digital_curator

I would love to try the S-class ships but for itinerary, I would (and have) chose the Summit. First, we love having a couple of days in San Juan. Old San Juan is lovely and on most cruises one only gets a few hours in port.

We aren't beach people either.

In Barbados we took a tour that the included a visit to an animal sanctuary (interesting) and snorkeling with the turtles (favorite thing I have ever done in the Caribbean).

We LOVED St. Lucia! We took a land tour- stopped in Castries to see a cute church, ate bananas right off a tree, had beautiful views of the Pitons, ate a wonderful local lunch, sampled rum at a local distillery, saw the waterfalls, and had a little beach time. The roads are winding though, and some people were sick. This time we are heading out to the Pitons by boat.

We have never been to Antigua, so we are excited to visit in a few weeks!

St. Maarten is one of our favorite islands. If we are ever going to buy a vacation home, it will be here. Bernard's island tour is amazing but this time we are going to take a bus to the French side and hang out in Marigot.

We don't love St. Thomas, but we enjoyed Godfrey's tour the first time, which included shopping in the capital, an island tour, and optional beach time. We prefer St. John and X has an affordable boat ride there. Great snorkeling right off the beach and a nice town to walk around. Because this itinerary is so port-intensive, we are going to treat this stop like a sea day.

If I had to pick a second choice, I would go for the Reflection. We thought St. Kitts was lovely, though this was a beach day for us. I had a lovely massage. Our friends enjoyed their island tour, which I would do if I return.

We have had bad weather out of Miami but nothing but calm seas out of San Juan, which is also a factor for me. I also hate the craziness that is the Miami airport, but that's just me. I do like Miami though.

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Digital Curator- YES! We have been on Royals Serenade! That is the largest that we have been on for Royal.. So now you can see why I'm a bit concerned about adventure Of Seas.. I don't know IF we would like that big of a ship... though we just did Princesses Regal... That is big- but we really enjoyed it.

I haven't been on the AOS, so I have no idea what it is like these days but I have sailed on the NOS and the EOS. We were on the NOS about 2 years after it launched and on the EOS about 7 years after it launched.

The NOS was our first cruise, so I loved it. The EOS looked a little tired when we sailed, so I was less impressed.

I don't find this class to be so much larger that you will be overwhelmed. But will you use the extras? I love the promenade on these ships but you loose the beautiful indoor views of the sea. Perhaps this isn't so important on a port-intensive cruise.

In terms of experience, we find that the food on X is slightly better but RCI has more selection, both in the buffet and in the MDR. But I do like X's made-to-order sandwich bar, the fresh waffles, the eggs benedict station, and the sushi in the evening. The ice cream station is awesome also- lots of flavors, available all day.

We think the entertainment is better on RCI but we really like the live music all over the ship on X. We rarely go to the theater on X, just head to a smaller lounge or bar, get a drink, and enjoy the singer/musicians.

The cabins are very similar. The ship in terms of size, layout, and amenities will remind you a lot of the Serenade. The thelassotherapy pool in the adult-only section is nice on Summit, I like the free pastries in Cafe Baccio (not free with purchase of coffee like on RCI). I like the burgers at the Mast Grill better than the sandwich offerings at the Solarium Cafe (though I think these have changed since the last time we sailed).

The service is good on both lines but we find the crew to be slightly more relaxed and friendly. But X has some nice touches- a glass of champagne when you board, cold towels and water/punch when you get back to port. We also like to get to chat with the officers, who provide and interesting take about life on a cruise ship.

In terms of itinerary, both look great- I suggest a B2B:D Seriously, I agree with you about San Juan and the S. Caribbean. Are there ports you haven't been to?

You have made me realize that we should check out the AOS for a change, so if you choose that one please come back to report! We are doing a similar itinerary on Summit in February but with Antigua (the only port we haven't been to) instead of St. Kitts. We use St. Thomas as a sea day. :D

I wish one line would bring back a 10-11 day S. Caribbean out of San Juan. That was my favorite trip ever. Lots of ports and sea days!

