Goodtime Cruizin

My SO and I just returned from the Navigator (December 6-12). We are from Florida. I am 63 and still working (in the law enforcement field), he is 71 and retired. We look like a typical older Florida couple.

 

On Thursday, we arrived at Labadee around 10:00 a.m. We got off the ship fairly early and asked the Security Officer at the foot of the ramp about a wheel chair for my SO, as he has trouble with long walks. He had a cane with him to assist with the inclines in parts of Labadee. He was pushed from the ship to the tram stop; I walked. We took the tram to Columbus Cove, enjoyed the beach and lunch, took the small tram from Columbus Cove back to the circle and the larger tram back to the entrance. He was pushed from there to the ship. Nice day, nothing out of the ordinary or exciting.

 

When we returned to the ship about four hours after we left, my card was "dinged" in normally, but my SO's triggered a different sound. An employee from Security was called over and told us that there was a message for us in Guest Services and we needed to go there immediately. We headed right up to GS, knowing that only his daughter would have known to call the Navigator and leave a message, and thinking that it must be an emergency for her to call the ship. She and her family were camping (with their ATVs) the day we left, so we were even more worried.

 

We arrived at GS and a supervisor (not sure if he was from GS or Security) was called. He led us to a back room. My SO asked him what had happened while we were walking, and he said to wait until we were in the room. By then we were thinking that something really bad had happened if we needed complete privacy to be told.

 

We were led to a tiny (possibly 5' by 5') room with a small desk and two straight chairs, with a woman seated at the desk. It was obvious that the room was not used to work in.

 

The woman (whose name we were too rattled to ask for) told us to sit down and said, "What can you tell us about the situation on the beach this afternoon?" My SO asked her what she meant, and she told us that a golf cart had been taken on Labadee by a guest, Security had reviewed photos, and my SO met the description of the suspect. When I talked to somebody else at GS the next day, he read the report and filled in some of the details for me. Apparently a male guest had asked the driver of a golf cart for a ride and was told that the golf cart for only Pinnacle and suite guests. The driver then exited the golf cart and immediately the guest jumped into the golf cart and took off with it.

 

My SO stated that he was not involved in the "situation", and we voluntarily explained what we had done/where we had been that afternoon. They accepted our explanation, but offered no apologies or further explanation. As we left, I asked if they had a list of other guests to question, and the man said that he had to look at photos and find somebody else. Apparently they saw SO's picture and stopped there. His last name begins with "C", so possibly they searched in alphabetical order.

 

We were both very relieved that there was no family emergency and the idea of SO absconding with a golf cart was ludicrous, so we found the incident amusing at first. Later, the offensiveness hit us. Telling us there was a message for us at Guest Services and letting us worry about a family emergency seems like overkill; surely there were other ways to have us report to Guest Services. We didn't dwell on the situation and continued to enjoy our cruise, but I fully expected to find a note in our cabin later, with apologies for the inconvenience and appreciation for the immediate response. No, there was never a note or further communication. I asked at GS if the suspect had been identified late the next (last) day, and was told that the report appeared under SO's account, the suspect had not been identified and the investigation was continuing.

Use this exact post, document it, and send to Royal. This is total crap for an investigation & poorly handled. They need to either make the investigate stick or don't bother. There's no in between. If they had the slightest inkling you weren't the identified, there should have been no contact. As it was, you're correct in that an apology follow up was due.

FYI....No Tito's on the Indy in late October.

Cowboy fan here... yes, out on the pooldeck you'll be able to see them lose. :D

Great ship. Go in eyes wide open and enjoy!

We're sailing on the Liberty on 2/14/16. We booked this cruise in June 2014. The rate is up 110% as of today. It has yet to drop to or below our booked rate since we booked it.

Also, I'm one to believe that in state vs out of state residency has a lot play in the rates we see etc. As a Texas resident, RCL knows that my vacation will cost more to fly to Florida etc. So i think they raise the rates for me to sail out of Galveston knowing it's still cheaper than flying to Florida. I hope tht makes sense. ;)

For years, the prices for 7 day Caribbean cruises out of Galveston (Voyager, Mariner, Navigator) have been signficantly lower than equivalent cruises out of Florida. I suspect that the addition of Liberty is a temporary novelty that is keeping prices up.

