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2 hours ago, Toddcan said:

I'm probably the 1 in 100 on a cruise who doesn't drink alcohol, so if I had a (small) wish I could make happen is that I had the option to have a soda package in place of the 4 free drinks per day.  I love the freestyle machines due to the variety of diet sodas (Loving the Diet Dr. Pepper with a shot of cherry).  Yes, I can get my 4 sodas from any bar, but I am limited to Diet Coke/Zero. 

 

Probably a pain the butt to manage from the ship side - but alas, that would be awesome.    

Depending upon the ship, it is always worth the ask at a bar.

I’m remembering Radiance and maybe Liberty solariums.

(They don’t have freestyle machines)

I commented to the bartender that I wished for Diet Dr Pepper, a 2-liter from the back was produced and kept on hand. Yes, I did give him a nice tip. 

3 minutes ago, GTO-Girl said:

In January we are going from the Utopia to the Adventure.  We are parking at Terminal 1 for Utopia so when that cruise is over we are going over to Southern Charm and have breakfast and then driving to Terminal 5 and parking there for the Adventure

Thanks. I appreciate your input. It might be the easiest.

2 hours ago, bajathree said:

I would leave you car at friends condo to save on parking if possible and Uber to the port and back to condo after.

Thanks for the reply and would be a possibility if the condo were closer to port. It is about an hour (67miles). Heading home we will self disembark and go. 

We have our first side to side booked in October. (Adventure to Utopia)

We don’t need hotel (friend’s condo for precruise - New Smyrna).

Driving to port morning of first cruise - Adventure

Do we need to move our car from one terminal to the next? 
Are we better off parking off site? 
Does Royal have a shuttle or do we catch a cab? 
Suggestions? 
Thanks in advance! 

Yes! crackers are definitely needed! 

Thanks @Tree_skier
I remembered Freedom leaving and we were coming in the next day on Adventure.
I don’t remember the other ships that were circling. 

6 hours ago, cello56 said:

We will be on Allure next week and will be at CoCo Cay for Independence Day on Thursday. Does anyone know if they do anything special like fireworks for that day? I remember seeing a video one year of RCI doing fireworks at CoCo on the 4th. with all sorts of RCI ships around the island. Thanks for any insight. 

I don’t know about this year and what might be happening for July 4th. 
However, there is likely a video from 2021 as several ships were positioned around Coco Cay during shutdown. We were fortunate to be on Adventure for one of the first sailings out of Nassau. I believe there were maybe 6-8 ships around Coco Cay, most with crew only in a “holding pattern” and we were treated to a fireworks display. 

We have Labadee as a port stop in October. We are expecting but have not yet heard of a change. 

I’ll echo sentiments as your photos and detail were so appreciated. @twangster and @Hoopster95, I have enjoyed your adventures and thank you for the time. 
Safe travels.

We sailed the NE/Canada itinerary Sept 2023 on Liberty. We booked value (interior guarantee) and had a fabulous time. We did not find the ship to be in disrepair or dirty. I would not hesitate to book this ship again. 

Not quite the Tutti Salad and fewer ingredient options but there is a salad bar on Radiance near the Park Cafe (solarium). You tell the crew member which toppings you want and they build it. Shout out to Shanice - she was a favorite! 

I have seen many with nice shorts, collared shirt and sneakers. Enjoy!

6 hours ago, RoperDK said:

Where does everyone park if driving in?  We usually park at the port, but I read that Royal uses an unsecured mall parking lot and that there are commonly break-ins in that lot.  Do people use a hotel stay and park option or chance port parking?  Which hotel offers a good rate for stay and park?  We have only cruised with Carnival out of NOLA and they have their own terminal with a connected secure parking deck.        

I don’t know of a stay and park option. Jan 2023, we stayed in the Garden District (St Charles Coach House) and parked with Machu Picchu (about a mile away) There were some negative reviews but I read them as the typical “I heard…” and not a first hand account. I will say that Machu Picchu was great! I don’t remember what we paid and yes, we left our keys. They are a covered garage, locked and secured in a warehouse area. They jockey the cars, moving them around as needed to accommodate cruisers. They shuttle you to port - 5 minutes. Call when you are getting off ship and the shuttle picks you up. Our car was in line and ready for us to load luggage and get on the road. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again. 

If you are driving up the day before, I would recommend the Trinity Reservation package. https://www.trinityreservations.com/
We just drove home from our 9 day on Liberty. We used Trinity for our park and stay package. SpringHill Suites (by the Newark airport), 10 nights parking, (they have a 14 night as well) breakfast and private car shuttle to and from the port. We were off Liberty this morning by 8am (self assist),  called for our pickup and within 5 minutes the car arrived. We were back in our car and on our way by 8:30am. 

