goldmom

5 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

I've been on a number of cruises in the last two years were "Visitors" were allowed on the ship. It was a wedding party, some of the party was sailing and some were leaving right after the ceremony on the ship

They do allow visitors (guests) for weddings.  I think they need to supply their ID information before boarding.  And there's probably exceptions to the no visitors rule for special guests with proper clearance.

But, it used to be that you could just go on any ship that was docked and look around.  I think we even sampled the buffet on some to check out the food!

13 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

OMG, where was I hiding at the time. Never heard of it.  (I do watch the news)  Yes, I'm sure that event would have had a major effect on whether visitors would be allowed on board.  Back in the day I wondered why stowaways werent more frequent. 

I believe it happened in 1985.

Unless you have an Owners suite or above there will be a charge for any items in the mini-bar.

The Haven area on the Jewel class ships are very small.  There is the Courtyard area with a small pool, hot tub, a couple of tables and some loungers.  There is a Courtyard Butler who will bring drink orders and serve breakfast and lunch.  There is also a small buffet with morning pastries and afternoon snacks.  No music in the evening.  The Courtyard is pretty much empty in the evenings.  We have found it's a great time to use the hot tub, although on some ships we've been on they closed off the hot tub in the evening.  On others it was open.

There is usually a laundry special at least once I believe it's $29 for a bag of laundry.  While they do a pretty good job I wouldn't send anything delicate.

You can eat anywhere you choose on the ship for dinner.  The Concierge can make reservations for you.  You will, of course, be charged for any specialty restaurants.

6 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

What was the Acchile Laurel incident?

 

You can google Achille Lauro to get the full story.  Basically, terrorists boarded a cruise ship, I believe,  in port and held passengers hostage.  They killed a passenger in a wheelchair and dumped him over board.  It was a sad and terrible event.  There was a movie made about it.

1 hour ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

We started cruising in 1994 and for several years after that I remember hearing the announcement for visitors to exit the ship.  I do believe it was 9/11 when things changed, although some lines may have stopped it before that.

Thinking back, it may also have started after the Acchile Laurel (sp?) incident.  I think that was when cruise ships started being more concerned with security , but definitely after 9/11.

Don't know Bill Miller, but he sounds very interesting.

I believe they stopped allowing visitors after 9/11.  I remember you could go and check out the other ships docked next to yours.  it was a fun thing to do and gave a little preview of another ship.

On GSC you may want to look into renting a cabana.  It will give you a shaded area to hang out and also work for nap time.  And you'd have access to the beach.

I'm not an expert on this as we never got the cabana (missed GSC) but I remember researching it and they looked really nice.

Enjoy!

I don't know about the Smokehouse for lunch.  We were offered the American Diner for the free embarkation day lunch.

Enjoying your report.  We were on the Dream for the same itinerary 8/21/07 so looking forward to reliving the trip with you.

We've had some lackluster butlers and some excellent butlers.  And I understand that if you're not happy with the butler's service that you can have a chat with the Concierge.  The problem there for me is it would make me then feel very uncomfortable around the butler for the rest of the cruise.  I guess we could ask for a different butler but that might not be possible.

At this point we just don't expect much from the ones who are lackluster and reflect our feeling with their tip.  We try to make our requests very specific and if they still don't deliver good service we just let it go and not let it interfere with enjoying our vacation.  We really don't ask the butler for much so a bad butler really doesn't affect our trip that much.  Although I do admit that a great butler does enhance the experience.

No, only on the newest ships is there a dedicated Haven elevator that goes to other decks.

On the Joy, the elevator is inside the Haven complex near the bar area and only goes to the 3 floors within the Haven.

Thank you.  That's great!

48 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Watch my Escape Haven tour..... I even go for a ride on the elevator. The video will give you a good overall view of where things are

 

 

 

 

Wow!  Incredible video, very detailed.  Thank you so much!

2 minutes ago, RRSeeker said:

There is a glass elevator in the Haven area between the lounge and pool area that goes from 17 up to 19.

Thank you so much!  It would be nice if they showed it on the deck plans.  That will certainly make things much easier!

Looking at the deck plans, there doesn't appear to be an elevator in the Haven area.  I find this a bit concerning, if true.  How does someone who is mobility challenged get to the different levels?  On Joy, it was great as there was an elevator.  On Breakaway, it was okay as at least the room, restaurant, pool and lounge areas were all on the same level, just couldn't access the sun deck.  But on Escape the Haven is spread over several decks so we'd have to choose to either have access to the pool and lounge area or the restaurant.

Any advice would be appreciated!

I know in the past some ships offered tours similar to what you're describing.  If the ship has a similar shore excursion, I would try to book that.  In this situation, I think the peace of mind booking the ship's tour is worth it.

Otherwise I probably wouldn't chance it.

You can disembark any time once they start letting passengers off up until they kick you off!

And younger, which is definitely on the parents.  We saw parents with 6-8 months old in diapers in both the hot tubs and pool.  A true health hazard and no one said anything.  I did report it to the Concierge, but the next day they were back at it.  I know as a parent I'd be totally grossed out and not want my kids in the pools after that.  It's really a shame when a few inconsiderate people ruin things for everyone.

Also, don't forget the bid is times 2.  So, if your bid of $700 is accepted you are charged $1400 for the upgrade.

When we were on the Joy recently, there were lunch and dinner specials.  No big sign.  The server would tell everyone what the specials were.  I'm sure they were food from the Main Dining Room, but it was nice to have some variety.

25 minutes ago, UKstages said:

don’t know about the door, but the lounge is the “horizon” lounge.

Thanks!  Had a little brain blimp.  LOL!

Is there a door leading out to the hallway near the Haven Observation Lounge (forget what it's called)?  We had 17100 last time and it was super easy to pop out of the room and into the Lounge for morning coffee.

It's hard to tell on the deck plans if there's a door right out to the hallway from 17700 or if you need to go back down the hallway to the pool area door and then go down the hallway to the Lounge.

Thanks for any help!

A shame you could't stay in international waters, but better safe than sorry.  So, shops and casino are closed.  NY tax on drinks (at least you have OBC!).  One other question.  Do you have regular TV channels?  Recently on the Joy, any time we were in a US port we had no regular TV service.

Also, interesting that the Royal Caribbean ship got a parking space in Manhattan as they sail from NJ.

Glad you're making the best of it!

Could also be they had tables finishing their meal and they were factoring in dessert time for the table.  If they don't have dessert then the table is emptied faster.

I'm also one who'd rather be told a longer time and then get a pleasant surprise if it's ready faster.

Just off Joy a week or so ago.  No problem at all ordering an over $15 glass of wine and just paying the difference (plus tip).

Hopefully, she was just misinformed.  I really hope this isn't a new policy going forward.

Try another bar and let us know.  Thanks!