Cheers,

Have you been on the Serenade or that class of RCI ships? We sail both RCI and X and the Summit reminds us of this ship. Small, elegant, not as much nightlife as the bigger ships. These two are DH's favorite ships that he has sailed. I'm torn between these and the Independence because I like activities like mini golf and the Flowrider.

We love sailing out of San Juan and the southern itinerary. I wish X still had the 11-night itinerary!

As someone with an art history and museological education, who has worked in the art world and now teaches art history, I vote a BIG nay to the art auctions. Much of the material is misrepresented and the valuations are not to be trusted at all. I discourage people from buying from the ships even if it is just because they like the piece because the whole business is so questionable.

On the other hand, the onboard art is often quite impressive. Sometimes they offer art tours (we had a guide on the Serenade; Celebrity often has self-guided ones) of their excellent and varied collections.

If you are really interested in art, skip the auction and use that time to look at the works in the stairwells and hallways instead!

Cheers,

We book through a large online cruise-specific TA. Because they do large bookings we usually get a slightly lower rate, as well as additional perks and/or OBC.

For example, on our last cruise the cruiseline was offering a choice of 4 perks. So we picked 1. Our TA gave us another 1, and the rate was a little lower than what was advertised.

Now we tend to book online, get the bonus for doing so, transfer to the TA and get the extra perks. We are pretty happy with this system.

However, if we want to change cabins or anything, we have to call the TA and get them to call the cruiseline so it slows the process down somewhat. This doesn't really bother me though I'm not sure how much help they might have been in a snowstorm! This has not been a deal-breaker for us.

Cheers,

Since you are dealing with a medical condition, I would say wear what you can. When my ankle swells, I can't get ballet flats on either. But I did buy "dressy" flip flops.

I did a Google search with those words and a lot comes up in all price ranges. Perhaps something along these lines, which are less than $10 on another site and technically called a "thong sandal":D

http://www.shoemetro.com/p-382861-triton.aspx?color=Silver&material=Faux%20Leather&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=PLA

As I said, I was worried about being kicked out, though I figured that I could always show my ankle (which swells to the size of a small orange) and plead for a medical exception. I never needed to though.

Cheers,

I have a torn tendon in my ankle and my foot swells badly. I'm not supposed to wear heels (or flats, for that matter). I had a really dressy pair of flip flops, Steve Madden, with a jeweled decoration. I wore those on smart casual nights but I was always worried since the suggested dress clearly states that these aren't appropriate for the MDR.

I have now purchased a pair of very low heels with stretchy straps to accommodate my ankle. They look nicer with my dresses, don't hurt my feet, and I don't have to worry about what people think.

I have seen people turned away at the MDR for clothing outside/not adhering to the suggestions. Do I think you will be denied access? No. Would I chance being embarrassed by being turned away at the door? No.

Cheers,

So my BF and I are going on our first B2B on the NCL Gem in November, and we are trying to keep our luggage as light as possible. So one question is, are there any laundry mats close by the pier that we could use to wash our clothes from one cruise, to get them ready for the next one? I know they offer laundry services onboard the ship, but they are expensive, and honestly don't feel comfortable having my clothes washed with however many strangers clothes lol.

My next question, is there a store close by to buy things like socks and underwear? We were talking about just taking what we need for one week, and then just throwing them away and buying new for the next week. Weird I know, just trying to minimalize :D. Any input welcome! Thanks in advance :)

Surely it can't be more expensive to wash than buy? I shudder at the waste. Have you considered taking a small pack of detergent and washing stuff in the sink?

Thank you so much for your review! It was fun and fair. You are the type of person that this GenXer always wants to meet on a cruise, though I would drive an introvert like you nuts!:D

I have to work on my next cruise, so I especially enjoyed hearing where you went to write! This will be a challenge for me.

Don't the RCI bars have snack mixes any more? The bartenders used to put a bowl out for us when we went for a drink before dinner.

