lidolovers

We are looking to do a cruise on the Carnival Panorama which departs from Long Beach and travels south to Mexico and back. Years ago we did a similar cruise on Princess and found the return trip up the coast extremely bumpy.  That was a winter cruise. We are thinking about a summer cruise. We were wondering if that makes a difference or if other people have had similar rocky weather on the pacific side. We mostly cruise in the Caribbean and don’t mind the motion in the boat there but I’m worried the other coast might be a little rougher. 

any input would be appreciated. 
 

thanks!
 

They Are big size travel bags. They won’t fit through an X-ray machine. So I guess we are out of luck. Oh well. 

We are heading out soon on the Allure from Port Lauderdale. We have often carried our luggage off the boat ourselves at the end, but will we have the option to carry our luggage on the boat ourselves or have to use porters at the start?  We have two very manageable suitcases with good handles and wheels so I don’t feel like we would have any issues. 
 

We have had some bad experiences with lost and misplaced luggage before on cruises and porters threatening us that if we don’t tip we won’t see our bags again. It sort of left a bad taste in our mouths and would rather bring it with us. 
 

thanks for opinions and experiences 

Hi, 

We are cruising on the Allure in a few weeks and I have scheduled to pick up a car rental at the Port Everglades Alamo location after the cruise.  Am I crazy?  Is it going to be insanely busy after?  How do most people get from the cruise ship to the rental location after a cruise?  Do they have shuttles, or can you walk?

My other choice was to pick up the car at a location farther away.  We are staying for a week in Aventura after the cruise.

Any tips or recommendations?

Thanks!

Hah. We have telescopic rods and we will be fishing in Florida after the trip so the gear has to go with us.  I just figured maybe there are a few places to fish during the cruise when we stop for fun. I also don’t want to get thrown in a foreign prison For 30 years for fishing with no license so maybe I’ll just pack them away and leave them in the suitcases. 

My son and I love to fish. We are going on a cruise in December to cococays, Nassau, Costa maya and Cozumel. I was wondering if anyone did any fishing excursions or fishing near the ports ?  We will have our own gear with us since we are staying in Florida to fish after the cruise. 
 

thanks !

Thankfully the 25 percent sale is over and the regular price is now cheaper than the discounted price yesterday. Lol.  I didn’t realize you can refund it and rebuy it so I’ll buy it now I think. 

I should mention I don’t want to buy the onboard credit. Lol. 

We are sailing on the Allure in December and I we would love to get a little onboard credit. They cancelled one of our ports because of the propulsion problem but they did not offer anything. I did call and ask but they said royal doesn’t give credit for that kind of thing. Does anyone know of a way to pick up some onboard credit before our cruise ?  I know the myVEGAS app rewards have some but the requirements and rules are ridiculous that I don't think anyone ever does it.  

We booked directly through RCI

Thanks! 

That secret Indian menu sounds really good. Does anyone have any photos of the Indian dishes?  I guess there isn’t a written secret menu like in and out burger ? 😉 

Thanks for the tips. I’ll keep my eyes out for any sales. I will just be using one device mostly but if I need another I have a travel router anyway. 

I would also be curious what you guys tip the porters at the dock.  On our first cruise we didn't know to tip, and the porter told us that if we didn't tip we might not see our bags again and that scared us and we paid him.  We always tip a few bucks each bag now.

Well we are leaving from Fort Lauderdale on the Allure.  So if we can bring full size suitcases on with us by hand that would be awesome.  I wonder if there are dimensions listed somewhere online or if it’s just one of those hush hush things that you can do it but they don’t want you doing it. 

I just found this deep in RCIs website. It sounds like they are fine to let us carry on any luggage.  Lower down it then says they are typical the small machines. Heh. 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-luggage-policy

“Each guest is permitted to carry a reasonable amount of personal property (including luggage) aboard the vessel; however, for your comfort and convenience, it is recommended that you limit the number of pieces you take. Each guest has the option to carry their luggage on board or check-in luggage prior to boarding. Luggage may include suitcases, trunks, valises, satchels, bags, hangers containing clothing, toiletries and similar items. Here are some recommendations for packing only cruise essentials.”

These are full size luggage bags. They wouldn’t fit through a normal x ray machine for carry on luggage 

Getting excited for our upcoming cruise in December and have been looking at the dining room dinner and dessert menus 🙂

What are some some of your all-time favourites and dishes you think RCI does best?

We are eager to hear your entree and dessert recommendations!

In the past I’ve had to leave my luggage at the dock with sometimes sketchy porters that insinuate that if we don’t tip we might never see our bags again. A few times I’ve been able to walk my full size luggage on board myself.  They have wheels so it’s not a big deal.  Will I have this option boarding Allure ?  I prefer to take my luggage in myself. We will only have two full size bags on wheels. 

Thanks!

My price is in Canadian dollars so it is a bit more than US.  I saw someone post that on the boat they were advertising last week $9.99 US for 4 devices per day on their daily newsletter.  That seems really good.

The package for me is $20.47 per day now on the website so I guess I’ll just keep watching it on Black Friday etc. I have not seen a sale yet and that seems expensive. 

Thanks!

Going on Allure in December and I was told by someone I can prebuy the surf and stream package now online. It seems pretty expensive though. Around 20$ a day. Someone I talked to said they bought it on-board the second day and it was much cheaper. Anyone have experience with that ?  

I will likely bring my travel router but I see there are deals on multiple device packages too 

Thanks !

Thanks guys. This sets my mind at ease for sure!  I see they just cranked the price for their internet up on the website. Will it go down before the cruise or does it keep going up?    Someone said it gets cheaper on the second day. I would want the faster zoom internet. 

Also,  I see you have to line up for Mama Mia.  Was there a crazy lineup for hours before or was it pretty civilized?  We have already booked the time on the RCI website. Thanks !

We are sailing on the Allure in December. We have a nice balcony ocean cabin picked out. I have been reading a lot of negative reviews lately that the Allure is starting to get a bit run down as well as experience engine issues.  We already got a letter saying our itinerary was changed because of this. We have also heard many negative things about the crowds and organization on the board. Has anyone sailed on the Allure recently and can maybe clarify some of these points ?   We have chosen the main dining room early seating so I hope it’s the best choice. I heard anytime dining can be a mess. 

Thanks so much!  

We have cruised Carnival, Princess and once on the Independence and always had a good time. 

Hi, we are seasoned cruisers having sailed on Princess, Carnival and RC. I have heard great things about the new Celebrity ships like the Eclipse, etc and I was wondering how they would be travelling with a 4 year old. We had him on an RC cruise last year and he was great but I have been told that Celebrity is for an older crowd and they do not cater so much to kids. I don't want to offend anyone with a child if it is mostly a cruise line for older couples. They do seem to have a decent kids program from what I have read. If anyone has sailed on any of these boats please let me know what you think. Also with sleeping arrangements we have sometimes got a connecting inside cabin to put him to bed early and get some privacy. It was pretty cheap on Carnival to do this but I am not so sure about Celebrity. Any thoughts?

Thanks

Wow! That's interesting...I have only cruised on Carnival and Princess before and they would only bring Room Service food to your room...

So, does the waiter bring all the food (apps, entrees, desserts) all at once? We always order 3-4 courses each so I can just imagine a zillion trays coming to our room! As you can guess, food is important to us (lol!)!!

Also, was the table out on the balcony big enough or was it kind of awkward getting the meals organized out there?

So you mean you can order anything you want to the room? Even from the dining room menu and get it to your room? Including appetizers, mains and dessert? I am in a regular balcony cabin on the Eclipse.

Thanks

Preferably from Solstice class

Thanks!