shipgeeks

I've read reports here on CC of Dyson, specifically, not working, and possibly ruining itself in the process. Other brands are fine, though I always just use the ship one. It might be worth doing a CC search for Dyson posts.

We have done several transatlantics, a San Juan to Baltimore, and a Port Everglades to Montreal. All were excellent cruises. The only complication was the one-way air, or other mode of travel, arrangements at both ends. Sometimes a benefit can be getting to ports that are not always on a standard itinerary. Would you also consider Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, or MSC?

I've seen both the coffee machine and the door broken by pax (or in one case, non-D friends of pax) who didn't have a clue how to work them, figured if they banged them roughly enough they'd work faster, didn't read the signs re how to operate.....

In 1969 I took a cargo ship from NYC to Australia. Somewhere in the Pacific we encountered rough seas for several days. One of the 12 pax did not leave her cabin for the duration; the rest of us were fine with eating our meals at tables with the cloth wetted down, and running up the stairs a few at a time, then pausing as the ship went the other way. No seasickness (we didn't have CC to tell us everyone should pack, and take, meds just in case). One night we were tossed out of our beds, but with no damage evident. The next morning, at breakfast, the officer at our table explained that the crew on the bridge had been unable to figure out our course reading, and finally realized we had been turned around by the storm and were heading back to the US. That was corrected, and we had no more problems. At our first Australian port the 40 tons of dynamite we were carrying were off-loaded.

We've seen cabins set up like the last photo above, except with the adult bed separated into two twins, under the bunks, to make coming and going easier for all. The bunks come down from the ceiling. A deck plan with a notation of "sleeps four" should indicate how many there are. I believe there are insides and OVs.

I think the reference to Roll Call is not re CC. The one I've seen, a couple of times, is on a fb group for a particular cruise. There will be a photo of a shirt with "RC - X of the Seas - Caribbean Cruise March 3, 2023" or whatever that group is. Membership in those groups, for particular cruises, do need to be authorized by an admin, but I'm sure some slip through the cracks. The feeling is that it is a scam.

I have seen it "elsewhere". One of the following comments was that it is a scam.

What other cruiselines have you sailed? What do you like about the others? We sailed on Seaside and really liked the whole experience. I think one of the things we enjoyed the most was the passenger mix. Rather than the locals we usually sail with, Americans were in the minority, and it made the cruise feel more like being "away". We were happy with our cabin, service, food, entertainment, and all the rest.

Personal preference again. We've been to San Juan and St. Thomas so many times that we no longer have much interest. But we've only been to Ocean Cay twice, and can't wait to go again, even though we don't consider ourselves beach people.

I suspect those would be even harder to find than lettuce, at breakfast!

Update: I did successfully make a BLT - at breakfast - one time, and another time semi-successfully. I looked around the buffet before beginning, and all ingredients were there: freshly toasted bread, hot bacon, lettuce (shredded) and tomatoes at the Continental area, and mayo in a big dispenser. It was good. The second time, I did the same, but could not find any lettuce. I made the sandwich anyway. When I got to my table, a nice waiter asked if he could get me anything else. (Juice? Coffee?) I said "If you could find some lettuce that would be great". He took off, into the kitchen. When he came back, he said "No lettuce, but for something green they offered cabbage or cole slaw". I declined. Not a bad sandwich anyway; the elements I had were all good. I will probably to it again in the future.

I can't see why not. Each person has to present their cruise card to be dinged by Security when leaving the ship, and passport when going through Immigration. As long as everyone has their own, I don't see a problem.

Interesting, when I first read this post, I took it as just curiosity, not "How can I get in and out quickly?" As mentioned above, we can always say we want to be out at a certain time, if that is the case. However, IMO, a good waiter has the ability to read the table, and to know whether people want to rush, or to enjoy a leisurely meal. Our preference is leisurely, with time to enjoy each course, digest a bit, have some conversation with our tablemates. An hour and a half would be our minimum for the evening meal. We've always had waiters who did this well.

Is it an appropriate reply to say we would never remove them?

Katems, I hope this post won't stop you from taking and enjoying your cruise. In spite of all the replies agonizing over the subject, I have to honestly say that none of it has ever happened to us during our 50 cruises, many of which were on RC. Meals in MDR, every night of a cruise, have always been pleasant for us, without any unpleasant or inappropriate interruptions.

This has been an interesting post. We have sailed on Enchantment four times this year, which is great because it has Bolero's, which Grandeur does not. All four cruises have had excellent (outstanding) Latin trios. Sound level is not loud, but just right for the venue (open on one side to passersby from theater and casino). Centrum is not far, and is very open. Centrum has the party band, and they are always loud. Somehow the two never interfere with each other. And somehow this Bolero's, in our experience, has always had a good mix of singles, couples, big families, a couple of tots, but always respectful of listeners, dancers, mojito drinkers, and the rest. I guess I'm now even more grateful for the Enchantment crowd, and less likely to be interested in the bigger ships.

Thank you for the Sun Princess photos! The one of the sundeck brought back some great memories of the hours we spent there when she was StarShip Majestic, in 1991.

At what city does your ship dock?

It feels like paradise; unspoiled and beautiful. Views of the lovely aqua water everywhere. A recent visit to another island was the opposite. Noisy, filled with rides, buildings and more. We went, we saw, we returned to the ship. Personal preference, I'm sure, but Ocean Cay is the only one on which I ever got teary-eyed and said "It's just so beautiful".

We did a similar cruise on X a few years ago. On the sea days going there, there were activities such as hula lessons, ukelele lessons, jewelry making, etc. They helped me appreciate the islands. On the way back, we continued the classes, and gave a concert one day. Knowing HAL, I would imagine they do something along those lines; well worth participating in. In the end, I enjoyed the sea days, including on the way back, even more than the island days. The whole cruise was a wonderful experience.

I'm confused why you think you can only get a balcony with Aurea. (What ship are you planning to cruise on?) We booked Bella on Seaside, and got a nice balcony cabin. (Balconies were cheaper than OV at the time, so we took that even though we prefer OV.) We liked Bella because it has set dining times. Aurea pax have anytime dining. If you do Bella or Fantastica, and are not happy with the dining time you get, you can go to the dining room the day you board and request a change.

And a fabulous Latin band and great dance floor.

For those who enjoy walking, and if the weather is mild, I recommend walking at least partway across the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Not the bridge climb, but just up the steps and along the pedestrian walkway. One side is for walkers, the other for bicycles, both protected from the road traffic and trains in the middle. When I lived in Sydney I walked across most days; it was lovely. I assume it is still possible to do this. Locals, please advise if it is not.

That's good; it will be interesting to see how this can be done.

Where in Costa Rica? Puerto Limon?