cleophus12

I know the answer to this question will require a crystal ball, but I'm hoping someone might have some insight. I have read many spring break reviews on the Majesty out of PC and it sounds like a nightmare. I realize these were Bahamas cruises. We will be sailing on her out of Tampa to Cuba in May. Should we expect to be onboard with large numbers of newly graduated high school or college students, or did the price increase for Cuba go up sufficiently to discourage this type of passenger? I was on a high school graduation cruise (150 graduating seniors from a local high school) years ago out of San Juan on the AoS and it was a week of sleepless nights. Don't really want to repeat that experience. What are your thoughts?

Did you have to pay a price difference to be moved?

It is my understand that Empress does not offer this option since there is so little in the way of specialty restaurants to choose from.

RC agent I spoke with last week said no dry dock or refurbishments were planned for MJ before next summer. Wish they would get all their people on the same page. I'm disappointed that the Empress is being moved. I've heard such great things about her.

We really enjoyed our dinner in the Solarium. It was relaxed, unrushed, and relatively quiet. And the food we ordered was very good. We actually wished we had done it earlier in the cruise so we could book it again.

Water Island has been a great place to escape the busy-ness of St Thomas. It is small, quiet, peaceful, and beautiful. I had heard they took quite a hit from the hurricanes, so I am glad to see Dinghy's has reopened. I hope Heidi's is soon to follow.

We were entirely comfortable on the Oasis. I will add that we always carry a portable fan which helps circulate the air, so maybe that makes it feel cooler.

There is a good YouTube video for 8164 I think.

Who was invited to the concert? Something I read called it an Invitation Only event.

We make the drive regularly from NC and almost always just stay on I95. Depending on the time of day, there can be very little traffic and it is more of a straight shot. I find 295 to be somewhat out of the way. However, if you are traveling during peak rush hours, the Jacksonville traffic on 95 might be more than you want to deal with.

Great review. I did not know that forts and museums were closed on Mondays in Havana. Our cruise in May of next year will also be there on a Monday, and that is disappointing to know. Guess we will get creative.

I'm glad to finally see an explanation for this. We were on the Oasis in May when we woke up on disembarkation day and unexpectedly overlooked the port. We had expected to see the same view we had on the day we boarded. I didn't know why but that answer makes perfect sense.

I gave my daughter a Starbucks gift card which she carried onboard. Since she didn't actually want a "fancy" coffee drink everyday, it was great that she could use the remaining balance when she returned home. She must've used it 4-5 times onboard.

I actually have an old waterproof carrying case that I won from Royal Caribbean years ago that I use for money and cards. For my phone I have a FrieQ waterproof case I ordered from Amazon. It works great.

Glad to know you had a good experience. Ours was not as delightful. When we arrived at Comfort Inn and Suites, we were told that their computer was down and they could not issue us a pink card. Instead, the tour desk in the lobby offered to sell us an Atlantis package that included lunch for about $160 each--considerably more than we had planned to spend on the room per person. Instead, we went on to Atlantis and bought their day pass. It was a disappointing way to begin our day in Nassau to say the least. Furthermore, Choice Hotels was very unsatisfactory in addressing our complaint after we returned home.

I think Jes1941 answered my question, but what is the necessary insurance and is it included in all cruise fares? We booked about a month ago for a Cuba cruise next spring, and I did not think the price unreasonable at all. It is just over $500 per person for the five day. While I might like to go on a larger and more luxurious ship, I'm happy to be able to go to Cuba at all, and I do not have unreasonable expectations for the Empress.

How far out is your cruise? I am seeing that message for a cruise I have booked for next spring, and I'm pretty sure the reservations just haven't opened up yet.

I'm afraid that if you are leaving this Sunday, your excursions will be limited because they will already be full. Do some quick reading and see if you can book some adventures on your own.

I think this legislation and the discussion that goes with it have come up because of a couple that died in a stateroom fire on an Amazon river cruise this past week. I saw the story on the news. A power strip in the room caught fire and the two died I believe. No fire alarms went off and it took quite a while for anyone to get into the room to investigate the smoke. By then it was too late.

I ordered a bottle of wine to be delivered to a friend sailing on the Harmony a couple of weeks ago. It was in their stateroom upon arrival.

Don't know what kind of room you have booked on Empress, but I'm not sure bed placement is an issue on this ship. Rooms appear to be quite small, and beds look to be the same in most all the rooms.

Did you see the story on the news today about the couple who died because their power strip started a fire in their stateroom on an Amazon River cruise? Scary stuff.

Frankly, I think any travel around St. Lucia by car is pretty scary. Roads are narrow and winding everywhere once you leave the town area. I saw a picture of a couple at the mud baths just this week on another website that has an RCCL group. Looked like fun. Their tour guide had "painted" them with the mud.

All that being said, I can't imagine I'd ever choose a cruise based on the shows alone. So much more to consider. And if you don't like Cats, do something else that evening. These ships have plenty to choose from.

I carried the same fan as LMaxwell on our Oasis cruise. It was great and we never heard a thing beyond our cabin. Maybe our deck was just quiet, or maybe the fan made all the difference. Either way, I travel with it everywhere.