Keksie

I am on Anthem right now, not a whiner but we do not like DR at all. The only restaurant we have liked so far is Wonderland. I have choice and don't want to make reservations months ahead of time. So once we got on the ship I fired up the phone and used the is app to make reservations. We could only get late times but found if we show up when we want to, tell them we have reservations but want to eat a little early we have gotten in right away. Still have been disappointed with the food and we are not the only people. Otherwise, the cabins are great and it has never seemed crowded anywhere.

I have it reserved for our first sea day and can't wait. It is all we have planned that night. Chopped is one of my favorite shows. I also can't think of any food I won't at least try. I plan to not eat much lunch that day so I am really hungry when we go.

We are not making reservations either except the one night we are eating in Wonderland. The whole point of Choice or MTD to me is that you go when you want to not at some appointed time. There is no way I know today what or when I want to eat a month from now. There is also no way I can eat at 9p.m. That is almost our bedtime and we usually eat dinner between 5:30 and 6:30. I guess if what people are saying is true and we get turned away we will just eat at the WJ. We usually eat there one or two nights of a cruise anyway when we are not that hungry or are tired from a busy day. The meals are nice but eating is not the big part of the cruise to us anyway, by the end of a cruise I am really full. We cruise more for the ports.

The following the exact dress code from the RCCL website. It mentions pants - jeans are pants.

Onboard Dress Code

Smart Casual: Ladies: Skirt or pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a blouse. Gentlemen: Pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a collared shirt.

Formal: Ladies: Cocktail dress or pantsuit. Gentlemen: Suit (black tie is optional)

Note: Swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurants or specialty restaurants. T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops are acceptable for lunch.

Note: Smart Casual is allowed on Boarding Day at The Grande Restaurant (should only be included where we are speaking about The Grande)

Belk is in Central Texas too. I can always find a lot of clothes in their stores and at good prices.

We usually hang ours somewhere in the cabin and not necessarily on a door. We use ours for everything small. Chargers, makeup, hair clips, sunscreen, medication, etc. Although there is a lot of storage in the cabin I dislike having to rummage around in each drawer etc. to find where I put what I am currently needing. It also saves me from having to rummage around trying to find where I put what my husband is needing at the moment. Everything is in one place and in plain sight. It makes it easier to pack up at the end too since you can just empty the hanger and have everything packed except for clothes and shoes. The shoe organizers really work for us even for land vacations.

I cruise on Royal Caribbean and have worn leggings several times on casual nights to the MDR. With the right tops I don't feel that they are too casual and since the dining rooms and other public areas are usually cool to cold, even in the Caribbean, the leggings feel nice and warm

I am a big fan of the organizers. Not just for cruises but for land vacations too. Although there may be a lot of storage in the rooms, I would rather keep all the small things where they are easy to see and I don't have to remember which drawer has what. I use it for chargers, sunscreen, my makeup, medicines etc. It also helps my husband find things too. I find it makes packing up at the end easier also.

We have had MTD several times now. We never make reservations except for specialty dining and just show up when we want. We typically eat fairly early and that may be why we have never had to wait for a table for 2.

Thank you for the map and advice. The map really helps.

I am not sure yet. I still have to get my flights. Whatever works out at a good fare for a good schedule. Last time I looked United had both.

Thank you. I will make sure to book the Jersey City Doubletree. Do you know about how long it takes to get to the port from there?

Wow. Thank you for all the information it is really helping me get an idea of what to do and how to do it.

I think the first day we will go to the SOL via Liberty State Park, return via the ferry to Battery Park and see the 9/11 Memorial. We will return via PATH to Newark.

The second day take PATH to Journal Square and transfer to the one that goes to 33rd street. We would visit the Empire State Building, Times Square and Central Park.

Is there time the first day to do more in the World Trade Center area?

Is there more we should see the second day?

Thank you for the information. The Doubletree sounds like it will work (like their hotels) but if needed we can go over 200 a night. I will work on figuring out what else we want to do while in New York. It seems that with PATH it is easy to get to the World Trade Center area.

I am not familiar with this area at all so I need a little help.

My husband and I are cruising out of Cape Liberty on Sept. 8. We would like to come in on the 5th and look around New York for 2 days. We do not want to rent a car.

1. Where should we fly into from Texas? Newark or a New York airport?

2. Where should we stay? Jersey City, New York? I am thinking around a 200 a night rate if possible.

3. I know we want to go to Ellis Island, Statute of Liberty. How to get there, and what else to see?

4. How to get to the port the day of our cruise. We will have luggage.

Thank you for any help you can give. I am reading all the other threads but feel a bit confused.

After looking back over the pictures of the collections I definitely think that Ashley's collection should not have won. I thought Candace had a beautiful collection and think she should have won.

Our cruise had nice weather - until - we got to Ketchikan. It rained all day (a cold rain) and we were very happy to have waterproof boots, rain coat and rain pants to wear. At the end of the day we had looked at everything we wanted to see and were dry and warm.

We cruise RCCL most of the time and for a 7 night cruise there will be 2 nights designated as formal. This is what we wear:

Casual nights - I wear leggings/tunics, capris/nice top, sundress, skirts and blouse. My husband wears jeans and button down shirts

Formal nights - I wear a cocktail dress and my husband wears dress pants, sport coat and tie.

For shoes I bring a pair of dressy sandals that will work for all nights. I also bring a wrap because I can get cold in some of the public spaces

I wear or have worn dark wash jeans, capris, sundresses, leggings and skirts on casual nights. These have all been paired with nice tops and sandals.

Not anymore. I have a couple of cocktail dresses that work for formal nights and I have a nice 3 in 1 coat for Alaska type places. I have a lot of warm weather clothes in my everyday life so now I have no need to purchase clothes for just a cruise.

For air travel I wear jeans, tshirt, my heaviest shoes and bring a hoodie This is going from cold to hot or hot to cold. When we went to Alaska and Norway I wore my hiking shoes and my other trips I wore my sketchers.

I do find the interior of the ships to be chilly at times. I knit beaded lace silk shawls so I can usually find something in a drawer that will work as a wrap. I find that it can enhance the look of my outfit plus keep me warm.

No 30's.

 

Absolutely love the dressing up part of a cruise, and hate,hate,hate that the dress codes are gradually being eroded on all lines. Now most of the small lux lines are turning to elegant casual etc, i find this very disappointing.

 

I believe there is a place for a small luxury line that has dress codes and strictly enforces them. There are plenty of casual lines, why not a formal one?

If there was enough demand for one it would happen. You can always dress up no matter what the dress code is.

We just got back from a cruise to the Eastern Caribbean. I have no idea how anyone else was dressed. This was our 9th cruise and the only person I remember out of all those cruises was when we were still doing traditional dining and one of the women at the table had a formal dress (well within the guidelines for formal night) that had a cut out under her breasts. They kept trying to pop out!

Otherwise, now that we are doing my time dining, we show up, are seated, look at the menu, talk to our waiter, eat our food, look out the window and leave. I have no idea how people at the other tables are dressed. They all have some sort of top on and I don't go around peeking under the tables to see what kind of bottoms or shoes anyone else has on.

So far none of cruises I have been on has had anyone so inappropriately dressed that I would feel the need to have a strict dress code.

I like the Land's End water shoes. I have a couple pair in different styles. They have enough support to walk all day, be in the water and still be comfortable.