hucifer

Okay, I don't know what M109A7 Paladin publications are, or why they must be verified, but they sound very important, and probably you should be focusing on your work. Please tell me you aren't an air traffic controller or something. I don't want to be responsible for any international incidents because you're too busy yucking it up on Cruise Critic to do your job! ;) (No, seriously, what the h*ll are Paladin publications???)

OMG, you crack me up.

 

I work for the Department of the Army. I am responsible for the publications that go with the M109A7 Paladin (it's a long-range firing howitzer). Think owner's manual for a tank. The soldiers read the publications and understand how to operate and maintain the vehicles. Google that bad boy. I have the best job ever.

 

Anyway...loving your report and looking forward to reading more.

Thanks for the info. We have this same cabin booked for November and was a little worried about the dining room being above us.

I had no idea that the dining room was above me, lol. Guess I didn't check before I booked. Well, you will have no problems with noise. :)

That would be a great option for those of us that don't feel we would benefit from the unlimited packages!

Agreed. I would definitely take advantage of this kind of offer, as I couldn't justify the cost of the unlimited package.

I was in 2667 and had absolutely no noise or issues. VERY quiet cabin.

WOW, micmacmissy. You are hilarious. I've been reading excerpts of your trip report to my coworkers when I should have been planning a verification of the M109A7 Paladin publications.

 

 

I'll have to dig up your old reports. I can't get enough of your sense of humor. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us!

Hi Everyone! I am reading this thread and looking forward to chatting with all of you!

Okay, this made me bust out laughing at work.

I downloaded your Excel spreadsheet from your Allure trip. I think it's such a good idea to keep track of activities. And you are absolutely right...I planned countless Disney trips using tables in Word (I am more of a Word nerd than an Excel expert) to keep track of park days, Fastpasses, and meals. I love to plan vacations! I think it is part of the excitement of the whole experience...the anticipation and knowledge gathering make the experience that much better.

 

I am on page 8 of your Allure report and I am loving that one too. VERY informative. I am sad that the "secret balcony" is gone, but still getting a lot of useful tips. Plus...your stream of consciousness way of writing is very honest and funny. I am grateful that you took the time to write these reports. Blah blah blah.

Harry,

 

I finally finished reading. Like your other fans, I want to thank you for writing such an entertaining and informative report. Love your wit. Am so excited about my Allure trip in September...you have inspired me to write my own report, provided I have the time. I know how time-consuming it is to write these things.

 

I am off to read your Allure report now. Many thanks for sharing your family's vacation with us. Looking forward to your past and future reports!

 

 

Wendy

Hi Lori.

 

 

Thank you for your review. I'll be taking this same cruise on the Allure this September and cannot read enough about this ship. If you figure out how to upload the Compass, I would also love to see it!

 

 

Did the rooms have hair dryers?

Loved your thorough review. Thank you so much for taking the time to post it.

Now here’s one trick for the REALLY ANAL people (we don’t have too many people reading this thread that fits that description, right?). What you can also do is “sneak in” on other roll calls to see if they already have access to their entertainment schedule.

 

For example, since your cruise is September. Maybe you can just observe in the shadows on what August roll calls are saying periodically. With the theory things are opened in sequential order such that if the July/August people are starting to see their entertainment venues opening up online, then you know your September cruise won’t be that fa behind.

 

Not that I would know anyone who would be anal enough to do such a thing, but just saying in theory it could be done…

Ummm...I already started reading other Allure roll calls. :o

As far as roll calls go, "your mileage may vary". I've been a member of many roll calls through the years and some are very quiet (maybe breaking 100 posts by cruise time) to very interactive (like my Apr 2018 Celebrity Solstice cruise that currently has 1335 posts).

 

Naturally, you may or may not have people that are high on the anal scale in your roll call (all of my roll calls did have at least highly anal me on it though). I do find that if I contribute my findings regarding the details on port load, what I'm doing on port calls, ship trivia, etc., this gets the roll call moving a little. So embrace your anality (a word I just made up) and contribute to your role call. You and your cruise mates will get more out of it.

