Coast To Coasters

On 3/14/2024 at 8:49 AM, khist said:

It looks like you had so much fun. 

Thank you so much! It really was a superb cruise! We absolutely loved it!

On 1/24/2024 at 9:23 PM, Hi my name is Andy said:

It's crossed my mind to look for a holiday on land, but I just can't believe I can find one to beat a Royal Caribbean cruise.

Let me qualify this, i have two young kids who cruise with us, and I'd hate to downgrade the activities they have access to.

Have you cruises with RC with kids, then gone back to land holidays and been satisfied or even better?  I'd love to hear from you.  

We are very similar to yourselves! We have been fortunate to cruise a few times now with a few lines and love cruising for the exact thing you've said, access to activities! That being said we definitely appreciate the cost involved with cruising so we often do look for land holidays too! In the UK we tend to go for short breaks, to the various theme parks and in the USA we like to go to the parks over there too! We get the annual passes which help for value with Universal! The thing we find with land holidays is that the activities are great still, as we choose them BUT the one thing I miss compared to a cruise? Not having to pay for breakfast, lunch or dinner!! 

Sounds perfect! I would definitely do this! There is of course always a very very small chance of an issue but I'm thinking a really far fetched scenario here where MSC doesn't / can't dock that day and RC already has and then can leave but very very unlikely!

You should be absolutely fine and have a blast!

Does anyone else collect these? Also, has anyone ever had any luck in buying one after their cruise either from the cruise line or off eBay? I'm trying to check eBay for various models I'm missing and having no luck!

2 hours ago, Pat said:

I wonder if anyone might be able to satisfy my curiousity.   I periodically check to see how many open cabins there are on my sailing on MSC Merigvalia.  Last night there were multiple balcony and YC cabins available,  This morning I looked and the prices had gone down by around $300 in each category,  but there are NO open cabins on the whole ship.  Can anyone tell me why or how this might have happened in less than 12 hours?  Just curious.  

It is a dynamic pricing system, so often changes for a variety of factors that usually go on behind the scenes! GTY cabins are possibly being assigned, or a new promotion may have started today that adjusts the price. We monitor the prices and cabin availability of our cruises fairly regularly as its a great way to see things like upgrade potential! 

For us things like paper copies of all our travel documents and insurance in case we lose our phone, it gets damaged etc! Having a hard copy is always handy to have even if it stays tucked away in a suitcase!

On 11/14/2023 at 8:45 AM, newcruisehi said:

We are sailing on a cruise in which there is a pullman bed from the ceiling.  Does anyone know if it is safe for a 13 year old to sleep in one?  How high up is it?  Are there usually any railings or can anyone suggest if there are any products that we could easily transport to make a railing?

Our 13/14 year old has slept on one of them! They are completely safe for a 13 year old and the one on Carnival had a railing that attached down to the floor! 

They do indeed have lifejackets on the island! They are dotted around the various pools and beaches too, you will see them usually before the sunloungers in each area. If it is not clear, then ask one of the lovely staff members and they will happily help!

21 hours ago, crystalspin said:

HAL has an app for smartphones (and I think tablets), the Navigator, but it works mostly on the ship. If you load it and it recognizes your next upcoming cruise -- the menus you will see are what it is serving currently, wherever it is!

 

However, Roger has a week's worth of menus for Alaska as they were in 2023, and pledges to get this year's up ASAP! per his post above.

 

https://rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/specifc-cruise-lido-and-mdr-menus/alaska-2023-7-day-main-dining-room-menus/

Ah that's handy to know thank you for sharing!

Hi everyone! Thought I'd share our highlights reel from our wonderful cruise on Icon of the Seas!

3 hours ago, Mimiya11 said:

They only had late seating. Need to work on that.  8:30 is way too late

 

Ah okay! Have you tried calling them? We asked over the phone lines and thankfully there was an earlier sitting available which allowed us all to eat, then have half hour or so together before venturing to kids club for its opening in the evening!

On 2/23/2024 at 5:44 PM, redleader74 said:

Nearly everyone I know has been on a cruise or multiple cruises.  Finally my wife and I and our 5 year old daughter are going!   We've talked about it countless times over many years but other trips always won out.  This time, my parents (who've been to a number of cruises and love is treating all of us to a cruise.  My dad has picked Holland America, 7-day cruise, departing out of Seattle on July 21st.  It's so ironic that I've always been curious about cruises and very  much attracted to "not having to packing up and move out of a hotel every 1-2 nights and food/drink around the clock"  yet can't seem to prioritize it and now it's being "forced on us" ha ha ha.   So I'm excited but also clueless as I have no idea what to pack, what to expect, etc.!