I have brought granola bars for days when we have an all-day excursion with a lunch stop but otherwise I can usually find something that suits in the buffet. On X ships, the ice cream bar has M&Ms etc., which is perfect.

We have only sailed X and RCI and find that they are more similar than different.

We haven't sailed the Equinox or S-class ships, and your experience will differ depending on when and where you are sailing.

Our experience has been that X cruisers are a little older, with fewer families and children. That being said, we are finding that the demographics on X are getting younger. We are in our mid-40s with no kids. Each trip we find there are more people in our age group than before.

X ships have less sports activities. I love the Flowrider and mini-golf, so I miss these but my DH could care less.

We think that RCI has better shows but that X excels at live music in several small venues. Now that we have the drink package, we hit up one of the lounges with a good band/singer/musician and skip the theater completely on X.

We think that the found is slightly better on X but that the variety is better on RCI. However, I love some of the touches in the X buffet- made to order waffles, ice cream with fixings, the eggs Benedict station, made to order sandwiches, etc. As someone else said, Cafe Baccio has great pastries.

I love the aft bar on X ships- it is lovely to watch the wake. We also send a lot of time at the martini bar, though we wish it was bigger. It's a lot more fun than RCI's champagne bar.

We have always found the crew on RCI to be a little more relaxed and friendly though we have had very good service on X.

In terms of the cabins, they are very similar, as are the ships. X is a little more understated in color scheme, especially on the S-class. They have beautiful art collections.

Things wrap up a little earlier on X, so if you are looking for late night dance parties, you might be out of luck. We don't miss it on a port-intensive cruise though.

I think if you like RCI, you will like X.

I have found a lot of threads that discuss/show the Elite coupons but not the Select. I guess we need to cruise more!:D

Can anyone tell me what the current Select coupons are?

Thanks to you both- these answers will make DH very happy!

My husband loved the craft beer in Michael's Club but I know this has been changed to a private lounge. Is it true that Cellarmasters now has a small selection? If so, does anyone know what the beers are or have a pic of a recent menu?

Thanks for a great review! I would love to see the dailies that you have, as we are sailing in February.

We usually book CC cabins if they aren't much more. We agree with you about the perks, especially since the "extended" breakfast menu isn't that special anymore. However, I do like the extra 20 sq feet in the M-class CC cabins- every little bit helps!

We refuse to ever sail from San Juan again regardless of what month it is. We had a bad experience and learned our lesson. :(

I guess to each their own- San Juan is our favorite embarkation port. We LOVE Old San Juan and go down a few days early. We have never waited longer than half an hour to board and the longest was when we arrived before they had started!

We don't love the airport and you do have to go through an extra agricultural inspection (no big deal) but we hate the Miami airport too (ALWAYS a zoo after a cruise).

I agree that Summit will be one of your best bets. Unless there is a residency sale, I doubt that you will see many kids!

Thanks for the tips! :) I did end up booking (JetBlue Cruises has a no deposit (well, they pay it for you up front - you pay them back by a couple of weeks before final payment) thing going along with the Go Better (I chose prepaid gratuities and classic beverage package) the Feb 18, 2017 Reflection Eastern cruise in an Aqua Class balcony! :) What better way to ignore the blizzard going on outside?!?!?

 

Super excited!!

I think you will like it. We haven't been on the Reflection but it looks beautiful. If you like ship art, X has an impressive collection. I was shocked when I was on the Millenium and the first piece I saw was a Yinka Shonibare! Many of the ships have self-guided art tour available from Guest Relations.

I don't think you will be bored with a drink package- we would roam the ship, trying different drinks and listening to the various live music acts, which we found to be mostly excellent (MUCH better than the group's on RCI). If you like martinis and top-shelf liquor, do upgrade your package. $11.50/day is essentially one martini.

We haven't stayedin one but thought out friend's Aqua Class cabin gone lovely. Our friends are mixed about Blu. They all love it for breakfast (though I also think that the buffet on X excels at breakfast, with made to order waffles at the end and an eggs Benedict station with a variety of global variations- I know that I mentioned this before and, trust me, it is rare that I wax poetic about a buffet). Some of my friends LOVE Blu for dinner, while others dislike the limited menu and choices. You will find Blu menus on this board and can decide for yourself.

