The big list of tips and guides gathered from several threads

[akcruz]

To make it clear, I, like many posted here have never sailed on RCI. Our first RCI cruise is 4/4/10.

 

I did not make any suggestions, I mearly gathered this all from about 500 pages (ok, it seemed like 10,000) I scanned over the weekend on this website and compiled it all.

 

The Chair hogs and free lunch are tips others wrote and posted here. All I did was edit some for clarity, brevity and format sake. I do not drink or gamble but will find some related to that as well. Many of these tips do not apply to all RCI ships as some are different. I was hoping the moderators would make this a sticky to help others who come here looking for info.

 

If you posted a tip in another thread don't feel offended I did not include it oe edited it, I scanned over so many pages that if it did not seem to be a tip, I passed over it. My apologies it was not intentional. Sorry I don't take cruises with my kids to be a rum runner.....Not to be a prude but if you are that desperate for a drink, you got a problem and need to go to AA.

 

OK, I am kinda lost. I thought most people showed appreciation for you putting this list together :confused:??

 

Personally I disagreed with 2 of the tips you had posted.

 

The chair hog issue which is frequently discussed on these boards and I would say most are against people placing towels on their chairs and going elsewhere so not sure where that tip came from.

 

The other being removing food from the ship. This is not something up for discussion in my mind. It is against the law to remove any non-packaged food from the ship when in a foreign port. I know people do it to save money, but if you are caught you could be fined. I have personally seen more than once people being stopped for attempting to bring something as benign as coffee off of the ship.

 

Again, I will say thank you for putting the list together, I am sure it took a lot of work. All most of us are trying to do is tweak it a bit to be even better.

[reallyitsmema]

To make it clear, I, like many posted here have never sailed on RCI. Our first RCI cruise is 4/4/10.

 

I did not make any suggestions, I mearly gathered this all from about 500 pages (ok, it seemed like 10,000) I scanned over the weekend on this website and compiled it all.

 

The Chair hogs and free lunch are tips others wrote and posted here. All I did was edit some for clarity, brevity and format sake. I do not drink or gamble but will find some related to that as well. Many of these tips do not apply to all RCI ships as some are different. I was hoping the moderators would make this a sticky to help others who come here looking for info.

 

If you posted a tip in another thread don't feel offended I did not include it oe edited it, I scanned over so many pages that if it did not seem to be a tip, I passed over it. My apologies it was not intentional. Sorry I don't take cruises with my kids to be a rum runner.....Not to be a prude but if you are that desperate for a drink, you got a problem and need to go to AA.

As many of us have said, it is a good list but some of the information is inaccurate, some is opinions of the person who originally posted the information and some just needed to be clarified.

 

If the moderators do make this a sticky, it is only going to help people if the information is correct. The comment about taking food off the ship is a prime example, people could be fined for following that tip.

 

Really not sure what you comment means about kids being rum runners.

[thirdflr]

To clarify, there are some whom I seen posts/threads about how to hide alcohol (rum runners). I did not include this because of its unethical, illegal actions. For those who take such cruises in guise of a family vacation is just wrong.....

 

My point is this, be a dad and mom, spend the attention your kids need from you and enjoy the family vacation. If you come on the cruise to get alcohol, you need AA.

 

If I could edit my list now I would. It was late and as I said after a billion word scans.......

[cruise luvr]

That's AWESOME !!! I took a lot of notes. it's great to see it all in one message.

[HappyCruiser383]

Thank you for the fantastic list! Here's a couple more:

 

If you're bringing kids and plan to visit a beach, bring along cheap inflatable beach toys and goggles. When you are finished with them, leave them for the other children on the beach so you don't have to pack them back to the ship.

