So many questions...leaving in 18 days

[Kelcin]

Wow, :confused: the more I read the more questions I have. This cruise is my 12 yr old daughters birthday present so most of my questions pretain to her overall enjoyment. We'll be on Majesty of the Seas March 13-16...So...

 

Are there kids menus in the main dining rooms or should I budget for the 'pay extra' places on board, for burger and fries and other kid friendly fare?

 

The shows that I've read about, can my daughter attend these shows. I've heard there is a comedian. Just wondering how kid-friendly that would be.

 

Pool hours: just thinking that if the shows aren't kid friendly maybe swimming at night is an option. She won't use the Fuel Lounge (kid lounge) as she wouldn't be comfortable going alone. It'd be great if she met a friend onboard right away but I'm not counting on it as she's a bit on the shy side.

 

Seating at meals. Are you assigned the same table for all meals? Our TA asked if I wanted a table to ourselves as opposed to sitting with other people. I said yes as I don't want adult travelers to feel they have to monitor their jokes etc...because there is a child at the table. Is this seating for breakfast, lunch, dinner.

 

Very confused about things I may find on my bill even though it's 'all inclusive' It seems from my previous post questions/answers that even if I didn't buy a thing onboard, only ate where it was part of the package, and tipped as I saw fit along the way, I might still have a bill on check out for 'tips'. Is this correct?

 

And, if I were to assume a typical day onboard was eating 3 meals a day, watching a show at night and swimming or lounging all day, would I be missing anything? (not counting the Nassau or CocoCay excursions)

 

And whats with the 'duct tape' conversasions I see on here. Some say take it, others say never used it. I'm missing a vital peice of the puzzle. Why would I need duct tape?

 

I have an 'outside' cabin. Does this mean the actual location of it was assigned at the time my TA booked my package?

 

And, any other info you think might be common sense to most vacationers, feel free to add it.

 

Thanks

[navybaby1113]

I've never said on that cruise line, so all of my answers are kind of generic.

 

The later the show, the less kid friendly it is. So, if you want to take you daughter to a show, definitely go to the earlier one. I've been to a few after late dinner seating and they can be pretty raunchy.

 

There are plenty of activities scheduled on board the ship, but it's all up to you what you want to do or not. If you would like to lounge around the pool all day, then that is perfectly fine. They will normally give you the next days schedule the night before so you can plan out what you want to do.

 

A lot of people take duct tape in case their luggage breaks. They most likely won't have anything on the ship for you to fix it with, so duct tape is important just in case this happens. I didn't take any on my last cruise, but we probably will this time, just in case.

 

You should already have a cabin number unless you booked a guarantee cabin. Check your travel documents for more information on this.

 

I hope this helps and that someone who's familiar with the cruise line can provide you with more specific answers.

[JSQ01]

Wow, :confused: the more I read the more questions I have. This cruise is my 12 yr old daughters birthday present so most of my questions pretain to her overall enjoyment. We'll be on Majesty of the Seas March 13-16...So...

 

Are there kids menus in the main dining rooms or should I budget for the 'pay extra' places on board, for burger and fries and other kid friendly fare? There usually are kids menus. You can also get burgers and fries for free other places on this ship. You shouldn't have to spend extra money unless you want to...

 

The shows that I've read about, can my daughter attend these shows. I've heard there is a comedian. Just wondering how kid-friendly that would be. Your daughter can definitely attend the shows...they are kid friendly. If the comedian has an "adult only" show it will be advertised that way and is usually later like 11PM or midnight.

 

Pool hours: just thinking that if the shows aren't kid friendly maybe swimming at night is an option. She won't use the Fuel Lounge (kid lounge) as she wouldn't be comfortable going alone. It'd be great if she met a friend onboard right away but I'm not counting on it as she's a bit on the shy side. Pool should be open most of the time...they do change out the water everyday (on most ships), so there will be a short time it is closed, but otherwise you can use it, but I think your daughter will like the shows.

 

Seating at meals. Are you assigned the same table for all meals? Our TA asked if I wanted a table to ourselves as opposed to sitting with other people. I said yes as I don't want adult travelers to feel they have to monitor their jokes etc...because there is a child at the table. Is this seating for breakfast, lunch, dinner. This seating is for dinner in the dining room. If you go to the buffet or other place on the ship, you will not have this assignment. Also if you go to the dining room for breakfast and lunch you will not have an assignment...this will be more like a restaurant where they lead you to an open table. I'm sure you can ask for your own table at these times too, though I've never sat at a table with conversation that wasn't nice...I'm sure it does happen though. If you find you are at a table assigned at dinner with people who are not appropriate with your daughter, go to the maitre d right away and ask for a new table. They can usually accomdate your request, but it is not guaranteed.

 

Very confused about things I may find on my bill even though it's 'all inclusive' It seems from my previous post questions/answers that even if I didn't buy a thing onboard, only ate where it was part of the package, and tipped as I saw fit along the way, I might still have a bill on check out for 'tips'. Is this correct? You should not have anything on your bill if you do not buy any drinks, pictures, etc. You may have the pre-paid tips if you said you wanted to do that when you booked.

