thegraminator

Thanks  everyone ! 

Thanks  for  your  quick  response .   I   saw on a youtube  videos  that US  money was not excepted. (And we all know how reliable  those videos  are !)

I  am  not  sure  if  I am  asking  in the  correct  forum ,  but  can  someone  tell  me  what  type  of  currency  in used in St Kitts ?   Will the stores and restaurants  except  US  dollars ?   How about US  issued debit cards ?   If not ,  is there a place near the port where we can  exchange  money ?    TIA  

Thank  you  so  very  much  for  taking the time to share  your  experience  with  us !   It looks  like  the  weather  is  absolutely  amazing !    We sail out on June  2nd  and are so excited I can't  stand  it !  

It appears  that  the  chair hogs are out in full  force .... Oink Oink !   But I  guess that is  to be expected on sea days . 

Thanks  again !   And  keep  up the  great  work !    Loving this  review ! 

The  lowest  price  we have seen  is $44 per person.  You  really  have  to  just check  it  often.

And to answer your  2nd  question  it's  a crap shoot .   Normally  they are willing  to  work  with you , but if they do ease up  on the rule , please  be aware  that they will  require  the other adults  to at least purchase  the refreshment  package .    The information  I have  gleaned  from these posts is the majority  have been  successful  in buying  only 1 deluxe  beverage package . 

We always  prepay our gratuity   then we tip above at the end of  the  cruise .   Usually   $50 for  the  cabin  steward ,  $50 for our main  server and $30 for the assistant  server.   We tip room service   $5  for   delivery  and if we ask the room  steward  for "stuff"   like extra  pillows , blankets  , hangers etc  we normally  give  him   $5.   I know  we are  not  required  to  do this  extra  tipping ,  but I   appreciate  good  service .   Oh also ,   we buy the  deluxe  drink  package  but I  still  tip a dollar  or so  per drink .    That's  just  what  I  do . 

Although  we have not yet sailed on  the  Allure ,  we did plenty of "homework  " in selecting  our cabin .   Our ultimate  decision  was cabin 12721 which is  5 cabins  from the aft.   We made this choice  thinking we have 3 views in 1.   There is a great view of the ocean   ( at least until  they install  the Abyss  ), plus the people watching  on the Boardwalk ,  and the great view of  the  Aqua  Theater  and the various  activities  that go on there.   In our research  we understand  that  the  noise  should  not be a problem ,  but we are super  excited  to  see  for ourselves  in just 38 days !   We will  definitely  do  a review ! 

I've  really  enjoyed  your  review !   Thank  you  for  sharing !    Love  love  love  the pictures !   The smiles  on the kids  faces are priceless !    This  is  definitely  a trip  you  will  never  forget . 

I'm  anxious  to  read the  rest  of  your  cruise  review .    You  are  off to  a  great  start ! 

What  a  sucky  way to  end a trip !   It seems  the airlines can basically  hold you hostage  nowadays .    Glad the cruise  part  of   your trip  was good .   Thanks  for  sharing  this  very  entertaining  review !

We have always found  that having cabins above and below is normally  the best situation .   You may have cabin noise but it is never as bad as public space noise.   I also think it is   important  to  know that you can report  overly  annoying  neighbors   ( loud, smoking , etc.) 

I'm  loving  your  review !   We  board in June   (just 2 adults  ) but  loving  the tips .   Thanks  for  sharing  your  experience !    Your  pictures  are great !   You  are  truly  blessed  with  a  beautiful  family  and the  memories  you all are sharing  are indeed  priceless !    Can't  wait  to  read  more ! 

