marycat33

We generally have to cruise during school holidays. For our three Oasis class cruises, the one in April that was at the tail end of Spring Break had about 1200 kids under 18. The July 4th cruise had about 1500 kids under 18. The Christmas cruise had 2000 kids under 18. By comparison our Freedom cruise a week before Thanksgiving had hardly any kids on it. I don't know the number but it was in the low hundreds.

So I assume no one has any info on the Sheraton Suites in Plantation??:rolleyes:

We have stayed here several times pre-cruise and really like it. Hotel is very nice. Breakfast is spendy but good. We love the suite option as we are a family of four and like the extra space. Parking is free. Lots of food and shopping options close by. Maybe fifteen or twenty minutes to the port max. I can't say for sure as last time we drove to the port I was so distracted By the view of the ships in port that I missed our exit and detoured through the airport. Not fun. Needless to say I won't be driving when we leave from the Sheraton in a few weeks.

There are lockers you can rent to place valuables. One set of lockers is located near the water park. You can use your sea pass card to rent and it is good all day. They give you a bracelet to access the locker.

The inflatables are fun but challenging to get on for kids. You'll want to be close to help give them a lift up from the water.

Your wife will be able to take pictures from the dock.

We were on the Oasis last Christmas with a 7 and 8 yr old. They too wondered how Santa would find them and would there be presents. We brought a tiny tree and stockings. The kids wrote many notes to Santa during the cruise. Christmas morning Santa had stuffed their stockings with gifts bought from each port and items they had seen onboard in the gift shops. That was enough to satisfy them. The topper was seeing Santa come down the Rising Tide bar. The kids were told that after Santa was done delivering presents, he came to the ship for his vacation. Before he started his vacation, he handed out presents to all the kids that waited to see him. Mind you there were 2000 under 18. Obviously not all went to see Santa though. For my daughter, this was the highlight. She still believes she saw the real Santa and even noted she saw him walking around afterwards enjoying his vacation. The whole experience was enjoyable but there wasn't the traditional Christmas feel. We are from Tampa so like you, it's hard to grasp that feel in Florida regardless.

Book it! We cruised DCL when our kids were 5 and 6. Of course we loved it. But we have cruised RCI since, three on Oasis class. The kids are now 9 and 8. They love the ships! Too small for zip line. They aren't interested in Adventure Ocean. They always find plenty of entertainment. We generally do MTD and the kids love to go to the pools or hot tubs afterwards. Usually they are the only ones there. During the day, the pools were crowded but not enough to bother them. There is so much to keep them entertained on the ship that they were never bored. They love Labadee. The kids love to explore a quiet corner at Columbus Cove where they can climb rocks and play in the water. Usually we are the only ones in the area. We have done the inflatables which are tough to climb but they had fun. They love the dragon coaster. They enjoy exploring the lookout point near where the zip line terminates and shopping in the markets. We like to go back on the cruise ship for lunch. Less crowded. In Jamaica, we have always booked private tours. We have done Blue Hole which is a long haul from Falmouth. We recently did a river Rapids excursion. Maybe Class I rapids if that but the kids loved it.

Definitely recommend booking it.

Bon Voyage! Enjoy the cruise!

Welcome back. Looking forward to the cruise compasses too.

Ugh, the flies made me walk away and get back on the ship. The food was covered with them, it was just disgusting.

Ugh - yes! We go back on the ship to eat. It's very relaxing, no lines and we get a chance to engage with the staff more than usual.

We enjoy Labadee very much and look at the markets as part of the experience. It helps knowing what to expect before going and to be prepared for the aggressive vendors. Our kids, both under 10, have enjoyed the experience of negotiating with the vendors each time we have visited. Of course it is always under watchful eyes but we all enjoy the interaction. We have learned to just be firm with our answers and not to allow them to intimidate us. And generally we end up engaging in conversations with the vendors whether or not we buy.

So for us Labadee has always been a positive experience for our family.

Subscribed!

The shop for pets at sea was removed from both the Allure and Oasis. We were on Allure just before dry dock and were told it would be removed. We were on Oasis at Christmas and while the store had been removed, they would offer it at certain times in Adventure Ocean. If Harmony will offer it, it may be similar to our experience on the Oasis.

We purchased a set of walkie talkies on the ship (not the toy looking version) and had good reception with them once we figured out how to use them. Only trouble we had was when we were in noisy areas, it was difficult to hear. This was on the Oasis class.

When we were on the Allure back in April (before dry dock) they put the donuts in the displays on the Boardwalk. When we were on the Oasis in December, I didn't see the same setup on the Boardwalk. I don't recall seeing the good donuts anywhere but we didn't look too hard either. We took advantage of it a lot on the Allure.

:) it was the Oasis. Also, it was on Christmas Day so a month ago.

Facetime worked well for us on a sea day on our way from Cozumel to Ft Lauderdale. That was a few weeks ago.

Better to be safe than sorry. We have always gotten one but have never been asked to show it. Not worth the risk of not having it though.

We were on Oasis a few weeks ago and our mattress was very comfy. Hope it works out for you!

Our kids always enjoyed these options as well. Would be nice if RCCL has something else in mind beyond April 1 but if not, at least there are a lot of options for entertainment. But they definitely have had some amazing artists on our previous cruises. Well, except one. The balloon maker could only make swords, hats or a dog (I think). Didn't matter what you asked for, you got one of those. Made us laugh though.

I was also on the Dec 19th sailing and recall seeing them advertised a few days in but when I inquired about it, I was told they weren't available for purchase until day 5 or so. I forgot to check back so I do not know the drinks that were included.

We ate at the Ultimate Jerk Centre on our last visit. We had done Scotchies before and it was fine but touristy. We loved the jerk Centre and were the only non-locals there. It was located across from the Green Grotto Caves.

Yes. The hours will be posted in the kids compass as the PP mentioned. You may also be able to buy outfits at the tables set up in the Promenade on sea days where RCCL products are sold. Definitely not the same experience as before and it was not available the first day. Ask the attendants in AO though as they may be willing to accommodate you.

We have a 9 and 8yr old. We just got off our third Oasis class cruise with them. It was only on the last sea day, with walkie talkies and at short intervals of this last cruise that we let them go on their own. There were limited places they could go. It's a big ship. The walkie talkies worked great. We bought them while onboard.

Did you purchase VOOM once you got on board? How long did it take to do that? Just curious since we are on Allure next week and I can't decide if I should wait to purchase VOOM on board and use my OBC or purchase ahead of time so I have internet from the get go.

We were on Oasis a few weeks ago and purchased onboard. For our sailing it was cheaper to buy onboard than to purchase pre-cruise. Purchasing and using was quick and easy.

Like others said, it is in Adventure Ocean but generally at set times only. You will see the times in the AO cruise compass. We never went to check it out to see if it was the same experience as it had been previously on the Oasis and Allure.

We have always done the back of the ship. Deck 7 port side at the rock wall has a wrap around balcony and we have been the only ones in the past. You can access through a door on deck 7 at the end of the hallway or from the Boardwalk. Also deck 5, aft, there are chairs as well.