 

On really hot days (great if you have babies!), put a wet hand towel in a ziplock bag and toss in some ice cubes. When you just can't handle the heat anymore, rub it on your neck. In or out of the bag, it works great. You can also pack a small softsided cooler (have the room steward put some ice in it). Toss in a few of those hand towels in ziplocks for the whole family. Please be sure to bring the hand towels back to the ship/cabin. You can also buy water in port and keep them in the ice chest to keep them cold.

[spammie]

To clarify, there are some whom I seen posts/threads about how to hide alcohol (rum runners). I did not include this because of its unethical, illegal actions. For those who take such cruises in guise of a family vacation is just wrong.....

 

My point is this, be a dad and mom, spend the attention your kids need from you and enjoy the family vacation. If you come on the cruise to get alcohol, you need AA.

 

If I could edit my list now I would. It was late and as I said after a billion word scans.......

 

You can't be serious.

[TerriDHair]

Sorry I don't take cruises with my kids to be a rum runner.....Not to be a prude but if you are that desperate for a drink, you got a problem and need to go to AA.

 

To clarify, there are some whom I seen posts/threads about how to hide alcohol (rum runners). I did not include this because of its unethical, illegal actions. For those who take such cruises in guise of a family vacation is just wrong.....

 

My point is this, be a dad and mom, spend the attention your kids need from you and enjoy the family vacation. If you come on the cruise to get alcohol, you need AA.

 

I don't understand why you had to follow up such a (mostly) helpful and positive post with two of the most asinine assumptions I have seen posted on these boards. :confused:

[kc320]

You can't be serious.

 

 

I agree...guess I need AA cause I do enjoy a drink while cruising..for me it's the perfect time..no worries about drinking & driving...or trying to find someone to be my DD...

 

kay1864, sorry...but the only "gift" your cabin steward REALLY wants or needs is CASH...their cabins are very..very tiny and they simply do not have room to store stuff...

[thirdflr]

I don't understand why you had to follow up such a (mostly) helpful and positive post with two of the most asinine assumptions I have seen posted on these boards. :confused:

 

 

PLEASE, PLEASE do not misunderstand me.... My comments were for those try hide alcohol to bring on the ship (Rum Runners).

 

I have no issue with anyone drinking on the ship or at the ports. I do not care and if you're enjoying yourself......I just think its stupid to try and illegally smuggle rum/alcohol.....imo, if you book a family cruise with the intention of smuggling rum, you got a life priority problem.

 

In my effort to say 'here are all these helpful tips that people have come up and oh by the way I did not include these for this reason.....'

I am being slammed.

 

All I am saying is be a mom and dad and spend quality time with your kids....enjoy.... it's a great day to be alive and be with family/friends.

 

I will say no more....enjoy the list, I have no idea if its all correct or not, as I said I just compiled and sorted...

[Working 2 Cruise]

This list is not comprehensive nor from my experience but based over the couple of hundred pages I have read on this site about RCCI ships.

 

 

Things to do when you first get on the ship

 

If you got kids:

 

- Flow Rider sign ups start at 2:30. Go to the Wipe Out Bar right at the FR to sign the waiver for the entire week. Your child wears this black band all week. This indicates you have signed the waiver releasing RCI of all responsibilities for the normal stuff. Each day, the child goes to the Wipe Out Bar to get another band put on--a colored band. Colors change daily and the kids have fun collecting them all.

 

- After you sign up for the FR, you get the black wrist band. You can then go over to the Rock Wall and Ice Rink and sign the waiver for those--they are all required if you want to use them. On the black wrist band, there is a picture of the wall, the ice, and the FR. Once you sign the waiver for each of them, they use a hole punch to indicate you have signed the waivers. This only needs to be done once for the entire week, unless you rip the wrist band off.

 

- The FR is free and so is the Ice Rink and the skates and they give you the shoes for the rock wall too and that's free too!

 

fyi: do not go over to sign the waivers with an alcohol beverage in your hand they won't let you sign the waivers!!!