Great idea. I will "embrace my anality," and tell them, "Cuz Joe said so."

 

(Sorry to keep hijacking your thread, Harry!)

Allure March 12 2017

 

I am sailing solo on the Allure of the Seas this March. DH doesn't like cruises. All my cruises have been solo. Love them!

 

 

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I'm sailing on Allure on 24 September 2017. First time on this ship, so I'm curious to read about your experience as a solo on her.

Unfortunately RCI is not as clock work as Disney where you know at the 180th day of whatever, that reservation slot is open. Things are much more “gray area” with RCI. Typically it’s 3+ months out before your entertainment reservation is opened.

 

That’s why I suggest you join your roll call and subscribe to their thread such that you know there will always be someone on the roll call that will be anal enough to check the entertainment schedule online daily to see if they can book it and let the rest of the people on the roll call knows.

 

Looks like you are doing the western route similar to us. Also check the Allure sub tab here on CC to see if others have recently posted any western compass so at least you can more or less map out what you want to do. Then whenever the reservation slots are open, you can jump on it without having to think on what to do.

 

Back in the old days, they had the water shows 2 times a night for the first 3 nights for the western route. I would suggest taking the earlier show as if there’s bad weather, they can reschedule it for a later time. And if for whatever reason you really love the show and want to catch it the second day, you can come back to be either in the stand by line on day 2 o watch it from the back standing room only area.

These are great suggestions! Thank you! I have already joined the roll call for the sailing, but it's been pretty quiet so far. Maybe we're too far out to chat about it much.

Indy is one of my favorite ships; I've been on her twice. I love her crew, so I'm surprised to hear that your customer service wasn't as good as mine. On the first night of our April cruise, I asked the head waiter if they ever served Indian in the MDR. He said, "Tomorrow, you will have Indian." And our table had an Indian appetizer and entrée every evening for the rest of our cruise. Just for us. Just because I asked about it.

 

Emilian at the Champagne Bar is the best bartender I've ever seen. He remembered me from a previous cruise, which was a nice bonus.

 

Glad you enjoyed the Independence. I would love to sail on her a third time!

Hucifer,

 

This tour sounds really great but I'm afraid it will attract too many loud groups of men that punch each other and call each other bro. The hubs and I are in our 40s and are with my 18 year old daughter and her boyfriend. Thoughts?

 

TIA

Forgive me, but your question made me giggle. I am 46 and I went on the Cozumel Bar Hop as a solo guest. There were a variety of age groups on the tour, which took about twenty (?) guests. Mostly couples. Some were in their 20s and 30s, some our age, and some a little older. I have to say that I met most of the folks on the tour, and they were very nice to talk to. Even by the end of the tour, no one was sloppy drunk and punching each other. :)

 

I don't remember the age restriction, so I'm not sure if your daughter is allowed to go. I actually learned of this excursion right here on CC, and after doing some more research, all I found were glowing reviews. It was a lot of fun, and it was wonderful to be on the empty side of the island. The folks who run this excursion did an excellent job of keeping us informed and entertained. Each of the four beaches were on the coast. I am returning to Cozumel this September and plan on booking this again.

 

Hope that helps!

Wendy

Thanks for the info on the bar hop. It will be many years down the road before we cruise without the kids.

 

It’s great that you will be going on the Allure. You will have many things to do and see - the different neighborhoods provide many photo ops. Don’t let the size concern you. If you look at the picture from Cozumel of Freedom next to the Harmony, yes, the Harmony is wider and longer but not by a significant margin.

 

If you plan to go back and read my old Allure report, the key take away is not the day by day events as those will likely have changed but to know that you need to have some sort of pre-planning. I am very biased in that I come from a Disney background where I am used to crowds and preplanning is second nature to me. So I’m not as bothered by having to pre plan as some folks here on CC are and I recall you mentioned that you used to write Disney trip reports so you know the preplanning drill very well.

