Newbie traveling on cruise in March

[hali76]

I'm new to all of this, and have never been on a cruise before.

We're traveling all the way from Norway to Florida to make this dream come true.

We have been looking at Allure and Oasis..

Questions to start with:

-What time do you have to be there to start checking in?

-We're a family of four, twins 9 yrs old. Should we get a "drink-package" or just pay for what we drink? We hardly ever drink alcohol, so it will be soft drinks and water. What does the package cost? What does bottles of water cost?

 

We haven't booked the trip yet, is there a website or any other way you can get discounts?

 

I'll be grateful for all answers and other tips :)

[tidygirl]

If you drink a lot of soda you may want to get the drink package if you get it once you board it's around $6 a day pp for adults cheaper for the kids. It doesn't include bottled water that I know of. If you are ok with tap water, unsweetened ice tea, lemonade, flavored water, regular hot coffee and tea you wouldn't need to purchase any drinks as these are free! If you want an occasional soda or alcohol you can buy as you go, but they do add a 15% tip.

Just curious is there no cruises in the Med that interest you? Cost of flights are so expensive. We just did one out of Barcelona and hope to do one out of Italy, but we have done so many in the Caribbean we are kind of tired of it.

We like Freedom and the Liberty haven't did any of the larger ships.

I do know from reading on these boards it is different booking if you aren't from the US

This is a great place to get tips and ideas for cruises and excursions, and you can pick and choose what appeals to you!

Edited January 1, 2015 by tidygirl

[Canadian Cruiser98]

As for the boarding question, boarding time is a minimum of 90 minutes before the sailaway time listed on the itinerary. However, sometimes departure gets moved up or ships have different policies, so I would be there with a good 1-2 hour buffer.

[laedw]

The website can answer your questions too. http://www.rccl.com

[counsdr]

I always get there a day early if I'm flying. Too many things can happen with flights!

[cb at sea]

A can of soda is about $2.85...one can serves 2 drinks. They really don't care if you bring a few cans onboard with you. A soda package is around $7 pp pd....that's only for fountain soda.

Ice water is avail. everywhere...no charge.

Edited January 2, 2015 by cb at sea

[hali76]

Thank you for the answers, I'll probably have a lot of questions if we book.

 

Tidygirl: I'm sure a cruise in the Med would be great, but we want to see more of Florida when we go. We're thinking 7 days cruise, 4-7 days Key West, and about a week in Orlando.

It'll be an experience of a lifetime :)

Just have to look a bit more on the finances first :-|

[tidygirl]

hali76- I understand I wondered if you may not want to some exploring here! I am sure if it's your first time you will enjoy it!

I have never been on the mega ships but my family really enjoyed the Freedom Sept 2013 and Liberty- Sept 2014 we kept busy and the prices seem to be much more reasonable! No complaints from us!

[thrifty99]

You can usually start boarding Allure / Oasis around 11:30am on departure day if you would like to get on the ship early. However, they don't open up the hallways to your stateroom until 1:00pm and your luggage may not be delivered until late afternoon / evening so pack a carryon bag with whatever you need until then. For example, pack swim suits if you or your kids want to swim the first afternoon before your luggage arrives.

 

Soda package: this includes a souvenir cup that works in the Freestyle machines on the ship. The cup has a chip in it that the machine can "read". Or you can get your souvenir cup filled at any bar but they have more limited choices. If you don't want to carry the cup around, you can show your SeaPass card with the soda package logo on it to get a soda in a glass from any bar.

 

Drink Package: if you don't drink much you are probably better off buying the occasional individual drink.

 

If you happen to be staying in a suite, you can get free soda and some alcoholic drinks in the Concierge Lounge during certain times of the day.

 

Cruise discounts: You are traveling in March which is a busy time for cruise ships due to the U.S. schools being on Spring Break. I have not looked, but early in March may be cheaper than later in the month as more schools are out later in the month.

 

Some travel agents throw in some perks like on-board credits or pre-paid gratuities. Otherwise since you are traveling in March you may want to get your cabin locked in soon and then just continually check to see if there are any price drops (but I would not expect it to happen).

 

Sounds like a fun family trip. Have a great time!!!

[thrifty99]

I have a running list of notes I am keeping on the Oasis / Allure for those looking for tips. Sorry about the length of this, but here it is:

 

Cabin Location:

If not in a suite, I like deck 6 for these reasons:

- same deck as Boardwalk / AquaTheater aft and Spa forward.

- same deck as Diamond Lounge if you are Diamond or higher (but they are moving the DL next year down to deck 4 I believe).