Also, Princess & Norwegian is leaving the Port of Houston in April. I suspect the prices to remain high and/or even rise with less competition.

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Port-of-Houston-losing-Norwegian-and-Princess-ships

Has anyone ever received any special drink package offers like BOGO or a percent off

We booked the Adventure for Oct 2016 during the BOGO50 sale. It offered one Premium Pkg and recieve 50% off for the 2nd pkg. It was a saving of just over $200.

My only dislike about departing from Galveston is that only offers two itineraries. We live an hour away, so it's the home port for us. We've never really had issues with disembarking. It could be that the Liberty is larger than the Navigator/Mariner and therefore has more people leaving etc.

I was under the impression that the cruise port is being operated out of a temporary situation. Is this correct? We're sailing the Liberty from Galveston in Feb. Hope things are good to go by then!

My hunch is that it remains the same or goes down on the cabins that have the most inventory. They may actually increase some cabins based on a small inventory while discounting others. Also, once the final date is due, some cabins might be placed back on the market as some cruisers may cancel their reservation before final payment.

I believe you missed the original question that was posted. The OP wants to know if it they should worry about a terrorist threat to a cruise ship two days after the current warning expires.

According to our Govt..... no, at least at this point.

You are kidding , right?????:eek:

:p

I was thinking about going. :D

Just curious.

If you trust the State Department's judgement to take their warning sufficiently seriously to consider changing/canceling your travel plans, why not trust them sufficiently to pay attention to the magic February 24 date - when, apparently, they think the cause for concern will evaporate? I do not know what they think will happen by close of business February 23, but apparently someone in the know seems to think the danger will pass by then.

 

There were grounds for concern before Paris - but no one in government took them seriously enough to issue warnings - now it seems that someone wants to cover his tail by being able to say "I told you so".

 

Be careful - but live your life.

90 days. Then a re-examination during this period is what is likely to occur.

I find it interesting that anybody would worry about "something" that may or may not happen somewhere in the world on Feb 26, 2016. Bad things can happen to good people at any time, anywhere in the world and you shouldn't need the Government to tell you that.

 

The overly broad statement issued by the State Dept is no more accurate today for Feb '16 than a weather forecast issued today by NOAA for next February. I can tell you that it will be cold in northern states but I can't tell you is there will be a snow storm that will cause your flight to be delayed.

 

So, what is the point of your questoon?

I respectfully disagree. This State Dept has had problems identifying answering & responding to terrorism. For this State Dept to send out a tavel notice over the Thanksgiving holiday is telling. It's something that I believe one should take serious and not sneeze at.

There is not a doubt that terrorism is on the increase, not decrease. Therefore, as terrorism grows, changing one's list is the smart thing to do. BTW, it's my opinion that they're (ISIS & all terrorists) not into winning your 'fear'. They are into changing the world to abolish Chrisitanity. Fear is a a natural reaction & by product from their actions. Being fearful and scared is nothing to be ashamed of. It's how one handles themselves when subjected to the emotion. Being fearful and vigilant is the smart thing to do.

It just sucks to give up my firearm before boarding. I feel naked, exposed, and at a disadvantage.

We sail on Feb 14. Giving them a week to work out any bugs.

 

 

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We're on this same cruise! :D We booked this cruise I think before the dry dock was even scheduled. We've had this one on the books since May 2014. Like you, we're hoping they have the bugs worked out, if there are any bugs at all.

It's been many years, but I was able to spend 12 days in Singapore while on vacation. It's truly a beautiful conuntry, city, island. Looking forward to seeing more. BTW, I had one of those Raffle's Slings. I remember paying $14 and flipping out. :D

Great review!

I think if given the opportunity, I'd like to cruise on all of the Voyager Class ships. The Mariner & Navigator were great ships. We're doing the Adventure next October and looking forward to it.

This will be our first time on Royal and I'm trying to find out all I can before we go. If you have my time dining, I understand that if you call and make a reservation that you will be seated at that time. Is this correct? Are there different lines to get into if you just show up to eat as opposed to if you have a specific time? I have been in my time lines that are huge. Wondering if making a reservation time helps with the line business.

