Sapphire723

Thanks for the info!

14 hours ago, arlodog said:

Just realize that with a 2 year old you won't have dinner together as a couple.  Your kids won't be old enough to go to the Adventure Ocean program.  Children must be 3 years old and potty trained for you to drop them off.  I just don't want you to be surprised that you can't have your alone time.  There is no in cabin babysitting available.  The royal tots program is just a room that you can take your child and play with there but you can't leave them.  

 

This isn't true for Anthem.  Anthem has a nursery for 2 year olds.  You have to pay extra (like $6 or $6/hour), but it exists.  Not all RCCL ships have it, though. 

There's enough room for that many, but it'll be a little snug. The concierge can help arrange snacks and drinks. Or you can have several bottles delivered to your room.

You can just bring the kids with you. You don't have to purchase a package for them. They can eat off a kids menu in the specialty restaurant with you. Someone else will have to give you experience details. There was a 10$ fee per kid to eat off the kids menu in the specialty restaurant last time I looked. Someone else will have to confirm the price. On the RCI website it states 8$

 

My kids are older now and will eat off the adult menu (my youngest is now 10) so if they go with us we just pay full price for them.

 

From RCI -

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/search/processSearch.do?ip_server=prdiphrase-unstruct-new222.dmz.rccl.com:200&ip_text=specialty+menus

 

"Are children allowed to dine in our*SpecialtyRestaurants - Royal Caribbean InternationalPlus, kids ages 6-12 now dine at our*specialtyrestaurants for only $8, and kids 5 and under eat free! Little sailors get their very own*menu– a round-up of kid-friendly favorites from the "grownups"*menu. Reservations can be made online or onboard at the restaurant based on availability."

 

-Sean

 

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Thank you, Sean. I think they'll be free, but from what it sounds like, they might be limited to whatever the kids menu is. For some reason RCCL's website FAQs aren't loading for me. Thanks for your reply!

Do you really want to take 2 young children to a specialty restaurant?

 

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Why wouldn't I? My infant and toddler are generally well-behaved. We take them to fine dining establishments on land with minimal issues. The toddler eats real food and enjoys most things that we adults enjoy. The infant is bf. And if either of them start to get fussy, my husband or I will take them out of the restaurant as to not disturb others like we would do in the main dining room or any restaurant.

Hi Everyone,

We're sailing on Anthem soon, and I think we might splurge on the Ultimate Dining Package. We have two kids under five. It looks like we are suppose to pay for all four of us at adult prices to book the package and then they give you a refund of OBC for the kids? Also, how does this work in the ala carte restaurants? Do the kids also get a food credit or do we just pay ala carte for them?

Does anyone have any experience with this or know how it works?

I don't know if I have the same TA as you but ours also has gotten things done for us when the cruise line says no.

She also charges NO extra fees and always gives us a nice OBC when sailing (not a bottle of wine or something small like that ).

I got her name from another very frequent cruiser at a Meet and Greet years ago. She's available by phone and/or email and seems to work 25 hours a day.

 

She is constantly winning awards from the cruise lines for being a top agent .

I think we may have different TAs, but I am glad to see you've found one who is very good to you! I think TAs are wonderful to have, but I do know that there are some out there who aren't as good as ours. Because of that and because of some of the OTAs that are just booking tools, I think TAs sometimes get a bad rep.

I suspect you could get this even without having used a TA--it's just a matter of calling back enough times to get the right person at X.

That's probably true. The big difference being that a TA will do the numerous calls to get you to a yes so you don't have to!

Did she just say the TA's will fight for you, but your Celebrity reps won't?

 

There are agencies that offer this frequently, but they have very big cancelation fees and switch your booking fees. It's an awesome choice for those who rarely have work or family related changes.

 

I am waiting for someone who booked on board to say they lost or kept their benefits. We were told bookimgs on board would always keep them even when moving categories or ships, as long as it is a standard rate.

My TA doesn't charge a cancellation fee or a booking change fee, and she's often able to get things done where Celebrity might have told me no like the OP suggested.

I think it's just a matter of preference. I personally always book through a TA, because it's easier for me and I get better perks. I also appreciate the personalized service that comes from using a TA that I know and trust. Plus, it's good to have someone else wait on the phone for 30 minutes to get an answer! Other people get nervous because they have to go through the TA to make changes, and they might rather call up Celebrity directly. Some people have had bad TAs who made the process less than awesome for them.

Typically, any special rate you get through the cruseline, you should be able to get through a TA, but not necessarily vice versa. The TA sometimes gives you perks out of their own pocket, but I've not heard of the cruiseline doing so.

Either way is fine, and you should choose the option that better suits your style of booking/changing a reservation.

 

Let me assure you there is NO danger of you going hungry but be warned blu has been known to cause clothes to shrink ...or....is that the sea air?

I'm sure it's the sea air... or something like that! :D

While I don't carry ones around with me, Hubby and I will make the rounds on the last night and give larger tips to those bartenders who were really great.

