colocop004

Last time for us it was $10 per day plus 18% gratuity, total $11.80 per day

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Yes, cocktails are complimentary any time they are open, I think they do have some snack items, but not much. They also have k cup types coffee drinks that are pretty good.

The decor I guess is dark, but I think it is more warm and cozy rather than dark.....

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They are all good! As far as the size of the cabins, all the verandah cabins are pretty much the same size. The Summit is an M Class ship and if you are interested in a Concierge Cabins are slightly larger.

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They have a few extra perks and you also get more points for the Captains Club. On M Class ships, the rooms fare slightly larger, but on the S Class ships they are the same size as the rest of the verandahs.

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A quick heads up on the San Juan scammer. I don’t think he has been at it for years but this is an interesting read.

 

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1079834&highlight=Scam

 

 

 

Post 179 is the picture of the scammer.

 

 

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=41868302#post41868302

He approached us in December 2017, he is still at it!

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This guy is alive and well, he approached us in OSJ in December 2017

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Congrats on your 40th!! As far as returning to RCI due to your previous cruising history, membership does have it privileges. Contact the Crown and Anchor Society to sign up and see if they give you credit for your past history, I am sure there are others who know more about that and you will get a few coupons loaded on to your sea pass.

As far as lines go, I would think that you would enjoy RCI again, but in my opinion they cater more towards families, there are a lot of activities on all of their ships (ie the flow riders, rock climbing walls, ice skating rink etc).

My favorite cruise line is Celebrity, they do not have all the activities like RCI. Their motto is “Modern Luxury”. I think the food and service are both better on Celebrity. The passengers on Celebrity are a bit older than on RCI and fewer families depending on time of year. Spring break, summer and holiday cruises will have more children that other times of the year.

As far as ships go, I am partial to the Solstice Class of ship on Celebrity, they are simply amazing. On RCI I love the Oasis and Radiance Class of ship. The Oasis class are the largest ships at sea, while the Radiance Class are much smaller, but are my my favorite class of ship! I enjoyed the Freedom Class, but they are not may favorite. I have not been on the other classes.

Destinations are really a personal choice, I really enjoy all itineraries in the Caribbean, and not really a big fan of the Bahamas. My favorite cruise ever was to Alaska. We do go to the Caribbean every year, but I am looking forward to returning to Alaska in 2019.

I know my answer are very vague, but if you have more specific questions maybe we can help more!

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I believe it was 1000 points last month on FOTS, not sure if M Life status changes that.

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We did not do a cruise tour with Alaska, I wish we would have but that another story. We did the inside passage round trip out of Seattle, andI have to say that out of 20 plus cruises, Alaska was by far my favorite. We would absolutely go back.

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I am pretty sure they are not allowed any more.........

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We love the Royal Suite, don’t forget about the hot tub on the balcony!

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Working, generally one per year the week after Thanksgiving, but every 2 or 3 years we try to squeeze in a second.

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We bought the same package for our upcoming Navigator cruise in March. You must choose either the 1st or 2nd night to start and they will assign the restaurant, which you can change once on board. Then, you will need to set the other 2 dining times and restaurants while on board.;p:cool:

I would make this your first stop once you board the ship, to make sure you get the days and restaurants that you want.

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On Independence back in September 2016, I could use my SeaPass card to play at the table. On the slots there also was a touch screen that I think people could use as a bank do download money to the slot machine. But don't quote me on the last one.

This is true on Celebrity, not sure on RCI.

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If you get cash at the casino against yur SeaPass card, there's a 5% charge, unless you have a cash type onboard account or are a member of the player's club.

It is 5% even as a member of the players club, and it is charged until you reach VIP level, which I think is 1000 or 1500 points while on the cruise. VIP also gets you free drink in the casino. Nice if you don’t have the drink package!

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Do the staterooms have coffee pots in them? If so, are they pod-type pots or coffee packets? (I'll be on Liberty of the Seas.) I've heard the coffee sucks and was thinking about bringing my own.

As mentioned, only in JR suite and above. They are coffee packets. They were ok, not great. I drink more hot tea than coffee and these coffee makers were awesome to make a cup of tea!

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So we have sailed as a part of a large group once a year for the past 12 years. This group has been between 400 and 1100 (This was on Allure). I know that our groups presence has never been announced to the rest of the passengers prior to the cruise or once we have boarded. What I can tell you is that none of the cruise lines we have sailed have ever closed the MDR for us, yes we get a large section to dine in, but the rest of the guests have plenty of room to eat in the MDR as well.

