kateg

We loved this beach and it is well worth the drive.  First the only  negatives....at one point a tour bus came and dropped off a ton of people and that made everything a bit too crowded.  All those people made the restaurant very backed up.  In the afternoon the bees came out in force so if you had a drink or food near you they came to visit.  My daughter is very allergic to insect/bee stings so we wrapped up early.

This beach is past a place where you can view flamingos ..so you can do two things with one drive.  They have lots of parking.  The bathrooms were clean with 3 stalls and a changing areas for the women.  They have a gift shop/dive shop and restaurant.  The entrance fee is 3 dollars US per person but they didn't give us a choice and charged us all for chairs too.  Normally I don't get chairs for my whole group because we aren't lay in the sun people.  But at 3.50 for a chair it wasn't a big deal.  W arrived in late morning and easily found 6 chairs together.  Umbrellas are free but don't expect to get one if you arrive late.  

This beach is easily one of the prettiest I've ever seen.  It isn't vast but it is big enough that you can walk and explore or swim or just relax. The water is dreamy turquoise and calm. The snorkeling from shore was fantastic.  My group saw so many cool things without even really trying.  You could easily stay for the whole day.

We recently rented from Smart rent a car 

They picked us up near the port at 9:00 (behind diamonds international)  and we returned the car at around 8:00 pm.  I think we could have kept it longer based on the booking platform.  I wasn't super comfortable with the on-line booking so we contacted them by phone a few weeks prior to arriving just to make sure they had our reservation.  They accept credit cards for payment the day you pick up the car.  Their communication about where to pick up could have been better-we had to call them twice when we got off the ship to clarify their instructions- and the car we got was pretty rough and older but the AC worked and it got us around the island.  

On 5/14/2022 at 10:04 AM, eabplus2 said:

How do you pay Taxi's and entry fees to the Butterfly Farm Aloe Factory? Is it cash? What currency? Is US cash accepted? Can you use a Visa card? Thank you.

We were able to use a credit card for the entrance fee to the Butterfly Garden.  US dollars were accepted everywhere we went.

Recommended for staying ALL DAY at the Park/You rented a 4X4/ You are on a Tour and someone else is driving.  Otherwise I don't recommend this.

My daughter researched Aruba and decided she wanted to go see a cave.  We were headed to the Quadirikiri Cave  but our journey was so harrowing that we gave up and went to Fontein instead.  For the record my husband and I both drive 4 wheel drive vehicles because we live in the mountains (US) and live about 2 miles out on dirt and gravel private (poorly) maintained roads that wash out and have huge ruts etc.  Sooooo I didn't heed the warnings about driving into the National park.  PLEASE heed the warnings.  This is what I never read....  The roads aren't bad.  Way nicer than what I drive to get to my house...BUT they have these little wash out areas...I assume that's what they are for...placed at VERY frequent intervals along the road...these are basically deep little ravines or ditches...and they are so steep that if your vehicle isn't lifted (like a Jeep) you will bottom out and scrape the heck out of your car and possible tear off your bumper-especially if you are in a low riding car-think mini van or some sedans.  The other caveat-the distance to the cave isn't far...but if you are driving a low riding vehicle...you have to go so slowly to attempt to avoid tearing off your bumper....that it will take much longer than you expect to get into the park.

That being said-the area of this cave you can see/tour is small.  We were fortunate that a large tour group left as we were arriving and the tour guide let my daughter go pretty far back.  The cave is very deep-the guide said 4 soccer fields deep.  But it quickly gets very low so that you would have to crawl for most of that depth.  Obviously, they only let you go a little ways back.  My daughter was able to go back far enough to see the bats.  Unlike caves I have been to which are underground...this cave is above ground (it used to be below sea level) and it was very very warm.

Fontein was interesting to see-so If you are already in the park and want to spend the day and have an appropriate car-its worth seeing.  But if seeing this cave is  your only reason for heading to that side of the island -and you are only in Aruba for 1 day and especially unless you rented a Jeep-it isn't wroth the drive. 