 

- Be sure and get the honey stung chicken for lunch off the buffet (it's only available embarkation day}

 

- go to the dining room and make sure you're ok with your seating assignment. If you're not, the headwaiters will be there to try and accommodate your request. We were moved the last time from a table stuck in a corner behind a service station to a nice table with a view over the trailing into the whole dining room.

 

- You should also book your spa appointments the first day, if you think you might want one. They do go quickly, particularly for sea days. Remember, you can cancel up to 24 hours before the appointment but you can't decide later to book one if all the spots are already gone.

 

- Similarly, you should make a booking in the specialty restaurant, if you plan to go there. Booking early will give you the best selection of dining times.

 

- You should send any pressing you want done out for the formal on the second night (if that's when it is) on the first day. That way, you can send it regular service (next day) and not have to pay the express fee (same day).

 

- If your mattress is not comfortable for you, ask your room steward for a foam egg crate. Be warned that they can go fast and supply is limited.

 

 

Relax / Workout

 

- If you like to do your own yoga in the morning and the gym is too crowded and noisy, take a mat and go up to the lounge at the top of the ship. Quiet, peaceful and lovely.

 

- Don't take the "yoga" or "pilates" classes in the gym. They are not worth the money and the people who lead them are usually minimally trained. The free morning stretch class is better.

 

- If you ask the crew, they will turn up the heat in the steam room.

 

- On Voyager class ships there is a lovely hot tub inside the gym/spa. Great when the weather outside is frightful.

 

- Be sure to sit in the Solarium (adult only deck) in that beautiful hot tub with a fruity drink

 

"Adventure Ocean".

 

Here is a breakdown for the program.

 

* For all kids aged 3-17 years of age. Kids must be potty trained-no diapers or pull ups.

 

Program Age Groups

Aquanauts - 3-5 Years

Explorers - 6-8 Years

Voyagers - 9-11 Years

Navigators - 12-14 Years

Guests - 15-17 Years

 

All childrens activities are supervised by both male and female youth staff, professionally certified in education, recreation and/or pre-school or having qualified experience in working with children ages 3-17 years of age.

 

For a complete breakdown of the program please visit the following link from Royal Caribbean.

 

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/conten...Fact_Sheet.pdf

 

 

Kids club ages 12-14.

 

- When the kids enter age 12-14 they don't sign in at all;

 

- There's no form to sign; there's no sign out sheet;

 

- Kids just show up to Fuel and the Living Room and go to the activities.

 

- The daily sheets do NOT give all the activities going on;

 

- You have to go into the club room to get the list of all daily stuff

 

- There's dodgeball games, bingo, quest for kids, a casino night for the kids, DJ workshops, dance, movie night, etc...

 

- They only have the WII for gamers (besides the video arcade stuff). There are WII tournaments throughout the week.

 

- Do yourself a favor if you have a 12-14 yr old and bring them up there on night #1 to mingle and meet the other kids---don't be shy. Be warned: parents are not allowed and will be told to leave if you go in there to 'check up on your little one'.

 

Medical

 

- If you need any basic meds, like antihistermines, stomach meds etc, there is a small machine just outside the medical center (available 24 hours a day), $0.50 (2 x $0.25)gets you a couple of doses.

 

- Bonine is handed out at guest relations at no charge.

 

- No charge at the Dr. if the visit is for noro. But you will be quarantined to your cabin for 48 hours, not that you WANT To go anywhere.....

 

Food

 

Breakfast

 

- The omelet station in the Windjammer will also make other kinds of eggs. I don't like the steam tray scrambled eggs. I have mine made fresh at the omelet station.

 

- Back to the omelet station. If you want Swiss or other different cheese, just bring it with you from the cheese tray. They mostly use mozzarella at the station.

 

Lunch

 

- Don't miss the salad bar in the MDR at lunch time. It is awesome!

 

 

- The Seaview Cafe has great sandwiches, fish and chips, and onion rings.

