spangnash

22 minutes ago, Canadian Tyler said:

I'm surprised your soon wasn't told to go to the medical facility.

My wife vomited on the gangway coming back from Labadee on the Oasis norovirus cruise last year (before anyone knew it was norovirus). We got a call from security to our room that afternoon and were told to report to medical. If this didn't happen with your son, I'd think those protocols weren't followed, in addition to the issues with replacing the bedding.

 

Hope he's feeling better now.

When I went to guest services around 8 or 8:30 the morning following his middle of the night vomiting, the gal told me I could take him to the clinic, but in no way 'told me' to take him there.  By then he was done puking, so we didn't know there would be any benefit to anyone for us to take him... we kept him quarantined to our room for the rest of the cruise.  I will say that it never occurred to me that they would have any medicine that would have helped my husband the next day... had I know that/thought of it, we would have absolutely taken him.  (Someone had told me they could have given him Zofran... is that all they would have given him?  I took Zofran when I was pregnant and it did absolutely nothing to help with my ongoing morning sickness - which was really all day sickness.)  Do you mind sharing how was your wife's situation was handled by the clinic?  Did they provide medicine?  Put her under some sort of quarantine?  Do they have some place for sick people to actually 'stay' outside of the state room?

11 minutes ago, DCL2RCI said:

First, I'm sorry your trip was adversely affected by illness - never fun to be sick on vacation! Which night of the cruise was this? