MedicKen

Her name is Oasis of the Seas NOT lady o.

My dear NJ/NY experts:

Is there any indication of traffic issues during the Pope's visit? Specifically the 24th. We will be driving from the Capital of the Steeler Nation and would appreciate any assistance from you seers of NJ/NY.

Thanks.

If you have been on the Promenade Deck (i.e. Lifeboat Deck) there are white cabinets up by the ceiling (overhead for you Navy folks) If you look at the label you will be the number of Adult and Child life jackets in each cabinet. BTW they are also under seal to keep folks from tampering with them but to allow read access to them in case of need.

PARK. AT. THE. PIER.

 

19 bucks a day is better than 40 in NYC and the 7 bucks you'll save is eaten up in hours spent waiting for the shuttle.

 

People need to STOP trying to scrape up and save by parking in an offsite lot that is not even licensed or insured to drive onto the EWR airport property.

 

You've spent a ton of money on a cruise, spend a little more and park in a safe, LOCKED parking lot and NOT worry about your safety in a van that's probably owned by whatever person they hire to haul you around....

THAT'S what I've been saying Meg.

AND you are right at the dock with a short walk to the terminal with no shuttle to wait on.

We sailed NCL Breakaway in May and determined that we screwed up. Not that it was a bad ship, not that there was anything wrong with the layout or crew. It was us, we were not ready to "embrace" the Freestyle style. Had we had some prior knowledge we would have pre-booked all our premium dining rather than wait to board the ship and find out that the only times life for most of the venues was 9:30. We never did dine in the MDR, instead we chose to eat in the buffet, which we found a fantastic option. The other downside, for us, was cruising out of NYC, NEVER AGAIN, unless the unbeatable deal pops up. Even though we sailed on a Sunday it was nuts both in vehicular and human traffic.

We try to drive to our cruises for a different reason. My wife uses a scooter for mobility and we prefer to bring hers. I know we can fly with it but we've had less than stellar results with the airlines and the condition of the scooter on return. For that reason we, make that I, drive to Baltimore or Bayonne/NYC to cruise. If we have to fly we'll rent a scooter for use on the ship.

Although we haven't had the opportunity to cruise from the new terminal, we have parked at the port on all of our cruises from Cape Liberty. As for traffic, the line may get a bit long early in the process for boarding and parking, BUT it moves with military precision and will get you to the ship in a timely manner. The port staff has a lot of experience moving vehicles and folks efficiently to their vacation.

In the old lots (as opposed to the yet-to-be-constructed lot) I just pointed to our hang tag and I was directed to a spot close to the gate, And this was after I let the DW off with her scooter.

We left a cruise 5 days into a 9 night cruise. Costs for the Ambulance, hospital on the island, two airline tickets and retreiving our car from the port, as well as charges on the ship were in the neighborhood of $ 10,000. I used to be a flight medic on a fixed wing transport aircraft and remember, in 2005, charging $ 18,000 for a flight from NYC to Texas.

So, buy the insurance. All the money we had paid the insurance company has been recouped on that one trip.

As much as he may not like the idea, might I suggest you ask him to highly consider wheelchair assistance to board and depart the ship. This will almost totally alleviate any possiblity of unwanted collision and falls as well as afford the party a more secure experience.

As others have stated, contact the Special Needs Department regerding this, and any other accesibilty questions you might have.

Have a sfae and fun cruise.

I LOVE Coconut Ranger cookies. That being said, I have found them on all the ships we have sailed in the Royal fleet. They have been available on the Promenade (sp) and in the WJ.

On Explorer, I asked for a Coconut Ranger Cookie and the server gave me three saying that I had to have sailed before because I asked for them by their proper name, they just had the Coconut Cookie label on the plate.

Did I say, I LOVE THEM ? ? ?