 

- :mad:The Windjammer always has rolls, slices of bread, cold cuts sliced tomatoes and sliced cheese. Just be quiet about this since I don't think the ship wants everyone to take food off the ship. Some ports may get 'miffed'.

 

Dinner

 

- Ask the wait staff to bring several fruit and cheese trays to your table every evening before you even order.

 

- If you eat dinner in the main dining room, do not be shy about ordering several appetizers or main dishes. Just put in the entire order when the waiter/waitress asks for your initial order. It is not easy for them to go back for more after each course is served.

 

- You can have as much of whatever you want on the menu. If several things are tempting, play "taste and waste" Your mother isn't there to tell you "children in China are starving"

 

- The waiters will bring you anything you want (even off menu) I got a bowl of fresh berries for dessert one night as I didn’t fancy the desserts on menu - also they will bring extra lobster on that night - just ask.

 

- If you like a lot of water or other beverage with your dinner, ask the assistant waiter to have several glasses at your plate every night. You won't have to worry where they are when you are thirsty. I have them line up 3 glasses of Diet Coke for me just for starters.

 

- There will be a dinner menu posted outside the upper level entrances of the MDR. You can decide earlier in the day if you want to do a specialty restaurant. The lowest level is where they serve breakfast and lunch so the dinner menu is displayed later.

 

Snacks / Tea Time

 

- Afternoon Snacks" in the Windjammer from 3-5p, usually the time you are returning from port, had the BEST hot scones each day, they also had hot bread pudding, and all sorts of other goodies! All free, and never crowded!

 

- Grab a cookie or ham and cheese croissant before you crash at the Cafe.

 

- The long sit down bar in front of the Royal Promenade Cafe is a good place to people watch with free coffee & pastries!

 

- There is a free soft serve machine on the pool deck.

 

 

Room Service

 

- Order chili chorizo dip from room service is excellent Ask for extra chips though, weren't enough chips for the big bowl of dip they brought us

 

-if you order room service for breakfast, order whatever you want (i.e. it doesn't have to be just what is on the printed menu). I usually get an omelet, fruit plate, bagels/danish, pot of coffee, etc. for my family. Don't forget to tip the delivery man!

 

-On room service, during dinner hours, you can also order some of the dinner menu items.

 

Drinks / Soda / bars

 

- For soft drinks, Royal Caribbean only serves Coca Cola products.

 

- When you're in any bar or lounge, you can ask for trail mix and you'll get a DELICIOUS jar of nuts, seeds, raisins and yogurt-covered things. Free

 

- Go to a store and pickup your favorite soda (diet Pepsi). Roll it onto the ship in a rolling cooler. Once in our room, we ask our steward to ice up some of the soda for us. You can keep the cooler out on the balcony if you have one, or in your room.

 

- If you have a soda card, go to one of the smaller bars and nicely ask for canned soda. If you get it, the next time you come, bring a $10 and tip the bartender. You now know where to get better soda.

 

- You can order the drink of the day without the souviner glass, and it brings the price down

 

 

 

Cabins

 

- Bring a small ziplok baggie of Clorox wipes and wipe all the doorknobs, phone, remote, light switches, etc

 

- Spray EVERTYHING with Lysol as soon as we got in the cabin.

 

- Take bags of small chocolates - and leave a few on a tissue on the bed each day for the Room Steward or give a few to the Room Service Waiter with their tip. it makes the Staff smile & great service gets even better!

 

- Ask the steward to Clear the fridge, that way you are not tempted to buy those overpriced items on a whim

 

- invest in a USB converter plug to keep my ipod charged

 

- a nightlight, especially if you have an inside cabin. It's really dark in any cabin at night!!!

 

- get a few packages of those suction cup hooks--they will stick on the walls, the windows (balcony) and the mirrors, I've used them for hanging wet suits, makeup/toiletry bags, inexpensive necklaces, and curling irons / blowdryers.

