utopiahereicome

Offered in my cruise planner for Allure in June - $31 for 15 drinks

Just noticed that a "coffee card" is available to purchase in the cruise planner for our June Allure cruise - $31 for 15 specialty coffees - so you may want to check your cruise planner.

Thanks to all for your replies, appreciate your help!

We are booking flight from Miami to Venice, Italy for cruise at end of October 2017, then from Barcelona back to Miami on 11/6 or 11/7.

1.Looks like there will need to be one stop - how long is "safe" between flights if we transfer in Copenhagen, Frankfurt or other major airport? Some flight combinations leave us with only an hour between flights, doesn't feel like that's enough of a window. We will have 2 checked suitcases.

2. Using Air2Sea makes me nervous, would prefer to book directly with the airline - will airlines reprice flight if price drops?

3. Is there any advantage to booking as soon as schedules are released (some are appearing already), or should I hold onto my money and wait patiently (not my strong suit) for a few more months and monitor prices?

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Granddaughter is 12 - on Royal (Navigator), she was in the 12-14 age group - less structured, a lot of hanging out together in the teen club and doing activities throughout the ship. On Escape, she was in the 10-12 age group. She actually enjoyed the Escape more - she likes structured activities, enjoys being in the kids club area, and was comfortable being with kids who were same age or younger vs. being with kids who were older. It's not that she didn't have a blast on the Navigator, just that she was more comfortable with the age group on Escape. The kids club staff on both ships were terrific, and many of the activities were comparable (sports on the sports deck, talent show, etc).

Depends so much on the child and what they prefer.

Also used Bernard's and had a wonderful day - Orient beach, Marigot, Maho - our driver was knowledgeable and entertaining. Read the reviews on Trip Advisor; they are professionals, and their livelihood depends on getting tourists back to their boat on time. More intimate tour experience, see what YOU want to see, less money than ship excursion = great island experience!

I will join the Diamond ranks on my June '17 cruise - it's been a long, tough road, but somehow I persevered :D

Onward and upward to Diamond Plus!

We stayed in the 2 bedroom aqua suite on deck 8 on Oasis in 2015, balcony and living room are huge, we loved it, absolutely wonderful views! Table on the balcony was large, I think it had chairs for 6. I had a GS booked for that cruise originally, and several weeks before sailing suddenly the deck 8 aqua suite appeared on the website to book with no minimum passenger requirement (and a great price!). I called right away, and the RCCL rep told me that the minimum # of guests to book the aqua suite was 5 - but after final payment, if they haven't sold they open it up to less guests (there were 3 of us when we had the room).

The moment my suitcases hit the bed, every time I turn around a cat is in it. Let me tell you if I could take a cat on a cruise with me and have them in my cabin I would so totally do that. I really miss them when we go on vacation and I wouldn't worry so much about certain ones while I am gone.

Same issue here! I cannot leave the suitcase unattended and open on the bed while packing, because my cats think this is the BEST place to take a nap on my freshly washed, pressed and folded clothes! Sometime I find both of them in the suitcase jostling for position!

Even though I miss them when I'm gone, I know they are well cared for by the pet sitter, she sends me pics and updates twice a day - but I DO NOT miss getting woken up in the middle of night because one of them wants a head scratch!

1.800.625.4309

Glad to hear this feedback, as I'm going in 2 weeks on my first Norwegian cruise (Escape) and the only thing I booked was 2 shows, no dinner reservations (it's just my granddaughter and I). Compare that to cruising on Oasis or Allure where dinner and show had to be booked far in advance for almost every night or you were out of luck! Although I loved those ships and will be going back, I'm really not a fan of having to be so structured on vacation...Looking forward to "freestyle" and being very flexible!

How can you request it on the reservation? I've looked on line and can't seem to find a place where it asks how you want the bed configured.

We also did Blue Hole last year and used Liberty Tours, highly recommend the company, very professional and great communication prior to the excursion - we knew exactly what to expect, how to find our driver, what the cost would be, tipping expectations for the guides at Blue Hole, etc.

Another vote for Blue Hole, we went last June with Liberty Tours, it was not crowded at all and such a beautiful place! My grandkids (12 and 16) said it was best excursion ever, we all had a blast. Google it to get an idea of what it's like.

Thanks for posting, looking forward to the rest., we sail on Navigator in 3 more weeks.

My step-daughter and her husband have 7688 booked and are so excited about their first aft balcony, hoping you have pics of room to post, the balcony looks amazing in the few pics I have found through research.

I have a royal family suite (also aft but on deck 8) booked for me and the grandkids, 12 and 16, so also looking forward to your perspective on the teen program and AO.

Nothing worse than seeing that countdown clock say "sailed" and having to go back to work :(

My grandson was 11 when he went on his first cruise on Allure - we booked a flow rider lesson for him on the on-line cruise planner for the first morning of the cruise because he really wanted to try it. The instructors were excellent, there were only 6 people in the class so they really spent quality time with each one. My grandson enjoyed it so much that it was hard to pry him away from the flow rider for the rest of the cruise, and he made lots of new friends there as well - and he even participated in the passenger show on the last day! There were bleacher seats under shade for me to sit and watch - and I did a lot of watching and picture taking on that cruise! I really think that the class gave him confidence and allowed him to learn safely, I would highly recommend!

The least crowded times were early morning and late afternoon - times of operation are listed in the cruise compass.

We did not see Pets at Sea on Oasis last summer - used to be on the boardwalk but it was gone. Saw stuffing machine up in AO, but never saw it used.

On our first Oasis cruise 2 years ago, we bought a Pet for my granddaughter, but truthfully the experience was not nearly as good as Build a Bear - very little selection, disinterested crew member, tiny (claustrophobic) space, and never saw many pax there. I would be surprised if they allotted space to this on Harmony.

I am currently booked in 8694, but this morning I see that 9694 is now available - I know the rooms are the same, but is there any advantage to going up one deck? Is the superstructure less obtrusive on deck 9 than on deck 8?

Thanks again for posting pics, greatly appreciated!

Thanks, I wasn't sure if there was a difference in size between the two on deck 8 and the 2 on deck 9.

Can I ask which room this is? We have 8694 booked for our April 16 cruise, not many pics available on line - thank you so much for posting!

Also use Insure my Trip and purchase CSA - needed to use it once when husband had heart blockage a month before cruise, was reimbursed for cost of trip quickly and easily, and also has great coverage for med evac which was important to me.

Balcony

Aft balcony

Boardwalk balcony

Promenade

Crown Loft suite

A1 aqua suite

And for next cruise - junior suite

We also went to Blue Hole from Falmouth, used Liberty Tours and highly recommend, great service and we had a fabulous day.

Lots of reviews for him on Trip Advisor, that would be the best place to look.

We used him the last time we ported at St. Martin and had an awesome time!

We also rented a Jeep there one year and we drove around ourselves - I vowed never to do that again, as it was stressful trying to find what we wanted to see, manage the traffic on unfamiliar streets, and I felt like I was always watching the clock and worrying about getting back to the ship on time as I had no clear idea of how long it would take to get from place to place.

His business depends on getting customers back to their ships on time, every time, he knows the island and traffic patterns, and he has been doing this for a long time - I trusted him more than I trusted myself in navigating the island!

Just my humble opinion...

We used NCQ Belize Adventure Tours to do a private tour of Altun Ha and a tour of Belize city - Nacho and Cynthia were our drivers/tour guides and it was outstanding, they were so knowledgeable and entertaining! Highly recommend this company (they are on trip advisor, check it out) and Altun Ha was spectacular, it was one of our best port days ever!