GiannaD

We were on the Enchantment in a JS on Deck 8. It was aft in the area below the spa. I thought it would be noisy but it was under the walking track outside the spa and there wasn't any noise from above in the evening and almost none during the day. You definitely do not want to be under the Park Cafe on Deck 8.

They clean the WJ after it closes which means some moving of tables and chairs.

On the Grandeur the cabins over the Schooner bar are only on the starboard side. The D2 cabins in the same location on the port side are over Giovanni's Table and Chops and there is little noise from them.

I assume you sailed after the retrofit? I was on a princess ship once and was above the lounge and got barely any sleep.

We sailed after the retrofit on the Grandeur. Our cabin was over the area where you first enter the Schooner bar. The piano was under the cabins that were farther aft. I would try a cabin on the opposite (port) side of the ship that is not over the Schooner bar.

We were in cabin 7602 on the Grandeur of the Seas in August 2013. We were above the Schooner bar and could not hear the music in our cabin. We could hear the music when we were on our balcony but it was not a problem. The Grandeur is a sister ship of Vision of the Seas so I would expect the sound levels to be similar.

Same here! We got one too and have never been on Indy.

So, under the theories presented on this thread, I will be Elite and reach 10 pts by my next cruise. Does that mean I will be Elite with 300 pts?

Please feel free to comment away on this, as I love speculation!:cool:

I have the exact same situation. Under the "old" system we would have 10 points after our 14 day cruise in February 2014 which I chose partially because we would get the two points necessary to make Elite. (This would also make us Diamond on RCI for a cruise in August.) If X counts days as speculated under a "new" system we would come up a few points short of 300. We are nearing final payment and I really hope we are "grandfathered" under the old system.

I would consider it unfair if X changed the rules after we booked.

What do you think?

I was teaching grade three in an elementary school in a suburb of Baltimore, Maryland. The music teacher knocked on the classroom door and called me into the hall just after 1:38 pm. She said President Kennedy had been shot and school was going to be dismissed early. The children were told to go straight home and ask their parents what had happened.

Driving home to my apartment I heard radio reports of the events in Dallas and all the music became very solemn.

It was an intensely emotional and frightening time for the whole country.

We will be in a full suite instead of a handicapped cabin. It was VERY expensive and I wonder if it will be worth the difference. Husband is in a small scooter but is able to walk short distances. We love the larger bathrooms but hate the flooded floor in the handicapped.

Just ask your cabin attendant for extra bath mats for your handicapped shower and place them just outside the shower curtain perimeter. This prevents or at least minimizes the flooded floor issue.

We have also found the tubs on ships very deep and difficult to navigate. Unfortunately the plumbing is under each tub which raises them higher above the floor level than in most homes or land based hotels. The handicapped showers also have grab bars which may or may not be available in a cabin with a tub.

Will Sue Denning be the CD for our February 22 departure? We met her in 2012 and she was great.

Thanks

Just got off cruise with own wheelchair and we had no problem getting assistance from RCI to embark, disembark or any time docked.

This is great to know. Not sure why our family member had her husband push her.

The beach wheelchairs with inflatable wheels mentioned in a previous post are also available at Coco Cay.

I would definitely suggest renting a wheelchair from the approved vendors listed above. If you rent the chair from home you have the hassle of getting it through the airport etc. and the chance of breakage in transit. You can request wheelchair assistance from Southwest at the airport and RCI will provide wheelchair assistance (pier assistance) with initial embarkation and final debarkation. This is very helpful for a person who cannot stand in lines for long periods or walk long distances.

Recently a family member took her own transport chair on a RCI cruise and her husband had to push her up the long ramp to board the ship which was quite a challenge. The crew will push a chair provided by the ship for pier assistance. The only cost with the ship and airlines is a voluntary tip. I am not familiar with the rental cost of a chair provided by a vendor for use during the cruise.

Handicapped rooms are available at the same fee as cabins in the same category. As stated above RCI and all other lines require a form that can be done online and total disability or medical certification is not a requirement.

Check out the North American Homeports thread on Cruise Critic. There is easy parking at the port and a number of good hotels near the port.

Are the shaded cabanas by the main pool first come first served - or are they reserved for a fee. I heard you pay for space in grassy area on upper deck - just curious - thanks!

We were on the Eclipse in 2013 and the shaded areas by the pools were first come first served. We did not pay for space on the grass. There were a few events that had fees but in general the grass was free.

I had a rep once tell me that when I see a lower price online I should make a courtesy hold and then call them with the number of the hold to have them apply the new price--so there is no possibility of a dispute that it was offered. I have done it that way ever since with no issue.