 

- get a cheap alarm clock--although I rarely use the alarm, sometimes I want to know what time it is in the middle of the night

 

- In reference to the alarm clock, instead of a usual wake up call in the morning, I have coffee sent to my room at the time I was to get up! It's so nice to wake up to someone delivering fresh coffee while you're just waking up!!

 

- If you are in an inside cabin, put on the TV before you go to sleep to the channel that has the live camera shot of the front (aft) of the ship. Twist the TV slightly so it is not staring at you while you sleep, but whenever you wake up you can take a peek at the screen to see if it is daytime yet!

 

- If you ask, there's a good chance your steward will bring you robes even when you're not in a suite.

 

PORT TIME

 

- read about the ports for the countries tourism website - can get some great ideas on things to do, and maybe even find a coupon

 

Camera Tips

 

- Make the VERY FIRST pix on your digital camera a paper with your name, cabin number, and phone number written out neatly on a piece of paper. If you lose it (and an honest person finds it), he will be able to return it to you

 

- Wear a different color shirt each day that you are in a port so it will be easy to figure out which photos belong to which port when you get home.

 

- Start each day with a picture of the elevator floor....they mark the day on the floor...great way to keep all of those pictures organized

 

General Tips

 

- Notify your credit card company or bank if using a debit card that you are going to be using your card out of the country. It could save you some headaches.

 

- At the pursers desk you can get a small fold out map of the ship.

 

- The helipad is a great spot to go out onto. It is beautiful at night and great for star gazing

 

- look at the art work, where there are ships, or fishes on the carpet, the head will be facing the front of the ship, it helps to give you a sense of direction.

 

- Kids spend a lot of time on the sports deck. Pack the sneakers!!!

 

- Don’t miss the ever popular adult only “QWEST”. It takes place in Studio B. The time and day will be advertised in the Cruise Compass.

 

- There are three distinct types of evenings onboard: casual, smart casual and formal. Suggested guidelines for these nights are:

 

Casual: Sport shirts and slacks for men, sundresses or pants for women

Smart Casual: Jackets and ties for men, dresses or pantsuits for women

Formal: Suits and ties or tuxedos for men, cocktail dresses for women

 

3 to 4 - night cruises include one formal night and the remainder nights are casual.

 

5 - night cruises include one formal and the remainder nights casual.

 

6 - night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual and the remainder nights casual.

 

7 to 9 - night cruises include two formal nights, one smart casual night and the remainder nights casual.

 

10 to 13-night cruises include two formal nights, two smart casual nights, and the remainder nights casual.

 

14+ - night cruises include three formal nights, four smart casual nights and the remainder nights casual.

 

We appreciate your usual parental guidance and cooperation in observing these easy guidelines with your children.

 

 

 

- Reserve (claim) your pool chairs with towels and paperback books BEFORE going to the windjammer for breakfast

 

- Take a big towel from the dressing room in the spa. No sea pass required and no worries about getting charged for a towel if yours disappears.

 

- Towels, You really do have to return them. You will be charged $20 for every one you don’t return

 

- Bring a sweater for nights in the dining room and theater. It gets very chilly.

 

- there is always a raffle the day you board for dinner in Portofino's or Chops, a spa apppointment, etc. It is usually attended by a few hundred people (must be present to win

 

- if you or your kids want to have their hair braided, wait until the end of the cruise. If you have it done the first day or two, your scalp will burn in the sun (or you will be forced into wearing a hat the entire week).

 

- bring a power strip if u need chargers for ipods cell phone, etc…

 

- Got a $1 over-the-door shoe rack for the bathroom door. Great for putting all kinds of stuff in.

 

- Post-it notes. Great for leaving note to steward, others traveling with you, etc.

 

- Backpack for ports

 

- Notebook journal - you'll otherwise forget what you did day to day if you're like me!

 

- OFF bug spray - still itching from some beach days

 

- bubble wrap to wrap breakable goodies

 

- PLENTY of dollar bills in SMALL denominations. Tough to bargain down to a great deal - then hand them a large bill.

