RCCL Fan

American offers limited service to FLL, and a ton to MIA, their hub. We're picking up kids from school, headed straight to the airport, MIA was the only option in our time frame. It's also spring break, we can't change flights or hotels now....

I can!

Yeah that's likely what we'll do. Issue is you have to lug all your bags out of the Rental Car Center, across the highway to the terminal, then down to Baggage Claim, and walk down to the uber pick up area, where our last two experiences we would order an uber, the driver would get moments away and cancel. It's super annoying.

I wish, they don't have one!

How do you get to the ship when flying in a day early? RCI transfers? Car rental? I know RCI is offering hotel partners now, with priceline, do they have any ground transportation partners besides their bus transfers? We live in Dallas and when we sail out of South Florida we always fly into MIA. I have elite status with American Airlines, so no baggage fees and upgrades and all that. They run a hub in Dallas and Miami so there are more an better flights there than to FLL. We fly in the day before, stay the day, and head to the ship the next day. If we're sailing out of FLL it begs the question how do you get to the ship? I'd often do Larry's Limo, but they've been pushing $200 for the trip lately. I am also elite with Hertz so I can rent an small SUV for under $40 for the day. I love having a car for my day before in Miami, and then for the drive to FLL. But dropping off the car is always a pain. Last time I dropped my wife and kids off at the pier, then went back, returned the car and ordered an uber. It took an hour. Leaving the rental car center, walking to the ground transport, ordering the uber, the first two uber drivers not being able to find me. And my family back at the terminal waiting outside for me so they could check in. They and I were all miserable. There's gotta be a better way. Should I stick with Larry's? Can I get RCI transfers from FLL airport even though I'm not flying in? I'd love to hear your preferred ways of getting to the ship, especially those of you who rent cars.

We did. I missed the tour, death in the family, but my wife and kids did it and LOVED the experience.

Call me rare because I got it. lol

Well I won the bid.... now what? can all 4 of us go to our suite? hahaha

Sounds great --- I get car sick too, I'll look them up. Thanks!

No worries, I wasn't planning on picking one, but hiring a private driver and saying, "show us around but we definitely want to see the following 3-4 places" so I was less worried about tour offerings and more looking for some other suggestions to add to our list of pitons and mud bath

Thanks but I need some more suggestions for what else to do with the kids.

It's our first time to St. Lucia, and it's like one of the last Caribbean island I haven't visited. We're a couple in our early 40's with two girls ages 9 and 13. My wife wants to do the mud/mineral baths, I want to see the Pitons, but outside of that we're wide open. It's a 12 day cruise and I think we will have been on or in the water for 6 days before this, so water/beach/snorkeling is fine but in no means required. I am a bit claustrophobic so rather avoid long drives if possible. Any suggestions to give my wife and I our two likes, and something more fun for the kids.

Does anyone have info on how this works with kids in the room? We usually have the sofa turned into a bed for the kids to sleep on, at night with lots of pillows and blankets, and then turned back into the sofa so we have a place to sleep during the day. Do you have to leave it a bed 24/7 now??

Mazatalan & PV In Mazatlan, I saw a review of the Pulmonias, these hybrid golfcart/small cars and knew my crew would love these. Everyone said oh they'll be everywhere when you get off the ship. But I really like to have everything done ahead of time and just a plan. So I found a guy on facebook who did prebookings and locked two down ahead of time for our group. We used Freddy with City Tours pulmonia. Great guy very helpful. He arranged a city tour, lunch, and beach time for us. My girls really enjoyed it the tour and I got great reviews about the city and how awesome it was and we had to come back so i could enjoy it . Made me feel good. PV I arranged a private tour this time, with the folks at toursbylocals. I ran across them when I was in Europe and tried them out and was really quite pleased. The folks met their guide and again got toured around for the day. I heard from both my family and our friends that this was the fan favorite stop and there was a desire to go back by air and soak in the city. They had lunch in a small hut on the side of the mountain, homemade Mexican candy, lots of scenic stops. Tomorrow I'll discuss their thoughts on ship and crew and we'll wrap it up.