Great idea! Thanks

Take a screen shot when you check the form with the state, discounts etc. and then take a shot of the frame offering you the cabin category and price. Call RCI again and then e-mail the rep the screen shots which will have a date and time stamp to verify when you saw the price. Politely insist that you receive the lower price. If you booked direct with RCI and are before final payment the price drop should be allowed. If you used a TA they will have to make the call.

I had this situation several weeks ago when the IT person and rep couldn't duplicate the price and didn't want to honor the offer. I took the shots before I called.

Good luck

Great videos! The third video is in Italian.

Let's hope Celebrity has made at least a few changes and read the previous posts on these boards. We used this terminal in 2013 and it was by far the worst ever. Because of the poor configuration and the combining of two terminals it is just set up for delays. (I felt like I was walking to the airport!)

Terminal 24/25 also shares a pier with another terminal and the access road and taxi area is inadequate to service two large ships at once.

You can see both ships and the terminals in the photos at the beginning of this thread.

I'll check back for updates later in the week. For now it looks like piers 18 and 29.

What pier does Independence of the Seas use for embarkation and debarkation for the November 15 sailing at Port Everglades?

I always put the luggage tags on our bags at home. I have never had a problem with the airlines even with a flight to Romania. I agree with the poster who mentioned having a better chance of lost luggage making it to the ship if it has a cruise line tag.

For the last few cruises I have used the plastic luggage tag holders mentioned above and they are great.

In the outside chance that the tags don't survive the flight you can get tags from the porters at the port or take extras with you.

You can Google "Serendipity Luggage Tags" to purchase the plastic holders.

I have 5 neodymium magnets with hooks, they hold up 25 pounds each, & take up almost no room or weight in luggage, best thing I've ever bought for a cruise, our hanging toiletry bags go on them, both of our cross body bags, anything else that we need to grab on the way out of the cabin.

Where did you get the magnets?

Taking my teen grand daughters on Enchantment. Booked Panoramic cabin on Deck 7. Would prefer the sofa bed by window rather than by door. Has anyone stayed in these cabins - particularly 7600. I can still change if sofa bed

Not by window. Help Enchantment cruisers.

We've been on the Enchantment in a balcony cabin and I think all the beds are by the bath with the couch by the balcony. The beds do not alternate as they do on some RCI and Celebrity Solstice class ships.

Thanks for the great review and photos. Do you have any of the updated bathrooms? Hopefully we will be on her in August.

Does NCL incorporate the Jewish Heritage as part of their tours?

I do not know what NCL offers. We were on Celebrity and they did not offer a Jewish heritage tour.

Advantages....disadvantages. I'd like to hear opinions...we have a hump cabin booked, deck 7 port side, mid ship. We've only sailed once before so I'm only somewhat familiar of how ships are laid out.

It's a great location. You are right by the mid-ship elevators which are convenient to everything but the cabin is very quiet because there is a wall between your cabin and the elevator lobby. You also have a great view with no lifeboats directly below your cabin. Enjoy!

The problems with terminal 25 cannot be put off on Immigration staffing....Although it was minimal for awhile & no one there from Celeb.to or port to help sort out the lines the problems have more to do with layout, organization or lack thereof, & location.....

 

Terminal 24/25 was a nightmare after a great cruise .... the long outdoor walkway/ line to get to the luggage area is not acceptable; and the space inside to claim luggage is way too tiny for a big ship.. Then there is no space for immig lines-- and then a huge back up for taxis and vans...too small a staging area...

 

 

I agree that the inadequate size of terminal 24/25 is the major factor in the debarkation and to a lesser extent embarkation problems experienced at Port Everglades. We sailed the Equinox twice and had no problems because it uses the state of the art terminal 18 that was built for the Oasis and Allure.

 

Using two terminals (24/25) with long walks from the ship to the luggage area is difficult and then the waiting area for immigration and customs is much too small for a ship the size of the Eclipse. As others have said the debarkation problems started long before the sequestration.

 

Adding to the debarkation difficulties is the fact that the terminal is on a narrow dead end spit of land with one road that becomes clogged with traffic and the taxi/incoming luggage staging area is a small loop that is shared with another large ship on the opposite side of the spit of land. (You can see the docking area on the satellite view on http://www.portevergladeswebcam.com.) The access road becomes clogged with taxis and trucks so even once you are out of the terminal there can be a very long wait for transportation to the airport, hotels or parking areas.

 

Basically the docking area is inadequate! By contrast terminal 18 is a dream.