Ah this is fantastic! I’m so excited for you! It can seem very overwhelming at first, but there is lots of fabulous information on cruise critic & the forums as well as YouTube for all the information you’ll need! 
 

The advice I always start with is kinda a given but research as much as you can about your ship, itinerary etc as you can - YouTube is your friend as you can learn all about the do’s and don’ts!

2 hours ago, qkd0314 said:

Thank you so much for this amazing review!

Ah thank you so much! That is really kind of you!

5 hours ago, Mimiya11 said:

Thank you for this.  We will be on the Oasis in August with kids ranging in age from 3 to 13.   

 

We are just wondering that if adults choose to linger over dinner, is there supervision for the younger ones in a camp or babysitting?    

Ah fantastic! The kids clubs are fantastic with Royal Caribbean! With regards to younger ones having supervision, my best advice will be to schedule your dinner for during the late evening session of Kids club. Do you know what dining time you have?

33 minutes ago, Damo74 said:

I found the video very informative - thanks for sharing

Thank you so much, I'm glad it helped! Thank you for watching!

15 hours ago, JP350 said:

Flight on Symphony hands down. Loved the show and the history. (I am biased through because I'm a pilot 😉) I know this is unpopular, but I didn't like Mamma Mia or Cats all that much. Hairspray was good through and the shows on the other ships have always been solid, but other than UP in the Air nothing has stood out. 

I've always wanted to see that show too! I'd be biased as I'm a pilot too! hahaha - If not in the air, seem to spend the rest of my time at sea haha

Been fortunate enough to see a few shows now! We will Rock you was amazing, superb singing and production on a whole, and the length of the show was crazy for a ship production!

Best however for us, has been The Wizard of Oz onboard ICON of the Seas. It's simply brilliant! It's fun, colourful, amazing singing and the sets are incredible! 

As someone kindly posted above, they have swim vests at most locations and in good quantity so should always be some available! At the beaches they are usually a bit further away from the water, behind all the hammocks, seats etc. Any of the staff members on the island should be able to guide you too!

2 hours ago, Minuet888 said:

Do they have them for adults?  My son is 18 and autistic and doesn't know how to swim.  He loves being in the pool but feels more confident with a swim vest on.  Are we allowed to bring our own?

I believe they have some larger sizes dotted around the island, usually with the kids ones. I believe the blue and yellow ones seen in the photos shared above are the adult ones but I may be wrong. Alternatively, if you go to one of the help desks dotted around the island, I'm sure someone may be able to assist and find one!

If not, I see no problem and haven't heard of anyone having an issue bringing their own!

I think it depends on where you're booking from. As a UK guest, we often see a cruise fare quoted with the gratuities already included but I believe the best alternative if you don't have that is to make a quick phone call and just pay prior that way. There always pretty good on the phone lines at helping!

Hope you have a great cruise!

11 hours ago, BeachVacation said:

Great video. We sail in a couple weeks. I noticed an ice show more geared toward children in your video. For our sailing, it’s not yet listed to book in advance. Do you remember if you could just go without reservations?

 

Thank you!

Thank you so much for watching! Ah yes, it's an amazing ice show! The kids loved it! It became available to reserve during the cruise from memory but don't worry if you miss reservations, we just turned up one day and there was plenty of seats and additional showings if desired! Hope you have a great cruise!

33 minutes ago, Nikita4 said:

Is this propaganda for your Youtube Channel?

Speciality Dining on the World Europa is not so complicated that it will need a 23 min Video.
There are the Speciality Restaurants: Butchers Cut, Sushi, Teppanyaki, a Fish Restaurant La Pescaderia, Hola Tacos, Chefs Garden Kitchen and then two Buffets and a Burger/Pizza Restaurant.

Everyone is different with how they want to consume information. Some prefer it in the form of a video, others are quite happy to read it or just wing it while onboard - it’s just another option for anyone who wishes to watch it in a video. If they don’t, that’s completely understandable! 

7 minutes ago, Ms411 said:

Depends on your ship's position at the dock. The dock can hold 3 ships, but I think the longest walk is about 1/4 mile.

18 minutes ago, summer slope said:

How far of a walk is it from the bottom of the sky ride to the ship?

Ms411 is correct with regards to that dock right in front of the Sky Ride. It's a pretty short walk and flat too which is nice! There is another dock in St Thomas where Celebrity and RC are using at times and this will require a taxi probably to be easier!

1 hour ago, loman said:

Nicely done ! 

Thanks for sharing .

Ah thank you so much! Thank you for watching!

2 hours ago, asomante said:

I’m on the April 13th sailing and was able to book the behind the scenes tour ($249).

Ah fantastic! I'm glad they are indeed offering that tour now! I'm sure it will be fabulous!