Shelli

Go to the Maitre D' as soon as possible after boarding. S/he will be available, most probably in the MDR, but ask to find out where exactly. Tell him/her your issue, and the head waiter will seek you out at dinner (even if you're in MyTime) to bring you the next night's menu and discuss best options for you. All cruise lines operate pretty much the same in this regard.

We're on this cruise 10/6, and we also still show Freeport as a stop. I thought we couldn't possibly be still going there, but then I read this article, and now I think it means we ARE going there! https://cruiseradio.net/first-cruise-ship-returns-to-freeport-this-week/?fbclid=IwAR2UX_shogJKpnYWnim-D-HaU3DFRVaVsDxqgkW2Hp3NXj1vSQYhXMli4Ds

About smoked salmon (lox):  I also haven't been on Carnival in 8 years (till this coming Sunday! Yay!), so I can't be specific to this cruise line.  However, I've been on several other lines in the past several years, and I note that every single one of them still has lox in the buffet... but it's hidden! This was true even on high-end Viking! Look for the small deli area at breakfast-- where there is sliced cheese and so forth. Then ask behind that counter for it. They've all stopped the free-for-all lox grabbing, but it's still there. You just have to ask.
 

Thanks for your input, everyone! I'm glad Half Moon Cay is good to go, but I'd already figured that. It's what is substituting for Freeport (where I didn't really want to go anyway, but of course I feel awful for the residents) that I'm wondering. I'm thinking it'll be either Amber Cove in the DR or Key West, which I love and hope to get to!

We're booked on the 10/6 cruise. Obviously, we can't go to Freeport anymore... anybody have any clues where we'll go instead? I'm secretly hoping it's Key West.

Last time we were in PR was about 10 years ago. We caught a bus tour (no reservations needed) right outside of the pier, and it was very reasonably priced. The tour guide/driver spoke great English, and she took us all over the island. It was great! We loved it, especially since any previous time we'd been there, we just walked around the old city... in the rain. 😞 

We've been on both ships, and I did prefer Escape. However, getting off that huge ship in NY was awful! It took forever-- just too many people. Sailing from N. Jersey was much better. That said, however, if I were you, I'd do the Boston sailing. A close port is worth its weight! 

You'll find many more similarities between the two lines than you will differences... at least, major differences. I tend to book cruises by price, and this time around we got a fabulous deal on our upcoming cruise, so we booked RCI. Last Feb. we got a great deal on Norwegian Escape, so we booked NCL (and LOVED that ship, btw!).

Yes, My Time Dining is pretty much the same as Freestyle. Some folks suggest you make reservations (you can even do that online when you near the date of your cruise), but last time (summer of 2015) we cruised RCI, we just showed up when hungry, and it was no problem.

Included food is fair to middling these days on all cruise lines, it seems. But we don't mind it-- there's always something that's good. Yes, they encourage you to upgrade dining to premium restaurants onboard-- sound familiar? :) But we don't usually.

My Time dining pax are required to pay gratuities ahead of time, as opposed to it being optional for traditional dining pax. That's the only real difference.

As for when it's due, we paid ours with final payment. I believe that's when it's due.

I can't help you with November, but I can update from May, as I will be on the Grandeur in two weeks. I'll let you know. ;)

Merion Mom: Any news on the wine package? Thanks!

I agree with the others who've said not to overplan your day. But, that said, I've always found that those who join in to the most activities are those who enjoyed their cruise the most.

Also, in all my cruises, I've only gone on a ship-sponsored excursion ONCE! At every port, there will be taxi tours galore when you get off the ship, and these are generally much cheaper than a tour you get through the ship. Check out the island on a tour and then return to the place(s) you liked the most. Just be sure to get back to the ship on time!

Have a great cruise!

This is great advice - never even thought of that. I'm so far behind on RCCL's policies. We are 4.5 weeks away from our cruise. The OV category is now cheaper than the Inside cabin we purchased, by about only $29 though, but moving to an OV would have been nice, especially for less $$. My TA said: "RCCL's exact answer is you can cancel and pay the penalties and make a new booking at the current price." No thanks. Wouldn't I forfeit my deposit?? Now I wish I had waited until today to book! I'm now reading that PCL is using a similar policy. What if I had been outside of the final payment due date - could I have changed then? Just trying to get caught up on the new policies. Thanks!

I think you may have chosen the wrong TA! We booked an inside on our Nov. cruise and paid in full. Yesterday I discovered an outside guarantee on the TA's site (an online TA) was now cheaper than our inside. So I wrote to them and asked nicely if we could pretty please get upgraded to an outside. And they did it! Maybe you should try again. Good luck!