 

- Once a trip there is a laundry special to fill a bag for a small charge and everything is cleaned. Great for back to backs!

 

- Pack shirts, pants, anything susceptible to wrinkles in dry cleaner bags. Sometimes they wrinkle very little, if at all. If you KNOW something is going to be wrinkled, don't bother having it pressed before you leave and send a bag to the ship's laundry the first day. Prices are very reasonable and you can pack those items as small as possible, because it won't matter how wrinkled they get.

 

 

- 4th floor deck outside – really nice on that level on the warm days. Also around the time the sun setting

 

- T-shirts from the gift shop go "on sale" the last night of the cruise.

 

- Buy your water shoes at home. If you are doing water based excursions, you will need them.

 

- Take small boxes of cereal if you plan on going doing some close to shore snorkeling to feed the fish!

 

- Get highlighters in different colors if you are traveling with teens! This way you can give each teenager a color and have them highlight what they'd like to do during the day on the Compass--if you need to touch base--or make sure you have some alone time without getting caught (mmmm) you know where they'll be and for how long!

 

 

If you take food into ports, you may get either (1) detained; and/or (2) incur a big fine. It's just not worth the risk. Thank you for a great list, I will print it out and put it in my Mariner of the Seas folder for my upcoming cruise! (although there is going to be somewhat of a wait!)

[kay1864]

kay1864, sorry...but the only "gift" your cabin steward REALLY wants or needs is CASH...their cabins are very..very tiny and they simply do not have room to store stuff...

This gift (at the beginning of the cruise) was in addition to their cash tip at the end of the cruise. About the size of two paperback books. I've seen their cabins; believe me, they found room for the sweets :p

[bundito]

- Bring a small ziplok baggie of Clorox wipes and wipe all the doorknobs, phone, remote, light switches, etc

- Spray EVERTYHING with Lysol as soon as we got in the cabin.

 

All of these are excellent tips and I thank you for compiling them.

 

However, I disagree with the above two. I simply don't think it's necessary. You're going to be touching LOTS of things elsewhere on the ship and you don't bleach every surface you touch, do you? That would include the ship's railings, elevator buttons, items in the gift shop, your dinner menus, etc., etc., etc.

 

I'm not saying germs aren't real, but I refuse to live like Howard Hughes. I'm sure I'll eat my words the first time I contract a bug, but I'm almost 41, have been on many vacations (including 4 previous cruises), been on lots of airplanes, worked in lots of offices, etc., and am still here to talk about it. Heck, I'm not even afraid to open the mens' room door without using a paper towel! :D

 

Again, thanks for the list - I just want everyone to relax and enjoy themselves! Germs are all around us, which is why nature gave us such an incredible immune system.

 

 

-Dito

[MICHLEV1974]

It is a great list. Thanks for including my comments/tips on the Flow Rider and Sports Deck activities and kids stuff age 12-17.

 

I like that you put your little disclaimers and the 'cc-poster-police' couldn't resist and just had to chime in to correct you and add their 2 cents.:rolleyes:

 

The items aren't deal breakers and for goodness sake, does it matter if the omelette station had mozz or swiss? It was a good tip to take the cheese with you. Nit-pickers . . . gotta love it out here.

 

Chair hogs beware...you will be told by others and if not, you might wonder where your stuff went. Lesson learned there.

 

Take food off and omg, you might go to prison according to some posters out here. Folks: there's so much food. Leave it on the ship; chances are it will be there when you get back.

 

hahahaha

 

Enjoy your ship and tuck this excellent tip list in your thoughts, pockets, or planners. It is great stuff!

[bigm00ser]

PLEASE, PLEASE do not misunderstand me.... My comments were for those try hide alcohol to bring on the ship (Rum Runners).

