lkmcginnis

Thank you both for the information, I appreciate it! 

The kids really liked the water slides, arcade and all night pizza.  We also liked all of the shows.  The pools felt very crowded, so with the ship being smaller, we were wondering if the pool area on the Brilliance was smaller.  The itinerary we are looking at has 3 sea days, so just making sure there was plenty to do.   

Hi there!  We are considering booking a cruise on the Brilliance of the Seas.  We have taken a couple of cruises, one on Disney and one on Liberty of the Seas.  I am looking at Brilliance because of the itinerary, but am concerned that there is enough to do on a smaller ship.  We are a group of 13, with kids ranging from 12-18.  We loved the Liberty!!!!  Has anyone gone on both ships?  How big of a size difference is there?  

Thanks,

Lisa

Looking at a cruise on the Breeze next summer....  Were the pools open on the last day of sailing?  I had heard that Carnival closes the pools for cleaning on the last day.  Also, I have also heard that you cannot use the Cheers program on the 1st day.... was that the case on the Breeze?

Thanks!

Does Carnival ever run on-line specials on the drink package before you cruise?  We have never cruised Carnival, and are planning our first one for Summer 2020.  We have cruised RCI, and we got their drink package on a Black Friday deal for $35 a day.  That made it worth it for us.  Just wondering if Carnival has anything similar.  Also, RCI had a package in between the alcohol and the soda package, for those that wanted non alcoholic frozen drinks.  Appreciate the input.

Just got off the Liberty on Sunday, and we arrived around 6am or so. They started Self Debark around 7:45am.

We booked all of our excursion through Royal. We did the Fury Catamaran in Cozumel. It was fun, but I don't think I would do that one again. I would love to try Mr. Sanchos next time. In Grand Cayman we did the Turtle Encounter. Loved the turtles!! My Son loves turtles, so this one was a big hit! In Jamaica, part of our group did Dunns River Falls and Bamboo Beach, and the other part went tubing and did the Blue Hole. Everyone loved the excursions in Jamaica!!

We just got back from our Liberty Cruise yesterday. Not really happy about being at work today, so I thought I would reminisce a little!! I did tons of research on this website before leaving, so wanted to share a few thoughts. This was our first cruise with RCI and we completely enjoyed our cruise. We had previously cruised with Disney. We had a party of 9, including 5 adults, and 4 kids ranging from 13-18. We booked our transportation through RCI for both before and after the cruise. Both ran very smoothly, and had no problems at all. I had read a lot of posts prior to our cruise about disembarking nightmares, so I was a little scared, but had no issues at all and it was a very quick process. The staff on board was wonderful, and helpful when I had questions. The food was great, and I ate entirely too much!!! :-) We all enjoyed the shows and entertainment and thought there was a good variety. Was not impressed with the older kids program, and our kids rarely if ever went to the "living room". They had activities for the kids to do, but their area was small, and when they did go, they said that it was too crowded to enjoy. They did however enjoy the shows, the arcade, poolside movies, karaoke, and Sorento's Pizza. They spent some time playing cards in the card room also. Our stateroom was great, but the drop down bed for my 13 year old was not ideal. He is tall for his age, so it was a little too small for him. Would be better for younger children. Not complaining, but I will know next time to find a room with a different setup. The pools were very crowded, as expected. We were never able to find chairs, but just sat our bags in a corner and made due. It definitely didn't keep us from enjoying a few hours at the pool. Dinners in the Main Dining Room were wonderful! Our Waiters were awesome and the food was great! We are not super formal people... and never felt uncomfortable in what we wore. Had a blast on all of our excursions, and had no problems getting on and off the ship. Our first experience with RCI was great, and we would definitely book with them again.

Found this on Amazon.... Is it too good to be true? It's so hard to believe advertisers, but hoping this would be ok. I definitely don't want to be a rule breaker!!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BHVKPC3/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A1Z5JU5NCTQDXZ&psc=1

Agree you are only 40 mins from hobby anything after noon should be fine

Thank you!

With an afternoon flight there is no need to carry off your luggage unless you just like to do it. You can get an earlier number to debark if you don't like what you are assigned. There is no luggage valet in Galveston if that is what you meant.

Thank you!

We are sailing on the Liberty in July, so I am not concerned with fog. We do have an afternoon flight out of Hobby on the day we get back. Is it better to let them take your luggage or carry it off ourselves? We have booked transportation to the airport through RCI.

Thanks in advance.

My son had fun on our cruise in Jan. He had no issue spending the 100 bucks I bought for 80. The price on board is the same as buying pre cruise so there's no reason to buy until you check it out.

 

One note, if you need an attentant, use the phone in the arcade. We had a game that didn't work and they credited my son's card immediately.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Forums mobile app

Thank you! I am glad to know that the prices are the same. I will definitely wait to check it out first.

Arcade??? I urge you to get a second mortgage on your home prior to the cruise, Max out the cash option on all your credit cards. Find Vinnie the loan shark and agree to pay whatever interest he is charging for an additional loan if you are letting one of your off spring lose in the Arcade.

LOL, thanks for the tip!! :D

I will definitely keep tight reigns on his spending, I don't think Vinnie and I would get along!! ;p

In February half of the stuff did not work well ,if at all

 

The prize redemption machine did not work so

Even when you were able to get tickets out of a machine there was nothing you could do with them

Ok, I appreciate the information. I guess that is one way to keep the kids out of an arcade on vacation! ;p

You don't have to say "following", just go to the thread tools at the top of the page and choose subscribe.

 

Anyway, to the question... I have never seen arcade specials on board. Worst case like most items, if you pre-purchase something and a better deal comes along, you can always ask customer service for a refund.

 

As to the arcade, there are a few games, not many, but the teen club also has video games like XBOX.

Thank you!

Does anyone have info or experience on the Arcade on the Liberty? Do they run specials, or should I buy credits on sale before I go? How much are games on average? My son is looking forward to the Arcade, so I am hoping it is a good one. I have seen mixed reviews on other ships, but hoping Liberty has a decent arcade.

Thanks in advance!

Does anyone have info on the Arcade on the Liberty? Do they run specials, or should I buy credits on sale before I go? How much are games on average? My son is looking forward to the Arcade, so I am hoping it is a good one. I have seen mixed reviews on other ships, but hoping Liberty has a decent arcade.

Thanks in advance,

Lisa

Yes to both questions.

Thank you Sir! :)

My husband and I have purchased a drink package, but trying to decide if I want to purchase one for my son. If he is at the teen club or getting a snack and a drink, does it just charge to our room account? Also, does the 18% gratuity also automatically charge each time he purchases something?

Thanks!

Thanks everyone, I appreciate the information! I love these boards and all the kind people that post! :-)

Are there underage kids in you group? You will need passport and birth certificate for any child that has a different last name than the parent they are traveling with. The birth certificate links the child with the parent.

 

 

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/content/faq/top-cruise-questions-answered.pdf

We do have a 13 year old Son with us, but he has our last name, and a passport. Would I still need his birth certificate? If so, would a copy be sufficient or should I bring the original.

Thank you!

You do not need birth certificates if you have passports and the names on the passports match the names on your cruise booking.

 

 

Some people take passports off the ship, others don't. Lots of debate on this one.

Thanks very much!

Do you need luggage tags for your carry on bags also?

Thanks!

Good Morning, I realize this is an older post, but hoping someone will see this.

We are going on our first RCI cruise in July. We will have our passports before we leave. Do you still need to bring birth certificates if you have a passport? Also, should we take the passports into the ports for excursions? I don't want to lose them, but if we were to have any issue in port, I want to make sure we are protected.

Thanks in advance!