shellster1

I just booked the Oasis in June. My son begged me to book this cabin instead of an ocean view balcony so we can people watch. (He's 9, so this makes sense I suppose.:)) Anyway, I booked a "neighborhood guarantee".

I realize they are interior with no ocean view, but I cannot tell if they are enclosed in the ship. Does this question make sense? In other words, if I'm on my balcony looking up, will I (kinda) see the sky, or the ship's ceiling??

I was just able to book an OTW cabana for a June sailing on Allure. Did it online. Said onboard only but it let me book it online. It shows up in my itinerary now, so hope it works.

I just booked an OTW cabana too, just now! It's on Nellie's beach though, not Barefoot beach. I'm on the Allure leaving June 11th. Maybe we'll be cabana neighbors?!:)

Frankly, I was surprised they were not sold out. It's not cheap but considering the amount of guests on the ship and the small number of cabanas available, I feel like RCCL could even price it higher and still sell out. Supply and demand, true?

Hi everyone!

So I'm looking to book the Oasis of the Seas this June for me and my partner in crime, who is my nine-year-old son. We typically cruise on Carnival because honestly, I always thought they were the most "cost efficient." However, we prefer balcony cabins and I just noticed if you DON'T look at the starting prices, and focus on the balconies, RCCL is not only competitive, but in many cases cheaper than Carnival. (At least this June, in the Carribean.)

Anyway, the thing that is maybe a little intimidating to me is the size of the ship. I read that guests must book shows in advance in order to go to the popular ones. Our favorites are the (PG rated) comedy shows. Is this true? Since it's March, is it too late to get seats for the popular shows? Also, how does dining work? Is there "anytime" dining in the main dining rooms? Is there usually a wait? Lastly, how does embarkation work? Does RCCL assign you a check-in time? Any other helpful tips would be greatly appreciated!! Thank you!!

The parking structure in Long Beach gives plenty of space to make those turns and is not narrow at all. You'll have plenty of room. I have an SUV on the larger side and didn't have a problem. Have fun!

I'm always concerned about the water temp. in the Bahamas, too. I think it depends on who you are with: If you're with adults, have a few drinks. The water won't feel as cold. :) If you're with the kids, that could be difficult. Some kids don't seem to mind if it's cold, while others won't even get their feet wet.

I'm going on a 4 day Bahamas on the 26th as well, with my son. (9 years old.) If the water feels too cool for him, he won't snorkel, but I can always convince him to go paddleboarding with me. He sits near the front with his legs in the water, while I try to stand up and get going. He thinks it's hilarious when I fall off, (which is constantly). Makes for a fun day. You could also go kayaking.

Have fun on your trip!!

I have so many wonderful memories, but the one that sticks out the most was at Grand Turk:

I was with my son, who was six years old at the time. Five weeks before our cruise, my mom passed away. Needless to say, I did not want to go on this trip. My mom was my best friend. She was only 59 years old when she died and although she was sick, she always had the spunk and personality of a teenager.

As I mentioned, I didn't want to go on this cruise, but everyone around me said I should go, that it would be "good for me."

So off we went. I silently cried on the plane, during embarkation, on the ship, etc...I tried with all my might to quickly wipe the tears away and pretend everything was great. It wasn't fair for my son to see me so upset. After all, he had just lost his grandma, who was his favorite person in the world. We were there to have fun, and I was determined to fake it all the way.

Truth be told, the week is now a vague, distant memory. I don't remember much of it. I don't remember the other ports we stopped at, or what we did. The only thing I remember is crying the day of embarkation...and the stop at the Turks and Caicos:

I booked a beach excursion that day. We took a shuttle in the morning and drove through what seemed to me like a ghost town. It was as though this island was deserted. I remember the bus driver mentioning some big development plans were made but had fallen through. Why I do not remember.

In any case, after about 25 minutes or so, we arrived at a beach club type of place. I remember it was nice...and also pretty deserted. The perfect place for me and the little guy.

We walked around the area and selected two beach loungers under this perfect palm tree to provide us with shade. The weather that day was gorgeous. There was not one cloud in the sky.

After we had eaten lunch, we decided to take a walk along the beach. I remember looking to my left and my right and seeing nothing but a very beautiful, long stretch of shoreline on both sides.

I remember hearing there was a lighthouse at the end of the island but I didn't know how far we were from it. Regardless, we decided to venture to our right since that was the direction of the end of the island.

We walked for what seemed like hours, playing in the waves when we got too hot. We could no longer see the beach club and didn't see another soul in sight. After awhile my son was tired, so we gave up on finding the lighthouse and turned back.

