acegolfer25

Never been on 3-nighter before. All others cruises had formal nights. Does a 3-nighter also have a formal night? 

We are going to cozumel on indy. Any free wifi spot within walking distance from the (International) pier?

11 hours ago, Retired LEO said:

There is a sign in your room that says ice is available upon request.

Can I request glasses as well?

1 hour ago, island lady said:

I am assuming from your signature that you are sailing in January?  Not sure when your dining reservations are...but earliest first seating is 5:30.  You might find that since the sun goes to bed around that time in January, pretty much all you will see for a view at the window is your own reflection.  Very, very bright in the dining room..and dark outside.  

1 hour ago, pcur said:

Agree.  If you eat after 5:45pm, you see nothing.  

This will be our 3rd Indy in January. In previous 2 sails, we got the window table at 5:30 pm using the method in OP. The sunset around 5:45 pm, which we enjoyed while dining. We want to get the window table to repeat the experience.

While cruising, I want to communicate with other guests without paying for internet. I was able to do that using Royal IQ + discord. 

Does RCI app allow hidden access to certain websites/apps? 

In 2016 and 2017, when we sailed on Indy, we had MTD. On first day, we asked Maitre for the 1st available window table for the entire cruise. In both occasions, we got the window table with a nice view. Will this method still work on Indy (or any ship)? 

Or, any strategy to reserve a window table? 

21 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

^ that only works on ships with the Royal IQ app - won't work on Indy.

Does RCI app on Indy allow any backdoor access to any page/app?

We liked Bernards. But it may not be best for Maho beach because Bernards tour spent just 30 minutes there. 

Any websites/internet app that are backdoor accessible without paying for internet? For example, discord app works in Harmony without the internet package.

On 11/11/2018 at 10:36 AM, LuCruise said:

Call Royal.  They will assign each of your kids a C&A number and give them credit for past cruises.  When we sailed Allure for first time with  our kids it didn't occur to me and numbers weren't automatic.  When we booked our next cruise, Royal rep noticed.  He transferred me to C&A department to assign numbers and they have credit for past cruise.

TY. I called C&A. Got credits for all the sails including our 1st cruise 10 yrs ago.

We have 2 young kids that we sailed together since they were born. But we didn't create C&A accounts for them. Now, if we create accounts, can they get credits for all previous cruises? How-to?

We will cruise on 1/3/2019 and it will be our 3rd IOS (1st after reno).   

I'll be on another Indy 4-day cruise (my 3rd Indy but 1st after reno). I live in FLL and always used port parking for its convenience. It's $15 per day, IIRC. You may not like to wait in a line again, after going through customs.  

1 minute ago, Biker19 said:

Totally different set up on Harmony as it uses the Royal IQ app a lot of internet traffic gets by without a VOOM package.

Good to know. My next cruise is Indy (IOS). Will OP Google Sheet work without paying?

Good to know that Google Sheet works with non-paid WIFI. I was on Harmony in July and found Discord app works too.

I was thinking the same thing. OP, have you posed your question to the people that would be in the inside cabin? They might feel differently than most of those answering your question.

I'm the one who will sleep in inside.

I'm OP. We are 2 parents + 13 yo (RCL charges as adult) + 8 yo. I'll be the one who sleeps in inside. So cabin arrangement is no issue.

the only issue that I read so far is different muster station, which should not be an issue. How about dining reservation?

I checked the prices for a future cruise for a family of 4 (3 adults + 1 kid).

1 balcony for 4 guests: $2433

1 balcony for 2 + 1 inside for 2: $2318 (2 rooms are about 20 yrd apart on same deck)

With 2 rooms, we will have 2 bathrooms + more space. Anything that I should be concerned about before committing?

We were there 2 weeks ago.

1. St. Maarten - We took Bernard Tour II (5 hours). The guide explained the damage from the hurricane. It is still bad. According to him, the ppl are working hard to get the island in a better shape before this winter (high season). As for beach, he took us to Grand Case, which is in a better shape than Orient Bay.

2. San Juan. The ship left at 2 pm so we only had a few hours to explore old San Juan. That part of town was okay.

Are you saying non-bungalow guests cannot use the beach at Columbus Cove?

Non-bungalow guests can use Columbus Cove. Only the far end part (about 20 yrd width) is reserved for bungalow guests.