Yes, you can make a reservation, even a different time per night. You will see to diferent lines when entering the dining room. When geting on the ship, we go to Guest Services for a show schedule, then go visit the maitre'd at the dining room to schedule to seating time(s).

Enjoy your cruise!

I had to hit the road for a few days, I'll complete the cruise this week beginning on Wednesday!

It's been 3 months since my Indy cruise. I thought I had finally got "Washey Washey before yummy yummy!" out of my head

 

Thanks for putting it RIGHT back again :)

:D

Thanks for following.

I have a pretty good video of the KLM Jet landing but I'm struggling to get it posted. The instructions from CC is not the best. So let's move on, as we still have more of St. Maarten to see!

You got me! The lady with the big, floppy hat is me! LOL It looks like we had close encounters and didn't even know it.

Close encounters of the St.Martin kind. How 'bout that!

Greetings fellow cruisers!!

 

My boyfriend and I have just recently booked the Indy for Jan.16-22, stopping in Cozumel and Belize. We are both in our late 20's. This is his 2nd cruise, but I have been on a few! That being said, I have a few random questions for everyone:

 

1) most importantly- is there a sport bar? My boyfriend is an avid Patriots fan and it will be awfully close to the super bowl then!

Just got off the Indy two weeks ago. They played games on the big screen poolside on Sunday, Sunday Night, & Monday Night. Also, what is being played on the big screens is what you can watch in your room & also at 'On Air', which they call a sports bar. But one can't just dial up certain games etc. By your cruise date, the playoff games will be aired though.

2) MTD- is it hard to get a table for two? Or do y'all suggest we switch to traditional dining and request a two top?

A table for two will be no issue. In fact, it'll be easier than a table for 4, 6 or 8

3) Ports- we have been to Cozumel and we're not super impressed. We were thinking of doing the tequila excursion offered, but it's $75 a person! Anyone find any other options with this? Belize- we both have never been there... Any suggestions ?

I'm not sure if this is the Salsa & Margaitas, but if so, we did this and it was pretty fun, & we learned a bit too! Haven't been to Belize yet though, that's coming in Feb.

4) sounds silly, but is Lox offered in the Windjammer for breakfast? They used to have it on Allure and Oasis, but I did not see it on Enchantment when I went in February

Not sure, can't help you here.

5) Chops- we would love to splurge one night and go there! Any suggestions for the 5 night cruise? We don't want to miss out on a great main dining room night

Chops or Giovanni's Table is offered. I enjoyed Giovanni's Table more.

6) Spa specials- I recall sometimes they do spa specials once the ship leaves. Does anyone recall the deals for this

Yes they do offer specials. I think this will be offered on board as well as on line

7) drink coupons- I've been seeing a few posts about purchasing drink booklets... Is this true for Indy as well?

No drink coupons unless you are of a Diamond or above status. RCL offers drink packages.

8) midnight buffet- in Nassau they had a sail away party with midnight Buffett that was awesome and tons of fun. Anything similar to this on Indy?

RCL offered a poolside spread one night, when we left San Juan

 

I think that's it as of now! Thanks y'all in advance for helping us out!! It is much appreciated ! :o

Answers in bold! Enjoy the cruise!

I am sick and tired of RCI charging me for stuff after my cruise is over. I always pay off my account on the last night. For the last 5 cruises, anywhere from 2 days to 2 weeks, a charge from RCI shows up and I can only assume it's the barman that checks the honor bar daily. I don't touch that overpriced candy, pop, and Evian. I either bring my own candy or I have a drink package. I may move it to the ledge over the sofa (in plain view) or on top of the vanity (in plain view), but when we leave the ship I put it back exactly where I found it. I have 2 cruises that are already paid off so I'm not going to cancel them (already purchased airfare that's non-refundable) but I'm done with this. I don't feel calling RCI is going to help as it's my word against theirs.

Sounds like you've found your prescription for being sick and no more RCL cruises should releive you from being tired.

When you empty the fridge, you're charged. I mean how is the room steward going to know what you brought on board vs you enjoying the mini-fridge? Especially if you bring your own goodies.

If this has happened five cruises, I'm thinking this is on you.

It just ain't the same since they quit the 747s. NOTHING can compare to being on Maho when one took off.

KLM... flew in the big boy this past Oct 28th :D