I've been on numerous cruises on both lines, both in the distant past and the recent past. You'll find many more similarities than differences between them. We went on Norwegian Escape 6 months ago and *loved* it-- one of our favorite cruises ever! My only disappointment on that cruise was that lobster is no longer served in the MDR. But service everywhere was excellent-- at least as good, if not better, than any of my Royal Caribbean cruises!

Keep in mind that you're allowed to bring on only two 750 ml bottles of wine per stateroom. There are no corkage fees for those, whether you bring them to the dining room or not. But you can't bring on any others.

We cruise on Grandeur OTS frequently, and the past few cruises, they have offered the wine package as you board. They have the tables set up shore side - for dining packages and the beverage packages. They had the wine-package as late as May 2016.

Thanks so much for this info! I hope they still have it in November...

Can't find this info on the Royal Caribbean site or on here, but I have seen a couple of references to wine packages. I know from previous cruises, before they had the various beverage packages available, they offered 3-, 5-, and 7-bottle wine packages for a discount. Do they still do this? Do they offer it on Grandeur? All we want is a bottle of wine at dinner! I did find one page on the RCCL site that listed wine bottles for gifts-- and they were a fortune.

We're considering a 9-day, so along with the 2 bottles we're allowed to bring, we'd like to buy another 5 or so. A package with a discount would be great...

We were just there last Wednesday. Not much to do-- shopping is sparse at best. Lots of beaches, but we didn't want to do that. The first time we were there, years back, we took an island tour-- lots of offers at the port, and expect to pay around $20/pp. That was pleasant, but no great shakes.

Hmm... well that depends who you ask. They say that the higher you are the less you feel and also that the lower you are and more towards the aft or front of the ship the more motion you'll feel.

This is actually the opposite of the truth! The least amount of motion is felt midship on lower decks; the most motion is felt on the higher decks, particularly in the front of the ship.

It's an hour later in Bermuda, which is in the Atlantic time zone, than it is on the east coast of the U.S., in the Eastern time zone. So you've been seeing the pax depart the ship after 10 a.m., U.S. time.

I remember driving over the bridge in Miami to embark on the SS Norway and the first ship to greet us was the Sovereign of the Seas. I remember standing on the deck of the Norway and just watching the SOS, then turning to DW I said that is next. We loved the first cruise on Norway but we fell in love with cruising the next year on the Sovereign.

Some coincidence: my first cruise was also on the Norway (1987) and the next year we went on the Sovereign, along with our kids.

As we boarded, we were greeted by a string quartet. No welcome-aboard champagne in those days-- also no towel animals. But *much* more elegance, fabulous food, and incredible service! I wore dresses to dinner every night except for "Caribbean Night," and a formal dress on formal night.

I miss those days!

That's great news-- thanks for your help, both posters.

I can't find this info anywhere. I understand the UBP generally costs $54 pp/daily, which means it's valued at $756 for a week's cruise for 2. When it's an extra cost, gratuities at 15% are an extra $113.40 (again, for 2).

But what about when it's an included promotion? Do we still have to pay gratuities? Or are they included as well?

Here's what Royal Caribbean offers:

http://royalcaribbean.eweddingcalendar.com/calendar/weddingPackagesEdit/optId/293/

Each day I get many (many!) email offers of "deals" (such as Groupon). Today I got one from DealChicken for a membership in Norwegian Cruise Club. The price is $49.99 for a year, and it claims the value is $399. It says the perks include:

• 12-month full service and benefits with the Norwegian Cruise Club
  
• Specially trained Travel Advisors assist in helping you choose the right ship and cabin at the lowest price
  
• Receive guaranteed discounted cruise fares on NCL sailings
  
• Enjoy extra amenities and services
  
• Take advantage of having a team of specially trained travel advisors
  
• Promotion Expires October 24, 2015
  
• Average savings by cabin type:
  
• Inside/outside cabin- $250 - $275 savings
  
• Balcony- $325 - $425 savings
  
• Suites/Havens- $800 - $1050 savings
  

... plus other extras like chocolate-covered strawberries, etc.

It lists a website, but I can't get in without a membership number, so it's useless for researching.

Is anyone familiar with this? I'd love to hear folks' experiences, both pros and cons.

Thanks!

My worst cruise was my latest one-- my 18th. It happened to be on NCL, but other than the fact that we didn't care for the ship's layout, it certainly wasn't NCL's fault. I got ill (with noro-like symptoms, although the ship's doctor didn't think that's what it was) at the first port. Thanks to getting a shot that knocked me out, I slept for the next couple of days. The first day I felt better, our port was canceled due to rough seas. The last port, Cozumel, was one I'd been to a zillion times, so I didn't plan to get off the ship... but I was SO happy to finally see land, I was more than happy to get off!

We were also on a cruise affected by a hurricane, and spent two extra days at sea. We didn't mind that, however! Our captain took us to a calm area, and other than the dinner menu being repeated, it was all fine.