luv2sailAgain

I am a big WDW fan.  For me, a trip to Disney Springs would just leave me wishing for more and sad.  If I had a one day visit, I would choose Magic Kingdom.  There are so many attractions linked to the FastPass system.  Not staying on property, you could only book 30 days out and not be able to book the most popular things.  But you would be able to book something.  

When visiting Disney World, I always get to the parks way before opening in time to be able to tour before the masses arrive.  This would not be an option on a ship excursion (which is the only thing I would do in your situation-don't want to be worried about missing all aboard).  On a ship excursion, I have a feeling that you would enter the park at a very busy time and the parks would be crowded the whole time you are there. So, I am not sure how much you could accomplish.  But I just love Disney World and would enjoy the lesser "any time" attractions (fewer and farther between these days). If I were on a super tight budget, I don't think I could justify the cost.  But the Disney lover in me would enjoy a little "Disney fix."  It would be a little easier to leave knowing my cruise ship fun awaits.

I have bought my tickets from Undercover Tourist for many years without any problems at all.

Have a great cruise!!

On 1/27/2020 at 9:39 AM, SteerageJoe said:

 

EPCOT has many areas closed off. Went there last week and won't return for a few months until new changes are in place IMO. But if you won't see it for a long time then it is still a great place to go next week.

 

 

 

I believe the construction at Epcot will be a mess for 18 more months or longer.

I found your review when you were commenting on another thread. I just loved your review!  DD and I are booked on Symphony this coming summer.

OMG you and I are kindred spirits! I took my two teens (18 and 16) on Liberty of the Seas for DS’s graduation a couple years ago. Your review brought back so many memories. We had other extended family cruises.  But there is nothing like just “you and the teens”.  I was laughing so hard at so many things you mentioned.  I feel your pain. You are not the only one that must sit between your kids so they do not fight (this is still sometimes true even though mine are now young adults).  Seriously, your review was like “This is Your Life!” I am an introvert and a Susan Cain fan (introvert guru).  But I have to tell you, the Comedy Show would not recharge my batteries.  I need quiet. I need it really quiet.  I can soooo relate to missing the Escape Room b/c of a fight, the missed phone call from Royal about The Key, we have two cats. . .I could go on and on.

Thank you for taking the time to review your trip!  Now, I need to read about your Alaska cruise!

10 hours ago, Sail n Snow said:

 

Dessert was amazing and remember you can always ask for seconds 🙂

Good to know you can order seconds at Wonderland, too.  Problem solved!  If I'm not a fan of everything else, I'll just feast on two desserts.

Thank you for all the great advice! I think we will give Wonderland a try. I'll go for the fun and the dessert. Maybe I will surprise myself and enjoy one or more of the items. I really should step out of my comfort zone every now and again.  After hearing about Chops, I'll grill a filet in my back yard and save some money. 😉

Thanks again!

I am not an "out of the box" kind of person.  I am definitely "in the box." I like tried and true favorites when it comes to food.   Any restaurant I visit, I order my favorite. That's just me. DD is more adventurous.  She likes surprises. I want to get my money's worth when making any kind of purchase. 

The MDR is fine with me.  I've paid my cruise fare.  So instead of spending money on specialty restaurants at sea, I'll just save my money for a special meal when I am at home. The cruise is special. Just the way I roll. . .

BUT 

On our Symphony cruise in May, we have a stop in San Juan.  We are going on the Rainforest excursion (late return) and will miss our early seating time.  So, I am wondering if we should try a specialty restaurant.

DD will probably enjoy Wonderland's food and fun.  I would enjoy the fun, but the food does not seem to be what I would like AT ALL (with the exception of dessert).

Chops seems more of the kind of place I would enjoy.  DD would like it, but she would probably enjoy Wonderland more.  HOWEVER,  after looking at the menu, it seems that the only thing more "up scale" is the meat.  Everything else seems to be available in the MDR.

$53 for a filet or $55 for an dining experience where I may not eat much??

Are there any "squares" like me that feel you got your money's worth at Wonderland??

TIA

Welcome to Texas! The weather can be crazy around here, but your sail away weather seems pretty good for this time of year.

We were on Liberty a couple years ago and had a great time!  Hope your cruise is everything you hoped it would be!!

Well, I wasn't sure where to post this message.  But I just have to say, I am sooo happy Bella is back! Thank you, John.  All is right with the world again.

I have two cats of my own and love cats (real cats - I have never seen the show or movie). Love cats is even in my email address.  However, I sure missed Bella for those few days.

Oh no!  Where did Bella's picture go????  I miss Bella!

Does the fake fridge/cooler make noise? Do you know if Harmony & Symphony have the same type of cooler? 

I need something very small and quiet to keep my lunch cool at work.

Thank you for making me happy, everyone!  We have this hotel booked for May. We can hardly wait!!

What's the deal?  They had better get with it.  I have a reservation for June.

We took a multi generational cruise last summer. We were in cabin 12612 on Harmony.  This seems close to your cabins shown on deck 11. Harmony and Symphony are similar.  I liked being mid ship.  You were only half a ship away from your destination - which ever side that might be. Although we were not close to any thing in particular, most places didn't seem an eternity away (MDR, theater, Solarium, Park Cafe). 

