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J.W., you have a real gift for writing. Hopefully we will all see you again in a book that you will write. Happy Trails, and thank you for sharing your gift here with us.

You didn't mention the age of your kids. Will you be able to put them in a kids club on the ship? If so, more choices for you as to where you park yourselves. The pool crowd and size isn't going to matter much to you if your kids are in the clubs, and they will have a good time in the clubs. You will be free to find a spot to lounge and enjoy yourselves instead of having to watch them at the pool.

NCL and Royal Caribbean have the edge on the kid friendly ships. Carnival tends to be way understaffed which affects everything! The two mentioned above generally are well staffed. If you are cruising during peak vacation seasons, it's a given that the pools etc. are going to be fairly crowded. That's just the way it is.

I've traveled for 10 years with groups of kids and they have always enjoyed the NCL and RCCL ships with outdoor activities and the kids clubs. When the kids are happy and sleep well, mom and dad are happy too! Good entertainment on NCL and RCCL too.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

I have it on good authority that JW will be back and posting on Monday. So get ready to laugh and remember not to drink anything while reading! [emoji23]

 

 

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Thank You! I check here every day. ( I'm addicted...what can I say?) I'm leaving very soon on my first trip on the Escape!

Good tip too...keep the beverages at a distance while reading.;p

We did the comfort suites to get the passes... since you are booking directly that will save you time... comfort suites cost us a good hour. Anyhow, we were there over spring break, did multiple slides and the river a few times around, checked out the beach, but did not take time to eat or snack... we were focused! Yes we could have used more time, but we did have fun in the time we had.

Good to know...thank you! And....yes, probably no time to eat, but well worth it!

Actually, a very good tip! Why didn't I think of that? Take the empty elevator going up, in order to go down. I'll try that.

Thanks again!

Thank You so much for taking the time to share your Escape experience. I've really enjoyed reading it!

On your arrival day back in port, how much time would you say that it took you to get off the ship and around what time were you off?

I have to schedule our pick-up at the port and knowing how long the procedure takes may help me gauge the best time.

Did you have breakfast on that morning...where?

The MCS Divina and the Carnival Liberty are also in port with the Escape in Nassau. I don't know anything about the Divina but Carnival will probably have families that will go to Atlantis and it has the longest dock time.

:cool: I have always taken the Atlantis Aquaventure excursion with my son and travel companions off of any, and every ship that we taken that stops in Nassau. We absolutely love this park! This coming cruise on Escape however, will be my daughter's first time in Nassau and I really want to take her to Aquaventure. I know how to skip the lines and buy our tickets direct from Atlantis, (for way cheaper than the shore excursion price), so we can maximize our time there.

Any opinions from Atlantis lovers if this port time is too short?

Remember that I am cabbing it to and from the ship and going directly to the water park. No lines or tour of Atlantis.

My signature has our sail date, but I think that the Spring break crowds should be gone by then. I'll have to check on which ships are in port with us.

I believe.... that the free space up around deck 19 aft is an adults only space called Spice H20. There is a waterfall grotto there, 2 hot tubs and the backside, of what I believe is the Vibe bar (So a bar), and a good amount of loungers.

Vibe $99, limited loungers with private bar...Spice H20 free. Not saying Vibe isn't worth the $, just providing another option.

Could have the exact location wrong but it is next to Vibe and called Spice H20.

BaHaHaHa;p! As I scanned the new threads, I misread this thread title to read, Muster cocktail drink list!

I thought...what??

I guess it's been a long day.

Thank you for your review! I will be sailing on the Escape soon and appreciate your comments about your trip.

Yes, they have the ropes course open on some nights. We went on them on the Nassau Day (Thursday) at night. It was a little windy so the starboard half was closed. They also did not have them open at all on Fri/Sat, so don't hold off if you want to go on them.

Great Tip! Thank You!

Also.....you said that you had a balcony. Any chance that you noticed the height in the showers? We plan to be sailing with a 6'7" teen that needs the height in the shower. Sounds like the room might be tight for him too.

We are thinking of booking a Spa balcony for him to have access to the Spa showers for him. Any chance that you saw the Spa showers?

Hi ClarkieCruisers, Thanks so much for your posting. I am looking to sail at pretty close to that exact time on the Breakaway next year with two 18 year olds and friends.