Since there is so little up-to-date info I wanted to quickly post our experience

Arashi is a nice small pretty beach.  The snack stand had food and drinks.  Chairs were $15 US for 2 chairs.  The beach was pretty crowded on a Wednesday with 2 ships in port.  There was plenty of paved parking.  We did see the public bus arrive and pick up a few people. 

When we were there (I know at beaches in the US the shore line changes so your experience may be different) there was a steep shelf (maybe 3 feet) drop into the water and with the waves--although not huge- it was a little tricky getting in and out of the water.  I was knocked over and had so much sand in my swimsuit lol.  It wasn't scary or anything just very not graceful.  My kids all went snorkeling and saw a few things.  My daughter went out as far as the line (designated swimming area I guess) and struggled a little with the waves and her snorkel gear. She was a competitive swimmer but is out of shape.  Still, her being out of shape is superior to the average swimmer...so I wouldn't call this a calm beach if that's what you are looking for.  But it wasn't rough either-it was somewhere in the middle.   Again, I know wave action can vary day to day so YMMV.  For us it wasn't worth the drive.

22 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

 

 

were you the family full of redheads? 🙂

None of my family or group have red hair?  Were you on the same cruise (Allure May 28-June 5)?  I was so tuned in to coughing because my daughter has a sever inner ear/sinus issue (surgery scheduled in a few weeks) and her cough is awful (not sick though) and I was so worried people would assume she had covid...so I was always listening for coughs...but I agree there was no social distancing.  We all went with the full knowledge we could get sick.  And we had a great time (generally).

On 6/6/2022 at 2:32 AM, Illbcruzn4life said:

Thanks for taking the time to post about your cruise. I haven’t been on RCI in about 3years. 
 

From reading your review I have a question about booking your shows. Can you only make reservations once you get on the ship now?

Yes!  You have to be on board and connected to their app.

In no particular order here are my thoughts and observations for those who haven't cruised in a while (since Covid)  (like my family)

Food-the food was about the same.  We didn't notice any real deterioration.  Did notice more pre-portioned dishes in the Windjammer.  It was serve yourself for the most part.  My husband thought the pizza toppings at Sorrento's were more scant that in the past.

Service- We had great service all around....BUT our cabin steward looked exhausted.  It really felt like the stakes were higher for all the staff. They put on a good show-but the overall vibe was higher stress.  It's hard to put into words but I've never felt so guilty enjoying a vacation.  We tipped exponentially more than we ever have before.  

Boarding went very smoothly. We didn't experience any additional health checks or screenings.  It was very fast and very straightforward.  The only down side was we were only given a choice of a late boarding at 2:00 and our afternoon felt so rushed trying to get everything done before dinner.  It wasn't the best start to a cruise for us because of the time crunch.

My Time Dining -I am SO GLAD I listened to the advice on the board to avoid My Time Dining.  I switched to early dining about a week before our cruise.  It was lovely.  I thought it would be too early but it wasn't-at all.  As we left dinner each night, the lines for My Time (both with and without reservations) were out past the elevators some nights.  Compare that to the last time we had My Time (Dec 2019) and we never had to wait with a reservation-maybe we waited behind one other group.  

Booking Shows  I had no problem booking shows . That was part of the rush the first afternoon, getting the muster done, getting to our rooms, setting up WIFI and booking the shows.  I was able to get a seat to everything (I booked everything that could be booked) booking around 3:30 after boarding. And every show we attended  had extra seats after seats were opened to those without reservations.

Wifi-WIFI was as bad as others have said.  We had six devices worth of Zoom.  I was rarely able to open a web page, For some reason Facebook worked pretty reliably.  Checking email was a struggle some days.  Streaming hahahaha.  I mean if you are lucky or of you stay up really late it might work for you.  It was very hit or miss and mostly a miss.  And if you NEED to keep in touch with the outside world (work as it was for us) you can't count on the Voom.  We did get a nice credit because it was "down" for a few days.  We only learned this because we heard a few other couples discussing it...Because "down" and "working" ...there wasn't much difference.  We had better service on Labadee through Verizon than we did on the ship.  Bottom line-Its a LOT of money for very slow and very unpredictable internet.  Especially when we have had excellent service on other ships.  And not everyone has the luxury to unplug during a cruise.  If it weren't for internet we wouldn't have been able to go at all.

