jmf123

Thank you all - This will be my first time on Oasis. I'm interested to see how she measures up to Freedom and Liberty. My hubby has held the opinion since Oasis was built that she is too big, but I have been keen to sail on her!

 

I will look into St. John as that appears to be a popular excursion. I'd like to swim with dolphins if possible, though I'd prefer a wild swim. Not sure if there are any of those available though.

You would likely have to choose between St. John and dolphins, but there are two excursions offered at Tortola: Tortola Dolphin Encounter (STM5) and Tortola Dolphin Swim Adventure (STI5). You can google 'tortola dolphin encounter reviews', check out tripadvisor, and the Tortola forum for discussion: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=290. Enjoy your cruise!

Congratulations Pat&Liz! I concur with the suggestion to book an excursion to nearby St. John. Lovely island, I spent three weeks there years ago and have been back a few times since. You'll find some of the world's most beautiful beaches. You may enjoy a catamaran/snorkeling excursion.

I'd love to hear from someone who has done both cruises.

Until they come along, here are a few threads on the subject. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=100464611. I thought about trying Windstar, but loved our two Paul Gauguin sailings. (Ew, I prefer CC's old smilies!). :eek:

This is from RCI's website and states that the original notarized letter must be signed by at least one of the child's parents. Scroll down to Family Legal Documents on this link: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqType=faq&faqSubjectId=329&faqSubjectName=Cruise+Documents&faqId=2815. I am in agreement with others to have both sign, just in case.

Icp9984, you may want to check out the Costa Maya forum for discussion on beach options in that port: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=169. :)

Thanks guys, these are all great tips. I like the idea of writing on our Set Sail Pass to alert the person at check in. I'm even paying for this on my credit card so that he won't see the total come out of the checking account and question it.

Yep, you could just hand a post-it note along with your credit card when checking in, stating 'Shhh, the suite is a surprise for my husband!". I would do my best to keep it under wraps until the stateroom door is opened. My DH and I were both surprised on our Voyager cruise. I had booked an inside run-of ship, which turned into an amazing first balcony for us! We had no clue as we walked down the hallway. :D Enjoy your suite!

Are these types of options posted anywhere online? I can never find anything when I log in to rcl... or maybe nothing is offered on my particular ships?

 

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Bob's link below will get you to the site, although it is easier to call Gifts & Gear to order. (Be sure to get an email receipt of your purchase).

And yes, not all ships offer the decorations. For example, the Bon Voyage decor is not offered on the Mariner, Quantum, Splendour, or Voyager.

See if this works for you:

 

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/royalgifts/onboard-delivery/room-decor/

Just call Gifts & Gear at (800) 722-5443 to place the order. You'll provide the ship, sailing date, and their names (reservation # and cabin # if you have it). The rep will arrange for their stateroom to be decorated. Be sure to ask for an emailed receipt of your purchase. Nice thoughtful surprise! :)

Our helicopter tour and landing on the glacier is also our most memorable Alaska excursion. We have since experienced the awesome helicopter tour of Kauai, including the gorgeous NaPali coast and waterfalls. I would highly recommend both if you have the opportunity! Unforgettable! :cool:

You're welcome, here is additional info on that cruise, just scroll down for that sailing: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/statichtmlpage.do?pagename=themed_cruises.

RCI's theme cruise for March 19-26, 2017 on the Jewel, is a Pro Football Legends Cruise.

We are long time Royal cruisers, but will be using the "Family Time Dining" with our four year old for the first time. Is there anything I should know or pay special attention to about the process of this service. It sounds like a great solution to wanting to balance family time with the attention/sitting still span of a little one. Thanks.

 

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My Family Time Dining is offered during first seating in MDR. Here are details and reservation info from RCI's website:

Opt for My Family Time Dining® in our main dining room, and your kids will be served right away before Adventure Ocean® staff pick them up for a night of fun. Parents stay behind to relax and continue their meal.

Details

My Family Time Dining is offered for the first seating time in our main dining room, for children ages three to 11. Kids enjoy their meal within 40 minutes of seating, before heading to the evening's Adventure Ocean activities. The program starts the second evening you're onboard. After that, you can use it each evening or whenever you wish.

Reservations

Already booked your cruise? You can easily pre-register online for My Family Time Dining right now. Or, visit the Adventure Ocean Youth Program area while onboard to sign up.

Have a great cruise! :)

There have been a few since the Flowrider leak. These are the latest photos that I posted.

I noticed on the January 20th RCI blog that you were given a photo credit, Lloyd, nice! :cool:

Michael, there is a review (in progress) from the Vision's January 9th sailing, including some great photos: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2446091.

Why??? Perhaps you could explain the difference between paying RCL now for OBC versus paying RCL right after the cruise is over for what you spent.

Some people like to buy OBC as 'forced savings' for their cruise, and allocate it to their onboard account in advance. Others purchase it as a gift for friends or family.

OBC used to be available for purchase online, it is Gifts & Gear item #651. And the OBC you purchase is fully refundable at Guest Services- if any remains at the end of your cruise. :)

Personally we always book Travel Guard's Gold Policy, which offers comprehensive coverage at a fair price. I have decades of excellent experience with TG. Emergency evacuation limit is $500,000 and they offer an option to increase that coverage, which doubles it to $1,000,000. Feel free to call Travel Guard and ask any questions about particular concerns, get a quote, purchase a policy. From my experience, they have outstanding customer service reps and claims. You can also check out the Cruise Discussion Topics here on CC, see the sub-forum Cruise/Travel Insurance, for much discussion regarding insurance. :)

Keeping our HAL Statendam Alaska sailing in mind, it is an easy choice. We loved our roundtrip cruise from cosmopolitan Vancouver. The traditional cruise that HAL offered- a beautiful ship, fresh flowers everywhere, a wonderful staff and fellow passengers, and cuisine- it couldn't have been better. crystalspin, our Oceanview stateroom was on the Lower Promenade Deck that you mentioned. It was so nice to be just steps to the deck, you're right! And I love the teak deck that HAL offers.

