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tigger-ttfn

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Posts posted by tigger-ttfn

  1. Long time lurker, first post...

    Long time between cruises...

    Long time until our next cruise, but it's booked, thus I have a ton of questions... Hoping those in here can help me out, save me some funds, and make our cruise more enjoyable...

     

    CRUISE: Nav of the Seas,

    PORTS: Grand Cayman, Cozumel and Falmouth

     

    1. For some reason, the biggest question within our group is staying connected either for work, or because our kids can't live without things like instrgram and snapchat. I only need the phone and text coverage, so I plan on using the Verizon cruise package for $25, which comes with 100 MB in data. Is the 'AT SEA' cell coverage on the ship and in the western Caribbean ports sufficient to send/receive text messages and possibly make a very expensive phone call if necessary? Is the data package on Verizon's cruise package (100 MB) sufficient for my kids to send roughly 10 instrgram/snap chats each day for seven days?

     

    1a. Is there a family plan sharing wifi package onboard?

     

    2. We are a pretty active family, want to expierence things we can't do at home, and love beaches and an occasional local cocktail. What are the best excursions in each port as it applies to the best bang for the buck? Would love to see the Mayan ruins, however the bus ride I read about in here has me hesitating.

     

    3. We are concerned with the 'choose as you go' dining times. It's been a long time since we have cruised so, this is very new to us... We enjoy having the same waiter who knows our likes/dislikes. What is the consensus on the new school dining on RCI or should we bank on the dining time wait list to be our friend?

     

    Sorry for the novel as my first post... I really enjoy this site and look forward to your expierence based responses.

    See if there is a roll call for your cruise. Lots of help there. go to the forum on carbbean ports of call for things to do on the islands. MTD you can request the same waiters.Tell your kids to put down their phones and enjoy the cruise. They will be meeting and making new friends in the kids and teen area. Then tell their experience with pictures when they get home.

    Have a great cruise

  2. For those that have flown into Vancouver for your cruise on RCCL and took the train to the pier how much time did you give yourself? I can get a flight coming in at 11:22am and then planned to take the Skytrain to Canada place. I figure it would take until 12:15pm for bags and customs and getting to the station and then 30 minutes to Canada place and then the short walk to the ship. If we make a 12:30 train we should be there around 1- 1:30pm. Is this doable or should be spend more money for a hotel the day before? This is costing a lot more than I anticipated so I want to save money but I also don't want to risk being late for the ship.

     

    You can get special luggage tags from RCCL to take advantage of US DIRECT and bypass customs. Very simple and I also took the RCCL tranfere to also asure I would not miss the ship if my flight was delayed and it was. Got on board at 3PM and muster was at 4PM. Very close.

  3. Been on many RCC cruises and only 2 times can I remenber having problems. The worst was on my Alaska cruise were no one knew about special luggage tags to bypast custom when flying into Vancouver and getting right on the ship. Took many days and supervisors to get it straighten out with them being fedex to me on Tue and I left on Fri. Most times I have had great service from them and crown and anchor

  4. We were recently on Vision in an OV and an Inside. They both had shower curtains which had leg fetishes!

     

    When in Inside cabins battery candles make great night lights.

    A large garbage bag makes a good laundry bag and when you get home it can be recycled into ... a garbage bag!

    I hear so many talk about the shower curtains. I guess the curtains don't like me because I have never had a problem with them attacking me.:D:D Just on Brilliance and did fine for 4 days.It stayed where it was suppose to.

  5. The truth behind Vision of the Sea Christmas cruise.

    Where to start ...

    Day 1: Broken luggage. Result, Alfredo gave us a new case and cash to replace the damaged set which was purchased the day before setting sail.

    Day 1 : Tipping ... OMG ... the outrageous fee for any beverage package in addition to most servers asking for additional tips! The real fact is every beverage package is a scam and rip off. Don't take my word for it ... do the math AND realize unless you purchase the ULTIMATE PACKAGE there is something which is NOT covered. Mixed drinks are weak (coming from a non drinker) and average between $7.50 and $12.00 so you'll need to really slam them in order to get your moneys worth.

    Dinner ... Ever eat at a Sizzler? I expected gourmet dining but was the food was marginal at best. Over cooked or under cooked. The buffet makes Ole Country Buffet look good by comparison.

    Guest Services ... useless!!! In fact my party of 12 spent on average 3 hours every day with guest services who's common answer is ... "So sorry" but no real resolution.

    Other problems : needed over the counter hemorrhoid cream but to purchase I would have to see a doctor at $125! I was told by the nurse without a visit to the doctor they could lose their license to practice medicine! Really?! So I waited for our first stop so I could save not money but two professional careers.

    The only good show was the drafters and visiting Santa with my nieces and nephews.

    Casino slot tournament was not only poorly explained but like bingo the ship (house) takes at least 50% leaving guests wondering where all the money went.

    Room 7118 vibrates like nothing I've seen before. Room 7134 has a sewage problem as did the hallway . And should you have a problem requiring maintenance be sure it happens after 5am or before 10pm otherwise you'll get an excuse as to why you'll need to wait. Ironically if you complain enough the maintenance man will appear within minutes.

    Steve (Cruise Director ) and Marvin (Activities Manager) spend more time sharing sexual innuendos on the morning show than about the actual events.

    I could go on but why? Sad part is that I met so many people in the Guest Services line with similar or far worse stories!

    My parent's are takin a Royal Caribbean cruise on Jan 3 , 2015 so you'd think spending $30k would mean something.

    Nah ... this was my first and last cruise. Worst experience I've ever had.

     

    I can't believe you highjacked lilobelle review to bitch about your trip. But I see you have only posted on cruise critic 5 times and are a newbie. Guess since this was you 1st and last cruise I won't have to worry about meeting you on a future cruise.

  6. The boat was fine but they did admit there was a problem with the drains so at different points of the day/evening the smells were unbearable.

    Our state rooms were better than I expected but the dinning experience ... really ... I realize they are cooking for 2,000 guest but why should that matter?

    If you've ever been to a Vegas resort buffet you'll have to agree there is simply no comparison. Bacon was soaking in a pan of grease every day, burgers were dried out from being left in the pans, there are NO FOUNTAIN MACHINES for soda as claimed on their website and when purchasing a the Coke package at $6.50 I was told the fountain machines rarely work so it would be in my best interest to upgrade to the $19.95 drink package. I really could go on but its useless. Again, after hearing how great this cruise would be we were sorely disappointed. Even after a "Free dinner for 12" in Giovanni's (to makeup for all our issues ) we were shocked to be given a bill for the 5 kiddie cocktails and 3 mixed drinks!

    Hardly free when given a bill at the end.

    Free Dinner For 12 Not Drinks....... REALLY

  7. We recently sailed Brilliance on a five night cruise . The food in the dining room was great always served hot & the service was impeccable . Our stateroom a superior balcony was large with lots of closet space . The windjammer was confusing with all those unmarked stations .It took us til day four to find things . Our real complaint was lack of daytime activities . We were considering a long cruise on the Brilliance but the lack of activities made us change our minds .

    I find the short cruises do lack daytime activities.I'm usually in the spa or by the pool reading and relaxing. Due to a stressful job I enjoy short no hassle cruises. I still had lots of fun at night.

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