masim17

Over a year ago I booked a cruise with mt son, DIL, and 4 year old granddaughter. As we have cruised many times, I let my son pick the cruise, as it would be their 2nd. They chose Adventure, 10/8. I was very skeptical as I knew this was an older ship, and scheduled for dry dock. So I began reading the CC boards.

I immediately became nervous, as many of the posts were very negative, but I started looking forward to the ports, and the time spent with the kids. This was one of the best cruises out of the 25 we have taken! I did not find any fault with the ship. Yes, it needs some remodeling and some upgrades, but nothing that would dampen your cruise vacation. I did hear that they are going to remodel the kids pool area, and I hope they don't change it too much. The self contained area at the back of the ship was fabulous! It was so much easier to keep track of the kids than on other ships, like the Anthem or Liberty. Also, the area was shaded. If I was without small children, I would have spent time there anyway because it was quiet, shaded and not crowed at all. I will admit there were not that many children on board.

Food: My husband and I are not adventurous eaters, my son (a chef and cheesemaker) and DIL, are both foodies and will eat anything. While some dishes were better than others, we had no issues with the food, either in the MDR or the windjammer. We also ate once in Giovanni's, which was excellent. Our breakfasts were all at the buffet, and while they were all the same, it was breakfast. When pretty much everything is offered, how do you change it. Our service in the MDR was excellent. There were no signs that the staff was on their last cruise for a while and did not care. Our waiters were very attentive, pleasant and engaging.

Ports: We went to Aruba, Bonaire, Curaco, Antigua, and St. Martin. All of the ports were fabulous, and the weather was perfect--maybe a little hot, but it is the Caribbean! Aruba and Curaco we did on our own, and the other 3 island we took private tours. They were spectactular and I would recommend any of them if anyone asks.

All in all it was a fantastic cruise due to the ship, the ports, the weather, and the company we kept. I am so glad I didn't change this because of negative posts. Looking forward to sailing her again.

Marylou

We are also on the cruise leaving San Juan on Saturday. Our original flights were to FLL/Miami on Friday. Luckily I was able to get another flight direct to San Juan tomorrow, so hoping all goes well. Good luck to all travelling during this difficult time, and those going through the storm.

I have a tour scheduled with Lawrence of Antigua in October. He has us for a meeting time that is before we dock. Our schedule says we dock at 9 am, he insists we dock at 7 am. Does the ship change to Antigua time, or do we adjust as needed? Thanks

I purchased a premium beverage package for my Oct. 8 cruise on Adventure. I see now that this has been changed to deluxe, which does not include gratuities. Will my package include gratuities, as stated at purchase? Are there any other changes between the two? Is there anywhere to get a printout of what the premium package consisted of? Thanks

Is this the best beach option for a group of 16, including 2 children 8 and 10? We are looking for a reasonable, more like cheap, beach day, as we are taking some pricey tours in Jamaica and Grand Cayman. I am thinking of Paradise beach vs playamia. Any thoughts?

We are taking a private tour with Joyce in Oct. and am looking for suggestions of things to do. Going with 2 real "foodies" and my granddaughter who is 4. They really want to experience the food culture, markets etc. We are thinking of the buttefly farm for my GD, and Joyce has said that we will go to her house for a home cooked meal, which we are all thrilled about. Any other ideas of things to do? Not interested in Maho, or the beaches. Thanks

Anyone know of any hotels that have a package that will include parking for the duration of a cruise(9 days)?

Thank you so much Pete. I'm asked my TA to look at other rooms and now we have 9101, 9105 and 9107. No obstructed views, so I think this will be good.

Thanks Bret. I think I may have screwed up though. I asked the booking agent if a transfer was possible and he said he would lose the bookings, but that it was ok, no problem. So I booked and when it came time for payment he told me he mistakenly charged my card the full amount for one of the bookings. Said I could either get a refund or let it stand. Thought it would be best to let it stand, so now I can't transfer that booking. Not sure now if this was done purposely or not. This has been somewhat stressful. By the way Bret, do you have any info on cabins 11143, 11147 and 11151? Thanks again

Marylou

If you book directly with MSC, can you have the booking transferred to your travel agent? I was working with a new TA but he was not able to get me the rooms I wanted, although I think he put a lot of time and effort into it. He got 3 rooms, sort of close, and one with the metal balcony on deck 9. Not interested. Finally I called MSC directly and was able to get three consecutive rooms, though not connecting, on deck 11. No obstructions. I feel that I should try to transfer the booking as he did work hard for me, I think. Is this possible, if so how?

Thanks so much.