We chose  to  go  with  a  Boardwalk  balcony  cabin  on the Allure .   Mostly  because  the hubby  has always wanted to try  these cabins  out.    But when  we were "doing the  homework  "  of cabin  selection  by watching  hundreds  of  youtube  videos ,  I realized  we will  enjoy  3 separate  views.   Definitely  people  watching  on the Boardwalk ,  and there is a great view of the Aqua  Theater  and the activities  that go on there, plus we get a really  great  view of the ocean  as well .   ( we always  cruise  with an ocean view  balcony  ).   The cabin we chose is 12721,  which is  5 cabins back from  the  Aqua  Theater  or aft of the ship .      I will report  back  after our June  cruise  as to whether  or  not  we both liked the  location . 

Thanks  for  sharing  your  mini  review !    Sounds  like  you  all  had  a  pretty  great  cruise !     What  are  your  thoughts  on  the  entertainment   and activities  on board ?   TIA !  

You  can  try going  on YouTubeand searching  for  your ship and cabin number .   There are  quite  a  few  videos  showing  the  lay out  of  the  rooms.  Hope  this  helps !  

I'm  truly  enjoying  your  review .    Anxious  for  the  next  installment ! 

Good  to  hear  a great ending !   Happy  you  got the camera  back and all the  pictures  from  your  trip !  RCCL  has been  impressing  me with  their  customer  service  lately .     Thanks  for  sharing  your  story ! 

Thanks  again  for  your  excellent  report  and  pictures !    I  have  throughly  enjoyed "sailing along "  with you .  I  was excited  to read that you  would  be  sailing  on the Seaside .   I am anxious  to  see  how you compare  the MSC  ships to the RCCL  line.   Our  first cruise  ever was on RCCL  Sovereign  over 15 years ago so we have a special  spot in our  hearts  for Royal ,  but our last 2 cruises have been  on the Divina  and the Seaside  which we loved !  We have   also  sailed  with Disney ,  Princess  and RCCL  Navigator ,  but we decided  to  go  with  the Allure  this June .   I'm  excited  to  be  back  with  Royal  and your trip report  made me  even  more  excited !   Looking  forward  to  seeing  your thoughts  on  the  Seaside . 

Your review  is so helpful  and your  pictures  are brilliant !   Thank  you  for  taking  the  time  to  share  this  with  us .    It's  been  a  few years  since  we have sailed  with RCI  but we are back !   I  am  looking  forward  to  the  rest  of  your  review . 

We recently sailed on the Seaside ( June 2-9 ) and our Italian night happened to be the same night as the White Party night . The MDR tables had different decor and the menu was slightly more Italian , and the server wore a different vest, but the majority of the guests were wearing white . No fan fare or singing in the MDR .

We recently sailed on the Seaside ( June 2-9 ) and we used our unused vouchers from our last year (July ) sailing on the Divina . No problems whatsoever ! We used both alcoholic and non alcoholic vouchers .

Great video ! Looks like you enjoyed good weather , well except for the rain shower ! Thanks for sharing !

It's true , you do have 48 hrs to register your credit card , but you can begin using your cruise card immediately . There are several kiosks around the ship so don't stand in a long line. The "secret" one is located in the casino and not many people go to that one. But again , no rush. Go make your specialty restaurant or spa reservation first. Those are the things that fill up fast.

One more tip that may save you time is , if you are planning to use the water slides , go to the Aqua adventure area (near the kids splash park) on the first day to get a wrist band. The slides are not open that first day but they do have a crew member there to help guest sign the waiver . If you wait til the day the slides are open you will wait at least 45 minutes or more ! The line moves painfully slow !

Another thing that is different from the other cruise lines is that you do not pre register your credit card . You have to do that once on board either at guest services or even easier is at the kiosks located about the ship . It's a very easy process and takes less than 5 minutes .

Did the kids use the kids club? how did they like it?

Yes , our grandchildren ( 9 yr old girl and 6 yr old boy ) did enjoy the kids club. They did not go all day or every day because they loved the water park area and the slides , but they loved doing the talent show, the face painting and especially the haunted house night ! The staff there was amazing and a few of them even remembered the kids from our sailing on the Divina last July .