I'm sorry you had such a headache! Could your TA have called to upgrade the beverage package for you? I definitely would have asked mine to try if I was hitting so many walls.

We've gotten the premium drink package without the promo before. Whether it's worth it to you depends on how much you'll drink in a day. We were able to make it worth while, but we did have more drinks than we might have normally. I did love how much freedom it gave me to order whatever I want and try new things.

I remember when I sailed pregnant, I had just made Diamond status on RCI and was excited to enjoy the free drinks at the lounge. Two weeks before our trip, I found out I was pregnant! The staff made me shirley temples and other fun non-alcoholic drinks which was really nice. I don't know the answer to your question but I am sure they have some half decent items on board. How far along will you be when you travel?

 

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I'll be at the end of my first trimester. I know they've got some good smoothies and other non-boozy beverages onboard that I'll love, so I'm sure I'll have fun with those. I was just thinking of having something to toast with friends at sailaway might be fun.

Personally, I find fitflops to be very comfortable. They have good arch support and cushioning. They're also wide set so they fit my feet well. I buy them based on comfort though, and not for any claims they may have made in the past.

http://www.fitflop.com/womens/womens-sandals/womens-superjelly-grass-green/883945581632.html?prefn1=Material&start=7&cgid=womens_sandals&prefv1=Rubber

I know you can bring two bottles of wine on board, but are you allowed to bring a bottle of sparkling grape juice and is it limited similarly? Hubby wants to bring a couple bottles of wine with us, but I was wondering if I could bring a third bottle that was sparkling grape juice in addition to those two. Do you think it would be similar enough that it might cause us to get sent to the naughty room?

Also, I know they have a sparkling non-alcoholic wine on board as well as a few other booze free wines. Anyone know if these are half-way drinkable?

I should know the answer but am asking just to be sure (have been fighting Celebrity website to check in for the last hour!!).

 

Children under 16 are fine with just a certified birth certificate, correct? (seriously, we have cruised 3x with the kiddos--why is this not in my memory bank??!!)

 

THANKS!

 

PS Please do not comment on how they should have a passport--I know that argument inside & out.

Also, depending on who is going on the journey, you may need a notarized letter of ok from the other parent. If both parents are going with the kids, you should be fine though.

Is there any possibility of switching out the fragrance for another one or is it one oil fits all?

Day 1 - San Juan

 

No tour today. Just woke up and had breakfast at the hotel, where we just waited and went to the cruise ship terminal right after. We got to the cruise terminal and checked in. The process was smooth and painless.

What time did you guys do check in?

A Vinturi Aerator is the best I have been using one for some time. Amazon has them for $19.99 reg $59.99. It will makes a world of difference when you don't have time or can't decant.

That's the kind Princess has. I think decanting is great and I will for wines that I have the time and willpower to let sit. If I'm short on time/patience, I think a good aerator will do in a pinch.

One time, hubby and I were snowed in without a decanter on Valentine's Day. We had a great bottle of wine that we knew from experience was much better decanted, and we wanted to do our own little celebration even though we couldn't go out. My resourceful husband decided to use what we did have on hand (a clean beer growler) and slanted it in a way to increase the surface area. He created what I lovingly refer to as a "white trash decanter" and it worked quite well!:D

I've seen them use an aerator at the wine bar on Princess, and I've seen a decanter used in the MDR on Princess. However, I don't recall seeing either on Celebrity.

Just out of curiosity when was Preview Level added to: Captain's Club?

It existed when I did my first Celebrity cruise in Oct of 2013, so it must have been implemented before then.

Hubby and I have considered retiring on a ship depending on what our lives and health look like when that time comes. We figured we could spend some time with our families when on shore and spend the rest of the year on the sea. Doesn't seem like it would be too bad of a life!

If it matters, we're a professional couple with no kids yet, 32 and 35. This will hopefully be our last pre-kids vacation. I'm more of an active traveler, though I enjoy some downtime and I like the "being out to sea" aspect of cruising. DH is a little more of a low-key traveler - likes doing stuff, but doesn't like overplanning and enjoys the downtime. I think he likes sea days more than I do, though we're both ready to get off the ship and do something after two consecutive sea days. An ideal cruise would include 1-2 ports or activities that we're pretty excited about, 1-2 ports where we'd just go to the beach (ideally one with good snorkeling) and do some shopping, and 1-2 sea days (ideally not consecutive).

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their opinions and experience!

I realize that I didn't comment on this portion of your original post, and I had meant to do so. We too are around your demographic and I found our cruise on the Summit to be the best fit that we've had so far. We met plenty of people around our age who shared our interests. That's not to say that we haven't made friends on other cruiselines or enjoyed meeting people on those trips, but sometimes we find people on some cruiselines (like Carnival or NCL) to be more of a party/spring break type or to be full of those a little more experienced than we (like HAL). The tablemates we had on Celebrity have become friends with whom we spend time now that we're home.