9 hours ago, juncos said:

Does anyone have any experience Cruising and parking in Elkridge MD

Hotel : Best western Plus BWI

Parking safe?

 

Thanks for any feedback,

Regards,

juncos LI NY

Yes.
We stayed and parked at Best Western in Elkridge MD in July 2022. (9 day, Bermuda)

There were no issues with the stay or parking. 

Breakfast and shuttle were included in our package. 
There is a restaurant (evening meal) on site but nothing else within walking distance.

Towards the middle of the cruise, you will get a questionnaire regarding your departure information. It use to be a paper but it might show up in the app. (I can’t remember.)

I would advise that you look for the information and complete the form. Departure times are assigned with the information. Self assist is typically called first if that is your preference. 

@twangster I thank you for this review! We are on the Panama Canal sailing - Tampa to LA, April 2024. Your review has been incredibly helpful in my planning. Happy sailing!

I will echo- after a few of the earlier cruises, I noticed the issue as well. I don’t experience sea sickness while onboard. I started taking Bonnie the night before we disembark. I take it for several days after and I haven’t had issues since. 

On 3/31/2023 at 2:59 PM, P&PNH said:

Thanks for the response.  My guess is your car was safe while you were gone, and the shuttle picked you up after the cruise OK.  Just need a clean bed, and towels for a night.  

yes, our car was safe, well lit parking lot and a number of cruisers were using the hotel. We came in a day early and the hotel runs a shuttle to the Inner Harbor. We spent the day visiting the Navy ships and had a late lunch at one of the restaurants. There were limited options for food around the hotel or places to walk to. 

The shuttle to the port was a bit confusing as it is an independent company. There is a desk in the lobby the morning of departure. You put your name on the list and they call you at your turn. The shuttle runs to port and then back so you could be waiting. It wasn't a big deal to us and we just waited our turn. (Maybe 3 runs? an hour?) Coming back, the shuttle was there but we had to wait until the van filled. 

Yes, we stayed at the B&W Conference Center last July. The price for park, stay and cruise was reasonable. The hotel and room, not 5 star but clean. The package included breakfast and they have a shuttle to port. It was a bit disorganized but we have been through worse. We had a quick dinner bite at the hotel restaurant that was sufficient for us. 

Just returned from RCCL cruise out of NOLA. Parking at Machu Picchu was GREAT! Absolutely no issues and would use them again. 

We reserved ahead of time and received an email confirmation with a cost of $130.

We left a set of keys as Angel stacks cars within the lot to accommodate cruise passengers. The lot is covered, gated & locked - out of the way of the terminal. 

Our luggage was loaded into the van and we were in the terminal less than 10 minutes later at 11am. 

We were given information to call when we returned - no need. Angel was already there to pick up another passenger. 

Luggage loaded and we were back at Machu Picchu before 8:30 and our car was lined up and ready to go.

Safe, quick, easy and efficient. 

For those interested, we stayed pre-Cruise at St. Charles Coach House in the Garden District.

A lovely boutique hotel (quiet) and we stayed there a few years ago.

It was 1 mile from Machu Picchu, on the trolley line (outside the door). 

Again, I would recommend. 

FYI - it was raining and cold the day we disembarked - Jan 2019. The park was closed and the airboats not running. We were dropped at a local mall for about 2 hours and then taken to the airport. It is a private company and I think we may have gotten back $15 each. 

We were on July 3rd - 10.

We got ours the Monday before sailing. 
Our Royal Up bid was accepted and had a cabin change on Tuesday evening. 

6 hours ago, 3smithboys said:

I’ve never been here before… we’ve always gone to Mr. Sanchos… how does this compare? Also, if we get the AI, are the taco trucks included? 

I have never been to Mr. Sanchos so can’t compare. Sorry. My DIL has been to both and prefers Paradise Beach. Yes, the taco truck is included but was not yet opened. They are just getting themselves up and running. However, tacos were available on the menu and looked delicious! 

6 hours ago, chismrules said:

Hello, I am trying to figure out did anyone do this as a cruise excursion. I have been told that Norwegian only is allowing cruise excursions thru Oct. I'm also interested in Celebrity if anyone has any insight into them. What cruise ship were you on that let you get off on your on? So I'm assuming it is a cruise policy not Cozumel? Thanks

Paradise Beach has never been a cruise ship option from Royal.  We were on Royal - Adventure of the Seas. Last week (things are changing rapidly) vaccinated passengers could go off on this own. (All passengers over 16 were required to be vaccinated). If families were traveling with unvaccinated children, they had to book excursions through Royal. Again, this was the directive on the July 3rd sailing out of Nassau. Things are changing as they go forward. I do not have any insight as to NCL or Celebrity. 
Cozumel is requiring masks at this time in port and in transportation.