Traveling with a Minor (who isn't yours). Perhaps it was because the minor in question, my daughters friend, was 17...but no one seemed to care at all that she was with us and we were not her parents/guardians.  I really fretted over this prior to the cruise.  I had 3 separate notarized documents with me allowing her to travel with us and giving us authorization to make medical decisions etc.  No one ever asked to see it.  They let me sign her waivers without seeing it.  Let her board without it, disembark without it.  I thought it would have been a much bigger deal.

Illness-Unlike others have reported, I didn't hear coughing on our ship at all.  No one looked or acted sick   My group of 6 all made it through the cruise feeling fantastic.  It is true there are no OTC meds for sale in the shops except for antidiarrheals.    I have a sore throat tonight and will test myself tomorrow just in case.

Labadee-I thought Labadee looked great.  It seemed to be nicer than the last time we were there.  Lunch service was definitely better.  They had pre-packed salad options and I didn't see a single fly or bee.  

Over the Water Cabana-We got this on Black Friday for a deal!  It was $289 when we bought it and $1499 at the time of sailing.  For what we paid it was more than worth it.  The cabana came with a cooler of ice and Evian water, a sectional sofa, table, celling fan, electric outlets, two chaise lounges, an umbrella, 3 floating mats, and towels.  Sadly, our neighbors were unpleasant (lots of yelling at each other and their kids and the staff, 4 kids fighting with each other and lots of crying and screaming). Being so close to their drama really put a damper on what could have been a very relaxing and awesome day.  If you can get a deal and you have a small groups (we had 6) I would recommend it.  At 1499 I would not.  The beach area where they sit is pretty crowded...

Refreshment package -  We aren't big drinkers so on Black Friday (y'all they had great deals) we got everyone the refreshment package.  I told my kids and their friends 17,17,19,19 to go crazy and use it as much as possible and I think for us it was worth it.  We loved the fresh juice from the Vitality Café, The kids got milkshakes every day (be prepared to wait) and they drank tons of mocktails.  Everyone used the bottled water option and freestyle machines too.  The part I appreciated the most was the ease of getting a drink-no big wait except at Johnny Rockets.   

That's all I put in my notes that I think of that might be interesting to someone with an upcoming trip.  I'll try to check back to see if there are questions but I have a giant pile of laundry to work on.

We (me and 4 teenagers) did 5 eMed proctored BinaxNow tests yesterday and I wanted to share our experience.

I ordered the tests about 6 weeks before the day we needed them and they came quickly but not overnight…it was about 3 days.

I did my test first before the kids were awake.  My experience wasn’t great.  I struggled to understand my proctor.  At one point she was telling me to do “something something like a lollipop” and that really threw me.  It took me about a minute to understand she wanted me to hold the QR code in front of the camera.  At about the 7 min mark of the timer my video feed went black and I panicked.  I said (assuming someone was watching the test) "hey hey my screen went black what’s going on".  No one answered.  I worried for the next 8 min until the proctor came back.  It’s obvious no one is really watching the test strip….and when the proctored returned (my audio was fine) she scolded me for “turning off my camera” then she said I must have bad internet etc.  I was freaking out a little thinking my test was now invalid.  Surprisingly they continued the process-they “reactivated” the camera and gave me a negative result.

I was still worried about the camera issue so I called customer service for help and all they would say is “your internet isn’t good your computer is old” etc.  But I have AT&T fiber, it was working fine- and the laptop is my sons laptop that he uses at college and he is a computer science major…so my set up was fine. I was frustrated that customer service just seemed to read a script and repeat the same answer over and over. 

Thankfully my  son discovered that after inactivity (I was afraid to touch anything during the 15 min timer) the video stream stops…so from that point forward we made sure to wiggle mouse around every few minutes and we had no further issues with the video feed.  

