Legalgal

I made a 9:15AM flight with no problem when on Allure a few years ago. We were among the last off the ship for the self disembark groups and were sitting at the gate at 8:15AM. I was busy doing laundry by the time the next flight would've been boarding, so I was happy!

I just stayed at the Mercure Kensington back in September. It was for a land based vacation that ended with a family wedding. The hotel was a mid-range hotel that was well located. Near the Earl's Court tube stop and near many restaurants. Walk to things like the Victoria & Albert museum, Kensington Palace. There is a Sainsbury about 500 feet away, for anything you may have forgotten.

The rooms were quite small, which will get you ready for the cruise ship rooms. :p

I have long hair (down past the shoulders), but not very thick at all and I pack my own hair dryer. I HATE how much space it takes up, but I cannot deal with the ship's dryer. I wish it were slightly better b/c I don't blow dry my hair every day while on the cruise and let it go naturally wavy. But on the nights we dress up, I like to have it straight. So, just slightly better quality dryer would go a long way with me.

Last time we cruised, we left that ship number "just in case." We don't have kids and our parents, while older, are still very independent. We had had siblings at home who could deal with any emergencies, but if they NEEDED to get in touch with us, they could call that number. I figured that if the emergency reached that level, the cost wouldn't be a major concern.

If it's a situation where you need to check on someone regularly and want to do it via telephone, use one of those apps like Viber or WhatsApp. I used WhatsApp during a recent trip to London and it worked wonderfully. You'd have to buy the internet package, but if you need to stay in touch, it's a small price. Especially considering the $7.95/min charge.

The public balconies that used to be on the aft ends of decks 11, 12, and 14 are gone.

Oh no! I loved, loved those balconies. I think I watched the aqua show about every night from there. I was so mesmerized by the performers. What did they put in their place?

I would highly recommend getting certified at home before the cruise. It really does take time away from your precious vacation and it's not a full certification anyway.

Have fun!

You are going to get so many different responses and the cruiseline officially does not want you to book any flights prior to 11:30AM.

With that said, in October, we made a 9:15AM flight with time to spare after a week on the Allure. We walked off and were on our way to the airport by 7:30AM and at our gate by 8:15AM. We were among the last of the walk off group too.

So, I definitely think you can. There is always the possibility that something can delay the ship or delay debarkation. Not saying it will happen, but I am sure there are stories of it happening.

Have a great trip!!

You can take your drinks pretty much wherever your heart desires. There are some rules about glass around the pools, but not much else.

It's one of the freeing things about cruising. Grab a drink in the Champagne Bar, but suddenly feel like being in Bolero's? Just go! Drink in hand!

I've cruised Royal before the towel policy and after it. The chair hog problem stayed exactly the same.

We just cruised Allure in October and on my comment card, the only negative comment I elaborated on was the towel policy. The waiting in line was ridiculous and they usually only had one station open. Before the checking in and out of towels, there was always a bin to deposit towels when your returned from excursion. Afterwards, you had to find the station to return, wait on line (which could be long if you returned at a popular time) and return the towel.

I am so happy that they have stopped doing this! I hope the cabin attendants will begin giving them out again!

I just checked both my TA's site and another site I use for quick rates and they have the Following:

 

21th - Departing 5:00pm

24th - San Juan 4:00pm - 11:00pm

25th - Labadee arriving 4:30pm

26th - Labadee departing 5:00pm

29th - Cape Liberty - 8:00am

 

So it looks like the newest information is getting to the TA's sites.

That's an awful itinerary! You are essentially getting only one beach day on an 8 day cruise.

Yes, you can travel on certified birth certificates and IDs. However, it is strongly recommended that you get passports when leaving the country, even on a closed-loop cruise. If something does happen while you are out to sea or on an island, a birth certificate will not get you home. While the odds are very good that there will be no problem, it is a gamble. And passports are universally accepted. While it is an added expense, it's a 10 year passport for the 18 year old - so they'll have it for a while, and for the 15s, I think it's either till 18 or 5 years, either way, a worthwhile investment - it opens up so many doors for other travels!

While a BC is adequate, a passport is preferred. Enjoy, whichever way you choose!

I think this is excellent advice. Yes, the certified BC is fine and will be fine for your cruise. But, passports just provide that extra layer of peace of mind. And being that they are valid for so long and don't take up any room, why not? It's an extra expense, but you'll be so happy you paid if there is ever a problem.

We recently stayed at the Hyatt Pier 66 in a Tower Room and had a great view of the port. We saw the ships leaving and, if you woke up early enough, you can see the ships coming. It was quite a sight and the hotel was awesome with a great pool. I would highly recommend it.

You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. :)

 

Yeah, its very cliche but its so true.

 

Excellent post OP!

I have found this to be true over and over again. Just recently, I was staying at a popular hotel in FLL before my recent Allure cruise. We had booked the most basic room and I suddenly wanted a room overlooking the port, but DH did not want to give up the king sized bed. We kept the original room. The porter walked us over to the assigned room and it had not been cleaned yet. He walked us back and the front desk person immediately upgraded us to the tower in a junior sweet room with the king sized bed. The whole time, I just kept going with flow and stayed very pleasant and nice.

It has happened to me in Europe too. Many years ago, a friend and I were traveling to London on a tour group. We landed in London at about 10AM their time and the hotel rooms were obviously not ready when we reached the hotel. They very nicely told us where we could put our luggage, offered a place to freshen up and told us what attractions were nearby. My friend and I left our luggage, freshen up and went to eat and to a museum. We returned about 6PM. In the meantime, so many others were complaining rather loudly. When we returned to the hotel, they had upgraded us to a very, very nice suite. And they specifically told us it was because we were so nice.

Why waste time complaining? You are on vacation!!!

I'm confused by this thread. If MTD is open on your sailing, pick it and then reserve your dinner time for as early as the dining room opens. You can do this online prior to sailing. I believe you can reserve the same time every night, which may even result in getting the same wait staff each night, thereby making is similar the traditional dining concept, only done at the time YOU want to dine. I think that this will alleviate your concern about being forced to eat late.

I have not personally done the MTD thing yet as we always do the late seating and prefer to eat late anyway. However, from the way I see it operates, RCCL took the Freestyle concept and the traditional dining concept and made a hybrid of the two. Usually, hybrids of two concepts dilutes both concepts, but RCCL seems have come up with one that only makes it better!

I agree with others that I've heard nothing but awesome reviews of the MTD dining on RCCL.