JB333

2 minutes ago, rberns6171 said:

Oasis has a large casino with 2 seperate sides for smoking and non smoking.  I am a non smoking black jack player also and the smoke really is not a problem.  You can tell the difference between a non smoking and smoking casino but on Oasis when you leave you dont smell like smoke. 

Great, that's good to hear, thanks! 

We booked our first Royal Caribbean cruise last week on Oasis of the Seas after sailing with Celebrity for our 3 previous cruises. We assumed the casinos were non smoking as you can't smoke in the Celebrity casinos, and they are sister lines. Just found out that you can smoke in them! Very disappointed as we spend lots of time in there at the blackjack tables. Just wondering how large the area is that is designated for smoking, and how bad does the smoke/smell transfer to the rest of the casino? Are their tables that are designated smoking as well, or just slot areas?

Thanks!

1 hour ago, time4u2go said:

I could be wrong, but I'm not sure that all RC ships have this.

 

@JB333, which ship are you going on?

 

We are looking at Oasis Of the Seas

2 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

RC will sell you water as you are getting off the ship.  No free champagne when boarding.

Thanks! Is that even with the drink package? Or free if you have the drink package?

My wife and 1 year old daughter are looking to book a cruise for next January and had a few questions hopefully someone has some insight on! 

My wife and I have gone on 3 Celebrity cruises but looking to try Royal Carribean now that we have a child. Royal Carribean seems a bit complicated in booking compared to Celebrity, so thought I'd come here to ask some questions.

1) When looking at prices, at one point I thought I saw somewhere you can pre-pay gratuities for around $400, but now I can't find it! Does that sound about right for 2 adults and 1 child for a 7 day cruise? 

2) Looking at drink packages, it states the deluxe beverage package is between $63-$89 per day. Does anyone know where the range comes in? Is it different for different cruises or are their variations in packages? Just looking for something with rum and coke and strawberry daiquiris. I also noticed the water package has no price, does anyone know what that costs? It would be nice to have a case of 24 water in the room! I also noticed there is an 18% gratuity on top of the drink package, I assume that is in addition to the $400 pre-paid gratuities? 

3) We mostly ate in the buffet on Celebrity, I assume Royal Carribean and Celebrity buffets are pretty similar, but can anyone confirm?

4) Does anyone know if Royal Carribean will provide a crib for the 1 year old? Is there any pools that we would be allowed to bring her in (with swim diapers)?

5) Celebrity always gave a water when we were getting off a port, small gesture, but does RC do this? How about the champagne when boarding? 

Thanks!

I'm tempted to buy some puts today. $50 strike price expiry May 29 only $7. June 19 less then $9.

That sounds pretty much the same as our 2 cruises so far with celebrity. We print our passes at home, show them our passes and id at the check in spot, then they snap our pics and we get our cards.

We then go board the ship and grab our glass of champagne.

Hi there, were boarding a cruise in a few days and had a few questions.

Were looking to book another cruise to Alaska 2021 while on board, but are getting conflicting info from the 2 travel agents we are talking to. The one said we can't book on board then transfer to group booking as it has to be one or the other(this one has also mentioned that they do not have any groups available to join anyway), while the other says you can as long as you pay the full deposit price. 

The latter has also said you need to book 3 perks as that is the deal they have right now, although it seems to make more sense to get 1 perk and pay gratuities separate based on Celebrities website. They have mentioned that we would have to fill out their booking forms before leaving (tomorrow) to secure the deal, so they can transfer and charge full deposit while we are still on board before Feb 5th, as that is when the deal ends.

Feel rushed and not sure which is true and who to go with. Fairly new to cruising and want the best deal without getting ripped off.

Thanks for any help.

Hey! Just wondering if you ended up doing an ATV tour? And if so which one and would you recommend it? Thanks!

Was on the same cruise as Projunior. I saw quite a few people wearing white shirts, but much less wearing white pants. Like suggested if it was advertised pre cruise it probably would have been better. The party was awesome though. Face painting in glow in the dark paint, they had the celebrity show people out their dancing and doing different events, lots of music and dancing. Had it on a beautiful night too! Definitely looking forward to the next one.

Hey Jled,

Unfortunately back from our cruise. Our cruise actually cancelled punta cana as a port due to weather, and we instead went to Samana, which turned out to be a good thing. I did talk to one of the port excursion people on board before it was switched, and she was from Domincan Republic. She said you could buy tickets for scape park at the port in punta cana for cheaper then through celebrity. We ended getting an excursion in Samana for ziplining through celebrity as I didn't have time to research anything in that port. It was only $110/ea though and the ziplines were amazing.

31 minutes ago, jled said:

I found an excursion through Costco Travel.  I didn't book my cruise through them but have used their shore excursions in the past.  I had originally booked the Segway Tour though Celebrity for my Feb 2 Equinox cruise when they offered 30 % off.  It was costing $ 79.  I got an email from Celebrity last week that it was cancelled even though it still shows on their website.  I googled around and found a Ziplining tour for $ 79 through Shore Excursions group and Costco.  It got pretty good reviews when I looked at the actual Zipline company on Tripadvisor.  I hope this helps.. I was pretty frustrated with the choices of excursions in Punta Cana...

