the Vision for February 2016 on Deck Seven, Cabin# 7046. I do like a balcony cabin. My problem is that below Deck 7 is all public area which could be very noisy. We are early risers and go to bed fairly early; pretty much after the show. So I am very worried about the noise level coming from deck six.

I was told by RCI that cabin 7046 would be quiet since it is above the stores.

Could anybody give me some feedback on that cabin location????

I also read a lot of negative reviews about the lunch food at the Windjammer on the Vision??

I would appreciate any input.

Thanks for the info. Yes, I will for sure check on the weather forecast. I thought in case I have to take a heavier jacket, I would have to order like a heavy fleece or something from LL Bean now.

The extra socks is a good idea.

We will be sailing with Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas on February 21, 2015 out of NOLA. We will be arriving in New Orleans on the 18th. So I have no idea what type of clothes to take for the days in NOLA. I am sure we will have to take rain gear, but what about coats, etc. Also, since it apparently rains so much there, would gym shoes be ok for walking around?

We are having the same problem. Our return flight out of NOLA leaves at 11:10 am.

I talked to the RCI rep and she gave me their standard spiel about their police was not to fly before 12:00 noon.

There is nothing I can do; we are booked. I personally do not see a problem though. We just have to tell them on the ship and be one of the first ones to leave. I have even seen it where people take their own large luggage, incl. carry-on off she ship in the morning. But that really is too stressful for me.

Thank you so much tikib. That really helped a lot.

We will be in Nassau with Royal Caribbean next month. Ship will dock at 1:00 pm. We are considering booking the Atlantis-Discover Atlantis Tour through RCI. It is a 2 1/2 hour tour starting at 2 pm. The reviews on the RCI website are not that great, but then there are only 6 reviews. I wish RCI had videos for their excursions like Princess. It is difficult to figure out what you get for your money or maybe I am missing something.

We will be in Nassau with RCI on February 24,2015. We will dock at 1:00 p.m. Husband and I are seniors. We are not interested in spending too much time at the beach. We have done the dolphins and stingrays at other excursions.

I am struggling with the RCI excursions. A friend mentioned the Aquarium at Atlantis. I would hate to have to buy a day pass. I can probably only do around 3-4 hours. Is it possible to just do the Aquarium? If so, how would we purchase the ticket and how would we get there from the ship?

Any suggestions would be helpful.

We are thinking of booking on the Royal Caribbean end of February 2015 to the Caribbean leaving from New Orleans. Since I have never been to New Orleans we would like to stay three nights prior to cruising. I have been checking on hotels. The cruise line is using Hilton Gardens. I have been looking at the Hotel le Marais.

Has anyone stayed at either one of these hotels? Or could somebody recommend another nice hotel in a central location. We will probably take a taxi to the ship.

Thanks in advance for responding.

Thank you so much. That really helps. We will go with the taxi.

We will be leaving on 1/30/14 with Princess to the Panama Canal. We will be staying the night prior at the Embassy Suites on 17th Street.

We are three adults and each of us has one large suitcase and good size carry-on. My question is, would it be cheaper to take the hotel shuttle or get a taxi. I am thinking the taxi would be cheaper if we split 3 ways. I am a little worried that the taxi will not take three adults with all the luggage though?

Thank you all so much for your replies.

I think I will skip the sanctuaries and go to the Lotus Pool. Or at least I will not make any reservations for the sanctuaries right upon arrival. Can always check out the sun situation and if something in he shade should be available at the time, I can take just rent it then.

Hi,

We will be sailing on the Coral January 30th to Panama Canal (Partial Transit). I checked the deck plan and found that they have three Sanctuaries (Decks 12, 14 and 15).

My husband and I are seniors and do not like to lay in the sun.

Are all three sanctuaries the same? Is there one that might be covered for shade rather than just an umbrella and is quiet?

From what I can figure out you have to pay in advance; pretty much when you first arrive. Just wondering if it is worth the money.

Then there is the mid-ship lotus pool. I am wondering if that is similar to the Royal Caribbean's Jewels adults only pool. Does anybody know if that lotus pool is for adults only. I am just wondering if that would be a better alternative to the sanctuary.

Thank you for all your great response. I ran all these great suggestions by my friends, who have never been to the Panama Canal, and we all decided to stay on the ship and enjoy the locks that way.

To respond to the post "My first question is why you would take a partial transit that does not give you the full canal experience twice? Makes no sense to me but I assume that you must have a good reason."

My reason: This cruise takes 11 nights. That for me is already 4 nights longer than I like to be on a ship. The main reason for me is this particular cruise leaves from Ft.Lauderdale and returns there. For some reason all other cruise lines are going for the 15 nights full transit now.

We are from Michigan and flying to Florida is easier. I don't like to fly to and from the West cost. Just had a nightmare of a round trip to San Jose, CA.

We are planning a cruise on Coral Princess in January of 2014 to the Panama Canal - Round trip. I guess that means partial.

A few years ago we went to the Panama Canal with Royal Caribbean. At that time nothing was ever mentioned about PARTIAL–at least I don’t think so. When going through the locks we stayed on the ship and could see everything. Then when the ship turned around, we went off and did some shopping near the pier.

This time we are going with Princess and friends who have never been to the Canal. I would pretty much like to stay on board again. But with this itinerary I am not quite sure if you get to see as much or if it would be better to take the 6 hr locks excursion. It seems that a lot of people here really like that excursion.

Any pros and cons?