arendale1

Wow! Thank you for your quick replies. :)

So, some small dollar bills would come in handy for any extra tips? We are cruising to the Fjords and plan on just looking around the ports, is it a good idea to have some Norwegian Krone beforehand, or just use debit card/atm?

Onboard, is it very obvious if something we order is an extra charge? Will we be told, asked to sign something? Do we get a seapass card each? I'm worried about the children overspending lol!

Apart from formal nights (if we do them), can we just wear jeans and tshirts, or is dinner expected to be a bit smarter?

Thanks again, I will definitely contact special needs, busy, long queues are something we try to avoid if possible.

Any other advice/tips would be much appreciated. :)

Hi, we are a family of 5 going on our first cruise at the end of this month on Explorer of the Seas.

We have never cruised before, so competely clueless as to how things work.

Any tips/advice would be gratefully received, especially regarding boarding (how does this work, we have a teen with autism, is there any help with this?), dining - with 3 children worried about how 'formal' formal nights are, any less crowded areas for quiet time if needed and any other info that seasoned cruisers have, that a newbie cruiser would just not kmow.

On board, is cash accepted at all? Our children wanted their own spending money for little extras, such as in the shops. Can they use cash or is everything charged to our cabin?

We got free drinks packages when we booked, and also free gratuities - will this cover everything except for the additional activities/drinks not inc/speciality meals? Do we still need cash for anything else?

TIA :)

Thanks for the heads up! What is the usual tip for room sevice?

 

Room service tips - I usually tip between $2 and $5 - depends on what is ordered.

 

Be aware that room service is free. However, there is an additional service charge if you order between midnight and 5:00 a.m. Not sure of the actual charge - somewhere around $5 - the food is still free.

 

Tap water is fine - make sure you ask your room steward to fill your ice bucket - tap water is often not that cold. Steward will replace ice twice daily.

 

Also, other free drinks are juice in the morning (not the fresh squeezed, just regular juice), milk, chocolate milk, lemonade, iced tea, fruit punch.

 

Thank you for the above info - really appreciate it. :)

In the windjammer you can ask for a cup of hot water and then grab a hot chocolate sachet that are next to the tea bags, suger etc and do your own hot choc

That's good to know - thank you :)

Yes, Explorer has the Freestyle machine. If you order room service, your prepaid tips would not cover the person who delivers your order.

Thanks for the heads up! What is the usual tip for room sevice?

Have fun.

Thank you! Just having a read of this forum and now I'm worrying about bedbugs! :eek:

Just to clear things up, there is no "Dasani" branded pure water from the machine. There is Dasani branded flavored water, which obviously comes in different fruity flavors. There is also an option for Dasani Sensations which I believe is the same variations of the flavored water but with carbonation. In both cases, the water used for the drinks is the ship's water, not "Dasani-branded" water.

Thanks for that, my son won't drink flavoured water, so we'll stick to the ice/tap water.

The ice water (tap water!) is fine, and totally included in your fare. No package needed...no bottled water needed....you can get ice water ANYWHERE...any bar, and eating venue and in your cabin!

 

Yes...just ask for ice water whenever, wherever you want it.

 

As far as coffee, I've found the coffee in the WJ to be awful, but what they serve in the dining room and room service is fine. I don't know why the buffet's coffee is so strong and bitter...if I get that, I add some hot water to it...to calm it down a bit!

Thank you! I can stop worrying now :)

Regarding the coffee, I like strong coffee, but bitter doesn't sound good :confused:

We are sailing on Explorer of the seas, no idea if it has freestyle machines or not.

Thanks for all the replies!

So, we can ask for tap water in the buffet restaurants? During the day he can get water from the soda machine? Sorry if I sound dumb, but really have no idea how it all works, or if tap water was safe to drink onboard.

Yes, my youngest does only drink water (apart from hot chocolate and milkshake), we wouldn't have purchased the drinks package for him, but it was given to us free. I'm just worried we won't be able to get him a drink without having to buy bottles of Evian, at home he just drinks tap water.

I've been reading that the coffee onboard isn't great - is it comparable to US hotel coffee? If so, I can handle that :)

Hi, we are first time cruisers, recently booked with RC for next year.

When we booked we got free drinks packages (beverage pack for me and hubby, soda packs for our 3 children).

What exactly does the soda package include? Obviously soda, but our youngest child who will be 10 only drinks water - is this available at no extra charge, without having to buy bottled water?

Any info on the beverage package would be good too - does it include coffee and tea? I know we get some alcoholic drinks, do we get soda too?

Oh and we also got free gratuities/service charge - does this cover everything unless we eat in speciality restaurants?

TIA from a clueless newbie :)