Needless to say, I thought of my mom the whole day. We started a tradition in 2002 of going on a cruise together every year, just the two of us. It was something we both looked forward to all year long. I was an only child and she a single parent. We were so close. Our cruises together turned out to be a highlight of both of our lives.

My mom's favorite thing to do at any port was to go to the beach and collect shells. She had the most beautiful collection of seashells I've ever seen. She was very picky about the ones she kept, and she took her sweet time finding them. Sometimes it would drive me NUTS!

Getting back to the story, on the walk back with my son, I started noticing seashells in the sand. They were so pretty, these perfect, sparkling little white seashells that seemed to be aligned in a way that reminded me of footprints; Footprints in the sand.

My son and I began to pick them up. As we did, it was as though the seashells were telling a story, the same story of famous poem The Footprints in the Sand. Soon my son and I started to find much joy and excitement in collecting these perfectly aligned shells!

Now I'm not necessarily a religious person, but I cannot help thinking there was something unique and perhaps extraordinary about that particular afternoon. It was as though my mom was there right next to me, showing her sweet little grandson and me the shells, and somehow telling us that even though we could not see her, she would always be with us.

Thank you!!

I haven't been on NCL for awhile now, and can't remember how the embarkation process goes. I seem to remember lines for latitudes, and lines for cabin type. Is this correct? I'm silver in the latitudes, and I'm booked in a balcony cabin. Like most of us, I like to board early. What time should I arrive in hopes to avoid waiting in a huge line, but also avoiding congestion with departing guests? Thanks!

One last note, since I was with my mom, I did feel like it was worth the extra $$. I'm going next month on a cruise with my BFF. It's her 40th Bday, so we decided tp book Breezes for that day to save a few bucks and possibly experience a little more of a party atmosphere. Just wanted to add a bit of info because I think choosing between these properties depends on the dynamic of your group, or with whom you're traveling.

Any more details on your Sandals day pass experience? Do you think it was worth the price? Were the grounds nice? Was it clean?

It has been awhile since I was there last, but I was very happy with the property. It was very clean. The pools were well kept, as well as all the restaurants. I remember there being plenty of beach chairs as well as plenty of space on the beach, so it never felt crowded. The food was good. The hotel lobby was well maintained and nice. People were friendly.

Even though I went with my mom, it is mostly couples, which was great because we didn't have to deal with spring breakers, or too much of a party atmosphere...but it was still a lot of fun and lively around the pools and bars. My mom had the time of her life! I did, too. It was a day I'll never forget.

The Sandals in Jamacia I feel, are a step up from this one, That said, I feel like compared to Breezes, Melia, Hilton, and Atlantis, Sandals might be the best choice in Nassau for adults who are looking for slightly more of an upscale beach day, without kids. Hope this helps!

Try http://www.bookatourcaribbean.com

I tried resortforaday.com and I got the same message, that they were sold out. I then went to bookatour and was able to get the same deal, you pay a small deposit and are guaranteed a spot, then pay the balance at the resort.

My date was also in March, during spring break. Good Luck!!!

http://www.bookatourcaribbean.com/

 

Looks like the price is higher now :(

 

 

 

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I just booked Breezes for the 22nd of Feb. through this website. I just wanted to add for anyone who is interested, the price I paid was $77pp. I bought 2. They charged me a small deposit, somewhere around $25 total. They then sent me a confirmation email that I print out and bring with me to Breezes, at which point I pay the remaining balance.

This is a wonderful way of securing your day pass, and also knowing that if it is pouring down rain, you're only out that small deposit.

Many private schools are on the same track as many of the colleges and universities, which take their Spring Break the first 2 weeks of March off every year, (that being Feb 26th-March 11th this year.)

I take my 9-year-old son on a cruise every year during this time and have honestly not noticed a significant increase in college kids or children, compared to say, the middle of January.

....and I would definitely notice. I wouldn't be able to enjoy a cruise around a ton of kids, old or young. We did the Disney cruise once, and once was enough. :p

Thanks so much for the info! I haven't seen the email, but now I see on the port schedule website that the itinerary has indeed been changed. I think this is a positive thing. We now won't be sharing the Freeport stop with the Breeze, making it less crowded at the Lucayan! :)

Thank you so much for the info. i appreciate it!!

Does the corkage fee apply only to the restaurants? If you want to keep a bottle in your room, do you still need to pay the fee?

Either way, do we carry it in our checked bag or carry-on? Seems like a dumb question I know, but Carnival allows only one bottle and it has to be in your carry on only. (Or maybe it's the other way around. I can't remember.) :)

I agree and I'm one of those masses who can't handle Nassau

 

Why?