Our Inside Passage itinerary, including Sitka and Glacier Bay, was outstanding. As mentioned, the naturalists on board enhanced our cruise. And we enjoyed our servings of traditional Dutch pea soup and hot chocolate out on deck during our day in Glacier Bay.

Excursions were awesome- a rafting trip on the Mendenhall River, an amazing helicopter ride from Juneau, a jet-boat tour from Sitka to see bald eagles in the trees, sea lions, black-tail deer. We did a self walking tour in Ketchikan (you can pick up a map just about anywhere), including the Creek Street boardwalk, and rode the funicular (tram) up to see totem poles.

Our post hotel stay at the Pan Pacific Vancouver was perfect. Wandering through beautiful Stanley Park, seeing totem poles, and strolling through Gastown that evening, seeing the steam clock, browsing in a few shops, and a great Italian dinner that evening. Wonderful memories of a great trip.

Whichever ship you choose, you are sure to enjoy stunning Alaska!

Last I knew, the glass blowing remains on Solstice, Equinox, and Eclipse, and was replaced by the Lawn Club Grill on Reflection and Silhouette. Here is a bit of info on the Lawn Club Grill: http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=2331.

jmf123 - a huge thank you for your help. I don't know why I didn't think to search in Asia (blush) . I'll have a good read and see what I can do to make our visit to Male a fabulous experience. I'll report back as to what we do - thanks again :)

You are very welcome, Chikky, happy to assist! This link, with all 1,190 islands of the Madives (along with a map of Male), may interest you to get your bearings: https://maldivesfinest.com/location-map. Have a fantastic time, it looks amazing! :cool:

Chikky, the Maldives remains on my wish list, but I hope this info will be of help to you: :)

Asia forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=70

And a Search for 'Maldives' within that forum: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=98058976

'Things to Do in Maldives' on the TripAdvisor site should provide many options for you as well: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g293953-Activities-Maldives.html

Haha, I actually would. It'd be kinda cool if someone built a roller coaster or something on a ship! RC has the zip line and waterslides and even a merry go round. I'd love to see a coaster or maybe a free fall / drop ride inside the promenade!

 

Something like this that used to be in London! ha

Not like London's, but the Disney Dream features the first water roller coaster at sea:

Oh ok interesting...how much of a surcharge are we talking about?

Nominal service charge, $3.95 on Royal Caribbean. From their website:

Room service is available onboard any time of the day or night – simply order from the room service menu located in your stateroom/suite.

A late night service charge of US$3.95 will be applied for onboard room service orders placed between midnight and 5 a.m, intended to minimize onboard food waste, This action was based on an exhaustive review of demand for room service by hour of day and the corresponding amount of food wasted.

The charge will be applied to food items selected from the Light Snacks menu, listed in the stateroom guest services directory. Guests can enjoy complimentary room service from 5:00 a.m. to midnight, which also includes breakfast service, delivered between 7 to 10 a.m. daily.

In conjunction with the room service change and to ensure guests continue to have a no-charge option during the late night timeframe, Royal Caribbean is introducing newly extended hours in either the Solarium Café or Sorrento’s Pizzeria, depending on the ship. On Voyager- and Freedom-class ships, Cafe Promenade also is open 24 hours a day, offering finger sandwiches, cookies and snacks.

Cagent, are you currently waitlisted for an accessible stateroom? That would be my recommendation in case one opens up. It looks like you are on the Explorer's 4/22/18 sailing, which had one accessible oceanview stateroom available. Cat I #2328 is 276 s.f.. I called RCI about this and someone had just placed that stateroom on hold. The rep advised that if the cabin is not booked, or the hold drops off in 24 hrs., that it is possible for you to obtain it. She recommended getting on a waitlist for a handicapped stateroom. And (if you are okay with an Oceanview), perhaps it is best to waitlist for a particular category, a Cat I in this case. I hope this helps!

yuliyaks, my first thought was the Paul Gauguin, which we loved twice! If nothing else, you could book PG again for a 10 or 11 nt. and see the Cook Islands too. Or change up the itinerary for a Fiji-Bali? Love the PG and the Society Islands! Others to consider may be Seadream Yacht Club (http://www.seadream.com) on Seadream I. It's said to be casual luxury on a yacht-like vessel, with superb food and service. Or perhaps Ponant. Windstar does have an awesome Caribbean itinerary that has been on my wish list http://www.windstarcruises.com/cruise/caribbean/yachtsmans-caribbean/?id=42&sid=21115.

And have you considered chartering a crewed yacht in the gorgeous British Virgin Islands? There are many options, here's one link http://www.bviyachtcharters.com/.

Please let us know what you decide, and have a great birthday celebration!

You could consider packing a few birthday decorations and do-it-yourself. And perhaps order a bottle of wine and chocolate covered strawberries to be waiting in your stateroom upon your arrival. Maybe check shore excursions and surprise him with one that he would really enjoy, or browse the shops on board for a souvenir that he would like (a watch, t-shirt, cap?). And there's always going out on deck and seeing the starry night together. Enjoy your first cruise! :)