So glad you got to see some whales. I don't think I saw one of their tours with drinks, very good to know! Now you know why you didn't see me all week. 🙂

After my departure.... I did want to give you guys some thoughts on excursions and what not.... not through my eyes but my girls. As I mentioned earlier this was our first west coast cruise and I stressed about having no idea where to go and what to do, so thought I'd share. First stop was Cabo. We knew right off the bat that our group wanted to go whale watching. January is supposed to be peak season. My wife and kids are both big time animal lovers and so this was kinda their one big request. As I looked into tours, I saw most of them were on small inflatable zodiac type boats. I was concerned that especially with the little ones there would be issues with being hungry, thirsty, and needing a bathroom. Not to mention if the water was rough, and everyone's sitting on the side of these things. I could see us just ruining a trip for others. So I was in search of a nice boat, one with a bathroom, comfy seating, food and drink, and that would get us to the whales. Well, it seemed to be one or the other. There were yacht rentals or whale watching trips but not much that seemed to marry them both well. I finally went with the group Cabo 2 Vegas. Her boat seemed to offer what I was looking for at a reasonable price but did not promise any extra whale chasing skills but would give it their best. We did have some issues at booking, as she doesn't offer deposit refunds if your cruise misses port, and basically said something along the lines of, "it's not my fault you're not flexible to reschedule because your cruise is only here a few hours" It just didn't feel very welcoming as a cruise guest. I was super close to saying no thanks. I'm sure we're not a huge part of her clientele, but yes some people who cruise like to spend money and rent yachts . I had asked to prepay the entire amount because I don't like walking around port stops with more than a thousand dollars in my pocket. This wasn't her normal course of business, but she was willing to accommodate us. It just meant if I prepaid, I wasn't getting my money back. So I just put down a hundred or two deposit as she suggested and that's what I would lose if for some reason we didn't show up (like oh i dunno my dad dying!) Anyway I handed my wife an envelope packed with cash to pay the bill and another one in tips for the crew and they sat out for the boat "Below Deck" Captain Lee & Captain Sandy style. while I went to the airport. The lands end spot where the yacht was taking the girls was literally right next to where the cruise ship docks. If like me you're expecting to go on a long cruise to get there, you're not. It's literally right next to the ship. They did that, and then chased whales. They saw a flash of one briefly, but that's it. Nothing like they hoped and dreamed. Here' are some quotes i got over text message on the plane. "They tried so hard to get us whales but just couldn't" "The crew was so nice, they were great" "The tacos and fajitas were amazing the best I've ever eaten" "It was cold out there as we got going on the water we had to bundle up in blankets, but then it warmed up." All in all they seemed to have a great trip even though they missed the whales. The crew from Cabo2Vegas helped to make sure they got to the yacht since I wasn't there to lead them as planned, and my wife says the owner checked on her again to make sure everything was ok. She was pleased with the excursion and glad they did it. Tomorrow Mazatlan oh well.

Hugely helpful --- these look great thanks! One other request if you don't mind. While these menus are perfect for my wife and I.... the kids probably wouldn't eat anything here. Have another place to suggest where I may be able to order Chicken Nuggets or a hamburger as well for the kids ?

I thought Grand Case was on the other side of the Island. I see rainbow restaurant but nothing called Coco?

Headed to SXM soon and want to try a new beach. So far we've done Orient, Maho, and Pinel Island Here's what's on the list 1) Postcard clear blue water & white sand (last time orient had lots of brown seaweed) 2) Quiet, peaceful, serene, NO CROWDS Want a place where we can relax and just unplug in pure paradise. Pinel was great for this last time we were there. water was just murkey 3) Someplace upscale, with food/bathrooms etc I once found a great beach recommended by locals water and views amazing when looking out, but behind me were lots of drunk people playing horseshoes, and folks being loud. It kinda ruined the vibe. Would love a place with a nice quiet restaurant with clean bathrooms. Any suggestions

Let me just say that the last thing I would want to do is detail bit by bit what happened and get anyone in trouble who helped me. I made it clear I was getting off the ship, as I had very limited options due to the holiday and the southwest drama. Of course now, that you post this, I'll be checking the mail for a bill from the Mexican authorities.

