rncruiser

We were on Odyssey Christmas week. There were many large family groups and they were accommodated with long rectangular tables. It made the dining room look less elegant than usual but it seemed like everyone was able to get the table size they needed.

I have never had a problem with the regular coffee that is served. As far as I know they serve Seattle’s Best, which is owned by Starbucks. I much prefer it over Starbucks as it is not bitter.

I just logged into Celebrity for the first time ever. I used my RCI log in. I then enrolled in the Captains Club. I am currently Diamond on RCI. I am now listed as Elite on Celebrity with zero points.

No matter how healthy you are, you never know what can happen. I would never leave the country without trip interruption insurance. Many years ago my then 12 year old nephew had to go to the ER in Bermuda and then be airlifted back to the US. The doctors in Bermuda could not manage his severe acute illness. Luckily they had trip cancellation insurance. It covered the ships medical charges, the charges for the hospital in Bermuda, the airlifting back to the states, airfare from Bermuda to the US for the rest of the family, and many other expenses. It was well worth it.

I live in Queens, not far from Flushing. There are many authentic Chinese restaurants there. My family goes to a great hot pot restaurant called Spring Shabu Shabu. We’ve been to a couple of others but this one is the best we have found. Unfortunately it is not too close to the subway.

There is generally a continental breakfast available in the morning. I only went once years ago so can’t comment on what was there or the hours. In the evening there are appetizers. On Odyssey in December there were generally 4 hot items such as egg rolls, chicken skewers, samosas, or shrimp. There was a selection of cheeses. Also some cold appetizers such as shrimp and other items on pieces of bread. There were chocolate covered strawberries every evening and also some small desserts. i was surprised to find out that there were also small sandwiches available throughout the day. I have never seen or heard about that before. Maybe it was because it was the Christmas week sailing. Or maybe it is unique to Odyssey.

You have now become a twice a year family. There is no going back. 😀

Harry, maybe you can keep posting addendums and this thread will go on for months, or even years. You can keep us informed on your planning for NYC, and then of course post your detailed trip report here. I doubt that those of us who have been following along will mind.

Or you could bring your sea pass card from a previous cruise.

To me it doesn’t matter how “spacious” an interior is. I would take a teeny tiny balcony any day. I’m not a big fan of the Boardwalk balconies since I prefer to see the ocean, but it’s still preferable to an interior. And yes, I have done both.

On my very first cruise many years ago my suitcase had not shown up by sail away. Back then you were supposed to put your cruise luggage tags on before checking your bag and the cruise line took the suitcase from your destination to the ship. In other words, you did not see your suitcase until it showed up in your cabin. Well, our direct flight from JFK got canceled and we ended up on a connecting flight to Orlando. Needless to say, we were worried about our suitcases making it to the ship. Would the cruise line workers be looking for luggage coming from Orlando? Who flies from Orlando to Miami for a cruise? When I finally saw my suitcase in a crowd of suitcases I ran over and gave it a hug. My suitcase got love from me that evening.

Just make sure you do self-departure so you can be off the ship early. I would recommend getting off by 8 am

We found out that the guest performer was a singer who lost his voice about half way through the first show that evening.

I’ve been to Labadee probably at least 10 times over many years. It has certainly changed a lot. Back in the day, mid-80’s, it was pretty much just a beach day with not much else going on, except for the vendors of course. I have never been one for water sports or zip lines so for me it is still just a beach day, though one I have always enjoyed. I am content spending a few hours floating on a mat. Of course they were originally only $5 each. On my next cruise I will be going to Coco Cay. It will only be my 3rd time there. Of course that has changed the most. But I will still just be floating.

I recommend making a reservation for the earliest time currently available. When we were on Odyssey recently we were unable to get the times we wanted for MTD. We showed up at our preferred time anyway and were told to get in the line for those with reservations. Each night we were seated right away and they usually were able to seat us with the same wait staff.

We were on Odyssey Christmas week. Besides the obvious holiday theming, there was Caribbean night and a White night. You don’t need to dress for either if you don’t want to. There are probably more people who don’t dress for the theme nights than those who do. Same goes for formal nights.

I agree that the port area in Aruba is not much compared to Curaçao. Most of the nightlife in Aruba is near the hotels. We stayed at a hotel on Palm Beach last year and just a short walk from the hotel there was a large shopping area with stores, restaurants and a movie theater. There was also a plaza with free entertainment every evening. While not particularly beautiful it was definitely lively and fun.

I cruised RCI starting in the early 80’s before the current Crown and Anchor program. I had to send them proof of my previous cruises and was able to get credit for them. Luckily i had things like pics with the ships name on them and pics with the ship in the background. Now after so many cruises I don’t take as many pics.

I know the NYC subway system has had a lot of bad press about crime but I rode the subway every day for 43 years to get to and from work and never experienced any crime.

Best away around NYC is subway. We make it a habit never to drive into Manhattan. There is way too much traffic and street parking is near impossible. There are plenty of parking garages but they are incredibly expensive. While Manhattan is walkable, it is very big so getting from point A to point B, esp in the summer heat, may not be desirable.

I was on Odyssey Christmas week when it was sailing at 125% capacity. Our check in time was 1:30. We arrived at Port Everglades at 10:30 and had no trouble checking in immediately.

I haven’t been on a Voyager class ship for many years, but on those ships Cafe Promenade always had slices of pizza and small sandwiches, as well as desserts and fruit. On ships with Sorrentos the pizza has been removed from the Cafe Promenade. Since Mariner does not have a Sorrentos, I would assume that Cafe Promenade still has pizza.

Looking for runners is one of my husband’s favorite port activities. He was very disappointed that there were none to be found this cruise. I had already warned him that it would be unlikely there would be any due to the later port departure times, but he remained hopeful.

I am booked on Enchantment. The current prices for specialty dining are as follows: Chops Grille lunch 26.99 Chops Grille dinner 55.99 Chef’s Table dinner 94.99 All prices are per person. An 18% gratuity is automatically added. Also remember that this does not include any alcohol or other beverages.

I wish…