I have sailed out of NY before and know that the first day sailing out and last sailing in, can be pretty chilly. We have wet suits and use them for the evenings up on the pool deck. Our friends sailing with us don't have wet suits though. On other ships, RCCL, you can rent the wet suits. Did you see any wet suit rentals on the Breakaway?

Do you remember if they had the slides going at night? . Do they allow the ropes course at night?

Thanks!

My son is rather tall, 6'7". He had to bend over to take a shower on our recent Hawaiian NCL Pride of America cruise, in a suite cabin.

I'm wondering if booking a Spa cabin, which gives access to the spa showers, would give him more height showering? He will be 18 years old soon.

Any tips would be appreciated since we are looking at cruising with friends on the NCL Breakaway next year.

Maybe the Breakaway cabins have taller showers?

Thanks!

:confused:

I can't answer for a 7 night

We booked the Dream for the 10/31/14 3-night because, my teens really loved Halloween at Disneyland, and because Fairfax County, VA has the 31st through the 4th off.

From what Info I could gather it sounds like they really decorate the entire ship to include the dining areas. There are two Halloween themed parties on deck using the outdoor movie screen, a stage and costumed characters.

The first earlier party is the Not so Scary Halloween party with the standard Mickey, Mini and the gang characters for the younger set. The second party is later, 10:30? and is a Pirates of the Caribbean party that bumps up the scare factor using characters from POC movies, cannons, swords and hostages from the audience.

I thought I read about a Halloween dance or Disco late in the evening, but I didn't get enough info on that.

There is a Scary Ghost Tales of the Sea Video on the outdoor movie screen, but I'm not sure if that is on the 3 day Dream Itinerary. There is the lighting of the Jack-o-lantern tree which I think is in the Atrium with a story teller. Some groups are arranging trick or treating among their cabins. Check out your Roll Call group to see if they have started something for your Cruise Critic Roll Call group.

I've read about ship trip or treating but don't quite have a grasp on that or how it works or for what ages and when.

People said that they showed up on the first night (Halloween) in costume but there was nothing. All of the Halloween themed parties were on Pirate night, the second night. I don't know how it will be this year though and the 3 vs the 4 and 7 nights for other venues may differ.

If you google Halloween on "your ship" and then click over to images you will find the movie screen of: the Scary ghost Sea tales, the adult pirate party, and the Not-so-Scary party. You will also find images of the decorations and the Jack-o-Lantern tree that comes to life.

That's about it for my research. Again...not verified or guaranteed to be on your ship...just info that I have found. Happy Halloween!

I'm going on NCL. My travel agent said that the price may be cheaper on-board than pre-booking beforehand. NCL is charging $124. Anyone know or ever heard of this?

Prices could be less but personally,I think that it depends on when you are going. If it is a school break holiday, there may be more families heading to Atlantis. In that case, you may be taking a chance waiting to book on board if they get sold out.

If there is not a surge of kids expected on your date then I would not only wait until on board but I would would just cab it to Atlantis and buy the tickets there. We've done that before and it was less expensive and quicker than the excursion.

Also keep in mind your port time! (We are Atlantis nuts so we always look for the itineraries that give the most time in $$ Atlantis.) More time for your money.

The excursion...gathers everyone outside the ship to wait, then loads you onto minivans; at Atlantis the group is toured around the hotel ending up at the water park. Honestly, that alone can take 45 mins to an hour with your excursion group and by the time you get to the chairs, they are mostly taken! We got wise to that and on the second visit we told the tour guide that we had to get straight to the pool because of someone in our group's foot problem. We cut straight to the pools and got our towels. Visits after that, we just took a cab, got the tickets at Atlantis, and headed to the Waterpark.

Atlantis has towel shacks all over where you get your towels(included) and return them. We always set up near a snack bar to help the kids find their way to our seats. Or...right by an exit/entrance from the "crazy" River, again to help the kids find the chairs.

You Really Need To know the Layout of Atlantis to cut straight to the Waterpark AND find your way back in time! It is a massive resort!

We bring our wetsuits and pool shoes at different times of the year to guarantee that neither rain nor temperature will keep us from having a blast at Atlantis.

I hope you have a great time!

This thread has been a very helpful read...DH and I are headed for a 12-night British Isles cruise on the Ruby Princess in 2 months, and I've been worrying a bit about the dining issue. I have severe allergies to gluten and casein (dairy), in addition to milder issues with some seasonings. I have lupus, so it is vital that I avoid any additional inflammation -- exposure for me not only means 4 or 5 hours of agony and being close to the bathroom, it also means a cascade effect with the lupus. :mad:

Because this is a port-intensive schedule, I've been trying to figure out what I'm going to do about breakfasts - hopefully the MDR will be open early enough that it will be an option for us each day. I figure I'll be fine in London before the cruise - there's a Whole Foods about 2 blocks from the apartment we're renting! And I'm going to take Lara Bars and (will they let you take fresh fruit off the boat in the UK, since the boat is just going from one UK port to another?) fresh fruit if I can manage it, for lunch each day in port. I can't see risking a "pub" lunch really...

 

The email from Princess said to contact the maître d' as soon as I board - has anyone done this? They were actually very responsive - they asked if I preferred soy milk or rice milk, and really suggested strongly that I stick with the MDR or the specialty restaurants.

 

Lastly - I noticed several comments on the thread about seeing people who were apparently gluten-intolerant, or celiac, "cheating" (the Kellogg's cereal), or taking a risk by eating at the buffet...I can't understand that at all...:confused:

I would suggest that you put out a room service request each night for spoons, bowls and milk for the next morning to be delivered at a time that suits you. Then bring along a box of your favorite GF cereal. I know it's more like camping than cruising, but it gets you by.

First: This is ONLY A REVIEW. If you have Celiac disease and travel with active kids/teens/adults THAT DON'T TAKE THE TIME TO SIT IN THE MAIN DINING ROOM for each meal you may learn from this review. Or not.

I KNOW THAT TRAVELING WITH A MEDICAL DIET IS OUR CHOICE. THE CRUISE LINES ARE NOT OBLIGATED TO ACCOMMODATE US. We are very grateful that they even try. Without their effort we wouldn't be able to cruise anymore.

This was the first ship that we cruised on just after being diagnosed with Celiac disease back in it's inaugural year.

So this was our second time cruising on this ship Gluten Free.

The many different dining venues were gracious, educated and supportive in helping us to know what was available at each dining venue ON OUR FIRST SAILING on this ship. However that was not the case on this sailing. I boarded, thinking that I could be more at ease since I knew the attention that Oasis dining paid to GF diets.

Last time my son hung out at Johnny Rockets for breakfast and lunch. This time not at all.

Last cruise the head chefs were amazingly attentive, came out and pointed out all that was available, or not available. On our last sailing, burgers could be requested at The Wipe Out, Windjammer and Johnny Rockets. Fries could be ordered at Johnny Rockets. (not the other venues though because of common frying oil. )The head chefs were amazingly attentive. They even came out and pointed out all that was available, or not available.

In the main dining room, our Maitre D was on the scene and informed from our first night. Our waiters were outstanding!! They had a plate of GF steak fries at the boys table every night, ready and waiting when the boys sat down. That way my son had something to eat and share while the other boys gobbled down their bread and butter.

Not the same on this cruise.

This time, as I always do, I paid a visit to the dining room Manager first thing to confirm my dining GF in the main dining room. They confirmed my request. At dinner time though it was very chaotic on the first few nights. It took maybe two nights before we figured out who the Maitre D was. I always seek him/her out to give them $50 from the start to handle our GF request well. It took 3 nights before there was GF bread at my son's table. My waiter, at my table, was spot on after the first night. Therefore I would bring my plate of bread over to my son.

I pretty much left the research up to my 15 year old son for the aft dining options during the day since he would be on the Flow Rider and Teen activities on the back of the ship. He knows the routine. My bad!

This sailing the head chefs at each venue were not so gracious, and just stated that there was nothing available there and to try elsewhere. Johnny Rockets was the worst! The first time I visited and inquired this cruise, I had been told that the breakfast fries were no longer GF because of an ingredient but that the burgers and lunch the fries were fine (no cross contamination). The next time I went....Different Story....they said that I could order fries and wait 20 mins while they changed out the oil and made an uncontaminated batch. A burger had to be requested too because of a spice that they needed to skip.

One night I skipped my main dining to watch the sun set as we pulled away from our port. I had to be at the front of the ship for a scheduled entertainment venue at 8PM. I decided to run, (and I mean Run), to the Windjammer after the show ended to grab a bite for dinner. Since the show got out at 9:15, I didn't make it to the Windjammer in time before it closed at 9PM. (I tried anyway to see if it was still open as did hoards of other passengers that I saw in front of me inquiring to the attendant at the door. ) So that left...room service, Johnny Rockets, the Promenade Cafe and Sorrentos Pizza. I went to Johnny Rockets for some fries. An attendant outside barked at me that they don't do special requests. I replied that I was told to request for GF. He said that only at certain non busy hours, and non late hours could they accommodate me.(mine was late that night...9:30) I was gracious and thanked him for the update on the information. I walked away astonished at his behavior. I felt like I was at street vendor in Brooklyn.

One day at the Windjammer Cafe while the head chef was going over what there was to eat besides white rice and boiled potatoes, he pointed out Beef Burgundy. I Repeatedly asked, "Are you sure that it is GF, you don't use any flour?" (It was going to be the ONLY thing to eat other than rice and potatoes. ) He finally said that it was made specially with Guinness Beer! I told him that beer has gluten. He was embarrassed. I went away eating my rice and potatoes. I had eaten something bad in Haiti that caused me to feel ill so I was staying away from salads. I just wanted to be able to serve myself something prepared. I could have waited 20 mins for them to grill a chicken breast. The Promenade Cafe only had Glutinos GF snickerdoodle or chocolate chip cookies. Room service would take awhile, very limited options GF, grilled chicken or burger and I would be relegated to my room and eating very late. So I skipped dinner.

So now I am thinking.....what the ____ has my son been eating?

**There is a fabulous GF pizza at Sorrentos that takes 20 mins to prepare! You can choose your toppings! ( I was eating so much of that pizza that it sadly began to lose it's appeal.)

I surmised that my son wouldn't take the time to come down to Sorrentos for lunch, stand in line, order a pizza and wait 20 mins while his friends would be finished back up at the Wipe Out Grill. As it turns out....he ate hot dogs, pizza and frozen custard! Aghhh.( He also had a burger or 2 which did not bother him!)

We ate cereal that we brought for breakfast in our room out on the balcony. We ordered room service every morning for bowls, spoons and milk.

**Another special treat.....GF cupcakes that can be ordered at the Cupcake Cupboard a day in advance. Very yummy@ $3.00 each. (Same as regular cupcakes I believe.)

**This was the first time that there was a GF dessert offered at every dinner.

As for me, I found the best selection at the Solarium. I should have gone there every day for lunch and breakfast. I pretty much had a diet of grilled chicken breasts, potatoes, rice and pizza for lunch. (Eating at the Solarium would have upped that selection.)

This was an Easter break cruise as compared to a mid January Inaugural year last time so it is possible that this staff was stressed out. Main dining was very crowded!!!

**I bought the Royal Replenish package to be able to have smoothies, sparkling water and specialty coffee. That was a plus!

Having cruised on NCL a few times between our first Oasis sailing and this cruise...I have to say that the NCL handled the GF better than the Oasis did.....this time around. Service overall, in general on Oasis has gone down slightly from the inaugural cruise. In my case we are paying for the ship and what the ship has to offer families. It is an amazing ship!

I may try Allure next, for one more go around on a non-Easter break, and stay focused on the Solarium dining. It may just be better to sail on a smaller ship. (Which without my son....I would choose!)

So that is my experience on the current Oasis GF dining. Obviously if you are an adult, eat a lot of salads, don't mind the time required to put in a special order, don't mind sticking with the main dining room for all meals, or Solarium for bkfst and lunch....you're probably good. I'm living and learning!

Happy sailing and keep on keeping on cruising GF.

I'm a little late getting back on to CC, post cruise....however there was an announcement directly into our cabins at 3:10 in the morning of the 15th on the Oasis of the Seas. They were looking for passenger William Nabors.

I remember because, yes I had my alarm set for 3:30AM to go up on deck with a cruise mate to view the eclipse, and the name was just like actor "Jim Nabors."

(Had to decide whether to go back to sleep for 20, mins!)

I never did ask about it. I was with a big group and we were always busy. But at the end of the cruise, we all wondered what ever happened with the search for that passenger and was it an adult or minor?

Anyone out there know the story?

That was the first time that I have had the PA system come on inside my cabin during sleeping hours.

My son's first cruise shortly after being diagnosed with Celiac disease was on the Oasis of the Seas. He was 12. You will find a special forum, Cruise Foodies, under which there is a whole conversation about cruising Gluten Free.

This is my contribution posted after we returned from the Oasis in February 2011.

I would highlight a few things. The steak fries on the table as my son's group sat down for dinner was a huge plus. (They still had plenty room left for their entrees.)

Be very specific with room service and have them repeat your gf request back to you when ordering. We brought our own breakfast cereal and hot cocoa packets on board. We ordered a bowl, milk and hot water to the room or potatoes and bacon with hot water for the cocoa.

I had a selection of snacks for him to nosh on in the cabin when he was hungry. *Some of these items went with us on excursions for a stand-by GF snack.

We are cruising on the Oasis again in two weeks with the same group of young boys hanging out together.The boys often like to go grab a cookie, cupcake etc. I purchased the Premium drink package(?)for my son to be able to order smoothies and non-alcoholic slushies to which he could even add some soft ice cream. (Like at Rita's!) My son is not an adventurous eater, yet, but he knows what he likes and what is safe.

I wish you a relaxing cruise! Bring a Walkie-Talkieto be able to check in with them while you relax by the pool.

Cruise Critic Message Board Forums > Cruise Conversations > Cruise Foodies Gluten-Free Tips and Ideas (aka Allergies= PIA)

February 17, 2011

"Gluten-Free on the Oasis"

My gf son and I just returned from our E. Caribbean Oasis cruise.

We spoke with the dining room Maître’d upon boarding. Get there early. We were there at 11:30 and already, there was a line. Next, I went to speak with the head chef at each dining venue. Don't waste your time with the food staff! Go straight to the chef. They were extremely accommodating. Even when busy! I can't say enough about the wonderful staff on board this ship.

That said, if you are traveling GF don't worry about putting on any weight. The frozen custard station by the pool only had cones. My son asked for a cup at the bar and got a large beverage cup without a spoon. With the lines at the machines and the slow speed with which it dispensed, my son decided not to use the large cup for fear of mutiny. He was embarrassed. He did find that the Wipe-Out Cafe at the rear by the sport court also had a frozen yogurt machine. Since it is a fast food buffet, he could grab a bowl and a spoon to use and get the frozen yogurt right there.

But being a tween this put him out of place with his group as they could jump from the pool to get their treat. They did spend a lot of time at the back end of the ship though so he did have a chance to eat a plain burger and frozen yogurt back there.

The French fries on the ship are coated with wheat. The steak fries and hash brown potatoes found in the main dining room, and the fries and breakfast potatoes at Johnny Rockets were the only GF food, other than meat that he regularly ate.

He does not have a severe reaction if he eats gluten. (Though he definitely has a reaction.) So for this reason I didn’t worry too much about him grabbing a burger at the Wipe Out or Windjammer buffets on his own with his friends. I knew from research that Johnny Rockets was going to be a fall back. He ate lunch there often and ordered a shake too. They were awesome to him there too. Note that you are going to pay a $5.00 cover and $5.00 for the shake at Johnny Rockets. Of course my son was a generous tipper too!

For breakfast we ordered room service, bacon and potatoes with milk for the cereal that I brought and hot water for our cocoa. He also went to Johnny Rockets (free for breakfast) for bacon and potatoes and hot chocolate. In the main dining room he had grits, bacon, potatoes and gf pancakes. The pancakes were not as good as my gf pancakes at home. (Kind of rubbery)

At dinner we had the most amazing staff. I tipped Sabbanni, his waiter, and Ricardo our head waiter *on the first night. Sabbanni put a large platter of Steak Fries on the table every night, right in the center of the table, for all of the boys to share when the bread came out.

I was so impressed by this gesture. He didn’t want my son to sit there and salivate while the other boys chowed down on the bread and butter. The French fries had gluten so he made sure to have the "steak fries" available.

My son chose to have steak just about every night. So he had steak, steak fries, and a vegetable. He also had the grilled chicken and a burger once.

The burgers on board are thin patties. JR's offers a thicker burger option.

My son is 12 so he spent most of his time at the back end of the ship where the flow riders, sport court, zip line, rock climbing wall, putt putt course and teen lounge are. And…yes he lost weight.

Here is the breakdown for tween GF survival:

Bkfst- Johnny Rockets-potatoes, bacon, ham, eggs, cocoa/ Main Dining- potatoes, bacon, grits, fruit, pancakes/Solarium-fruit, whole eggs (not prepared) grits/ Windjammer-didn’t go but assume it is the same (ask about the eggs)

Lunch-Johnny Rockets-burger, fries, shake/ Windjammer buffet -burger patty and fruit/ Wipe-Out-Café-burger patty and frozen yogurt

Dinner-Main Dining-Steak, grilled chicken , steak fries, burgers

For a tween the other venues were too much work and too much time.

Big Al, I have really enjoyed this post about balconies. I literally am ROTFLOL at the reference to a broom closet and many of the posts from you all here!

I was a Flight Attendant for many years. I always (before 911 regs) went up to the cockpit to see the Aurora Borealis, asteroid showers, thunderstorms etc. I ALWAYS take any window seat, as a passenger, to see the sky and possible thunderstorms. Love, Love , Love those storms. Especially if they are off in a distance. So I am a true geek when it comes to viewing nature's artwork. Can you imagine a passenger plane without windows? I can't.

My first cruise was a Windjammer cruise. Boy, if you don't feel connected to the sky and sea on one of those cruises, you're a zombie. All of my cruises have been with an ocean view. (Some before balconies) I ALWAYS hear that lame song about, "spending little time in your room so what does it matter," and I never get it. The room is important to me. I Love looking out the porthole/window at the sea.

Well, I did not like the Oasis of the Seas the first time we sailed on it. It didn't occur to me until some time later that it was because we had, for the first time, an interior room. (A large interior) I felt like I was in an enclosed mall (aka broom closet) the entire cruise! Our cruise was very crowded, with no chairs at the pool and long lines at the eateries. It was the first time that I didn't feel that "cruise nirvana." I told everyone that I like the feel of a standard ship, and therefore prefer the Freedom or smaller class ships over the Oasis size ships. But the answer, as you have pointed out, is in the cabin not necessarily the ship. I NEED that connection with the sea! I get it now.

Our group is cruising the Oasis again, so this time I booked a hump balcony! On the smaller ships I feel that I could do an ocean-view, but ask me after I experience this balcony! I have previously chosen the ocean-view because my son was younger.

I Love your ideas for eating. I'm done looking for a place to sit and eat. Balcony.

No seats by the pool? Balcony.

I always bring a small sound machine. One cruise we had packed up the machine for the last night luggage prep and noticed a ton of noise that we Never heard with the machine running. (I like to be near the elevators)

We will pack the binoculars this trip too, thank you very much.

A question....on the Oasis does the air conditioning shut off if the balcony door is unLocked? Not open, just, unlocked. I heard that the lock/unlock triggers the air.

And if locked from the inside can one unlock it from the outside?

Thanks a million! You guys have some great stories.

Thank you all for the info!

My dd23 is really into the roaring twenties and this looked like a perfect pick for her.

Has anyone booked the 20's Prohibition Party in the Jazz Club on the Oasis of the Seas? Sounds like fun but was wondering if it is worth $35? Does it get too crowded?

Did you say you were on Looking at Oasis?

We sailed the last week of January/ first week of February on the Oasis.

We looked at the photos that other cruisers had posted while using the flow rider. We noticed the wet suits, hat and scarf on the Flow rider employee. So...we all brought our wet suits.

Remember that the sun sets earlier so you have a slightly more dark hours without the sun.

Up on the pool deck it is cold at night because of the winds. obviously if you are wet it will be even colder.We had the flow rider to ourselves after dark because of the wet suits.

At Atlantis we wore our suits and had a blast. Couldn't have done it without the suits though because of the water temps, and the wind.

FYI on the Oasis you can rent wet suits to use on the ship. (I'm not sure if you can take them off the ship.) People figured this out as the cruise progressed but it still wasn't crowded after dark on the pool deck.

We were on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary. During the day it was plenty hot. On the beaches I used my wet suit jacket and my son wore his wet suit to snorkel because the water temps were just slightly cooler than what we prefer. There were plenty of people that were in the water though.

I would think that the gulf waters would be warmer however I would plan on any activity on the upper deck to be chilly while at cruising speed.

We loved it, and it helped to have the wet suits.