How to carry Seapass & almost last minute questions!

[Havingfun2010]

Tipping question - when you go to a "restaurant" and leave a tip, to you personally hand the server a tip, find the buss boy and hand him a tip, and then tip the greeter on the way out the door?

 

Cruise ships are the same. Leave the auto tips on, and then tip anyone else you wish extra!

[poncho1973]

My wife says "Hey baby, put this in your pocket." That's how she handles it.

 

As for packing, you will quickly find that you need to toss about 1/2 the stuff you pack. Our first cruise was brutal in that regard. We took way too much stuff.

 

This many cruises in, we've got it down to the bare essentials. The only thing we overpack is my wife's shoes. That is still a work in-progress for me.

[Possible]

First cruise. Not sure what this is. ID & key card.?

[Clarea]

First cruise. Not sure what this is. ID & key card.?

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Correct, plus your onboard credit card. You need it to purchase virtually anything on the ship. No cash used, except in the casino.

Edited December 7, 2015 by clarea

[Terre]

I just found the cutest thing from Thirty-One. If you know someone who sells Thirty-One this is perfect. It's a little tri-fold that has a place for DL, but you can put your boarding pass in that; a place for money. It has a latch to go on your belt loop and is 4X2 3/4. Item number is 62010228, 0228 City Charcoal Snake, Letters from London.

 

Here are pics open and closed:

 

Edited December 10, 2015 by Terre

[platina416]

I use a plastic coil around my wrist for the seapass. They are designed, I think, for keys as they have a ring you can attach the seacard to. Just get a hole punched in it. Got 6 of them in a pack at the dollar store. Not as unsightly as the lanyards for dinner,

 

This is what I did for my last cruise. Guest Services will hole punch your seapass for you.

 

These are the ones I purchased for our group:

 

http://www.mec.ca/product/5029-993/fox-40-wrist-coils-3-pack/?f=10&q=wrist

 

The colour coding was great, because we had a drink package on Celebrity and when we ordered our drinks we would give them our seapasses. When she came back with the cards, it was easy to just grab your card from the pile.

[platina416]

Also, I have a sensitivity as well and I just order off the main dining room menu. Each item states if it is gluten free or not. If you have the same wait staff, they will bring you gluten free items (like bread/muffins at breakfast, or breads at dinner) without asking. They are extremely accommodating so you'll be fine for food!

[cruzin76]

Also, I have a sensitivity as well and I just order off the main dining room menu. Each item states if it is gluten free or not. If you have the same wait staff, they will bring you gluten free items (like bread/muffins at breakfast, or breads at dinner) without asking. They are extremely accommodating so you'll be fine for food!

 

Do they have gluten free bread in Park Cafe

[LuckyStar]

The lanyard is good souvenir. I got one on my Carnival cruise for about $3 and LOVE wearing it on other cruise lines. ;)

[rbschultz]

I'm mid-20s. Never carry my ID with me. The card is punched several times, marked as minor, and has kids dancing on the card if you are under 21.

[cruzin76]

Do they have gluten free bread in Park Cafe

 

Just wanted to answer this question if anyone does a search. They had gluten free Hotdog buns in park cake to make a sandwich on the Enchantment Park café.

The lanyards worked great for daytime activities on boat. Evenings and ports they were in my wallet.

[Betsynh]

When I only need my sea pass card, I slide it into the side of my bra! Or in my shoe! :)

Me, too... super easy, hands free.

[Orangepost-it]

Just got back last week and had a fabulous time!!

 

 

As for the sea pass, I never found a hole puncher. Didn't look too hard though. I just stuck it in my bra which worked perfectly.