 

Thanks Jled, I actually looked on shore excursions group as well, but I'm pretty sure that zipline company was through Runners. I contacted them to see how far it is from the port and they said it was 1.5 hours each way. They do provide transportation but 3 hours is a bit too much for me. It is definitely a much better price though! If you want I will come back here and let you know if they still do just the ziplining at scape park for $89 once you arrive from tender. I will be back on the 27th.

Does anyone know if you can still book a scape park excursion once you get to the port? I don't want to book through celebrity as it is $250/pp and I thought I read on here someone booked just the ziplines for 90 each once they arrived on port. I'm going to risk it as we leave this Saturday. Hopefully we can book something once we arrive.

Hey RinAsami,

ONe more quick question if you don't mind. Would someone that is unable to swim be able to do this excursion? Obviously would have to skip part of it, but do you know if we could still do the zip lining and underground lake or cave exploration?

Thanks!

So I'm not entirely sure who that excursion is through, but I have contacted Runners Zipline adventures (who I think it is through) and it is 1.5 hours from the tender location. They provide transportation. I think this is a bit too long for me so I am going to look at other options.

Would also be interested to hear an answer to this question. We are doing the same cruise but leave January 19th

I was just wondering the same thing! Does anyone know how much it is to rent snorkel gear there? For Celebrity it is $34/pp but includes lounger and snorkel gear.. I also like the idea of taxing so theres no rush though! And is there any entrance fees to saphire beach?

Great thanks! Those will help a lot! Is it generally pretty safe to walk around at night here? Any areas to avoid that you know of? 

Oops, yeah I meant forts not ports!

Okay thank you! Do you know where I'd be able to find a map showing exactly where to walk? Or is there a lot of signs? We've never been there and don't want to get lost lol

Hello, 

Our cruise is in San Juan from 3:30-11pm. Is this enough time to walk to the ports before they close? Is there any map or anything available as a guide? Trying to refrain from spending the money on the ship excursion tours.

Thanks!

I agree this website has many issues. It somehow changed my captains club number and was showing 0 points. I had to contact them to fix that. I then went to book some shore excursions in "Cruise Planner" and it keeps sending me back to home page.  This is apparently an issue with the website that they will pass along.

My first and last time booking through their website

On 12/28/2018 at 12:12 PM, blue_water said:

Hi! Yes, you swim out just a short distance to snorkel around the coral or the seagrass area. Most people wear an inflatable vest so they can float easily. The water can sometimes be choppy, depending on sea and wind conditions, but it is usually calmer and easy if you are a decent swimmer. I can’t swim, but with the vest and fins I am fine. The dive rental staff can give you advice on what you need and where to go. There are 3 condo properties, one right on the beach, and owners may provide help with the snorkeling. As always, do bot touch or stand on the coral.

 

Your wife can relax on the beach with a drink and admire the beautiful island views. Lounge rentals are reported to be $9pp. The dive center and beach bar are close to the sandier swimming area and is where most day visitors will hang out. You can also take your lounges to a spot where the shore is rockier but there are less people. 

 

You can also go on your own and just hop a taxi going to the East End, the taxi fare is $10 - $11pp each way on a shared safari taxi. Taxis will return to pick you up, and some may take you back over skyline drive for a little more, not sure. If you want to take the cruise ship excursion that just includes a ride over Skyline Drive for views of the harbors you can, you will have limited time at the beach however. I always recommend going on your own for the utmost flexibility, the taxis and ferries are very reliable.

 

 

Thanks for the great response! Looking forward to this port now!

On 12/25/2018 at 11:36 AM, blue_water said:

Yes the beaches are beautiful, and you have several to choose from that offer amenities including Magens Bay (entry fee), Lindbergh Bay (aka Emerald Beach for the Emerald Beach Resort), Coki, Sapphire, and Secret Harbor. You can learn about the beaches and other ideas in recent threads. We always recommend Sapphire because it is so beautiful and offers snorkeling (with a rental center), nice island views, food and drink options and lounge rentals, and the opportunity to enjoy a quieter part of the beach.

The town of Charlotte Amalie is a shopping mecca if you want that, but do try to experience the beauty while in port.

Hey blue_water,

I was just looking at the Sapphire Snorkeling and Island Drive excursion through celebrity. Do you know if you need to have any experience snorkeling, or if you can bypass the snorkel part? I've never gone snorkeling before, and wouldn't mind trying, but my wife would rather stay on the beach. Do you snorkel right in front of the beach? I also notice it says take the skyline drive. Do you know if they provide the vehicle for this/how long this drive is? This is our first time being at this port.

Thanks

Thanks for the reply! I think I'll book it

Did either of yous end up doing this excursion? I am looking at it for our January cruise.

Thanks