Hi Chloe. We were on this cruise with you. My wife was in the blue scooter and I was dutifully trailing behind her. We found some of the same issues as you (ie. elevators). We had an accessible ocean view cabin on deck 5. Even though we had our son with us, it was very spacious, even with the scooter. The bathroom was roll-in with a roll-in shower. Quite adequate for our needs. The ship was a bit disappointing from the fact the there was no "solarium" space to sit at with tables as we like to play cards. Or, for that matter chairs on any of the open decks. We did find the card room (Friday) and my wife is now very interested in Mah Jong (sp). The dining situation was as you described. We did most of our dining in The Garden and found it very nice and it met our needs nicely. Thanks so much for your insights.

Questions about personal security and car security are often asked on this forum. Many folks who have little or no experience with the NY metro area are coming to sail on the Quantum, Liberty, and Anthem. They want hotel advice, airport advice, public transit advice, livery advice, sightseeing advice, driving directions, port transfer advice, and parking advice. Often they have unrealistic cost expectations. The folks who contribute to this forum try to provide the information requested and constructive suggestions instead of ridiculing the OP for asking the question.

Very nicely stated Carol.

My DW has mobility issues and when we sailed on Granduer we had to get not only bed riser but a toilet seat riser as well. They were cheerfully delivered and installed by the crew. BTW Grandeur, in out opinion, is the most handicapped UN-friendly ship in the fleet. Not only are the beds and toilets low but there are door sills that are too high for a mobility scooter to cross (ie lifeboat deck)

If you do rent a scooter please be advised you will need a handicapped cabin as you must put the scooter in your cabin overnight, and to recharge the batteries. MOST scooters will not fit through the standard cabin door and if they do, may take up more room than you have to spare.

Really? Why does a muster drill take 90 minutes? I haven't experienced a drill taking that long.

It is required that all passengers attend the Muster Drill. There are some folks that believe they are above attending due to past cruisings or just plain elitist feelings. These folks are sought out and "encouraged" to attend, and in some cases asked to depart after their refusal to attend. Muster drill are designed to be a short as possible but do require all to attend. If it was a 90 minute drill, thank those that were sailing with you that thought they were too important to follow regulations.

Normally minors (under 15) do not require ID as they must be with an adult with ID. They still will need the "official" Birth Certificate

Coming from that distance I would recommend you drive most of the way the night before and Hotwire a room in Central NJ if you come in the turnpike or in Parsippany, NJ if you come in I80. If you want queen beds, we can recommend direct book hotels in either of those areas and provide port directions.

Hello Carol. As you well know we are Pittsburgh residents and usually do the, less than desirable, drive in the same day. This 6 hour drive is partially due to limited vacation days and leaves me pretty tired that first night. We try to get on the road no later than 5:30 am. That means a LONG DAY. Like you, I recommend they stay maybe in Allentown or in NJ overnight and get a fresh start later in the morning.

Salamat . :D

Salamat PO

We would love to sail from Baltimore again. We really enjoyed Enchantment when she was there, sailed on her twice. Grandeur, however,it is probably the most handicapped UN-friendly ship in the fleet. The staff was quite willing to provide us with adaptations to raise the bed and toilet seat but finding a low commode and bed in an accessible cabin was quite a shock. PLEASE RCI, find another ship or bring Encantment of the Seas back to Maryland.

We watched "SPEED" on a bus trip to Ohio.

If I might have 3. Coconut Ranger Cookies, Beef on Wecht and Savory Bites. Yum Yum Yum ! ! ! !

Hi Ken! We really missed you on the Q. Say hi to Deb.

Carol,

Don't know why my answer didn't post yesterday but.....

Anyway, I don't know if M&M told you of our truncated EX cruise in Sept that facilitated the cancellation of the Quantum cruise, we'll catch you up when we see you. The next cruise on the books for us on Liberty in September to New England and Canada. Hopefully we can be with some of our friends then. If not, I guess we'll be making more friends.

Thanks so much for your concern, We did miss the group both on Explorer and Quantum.