Traveler1977

Sorry I’m late to the thread. @CDNPolar gave a great explanation on how Viking Air works. I have used Viking Air Plus several times and have been very satisfied with the flights I have been able to get. I have found the staff at Viking Air Plus are much more knowledgeable and helpful than the individuals who answer the regular Viking Customer Service lines. By using Viking Air Plus you have input in your flight selection from the very beginning of the process.

I’ve done this several times. Keep checking for price reductions. If you see a better price, cancel your existing reservation and make a new one at the reduced price. I’ve done this for excursions and dining reservations as well.

Yes, South Beach is the best beach on Coco Cay. Fewer people seem to make it there since it is further away from the dock than the other beaches on the island Actually, we should stop telling everyone how great South Beach is, more people might start taking the longer walk to this pristine location.

Thanks for your detailed review. Really enjoyed the photos and descriptions you provided. I’m doing the four day cruise in early December and I’m glad to hear it’s not the “party cruise” we were thinking it might be. Looking forward to a great time.

I’m on Utopia in early December 2024. I’ve been checking daily and the Royal Railway was never offered. Even tried calling and was told it wasn’t available for booking yet. I checked the website a few minutes ago and it’s now available to reserve for my cruise. I made my reservation and am looking forward to the experience. My recommendation is keep checking and jump on it when it opens b

Just to let you know, Brightline stops in downtown Miami, it does not take you directly to PortMiami. You’ll still transportation to get to the port. It’s not far, just a mile or two.

In your rush to select the most desirable excursions first, be aware of the fact that some excursions (including the premium ones) are often offered at multiple times. Make sure you select the time slot you want. I made this mistake. Didn’t realize it until after I had purchased all of my excursions and was reviewing my selections.

OneSixtyToOne & Peregrina651, Thank you for your responses.

The LSG app sounds like a great suggestion, but I can’t seem to find it in my phone’s App Store. Can you provide a little more information on the name of the app?

I’ve done a Virgin cruise out of Miami to the Caribbean and found that Virgin definitely caters to a younger “hipster” crowd. Their demographic target group for other destinations might be different. I will say that their restaurant venues were creative and interesting and their food was excellent. The swimming pool area almost seems like it was an afterthought, in my opinion it’s very poorly designed. Even the common areas on the ship were choppy and not conducive for relaxing. The cabin layouts are unconventional. The balconies include a hammock to sit on; while it was a fun novelty, they weren’t very comfortable to sit on for any length of time. There is probably a market for their brand, but it doesn’t include me, as I don’t plan on cruising with them again.

A couple of disappointing last minute updates. Boarding Freedom tomorrow. Hoping the decorations are up. Whether they’re up or not won’t matter, we are going to have a great time on our cruise either way.

Thanks for all the feedback.

Thanks for the responses. Something to look forward to.

Now that Thanksgiving is behind us, does anyone know when Royal Caribbean decorates its ships for the Christmas holiday season? It would be nice to see festive decorations on Freedom for my upcoming cruise.

I’ve been quietly following the thread. Glad for the happy ending. Enjoy the cruise.

Getting two JD’s single malt, not a bad decision. I’ve enjoyed your review and photos. Thanks.

@DeerJod You’ve made a cruise that I was already excited about seem even better. A Jack Daniel’s single malt I’ve never seen before (and not available in local liquor stores) and Blanton’s both available on the ship makes it an even better cruise. I’m also looking forward to CocoCay and having some relaxing time on the ship.

We’ll be on the Freedom very soon. Enjoying your review, including the great photos. Any tips or recommendations you can give regarding the ship or the cruise would be appreciated. As bourbon fans, we are also drinking up your comments on that fine adult beverage.

I had two cruises on hold with a 40% discount on the total cruise just before the Black Friday sale prices were released. The BF sale is a 75% discount on the second person and a bonus savings. The pre Black Friday prices were considerably better for both cruises. Booked both cruises at the prices I had on hold. As others have said, it’s a shell game.

Vancouver, plenty of great hotels and restaurants nearby and a lot to do in the area.

In the past, being a Florida resident has gotten me discounts on Caribbean cruises out of PortMiami. Haven’t found these same discounts being applied recently. I suspect most of these discounts are only available when bookings are slow to encourage locals to sail at a discounted price. With bookings up, I’m not sure we’ll be seeing these discounts much in the near future.

Amsterdam is a very walkable city. Easy to navigate but as others have said, watch out for bikes. They come from every direction without any warning. I have stayed at the Movenpick hotel and enjoyed it very much. My biggest tip for Amsterdam is to plan ahead what museums (including the Anne Frank House) you want to visit. Make reservations and purchase your tickets well in advance of your trip. You can do this online. They often sell out early or you could wait in long lines just to purchase your entrance tickets. Some of the museums even have discount bundle packages. Enjoy your trip.

In a pinch to keep drapes tightly sealed so cracks of light don’t peek through, we use pant hangers that have the two clips on them. Overlap the two sides of the drapes together and clip them. The hangers are usually readily available in the closets. We also do this in hotel rooms. Works great.

Again, thank you to those who provided feedback on the different doors.

Thanks for your comments on the door types.