Cabo I did actually get about an hour and a half of sleep --- couple more hospital calls, as they moved him to a unit and every new set of nurses and doctors would call. Anyway.... we woke up to a new day and WARM weather. The clouds were gone, the sun was out, the temps decent, and the water blue. We were actually able to see both dolphins and whales as we sailing toward Cabo that morning and they were awesome to see After all that I sat the girls down and explained what was happening, and then started packing to get off the ship. We decided that just I would go right now and we would reevaluate as things progress. I headed down to guest services to tell them the situation and when the ship made it to Cabo at noon, I would be getting off permanently. Well, apparently, this was not as simple as I thought. The ship had to call the port to "request & arrange" a departure. I was like huh and apparently my request was immediately denied. It was New Year's Day, and apparently there were no immigration folks working in Mexico for the Holiday. I said you expect me to stay on til Mazatlan, and I was then told, "we haven't gotten that approved yet either" OK I told them I had already checked flights and flights out of PV were not available. I couldn't wait until then, I wouldn't get t my dad. Finally I said to them, "I don't mean to be a jerk, but I am getting off this ship today and I'm not getting back on." I was told if I attempted to leave the ship with luggage the authorities would stop me and not allow me. I asked, "If I had an excursion booked, if I took the tour and was late getting back, the ship would leave me. How is this any different?" Ultimately, that's what I had to do. I couldn't take any luggage or anything. I had to get off for "a day trip" but my excursion was going to be an uber straight to the Cabo airport. I went back to the room, and picked a few things to cram in a backpack and we went downstairs to the 5th floor to meet at starbucks with the group before I left the ship. This part was actually pretty hard. I'm the planner for my family and usually when we have a group too. Kinda all of us here on cruise critic are, I would imagine. My wife broke into tears because even though she is 10+ cruises in, she's never done any of the planning, organizing, she usually just shows up and follows me. She didn't know what excursions were planned, anything about our flights home, nothing. Lesson learned that maybe we should share the planning going forward. So I had to go over everything with her and get her planned to take over tours and paperwork and what not. I put a kid in charge of photos, my wife tours, one of our friends in charge of jokes and laughter, and another in charge of hugs, support. We headed ashore. The tender process in Cabo is slow because instead of 2-3 large boats like normal they had 6-7 small boats. Fortunately we were getting off on the first one. The ride in is a little bumpy, but nothing too bad. After you get ashore, there were lots of folks trying to sell everything you could think of. We pushed past did another set of hugs, and split up. I'll tell you about the excursion in the next post. I headed out of the port, ordered an uber, and high tailed it to the airport, it was about an hour's drive and I was cutting it super close to catch the flight, but I made it. my first time on United Airlines in like 20 years but thankfully they had 2 seats left and I was able to grab one. I caught a flight to Houston, and then New Orleans where my father lived. I did say lived. I made it to the hospital, was able to talk to him for about a half a day before the pain meds took over, he was transferred to hospice, and died the next day. It was an ordeal getting off that ship and getting to him, but one I needed to make and thankfully I was able to do. I'm super grateful for Royal's help in getting me off the ship and home to say goodbye, and while I only experienced one and a half days on Navigator, it looked like it had the shapings of a nice cruise. In the next posts I'll share what I had planned on the three islands and photos and what I was told by the girls about their experiences. I do also think it says a lot about the companies i used, when I was able to email them from the plane and explain what happened, and they assured me not to worry they would take great care of my family and they did. As depressing as all that was, I share so you'll have some idea on how things will go if the unthinkable were to ever happen to you. It wasn't so simple just getting off the ship. Nothing like what I expected. To answer a few questions.... nope I didn't have travel insurance. 30+ cruises never bought it, never felt I needed it, never worried. Needing it this time for the first time, I still think I came out ahead on what I lost on this trip versus what I saved over the last 30 plus cruises. As you get older and your parents age risk was certainly greater, but again I never once worried about the money I lose. we're talking a couple K, and I was fine with that. But yes I did buy travel insurance for my upcoming cruise.... lol even though both my parents and grandparents are all gone now. I still said it would be my luck to have something happen back to back. Yes I went alone, left the kids behind. Couple reasons. 1) there weren't seats for all of us, to get out of Cabo. Not to mention the cost was extremely high 2) It was going to be a couple days before he died and I set up arrangements and what not, and having the kids stuck in the Hyatt in New Orleans that long didn't make sense 3) it was all moot because our kids passports expired right before the trip. They have them, we always use them, but we didn't realize they were expiring. and while we ordered new ones, we just didn't get them in time. So yes I followed all the rules, incorrectly. No travel insurance, no passports for the whole family. But my choices, and honestly not sure I would do much differently. I'll tackle happier stuff from here on our in the review lite!

Got one of those dreaded calls today from fraud prevention at my credit card company. Nope, I was not charging $700 at a Walmart in Missouri. So that card is shut off and a new one will be here soon. BUT, I used that credit card to put on file for one Royal Up bid. I went to my confirmation email, and click the button to modify. It lets me modify the price, but not change the card that will be charged. Called RCI and they had no idea what to do. Anyone run into this before?

I had a feeling the buffet wouldn't be as nice as it was pre-pandemic....

