CruisinBarb63

If the last thing you cruised was Carnival 30 years ago, You are in for a HUGE surprise.!! Have Fun

I know you are not wrong about this! I am so excited and can't wait for my girls to experience their first cruise. After 30 years, I imagine it could also be considered my first cruise :)

Thanks for the info all. I did a search before I posted and didn't see anything...still figuring it all out I guess!

I just logged in to the Royal Caribbean site to check my balance and there was a large banner at the top of the site advising the Majesty cruise scheduled to leave today has been cancelled as she needs to be dry docked in Grand Bahama shipyard for unscheduled repairs. I see no mention of it here which makes me wonder if it just happened this morning and those who were scheduled are on their way, unaware their vacation has been cancelled.

While they are being generous with their compensation (full refund plus 100% credit for another cruise), I can't imagine how disappointing that must be.

I will be going on my first cruise in 30 years this October. I booked last July and put down a deposit. Final payment isn't due until August this year. However, rather than wait until final payment is due, I have been paying a little bit on it every pay day so it will be paid off before final payment date. It's sort of like a cruise layaway for me :)

Everyone does what works for them.

;)

.... which brings up an irrelevant but interesting point.

How do blind people, or even those with limited sight, tell them apart?

 

JB :)

If you really want to know, people who are visually impaired or blind fold each denomination of bill in a different manner so they know what they have in their wallet.

Keep the $1 bill flat and unfolded.

Fold the $5 bill in half crosswise (with the short ends together).

Fold the $10 bill in half lengthwise (with the long sides together).

Fold the $20 bill like a $10 bill lengthwise, and then in half again crosswise, like the $5 bill:

I am going on the 7 Eastern at the end of July and hope to have a review done and compasses posted shortly after I get back. I can't wait! Dining just opened for me last week so now I feel like it's actually real!!

 

Daghis,

 

Thanks for posting these!!!

I will be looking forward to this as we are doing the 7 day Eastern in October. Once Indy starts sailing that itinerary, I will be hunting for information :)

If you want a couch instead of a chair, make sure you do not have a connecting room. They switch out the couch for a chair in those rooms to make room for the door.

I've been planning a secret surprise cruise for three of my dd's (16, 17 & 21) for nearly a year. Planning, storing items I've purchased in advance, only talking to RC on my lunch from work...if someone spoiled it, I would be so disappointed not to see the surprise on their face when I told them.

This could go two ways...tell him then have him make a big deal with the RC rep that they ruined his big surprise...maybe get something for their mistake (not likely but worth a try). Or, don't tell him and act surprised. I know for me, finally being able to be excited in front of him would look a whole lot like I was surprised so it would work for me.

Good luck! I can't wait to hear what you decide.

Not true at least in my case, and I'm probably among the most gravitationally gifted here, in the 475 or so range. Being a guy I can't report on any leg-shaving success or failure, and luckily I didn't drop the soap the entire week I was on the Freedom, but I was able to shower without problems, only the occasional flailing elbow banging the door when I forgot about where I was. So OP, don't worry about it. If I can use that size shower, anyone less upholstered should have no problem.

Thank you! I have checked the shower off my "things to worry about" list.

I had the same thing happen to me today. I couldn't even get to the courtesy hold and it was giving me problems. Changing the date, not letting me choose another room despite the fact it was showing me a whole list of rooms...very frustrating. I gave up. Maybe I will try again tomorrow!

There is a lot of great advice here. I flew from New York to China once, 14 hours! I flew United and upgraded to Economy Plus and was very glad I did when I saw everyone eating their knees in economy. I brought snacks that I knew could sustain me in case the food was bad (trail mix is an excellent snack for this purpose as are apples). I made a point of walking a couple laps of the plane every hour or two to keep the circulation going. Lots of water, even though it makes it necessary to use the tiny bathroom. Hand and face moisturizer.

In addition, as soon as I got on the plane, I started adjusting to the time at my destination (12 hour difference so complete opposite time of day. My flight left at 6:00 am so it was 6:00pm in Shanghai. I brought sleeping pills to help me fall asleep by 10:00 and slept a good 6 hours. It really helped! I got up, walked a few laps, drank a couple bottles of water and watched a movie, read a book, listened to music...whatever you like.