 

I have no issue with anyone drinking on the ship or at the ports. I do not care and if you're enjoying yourself......I just think its stupid to try and illegally smuggle rum/alcohol.....imo, if you book a family cruise with the intention of smuggling rum, you got a life priority problem.

 

In my effort to say 'here are all these helpful tips that people have come up and oh by the way I did not include these for this reason.....'

I am being slammed.

 

All I am saying is be a mom and dad and spend quality time with your kids....enjoy.... it's a great day to be alive and be with family/friends.

 

I will say no more....enjoy the list, I have no idea if its all correct or not, as I said I just compiled and sorted...

 

 

First, I'm not slamming you. I think the list is great and very helpful to all.

 

However, I do not agree with a few things that you personally have said as your opinions. Not all cruises are "family" cruises intended to be spent with kids. My wife and I don't have kids and this is our vacation. Maybe we enjoy drinking and don't enjoy paying outrageous prices to do so. And it's not that I'm completely a tightwad (maybe a little :)), but it's the fact that RCCL is ONLY doing it to increase profit. Their "rule" was set up for that single and solitary purpose. It's not illegal.

 

For the people that say it will drive up prices, I don't think they realize that prices are as low as they are because RCCL knows they will get $$ from all the drinkers so perhaps the non-drinkers should be thanking us? :cool:

 

Our friends that we're going with also enjoy drinking...so besides the threat from RCCL, there is no motivation for us to not try to bring it with us.

 

Just wanted to point things out from the other side.

[Guest]

A big thanks to all the drinkers and gamblers that cruise RCI. :D

Without them, I am sure we would not be able to cruise as prices would be too high.

(That does not include the smokers that don't drink or gamble :mad:)

[Aladdin D Nile]

PLEASE, PLEASE do not misunderstand me.... My comments were for those try hide alcohol to bring on the ship (Rum Runners).

 

I have no issue with anyone drinking on the ship or at the ports. I do not care and if you're enjoying yourself......I just think its stupid to try and illegally smuggle rum/alcohol.....imo, if you book a family cruise with the intention of smuggling rum, you got a life priority problem.

 

In my effort to say 'here are all these helpful tips that people have come up and oh by the way I did not include these for this reason.....'

I am being slammed.

 

All I am saying is be a mom and dad and spend quality time with your kids....enjoy.... it's a great day to be alive and be with family/friends.

 

I will say no more....enjoy the list, I have no idea if its all correct or not, as I said I just compiled and sorted...

 

I think the reason you're being slammed is your assertions about alcoholism and life priorities. It would have been sufficient to say you don't support breaking the rules by sneaking on rum runners.

 

I have not yet cruised, but I am considering sneaking alcohol aboard because I don't plan on hanging out at bars. I would like to have a quiet glass of wine on the balcony with my wife after the kids are asleep, and I don't want to send one of us out to schlep back two glasses and I don't want room service awakening the kids.

[enzyme2x]

WOW!! I came into this thread at random looking for some information and didn't find it. But the first page was a wealth of information...THANKS!!!

 

I got to the second page and it started going downhill from there...WOW!! I never wanted to drink so much after getting to the third page.

 

THANK YOU RCI!!! For serving alcohol onboard.:eek:

[katiel53]

To make it clear, I, like many posted here have never sailed on RCI. Our first RCI cruise is 4/4/10.

 

I did not make any suggestions, I mearly gathered this all from about 500 pages (ok, it seemed like 10,000) I scanned over the weekend on this website and compiled it all.

 

The Chair hogs and free lunch are tips others wrote and posted here. All I did was edit some for clarity, brevity and format sake. I do not drink or gamble but will find some related to that as well. Many of these tips do not apply to all RCI ships as some are different. I was hoping the moderators would make this a sticky to help others who come here looking for info.

 

If you posted a tip in another thread don't feel offended I did not include it oe edited it, I scanned over so many pages that if it did not seem to be a tip, I passed over it. My apologies it was not intentional. Sorry I don't take cruises with my kids to be a rum runner.....Not to be a prude but if you are that desperate for a drink, you got a problem and need to go to AA.