Sailing on Vision soon, and we stop in Labadee. I am not in a suite, but they're still offering Barefoot Beach cabanas for bookings. I got this cruise for a steal and so am totally down to spend more to make each stop awesome, and was thinking of buying this. Last time I was at barefoot beach the buffet included filet mignon and lobster, I know it's not Coco Beach Club calibur but it was far nicer. Is it still that way? I know everything's seeming cut back these days. However, I also started to think about this. It's Vision.... 2,400 passengers. Labadee is able to handle everyone on a Oasis class. Maybe it's really silly to pay extra for a cabana, when chances are the place will be semi deserted simply because it's such a small ship. and its designed to hold so many. Probably why they're selling to non suite guests and so many are still available.

Day 2 --- Part 2 It was New Year's Eve, Soon it was time to get ready for dinner. We sent our clothes off for a pressing special the night before and I kept waiting for them to arrive with no luck. Finally I realized they were promised back by 5:30pm same time we were due in the restaurant. What a mess. We got them at 5:15pm and rushed downstairs for dinner. The dining room did find us a table thankfully, all together, and we got there to find noise makers, hats, tiaras, and all the things you needed for a New Years Eve bash. Our servers were wonderful, service was very impressive for night one, and the food was tasty too. I'm a fan of the main dining room. No it's not amazing food by any stretch but it's enjoyable and the service is usually just lovely. I had Tom, the roasted turkey, which is one of my favorite meals on Royal and cleaned my whole plate. After dinner dressed in our best we went around for formal pictures on this New Year's Eve night. This was exciting for me. My wife and youngest daughter are usually sound asleep by 9pm and my oldest daughter and I stay up on the couch watching TV together waiting for the ball drop, before crashing. Well this was going to be my first New Year's Eve at a party in a very very long time and I was ready to enjoy it. The ship had photo stations everywhere in an attempt to keep the wait minimal. It was impressive. Of course everyone was picking certain lines they wanted more than others so that drove up the lines in some spots. That night after dinner was "Who wants to be a Royal Caribbeanaire?" game in the lounge. Now I have been to this Royal Caribbean version of the old Regis Philbin show on several other previous cruises, always wander in late, and always get every single question right that I hear. The group convinced me I was going early, signing up, and going to go or the win. Well, I needed to use my drink package to prepare! But.....They drew names out of a hat so I didn't get picked but then, even more strangely, the questions were not about Royal Caribbean, like at all. They were just generic trivia questions about mountain heights, science, history. It was very weird and unusual and I had never seen the game played that way on a ship. I was glad I wasn't chosen. Unfortunately, this is about the time, it happened, I got a call. My father had a pulmonary embolism. Blood clot in his leg that went up his body, led to a heart attack and stroke. My dad had not been sick, nothing was wrong with him physically, had just and a clean doctor's visit. I was in shock. I left the lounge and went to the promenade deck to talk to doctors.... emergency surgeries, and amputating legs, and reduced heart movement, and strokes, and if we don't act now we will lose him were all words bring thrown about. I was trying to grasp what was happening, but also trying to figure out how to tell my family who was inside clueless. My youngest was dealing with emotions that her teacher had just had a pulmonary embolism and died, and now her grandfather had the same thing. I made some calls with the doctor's on treatment plans, went back to the room to let out a huge cry and compose myself, and went back to pull my wife aside and explain what was going on. I spent the rest of the night on the phone, talking to doctor's, and family. Praying, and hoping for the best. I managed to get myself together enough to join the group for "the moment" midnight. They were all on the promenade, which Royal did an amazing job decorating for the holiday. There were balloons everywhere, it was beautifully done, and I was quite impressed with the celebration, complete with time clocks counting down to the New Year. The promenade was jam packed, and my youngest who was so excited to be there was overwhelmed as the clock struck twelve and everyone stomped on the balloons that fell from the ceiling and made huge popping sounds. I scooped her up to be protective daddy, but kinda stole some much needed hugs. I checked back in with the doctors who were running tests prepping dad for surgery in the morning (it was hours later there) We called it a night after midnight and went to the room for bed. About 2am, I got another call from the surgeons. To too much damage had been done and surgery wasn't an option. He had "hours to days". I got up, reacted in ways we would all react, and came to terms with everything and then made preps to leave the ship. I went in the diamond lounge with my laptop and tried to find a flight. This was all during the week Southwest Airlines had it's meltdown, and there were still lots of people stuck trying to get home, and the other airlines had limited seats as everyone was trying to get home after the holidays. We also didn't get to Cabo until noon, had to clear the ship, and drive an hour to the airport on the other side of town. It was looking like Cabo wasn't going to work, the magically I found one flight with two seats left that maybe just maybe I could catch. I have to say the crew was wonderful, one poor soul came in the diamond lounge to empty the trash and saw my tear stained face and heard me on the phone with doctors and just starting making me coffee and bringing me snack it was so kind. Except of course.... the next morning when I ran into even more bad news.