The Fun Researcher

The added width of the Freedom class ships is simply due to the fact that they included the cantelevered hot tubs or the bridge in the width.

They are the same width.  The Freedom class is longer however, which adds the spash area on the pool deck and makes the Promenade longer separating the Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's.  On Vovager class, Sorrento's and Cafe Promenade are combined into one.  Also Freedom has more space on Deck 4 for other venues.  

Dan

On 8/13/2019 at 5:54 PM, karena1 said:

We have done the river rafting down the Martha Brae a couple times and really like it.  Both time through the ship, but there are some private vendors that are good also.  We were going to use a private one last time, but we had so much on board credit we did it through the ship instead

 

karena1, if you don't mind sharing, do you recall who the private vendor was? 

I'm investigating:

1) A transfer from Falmouth to the Martha Brae river including the cost of rafting from a reputable, safe vendor 

2) Simply a transfer to and from the Martha Brae.  It looks like it's only about 4 miles from Falmouth.

• Are the taxi's reliable and safe?
• Will there be taxi's available at the end of the rafting to transfer us back to Falmouth?
• Can we just show up to Martha Brae like that?  We would use four rafts, assuming two per raft.

The best I could find, the rafting along is about $65-$70 for two.

Thanks,

Dan

Thank you JBSteelerfan.  That looks like another great option, and a nice laid back way to experience some local culture and cuisine.  I'll bring this option up with our kids and my parents as well.  Who doesn't love food?  🙂

Dan

I'm maybe one of the few who don't like the Oasis class.  To me, it's a downgrade to go from Freedom or Voyager class to a Oasis class in Galveston.  Hopefully the "smaller" option will still be a Freedom or Voyager class there.  I would love that as the prices may be lower than they are now due to having a bigger sister in port.

Dan

Thanks karena1.  Much appreciated.

• Looks like the Martha Brae is pretty close to Falmouth.  Roughly how long of a drive was this from Falmouth?
• Was the rafting done in tubes, or on a bamboo raft?
  • Any idea how a group of 8 would be situated?

Dan

Our port is Falmouth in March 2020.  The excursion can be from a reputable safe private vendor or through the ship.  We do either, although lately it hasn't been through the ship. 

We’ve already done Dunn’s River Falls and Grotto caves and they were fun but don’t need to do them again.  Earlier in the cruise we will have done an all-inclusive beach day in Cozumel, and snorkeling/sting rays in Grand Cayman.

We will have my able bodies parents with us, who have never been to a Caribbean Island.   We will have four children, girls ages 18, 18, 15,  and our son 12.  If possible we would like to do something that is unique to Jamaica, or at least unique to Caribbean islands.  Things to rule out would be ATV’s, horseback riding, and ziplining.  Rum tastings are fun but too narrowly focused to be of interest.  We have a wide range of interests, from island tours, to tubing, to snorkeling, to all-inclusives, etc,

Thanks in advance!

Dan

2 hours ago, fdthird said:

Yes. Texas now regulates it not the city. 

Thanks, but wondering how many Uber and Lyft drivers are available on the island during a slow (for Galveston) month like March.

Dan

Avis has a location in Texas City as well.

Dan

Is there reliable Uber or Lyft on Galveston Island now?  (I'm also talking about March 2020)

Just now, BND said:

That is because RCI will not let anyone under 21 book their own cabin, with the exceptions noted. Otherwise, when sailing with a minor who you are not the guardian or parent of you would need a letter from the parent/guardian allowing their travel with you.  18 is an adult as far as not needing parental permission, but under 21 cannot drink or book a cabin ( except with waived exceptions you posted above).  You're mixing up being able to book vs being able to sail.

Thank you.  Just being extra cautious, as I don't want to show up to port and have anyone denied.

Dan

By the way, this is the policy as stated on RCCL's website. (copied below)  It appears that since she is in the same cabin as my 44 year old wife that she is fine.?  However, what if she were 15 and not from our immediate family.  Would RCCL let her sail with us without her parents notarized consent?   Sure, at 18 she is legally an adult in the U.S., but RCCL seems to lump all those under 21 into the same bucket.

