emen822

Food is subjective and although I'm not too picky, I was concerned about the food because there have been complaints the weeks prior to leaving. We never made it to the dining room for breakfast but I always enjoy the made to order omelets at the windjammer. We had lunch a few times in the dining room. The tutti salad is always so fresh. As far as the MDR for dinner, I thought the food was ok. Granted, you won't ever starve ;) but there were a few nights I really wasn't thrilled with the menu. The service was very good. We had MTD for the remaining nights and had the same waiters which was great. Lobster night was crazy. We had set reservations for 7:30 every night and didn't get our table until after 8:00. I guess everyone goes to the dining room that night :confused: and I also never saw so many people leaving with covered plates!

We went to a few shows. It's the same acts that have been on prior cruises but with no compasses, I can't remember the names. The one guy was from America's Got Talent. I thought he was pretty good although his first 'trick' we were seated on the side and it was done very sloppy (from our viewpoint). But some of his other illusions were really good. The love and marriage and the quest were really funny. The cruise director Michele (male) from Italy was hilarious. Those shows are usually same old, same old but for the Quest he had some new things I have never seen done before and he had some really good comebacks throughout the week. Very witty.

We enjoyed all the ports and we had never been to St. Kitts so that was a nice change. And sea days were very relaxing. The last sea day, it looked like the ship had doubled in passengers around the pool area ;). We didn't do any drink package but on Friday, they offered a 10 drink card for $75 which you are able to share (it actually says it right on the card). We made good use out of that and had a few frozen drinks and long island iced teas.

Glad to hear you enjoyed your meals!! We will be dining at Sabor on our trip in March....

After dinner, they came over to see if we wanted to come back for lunch on Friday where they would show us how to make guacamole and margaritas. Our waiter said it was $30 which would include food and drinks and also an avocado peeler that they were selling for $20. So after our nice strong margarita, we agreed to come back for lunch. Honestly, I thought he was kidding about the drinks being included but they were overflowing! They kept coming over to refill our glasses. Definitely worth the $30 and then some :D

Just off the Freedom 8 nighter (Saturday-Sunday). Not planning to do a full review but just give some basic tidbits and answer any questions (if I can). I didn't take pictures of menus, didn't keep any compasses or room handouts. :D

Flew into Miami and rented a car for the day (Alamo). Stayed overnight in Plantation and drove to the Alamo location near the port to drop off the car and get a shuttle. Couldn't have been any easier. We arrived at the port around 10:30 and were on before 11:00. It was a great time to arrive. Rooms were ready around 1:00 p.m.

We had booked the bogo and planned to do Sabor on the first night and Chops on the second. This was our first time using that offer but we had heard that a reservation would be waiting in our room and if we weren't happy with it, we could easily make the switch. Nothing was in our room so we called Sabor to make the reservation for that first night. No problem. Our meal at Sabor was excellent. The guacamole (not tableside anymore) was delicious as well as the margaritas. My sister had one of the fish entrees and she said it was the best fish she ever had. I had the pork tacos which was really good. We were too stuffed for dessert so they wrapped up a sampler for us to take back to the room. As far as Chops, we should've made the reservation for the following night right away but we forgot and when we called the next day, they only had 9:00 p.m. available. We really didn't want to eat that late so they let us use our bogo reservation on the following evening (Monday night). That meal was amazing. Again, we were too stuffed from dinner so we took two desserts back to our room which we didn't eat until Wednesday night. Mississippi mud pie and Red Velvet. Both delicious, even days later. :D More to come..

Mary,

 

We purchased the 10-drink card on this cruise and it was $88.50 ($75 plus service charge). The nice thing about the card is that you are able to share it with others and we were able to use it for all drinks(including wine), all venues and in all price ranges.

 

Sharon

Thank you for the information. I just completed my cruise and we got the 10 drink card on Friday. Ours was actually $75 total ($63.56 plus $11.44 service charge). We loved that we could share it and definitely got our moneys worth (long island iced teas and frozen Miami Vice!) :cool:

We stayed at the Tahitian Inn two years ago. It had a free shuttle from the airport and also to the port. Lots of things within walking distance. It was not a 5* hotel but I'm very picky and it was fine for us. Again, this was two years ago and the price was right for one night.

They also offered the 10 drink card on Thursday night.

Do you have the details about the 10 drink card? I have seen it mentioned a few times on this forum but no details as far as how much, what it type of drink it includes, etc.

Thank you!

Mary

Thank you for your thoughts. We are boarding this Saturday! :D

Glad to hear you think the food has improved and that some of the old favorites are back. That has been quite the complaint in the last few reviews I have read. :eek: We are doing the BOGO the first two nights and really hope I'm not missing out on MDR prime rib! Oh well, we won't starve. Looking forward to Sabor now as well.

That's a holiday week and it's possible the resort is quite full for that day and is only offering a limited amount of day passes through Resorts for a Day.