The ships have never cancelled any entertainment for our groups, our group does reserve the main theater for our entertainment after the ships entertainment is over, usually around 11:30 pm.

The group also books smaller venues for private parties, but only during hours that the venue would not have been open to begin with.

They do book the entire pool deck for a pool side dance/ costume party once each cruise, but again it is at 11:30 or later and the pools are already closed.

I can not speak to any other large groups, but this is how the group we sail with books the large venues and their events.

Hope this helps!!!

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But Graham, just think of all the fun you are missing. And if you play enough, you can get some of those FREE drinks using the better alcohol and beer/wine. You might even get a bottle of wine sent to your room compliments of the Casino Host.

 

 

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Oh so true Milwaukee! Last month on Freedom the cruise host and the dealers loved us.

The dealers gave us two bottles of wine, on two separate nights in the casino. We took the wine to the specialty restaurants and enjoyed them with our friends.

The casino host sent us two fruit bowls, a bottle of Grey Goose, a bottle of very nice rum, another bottle of wine and a bottle of champagne to our room. We gave this bottle of wine away, we do not like pink wine! We took the champagne to the pool deck and annoyed a wonderful afternoon at the pool! (We traded out glasses for plastic champagne glasses as well.

We also won (aka Pre-paid) two cruise certificates. All of this was done after my husband and I won $8k and $7k each on craps the first night of the cruise, my husband wound another $8k on roulette the third night. Of course this was all free money and we were having a blast, so we continued gambling and ended up giving it all back by the end of the cruise, plus a little. But hey, we got a lot of free booze, and two free cruises!

(We never ate the fruit baskets as the fruit in the WJ is already cut up and ready to eat lol!!)

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As I smoker and gambler, I agree with everything said in this thread. I prefer the non-smoking casinos on Celebrity. In fact I voted for the state wide indoor smoking ban in Colorado many years ago. I have no problem going outside and take a break from the casino.

We were also on Freedom last month and I would agree that the smoke was very bad in the casino. I did find it interesting that the bar tender would not allow smoking while sitting at the bar. They did have an area for non smokers, but there was never anyone there. It had been several years since we sailed RCI and I was shocked that smoking was still allowed in the casino.

This is not just an RCI problem, I was on Princess in 2015 and the only difference was that there was a small section of the casino that allowed smoking, and the rest of the casino was non-smoking. The smoke did drift throughout the casino. But now that I think about it, I believe they also had non-smoking nights where there was no smoking allowed.

If RCI wants to allow smoking in the casinos, there should at least be a compromise with non-smoking hours or nights.

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In concierge class they have upgraded bathroom amenities, no need to bring your own.

If you are interested in the pillow menu, Ask your cabin steward, they will not offer it to you.

You will love Tuscan Grill.

You asked about the wine package. Have you considered the full beverage package? Classic or premium, they both include a nice selection of wines by the glass, and they are unlimited, plus you get cocktails, beer and non alcoholic beverages as well. For us this is the only way to go.

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Like others have said, wait till you board to decide to upgrade your beverage package, there is a possibility that everything you want is included! We do always upgrade as I do not want to have to worry about on board spending, and we get our money’s worth. If you think you will want to go to the martini bar every night, then by all means upgrade. No matter what your preference of cocktail is, they will have something for you at the martini bar.

We also love to wear our tuxes and have rented them for every Celebrity Cruise, even after the change to Evening Chic. There will be others in tuxes, so tell the DH to wear what he wants, it is his vacation!

We generally arrive between 10 and 10:30. We have been the first ones on the ship for the last 4 cruises, yes we do book suites, so we are the first ones on board. This is our first ship day and we like to take advantage of every minute on board the first day!

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Celebrity all the way. We are 37 and 45 and have been sailing Celebrity almost exclusively for the last 7 or 8 years. I have been on one Princess Cruise and had a great time, but I sincerely missed Celebrity.

Someone mentioned that Princes was more elegant, I guess if they mean that it has an older, darker feel that is correct. Celebrity’s Motto is Modern Luxury, which is 100% correct. The ships feel newer, are more refined and very luxurious.

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The rudest ever was a gay man feeling the bum of a waiter.

When the waiter complained the gay man said he could do it and he would get the waiter sacked if he complained.

Wow, as a gay man I would have gone to assist the waiter and encouraged him to report the passenger...

As a police officer I would have done anything to make sure the passenger was charged criminally.

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The answer is yes...... lol.

I would guess that you have to book both and pay for both. You can always wait till you board and ask at the shore ex desk. Or call RCI and ask prior to your cruise.

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Yep, one device at a time. We switched between our cell phone and iPads multiple times a day.

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