JillLovesTravel

Thanks for the info!

We plan on taking advantage of the free shuttles, but we will probably cab it to the port. From what I can find I think that would be the cheaper, and probably more convenient choice for 8 people.

 

Is there something in the area that could entertain kids (7-14 years old)?

Yes, there is a Dave and Buster's very close by. Most 7-14 year olds I know love that place.

I believe we are going to stay at the Hyatt Place in Dania Beach for a day or two prior to our September cruise on the Allure. My mom will be traveling with us and she has enough points to get us some free nights, so I can't complain about the price!

 

Anyone have any experience with this hotel?

Yes. This is a very nice hotel. Rooms were spacious and comfortable. They include a complimentary hot breakfast in the morning. There is a very casual bar restaurant just off the lobby. Food was moderately priced as were the drinks. Food was good.

They have a complimentary shuttle to/from the airport. They also will shuttle you (complimentary) to nearby restaurants/shopping.

They provide a shuttle to the cruise port for a per person charge. Don't quote me, but I believe it was $8 pp.

As a minimum, bring 2 bottles of your desired wine on board at embarkation. We plan on doing the Premium package on our spring break cruise but I also plan on bringing my own wine and bubbly on board. DH likes wine with dinner so he can just carry a glass into the MDR and deal with a house wine refill if he needs one. Our family is split across 3 cabins with only two adults but we plan on carrying on our 2 bottles per cabin anyway :)

If you only have two people 21 or older you will only be allowed 2 bottles (or 4 bottles if the two adults are in separate cabins). Bringing 6 bottles would be against the rules but you may get away with it. But be prepared to have some of your wine confiscated if you are caught.

Thank you very much to the OP for taking the time to post the information about the new menus.

Hate to be a negative Nelly, but I was very excited when I heard the news about the possibility of RCL upgrading their food quality and menu choices. Sorry if I am among those not too happy with the apparent results so far.

We were on Oasis earlier this summer and only ate in the Dining Room 2 nights (oh and we did My Time and pre-paid our tips in case anyone attacks us for skipping the last night and avoiding paying tips, lol). We decided to eat in the MDR on both formal nights thinking that is when they usually have the best Menus. On all other nights we did Chefs Table, 150 Park, Chops two nights and Giovanni's. Needless to say we were extremely let down with the quality of the food in the MDR after eating in the other venues.

Let me explain that we have been on over 20 Royal Caribbean cruises, we are

D+ and get those amenities. For a relatively small amount of money we can upgrade our dining experience and will continue to do so in the future when we cruise alone or with friends. The discounts afforded us and the free nightly happy hour more than make up the difference in cost for the two of us to dine exclusively in the specialty restaurants. That is probably the result of the RCL

marketing strategy.

Thanks Jill! When was your cruise?

Just this past June. The bar waiter at the pool told us to keep the cooler and bring it on our next Oasis or Allure cruise. We plan on doing just that.

Have a great cruise!

We've seen on other threads that there is a beer cooler special on some ships' date=' the Oasis being one of them. Has anyone been on the Oasis recently and seen this available? I believe you buy the cooler with eight or so beers for $40, then you can get it refilled for $29.[/quote']

 

Yes, not sure of the exact price, think it was just shy of $40 to buy the cooler with eight beers. Once you have the cooler, you pay@25 for a refill of 8 beers. Works out to @ $3 a beer. You can't get all beers though. Think it was just domestic Budweiser products.

 

Also once you own the cooler you can bring it on either the Oasis or Allure on future cruises and reuse it for the $25 refill price.

Just finished reading your review Lara. One of the most enjoyable I've read. Loved the Fashionista viewpoint! You looked great, and you got everything into one suitcase!

I hope you have just as much fun on your upcoming NCL cruise. Thanks for posting your review.

So Brmoqueen, you're okay with kids in the CL during cocktail hour, right. I just want to make sure that you agree that if the rules allow something, it is okay with you.

I was just thinking the same thing about her post!

My mother and I attended the character breakfast last May on the Allure and a group of four of us attended again in Sept on Allure. We did not have children with us but enjoy these characters as they are for all ages as another poster already stated. The reservations open up at the same time for all cruisers, so everyone has the same opportunity to book. Do not see anything wrong with adults choosing to reserve, we had a wonderful time and will probably book it again next time we are on a ship that offers it.

 

I also agree with a previous poster who said that we are comparing two completely different things. Exposing Children to an adults lounge with alchohol is not something I would think any cruise line would allow.

They serve alcohol in the MDR and the Windjammer. What are children supposed to do, only eat room service in their cabins?