JoeRum

I just drink the water on the ship. It's all filtered RO/ Desal and just fine. Just let the sink run for a few minutes before filling my Nalgene bottle. Last year on Brilliance out of Tampa I witnessed a gentleman carrying a case of water around for a couple of hours before getting access to his room. Poor guy.

Wow this might keep me from EVER cruising again. I can't believe that RCI won't let you stuff yourself in specialty dining. What is this world coming to? In other news, Royal Caribbean is rumored to be naming the next ship The Gluttony of the Seas.

Bravo Sir.

Well Said.

I don't understand why this is such a big deal. I don't need internet because I'm on vacation. All that this is going to lead to is a bunch of teenagers walking around like zombies with their faces down on their devices. :D

Yes Ken! My thoughts exactly! Put the phone away for a week. You can live with out it for a while. It will be there when you get home!

JoeRum

I go on a cruise so I can disconnect from the phone, email and everything. The brain goes through a complete relaxing time and reset. It will be there when I walk in the door when I get home.

An alarm clock so when you wake up in the middle of the night you know what time it is. Or in case you take a nap you can set an alarm and not over sleep.

We use the over the door shoe holder for holding all of our small stuff.

Residence inn hands down.

Just use your room key to lock the safe.

Instead of doing an RCCL tour to stingray city in Feb 2014 we went with Ebanks watersports and jet skied to Starfish beach and stingray city. It was a blast! If you like to ride jet skis I would highly recommend it. We are going back in Feb 2016. They do have a secure place to lock up your belongings.

Have a great cruise!

Do a search on Google or Bing or what ever search engine you like to use with the cabin # and ship name and you can find dozens of photo's. We had a center Aft Cabin on Brilliance last year and loved it.

We always rent a car from Budget and drive both ways. They have a shuttle from the car rental to the port. Very easy and you have the freedom to travel.

Yep, I wouldn't spend extra money to have that happen at dinner. I would have asked the Staff, If they did nothing then I would have asked the family myself.

We used to go out and dine with a couple many years ago. Then they had children and they let them run around and scream and stand up on the table and chairs. Needless to say that came to a screaming halt.

On the kid and family friendly Disney cruise line the upscale restaurant Palo does not allow children. No exceptions. Very classy and romantic and exceptional. As a premium dining experience should be.

We were on Brilliance in Feb 2014 (Tampa to Grand Cayman and Cozumel) Solarium was never open. It has a pool, and a hot tub. After 10 PM they covered and closed off the hot tub. Not sure why.

Congrats! To me if I had a cruddy view from my cabin it would mean more time away from my cabin enjoying every other veiw on the ship!

Last time I checked RCCL was a for profit company. They are trying to make as much money as the market will allow them to with the pricing structure. It is what it is. It will hit a point and level out or come back down if they cannot fill the cabins. To me its a matter of finding the right cruise at the right time. Its still cheaper than many of the all inclusive resorts I have looked at.

Happy sailing everyone!

On our first cruise we booked an interior state room. We found ourselves sleeping really late. Since then, we have had an ocean view and balcony rooms and loved them.

We are going on Independence in Feb 2015 for an 8 day cruise we decided to save some $$ and go with a promenade room instead of a ocean view room. No way we will go with an interior room. Too dark.

We were on Brilliance in Feb 2014. Going back again in Feb 2016. Loved the ship. Never ate at Rita's. We ate at Chops, Giovanni's and Chef's table. One recommendation if you do the Chef's table. Make sure they do not have Karaoke scheduled at the same time.

Our favorite Bartender was Andrea from Romania at the "R" bar.

We had an Aft cabin and loved it. When eating at the windjammer go outside and walk all the way aft for a great view outside.

The Quest and the Love and Marriage show are also a must!

Enjoy!

Switch it up! Cozumel and better yet Grand Cayman!

ON Grand Cayman a jet ski tour to Starfish beach and then Stingray City cannot be beat. We were there in Feb 2014 and we are taking our Daughters back there in Feb 2016.

Cozumel is a blast too.

I was on Brilliance in Feb 2014. They were handing out tender tickets. RCCL tours had first priority. Then anyone else based on the tickets you had. We were on #7. It went real quick. Don't get too worried about it.

Yes, it is worth it. No need to worry about what you've spent. You can try a new drink. Don't like it? Get something different, no worries.

No matter what ship are on you will love the western cruise. Cozumel and Grand Cayman are my favorite ports.

Ebanks water sports on Grand Cayman. Jetskit to Stingray City and starfish beach is a blast.

Cozumel we have done a beach day. But I have heard from several sources the Bar tour on a bus is a party to not miss.

Our second Royal Caribbean Cruise was on the Brilliance Feb 2014. We loved the size and layout of the ship. We had an Aft Balcony room. Awesome! Steve Davis was the Cruise Director. It seemed some of the time there were gaps in activities. Sometimes the staff was not that engaging. Sail away they were kind of a dud. We enjoyed the R bar very much and out favorite Bartender Andre from Romania.

We went to Chef's Table one night for Dinner, but a bit of a snafu, they had Karaoke going on right outside of the dining area and many of those singing were ruining the experience.

But, we had a great time going from Tampa to Cozumel and Grand Cayman so much so that we have just booked a return trip for Feb 2016 and we are bringing our Adult Daughters. (they don't know it yet)

My wife and I have sailed on Monarch and Brilliance. We loved them both. We sailed Monarch just before it was retired. Yes it was a little worn and dated but it was expected on a ship that was going away. We would sail it again, we had a great time! Going up a couple of classes we will sail on Independence in March of 2015. I don't think I really want to go on the supersized ships, I'd have to work my way up to them I think. No matter what, If the ship is sailing, the weather is great, the food is good and the party is on, there can be no complaints from me!

Holiday inn express has always been good for me. I travel 30 to 40 weeks a year and stay in them all over the country without a problem. A very decent hotel at a decent price. They have a decent breakfast in the morning as well.I do know that they offer a shuttle to the hotel from the airport. Its a short taxi ride to the cruise port from the hotel.

Info below.

Holiday Inn Express

Fort Lauderdale Airport Cruise terminal

1500 SE 17th Street Causeway

Fort Lauderdale , Florida

United States 33316

Hotel Front Desk: 1-954-7282577

I'll add "If you CAN walk up one flight, PLEASE TRY IT". My God. It's one thing if you really cannot. But for a family of 6 to get on and push the next floor? Totally get it if you need assistance, if you're in heels (formal nights always excluded), of if you're completely hungover, but you could TRY to climb ONE flight....

My wife took a spill in heels down a flight of stairs this year on Brilliance. Luckily she was not injured and as she put it "no one saw me fall".

I had a kid get on the elevator with his parents and they let him push nearly every button before realizing what he was doing. Oh the urge to smack the back of someone's head......

Just lurking here a bit. Wow, a lot of information you have to keep up on to keep this current. My hat's off to you.