CleveRocks

We were in and out of the water at Nellie's Beach and I found no need to wear shoes on the beach or in the water. But there are some people who always prefer water shoes anyway. I live at the beach (in New Jersey) and I'm always barefoot in the water, but there are some who wear shoes.

I'm sitting on Allure of the Seas now ... Deck 5, Adagio dining room, awaiting disembarkation. I rented a Nellie's Beach over the water cabana this past Tuesday.

I got EVERYTHING I was entitled to as someone who booked prior to October 4, 2013: the six 1-liter bottles of Evian on ice in a Coleman cooler; two floating mats; ship's blue pool towels for use while there; and yes, access to the buffet at Barefoot Beach (you each get a wristband placed on you that says "CABANAS VIP" which is what the security guard needs to see to allow you into Barefoot Beach).

So all's well that ends well.

But I didn't think it was going to work out that way.

I received an email (as posted earlier) stating that since I booked before October 4 blah blah blah .... One of the statements in the email said we would receive the wristbands in our stateroom. We received the ticket/voucher but no wristbands. I didn't realize this until early Monday (first full day at sea, dat before arrival at Labadee). I asked at Guest Services but they told me I need to take it up with Shore Excursions.

The line at the Shore Excursions desk was prohibitively huge, and I didn't like the idea of having to wait in line because of the cruise line's error. So I phoned Guest Services and they eventually transferred my call to ShoreEx.

They had trouble understanding my situation and they got me to Tiana, Allure's ShoreEx manager. She assured me we would get the wristbands at Labadee itself (and she was correct).

She was eager to see that email because she was concerned I was the first of many to receive that inaccurate information about the wristbands being left for me in my stateroom. She tried to get me a short amount of wi-fi so I could show her the email, but when that didn't work (I got it, but I was unable to forward the email to her) she came to my cabin to take a photo of the email on my iPad screen.

I was just there days ago. You can tip individual employees and you can buy goods from individual vendors, but there's no way while there to donate goods to charitable organizations.

Renae,

No changes in western (which I'm technically still on ... got breakfast in Windjammer but now I'm back hiding in bed), but others have reported time changes for the eastern.

Isn't Allure scheduled back in port each Sunday at 4:45 a.m. Both last Sunday (when I eagerly watched from Embassy Suites) and today (as I hide under the covers dreading the view of the pier out my balcony door) she didn't arrive until about 5:15 a.m.

No noticeable construction noise. We slept great.

On Allure now, just docked (5:30 a..m.), resisting getting out of bed yet.

A waiter (admittedly, hardly the best source) told us Allure and Oasis are switching their dry dock schedules due to what he called "the engine problem." He said all crew were informed its Allure in 2014 and Oasis in 2015.

We usually sailed at about 15 knots, never saw much above 19.

Lots of very noticeable forward and backward rocking, very very visible in the pools. Lots of people commented. I rather liked the feeling.

Yes, right now the work is visible only in the breakfast buffet half of the atrium; the restaurant and lounge area of the atrium remains untouched (or perhaps was already worked on and has been completed). In addition to the large breakfast area, the adjacent meeting rooms on that side of the ground floor have been gutted and are being rebuilt.

So we're in the midst of a kitchen renovation at home right now. Lots of dust and noise and that tell-tale smell. It was exactly the same when we walked on the ground floor from the back elevators to the side exit door. We were more amused than bothered. This route we took is not a required walk, and in fact if we didn't know this hotel as well as we do we probably wouldn't have know that this route was even available. And they're evidently doing a good job of controlling the dust, because its limited to that exact area.

The complimentary breakfast buffet is temporarily housed in the restaurant/lounge area.

Lots of first world problems in this thread.

... said the wealthy American who bought a computer and has time to lurk around a website dedicated to luxury vacationing.

 

The ship is an awesome ship with great shows, wonderful crew and fabulous things to keep you busy all day long. Maybe focus on the good and not so much on the "shortened port days"! ;)

Before I explain why I disagree with you, let me first explain that I'm sailing a Western itinerary three days from now, and therefore these problems and changes won't apply to me.

Back in the planning stages for this cruise, we knew exactly what week we has available and we knew we wanted Oasis class. So for this week coming up, Oasis is doing Eastern and Allure is doing Western.