Hello Pete,

I am nervously trying to book my 26th cruise on MSC Divina. Looking for 3 balcony rooms, possibly connecting. Was thinking of 11084, 11086, and 11088. Any info about these rooms? Do they have plexiglass balconies? Or, was considering 3 aft balconies if we could get them. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all your help on this thread. I love reading it!

Marylou

Does anyone remember "El Gaucho"? We saw him so many times on different ships. He put on a funny show.

Our first cruise was on the Song of America in, I think, 1989. I loved the talent show. One man sang "Danny Boy" and brought us to tears! A woman sang "This joint is jumpin" and that also brought us to tears, but not exactly the same. One man from out west actually brought these heavy ropes and twirled them! The masquerade party was something I knew nothing about. We met a woman who did b2b cruises and participated in each party with different costumes. On our cruise she was Scarlet O'Hara, complete with giant hoop dress and giant hat! I was impressed they could get all this in their luggage. Oh and the quest was done in one of the lounges and you played in groups of 6-8 people. The runners would just about run over the tables to be first with an item, just to get a keychain or pen! It was a blast. As others have said dining was more personal. By the end of the second night, all your preferences appeared at your table, and you did develop a relationship with your waiters. Loved the parades they had on the theme nights, especially American night when the staff sang America the Beautiful and had the words written in their hats! I did think that it was hard for the wait staff to do all of that in addition to serving. Most of all I miss the farewell show with the staff doing "If I were not upon the sea". Must have seen that ten times and never tired of it!

Sorry about that. I wanted to know if any of the dining rooms on Anthem have a buffet in addition to menu ordering. Just trying to know our options. Tha.nks

I read on another thread here that the MDR on the Oasis has a breakfast buffet in addition to ordering off the menu. Do any of the dining rooms on Allure offer this as well? Thanks

People think this is an entitlement program. Just reading many of the forums on CC and it is evident it is not just her. The members of casino royale are up in arms because their benefits are changing. They are mad because now when offered free cruises it may be in an interior or OV cabin. Or they are mad that they can no longer get a money rebate and a free cruise, or they might have to pay for their drinks. Then suite guests complain about the perks they get for purchasing a suite. It is not enough that they get their own beach on Labadee, priority boarding, reserved seating, drinks etc. No they are upset that they have to now print their luggage tags like the rest of us! Oh, I forgot the people that want to be compensated if the dining changes on Anthem. It never stops. Doesn't surprise me that this woman wants more. It never ends.

Thanks but we're coming from south jersey.

Thanks so much for the info. We will get there early and drop the luggage off and my husband will park. Yes the fees are high, and I've checked out some off site parking, but we will pay for the convenience. Thanks again!

I thought I read somewhere that you can bypass the drop off area at Cape Liberty and go directly to the garage and there were places to drop off your luggage there. Is this true, and if so is this faster than waiting on the line to drop off the family and luggage and then meeting up? If so, do you enter the building somewhere else, or do you all then just walk back to entrance behind the dropoff area? Hope this makes sense. Just printed and taped my luggage tags today, so we're getting close, Yah! Thanks

You're right I am logged in on both browsers now. Will close both out and try again. Computers will be the death of me! Thanks again!

I booked with a TA. I can get to the vacation planning page but there is no payment tab. I tried using another browser but now it says it is being modified. Thanks for all your help. If you have any other suggestions I an willing to try.

No matter how I try I can't find the page on the website that gives you your payment history. I have opened every tab in the website but can not find it. I have been there before, but can't get back. Anyone able to help me? Thanks

Thank you for your reply. It is good to know that she can play in adventure ocean.

I saw, (I think on cruise compasses someone posted) that north star and I think I fly did not need reservations the first two days. Hopefully this is correct.

Thank you for your review. We are on the last sailing before dry dock, and I have had some apprehension, but that is mostly resolved. We are traveling withmourmson, DIL, and granddaughter. She will be 4 at the time of the cruise. She was born very early, at 26 weeks, and as a result of,that she continues to have a feeding tube. She eats very little, i.e. a goldfish cracker, half a bite of something, nothing to sustain her. She gets most of her feedings at night, and occasionally day supplement. The problem is that sometimes she vomits up her feedings. She is not sick and if we her her gag we put a red solo cup to her mouth and catch it. This is th email only residual she has from being so premafure. Will they let her in the children's program. I assumed we would tell them of the condition, but I was afraid they would say she is not able to attend. Should I call RCI or just deal with it onboard. This is not something that happens everyday, she goes to daycare at home. But it may happen. I appreciate any feedback. Thank you.