JillK

The price is $80 US which is a 1.4 exchange rate. If you have OBC that you bought at 1.10 you are better off booking on board.

 

We did specialty restaurants 6 nights and the WJ once on the Oasis a few weeks ago. So many choices. We are planning on booking the 4 or 5 night package for Allure in March.

OK great - thanks Ken. I couldn't see the pricing anywhere online in USD so couldn't figure out the math. Seems like you think the specialties are well worth it so I'll plan on buying this once on board. I expect I'm better off to wait until after sailing to avoid Florida State tax.

Jill

I managed to get some obc before the exchange jump last week. We are planning on using this to cover off a few excursions, drinks (we will buy them a la carte) and in the casino.

We are considering purchasing the three night specialty dining package. It is currently priced at $112 per person CDN and the website seems to imply this is a savings of 40% somehow (not sure if it's versus one off meals or buying the package once on board).

Thoughts on whether I am better off buying this ahead of time or wait and buy on board using obc would be appreciated, as well as opinions on whether the specialty dining is worth it at all?

Thanks!

Jill

Is it possible that $77.36 includes the 18% service charge?

 

Edit: Just went to check on my booking and it does say that the price includes an 18% specialty service charge

Ok that makes sense - I was a little unclear as to whether or not they were included, so thanks for letting me know!

Jill

nothing wrong with that question! I just logged into my NCL account and when I click on the option to purchase OBC, it shows me that $100 US OBC = $133.33 Canadian. So it is still a bit cheaper than the bank rate.

Very interesting as when I log into myncl it shows obc can be purchased at $100 usd = $111.11 cdn. I booked back in March when the exchange was more favourable. Meanwhile, the 3 night UDP is priced at $59 usd but in myncl it is listed at $77.36 cdn, which works out to an exchange rate of approximately 1.32.

Jill

Hi! Thank you so much for reading and for the kind words!

 

I just checked with my daughter who is in the 6-9 group (Seals), she said the activities were separate. She said she did not see the 3-5 group so they were probably in a different area of Splash Academy. She mostly attended the evening activities from 7PM- 10:30PM.

 

We saw a lot of kids during our cruise, so they probably mix them if they don't have a lot of kids.

 

I can see in the schedule that they have Freestyle Free Play (friends and siblings play together). Looks like age mixing is only allowed during those hours.

Many thanks for your reply. The boys were in separate groups on our Celebrity cruise and didn't seem to mind, so they will be fine either way I'm sure. Looking forward to seeing more pictures and tips!

Jill

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this review and post the fabulous pictures from your cruise.

I had a question about Splash Academy I was hoping you could answer, if you don't mind.

A few years ago we took our daughters on the Epic and although they should have been in two different groups, they were together for the most part, as the Splash Academy area was open and there weren't a lot of kids on our particular cruise.

We are going on the Escape in December with our sons, who will be 5 and 6 and I see from your pictures that they will be in two "different" age groups. Did you notice if the age groups were segregated or was it more open? I'm hoping they will be able to spend some time together.

Thanks and looking forward to the rest of your review!

Jill

OK thanks Ontario cruise duo.

I did book last spring in Canadian $ to "lock in" the rate, knowing the dollar was expected to tumble and pre-paid my gratuities as well.

I'll have a good look at NCL's site to see if I'm ready to commit to specific excursions now or will buy OBC now to cover booking them on board.

Appreciate the advice!

Jill

They returned the purchase to my credit card as a refund it was Canadian.

The balance of the obc that we did not use was sent in a cheque in us funds.

I'm considering purchasing OBC now for our cruise this coming December since the media is reporting that the dollar is predicted to continue to slide.

I'm curious about how I'll get the difference back post-cruise if I don't use it all.

How long did it take for you to get your cheque? Did you have to do anything to initiate this or was it automatic?

Also, our agency is giving us a small amount of OBC - I assume this is the "non-refundable" variety and that it would be used first? Anyone know?

Many thanks!

Jill

I'll be on board the Jan. 30th sailing and will be on the look out for these. Will report back upon my return!

Jill

I seem to recall that when my husband and I cruised aboard the Enchantment over a decade ago, that we both purchased punch cards. It was for 10 mixed drinks, and I think it was around $65.

Does anyone else recall this from years gone by?

