exercisemama

On 11/20/2019 at 5:57 PM, HangryGrl said:

We used Go Port Canaveral last December and had a good experience.  We stayed at the Hampton Inn Gateway Village.  Cost of the whole thing (hotel and port transport to and from) on Go Port Canaveral was the same price as just the hotel would have been.  The hotel had a shuttle from the airport and they would also take you anywhere within 2 miles (I think 2 but maybe 5) of the hotel.  There were plenty of food options within walking distance as well (2 or 3 just across the parking lot).  Go Port Canaveral picked us up in a touring type bus the next morning and took us to the port, then to the airport when we returned.  Simplest stay and transfer we have ever had cruising!

 

https://www.goport.com/

Is this the same Hampton Inn Cocoa Beach? 

On 10/24/2019 at 9:57 PM, Jim and Monika said:

It's been some time since we have sailed out of Miami. We prefer to fly Southwest which brings us into FLL. We will be coming the day before our cruise which does not sail until 6 pm. the next day. We are looking for advice on whether to stay in FLL area (which we prefer) or Miami. We will need transportation from the airport to the hotel, and then to the port. We are looking for any advice to make it as seamless as possible while also saving some money along the way.

Thanks in advance

We had the same issue in July. We ended up staying at the Marriott in Hollywood beach and took an Uber to the POM! I would definitely recommend this!

14 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Are you referring to Simeon?  He is wonderful!

I actually forgot his name! Was Simeon the opener?

On 11/8/2019 at 11:16 PM, molsonschooner said:

same show but it might seem a bit different, depending on audience and comedian interaction

It’s probably the same show and we enjoyed the opening comedian much better than the main act!

On 11/10/2019 at 4:19 PM, Tess2326 said:

for us it was 5.30 pm.. far too early...

We also had a 530 my time and found it to be much too early! We ended up usually eating around 6:00, which was perfect for getting to the shows at 8!

1 hour ago, Jesseslola said:

Exercise mama, did you do a review? I would just want to see how you enjoyed your cruise.

 

John&LaLa, I am looking forward to his “live” review. Enjoyed them thoroughly...eh!,

 I didn’t write a review. This was our first time on this class and first time taking our 2 teenage boys. We had ocean balcony cabins next to each other on deck 7. I don’t usually take the elevators, so it was convenient for the dining room, but a hike for the buffet and the pools!

We really liked the shows and the variety of food options that were included. The pools were very crowded, so if you want chairs together you need to get down there very early! 

18 minutes ago, Jesseslola said:

My post is okay, just my title. Anyways, thank you for the thread. I just checked it out.

We just sailed on the Symphony in July. I’d be happy to answer any questions! 

11 hours ago, paross4 said:

Just got word from Southwest Airlines that our flight home from Fort Lauderdale has been moved from 13:45 to 18:00 on December 4th.  Changing flights or flying home a different day is not an option for us, thus we have some time to kill.

 

Any suggestions on what to do while killing time in Fort Lauderdale for a few hours?  

 

Our current plan is to Uber/Lyft from the port to the airport and grab a rental car for the day.  (so we don't have to hang around the airport or schlep around town dragging our suitcases)

This assumes that an Uber/Lyft/taxi would take us to the arrivals area to get the car.  We could grab a rental closer to the port, but they add $50 to drop it off at a different location (i. e. the airport).

 

Thanks

 

 

We had a 5:15 flight out of FLL. We Ubered  from the port to The Atlantic Hotel, and spent the day there. 

13 minutes ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

I would say that this is true on just about every cruise ship in the Caribbean.

I was just surprised they didn’t have more of the umbrellas!!

19 hours ago, Merion_Mom said:

 

Where did it feel really crowded?

 

When did it feel really crowded?

 

We cruised on the Symphony in July and I felt it was very crowded at all of the pools on the sea days. I wish the beach pool had more umbrellas. All three of the umbrellas were pretty much taken by 8:30 every morning!!

On 6/24/2019 at 10:49 AM, socialworker said:

How crazy does it get at the pier during disembarkation with everyone waiting for their UBER?  I'm guessing this would also be one of those "prime times" when the basic rates are increased.  Yes or no?

We this in July and it was very crazy and hectic waiting for an Uber at the POM to FLL. It was also expensive, $102 for an UberXL!

3 hours ago, DiamondDiva said:

This is all very helpful and the kids will be happy.  Thought it was possible, but wanted to be certain my info was correct before passing it on to them. 

 

Yes, I should not be surprised if someone does go for a more "exotic" (to them) food item. That IS one of the benefits of cruising...a chance to try something new, be it an activity, a culture, a food, etc and still have something familiar around if you need it. 

We 2 teenage boys and they ordered entrees & desserts from the adult menu. One night my 19-year-old order the chicken noodle soup from kids menu for his appetizer! 