 

Because I've been to so many other gorgeous Carib beaches and islands with much nicer locals that Nassau just isn't worth the effort for me

 

The locals in st marten at the great beach that's walking distance from the ship put the Nassau locals to shame

 

Just not comfortable in Nassau.

 

 

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Completely agree!! I'm another who wouldn't go to a public beach in Nassau, for the same reasons you have listed. Safety is a concern, and I feel like the locals aren't very welcoming or friendly towards tourists.

I was so impressed with St. Martin the times I've been there on cruises, I spent 2 months there with my young son 2 summers ago. We went to just about every single public beach on the island, (around 30) and it was AMAZING!! Never felt unsafe, and the locals are wonderful people!! Definitely not the same in Nassau.

We did it and got so hammered I forgot my name.

LOL!!! So did my mom and I! :)

I haven't been there since the hurricane, but I have been there, and can honestly tell you it is my absolute favorite thing to do in Nassau. I was with my 4 year old son, and while I think he may have been the only child, we had the most amazing time! The beach is perfect, the bartenders are extremely friendly, the drinks so good and reasonably priced, excellent food, and the overall comfort of this place is like no other, with the hammocks hidden under the trees, to the beautiful bar cabana area with the nice outdoor seating...it was a little piece of heaven. In the afternoon, it was so peaceful and relaxing, that my son fell asleep and was able to get his afternoon nap in.

I highly recommend it. I'm planning on going during my next cruise in February!

Thanks for the info!! I didn't receive the itinerary change email. Are they swapping the sea day and the Freeport day?

If it were me, I would choose deck 6 near the "secret" walkway. I have read guests really enjoy these rooms, as it's almost as though they have their own shared balcony with the other guests near them. One thing to consider, though, when there are people cruising around the deck, privacy may be an issue when your curtains are open.

Aside from that, another advantage of deck 6 is the convenience of the location. I feel like it's inconvenient to be so far away from all the action. I have been on deck 2 on the Imagination, and it was awful. The engine noise was loud, and I tend to worry about things I really should NOT worry about, like an engine fire, sinking, etc..Stupid, I know but I feel like I'm safer on a higher deck. Again, that's just my silliness.

Lastly, I personally LOVE feeling the gentle sway of the ship when I sleep, and I think it's more noticeable on the higher decks...although I could be wrong. ??

Let us know what you choose, and have FUN!! :)

If you are, I'm wondering if you have excursion options listed in Freeport??

I'm on the 4 day, Feb 26th cruise, and they have no excursions listed for Freeport. This has been bugging me, as I wonder if they are going to skip the port for that particular cruise?? I looked up the port schedule for Freeport the day we are expected to dock and noticed the Breeze would be there that day.

Also worth noting, I thought perhaps we might be rerouted to Princess Cay, but one of the Princess ships is there that day. It just seems odd to me. Another guest on my same cruise (who booked before I did) mentioned that they used to have excursions listed for Freeport but pulled them about a week or 2 ago.

We're on the 2/26 sailing as well and I was thinking the same thing earlier! Hoping they'll go to Princess Cays and skip Freeport. Maybe that's why they flipped the itinerary..fingers crossed!!

Just FYI:

So I did a little research on a possible itinerary change and found out (unfortunately) that there is a Princess cruise ship on Princess Cay March 1st, the same day we were hoping for a schedule change for the Liberty. :( I also noticed the Breeze (the Tim McGraw cruise) will be in Freeport the same day we are scheduled to be there. Looks like it's rare to have more than one ship in Freeport on the same day. From what I could tell, this only happens a couple times per month.

And since I'm on the topic, I think it's worth noting there will be either 5 or 6 ships in Nassau the day we are there. This isn't unusual, but since it's the beginning of spring break for many universities and schools (including my son's), Nassau might be more crowded than usual. Might be worth it to book an excursion early. ?? I was planning on waiting til we dock to make sure the weather cooperates before heading over to Melia, but I'm thinking I might pre-purchase the day passes on their website beforehand.

Hope this helps!!

I took my son to the Hilton when he was 3 or 4. It was just us, and we walked from the ship with no problems. It was very inexpensive, but I didn't buy the food pass, just the pool and beach pass. We loved every minute of it! It wasn't crowded, the chairs at the pool and the beach are really comfortable, the staff is great, and of course it's the Hilton so I felt very safe. I left our belongings unattended on a chair when we went into the water and everything was still there. I agree about the traffic, though. Just be careful, stay on the sidewalks and you will be just fine. Have fun whatever you decide!!

I've done a day pass with my mom in Nassau, and in Jamacia. It was so amazing! I highly recommend it.