- walk down one deck to the Promenade.

- walk down one deck to walking / jogging track.

- walk down two decks to Casino and Amber theater.

- walk up 2 decks to Central Park.

- walk down 1 or 2 decks to Main Dining Room.

 

So most of the time we do not need to bother with elevators and just take the stairs up down 1 or 2 decks for the majority of our activities. The exception is going to/from the pool deck 15.

 

Soda Package:

- includes a souvenir cup that works in the Freestyle machines on the ship. The cup has a chip in it that the machine can "read". It won’t allow you to get a refill until 15-20 minutes has passed.

- You can get your souvenir cup filled at any bar but they have more limited choices.

- If you don't want to carry the cup around, you can show your SeaPass card with the soda package logo on it to get a soda in a glass from any bar.

 

Drink Packages: We are not big drinkers and we are Diamond members so get 3 free drinks nightly. There are a few alcoholic drink packages you can choose from if interested.

 

Entertainment:

Awesome entertainment on these ships to take advantage of:

- Broadway Show

- Headliner Show

- Cirque du Soleil style show

- Aqua Theater show (acrobatic / diving)

- Comedy Shows

- Ice Skating Show

- Love & Marriage Show

- Quest Adult Show (definitely for adults only)

- Parades in Promenade during the week

- Madagascar show in Aqua Theater (geared towards kids)

 

Activities:

Take advantage of the fun activities during the day / night:

- Trivia contests, “name that tune”, majority rules game show, etc.

- Karaoke

- Piano bar: usually has nightly sing-along type entertainment

- Bingo (although the automated machines and higher price taking the fun out of it)

- Clubs / Dancing at night

- World’s Sexiest Man Contest in Aqua Theater

- BellyFlop Contest in Aqua Theater

- Movies. Sometimes you need some time out of the sun and they show recent movies on board.

- Casino for the gamblers

 

Dining:

Lots of choices on these ships. Here are some of the complimentary and then Specialty (has an additional cost) restaurants.

Complimentary:

- Windjammer buffet: pretty good buffet food but we try to avoid it as it has the highest chance of spreading germs. We have seen kids licking their fingers and then grabbing serving utensils. Utensils are dropped on the floor and then picked up and put back on the buffet.

- Main Dining Room for dinner: you could eat here all week and have a great selection of food to choose from. If you can’t decide on a starter, dinner, or dessert don’t hesitate to order a 2nd one. It is okay to do so. On a 7-night cruise there are usually 2 formal nights where you should be dressed appropriately.

- Boardwalk Dogs: open for lunch and dinner and has a selection of 6+ different types of hot dogs / sausages.

- Park Cafe (located in Central Park. At breakfast has a bagel bar, egg sandwiches, yogurt, cereal, oatmeal, etc. At lunch has a salad bar, roast beef sandwich, panini’s, quesadilla’s, wraps, etc. This is one of our favorite lunch spots.

- Wipeout Cafe: back of ship near the sports court. At breakfast has a nice small buffet of pancakes, waffles, eggs, bacon, etc. It also has a made to order omelette station that makes great omelettes (and other eggs). At lunch the buffet is set up with hamburgers, hot dogs, wraps, nachos, etc (a few items may change during the week).

- Solarium: at breakfast this has healthier food choices. Eggs, fruit, granola, oatmeal, turkey bacon and sausage, muffins, etc. Lunch also has healthier food and a salad bar.

- Sorento’s Pizza: Has a selection of 2-3 pre-made pizzas that differ day to day. Also has a “make your own” pizza bar where you can choose ingredients and have them make a pizza for you. If you don’t see an ingredient, ask if they have it in back. For example, some days they may not have sausage at the make your own bar, but can still add it for you.

- Promenade Cafe: this has some simple sandwiches and a selection of desserts. Good place to stop by for a quick snack.

- Boardwalk Donuts: this is a “self-serve” cabinet with donuts located across from Boardwalk Dogs.

 

Specialty: these have an up-charge per person or additional charges.

- Chops Grille (Steakhouse): the steaks are okay, but the better steaks cost additional on top of the up-charge. We usually go to Chops but if you were gong to only do one or two specialty restaurants, you could skip this. You can also order the steaks for an addition cost in the Main Dining Room.

- Samba Grill (in Solarium): this is a Brazilian steak-house style restaurant. 9 different cuts of meat to eat during the meal and a nice salad bar. We enjoy eating here.

- Giovanni’s Table: this is the Italian restaurant. We see some mixed reviews on this, but it is one of our favorite restaurants.