Great to know that I will be able to do this again in a month aboard Oasis!

Jill

Better yet read of the actual on board experiences on this thread. Unfortunately the reps are not always in tune with what happens on the ship.

 

Set up a cash account to get the cash that you need from the casino and then 2 days before the end of your cruise add a credit card at guest services to make checkout easier.

Yes! I have been reading through this board, and this thread, since I booked last week. Lots to catch up on in the many years since I last sailed RCI! The experiences of others posting here is exactly what led me to believe that a different rep would have a different answer. And certainly, if I'm going to be buying sufficient money in advance to cover the incidentals, then a cash account makes a lot of sense.

The dollar sucks for us right now, but the last time I cruised RCI, it was around 0.64 cents. That hurt even more!

Many thanks!

Jill

I just got off the phone with the gifts & gear department, and although he was going to let me buy any amount at $1.10 exchange for our upcoming cruise, he said that if there was any left at the end of the cruise, it would be refunded back to the credit card it was purchased on and that cashing out wasn't a possibility. I was hoping to end up with a touch more than needed for the cruise to use for expenses on debarkation day since we have an evening flight, but at least according to the rep I just dealt with, this isn't possible.

Something tells me if I call again and get a different rep, I'll get a different answer.

Jill

Hi!

Glad to hear that you had a good cruise.

My husband and I (both 40) will be aboard Oasis in about a month for a vacation without our four children. We haven't sailed with RCI in over a decade and certainly haven't been on a ship like Oasis!

Any absolute "must-do's" that you would recommend? Anything we should definitely avoid?

Many thanks in advance for taking the time!

Jill

I'm a cruiser newbie (only cruised once with NCL) and after going through the last ten pages of this thread (thanks for the amazing tip btw!), I have a few questions and I would really appreciate if you could help me out.

1) After buying OBC at the rate of 1.1:1, can I use OBC to pay gratuities?

 

2) I have read on the forum somewhere that prepaying gratuities in CAD is cheaper than paying on board. Apparently someone paid $76.87 CND for a 7 day cruise, whereas in US$ they were $84 ($12 x 7 days). I booked my cruise for Jan 2 2016 sailing in July 2015, am I allowed to do that or am I better off paying my gratuities using OBC?

 

3) What is the difference between having my seapass account set up as cash vs credit card? How do I do the set up initially - is it when I board my cruise? From reading this thread, it seems like if I have my account set up as cash, I can withdraw money from the casino or Guest Services at any time without service charges. At the end of the cruise, do I have to go to Guest Services to pick up any remaining cash including coins? However, if my account is set up as CC, I would be charged a service fee whenever I withdraw cash but any remaining OBCs at the end of cruise will be refunded onto my cruise in $USD.

 

I apologize for the lengthy post!

My husband and I just booked Oasis last week for the Jan 30/16 sailing. We paid $111 CDN each for pre-paid gratuities, which is roughly the current exchange rate. Only reason we did it this way was to pay for it ahead of time, rather than after we get home. Also avoids conversion fees with credit cards (usually 2.5% depending on your card).

Happy cruising!

Yeah I drink ship water. I know where the ice comes from. I know all the food is made with it, etc. But having bottled water let's me eliminate any risk of dirty lines or something funky etc. I've never bought a bottle of water on a cruise ship in my life but buying the bottled water from Carnival is very easy.

 

This is going to be our starter trip as parents. Baby's very first. So I'm just being a bit more anal about the details so there's no surprise or scrambling for something.

 

As to why would the powder need to be sealed? I guess an over zealous security guy could say no opened food brought on board?? Not sure really.

 

I'm sure thousands of people cruise every week with kids under 1 and manage. I just need their collective wisdom [emoji1] [emoji1]

I cruised with Disney when one of my sons was 11 months old. I brought powdered formula on board and bought a case of bottled water to mix his formula. I also brought along a small bottle of dishwashing liquid so that I could wash his bottles/nipples/rings every day. A bit of pain in tight quarters but it worked for us. Luckily by this point in age, he was ok with a room temperature bottle so I didn't have to fret about warming it.

Agree with another poster who suggested to bring more than you think you'll need for diapering supplies.

Enjoy your cruise!