-Dan

For voyages originating in North America:
No Guest younger than the age twenty-one (21) will be assigned to a stateroom unless accompanied in the same stateroom by an adult twenty-one (21) years old or older. A guest's age is established upon the first date of sailing.

This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians in connecting staterooms; for underage married couples; and for active duty members of the United States or Canadian military.

Thanks all.  I appreciate the knowledge and glad to know that nothing is REQUIRED for her to travel with us. 

Glad I started this thread because it's brought up some things that I didn't think of, mainly medical treatment.  In case she is incapacitated in some way while with us that would keep her from being able to make her own medical decisions, (i.e. concussion or worse) is there a form she should/could fill out and get notarized allowing us the decision making authority?   I don't want to overthink this, but I also want to have all of our bases covered.  Thanks.

Dan

Bummer.  Hopefully this was just one of those "duds".  We sailed L.O.T.S. about a year and a half ago and loved it.  The ship was clean, food was good, and crew and wait staff were some of the best we've had.  (the wait staff in particular were THE best we've had to date)

Overall, we've had excellent service on RCCL since we started sailing 7 years ago.  It's hard for me to imagine expecting much more for the price.  Auto tips have been a part of our trips since the beginning.  RCCL isn't a true $$$ luxury line where impeccable service is more expected, so I keep my expectations in line with the cost of service.

BTW, what's the fascination with turkey breast?   Did you ask any of the staff in the buffet or dining room? 

Dan

17 minutes ago, CORKY_Q said:

I would also suggest that you and your wife be given permission to make medical decisions if necessary.  Happy sailing.

 

Sea ya!

Thank you.  I forgot about this part.  That alone makes it worth them going through the trouble of providing notarized authorization.  Just in case, heaven forbid, something would happen requiring my wife and I to make medical decisions on her behalf.

Dan

We are bringing our 18 year old niece with us on our upcoming March 2020 cruise (closed loop Western Caribbean from Galveston on the Liberty).  She will have her passport.  We have two connecting interior staterooms.  (She is in the stateroom with my wife and two of our kids.)

The RCCL booking agent wasn't sure if she needs a notarized authorization from her parents allowing her to sail with us but figured it was better safe than sorry.  I'd rather know for sure so I can let my sister know if she needs to get notarized authorization.

I figured some of you Cruise Critic folks would know.

Thanks,

Dan

20 hours ago, davekathy said:

In your opinion. Just for my own curiosity, what would you recommend instead of a mast/pool grill burger for lunch? 

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

 

Sometimes it's just nice to have a burger.  Is it unreasonable to expect quality?  What else should we eat?

 

The last thing I'm going to do (on a cruise of all things) is tell someone what they should eat!

Want a burger?  Eat a burger.  Unfortunately I haven't found any "good" complimentary ones on Royal Caribbean or Celebrity.  The burgers at mast grill aren't bad in my opinion, and will do if you just want something to grab and go.  We tend to eat lunch at the buffet primarily for the variety offered, or the main dining room for the relaxed pace and slightly better food quality.

Dan

38 minutes ago, va2vegas said:

Do you just walk up for lunch?

Yes

Personally I wouldn't do Sushi on 5 as a specialty restaurant choice.  I would pay out of pocket ala carte, especially for lunch.

Dan

Sushi on 5 is excellent on the Equinox.  Unfortunately it's an upcharge. I don't remember sushi anywhere but at the dedicated restaurant.

Dan

The ship shuts down at 11PM on Celebrity.  I jest, I jest...  kind of.

Dan

20 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

Those sofa's are very small, know that from experience., if you kids are on the bigger side, they will have a problem 

18 hours ago, dkjretired said:

 

When the kids were smaller and we did 4 to a cabin, my son and I would as much as possible use the bathrooms and showers in the gym.  Made it a lot nicer for the ladies.

