Hotel CA

One would expect that based on the price paid for a Disney cruise, you should get better service, nicer room, better food etc. Just like I would expect the Chrystal cruise ships probably serve better quality meals overall than does Royal or Celebrity-- but that is NOT the only thing--it is just one of many Things.

We cruise Royal because we prefer the Vibe and like the service and enjoy the food and feel comfortable with the price etc, etc, etc We have sailed Princess, Celebrity and Carnival many times and even Seabourn a few times but we still rank Royal as the overall best for us.

Just because Lamborghini is rated the best sports car in the world doesn't mean there is no spot for the Vette or the Porsche or even the M3.

Ranking cruises for people is rather like teaching a Pig to sing-- it is hard to do and irritates the Pig

if only your local meteorologist had been on the bridge. But he wasn't.

like !!!!

We put a reservation in for Nochi Cocum on Cozumel. For those of,you who have been there, how far is it from yhe port? What is the best or cheapest way to get there? Any issues getting back to the port?

LocoBill49-- when are you going to Nachi?

We are on the Independance that arrives Cozumel on Feb 20 and we are planning to spend all Satrday at Nachi

Not too late for a scooter or wheelchair rental however without an accessible cabin it may not fit through the door. Due to safety concerns scooters cannot be felt in the hall.

Oh I beg to differ-- in fact I think that is why they don't let you park them in the hall-- IT CAN and will (with a little ocean motion)be FELT!!!!

Sorry--I just could not resist

we tried MTD last Nov on the Seranade for the first time (for us)-- Loved it and will always request if from now on-- we made reservations (online for 6:30 or 7:00 every night) in advance and then often changed it the day of for one reason or another. The only thing is if you change your reservation, you may not get the same wait staff for that meal--which we ultimately decided was more important than a different dine time so at the end of the cruise, we kept to our prereserved schedule or asked --when we changed the reservation-- for the same wait staff at dinner (which may cause you to have adjust your time one way or the other a few minutes) as we really liked this particular waiter group.

MHO-- MTD is a great upgrade to the whole dining experience

Nachi Cocom or Mr Santos for AI beach in Coz-- Nachi more laid back Mr Santos better toys for older kids-

I've bit my tongue for hours on this one, but...

 

"Risk" is composed of two independent variable: Probability of the event, and consequences of the event. Risk is usually expressed in terms of an unmitigated risk and a final risk with mitigation.

 

In this case, probability is probably moderate. We have no idea of the true prevalence of Zika virus in the mosquito population, but the Aedes mosquitoes that spread Zika in populated areas are aggressive daytime biters and are also extremely anthropophilic; they like people and their dwellings. So far, we only have an association of Zika with microcephaly, so we can't make any conclusions as to the real probability of microcephaly resulting from a single exposure. So that adds up to a moderate probability in my book.

 

The consequences of an uncontrolled event appear catastrophic. We're forced to make assumptions as there simply is no scientific data, but, in Brazil, there is a definite association of Zika infection with microcephaly, which is a pretty catastrophic occurrence. It does appear that infected individuals rapidly clear the virus, and become immune, so the CDC at least sees little risk to those who become pregnant weeks or months after infection.

 

So, the unmitigated "risk", probability X consequence, is high, driven by the consequences of a moderately likely event. You can reduce this to at least moderate/medium by using mosquito repellant religiously. The close association between Aedes mosquitos and people means that's probably your only good strategy. Staying on the ship in port will probably reduce risk further.

 

If we were a few years into this phenomena, and actually knew more, we could much more effectively assess the real risk. So, I don't think the OP is overreacting. They're trying to make a very difficult decision in the face of very incomplete, and probably inaccurate, information. To which I wish them the best of luck and hope they receive the best medical advice, from an actual person instead of an internet forum, available to them.

LIKE!!! The POST OF THE YEAR... End of story

Interesting topic. I work for CDC. I remember when we first started hearing about this. I cruised during both of my pregnancies. I wondered what I would do if I was pregnant and about to sail. Definitely a difficult choice to make. Food for thought though, even if you cancel your cruise, the first cases have been reported in the US. It is a problem to be dealt with regardless of whether you will be travelling.

You work for the CDC eh??? Well I have this issue

Wait a minute don't walk away -- see, it hurts when I do this and it all started right after I got some kind of itchy rash and THAT probably came from some kind of rather large flying insect that injected an inch long stinger into my back whilst we were on safari near Kruger National park in South Africa---an RCCL sanctioned tour I might add

wait, don't leave..... aren't you with the Government and supposed to help me??????

Yeppers that worked just fine

We did the 10 day last November on the Seranade-- Food-- really good-in fact in retrospect we wish we had not bothered with Specialty restaurants (although we specially enjoyed Izumi). Wait staff was great-- we had MTD and LOVED it-- as were all the dining room managers. Cabin Steward was a 10-- Dont forget the aft dining in windjammer--really is nice.

