cleophus12

We went the first week of August a few years ago and it was a fabulous time to go! Most of our days the temperatures were in the mid 60's to lower 70s. The only day we had cold weather was on glacier day, but that was kind of appropriate. We had great whale watching also. I'd go again during that time of year if given the choice.

We cruised on NCL several years ago, and the food was so bad in the MDR that I was convinced they were trying to push guests into specialty restaurants. Sorry to hear that Royal is headed the same direction. We are on the Oasis in May after taking a break from Royal for a few years. Hope I won't be sorry I'm giving them another chance. Loved your review.

Can you please provide information to point us to this podcast so others can listen?

Not sure how much of this info is allowable on these boards, but the podcast was from Dreams Unlimited on the Royal Caribbean forum of the Disboards. Very interesting.

My sea pass says to check in at 11:30. So it's ok if I arrive a little early or is that early enough to board easily?

Just watched a podcast from an agency who shall not be named on another message board, and they gave some great and very detailed information about the suite reorganization. Worth a listen. And according to the podcast, the JS is getting a bump up in benefits.

Love Navigator.

We enjoyed the Westin near Stanley Park. We rented bikes the morning before embarkation and rode around the park for a couple of hours, and it was a great way to pass the time (and the excitement) before boarding. Would need to take a taxi to the pier.

Do all Oasis cabins have coffee makers?

I wouldn't say any excursion really rushes you at Dunn's River Falls. Once you climb the falls, however, there isn't much else to do so most groups just move along to their next stop.

Did you say which cabin you were in? If you did, I missed it and I'd be interested in knowing the location and what you thoughts were on the cabin, the location,and the noise level around you. I loved your review. I have read many and yours is undoubtedly one of the most informative I've seen. Thanks for the time and effort you put into it.

I don't want to muddy the waters with a remark that may be completely inapplicable here, but we cruised out of Venice several years ago (different cruise line), and on embarkation they took our passports. I was in desperate need of a pay phone (didn't get a European cell package, my mistake), so a crew member sent me back down into the terminal to use a phone. I assumed (wrongly) that since I was just going into the terminal, I'd be let back on with my Sea Pass. I was very wrong. I had a terrible time getting back on the ship partly because of the language barrier, and partly because I didn't have my passport. I finally found a crew member who had seen me disembark and I was allowed back on. Scary stuff. All that to ask: Once you're onboard, will they let you get back off before sail away? (Maybe they don't take passports anymore.)

Actually, Lizcourt, I went back to their website this am and had no trouble linking to the final payment page. Maybe it was just a glitch up to this point.

I booked directly with RCCL but I had to do it on the phone because I was having an issue with the website at the time. Therefore, I not only did not get any extra benefits of a TA, but I can't make any online changes to my reservation. I can book my own shows/restaurants, but I can't even make my final payment online. I'm kind of sorry I went directly through them because some of the TA benefits would have been good to have.

What can you tell us about the pool band? Why only at the end of the cruise? I have very fond memories of the steel drums playing by the pool in the old days of cruising.

Saddest photo ever.

Prices have already gone up. Even this sale is an increase over the previous rates of buy 2 nights get the 3rd night free. And as PP mentioned, your room choice will decrease as well.

What did you wind up doing for the day?

We have rented a car when docking at Havensight. I think there are a couple to choose from close to the dock. The one we used was within walking distance from the dock in one of the strip centers just across the main street from the dock. It was National or Thrifty I think. Traffic in STT is difficult, and if you aren't accustomed to driving on narrow, curvy mountain roads, the driving may be a problem for you. However, it's a great way to see the island because you can hit most of the highlights in a day. Have fun. STT is one of my favorite places to visit.

We did the day pass at the Westin several years ago through a third party booking site. While the hotel was lovely and the staff was nice, the day pass was a near disaster. We were supposed to have the use of a room included in our day pass and after waiting for hours we were twice sent to rooms that had not been cleaned. We enjoyed the pool for several hours and finally left. It was not an experience I will book again.

And does the Martini class need to be booked ahead or onboard? If ahead, where is it located in the cruise planner?

Are the seas that rough right now or does this ship just rock because it is to top heavy? I'm not excited about sailing on a rocking ship. Been there. Done that.

Thanks, Island Lady. That makes sense because if I book the restaurant ahead of time, I would have to pay for it up front in addition to FNDR and that sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?

So should I book a particular restaurant (ie, Giovanni's) for the first night if that is where I want to eat or should I just not worry about it and dine wherever we can get in on this plan? I have already booked and paid for FNDR for our 5/7 cruise. Maybe by then some questions will be answered with more certainty.

While I'm not unhappy to see the question on the survey, I'm not sure I would answer honestly. I hate to get these crew members in trouble. I do appreciate the specificity of the follow up question, but again I don't want to cause anyone to lose their jobs by asking me for high marks. I usually give high marks anyway, and I do become slightly annoyed by the constant requests for high marks so perhaps this new question will put an end to the requests. Then I won't have to mention anyone specifically. So perhaps this solves everyone's problem.

We did have a waiter explain to us years ago (when it was easier to give 5's) that it was his responsibility to give us a 5 experience in the dining room, and if we didn't have a 5 experience he would be held accountable. He stressed that he wanted to do whatever it took to give us a 5 experience. And he was fabulous. Not so much these days sometimes.