We were on Allure last year so we know what a great destination the ship itself is. But we chose this upcoming cruise BASED ON THE SHORE EXCURSIONS. I took a pad of paper and wrote down for each cruise all of the shore excursions we'd have realistic possibility of choosing for each port. Based on the shore excursion experiences available to us, THAT is how I came to choose taking Allure this Sunday versus Oasis this Saturday.

And I had a very strong opinion in favor of the Western itinerary because of the excursions available. Same with my wife and each of my two kids.

So now you should understand why I couldn't so cavalierly dismiss the shortened port days. If my chosen shore excursions aren't available, then the reason I booked one cruise over another becomes meaningless.

Yeh, I'd be VERY disappointed if my reason for choosing a certain cruise got taken away!

I sail three days from now. I never contacted Royal Caribbean about anything regarding the changes in amenities. Not a peep from me.

So totally unsolicited, I received this e-mail today (I added the bold and color for emphasis):

We are looking forward to welcoming you onboard Allure of the Seas® for your upcoming cruise vacation!

We want to confirm that your private cabana at Nellie's Beach awaits you upon arrival to Labadee®. Your cabana rental includes 2 floating beach mats, water cooler with 6 bottles of water, the use of beach towels and the service of a cabana attendant. Also, because you reserved your cabana prior to October 4th, 2013 you will also have access to an upgraded lunch buffet at Barefoot Beach. You will receive additional information along with wristbands in your stateroom.

While in Labadee, you will be able to enjoy any of the destination's many features, including a Haitian artisan market, an extensive array of watersports options, as well as exciting attractions such as the 2,600-foot Dragon's Breath Flight Line, the world's longest zip line over water, the 300-foot Dragon's Splash Waterslide, and the Dragon's Tail Alpine Coaster.

These activities are very popular, so in order to ensure you make the most of your day at Labadee, visit Royalcaribbean.com/shoreexcursions today!

We can't wait to welcome you onboard.

Your Royal Caribbean Team

I'll be boarding Allure in about 88 hours from now. So will BND. We're sailing a Western itinerary. But if the ship feels any different, I'm sure both of us will end up posting here about it.

I'm no cruising expert, but I was on Allure last August/September for a hurricane-shortened cruise. It was supposed to be a 7-day Western but it ended up a 5-day what they called simply "Caribbean" cruise, one stop in Cozumel and one stop in Nassau.

Loved our stop in Nassau, by the way. It was my first time in the Bahamas since Coco Cay all the way back in 1993. Since this was a hybrid itinerary, we had a relatively long stop at Nassau (something like 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) We spent a nice long day at Atlantis ... enjoying Aquaventure, taking in the cool aquarium, enjoying the beautiful beach and ocean, etc.

It was one of the highlights of our cruise.

We are leaving on the Allure this morning and on our Roll Call I asked one of our CC members on a BB and he said that the port time scheduled was not changed. So maybe whatever it was repaired. :D

Good luck and Bon voyage!

If and when you can, please post an update, I'll be eternally grateful. :D

I'm crossing my fingers that my cruise that leaves NEXT SUNDAY will be unaffected.

Last year our Allure cruise was cut short by 2 days due to a hurricane, and we made it to only one of our three scheduled ports. I sure hope we make it to all three this time! I'm hoping some people have more information over the next few days.

I stayed at Embassy Suites 17th Street last year, and I'm staying there again this year.

Not only is it a nice property, but the size of the room (a 2-room suite) came in handy for us last year. Our Allure cruise was delayed by 2 days due to Hurricane Isaac, so being stuck in stormy Fort Lauderdale (businesses closed) for about 2.5 days with 2 kids, it made it so much more livable to have two rooms to stitch out in.

So, these machines sound great, but if you are in a show or bar can you still order a soda included on your package?

These few machines are just an extra-added bonus. The existence of these machines doesn't in any way change how and where you can get sodas onboard. It's not like they are the only way you can get a soda on the ship; nothing else has changed.

Good news about switching flavors, thanks for setting me straight.

I like Diet Coke with a splash of Cherry Coke....boring but yummy!!

My favorites are ... 1/2 Coke and 1/2 Mello Yello.

From what I understand, you won't be able to make those combinations on your Royal Caribbean ship.

On board, the Freestyle machine is activated by a RFID chip in the souvenir soda package cup. You get to make one selection. There is an amount of time you must wait until you can use it again. If you take a small amount and then try to change flavors, the machine will think you are trying to get a second serving and it won't allow you to do that until a certain amount of time has passed. I read 14 minutes but I can't vouch for that.