 

And, if I were to assume a typical day onboard was eating 3 meals a day, watching a show at night and swimming or lounging all day, would I be missing anything? (not counting the Nassau or CocoCay excursions) Be sure to check your daily page for activities. There will be several things going on throughout the day on the ship, so you should read this the night before (the steward will leave it in your stateroom or in a "mail slot" outside your door every evening.)

 

And whats with the 'duct tape' conversasions I see on here. Some say take it, others say never used it. I'm missing a vital peice of the puzzle. Why would I need duct tape? I have never needed duct tape, so maybe someone else here could tell you. I do always take a power strip since outlets are limited, and I take a small bag to use in the ports. I don't like to carry around my purse.

 

I have an 'outside' cabin. Does this mean the actual location of it was assigned at the time my TA booked my package? This depends. Did you book an outside guarantee? If you did, then you were not assigned a specific stateroom when you booked but you are guaranteed a stateroom with either a window or portholes. If you did pick a specific stateroom, you should have that number. You can register RCI's website and put in your reservation number and it will tell you about your stateroom, if you don't already have that information from your TA.

 

And, any other info you think might be common sense to most vacationers, feel free to add it. Since you said you are going to Nassau, I thought I'd mention I love the straw market there...you can get lots of stuff like knock off purses and other trinkets. It is within walking distance of the port, so even if you are doing another excursion, you can still go there. It does close around 5PM though...

 

Thanks

 

I hope you have a great time on your cruise! I think you and your daughter will love it!

[Kelcin]

Thank you all very much for the helpful info. It's greatly appreciated.:)

[cb at sea]

Unless the show states "Adult only", it will be fine for a kid. The "late night" shows are usually billed for adults, as the language is a bit "raunchy".

Your table assignment is for dinner only. Breakfast and lunch is a "1st come, 1st served" seating arrangement.

I doubt they will seat folks with kids at tables without kids---no one wants that!

The cruises really aren't "all-inclusive", since alcohol, sodas...are extra. You don't HAVE to go to any of the "pay" restaurants. But, anything you do purchase on the ship will show up on your bill at the end.

Most folks find that they spend about 1/2 of what the cruise actually costs in "incidental" purchases--souveniers, tips, drinks, excursions....Budget for it!

[DireMongoose]

JSQ01 already wrote most of what I would have as answers; I just wanted to tack on a little more information on this question:

 

And, if I were to assume a typical day onboard was eating 3 meals a day, watching a show at night and swimming or lounging all day, would I be missing anything? (not counting the Nassau or CocoCay excursions)

 

Every night, usually while you're at dinner, a newsletter of sorts called the Cruise Compass will be delivered to your stateroom. It'll show all the activities and shows and the like on the ship for the next day. There will be a lot going on, and the vast majority of these will be free -- the only pay activities of this kind I can remember doing on-board were a wine tasting that cost something like $10/person and bingo. Anything that isn't kid-friendly will be marked as such.

 

There's also a bunch of different things you can do onboard at just about any time. Play mini golf, for example.

 

So in answer to your question, if swimming and lounging all day is what you want to do, go for it and you won't be missing anything -- it's your vacation, after all! But, if you'd like to mix it up and do some other things too, as we usually do, there will also be a lot of other fun choices each day.

[Arwenmark]

Take your daughter to the Kids club meet and greet thing the first day of the cruise, she will have the chance to meet the other kids on board and may then want to do kids club activities.

There is tons of food all over the ship that is not a paid extra specialty restaurant.

You will pay extra for soda and specialty coffees etc. if you order those things, You will be expected to tip an amount equal to about $12 pp per day this is devided between your room stewards and your wait staff. If you order room service, again most of it is free, you will be expected to tip whoever brings it as they are doing so on their own free time to earn extra money. The other tips are either Pre paid, added to your onboard account or you pay them yourself on the last night depending on how you set it up.

Duct tape comes in handy for things like keeping balcony doors open, fixing smashed suitcases, and a hundred other, glad I have it things.

If you booked a guarantee you should have a cabin assignment by now most likely if you booked a specific cabin you certainly should have it. Also you need to go online and fill out your pre cruise paperwork if you have not already done so, and print that to take with you. The information on your cabin should be there.

[JSQ01]

Also you need to go online and fill out your pre cruise paperwork if you have not already done so, and print that to take with you. The information on your cabin should be there.

 

Yes, definitely print out all your cruise docs before you go...it saves time when checking in.

[Kelcin]

Thank you everyone :)

 

The uncertainty is leaving and being replaced with excitement.

 

AND for those of you who couldn't comment on Majesty of the Sea, how about 'Monarch'? The travel said one thing but the documents say another. All the dates are right she just said the wrong ship.

 

Thanks again.

[Houndmom]

I have cruised many times, and have never brought duct tape. I have never NEEDED duct tape. Heck if I know what it's for.

 

Burgers and fries are available for no extra charge in the Windjammer Cafe.

 

The Cruise Compass newsletters will tell you which shows are child friendly. The person who told you "the later the show, the less kid-friendly" was right on the money.

 

If your child (or anyone in your family) is a soda drinker, it can get pricey. You can buy cans of soda on your own and bring them aboard the ship. Same goes for water, etc. The only drink you can't buy at home and bring aboard is alcohol.

 

I've cruised on the Monarch, and she's a lovely ship. Enjoy! :)