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Can any locals please tell me which car rental companies will pick up from the port of Miami or that have a shuttle to their car lot? We have a 3 pm flight in Fort Lauderdale but don't want to have a taxi take us from the port of Miami to FLL and sit for several hours. Would like to rent a car in Miami after we leave the ship and drive to Fort Lauderdale to have lunch and then to the airport. Any suggestions?

 

I have also posted this on the Florida departure boards, but we leave this Sunday so I thought I would try here as well.

Have you checked the websites of the various auto rental companies for a list of the locations of their offices? I believe at least one has a location at the pier and some others provide a shuttle to take you to their rental office. Enterprise has a counter in the auto lobby of the Hilton Miami (formerly the Radisson) but that would involve taking a cab to the hotel. I agree with your determination of not sitting at FLL for several hours waiting for your flight. We had that unfortunate experience a year and a half ago and it is not something I would wish on my worst enemy.:)

Were certain members compelled to go to the alternate and not issued keys to the CL? Not concerned about the drinks at night, it is just that we are steps away from the CL and it would be great in the a.m.

Thanks for the good wishes for this week. Looking like we'll have a great time on Jewel!

Rick and Deirdra

It appears that that happened on the Explorer but RCI has stated in emails to others on this board, that it happened because of a misinterpretation of the company's policy on CLs when a large number of Diamond members are onboard and a satellite lounge has to be opened. According to RCI, the only ships where Diamond members do not have access to the CL are Freedom and Liberty which have Diamond Lounges which provide Diamond members the same services as the CL provides for suite guests. You should not have any problem on the Jewel.:)

Obviously I have led a very sheltered life. What is a cuban sandwich? I do know, and enjoy a ruben sandwich.

I found the following description that pretty much describes the Cuban sandwich that is so popular in Miami and onboard the Jewel of the Seas in the Seaview Cafe. The sandwiches have a submarine-style layering of ham, roast pork, cheese, and pickle between a sliced length of Cuban bread. The key to a great, versus a good, Cuban Sandwich lies in the grilling. A great Cuban sandwich is grilled in a sandwich press (called a plancha) until the ham, pork, and pickles have warmed in their own steam.

Enjoy.:)

I'm looking at the map of the Jewel and see what looks like stairs at the back of the ship. Deck 6 next to Portofino's. It has the same grid on many decks.

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?deckCode=06&shipCode=JW&shipProfile=1118&sailDate=1071223&hasNavigation=false

And there is a sign on the door to those stairs that clearly says "Crew Only". Do everyone a favor and take some additional steps to get to the public stairwells. The exercise will probably be good for you.;) The only passengers that I have seen using the rear stairs are those who believe that the rules don't apply to them. I did have the good fortune to see a ship's officer confront one such passenger and firmly inform him that, contrary to his opinion, the rules did apply to him.:D

I took my bf last year on a NCL ship and they didnt server lemonade as one of the free drinks, does Royal still offer lemonade and ice tea for free? Also are their self service soft serve ice cream machines on board? Thanks again, MEG

Yes lemonade, ice tea, and sometimes fruit punch are available at no extra charge in the Windjammer. I believe that the self-serve is frozen yogurt rather than ice cream. I enjoyed it last week on Enchantment of the Seas, and frankly, could not tell the difference between it and soft-serve ice cream.

I'd like them to copy the waffle station that Celebrity has in its buffet restaurants and offer a good lecture series on its longer cruises that have a lot of sea days. Unless they can actually devise a system that offers both traditional and open dining successfully, I believe that they should stick with what they do best - traditional dining. No need to try to be everything to everybody. :)

Hey I am just telling you what was told to me by a guy that I have seen in that shop for years. I have been cruising on the Rhapsody for awhile. Ill be on there again in a couple weeks, if I get down there, Ill ask again. I dont always get in that store while on board.

Sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like I was doubting you, just the person who gave you that explanation. All too often people get creative when they try to explain situations and I think that the store employee was one of those people. My point was that RCI would have made sure when it contracted out the liquor store operation to include language in the agreement that allowed them to retain all or a portion of that fee.:)

You are right!

 

I was told by one of the people working in the store on board Rhapsody the reason they did away with the fee was because the cruiseline now contracts out the stores, like the spa, and thus it no longer makes money on those fees, it would go to the company that owns them. Before the line owned and operated the stores so they made the money on the fee. Not sure how much is true but I just had to ask him why they did away with this option.

 

I might just have to ask again and see if I get the same answer.. LOL I just have to ask these things sometimes. Drive my supervisor nuts when I ask questions all the time.. LOL I can tell cause she stops returning my emails and calls.. LOL

Somehow I doubt that this is the case or the reason. I believe that the liquor operation, just like the shops, casino and spas have been outside contractors for years, and, even if not, RCI could easily write conditions into the contract that would give it a portion of all the revenues generated by the sale of liquor including any fees that might be charged to allow guests to bring bottles back to their rooms. Liability concerns are the more likely reason and RCI wants to be able to say that they have taken all reasonable measures to restrict and control the consumption of alcohol onboard. If you want to blame anyone, blame those out of control idiots that gave ammunition to the television networks that broadcast those scenes of drunken, mostly underage cruise passengers in their "exposés".

It could be worse! Imagine if you already lived in Canada and got diverted back home! Not much a vacation... :D

But not that bad either, no meals to cook, beds to make and all the entertainment and activities. In some cases, we consider the ship as much of a destination as the ports. I am sure if you lived in Canada or anywhere and had your heart set on seeing Bermuda, you would be disappointed but, as I said before, not as disappointed as you would be if the ship sailed into the teeth of a storm enroute. :)

They really would have been unhappy with RCI if the ship had decided to sail into a hurricane and go to Bermuda instead of diverting to Canada. The weather and temperatures are not so different between the northeastern United States and Eastern Canada and it can get downright chilly even in Bermuda by October, so there are no guarantees that you will encounter warm and sunny weather whatever the itinerary ends up as. People have an unfortunate stereotype concerning the weather and temperatures in Canada, but seem to have no concept of how uncomfortable,and potentially unsafe it can be to be at sea in the proximity of a major storm.