 

Another beach we enjoy going to is Carambola, which is about 10-15 mins. from the port, taxi cost about the same $6 pp. You would also have to send an email and request availability for lounge chairs and an umbrella for that day, price is $10 for each. I previously used this email

dsharpe@carambolabeachclub.com

 

also found this info on the web http://reservations.carambolabeachclub.com/booking.php

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g147375-d2481096-Reviews-Carambola_Beach_Club-Basseterre_St_Kitts_St_Kitts_and_Nevis.html

Thank you for that info. Will look into it as well.

I had emailed the hotel directly to ask about the day passes and was told they didn't offer them on the day I was requesting, which was February 23. But they do show up on the website for Resort for a Day for that specific day. :confused:

Are these old next cruise certificates combinable with wow sales? I think they used to be but aren't anymore or maybe I'm mistaken. I do have one that I hope to use up this summer and want to be prepared :D

We generally cruise about 3 times each year, and have done for many years.

It just seems that most future cruises have doubled in price from last year.

What is going on here, are the cruise lines trying to get rid of us oldies and just looking for new money!!. We think that they are taking a big risk.

Any thoughts on this subject would be most appreciated

 

Chris & Pete

Agreed. We have cruised the same week for the past few years and the prices this year have been crazy. And not just the cruises...hotels and airfare as well. Granted we are travelling during Presidents week but we never had a problem getting a decent price for everything. This year was a lot more but we sucked it up instead of not going :D.

Good morning, everyone

 

I am excited to update you that the owner of the ring that we found in the safe as been located and has been reconnected to her ring.

 

We contacted Royal Caribbean lost and found department to let them know we found the ring. It took 7 business days for us to hear back and they told us that no one had claimed the ring to be lost and that there was nothing else they could do regarding the lost ring. We received another call 2 weeks later to reiterate that there was no log of a lost ring from a past passenger.

 

Then, last week, we received another call from Royal Caribbean sharing that the owner of the ring had come forward. The ring was shipped over night and the owner has been reunited with their wedding band!

 

Happy ending!

Wow, that's great!

Staybridge Suites is in a nice, compact area that has a Publix Grocery Store, Pei Wei, Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza, a frozen yogurt shop and a Dunkin Donuts. If you have a car, though, you are just a few blocks from all the above things.

Thanks for all your help! Just booked Staybridge Suites. Now onto figuring out my rental car issues.

Have a nice weekend! :)

The car is not a bad idea, but MIA and Port Everglades are about 45 minutes apart in average traffic.

 

So if you rent at MIA you want to drop the car at either FLL (airport) or a 17th Street location.

Why, yes, I've done Plantation. In fact, I do Plantation every day.

 

Pick up a car from Budget or just about any rental car agency since none of them will have a drop fee and all of them have a return location with a shuttle back to the port.

 

Check the rates at both La Quinta Inns (Peters Road and 6th Street) in Plantation if you have a rental car and Hampton Inn Plantation which has a Port Everglades shuttle and Uber or Lyft from MIA to the hotel (about $30).

 

There are dozens of restaurant, sports bars, a Total Wine, a Publix Grocery Store, a 12 screen movie theater and two nice malls all withing walking distance to all three hotels.

.

Thank you both for your information.

Looks like Hampton Inn is booked for the night we need but the LaQuinta has availability. Do you know anything about Staybridge Suites over that way? They have a pretty good rate. Of course we would love all those walkable places nearby that you listed above. :D

My sisters and I are flying into Miami next month for a cruise that leaves out of Port Everglades. The hotels in Fort Lauderdale are so expensive for that weekend (Presidents) that we are thinking about staying in Plantation. It seems close enough but wondering if anyone has actually done that?

My next issue is getting from the airport to hotel, hotel to pier and was thinking about renting a car at the airport. I can get a car for about $50 for 24 hours but I'm unsure about pick up/drop off. I thought I read somewhere that you can rent at the Miami airport and drop at a rental car nearby with no one-way drop off fee (this was for Budget). Has anyone actually done that? Or maybe used another company. I also heard they will shuttle us to the pier from the rental place. So would our best bet be to go to the rental place to bring the car and get a ride from there? Or drop them off at the pier with the luggage and return the car? (Can you even do that these days with port security?) I'm not stuck on using Budget but they were the only one I priced out when I heard they supposedly would shuttle us to the pier. Of course we could always take a cab. Just trying to figure out the most efficient way to go. :)

This planning is getting overwhelming since I'm the head sister in charge of it all. :DT hanks for any help/suggestions you can offer.

Congrats on making Diamond! If you are a coffee lover, the coffee machine in the lounge is GOLD! You can get espresso, cappucino, lattes, or machiato...they also have Decaf! ( self serve) This is open 24/7. Another perk we have enjoyed is coming back to our cabin, and a plate of goodies was waiting for us. We just got off the Adventure, and on Valentines Day, we had a plate of truffles, chocolate covered strawberries,and other nibbles. Last year on the Allure, a plate of cookies.

 

Bob, your right about the bartender mismatch. In the Viking Lounge, when they took our cards, they swiped out a reciept to sign! In the other lounges/bars, they just took the cards, swiped, nothing to sign.

 

Oh, each ship might be different for your internet perk. On the Adventure, we got 24 consecutive hours FREE. This worked great for the last day at sea. Internet was actually pretty decent. On the Allure, we got $$ off for a package for the week.