Yes, also hope someone comes back and reports on the situation first hand. That is a totally new procedure.

I'm not paying for Internet during the cruise, so don't expect a report until Nov. 10 or after.

I've not yet had the pleasure of using one of those machines on a ship yet, but I'll be doing so in 25 days.

But here at home, as a DIET soda drinker, I enjoy the simple pleasures of the Fanta Zero flavors. In versions that are only 10 or 15 calories per 8 oz. serving, I can get a raspberry soda, a lime soda, a cherry soda, etc.

I have one rented for next month. I'll argue for at least some onboard credit after the fact. It's fraud for them to sell me something and then provide me with less than what I paid for. I just read about it here, but this is just rumor. If I'm not notified by the company in advance of the cancel deadline, I can successfully argue for a reduced fee.

Before suggesting what you should do, we need to know what you like to do. Do you like active adventure activities? Tours? Beaches? Shopping?

You may not be as way high up as you think. Central Park is on Deck 7, if memory serves, so you are only five floors above, not 12 floors above.

You let us know how that works out for you. You seem way overconfident. "Affluent" travelers are the hardest to please and expect so much more from everyone they deal with. Being a TA to affluent travelers isn't for the faint of heart. They will expect you to be available 24/7, no questions asked. Our TA good friends immediately answer the phone for their "affluent" clients, wherever they are, whatever they're doing. They've done it when they've been out to dinner with us. But, they also answer the phone whenever DH and I call, except when they're in church, because we are their good friends. But, their bread and butter is the everyday business traveler, not their vacation ones.

 

Revenue is not profit. It's just the money that comes in. Believe me, money will go out. There are business expenses that are unforseen. To keep customers, TA's routinely give up money. Also, if you want to build a business, word of mouth isn't enough. You will have to market your business. Ever take any business courses? Do a business plan?

Thank you for the well-reasoned response. :-)

As a therapist for the past 25 years, I'm definitely no stranger to dealing with demanding people, having things pop up so that my time is not always my own (and my wife is a physician, so she's quite understanding of those demands), and running a small business.

I've treated trauma patients for 25 years. I'm not afraid of hard work, difficult people and all-in commitment. I'm just looking forward to the subject matter being a bit less negative, a bit less life and death.

Plus, as a board member of two charities, I have experience in getting people to part with their money for a good reason.

If everyone was afraid to try something new and see something differently and take some risks, we'd all still be living in dark caves.

You better really enjoy it then because you won't be making much money.

I don't want to go onto details, but I've researched my market and I'm confident that I could have $30,000 in annual revenue without doing any marketing beyond talking with friends. That's a nice base to build from, and I'm optimistic that build I will ... of course I can't make a living off only people I now know, and that's what's good marketing plan is for. Again, I've researched my market, I'm not just crossing my fingers and blindly hoping for the best.

We're talking about affluent folks who go on luxury vacations an average of four times per year, people who are hungering for a travel agent to LISTEN to them and suggest ideas and then do all the work to bring those ideas to life. These are folks who don't want to do any work to look for their travel (like on the Internet) and who, like me, are disappointed and annoyed by our local brick-and-mortar travel agents who have no creativity or energy and just continue to suggest the same lame things either because that's all they know or they just don't care.

I'm sure I'm in a unique circumstance with where I am (in terms of my access to the market I'm targeting) and who I am (my skill set), I'm not saying this would work for everyone everywhere.

But just because an industry has been left for dead doesn't mean there's no money to be made. The light bulb pretty much killed the candle industry, but just three days ago Yankee Candle was bought out for about $2 BILLION. Vinyl records were pronounced dead in the 1980s, but I have a friend who makes a killing selling vinyl right now in his boardwalk shop. It's a small niche market but he knows how to serve it nimbly, profitably, and well.

I intend to do the same.

In the near future I'll be changing careers and opening a travel agency. I'm never going to capture the folks who are okay with going to the Internet and booking things themselves. The niche I'll be targeting are those who desire advice and counsel about where to go and what to do while there.

Someone who knows they want to sail on Allure of the Seas on a western Caribbean itinerary won't be my target. My target will be someone who is looking for "a cruise" but isn't sure about the dizzying array of options (in their view) and wants guidance about which line, which ship, which itinerary, etc. Or someone who doesn't know what they want, they just want sun and fun.

I'm going to target affluent folks, and I'm going to rely on local networking and personal service.