 

I think it's great that you went through the trouble of posting all these points, but I, for one, sure hope that this never becomes a sticky in that the chair hogs, taking food off the ship and taste and waste encourage people and basically tell them it's ok. I am not picking on you regarding these items, but obviously you felt them important enough to pass on to others.

 

Chair hogs have been the topic many times and most people think it's wrong to put your shoes, hat, towel, whatever on a chair and go off to do what it is that you feel you need to do while others look for a chair.

 

Taking food off the ship can endanger the ecological systems in other countries, Just ask anyone in California how they liked all the spraying that happened from the fruit fly. (or whatever it was that needed all the malethion spraying.) Other countries don't need us to bring in insects that may be harmless to us, but dangerous to their countries. Pre-packaged foods are fine, so if you can't miss a meal, bring something like packaged cereal or heaven forbid, buy something at home and take it on the ship with you.

 

Telling people to order whatever they want and throw it away makes absolutely no sense. Why would you encourage someone to do that? Has it occurred to you that if everyone did what you suggest, that the price of the cruise could go up? I can see ordering something you feel you want, but just to order something so you can taste it and throw it out is ridiculous. Would you do that at home? Or is this just because you can do it that you feel it should be done? I have no problem ordering what you want as long as you eat it. I can also understanding ordering a small portion of something and sharing it to try it. But just taste and waste to me is ridiculous.

 

I don't happen to be a smuggler, but many people are, and I think it's kind of judgmental of you to tell people they need to go to AA. Just because you don't drink or gamble, doesn't mean it's wrong or that others shouldn't. JMO.

[Chellbell30]

- Go to a store and pickup your favorite soda (diet Pepsi). Roll it onto the ship in a rolling cooler. Once in our room, we ask our steward to ice up some of the soda for us. You can keep the cooler out on the balcony if you have one, or in your room.

 

Can you really do this? Is it only alchohol that you are not allowed to bring on board? I really don't want to spend $42 for a soda card.

[reallyitsmema]

Can you really do this? Is it only alchohol that you are not allowed to bring on board? I really don't want to spend $42 for a soda card.

Yes, you can bring soda and water onto the ship but no, do not store it on your balcony. I have never seen anyone bring on a rolling cooler, I have seen soft coolers but not rolling ones.

[Laulipop]

I don't happen to be a smuggler, but many people are, and I think it's kind of judgmental of you to tell people they need to go to AA.JMO.

 

LOL I just think it's funny that so many people seem to be obsessed about smuggling alcohol that it really DOES seem extreme to those of us who couldn't care less and don't think alcohol is such a priority (I said "a priority" not "the priority") in our vacation plans. And if you follow the line of thinking I guess, it could seem like the "alcohol obsessed" people have a problem because they seem SO focused on alcohol if you read only those threads.

 

The other thing that's funny is that people who call the smugglers out for breaking the rules are called judgemental...of course some people who don't break the rules are going to judge those who do. That's what judges do :)

 

Can't we all get along? :rolleyes:

[Aladdin D Nile]

Aren't these boards for people who are obsessed with planning their trip? I know that's why I am here.

 

Is it any more unusual to talk about bringing alcohol than discussing packing night lights and iPod chargers, or what type of cheese is available at the omelette station?

[kay1864]

WOW!! I never wanted to drink so much after getting to the third page.

 

Bwahaha, good one! :D:D You owe me a new keyboard :p

[mmcm18]

For those who don't have a great immune system, bringing along wipes is a great idea! My DH has had heart and kidney transplants and is on anti-rejection drugs that diminish his immune system. We have to worry about germs all the time, even though we are not obsessed with it. The hand sanitizer is also a great item to consider bringing if you have health issues.

[KKB]

Your tips are wonderful & I will be using many of them on our trip.