The most interesting part was listening to so many proctors… some were very good and explained the process well and listened and helped.  Others just read through their script so fast and didn’t really interact with the test taker.  I had already explained the process to the kids so they knew what to do-that helped a lot.  I think it would be better if the proctor would just say things like  "hold up the QR code so I can scan it"-vs the way they said it… although I think one proctor did say "I need to scan the QR code" but one one.  They all followed the same script almost verbatim.

My take away is that YMMV depending on the proctor you get.  We never waited more than a few seconds to be connected to a proctor.  But the testing itself…especially my test…seems very sketchy.  We had all self-tested ourselves earlier this week…so we feel confident our negative results are accurate.  But I can definitely understand why there is a lot of Covid on the ships-this testing has a lot of room for error.  Doing it at home was easy.  I did order through eMed directly, not through Royal, and the cost was a little better. 

Same thing happened to us.  In our group of 6 there are 3 different boarding times...2 adults and 4 teens.  And our time is so late.  I never had a problem getting 11 or 12 and this sailing there were no option before 2:30 for us.  I'll be pretty sad if we all have to wait until 3;30 for the one person in the group who got that time.

What I've seen is anything from a tuxedo and ball gown to a tank top and ripped denim shorts.  But those are the two extremes.  You are more likely to see women in shorter (not full-length dresses) and guys in collared shirt and slacks.

All of ours (6) took about 24 hours to validate.  I did them last week.  But the first time I entered mine it said could not be validated -I had entered something incorrectly.  

I just checked for my sailing its 1499 for an over the water cabana at Nellies Beach, 1199 for a beach front cabana at Nellies Beach, 999 for a beach Cabana at nellies beach and a 499pp for a beach bungalow with more provided like towels and a full cooler.  The first three allow 8 guests for the price.  I bought one of these on black Friday for about 1/5 the price listed now.

Thanks everyone.  I feel much better now.

My teenage daughter has a wicked cough caused by some sinus and inner ear issues.  She is having surgery for this when we return from our cruise (leaving in about 2 weeks on Allure).  Mornings are worse but she coughs all day (postnasal drip) and sometimes has small coughing attacks.  I am wondering if she needs some sort of letter from her doctor stating the cause of her cough.  Will she constantly be pulled aside and tested because of this?  Will she have any difficulty at the health screening.  She can "hold it in" for short periods of time but not for 8 days.  I hope the lack of allergens on the ocean will help a little...but I want to be prepared for the worst.

I thought I checked our group in right after getting the notice (Allure leaving in May) and my earliest option was 2:00.  I've never gotten a check-in that late.  

We only sail the Oasis class ships on Royal... but a few summer ago we went on Celebrity to Alaska.  We had a suite-the perks and dining were fantastic.  Otherwise we were bored silly.  And I'm not an exciting person...I'm pretty happy to sit and read.  Lets just say the library and game room were hoppin on that ship...We attended every lecture....but you can only watch so much glass blowing .Luckily when we were close to land it was lovely to just sit and look.  But when we were fogged in-or out to sea...I was very bored.

One trip my husband was booked in the room with my son and so he got the drink package (I did not).  We aren't big drinkers (maybe a drink or 2 per week), but I wanted him to have fun.  Wow-it was a huge waste for us.  We quickly learned that he might be able to drink 3 drinks in a day...but just one day.  He couldn't drink 3 drinks a day each day of the trip-let alone enough drinks to make the package add up.  And if your trip is port heavy...you won't be using the package much those days-for us after a few drinks at the beach we didn't want more once back on the ship.  He also found that he didn't like the free coffee drinks in the package but wanted Starbuck's instead-so he bought one each day.  And getting a bottle of water was a pain...often he would have to go to 3 bars to find one.  So for us it wasn't worth it by hundreds of dollars (yes we added it up haha).   This trip we are doing the non-alcoholic package and will buy a few drinks during the trip.