I'd not recommend bungalows because not all of them are close to the water. Imagine a triangle, where one side is the water line, another is the bungalows and the other line is the rope that separates from the general area. Some bungalows are 20 yards from the water.

Instead of bungalows, get the free beach chairs and place next to the reserved area. Lots of shades as you can see in the picture above. This is where cruise entertainers relax. I met ice skaters, actors, divers.

How were the seas? I'm on Harmony next year the week of 4th of July and my family is a little worried about rough seas (usually we only cruise in the Spring). I know that seas change and such but thought I would ask.

I was on harmony 2 weeks ago. When we were on deck 16, we could feel the ship rocking. But hardly noticeable in our cabin (deck 8 forward). We usually cruise in January. Can't tell the difference.

They charge by 30 minutes. $3.50/30 min

We (4 including 12 & 8 yo girls) were also on the same cruise. This was our 5th RCCL cruise, in addition to 1 princess + 1 disney.

In St. Marrten, we took Bernard's SXM Tour 2, where we spent 90 minutes at Grand Case beach. The guide said this beach was in a better shape than other beaches in the island after Irma. The day we visited, it was excellent. Shallow clear water with no waves. I agree that Maho beach is not for kids.

In San Juan, we walked to the Castillo El Morro (fort) around 10. Took about 30 minutes. We were exhausted in heat, when we got there. My advice, go early or get a taxi. Kids liked the experience.

At Labadee, we took the 1-way boat and then walked to Columbus Cove (the farthest beach from the ship). There's a reserved beach area at the very end. We grabbed 2 beach chairs (free) and placed them under the palm tree right next to the reserved area. Best decision ever. Being next to the reserved area, it was the least crowded area. No rocks and clear water. We found lots of fish (hand size) swimming. Over time, as more people arrived, the water got murkier. Turns out this is also where cruise ship entertainers hang out. We saw dozens of ice skaters, drama actors, aqua theater team relaxing in the beach.

If anyone wants top quality food, go to specialty restaurants. Being on several cruises before, we didn't have high expectation on MDR food. We ordered several dish/desserts and shared among 4 ppl. Sometimes, we ordered 5. We liked trying out different new dish that we haven't tried before. Unlike OP, we did MTD. We didn't like our wait staffs and requested a different table on the following day. Much better service so we stayed with them the rest of the trip. If you want a table by the window (nice water view on deck 4 MDR), you can make reservation with the maitre, unless they are all booked. (Note, obstructed view on deck 5)

I agree pool, slides closing at 7 was disappointing. If you are early time dining, then too late to use them after dinner. If you want to use slides, when less busy, then I recommend late dining time. After 6 pm, the slide line is almost non-existent.

We went to the Aqua theater 3 times to finally watch the entire Fine Line show. 2 got cancelled during the show because of weather, technicalities. If you don't have reservation, you can still sneak into the theater from Deck 5 (running track) or 7 (rock climbing).

This is our 1st cruise where we stayed in inside cabin. I learned that the ocean view excitement wears off after the 1st day. And the chair in balcony is not comfortable for seating long. To enjoy the ocean view, we went to Deck 5 running track forward. They have 10+ beach chairs with large windows. Went there to read books almost every day with my kid. Chairs always available. Being close to the sea level, the splashing water sound was also relaxing. The temperature is just about right.

Correct, empty chairs on the pool deck were hard to find. If you want one, claim one early.

The cruise planner only shows 1 type of show for Aqua theater, ice rink and main theater. But note that each theater also provides another production show (6 total). Including comedy, headliners, you can enjoy new shows everyday, which are entertaining.

Having been on RCL cruise 4 times including Allure before, I was not disappointed at the ship/crew/food/shows, Even if there were 6k+ passengers, I didn't feel too crowded compared with other ships. Pro tip: Always use forward gangways to get off at the port. There are 2 gangways in the forward vs. 1 in the back and less people use forward elevators.

During 7-day Harmony cruise last week, I was getting notifications for discord chat app, even if I didn't purchase Voom. I was connected to "royal-wifi" to use Royal IQ app. I could only see the messages in the notifications. Of course, couldn't open chat or reply.

Columbus Cove. Last week, I met ice skaters, actors, entertainers hanging out at the far end near the reserved area.