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BearJim

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    Adult Beverage Costs w/o Drink Package

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We are sailing on the Mariner in a couple weeks on a 5 day cruise. It's been a few years since we cruised on Royal Caribbean & we are so looking forward to it! I was wondering what the basic cost of an adult beverage is these days w/o the drink package.

     

    We usually get the drink package but I seemed to have missed the discounted price for packaging the drink package with internet. I think it was around $77 for both around a month ago but now the current drink package is over $83 per person, per day which to me is crazy. But I also know that everything costs more these days since covid.

     

    Any info would be appreciated!

     

    Thanks!

    Stay in Orlando or Port Canaveral??

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    The Radisson is our favorite place to stay at the port. Love the pool and the outdoor bar and grill, and they have a good shuttle service to the terminals. Nice to wake up in the morning and look out your window to see your ship come in to port. :)

     

    The Radisson is our favorite place to stay as well. Great pool, great pool bar & short taxi ride to the restaurants at the port. Plus if you drive down (which we did for several years) you can leave your car there during your cruise. We always try to get there a day or 2 early & vacation officially begins when we get our room!

    Sheraton San Juan Casino & Resort

    in San Juan, PR

    Posted

    If that's what you are worried about, I'd stay in Old San Juan. There are only a few events where traffic is going to be so bad that you could miss the ship or have a huge problem getting to your hotel. Mid December isn't one of those times.

     

    And spending an evening in the area is worth it. The bars and restaurants are far better in Old San Juan, and then the idea of just walking out and wandering around to see the historic sights, well....

     

    We are planning on doing it, again, in July- which would be the 4th time we've spent a night (or two) in Old San Juan in 2018.

     

    The funny thing is we booked the Sheraton in OSJ 1st, then thought it might be better to be closer to the port so we changed & now we might end up changing back to OSJ. Thanks for the tips! :cool:

    Why is Disney so much more than Carnival?

    in Carnival Cruise Lines

    Posted

    Disney offers a very good product that often "feels" inclusive (it's not - they have many of the same add ons as other lines like photos, alcohol, adult specialty dining, shopping, etc.).

     

    There are some big plusses to DCL:

     

    Onboard Movie theatre which shows first fun movies (no additional charge);

    In their staterooms they have either on demand movies or multiple channels running newer movies;

    Split baths in most staterooms, and privacy curtains between the main bed and the couch/bunk area (great for many families);

    Many more cabins for 3, 4 and even 5 guests which makes booking a single stateroom for a family very simple;

    Instead of 2 twin beds pushed together, DCL has an actual queen bed;

    Character meet and greets and Character theming throughout the ships;

    Kids clubs that open early in the morning (I think it's 8 or 9am) and stay open until midnight with no charges (i.e. no late night charges like most other lines) and their kids clubs don't close during the day (they also offer unsecured play during the day but there is also one part where you can drop your kid off);

    Adult only areas which offer both hot tubs and pools;

    Disney themed evening shows on their stage;

    Fireworks one night each cruise;

    Pirate party or Frozen party or other themed evening deck party;

    Included Soda both in the MDRs, Buffet and on the pool deck;

    A welcome aboard buffet including crab legs, peel and eat shrimp and lamb chops;

    Rotational dining rooms;

    They were one of the first to offer a wide selection of pool side eateries in addition to their buffet offerings (not just hamburgers and hot dogs but wraps, fruit, salad, chicken fingers, pizza, tacos, etc.).

     

     

    All that being said, I feel that DCL started strong but has become much more mainstream in recent years removing many of the "perks" that made DCL really stand out from the pack.

     

    On our first DCL cruise in 2010, service was impeccable; it's been down hill from there. Don't get me wrong, service is still great but it's become very much in line with what we experience on Carnival, Celebrity and Royal. There's less and less "above and beyond".

     

    And there are some downsides to DCL:

     

    If you're not a couple, that queen bed is a pain - it means that one person has a big bed and the other is sleeping on a couch or a bunk.

     

    After the first day, the buffet doesn't feature those "wow" things - it's much more of a regular buffet.

     

    They don't offer a buffet dinner. They turn the buffet into a sit down place for dinner as well. If you're looking for quick - it's pool food (and it's more limited in the evening - so pizza or burgers).

     

    On the new ships, kids walk through the adult pool area all the time and some parents bring their kids into the coffee shop which is located in the adult area. Unless you say something, there's very little enforcement.

     

    The interactive screens featuring the talking turtle Crush in the one MDR, he only talks to certain tables. If you're not sitting close to a screen, you kids might be disappointed that crush didn't talk to them.

     

    Although some people report spontaneous character interaction, more likely is you spending a lot of time waiting in a bunch of lines to see them.

     

    Popcorn is extra charge and if you get a soda from anywhere on the ship that's not the fountain dispenser, there's a charge for that too.

     

    They've started adding in lots of "for fee" items to align with what they've said is "industry standards" - they have a for free ice cream place on the new ships, the dining servers sell light up glasses in the dining room (and some quite aggressively), they've now limited alcohol (used to be a free for all), and they've reduced the quality of food and increased the number of for fee adult dining options.

     

    The ship basically closes down at 10pm.

     

    Like I said, DCL offers a good product - their pricing has just increased past their worth. I had a 7 night on the Disney Fantasy booked for this fall but the price point was more than I wanted to pay (and that was with an onboard booking discount and generous OBC from our TA). Instead of a 7 night eastern Caribbean cruise in a balcony, we're doing a 10 night partial Panama Canal in a window suite on Princess - and for a little less money actually.[/quote

     

    Excellent post.

    Best Excursions on upcoming AOS cruise

    in Royal Caribbean International

    Posted

    We are going on the Adventure of the Seas in March & are having a hard time picking excursions & would really appreciate any advice. The only guide line being we are not comfortable going outside of the excursions offered by RCI, unless there is a beach within walking distance from the boat. See our itinerary below. Thanks again.

     

     

     

    Sailing Itinerary

     

     

    Date Port Arrive Depart Activity

     

    12-Mar San Juan, Puerto Rico 8:30 PM

     

    13-Mar St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands 8:00 AM 5:30 PM Docked

     

    14-Mar Basseterre, St. Kitts 8:00 AM 5:30 PM Docked

     

    15-Mar Philipsburg, St. Maarten 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

     

    16-Mar Fort De France, Martinique 9:00 AM 6:00 PM Docked

     

    17-Mar Bridgetown, Barbados 8:00 AM 5:00 PM Docked

     

    18-Mar Cruising Cruising

     

    19-Mar San Juan, Puerto Rico 6:00 AM

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