I'll tell you what's weird.  We have always had connecting rooms or suites with our kids.  Now we are traveling with 2- 19 year old's and 2 -17 year old's (our kids and their friends) .  When I booked, the RCI representative MADE us have a connecting room with the kids.  I wanted just 3 rooms in a row and they wouldn't book for me unless one was connecting.  I can't believe they didn't get connecting rooms for you-how old are your kids?  I would have panicked not to have my kids in an adjoining room -it would have ruined my entire trip for worrying.

We will be cruising in May and both of my kids are bringing a friend.  My son's friend is 19-so I assume a passport and drivers license is all he needs to bring (and covid test etc.).  But my daughter's friend is 17.  I have the RCI form that gives her permission to travel with us and do activities on board the ship.  I plan to get a notarized travel letter for the airport -just in case.  Is there any other document/s I need?  Will the 17 yo be allowed off/on the ship -specifically in Aruba/Curacao.  I've never had anyone in a port ask me if the kids following me around are mine  haha...but I want to make 100% sure we have everything we need.

Thanks so much for any advice or experience.  I can call RCI (and I will) but it seems that customer service reps have varying degrees of knowledge sometimes...

On 1/3/2022 at 11:03 AM, JuliaMS said:

I have traveled in the same situation with Theo high schooers and their two friends. We were allowed to have them across the hall. Us in a balcony and them in two inside across the hall. 

I really wish I had done that.  I always heard it was possible but this agent said they had to be right next to us.

On 1/3/2022 at 12:28 PM, TiiiSailor said:

Also time to get a different travel agent.  Their computer problem is not your problem.  Not very professional of the agent.

It was RCI direct.  And I need to be more assertive. 

Merion Mom-they aren't outside view. They are the Central Park View.  And I can't figure it out either.  We had these rooms about 4 years ago.  Loved them then.  Had no idea some didn't have a window.  

I booked a cruise for June and my husband and I are bringing my 2 kids and a friend for each.  We booked three cabins in a row.  My husband and I in one cabin.  Two 19-year-old's in one cabin and 2 18-year-old's in the 3rd.  RCI is making my husband and I be in the middle cabin.  Which was fine.  But as we were finishing the reservation the agent points out that the room we are in (the middle room of 3) doesn't have a window for some reason.  Now my kids have "good rooms" and my husband and I are stuck in a windowless room.  I want to switch cabins with the kids but that would mean one cabin of kids is not directly next to us.  This was mentioned as I was paying....and the agent didn't seem to want to start the process over as his computer was acting up.  I wonder if we can switch rooms once we arrive.  We would be keeping the youngest kids (18) next to us.  Anyone ever dealt with this and was guest services able to help or are we stuck-unless we rebook at a higher price.

For what its worth...Two is a tough age to cruise with-so much of your time would be spent caring for her and she's not really old enough to enjoy the kids club.  My husband and I never got away together after our kids were born.  They are teenagers now.  Sadly, we didn't have family that could stay with our kids -it would have been really good for our relationship to have time without kids....so I think you should let your child have a special grandparent week and not give it a second thought.  Cruising is great for families -if you want a FAMILY vacation.  If it is your anniversary-try to go alone (IF you can enjoy yourselves without worrying about your kiddo).  If she was old enough to enjoy (and stay) in the kids club then it would be a different story.  We only cruise because our kids love it so much-but they could send all day at the kids/teen club and we barely see them.  Also having a toddler in tow limits your excursion options.

I also wouldn't do the drink or dining package.  Maybe do one or two special dinners.  The food on board is fine and they have so many options-you probably cant even try all the free options on one cruise.  As we learned with the drink package (even with juice and specialty coffee etc) that unless you are a drinker it isn't worth it.  My husband can drink 3-4 drinks in a night ONCE in a while but not day after day.  And he didn't like the ship coffee and wished he could have Starbucks but felt obligated  to drink what he had already paid for.

Don't miss the shows.  Make a reservation as soon as they open and try to book each show toward the beginning of the cruise in case they have to cancel it-you will still have a chance to go.

I was never bored on Oasis Class.  There is so much to do and see.  We were on Celebrity last summer and gosh I was so bored.  You will have a blast.