On 8/15/2019 at 3:01 PM, bouhunter said:

A perfectly fine choice.  Now you can stop stressing

 We actually had a similar dilemma and traveled with two teenage boys last month! We left Rochester New York and had a layover at BWI. We flew to Fort Lauderdale and Ubered to Hollywood Beach for 2 nights pre cruise. We then took an Uber to the port of Miami the morning of our cruise!

3 hours ago, oceanblue33 said:

So sorry Symphony if the Seas

 We had my time dining on the symphony in July and we were on deck 4.

1 hour ago, AshleyDillo said:

 

Wipeout is where El Loco Fresh was on Symphony.

So no Loco Fresh on Harmony?

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

Oh yeah...forgot about that one.  Though on one of my Oasis cruises...one of the Jewish groups had taken that over totally for the entire cruise for their Kosher meals.  No one outside the group allowed all week.  

What is Wipeout?  That wasn’t on our Symphony cruise.

4 hours ago, red-dragon said:

We haven't cruised (or had a vacation) in 9 years, and our upcoming sailing will be a real treat for us, even though we'll be on a budget.

 

I read on RCI what is included, and we're not interested in water slides, cabana or swimming ... just a few questions.

 

We plan to walk around, take a lot of pictures (I love photography), eat at the complimentary shacks and visit the straw market.

 

1.  The private island looks huge!  How long would it take to walk around and see most of it?  I just need an idea so I can book some other things back on board.

 

2.  Is the straw market worth purchasing from, or is it all over priced?

 

3.  Are there complimentary drinks on the island (water, iced tea, tea or coffee)?  Do we bring our own bottles or do they have plastic glasses?

 

4.  Chairs and umbrellas are complimentary, but are they hard to find, unless we get there asap?  

 

5.  If the both of us get up to walk around, grab a drink or bite to eat, will our towels be okay?  We are responsible for them, so I'm a bit concerned if we'll have to roam around individually, while one person stays behind.  I know they have lockers for our personal items, and we would never leave anything valuable behind.  

 

6.  Are there any problems with holding our chairs and umbrella if we do walk around together?  

 

Thanks so much!

We left our 4 towels and chairs at the Oasis Lagoon area to all go eat lunch together. I took my tote bag with the sunscreen with me. The straw market is very close, many have the same souvenirs.

On 8/8/2019 at 12:57 PM, joyhannah said:

Can anyone tell me if there  is a made to order Asian station on the Symphony 

in the windjammer buffet?

I know they have them on carnival ships but never seen one on Royal Caribbean

 

If they do have one can you tell me what the offerings are, is this station everyday?

what is the procedure?

Did you like it?

 

 I just had that on our cruise last month and it was delicious!!  I took a picture of it but I’m not sure if I can figure out how to put it on here!

4 hours ago, erlyvon said:

With your resort for a day booking what was available for changing clothes, showering etc.?

Unfortunately they wouldn’t give us a room. There were bathrooms with a shower near the pool. We didn’t use the shower. We put a change of clothes into our backpacks to kept with us while they stored our luggage. 

22 hours ago, Gardener5b said:

We will have a late flight out of FLL, and was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for day rooms?  Or other suggestions on how to spend a day (we'll have our luggage to deal with).  Has anyone ever booked through dayuse.com?

 

Appreciate any and all suggestions.

 We just did this at the Atlantic resort and spa. 

On 7/14/2019 at 6:15 PM, travelingduo said:

Is there a designated area to meet Uber/Lyft drivers for transfers to the airport?

 We just did this July 20 and there is a designated ride share spot. It was very expensive to go to Fort Lauderdale, we paid $102 for an Uber XL.

4 hours ago, Goplayball said:

The only 3oz bottles I have found are the high spf ones. I don't need that much. I'm sure they are expensive. That's why I was wondering if a store is within walking distance. Thank you tho.

 You could buy empty travel 3 ounce containers and fill them with any sunscreen.

On 8/17/2016 at 10:57 PM, constable145 said:

 

 

Two things.

 

1. No.

 

2. Does it matter? I get in the highly unlikely occurrence of a Concordia type event you want to be close with everyone in your party. That being said, there seems to be a lot if muster station related threads on CC. I don't get it.

On Symphony the G muster station was at the aqua theater. Also was on our set sail pass.

On 7/13/2019 at 10:05 PM, oceaniacruiserri said:

We will have carry on suitcases. Any ideas where to hang out for 6 hrs or so that won't be terribly crowded on a Sunday? Don't want to ride a HOHO bus. Haven't been very successful finding day rates at hotels. Thanks:)

 We had the same exact issue a couple of weeks ago.  I booked resort for a day in Fort Lauderdale at the Atlantic Resort and Spa. We got off of the symphony at 9:30 with our luggage and called for an Uber. We spent the day by the pool and ate lunch there too. We walked about a mile down the beach to all the little shops for some souvenirs.

On 7/22/2019 at 8:50 PM, J80crew said:

Are the meals in the bistro adults-only?  I’d like to go there but will have a tween in tow. 

We went with our 17 year old son. There were families in there.