Jeff13

Columbus Cove is the best beach.  Take the trolley.  You can walk and shop along the way if you want.  The buildings you come to first are not bad.  As you get farther in, the shop keepers get aggressive.  I prefer the trolley so they can't grab my arm as I walk by.

I love just spending the day in the water at the beach.  Very nice sandy with a smooth taper.  It is well protected, so small waves, but nothing that will really move you.  There is a bit of a drop right at the beach, but not too bad.  Maybe 10-12".  The food is right there at the beach.  They have chairs that are first come first serve.  Some are shady and others are not.

Labadee is my relax and do nothing day!  :-)

Oasis is big.  That may be more of an issue.  We have been on smaller ships and they made it difficult to make reservations.  No one available to make them!  We usually just walked up and they took us to our table.  We ate early except a couple of days.  Even on those days no issues.  Only one time did the take us to another table.  That was because some jerks walked in and sat at our table without getting a host to seat them.  Not a big deal.  The staff let them do it, and we didn't make it into an issue.  A table is a table!  As long as we get a good waiter. 

Oh yeah ... I always forget to say ... if you are a beer drinker, then do the math.  Beer is less than shots or mixed drinks.  It takes more.

How much do you want to drink?  Do you like to drink!?  Does your mind think in terms of "this has be be a cheap vacation" or do you consider a vacation a time to splurge and just enjoy no matter the cost?  These things determine if it is worth it.

For the deluxe package, this is my justification. 

1. Shot of Kahlua with coffee in the morning.

2. Bloody Mary with breakfast.  You can also do fresh orange juice.

3. Fruity frozen thing while in the hot tub or pool in the afternoon.

4. A second frozen drink.

5. Glass of wine with dinner.

6. 2nd glass of wine with dinner.

7. White Russian or other milky after dinner drink.

8. Rum and Coke during evening activities.

9. Usually a second Rum and Coke.

10. A frozen dessert type drink to end the day.

On shore days, maybe not all of those.  On cruising days, a couple more than that.  My most in one day was 14.  My least was 7.  It usually works out.

Keep in mind that Labadee and CocoCay are included in the drink package.  So they are like cruising days.

Another advantage is you can sample everything behind the bar as a shot if you like!  Find something you like and then order it as the drink later.  If you didn't like it, don't feel bad about not drinking it.

Don't get stuck at a "bad bar".  Try all of them early on and find a bar tender you connect with. Keep going back and add a dollar or 2 to keep them attentive.  On my last cruise he had the bottle in hand as he saw me walking up.  Not all bar tenders are that good.

Of course, if you would never drink that much or know you would get sick of drinking half way through the cruise, then it is not a good deal!

Get the package if you are getting it some day.  You can cancel and rebook it at any time if the price goes down.  The BOGO 50% off is the second best deal they offer.  If you keep looking, and they want to sell more packages, you may see 30% off each person.  That is the best deal they have offered in the past.

Over the past year our price changes about every week or 2.  From 10%-30% off.  Never more than 30%.  That is a little better than the BOGO half off sale.  Keep an eye on it. I check daily since we have 3 cruises booked in the next couple of years.  Each one is different prices.  Also different sale dates.  I suspect it has to do with how well sales are going. They offer the discount if not enough people are paying the full price.

Our 2021 cruises have not had any discounts offered yet.  I keep watching.  I have this dream that I will see a one day special early sale and get the best deal ever.  😉

You can get on the ship without a set sail pass?  It's been a few months, but it seems like they give you your card during the on boarding process and you have it before you walk the boardwalk onto the ship.

Check in a couple times a week.  They have special deals as good as BF all your long.  You never know when it will happen.  Each cruise is different.  I would bet the deals are based on how well sales are going for that cruise.

23 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

Do several Cruises a yr, Dispenser never been out. What ship? Maybe was broke

Latest was Enchantment.  Before that Oasis and Freedom.  It is hit and miss.

The dispenser has been empty on most cruises.  Only the bar of soap has been available.