It was a very long flight but when we got there and got off the plane, it was such a relief and so worth it.

Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you everyone for easing my mind. I hadn't thought about showering at the gym. Excellent idea for us in general so it won't take forever to get everyone ready.

The pictures were veryhelpful!

I will be sailing with my girls on Indy in October. In order to save for fun stuff, and since we don't plan on spending any time in our room except to sleep and change, we booked an inside quad (my girls are my teen dd's).

I have heard talk of the tiny bathrooms and just figured they are smaller than hotel bathrooms, which is to be expected. However, I saw a vlog from Indy a few weeks ago and the young woman appeared to be standing in the shower at one point (inside cabin) and it didn't look like she had much room to move in there. I'm a little curious as to how much room there is for a larger than typical person.

I agree about booking with Southwest as soon as they are available. We aren't cruising until October but once the flights opened up thru the end of October, we were online that morning. We got the only non-stop to FLL and it was also the least expensive flight. A couple days later the price went up $80 per person. Two weeks in and it is sold out! Our return flight doesn't open until May and we will be online that morning booking our return as well.

Sometimes it pays to wait but for us, we would rather get it done as soon as we can. Plus, with Southwest, you can't lose. If the flight becomes less expensive, they will give you a credit for the difference.

We have these alarms on our doors at home due to a wandering child. i will tell you, if that alarm goes off during the night, you will not be making any friends of your neighbors. We can hear it thru our entire house, even in the back yard when we are outside. I can only imagine the sound in an enclosed ship.

My Mom got of Quantum this morning and the first text she sent me was "BUY THE DRINK PACKAGE". Mom isn't a big drinker and would usually not spend enough in drinks to bother with the package (4 - 5 per day on sea days) so she didn't buy it. She was shocked when she saw the bill on day 2 and purchased the package for the rest of her cruise. She said there are no prices posted and any drink she had or asked about, or heard anyone ask (this must be annoying for the bartenders) were between $10 - $14 PLUS 18% gratuity. It seems it has indeed happened across the board from what I have read.

I will be purchasing the package for my October cruise on Indy this weekend before they decide to raise the price of the package.

Great review! Thank you! We are on Indy in October so I keep the excitement going by reading reviews. It's great to see a review of an Indy cruise.

Anyone going on the Independence over Halloween this year? Suggestions for a hotel the day before?

Thanks

Stop on by the Roll Call for this cruise...lots of great info! Join the Meet & Greet as well!

Hi Robyn!

I'm following along as I love reading reviews of any Royal Caribbean ship as I'm passing the time waiting for October and my first cruise in 30years.

The reason your visit to the mouse was crowded isn't just because of the holiday weekend. Several years ago many school districts in various states split the two week spring break. Our kids now get next week off (they call it mid-winter break)then a week at Easter.

Enjoy your trip. Happy Anniversary!

We are cruising and will be in port from 4:00 - 11:00 pm in October. The sun will be setting within an hour or so of our arrival. We would like to do some shopping and get some dinner. What are suggestions that are an easy walk from the port? Are the shops open in the evening?

Thank you Harry for sharing your vacation with us. I thoroughly enjoyed following along. I have been researching for our Independence cruise in October and just happened upon your trip report. I'm so glad I did. Your report was very entertaining and informative. Again, thank you so much for sharing!

I'm WOW'd alright...WOW, my cruise has doubled in price with the sale. Ridiculous!

I have been reading a lot of reviews in preparation of our cruise on Indy October 2015. I loved your review! I am also Mom to many. I will be taking three of my girls on the Indy cruise as a surprise! My hubby does not fly and isn't so sure he is interested in a cruise yet. I am sure we will have an amazing time!

Thank you for taking us along on your journey!

I LOVE this!!! While I have no plans to cruise on this ship anytime in the near future (check my signature, I will be taking my first cruise in 30 years this fall), I am dreaming away the days from now until October by reading the reviews (and trip reports) of others.

Your humor is outstanding! Thank you!

Rotating the beds every night is a good idea. I'm sure my girls will also each want to sleep on a bunk.

Your niece already had it worked out what was going to be the better deal for her :)

I'm sure you all had a great time!

Thank you so much! This is perfect. It gives me a great idea of what to expect. Your girls look like they were having fun.