spazzyjanet

To answer the question of the poster who asked, you are still going to Labadee on your cruise. This week is the only Western slated for Nassau instead of Haiti for reasons unknown. It just returned from Europe so it could be port scheduling issues for this week or something else.

Unfortunately, this is a one-off itinerary.

Instead of Sea-Labadee-Falmouth-Sea-Cozumel-Sea, this Western Itinerary does Nassau-Sea-Falmouth-Sea-Cozumel-Sea.

So Compasses up until Falmouth will be different.

Cool, thanks for posting the kids sheets! I actually didn't even know that they were open for evening session the first day. I don't think we'll use it, though- the whole family is going to the 9pm Aqua Theater show.

That's more than we paid pp for our D2 "humps" on this sailing more than a year ago. Prices haven't dropped, they've even gone up since final payment.

I did a little searching and all of the GS and up are all booked. There appear to be plenty of JS. The prices on those have been ridiculous, so that's not surprising. I'm finally seeing them come down a little, but still pretty high.

There appear to still be plenty of empty rooms balcony and down. If prices don't drop, it will be interesting whether they do end up selling at the premium they are charging.

I, for one, am looking forward to sailing with all of the rich folks on what is basically the most expensive cruise of the year.

We are sailing same day, same port, on the Harmony. I'm expecting lots of families. Our kids are on Spring Break that week. However, I'm not sure whether this is a peak break week for the rest of the country. Many do the last week of March as well- and I think you will have a greater chance of college Spring Breakers that week. Easter isn't until April 17th in 2017, so it won't be over the Easter holiday. I don't mind families- lots of other kids for my kids to play with and hopefully less older people offended that kids dare to exist on a cruise :eek:. We'll wave hello!

Does the headliner change week to week? Or does a headliner usually repeat several weeks in a row?

My husband will drink a cocktail or spirit occasionally, but mainly he is a beer during the day, bourbon during the evening kind of a guy.

Tell me about bourbon. Is that up to $12 as well? Do they have many below $12? If it's above, do they charge the difference? I'm thinking no on the "ultimate" for him- he doesn't need fancy coffee. Would purchasing the next package down be appropriate?

Anyone else sailed NYE, and know of any other parties than on the promenade? We are sailing Allure and just can't imagine that they wouldn't have parties going on elsewhere- specifically on the pool/sports deck.

Our family of 6 is doing a private tour with Courtney Taylor. River Tubing followed by the Blue Hole.

Nice!

I will be following along and would love to see any compasses (reg and kids) that you are able to share. Thanks!

So you traveled with your kids- they in a JS and you in a balcony and the balcony got upgraded? Were your original cabins next to each other? Were your upgraded cabins next to each other? Were you set to "auto" upgrade or did you have the "upgrade only if I can be near others I am traveling with? We are traveling with family in nearby cabins and that is the option we currently have selected.

We will be on the Allure NYE. Can someone tell me more about the pool deck atmosphere? Sounds better to me than a mosh pit in the Promenade. If the kids are awake and want to celebrate I'm not going near that. I'm assuming/hoping for music and a countdown?

Ha, okay. Well, I guess we'll just take out chances then. Thanks for checking.

Yikes! I hope this doesn't happen with our New Years' cruise! We have the 9pm aqua theater show booked on the first night.

Glad you are having a good time. If you happen to have a moment to check compasses from the first full sea day (day 2- Monday), can you tell me what the character breakfast theme was. I know this is a silly thing, but I am hoping for Shrek characters, lol.

I would love to get feedback as well, since there are no recent reviews. We will be travelling as a family, and we all watch the Amazing Race.

However, that said- I can't imagine going to St. Martin and not do something involving the Ocean. I wonder if they have any beach visits built into this tour?

I did read up on recent reviews on Tripadvisor. All positive! I can't wait to read your review when you get back.

So when do you find out which number you got? When you get off the ship? Any to avoid?

Alright, thanks, will do.

Not the same question, but a related one. If we are traveling with linked reservations as a party of 6, is it most likely that we will have a table to ourselves? I can't imagine that they'd stick us at a table of 8 with another couple.

Price of the cruise went up $600 to get $300 in OBC. No thanks. I guess it's good that I went ahead and booked last weekend ahead of the sale.

You are the first person I've seen who admitted to paying the $495 price. We paid $350 online for the OTW for our upcoming cruise and many baulked at that. RCI is trying to see what the market will bear right now. I'm really curious to see whether the $495 price ends up being successful for them.

I agree with the poster who recommended Oasis class- especially with teenagers. Either of the 3 ships- Oasis, Allure or Harmony would fit the bill.

With teenagers, Harmony might have the edge with the water slides, but they won't get much benefit out of the upgraded splash zone on deck.

I'd go with 2 cabins, if you can swing it. You will want privacy. If the whole family is fighting due to close quarters halfway through the cruise you will wish you had spent the extra money for peace.

If budget is an issue, Freedom is also a good option for a first cruise. Still very large, still has lots of activities for teens.

I've sailed 3 times on Carnival, once on Royal Caribbean, and have two upcoming sailings on Royal Caribbean.

How much I enjoyed each cruise had less to do with the line and ship and more to do with weather issues, personal issues, and yes- that particular ships passenger load. The passenger load has more to do with the port you are sailing out of, the time of year, and the length of the cruise than the cruise line itself.

Our 3 cruises on Carnival were either off-peak or non-smoking ships and we actually sailed with an older, more subdued crowd than the one you might stereotypically expect. The 8-day cruise on the Carnival Legend out of Southern Florida during Hanukkah had the oldest passenger load I've ever seen. Our RCI ship (Freedom) had a younger crowd, but still off-peak, so less families.

Our next two cruises will be on family friendly ships during school holidays so I expect tons of kids. However, since we are cruising with our own kids, this is actually preferred since they will have a lot of other kids to interact with.

None of the above has anything to do with the cruise line. I will continue to look at other lines as possibilities when they come out with new ships or itineraries, or have better prices. Right now RCI has the edge for what I am looking for for family cruises, but I would have no qualms about switching to another line for something that better suits my needs at the time.

Have a great time! We would love to hear about your trip when you get back!