This past spring was the first time I had any issues with my power cord.  They decided to start enforcing the policy all at once.  Because of that, they ran out of extension cords since they took them away from everyone!  I had to play that "medical need" card to get one because I was put on a waiting list to get a cord.  I try really hard to not do that.  I ended up with a very confused engineer at my cabin door with a huge heavy duty cord nicely tie wrapped and labeled for emergency use.  It worked.  It was over kill though!

I fully understand the issue.  They do not know why you have a long cord, nor what you intend to use it for.  Plus they do not know if it has been abused and will cause an electrical problem.

So ... this is my solution.  I will test it in Jan.  I bought a long power cord for my CPAP.  Not an "extension" cord, but the actual power cord is now 20 feet long.  

20 Foot Long NEMA power cord.  Only $7!

Your CPAP may have a different cord.  Do a search and see if you can't find one long enough.

I run the cord towards the balcony door and along the floor at the door so it is not in a trip location.  Then up to the desk.  There is usually a couch somewhere in there which is why 20 feet is needed.

On 12/1/2019 at 11:53 PM, Doug S said:

Also, traveling by plane with just a medium carry on bag, I threw my CPAP in the bag with my other stuff to be more convenient.  Got to TSA checkpoint and they flagged me at xray and made me take the unit out and run it through again in one of those gray trays. Turns out TSA doesn't require you to remove it only if the CPAP is in its original case.  Silly because they told me "you have to take your CPAP out of the bag". They knew it was a CPAP but I guess they have to have a clearer look. 

That agent was a d***!  I always put mine in my regular duffel carry on bag.  Many years ago I had to do that but not for like 10 years now.  

Not to change the subject ... but be careful letting someone know you are not feeling well.  You may end up in quarantine.

12 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Royal no longer gives on board credit for the current cruise.

 😞  That kind of defeats the advantage of booking on board for us.  Oh well.  We can get a reduced deposit and OBC on the cruise being booked using a Travel Agent.

20 hours ago, drsmith said:

Since we didn't need to be connected all the time, we took turns using the internet for one device (even though we had two separate phones).  The internet guy told us it was okay to share access if we didn't both need it at the same time.  So when I wanted to look on Facebook, I'd log in, browse for a while then sign out.  When my husband wanted to check his email, he'd log in for a while then sign out. 

Was going to mention this.  If both of you do not need access at the same exact time, one can log out with their device and then the other person can use the same account to login with their own device.  My wife and I have done this.  I do wonder how long it will be before they try to stop this.  But maybe they are OK since it is still just one device at a time even if multiple devices take turns.

Agree with the on board credit.  It is on your current cruise too.  We normally book on board for that reason.  We did already book another cruise in 2021.  It is kind of like a test.  We went with a discount travel agent online.  We are confident we will not have to back out, so thought we'd try it and see how it goes.  On our cruise in Jan, I plan to go to Next Cruise anyhow and see if they would have gotten us a better deal.  I know that is a few months away, and I will have forgotten this thread by then.  So, no promises I will come back and let you all know what the difference actually is. 

Always brought my own extension cord in the past.  I don't use the humidifier, so never asked for water.  But, you can bring water on board, unlike the cord!

So ... on our last cruise in May, I had my first call to the naughty room!  I had my extension cord packed in my luggage instead of carry on with my CPAP.  Maybe as long as it was with my CPAP, they were letting it go.  Or, maybe they recently started enforcing that rule for no extension cords. Either way, it was a nightmare!  I am betting they just started enforcing it.  I say that because they had over 200 people who had their cords taken away!  Since they didn't tell me about it, and I finally went looking for my luggage later in the evening, they already ran out of cords!  I was told I would be put on a waiting list.  Like there is a walmart somewhere in the middle of the ocean where they would get more!  I told them wrong answer, and said they had until 11 PM to get me power for my CPAP.

About 10:30 an engineer showed up all dirty looking and had a tie wrapped huge power cord for me to use.  He has this crazy look in his eyes like wondering who the hell I was to get his personal spare from the engine room.

Anyhow, I got a power cord last minute and was all set!  I do understand the policy.  If I had known they were going to suddenly enforce it, I would have not brought one.  I know MY power cord is safe and is in good shape.  I don't know that about everyone else though.  So I get it.  I know why they don't want just any extension cord plugged in on the ship.