All-in-all the number of stops was perfect (Tortola beaches are absolutely killer) as were the sea days-- great cruise, excellent staff and great ship in our HO

Hence why I said "depending on when you go." Before drydock = inline track. After drycock = Flowrider.

When did Royal start that???? I am not sure that I want THAT !!!:confused:

Celebrity is a different breed of cat-- it tends to have an older clientele and is definitely not as kid oriented. We liked the Summit but found it lacked the Royal Vibe and was a lot more sedate. We prefer the upbeat style of Royal and depending on the ages o the kids--pretty sure they would find way more to do on the Anthem.

Supershuttle and/or Primetime are your best bets--rental car only makes sense if you want to explore other options in SoCal or if you have a large family (Supershuttle is per person cost)

As stated before, you can go online and reserve a supershuttle or Primetime for a pick up and drop off in Anaheim

Good luck whatever you decide

The reefs off Cozumel are mostly in 40' or more water so OK snorkelling but not close up. The beach and close to shore is all rocks and sand--not great--you need to go out a ways to the reefs.

Might want to spend the day at Mr Sanchos or Nachi Cocom (AI Beaches) --best bet is to go to ports message board on CC and check out the boards at each place-- lots of great info

Please be aware that Not only is it a longer bus ride to C I but depending on the time of year, C I can be blistering hot whereas Tulum -since it is located right on a bluff over the ocean-- can get nicer Ocean Breezes and is usually cooler (relatively speaking) than CI. CI is bigger and somewhat more varied than Tulum but in my opinion not worth the cost of spending a lot of time in the bus (UP and Back).

Tulum is really a beautiful site--much more so than CI in my opinion.

We did the exact same cruise this last November and while we were not so crazy about St Kitts-- all the other stops were fantastic (most especially Tortola--the beaches were Fabulous and be sure not to miss the Pain Killers on Tortola!!!)

Having sailed the Freedom before, we had very little motion difference at least during our cruise but the itinerary difference was definitely spectacular--Serenade wins hands down.

Added bonus-- the Radiance class ships are laid out in such a manner as to heighten the experience of being at sea as opposed to insulating it. By that I mean you are almost always near a window that looks out onto the sea-- even the elevators show you the outside and seas on higher floors. We absolutely love the Radiance class ship. Combine that with a great 10 day itinerary and I believe you have the formula for a memorable cruise.

We loved it and so did out 33 year old son and his Fiance.

Carpet is replaced regularly as needed; it's not done only once in dry dock. They have extra carpet and can replace it in the event of an emergency if need be. Same goes for furniture - replaced as needed. We were on Explorer some years ago during which they replaced our sofa during the cruise.

 

Just off Serenade and she looks beautiful.

Agreed-- was on the 10 day southern in November and she was in very good shape--lovely ship with great staff

We sailed Freedom last year and even though it was full, the only time it seemed crowded to us was when they had the parades down main street (and then it was a zoo). But this is one of the things your boys will likely enjoy so overall I never felt more crowded on Freedom than other ships. And what a great ship for Boys those ages!!!!

Just assume you cannot use the Shareholder credit with anything or at anytime and you will cover 99.9% of the reality. I think the only time you can use it is if you pay full price for both travelers in whatever cabin class you have chosen

Bought 100 shares 5 years ago in hopes of getting some OBC I(and not losing my money of course)-- in that 5 year period we took 6 RCCL cruises and got the OBC exactly zero times. ERRRRR

But on a happier note--I just sold the 100 shares for a really nice profit--I would wait 3-6 months before I bought in if I were you and when/if you do do--do NOT expect any benefit when you sail--just when you sell (if you are lucky).

worst case scenario is that you can change it when you check in at the cruise terminal to get your set sail card-- you just give them one of your other cards to replace the one you have on file.

3RDs on Park and Go-- really easy to use, convenient and inexpensive

Upcoming cruise next month will be my first without a Tux-- have succumbed to change and will wear a suit and tie.

Hopefully the suit will take up less room and weigh less than that big old Tux

Is this cold water lobster you couldn't get? That I can understand the disappointment! If it was the other kind, warm water, then you could have had shrimp with butter instead!

Cold water Lobsters have claws and are not generally served as "tails" -- whenever I hear lobster tails I think Caribbean or Rock lobsters and agree they are not nearly as good

That is a heck of a story and I would not have taken the situation nearly as well as you did. I commend your restraint and think you were very appropriate in all your actions.

Pretty weak responses from the Chops manager and he or she should know better than to allow staff to invent fabrications to explain away issues. How many of us have teenage kids who make a bad situation way worse by trying to 'story' their way out of it? And just like a teenager, a bad story to boot!

Well --happy 40th and here's to your next steak and lobster birthday dinner--perhaps the next time you will be in Maine and can get at all the best lobster you can handle!!!!!!!!!!!!!