Newbie to RCCL, need help!!

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Hi,

I am not new to cruising, but I am new to RCCL.

We are thinking about taking our adult kids and our grandkids on the Mariner in 07.

 

I can't find any of the Cruise Compasses to read anywhere. I would love to know if there is one soemwhere that I can read. I need to know what types of events they have to do during the day for people. I do now about the clubs in the evening. I also understand some things you pay extra for. I need to know what things cost extra and how much it costs?

Any help or tips you could offer I would greatly appreciate!!

 

I need to know my budget so I can give an appriate spending allowance to each person while on board. I dont want to be cheap or go over board for them. Since we are footing the entire bill it is very important I know how much to save over the next year.

 

Thank you so much for your help!!

Any other fun things or tips you'd like to offer to a newbie would also be appreciated!!!!

 

mom x4,grandma x4

[vdv115]

Hi,

I am not new to cruising, but I am new to RCCL.

We are thinking about taking our adult kids and our grandkids on the Mariner in 07.

 

I can't find any of the Cruise Compasses to read anywhere. I would love to know if there is one soemwhere that I can read. I need to know what types of events they have to do during the day for people. I do now about the clubs in the evening. I also understand some things you pay extra for. I need to know what things cost extra and how much it costs?

Any help or tips you could offer I would greatly appreciate!!

 

I need to know my budget so I can give an appriate spending allowance to each person while on board. I dont want to be cheap or go over board for them. Since we are footing the entire bill it is very important I know how much to save over the next year.

 

Thank you so much for your help!!

Any other fun things or tips you'd like to offer to a newbie would also be appreciated!!!!

 

mom x4,grandma x4

 

You can look here http://http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/pdf/CruiseCompass.pdf

or just do an internet search for Cruise Compass :D

[yittles&boone]

Try Webshots.com and type in cruise compass LOTS of pictures !!!

[Nliedel]

http://www.cruiseclues.com also has some of them.

 

Are you going on the Western or Eastern Caribbean?

 

A lot of things are included. Rock wall, rollerblading (small track), ice skating, mini golf (the only area on the ship I saw wear and tear), entertainment.

 

Horse Racing costs more, as does Bingo. Adventure Ocean is included for the grandkids, depending on their ages. They must be at least three and potty trained. In cabin babysitting at night is excellent.

 

What do you like to do? There's so much I can't list it all here. I only hit about a 1/4 of the stuff anyway.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

Thanks everyone, i will check out the web site later today.

 

In answer to your questionss, we like crafts, lots of what other lines have called the Art of Entertaining which is cooking demonstrations, towel folding to look like animals, wine and cheese tastings, family events such as karoake, game shows, dances, live music, pool activities,miniature golf, no workout stuff, this is vacation!! Ha! Ha! Ship tours of all kinds.

 

Between us all we have about every interest there is. Ages are as follows,

4, 8, 13, 15, 34, 43, 52, 53, 25, 27, so wehave abig variety.

 

One question, anyone ever cruise with a Autistic child? 4 year old is mildly autistic, main problem is communication, he uses sign language most of the time. Plus he doesnt realise is he is hurt, he doesnt process pain as we do. If we stayed with him, could he play in the kids area too? He loves being with other kids and does well with them.

 

thanks, mom x4,grandma x4

[Nliedel]

My Steven is not autistic, but he has austistic like symptoms (adopted, born addicted with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome). He had a ball. It was the most in tune and relaxed I have ever seen him. The rocking of the ship stopped his rocking at night. It's the first time in 6 years I do not think he rocked himself to sleep. He had time in AO alone. We used the Cartoon Network as his touchstone with familiarity and developed a routine for him on ship as close to his home routine as possible.

 

He was pretty checked out the first day, but got it together by day two. The continuity of AO helped him and we booked an in cabin sitter right away for night. We were upfront with the AO people and the in cabin sitter. The same one every night meant he had another touchstone. Breakfast in the Dining room was also a good move for us. It provided a smooth and reliable start to each day. Steve had a tough time with the buffet. Too much was unexpected.

 

There is a wine tasting and it's interesting if you're a novice. There were no cooking deomnostrations that I remember. I would not have missed it.

 

We left Steve in AO, but checked on him a lot! We were going to pull him before outside activities like Hide and Seek in the Dragon's Lair, but he wanted to go and was fine. He did get a warning for hitting his brother. Sigh. We spoke to him and it was fine. They do not tolerate that sort of thing and good for AO for that policy.

 

The wine tasting is a paid event if you are not a previous RCI cruiser. I went to the Martini Tasting and LOVED IT! of course I was three sheets to the wind.

 

The trivia contest was fun and I loved the Karaoke, even tho there was a ringer in the judging pool! One of the contestants husbands was a judge. She was really good, too good to need to do that. They should have disqualified her, but didn't. Again, she was good enough to win without that. It still feels like dirty pool to me.

 

Go to Love and Marriage. It's a hoot. If you're adventurous and don't mind some R rated fun try Quest.

[mom x4,grandma x4]

thanks for all the great information. I am glad to hear they are good about special needs kids too. Christian has crusied on DCL once when he was 18 months but he didnt do any clubs, just the pool and he stayed with us or his parents. He usually reacts well around a few kids at a time, so we will take it slow and see what happens.

 

Thanks again,

mom x4,grandma x4