 

As a completely new cruiser, I may have under packed a bit. I packed all shorts and tank tops (all I could think was lounging out in the pool) , but felt a bit under dressed when walking around the ship and especially in the MDR. I did bring a formal dress (cocktail) and some were dressed in prom level dresses. I actually enjoyed everyone being a bit more formal, it added to the atmosphere. I only wish I had packed better. Also, I bought three bathing suits and that seemed to be the magic number. I would go for a dip in the morning and change for lunch before going swimming again. It was a rotation of swimsuits and I always had 1 dry, 2 wet. I hate soggy bathing suits.

 

Wasn't the biggest fan of the promenade. It felt like I was in a mall that occasionally shifted sideways (so disconcerting!). It was so big which made it hard for me to grasp that I was on a boat (this took several days to get over).

 

Independence was absolutely gorgeous and amazing. We were a completely sold out cruise, but it never felt that way. The last session for the flow rider was the only long line we encountered. We got on in <10 min before that even on sea days. I guess everyone wanted their last go at it, but it took closer to 45 min to an hour.

 

We were in the very front of our ship which made it quiet and we never had trouble getting anywhere. Most activities were in the back (aft?) so we will definitely pick those rooms if we sail this ship again. Small inconvenience though. We also used stairs instead of the elevator which would take a while sometimes (honestly, the only bad crowding we saw ) and the 7th floor was absolutely ideal for that. Two floors down to the promenade and Just a few up (it was a leg work out ).

 

Gluten free was easy except in the windjammer where they always seemed to be out of GF bread. I never saw it even on the first day somehow

 

MDR was far preferred and loved the service and food much better there. It did take 1.5hours to 2 hours each night. We liked sitting and enjoying the quiet time. The food in my opinion was spectacular. The only disappointment was the chocolate soufflé, but you're on a cruise so you can just order something else!. The lobster was fantastic, never had a bad MDR steak and service was fantastic. Seriously, we just want to cruise again for the dining experience.

 

CD was interesting? Definitely a lot more than with crude humor than I expected , but he was good.

 

I took Dramamine which hit me really badly the first two days. I couldn't keep my eyes open for more than an hour at a time. So try your sea sickness medication on land before you do them at sea. I lost a sea day to this, passed out in my cabin , haha . I don't think it's a normal level drowsiness side effect the way it hit me. I couldn't even stand up straight and walk... Didn't feel too seasick when I quit it though.

 

We saw the ice show and were really impressed (it's a small rink) with the skill level of the performers.

 

We stopped in Belize and Cozumel and did not book any excursions which we found to be a really great idea. We just walked off and bargained for excursions in the port and had an awesome time seeing Altun-ha (40$ pp) and snorkeling in Cozumel (40$ pp for us even though the family with us said she paid 70$ pp so don't be afraid to walk away from a price you're not comfortable with!). I felt safe and even walked out of the port in Cozumel for margaritas and free wifi. Margaritas were probably priced a few bucks lower than the ship so kind of a payment for the wifi lol. Enjoyed Belize significantly more though and enjoyed the people more. Cozumel seemed like they would (in my husbands words) sell you ocean front property in Ohio. Belize was much more calm and easier to walk around and honestly prettier. Watch for traffic though - we hit a fair amount on the way back to port (we left 2 hours before the last tender though).

 

We loved cruising and already booked our second for next thanksgiving! However, we are going to try NCL this time (Epic) due to the drink package being included and finding a good holiday price. Drinks were really expensive and we don't drink enough to pay for the package on RCCL. We did two pina coladas at the pool to be looking at 30$ :eek::eek::eek: before the extra tip (which we love giving, but the initial sticker shock hurt us a bit). Ordered a standard martini to look at at 16$ bill. However I do think that ordering as we go worked because knowing me, I would try to drink to get my money's worth and be like the lady I met in the elevator who was unable to stand and didn't know which floor was hers (she just ambled off) . There was NO corkage fee in the MDR though which was great (and we could leave an extra cash tip instead 😀:) . And we could enjoy a bottle over the course of several nights because they would save it for us.

 

Anyway, it is safe to say that I am hooked on cruising ! And need to get as many cruises in while we live in Florida!