- 150 Central Park: we have not eaten here. This is the most upscale restaurant.

- Izumi’s Asian Cuisine: A few complimentary items and then a la carte pricing for everything else. The “hot-rocks” is a fun dinner. They bring out super hot rocks and you cook your own food on it.

- Vintages: assorted tapas and fine wines. A la carte pricing. We have wanted to try this, but somehow never fit it into our schedule.

- Chef’s Table: Exclusive, interactive multi-course wine paring dinner hosted by ship Chef.

- Johnny Rockets. The fast food on the ship… burgers, fries, shakes. Up charge covers your meal but shakes are extra.

- Rita’s Contina on Allure (Mexican). A la carte pricing. Also has a Fiesta during the week that includes some entertainment like dancing on the boardwalk and 3 drinks. I believe this is being changed to Sabor.

- Sabor restaurant (Mexican) on Oasis. This is the former Seafood Shack.

- Starbucks: there is a Starbucks on board for your coffee fix if needed.

 

Other:

- If you have the traditional dining and gratuities for your room steward and dining room staff are automatically charged to your room, you can request to have this removed and pay your tips in cash at the end of the week. We do this as we are eating most of the week in the specialty restaurants and tip the staff at those venues.

- On the first day, go to the Main Dining Room and see where your table is located. If you don’t like the location, see if you can get it changed at this time.

- Your refrigerator in your room will have items in it that you are charged for if used / missing. A bar attendant also enters your room during the week a few times to check on it. I don't buy anything from it and have been charged when the bar attendant incorrectly counts items (and I have to waste time at Guest Services getting it removed). We always request it is emptied so we don't have to worry about it, we have the refrigerator space to use, and the bar attendant is not entering our room.

 

Internet: Here are the prices for a 7-day cruise.

- Basic: Checking the occasional e-mail, similar speeds to other ships.

Unlimited Plan - 2 Devices $200

Unlimited Plan - 1 Device $150

Daily: $35

Hourly (used in same day): $15

 

- Premium: 4x faster than the Basic plan. I used this for FaceTime video calls home to family. More than adequate for most purposes.

Unlimited Plan - 2 Devices $210

Unlimited Plan - 1 Device $160

Daily: $40

Hourly (used in same day): $20

 

- Premium Plus: Advertised for streaming movies, live video calls, downloading large files, etc.

Unlimited Plan - 2 Devices $350

Unlimited Plan - 1 Device $280

Daily: $70

Hourly (used in same day): $35

 

The Crown & Anchor discounts apply to the above. Emerald is 15% off the rates and Diamond is 20% off. Not sure about Gold / Platinum discounts.

 

For only $10 more for the unlimited plan, the Premium plan is worth it over the Basic plan. You can use the 1 Device plan with more than 1 device, just not at the same time. Just log onto a new device and it logs you off the prior device automatically.

 

Suite Perks:

- New Coastal Kitchen restaurant for suite guests on Oasis. Have not tried it yet, but early reviews look good.

- Concierge Lounge. Prior to the Oasis dry dock update, it offered breakfast, lunch and evening snacks. You could get drinks / soda at lunch and in the evening.

- Private sun deck and bar: unfortunately this is not near the pools (2 decks above the pools) and it can be Very windy. There are some nice private sitting areas protected from the wind and it has its own bar.

- Reserved seating at shows. However, once it is about 10 minutes before the show they open this up to anyone.

- Expanded Room Service menu. During dinner hours, you can order any food being served in the Main Dining Room. This is nice if you don’t bring clothes for formal nights but you still want to have the lobster. Order it in your room that evening.

[catm6156]

Sounds like a great trip! Be sure to check out the message boards at http://www.wdwinfo.com com for everything you need to know about Disney. We are vacation club members and go at least twice a year.

If you do come in March, that will be a very busy time for the cruise ships as well as Disney as many of the schools and colleges are on Spring break. Just something to think about.

What ever you decide, I'm sure you will have a great time!

[twomoons]

Have sailed Oasis twice & Allure once. If you are not doing a suite consider one of the last Boardwalk balconies. It's our favorite stateroom on these ships with a view of the ocean, boardwalk, Rockwell, zipline & prime seats for all the Aquatheater shoes & activities. Anytime we were in the room, the girls were out on the balcony. It's the most used balcony we have ever had.

 

Our girls love all the activities on the ship & were 10 & 8. Here are some photos of the view from the last room, deck 8.

 

 

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[hali76]

Thank you so much for so many great tips :)

We have booked the flight and cruise now. I can hardly wait. It's be a dream come true.

 

 

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