So ... I now have a 20 foot power cord for my CPAP!  Have not brought it on a cruise yet, but will see what happens on my next cruise.  They can't tell me it is an extension cord since it is the actual power cord, just a very long one.  :-P

I have done the order a drink, take a sip, order a shot, and pour the shot in the drink thing.  Get a funny look sometimes, but no real problems with it.  I soon learned that a rum and diet coke and then a second rum and diet coke is not such a bad deal and didn't need the second shot.  Still the same alcohol, and a bit more caffeine to counter act it.  However, with the blender drinks I prefer to double shot since I really don't need all the extra calories from whatever they call that stuff they pour from a carton is.

We tip 1-2 dollars each time we order.  My wife and I often get each others drinks at the same time with our cards.  After a couple of days, the drinks are ready when we get there.  It seems like they have to have a card to "charge" the drink to.  They can't just give you a drink and not record it somehow.  It was interesting to see the charges as they showed up.

I never tried to ask for a double since I know it is a higher charge and $13 is the max.  I would be afraid they would just give me the double and then I would see another charge on my sea pass for the cost difference.

I did sample every single rum one time to figure out which one I wanted!  From then on the bar tender would ask if I still wanted the Bacardi 8 or not.  :-)

If you find a bar tender you are not happy with, go to another bar!  There are a few on the ship.

Smiles, tips, and try to follow the rules.  Do these and getting drinks will be really easy. 

Our next cruise is 11 days.  I will find out if I can drink that much that many days in a row.  :-D

When thinking about is it worth it, I look at it this way.  1. A shot of kahlua with coffee. 2. A breakfast bloody mary.  3. An afternoon blended frozen drink.  4 and 5. 2 glasses of wine with dinner.  6 and 7.  A couple rum and cokes in the pool or in the hot tub.  That is the bare minimum for me on a cruise.  The package is paid for!  Most of the time I have a couple more of something through the day.  Especially on at sea days!  My all time high was 18 drinks in one day.

On our last cruise I went to the bar right away and ordered a rum and coke.  I took one sip and got his attention and ordered a shot of rum.  He looked at me curiously and glanced that my still full drink and then turned around and got me shot.  I proceeded to pour it into my rum and coke.  Other than the momentary look, he didn't restrict me.

I am pretty sure if I were drunk and asked for that, he might refuse.  I think as long as you are nice and well behaved, they will serve you as much as you want.  One day I had 18 drinks!  Not all at once, but through the day.  A shot of Kahlua in my coffee is a good start.  Each day varies from there.  :-)

On 10/23/2019 at 5:45 PM, Hoopster95 said:

Costa Maya:

I am not a fan at all of RCL excursions as I normally book private, however this was probably the best one out of them all in the last 7-8 years:

Kohunlich & Dzibanche Mayan Ruins Combo - CM41

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?sourcePage=shorexByPort&ProductCode=CM41&DestinationCode=CARIB

 

Plenty of YouTube videos available

 

I did a photo review here (scroll down to post #43 where it starts)

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/1961068-navigator-may-4-102014-review-wlots-of-photos/page/2/

 

 

 

I second that tour!  It was on my lifetime bucket list to climb some Mayan Pyramids.  This tour let you climb any thing you wanted to.  This was a couple of years ago, but I would hope it is still that way.  I loved every minute of it.  You can stay with the tour guide and just listen, or you can wander around and look behind the stuff into the jungle if you want.  He lets you know when to be back to the bus.

The Cozumel tour for Chichén Itzá is horrible!  It is stressful.  We were late in port and they rushed us the whole time.  The boat ride and bus ride is not that bad.   However the ruins are way too touristy.  You are not allowed to climb on ANYTHING!  There are vendors selling stuff all over the grounds.  It was very disappointing.  I did not feel like I was at any kind of ruins at all.  Too many people and too much modern crap being sold right next to the ruins.

We were on Enchantment in May.  It was the worst cruise I was ever on.  The entire ship is rusty.  The room attendant and the dining staff and the bar tenders were outstanding.  Those in charge of the ship were sloppy and didn't seem to care about anyone or anything.  They lied to us at every turn and mislead us about what was going on at every chance.  From day one and continuing on during departure.  I have never been on a cruise ship so poorly managed.