We've since "upgraded" to an inside for the kids that has both the pullman bed from the ceiling, and the couch.  The couch is full length and could be slept on from on top, or the trundle underneath.  None of the kids are large, and two of the kids are quite small, 100 lbs or less.  This room will suit them well.

Great idea about the gym.  We've never had issues with shower availability, but we're used to connecting rooms with one less person, and the two bathrooms were like revolving doors with all the showers being taken.  🙂 Now on this cruise, the rooms are simply adjacent.  With no connecting door in between it's a pain to share bathrooms between cabins.  My son and I may  very well shower in the gym/spa facilities.  Good suggestion.

20 hours ago, kathynorth said:

 

We've been in rooms with different sized couches. One time when we booked a room for  3 the couch was more like a loveseat that opened up like a traditional pull out couch that was sufficient for 1 full sized adult. It would have been too small if the bed part wasn't pulled out. In our room with 4 we had a regular length couch that was fine for our adult son when the back pillows were removed. On that trip the below the bench pull out wasn't used. When we stayed in a room with the overhead pull down the couch was a normal length, both of which (overhead and couch) could accommodate an adult. 

 

The couch in the above photo is an example of the couch my adult son 5'11" slept on. 

Good deal.  This setup looks to work much nicer than what I had booked in the original room (first photos).

Dan

2 hours ago, Tatka said:

  Just as consolation 🙂 ... When our son was 12 - 18 (before 18), he hardly spent ANY time in our cabin. He was always in kids/teens clubs. I think by the time he was returning to our cabin to sleep he was so tired he did not care where or how he would be sleeping.  

We're mostly the same way.  We're in the room primarily to sleep, and to shower before dinner.   Most of our waking time is around the ship.  It's one of the reasons insides work so well for us.  We've done balcony cabins, but we just don't spend enough time in the room to justify the up charge.

Dan

36 minutes ago, kathynorth said:

 

Just a suggestion: When we had 4 in our room we kept bumping into each other when trying to shower after the pool, then get dressed for dinner. We like to stay near the pool until late afternoon, so we started to bathrooms/shower in the spa area instead of in our room. The showers at the spa where the sauna is located, are open to everyone. These shower stalls are much bigger than the room shower and there are multiple blow dryers available. We staggered our time of return to the room so each of us could get dressed privately. Our room was near the library, so when dressed we lounged there until the rest of the group was ready. This made for a relaxing pre-dinner routine.

Thank you.  That's a pretty cool idea.  The four person room has 3 teenage girls and one boy, so that would definitely help to free up the shower.  My wife and I are in the adjoining room so that shower won't be as busy, but I like the idea of using the spa/sauna showers to relieve congestion.

I wish Celebrity had some inside connecting rooms like we're used to on Royal.  It makes the whole space feel larger with that door open between rooms and makes it easier to juggle shower and bathroom needs.

Dan

Just circling back to say that i was able to move us all up one deck (deck 😎 which got the kids a 4 person room with the pullman bed from the ceiling as well as the couch/trundle.  Much better.  The move was only $200 more total for all three rooms.  I’m Ok with that since the Pullman and couch is a much better option for the kids than having two on a couch.

Dan

1 minute ago, PTC DAWG said:

Agree on toddlers and cruising...what’s the point? They get nothing out of it...

In many cases a family's children can range in age pretty widely.  The older kids may be prime age for a wonderful cruise, and their youngest sibling may still be a toddler.  This happens a lot.  Not saying that was the case in this instance, but there are MANY reasons why toddlers could be on board. 

Another option is that many times the parents don't have anyone to watch the child at home while they go on vacation so the toddler must come along.  With an only child as the toddler, I'm assuming the cruise is much more for the parents than the child. 

I'm guessing that was the case with this family, as the Grandparent was along, perhaps to help share the responsibilities of watching the child so the parents could have a break.  So sad how it turned out.

Dan