 

Just know that they built more new events on the mega ships but not proportionally bigger to accommodate everyone. For example, the aqua theater only seats 600+ people and I believe they only have 6 water shows scheduled when we cruised. Simple math will get you to 3,600 people can watch the water show from the theater, but the double capacity of the ship is around 5,400. So you don’t need to be a math major to know they can’t accommodate everyone that wants a seat at the theater.

 

There will be stand by lines for the shows but the key is to sign up for things you like early online. Join your roll call and people will let you know when the online reservation for shows will open up for your sailing.

 

Especially popular will be the comedy show. I think the place only holds around 120 or so (?) and they have less than 20 shows planned as I recall. Don’t hold me to the numbers as it’s been couple of years and I am too lazy to look it up now. So that means less than 2,000 people can see the comedy show on a typical cruise. But since it’s for adults only, we didn’t sign up anyway. They did have one open comedy show in the main theater on last night of our cruise that is not adult themed for those with family that wants to watch.

 

So you will see that they offer more things to see and do on the Oasis class ships but they don’t build them to accommodate everyone on the cruise with the thinking that not everyone will want to do everything. If something is important to you (like a show), be sure to plan it out in advance like you would for a Disney vacation.

 

I still subscribe to my Allure report for anyone having a question as I will for this trip report after I am all done so if you have any Allure related questions feel free to drop me a line here or at the Allure report and I will try to answer them. Unless you are just catching me during the one week I am on my road trip in the summer, then I will get back to you with a delay.

That is VERY helpful info, Harry. Thank you!

 

Yes, you remember correctly that I have been to WDW a dozen times, and I am very much a planner (which puts me somewhere high on the Anal Scale). So scheduling ahead for the Allure is not out of my comfort zone.

 

My question is (forgive me for all the questions...the Allure truly is a new animal for me), how and when do you find out the schedule for all the performances? Does RCI inform you so many days out?

 

Again...thank you! :)

 

Wendy

Harry, if you are ever in Cozumel without the kids, you should consider the Cozumel Bar Hop. It's not an excursion offered through the ship. They take you to four bars on the far side of the island where there is no electricity or tourists. I enjoyed it, even as a solo.

 

I just booked a cruise in September on the Allure. First time on such a beast of a ship, and I have to admit that I'm a little intimidated by all it has to offer. I tend to prefer smaller ships. I will read your Allure report next, even if it's a little out-of-date.

If you think about it, what is a trip report/cruise review? It’s just a summary of the everyone’s vacation and barring anything bad happened on the trip, the report should have a joyful tone. If I just go and list out what I did every minute, then it’s like doing a time sheet for work – I spent 2.5 hours working on this client’s tax return and 1.0 hour researching this tax law and blah blah – not very exciting. By adding “fluff” and some stupid jokes on the side, it makes it more of a fun story line.

 

I also have read many trip reports prior to my cruises and like you, I don’t always finish them after I get started with my ADHD. Of the reports that kept my interest throughout, it’s the ones that show what the writer is thinking that kept me bound.

 

It’s simple to say, we went, we took pictures and we left. But if you explain why you wanted to see whatever and the thought process involved before and during the event, then the reader has more of a connection as they would think “what would I do” and keep on reading.

COMPLETELY agree, which is why I bypass most reports. I have written a few Disney trip reports and follow the same thought process. If you don't include humor, if you don't show what happened between the attractions, if you don't include an emotional element to the story, it will become dry and lifeless. I don't have time to read that.

 

I‘m probably the Howard Stern of CC where people think he is an idiot but they listen to show to hear what idiot has to say that may be funny or dumb.

I wouldn't compare you to Howard Stern, as he says things for shock value. Perhaps more of an observational writer, like a Jim Gaffigan or Jerry Seinfeld.