We purchased obc ahead of time for our cruise in this past March and paid a very favourable exchange rate of just over $27 cdn for $25 usd as a previous poster mentioned. Too bad it's now gone up and I didn't act earlier for my upcoming December cruise, which is now getting more and more expensive with the dropping dollar!

The only other thing to watch out for is allowing Celebrity to charge your credit card for onboard expenses in USD vs. CDN. Regardless of what their current rate is, which I believe you can find out by calling them, you will at least save the 2.5% conversion fee the credit cards charge.

If I recall correctly there is a box to check on your form authorizing payment to have them charge it in your credit card's currency.

We've got to take the breaks, no matter how small, where we can!

My husband and I have cruised both with our children and without. Out of the cruises listed below, the kids have been on four of them (2 Disney, 1 NCL and 1 Celebrity).

I am currently considering a cruise next December aboard the Sunshine with all four kids which is why I clicked on this thread in the first place, since we have no direct experience to date with Camp Carnival.

In our experience with the other kids clubs, it is always our kids begging us to take them to the club, rather than us putting them in there. This past March, we had to force them to come to the after dinner shows with us as they really wanted to hang out in the kids club.

Once they make a few friends (especially my daughters, 10 & 9) or knew what fun planned activities are on offer (my sons 5 & 3), they can't wait to go back. If they hadn't closed for lunch and dinner, my kids would have been perfectly fine to stay there from dawn to dusk. Some days we had to force them to spend the afternoon at the pool with us.

I felt really put off last year when planning for the cruise we took this past March as there were SO many people on the Celebrity board who were advocating that you shouldn't bring your kids on cruises. Indeed, we did encounter a few sneers in our week aboard the Silhouette, primarily from one particular set of patron who shall remain nameless. But it was March Break and there was something like 800 kids on board so that train of thought at least appeared to be in the minority.

While I like cruising without my kids (an awesome break - thank you mom & dad for babysitting), I want to take my kids on vacation and why shouldn't it be on a cruise? What we like about a cruise is that you can have time together as a family (pool, shows, excursions, meals) and then also have some time apart while they participate in kids club activities.

The cruise lines are going after families and marketing themselves as offering a great family vacation experience, purposefully including waterparks, themes geared for kids (Dreamworks, Seuess, etc) and offering kids clubs.

Jill

I cruised with my four children (10, 9, 5 & 3) on board the Silhouette this past March during our spring break. There was something like over 600 kids on board during the sailing. When I was in the public spaces, I never once saw poor behaviour by any of the kids.

My older kids participated in the kids club scavenger hunts where they went in unsupervised groups throughout the ship and every time I caught sight of one of these groups, they were well mannered.

There were often groups of kids in the library and the hideaway who were just hanging out - talking and laughing. Not disruptive in any way.

Even around the pool area throughout the week, the kids seemed to all be supervised by their parents/grandparents and were great.

I have been on cruises in the past where the kids were obnoxious. Running through the halls, yelling and cussing at all hours of the night. Hogging the pool and hot tubs without supervision and doing stupid kid stuff like pressing all the buttons on the elevators. So yes, kids will be kids and not always be their best selves. Frankly, I've seen poor adult behaviour on cruises too.

I have done several cruises with my kids and several without. When I am with my kids, I supervise them or let them participate in the kids club. When I am cruising without my kids, I tend to gravitate towards the adults-only areas of the ship because I am without them and can take advantage of the more quiet areas of the ship.

There are certainly ways to avoid larger groups of kids, like not cruising during when kids are off school, choosing longer itineraries (10 day +) or exotic itineraries which don't seem to be as popular with families.

I don't think that anyone should be made to feel badly about vacationing with their children.

My 5 year old caught major stink-eye from an older lady in the elevator on the Silhouette one day. I had just picked him up from the kids club, and he was busy telling me about what he had done, but doing it in his "outdoor" voice. If looks could have killed, he would be dead. Luckily this was definitely the minority. Everyone else we encountered at least seemed happy to interact with my kids.

I don't think there is any particular cruise line for families these days. The majority of the cruise lines seem to have also made the 7-night Caribbean cruises very appealing to families, offering a wide variety of departure ports and deals for 3rd/4th passengers sail half off or free.

Cruising is an excellent family vacation and I think becoming increasingly more accessible to families across more cruise lines, which I believe is a good thing.