Enjoy- I can't wait to here your review when you get back!

We have only sailed on RCI and X. I think they are more similar than different.

X is a slightly older crowd, with fewer children.

X has less of the sports activities

We think the quality of the food on X is slightly better, especially in the MDR (especially desserts) but that RCI has a little more variety in its menus

X has great ice cream, fresh waffles, eggs Benedict at its buffet which RCI doesn't have

We think RCI has better evening shows but X has a really great selection of live music at many of its bars

We have found the service on X to be a little more formal and think that the crew on RCI are a little more relaxed/friendly

Lately, we have found better deals on X, especially when we factor in the drink packages, etc.

We have only been on M-class ships on X, which are a lot like the Brilliance-class on RCI. My husband loves this size. I am torn between this style and the Independence, which is one of my faves.

Hope this helps!

It will depend on what you like to drink and how much you like to drink. Our first cruises were before the beverage packages, so we skipped soda, fancy coffees, and stuck to the free beverages. My husband mostly drinks beer and these are usually $5-7, depending on the brand. I would have a couple of cocktails, which can range from $6-15. I would also have a glass of wine or two with dinner, $8-15.

We usually ended up spending about $50 on a port day and closer to $100 on a sea day (a few more cocktails).

Now that we have the package, there is fresh-squeezed juice and fancy coffees at breakfast, a wider range of cocktails for me, nicer beers for him, bottles of water for excursions, sparkling water at dinner, etc.

We haven't paid for a package, so we upgrade to the premium. This way we can drink almost anything we want and know that we are paying $11.50/day.

You certainly don't need to get a package. It wouldn't be worth it for my husband, though I would probably buy one if it wasn't a free perk.

We tend to only drink in a few bars and have the same servers all the time. We get amazing service and feel that it is only right to reward this.

The last time we cruised was the first time that we had the drink package and our servers were great- they memorized our card numbers so that we didn't have to hand over our cards. They always had a bottle of water waiting for us when we arrived at our regular table. They learned my husband's favorite beer and made sure it was always in stock, once even going across the ship to get it. They know that I like to try a wide selection of cocktails and would often make me something off-menu.

For this type of service, we always tip extra. Not drink by drink but at the end of the cruise. I firmly believe that superior service deserves a reward, even if the original cost has been added into my cruisefare.

You can use it for onboard purchases: alcoholic drinks, drink packages, specialty restaurants, gratuities, spa treatments, purchases in the shops, etc.

There is no reason to buy onboard credit. You will have a credit card on file and anything you pay for will be charged to that card.

Thank you MKing8288! This is very helpful. Unfortunately, they contacted NCL and were informed that the cruisline offers neither tours nor transfers to Newark, so I will book them a private service.

Thanks again for your help!

Cheers,

I don't cruise NCL, so I didn't know this was an option.

Can they book in advance? How much does it cost?

Cheers

I hope someone can help. I am booking a shuttle for my in-laws to Newark Airport. It says that the GEM gets in at 10am. Is this true?

I'm not worried about their flight because it isn't until 6pm but I don't want them to either miss their shuttle or have to sit in the terminal for hours.

What is the earliest/latest that they can get off?

Cheers,

I didn't vote because there isn't really an option for what I'm feeling.

My husband is thrilled because he hated wearing a tux (but he looked so good!) but this will mean that he will need to pack more because he rented one from the ship along with the shoes.

On a Caribbean cruise, I won't mind so much, though when we cruise with friends, the whole group tends to get really dressed up. I would feel a little self-conscious to do this if everyone else wasn't.

I will miss it on Transatlantics. We had three formal nights and it was really fun to see everyone dressed up.

So, I'm a little nostalgic for the formal wear, and worried about an influx of jeans and t-shirts, but it will be easier for me to pack. So I do care but it isn't going to greatly effect my cruise.