The problem is not just that it needs dry dock.  It needs the ongoing "propulsion" issues resolved!  Then it needs a new Captain.  Or, maybe it needs a new Captain who will get the propulsion system back up to 100%.

We just got $45 a couple weeks ago on Serenade in Jan.  We had originally booked at like $52 or so and then re-booked to get the $45.  That was 30% off I think.  Today it is $47.  The buy one get one 50% off deal.  Seems like the 30% off is the best deal I have seen in the past 3 years.  Wasn't paying attention before that.

Can't speak to Black Friday.  Have not checked before.  May have to this year!  We have 2 more cruises booked in 2021, but neither has any drink package offered yet at all.  I keep looking to make sure we don't miss some early deal.  :-)

We were on Enchantment in May.  I consider it the worst cruise ever!  Keep in mind that any cruise is better than work though!  🙂

They had "propulsion problems" back then too.  As far as I am concerned, the Captain needs to be fired.  Totally incompetent.  I say this because it is the Captains job to let people know what is going on.  It is also his responsibility when things go wrong and to make sure his crew is trained and handling things properly.  We were all left in the dark and every stop was a mess at best.

The restaurant and bar staff were outstanding!  The rest of the staff needed some training, and needed to be allowed to handle things better.

At both Georgetown and Costa Maya the ship had so many problems getting set up to let people off.  We were not told that we would be in port on time but then not allowed to leave for over an hour past the time listed in the schedule.  They just let people stand in lines wondering what was going on.  A simple announcement would have made all the difference!  And the crew was not doing anything about crowd control.  People started making multiple lines that then had to merge somehow leaving people who waited an hour right next to people who had just walked up.  I guess they marked that up to the propulsion issues.  Which, if they knew about, they could have told us there would be delays and stop lying about how everything will be on time or ready in just a few more minutes.  I heard staff say "just a few more minutes" many times for over an hour.

Even my experience with Next Cruise was bad.  In the past we always found them very helpful in finding another cruise.  The staff on Enchantment was horrible.  He wasn't listening to us and his recommendations were nothing like what we were interested in.

I know it may not be fair to add this, but this was my first time getting sent to the naughty room too.  I have taken a power cord for my CPAP on many cruises before with no problems.  It is not something I can sleep without.  I understand they are recently enforcing the no extension cord rule.  However, the experience from that was far from reasonable!  I spent an hour and half dealing with inept people who promised one thing and then delivered nothing.  That is a long story, so I am leaving the many details out which describe all the chances the crew had to resolve the problem quickly and easily.  They didn't seem to care at all.  They also were overwhelmed with over 250 people who had their power cords taken away.  In the end I had a personal visit from an engineer who offered a ships reserve power cord for me to use.  It should have never gotten that far!  That was after another crew person told me I was on a waiting list since they were out of cords.  If they were out, and we are at sea, how is there even a "waiting list".  Poor planning on the part of the staff.  You can't suddenly enforce a policy and not expect it to have repercussions. 

I wrote a long letter describing in detail the failings of the crew on that ship.  RC did not even so much as acknowledge my letter to them.

The propulsion was only part of the problems.  The Captain failed to manage the ship in many more ways.

We found a local travel agent.  Funny how it happened!  We are doing a group New Years Eve "brewpub road trip" party, and the people planning it also do cruises.  They only do groups though.  They agreed to do our group.  So we are booked as a group and got some decent discounts.  Only $50 OBC, but I think the rest of the deal will make that pretty close to if we wanted to book on board during our next cruise.

On 9/11/2019 at 5:26 PM, not-enough-cruising said:

Find a good travel agent with nice perks and sit down with your friends and the TA and hammer out a good deal. I GUARANTEE you can and will do better than booking on board. 

Hmmm.  I have looked into that, but the last 2 years a travel agent was the same price as regular online booking.  That extra on board cash has come out better each time.  Not that I refuse to believe you.  I just have not had the same experience.  Maybe I need to meet a better travel agent.  I know naming them is forbidden on this board, or so I read somewhere.  Not sure how to find a better one.