 

Ali

Yes - the coffee machine was great and easy to use. You are your own barista!

As far as the internet, I went down to guest services to inquire about the perk (this was on Wednesday night, my cruise was ending on Saturday). It was either 24 hours free or $40 off a package on one device They explained to me that I was better off waiting until just after midnight because on Thursday they offered a package for the two remaining days for $40 (which meant it would be free for me!) so I had wifi for the rest of the cruise and surprisingly, it worked really well on my iPhone.

Glad you enjoyed your time. I will keep that in mind about the Long Island Ice Tea as I do occasionally order one on the ship. I will not expect it though, it will just be a nice perk if I get it with a voucher. Didn't realize the tender perk with Diamond but understood I should have access as a suite guest.:)

I'm not a big wine drinker so I was looking forward to the Long Island Iced Tea and he made the best one I had all week! The other nice drink I had in the lounge was a rum punch. :) Enjoy the perks! Took me 11 years to get to use that special card to open up the door! :D

Was so happy to take my first diamond cruise but didn't get to enjoy the lounge as much as I could have because my roommates (my two sisters) are not diamond. I went in there twice for drinks (first and last day) and other times I used the vouchers. The bartender in the lounge made me a long island iced tea the first day (since I saw it on a menu posted on cc before I left - but did not see it listed anywhere else on the ship). But I could not get any other bartender to make me one with the vouchers. Maybe it was just the ship, maybe the rules have changed but I didn't press the issue.

I DID enjoy the perk of using the concierge to take us down to tender at Grand Cayman. And my sisters were able to enjoy that perk as well. :D

I didn't know about the free picture so I guess I will learn things as time goes on. But I did get my pin in the room lol.

RCL still has the Happy Hour each night 4:30 - 8:00 or 5:00 - 8:30 depending on ship +3 drinks loaded daily to sea pass card for use during those hours. They also have a top tier event one night per cruise by invitation on 5N or greater cruises which usually lasts 1 hr with limited drinks though I have seen requests made.

 

Current complimentary drink menu below from my December cruise.

http://weatherfx.us/public/pics/DiamondDrinks1.jpg

http://weatherfx.us/public/pics/DiamondDrinks2.jpg

 

.

 

Thanks for posting these! I'm going on my first diamond cruise this weekend and thought it was just beer and wine! :D:D

We didn't eat there but went for drink specials twice during our 5 night cruise. Pretty sure they had margaritas at buy one, get one half off (or maybe it was buy one, get one free?) It was only during certain hours at night. But the frozen margaritas were delicious. :D

Any bar, during the evening DL cocktail period. Note also that unused vouchers expire each evening, so you cannot accumulate them.

Thanks again. :)

Specialty coffee is OK to take out of the lounge, they usually have to-go cups.

 

Drinks in the lounge are meant to be consumed in the lounge. However, they usually don't care much if you are taking a drink to dinner.

Thanks. As far as the drinks on the card, they can be used at any bar daily during specific hours? Or is it specific bars? I was so excited about finally being able to use the lounge and don't know how much I will use it on the next cruise. :o

We just did the same this year - our first AI in Riviera Maya after 10 years of cruising and we loved it.. But truth be told, I was bored a lot of the time! I like the option of being able to walk around the ship and the scenery is always changing during a sea day or having the option of bingo, movies, shows etc. My family, on the other hand, loved not rushing around, getting up early to get to the beach, rushing back to get on the ship. ;)

The rooms are no comparison. The dinners were always really good, breakfast and lunch were the same as a cruise. Nightly entertainment was terrible but the drinks were great! I don't drink much on a cruise and definitely drank more there because I was never handed a slip to sign. :) Didn't mind trying out new drinks because if I didn't like it, I could easily get something else.

We were fortunate to have good weather for the 5 nights/6 days we were there but had the weather been lousy, I think they would've had a different opinion. That being said, I would definitely do it again :) but cruise is next in February.

The ones with cheese on the crust are my new favorite

YES! Mine too! :D:D

Another "newly diamond" question: :confused:

Does everything have to be consumed in the lounge? I'm going on the Navigator with my sisters in February and they are not diamond. I would like to get a specialty coffee in the morning but would like to take it to go so I can have breakfast with them. Or is that not allowed? I like the option of having the drinks loaded on the card so I can enjoy it with them at another bar. Will all the rules be in the cabin so I know?

Also, does anyone have a picture of the pins? I'm not sure I've ever received a pin for any level so I'm curious. :D

Thanks in advance!

Mary :)

The person who replied to you is correct. It looks like you and I took a similar path to Diamond and a similar timeline. Things have changed on the perks over the last 10-11 years.

Yes - 10 years, 12 cruises that were most during peak time and all that were 5+ days. :cool: In any event, I cruise because I love it but am looking forward to some perks and being able to get into that lounge. :D (I hope THAT hasn't changed!!) ;)

iTS NOT A DIAMOND PERK BUT IF YOU WANTED TO RENT YOUR OWN PRIVATE CABANA YOU CAN DO SO ON NELLIES BEACH.

Thank you. Haven't been to Labadee in awhile so I forgot about that. :)