andersonrm

My DH and I enjoy having a nice dinner and then an evening out and about on the ship on both casual and formal nights. To us, it feels more special to have made a little extra effort to look our best. Plus, it reminds me what a handsome guy I married! ;)

The Conquest doesn't have an adult Serenity area, if that makes a difference. Sunshine has the Cucina Del Capitano restaurant, the Red Frog Pub, and the Havana Bar. If prices were comparable, I would choose the Sunshine. If you're cruising before Memorial Day, there should be fewer kids on board either ship, as well.

No, it's basically a pasta bar. You are given a sheet of paper and check off the ingredients (meats/veggies) you want included in your pasta platter, and hand it to your server. Bread and salad are included, but no dessert that I recall. It was yummy on the Breeze, and a much nicer dining experience than the Lido buffet at lunch!

We have always given cash (not in an envelope) directly to our wait staff individually when we want to give them a little extra for taking such good care of us. This is in addition to the auto gratuities. They always thank us and slip it into their pockets. I didn't realize they might be turning it in to their supervisor.

On that day, we checked in with Southwest curbside, which was busy, but very well organized. They had a single line, and the next available agent would call the next person in line, just like inside the terminal. Took about 10 minutes or so. The long line I described previously was the security line to get to your gate after check in and bag drop. Like I said, it was the first time we had encountered anything like that, so there must have been something out of the ordinary going on.

On our last cruise in December, we arrived at the FLL airport about 10:45 am after docking in Miami. The security line stretched down the corridor and around the rental car counters before even getting to the point where they check your ID and boarding pass. It took us close to an hour to get to that checkpoint. It doesn't matter what airline you fly on, everyone stands in the same line to go through security. I've flown out of FLL numerous times post-cruise and had never encountered anything like that, so not sure what was happening, but we were glad our flight didn't leave until after 1:00 pm. I think it was a fluke, but if it would make you feel more comfortable doing the TSA pre-check, I would go for it. Otherwise, walk off with your bags as soon as you are able so you can get to the airport as soon as possible.

On our last cruise, we were serenaded 3 nights in a row! We had ATD and sat at the same table all 3 nights. It was really sweet, but by the third time, we gently stopped them before they could launch into song! Bonus was 2 desserts on those nights! :)

We will be getting off the Sunshine on August 9th, and have a 12:20 flight. We booked a private shuttle with Star Trans with 9:30 AM pick up time. Hopefully, we'll arrive at the airport in plenty of time, but maybe we should move that up a half hour or so.

We took the Breeze tour on our March cruise. We really enjoyed it and highly recommend it. The excursion desk was open when we boarded, so we headed straight there and booked the tour.

Ask for Yaco and team for your waiter.

 

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We second the recommendation of Yaco and his team! We met them on the 2nd night, and requested them every night thereafter.

We loved the Liberty! ATD is located in the Golden Olympian Forward Dining Room on Deck 3. It's very convenient to enjoy a drink in the Flowers Lobby Bar while waiting. As far as the wait, we requested a table for 2 each evening, and waited a maximum of 15 minutes at most. The ship was full as it was the New Year's sailing, so the only real waits we experienced were on the formal nights. Enjoy!

We always request a table for 2, as well as a window table. The window request always adds a bit more time to our wait, but never more than 30 minutes total, even on the busiest nights. If we like our service team on the first night, we will request them for the rest of the cruise. After the 2nd night, it was part of our information when we checked in.

I believe it applies only to active duty and their dependents. On the Continental website, it states 'active us military personnel'. It doesn't matter whether your traveling on orders or leisure. Dependents receive this benefit when traveling with the military member. Unfortunately, retired members are not eligible.

Are there any restrictions for US military or DOD personnel visiting Mexico? Specifically, the cruise ports?