Just my two cents, as someone who loves cruising, both with and without my kiddos.

Side Bar: Sad to read about your Son as my wife has Celiac. Did it happen on the ship?

EW

Hi there.

Yes, it most definitely did happen on the ship. We were super careful but there must have been cross-contamination at some point. I suspect it was the day at the buffet they had gluten-free cupcakes. It was his first (and last) opportunity to have dessert on the ship since he also doesn't tolerate diary. We even scrapped off the icing and cut off the top in case they used butter or cream in the icing. He was so happy eating them (we allowed him two) as any 3 year old would be but he paid that night let me tell you and for a few days afterward.

They won't allow children with pull ups into the kids club, and since he was going frequently we put him in pull ups to help avoid accidents. He obviously couldn't use the pool either.

By the time he was back to normal, it was the second last day so he did participate for a day and a half and loved it, but it was awful to see him be unable to have fun, and be unwell.

Only time in all my cruises that I've wanted to get off a ship early!

Jill

Hi!

We cruised with our four kids (10, 9, 5 & 3) aboard the Silhouette this past March and they had a great time.

My youngest didn't participate until the last day as he unfortunately wasn't well most of the cruise due to gluten contamination.

My 5 year old son absolutely loved the programming in his age group and would ask to go to the club the minute he got up and after every meal (they are closed for meals, unless you pay for them to stay). He always came home with something from the day's theme (ie. pirate face paint, super hero cape, crafts).

My daughters (9 & 10) also loved their age group and would spend the morning and evenings there (afternoons were pool time). They made lots of friends during the week and loved doing the ship-wide scavenger hunts and activities.

My daughters have also cruised with NCL and Disney and they ranked the Celebrity kids club as their favourite and when asked said they would choose to cruise with Celebrity over the other two lines.

I think these days the major brands all offer fun for the kids. Celebrity might not have some of the bells and whistles that other ships/lines have (rock climbing, wave riders, water slides, character meet and greets) but their kids program is very well done.

Hope this helps!

Jill

Wonderful - thanks so much to all who replied!

Jill

OK - great news. I wasn't sure if I could change any names. I will discuss with the staff on board but will bring their captain's club number which I think I can access from our Silhouette booking since my mom shared it with me as my daughters were cruising in their cabin.

Does the OBC that comes with the future booking apply to the current cruise or can it be used toward the future booking (ie. I believe that NCL the credit applies to the cruise you buy the future credit on, not on the future cruise itself).

Thanks!

Jill

Hi all!

My husband are going to be sailing on the Reflection this coming December while my parents stay at our place and take care of our four children.

I would like to buy them a future cruise voucher (open booking) while I'm on board to give to them as a thank you for taking care of the kids and want to know if this is even possible.

Does anyone know if I can purchase this in someone else's name and still secure the associated perks of booking while on board?

Many thanks as always to those who take the time to respond!

Jill

My family and I were on the Silhouette over Canadian March break last month and three of my four children used the kids club.

My older son, 5 absolutely loved the kids club and chose to be there when given a choice (ie - pool or kids club, show or kids club). They did crafts and played a lot of games with themed days. They also used the sports court outside throughout the day and would occasionally be taken to various parts of the ship for activities as a group.

My daughters (9 & 10) also participated in the club daily. They made such good friends that my eldest daughter was quite sad upon our return home that she would never see her friends again. Their age group had a lot of activities, access to Xbox gaming and they did a lot of scavenger hunts throughout the ship in unsupervised groups.

I would imagine that the 6 - 8 age group would be doing similar activities, but like the younger age group of 3 - 5, would be supervised at all times and would require a parent to sign in / out.

Supervised and paid lunch and dinner costs on the Silhouette was $6. There was also the option of paying after the free time (ends at 10 pm) and the rate was $6 per hour. There was a also a paid "slumber party" which I think was $6 per hour.

We have cruised with our daughters on two Disney cruises and one Norwegian cruise prior to this cruise, and they both said without hesitation that Celebrity had the best kids program.

Celebrity doesn't have the family orientation of Disney or the amped-up sun decks of NCL but we found the ship to be absolutely beautiful and sophisticated with something for everyone in our family to do.

Happy cruising!

OK - thanks everyone for confirming. Much appreciated!