1ParticularHbr

First off, forgive me if this is something that has been discussed in the past. Is it just me (and the itineraries I sail) or does it seem that the M&M roll call threads are declining in popularity? When I first joined, roll calls were hopping and were great places to get acquainted pre-cruise and arrange shared shore excursions but lately they've been very slow. Do most people now just hop on this RCI board for questions/news and just skip the roll calls? Discuss.....

Looking to book my first cruise with Royal Caribbean in May of 2017. Found 2 but not sure which one to choose

 

Oasis leaves from Port Canaveral with stops at Nassau, st. Thomas and st Martin

 

Allure leaves from Ft Lauderdale with stops at St. Martin, San Juan, Haiti.

 

There will be 2 adults, 2 21 yr olds and a 9 year old if that helps.

 

Any input would be greatly appreciated

It would be Allure for us. We've sailed on both and the experience onboard will be about the same...slightly different restaurant offerings and shows but both are great and ship size/amenities are nearly identical. From a departure standpoint (if flying), We'd take Allure. Ft. Lauderdale port is any easy cab ride from the airport. Port Canaveral requires rental car or transfer of some sort and traffic can get backed up from time to time adding un-needed stress. For ports, Allure gets the nod again. Nassau often has up to 5 ships in port and one small customs building. The immediate port area, IMHO is nothing to write home about. Labadee Haiti is one of our favorite stops. It's a relaxing beach day with food & beverage services provided by the ship as it is their private beach area.

You can't go wrong with either one, but our pick would be Allure. Enjoy your first cruise!

I will buy 1 day...test it out.

 

 

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Be prepared to ask for your money back. We were on in October and it was horrible. As others have mentioned, some days you can't even get on at all. They credited us a couple of days but later gave full refund because it was completely useless.

We were on Adventure in February and had internet with two devices. We were happy with the internet performance. It's not as fast as the zoom internet on Oasis but it was good enough to check emails, upload some photos to Facebook, etc. We never had any access problems and were never booted off.

Allow me to clarify. We wouldn't book or not book based on CD or Concierge. There are just some we look forward to sailing with more than others. ;)

IMHO, every CD, AD, and concierge is responsible for their own professional brand. How they interact with passengers factors into that. We just sailed with Rayno and Mercedes and interacted with them both. We'd love to cross paths with Rayno on a future cruise. Mercedes, meh....

When we booked our 2016 Adventure cruise we snagged a similar steal. We got a GS for $2400 total for two (with diamond discount) Royal honored it and we had a great cruise. I'm so bummed we missed last night's bargain offers!!

My experience, on last three cruises booked, is that prices are never lower than when the cruise opens for bookings so...the earlier you book, the better. We book balconies or suites...not sure if same logic applies for insides.

I don't hang out at the pool, but if I did and had anything I wanted to keep safe, I'd do as others mentioned as use a tethered bag. I have this one:

 

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=pacsafe&biw=1280&bih=674&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjeusugy5DLAhWKQiYKHSRqBdUQ_AUICCgD#tbm=isch&q=pacsafe+travelsafe

 

It's the travel safe by PacSafe. I use it in hotels, at beaches, on my golf cart on land-trips to Abaco, etc. It's not pretty, but it's really tough - several built-in security features.:)

Those look great. We use a "vacation vault"...same idea but hard-sided https://www.google.com/search?q=pacsafe&biw=1280&bih=674&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&sqi=2&ved=0ahUKEwjeusugy5DLAhWKQiYKHSRqBdUQ_AUICCgD#tbm=isch&q=vacation+vault

Loyalty has tangible rewards. Our top 3 diamond discounts are

1) Balcony discount - value: $225

2) 3 (or more, if you stay in DL vs using loaded coupons) free drinks per person per night - value $420 (3 @ $10x2x7nights)

3) One free photo per person - value $45.98

I was thinking we should all take collapsable. But I was assured that a standard size carry on would fit under the bed. Is this not so???

We bring two huge suitcases and they fit under the bed.

Pack some magnetic hooks/clips. They'll come in handy since the room will have very few places to hang tote bags, towels, swimwear. The walls are metal so you can use the magnet hooks anywhere. While you're at it, some extra hangers will come in handy too. You can always ask cabin steward for more but they have limited supply. Pack a hanging shoe organizer to hold sunscreen, hats, toiletries.

Hopefully your cabin has pullman beds vs. having two people share the pull-out sofa. Those sofas are not big...cannot imagine two adults sleeping on one for a week. If that's your situation, at least rotate through so that everyone gets at least a couple nights in a real bed.

Good luck to the four of you...it's going to be an interesting week.

That varies by ship, though. I don't recall seeing special towels. We always carry towel clips. Greatest gadget, ever.

True about the towels. We've (so far) only seen them on Explorer and Adventure but they're wonderful. On Freedom where the reserved area is on top of the Sky Bar, we DEFINITELY needed our towel clips because it was so windy. Anyone know how the suite sundeck is on Oasis/Allure?

First I've ever heard of that...

Our favorite suite perk is the gold card reserved area by the pool :) Love the fitted gold towels that slip over the chair (no blowing off).

A new Royal Caribbean document points to when Royal Caribbean will post the deployments for regions around the world.

•Week of February 22, 2016 ◦Alaska & Cruisetours

 

•Week of February 29, 2016 ◦Europe & Transatlantics

 

•Week of March 7, 2016 ◦Caribbean, Bahamas & Northeast

 

•Week of March 21, 2016 ◦Australia & Singapore

Very helpful! Where did you find this posted?

Will be going with 3 teens. How is the pool area? I've heard the Escape on Norwegian is very crowded.. Is the pool large? How many pools are there? How many hot tubs?

 

What other MAIN ATTRACTIONS did your teens enjoy doing? I think there is the surf simulator, rock climbing wall....Are there water slides?

 

Any info about what teens can do, I would appreciate....

 

Thanks!

Sorry, but I can't help myself...you've already booked the cruise, spending thousands of dollars, and don't know these things about the ship? :confused::confused:

On our last cruise they didn't offer the full bag wash and fold laundry promo :( very disappointing

How do you know what type of party the ship will have? So that I know what to pack

Most ships have a 70s night but as others have said, only few folks go all in with "costumes". I usually wear a brightly print dress (like Lilly Pulitzer) and call it close enough. One of the activities staff on our last cruise said that on the newer ships, they'll have an 80s night. Don't stress over what to pack though. There will be thousands of guests dressed as they please, not in theme outfits.

You'll have a nice long wit at the airport.

It's not a huge surprise that your roll call is quiet even on a sold-out sailing. I've heard that CC members often are just 3-5% of a ship's passengers. No idea how accurate that is but...seems plausible.

Has anyone seen discounts offered to C&A tiers lower than D+? We've yet to see any offered at any level so we must be cruising the wrong ships/itineraries. LOL.

Quest has been on every Royal Caribbean cruise we've been on.

Do they typically serve the same thing at lunch as they do at dinner? I reserved them one night for dinner' date=' but I'm thinking about going at lunch time instead.[/quote']

 

We found it to be better suited for lunch than dinner...quick tasty meal but not really a "dining experience" like Oasis' other specialty restaurants.

I don't consider the grilled tomato that comes with room service breakfast a garnish. I've always thought of it as part of the meal. I eat it.