 

Obviously having tons of pictures help as not everyone cares about my blah blah rambling as a picture is worth a thousand words and everyone loves eye candy. CC makes it very difficult to insert pictures into the reviews. I am embarrassed to admit how many times it took me to finally figure out what to trim from the URL from Flickr to make it work.

While I appreciate how the pictures complement the story, I am all about the story. You are an excellent writer with a witty tongue, and that's what keeps me reading.

 

In that sense, I provide the same 3 “E”s in my trip report. Entertainment with my stupid jokes. Enrichment with my tips and mistakes to avoid for newbie cruisers. Experience with all the pictures so people felt like they came along with us on a cruise and see new sites.

A winning combination, I would say.

 

Finally, as for replying to all the people that posts a meaningful comment. Just my Asian etiquette that says I should respond if people have questions or comment. If they care enough to comment on anything I have said, I should acknowledge that with a response one by one.

That's mighty classy of you. Most trip report writers do not do that.

Challenge accepted. 20% X 5% X 10% = 0.1%. Harry deserves even more credit than you gave him.:)

 

And my AS rating is 8.734 (rounded to the nearest thousandth), not 9.2

 

Ah, thank you for the correction, Bob. And it does seem Harry deserves much more credit than my pie-in-the-sky guess gave him. As an English major, math is my nemesis, so I appreciate your response. To quote a famous action figure/fashion doll, "Math is hard."

Harry,

 

I have been thoroughly enjoying your trip report. Your sense of humor translates well into text. I am extremely picky about which trip reports I read, so consider yourself lucky. How picky? Since you're a numbers guy, let me put this in terms you may understand:

 

* I open about 20% of trip report threads posted on the RCI board.

* Of those I actually attempt to read, about 5% hold my interest long enough to read a few posts/pages.

* Of those that hold my interest, about 10% will keep me reading to the end.

 

That means that...

 

[pretending to calculate percentages]

 

...you have made the 0.8% of trip reports that I actually enjoy to the end. Congratulations!

 

I also love that you acknowledge every poster who makes a comment or has a burning question about your daily elimination habits or attire choices. I dig that.

 

So thank you for sharing all of this with us. Beautiful family! I promise that I will keep reading your report...since you are one of the 1.68% and all. Or whatever the real number is.

 

[waiting for those with a 9.2 on the AS to correct my math]

 

Wendy

This is an amazing journey I am on. I cannot believe the changes in my body in 2 weeks. Let's just start with the snoring that went away the day after surgery...unreal. I am running on a treadmill and I feel WAY better than I did before the surgery and it has only been 2 weeks.

 

That is GREAT news! I am really happy for you! Keep up the hard work and positive attitude. I hope you thoroughly enjoy your cruise. :)

That was vacations to go

 

 

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Great website. I use it for searching cruises before going to RCI and booking. I do believe they require a signup in order to search.

Has anyone done the 3 reef snorkel in Cozumel Through RCCL?

 

Yes, I did this excursion in April. Overall: it was okay, but I wouldn't book it again. At each reef, they are constantly telling you to stay with the group! Stay with the group! Which is distracting when you're trying to snorkel. The current keeps you constantly moving. There are some beautiful things to see below, but you have to keep up with the guides and I found myself half-snorkeling, half-keeping my eye out for the guide. At the second reef, a few of us were tired of trying to keep up, so we asked if we could get to the boat before our snorkel time was up.

 

By the third reef, about a quarter of us elected to stay on the boat and not snorkel at all.

Thank you for this encouraging information. As previously posted, I too am taking my next cruise in an inside after having a balcony on our last eight cruises. You have helped to ease my concerns.

 

I am so glad! I was concerned about "downgrading" to an interior, but I would not have had a better time if I had a better cabin. So much, like I said, that I booked another interior cabin while I was on that sailing. Looking ahead to future cruises, I will absolutely consider interior cabins first. And I used to consider myself a balcony snob. :)