Deck 11 is between two decks with mainly cabins. This is similar to our cabin on 12.  We had no noise issues.

My Dad is in his late 70s. I tried to convince him to bring/rent a wheelchair or scooter.  He didn't and this ended up being a problem.  He was in a transition period of his life, and has since found the benefits of his wheel chair. If your step dad is willing and in need, I would encourage the scooter. Even if he just uses it some of the time when he is tired or going a long way, it may be helpful. As with anywhere, I am sure people using scooters on the ship will encounter others that are less than polite. But the benefit may outweigh the downside.

My parents were used to Princess, so HOTS was a change for them. While I am sure they would still prefer Princess, they enjoyed Harmony.  Being with family was important.  The Solarium was great and we could always find loungers or wicker type furniture.  We were able to have 4 balconies together. So we opened all the dividers.  This proved to be a great place to gather.

Have a great trip - whatever you decide!!

I ordered photos at Stingray City in Cayman and received my photos very quickly without a problem. 

Has any one been on this excursion? Any input?  Thank you!

Port Canaveral was a great port for our family vacation last summer. We stayed at Homewood Suites and enjoyed it.  I used HH points and got a good deal.  My parents got the rate that allowed you to stay the night, leave your car parked for the week, and the shuttle service. the parking was just at the back of the hotel lot. My sister stayed at the Days Inn, I think, with the park and cruise rate. After living through a couple floods here in Houston, I preferred covered parking off the ground level. We also wanted to arrive at the port much earlier than my family members and didn't want to rely on a shuttle. I am such a worrier.  I parked right at the cruise terminal and it was so easy. I didn't mind paying extra. All of us had a great experience.

Symphony May 30th showed up yesterday, too.  I couldn't believe it. Sure made me happy.

10 hours ago, JohninDC said:

Once you take the plunge, like I did a few years ago, you will just about give up on taxis.  Fare from MIA to your hotel (I love that hotel - great pool!), should be about $20 or less

Thank you for the reassurance about Uber AND the hotel. It has been many many years since I simply passed through the area.

Thank you for the review!  DD and I are headed to Miami in May for our cruise.  We fly into MIA, are staying at the Biscayne Doubletree, and leave on Symphony the next day. I've not used Uber much, so am a little nervous.

1 hour ago, nwcruiselover said:

When this exact situation happened to me, I was the one who could not travel because of an illness.  I was required by the insurance company (Allianz) to cancel myself off the cruise and show proof of the refund I received (taxes and port charges).  My claim with them for the cruise was the non-refunded portion.  My roommate was then considered solo in the cabin and the cruise line charged her a solo supplement.  The solo supplement was paid by her insurance company because her policy covered that situation.  The situation in which a person should be no-show instead of cancelling is when the person not going has no insurance or their reason for not going is a non-covered reason.  If they cancel, their roommate becomes solo in the cabin and has to pay the supplement.  If they no-show, the cruise line refunds taxes and port charges and doesn’t charge the roommate a solo supplement.  

I just want to be sure I understand because this seems so unfair.  The cruise line kept your non-refundable portion of the cruise fare AND charged your cabin mate an extra solo supplement? So the cruise line basically received 3 fares and there was only one passenger. Wow, that is crazy.

3 hours ago, mmhardky said:

Well, some people wore light jackets. With the wind and no sun it felt like 20 celsius (High 60s fahrenheit). Let me just say, that I have been saving up for this vacation whole year, been watching hours of youtube videos about Coco Cay and I’m already back on the boat...

 

Well, next try in 2025 😄 

☹️I am sorry!  We missed San Juan last summer due to the riots. You can't count on anything, but it is still disappointing.

Does someone have a ballpark figure on how much extra tip is expected above the prepaid gratuities?  I am pretty much a neat freak and keep the cabin tidy. We eat in the MDR most nights, but never really have special requests or food allergy concerns.  I didn't give an extra tip last cruise, but maybe I was expected to do so . . .

OP,

I bring my empty Yeti type of cups - one larger for water and one smaller for coffee. I usually get the soda package, so I also have that cup to use.  I bring along a tiny dish soap container and just clean my cups in the cabin.

The only people that have seemed to notice/care/comment just say they wished that they had thought about bringing a cup on board.

18 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Sorry it was Odyssey from Rome.

Quantum ships have 12 solo balcony rooms that are dirt cheap and go fast.

I also.got one for April on this ship when the schedules first.came out. These rooms sold out first within a week.

 

Thanks!  I am considering solo and checked out Anthem and Quantum.  I forgot about Odyssey. Prices seem higher than last time I checked on the other two ships. The solo balconies are what I would consider.  A solo inside would send me over the edge, I think. An over-sized closet with no windows are what the insides seem to be. Also, the joy of sitting on an individual balcony and enjoying all it has to offer would be very much missed.  

1 hour ago, andreasfcb said:

 

With every click on the Royal page, the price goes up $200.

 

At first, it says "from $2500", then you go click on general Balcony cabin, "from $2800", and then you pick the normal Balcony cabin which is the cheapest possible and priced from "$3100".

 

-- me, everytime on royalcaribbean.com

So true! It is maddening.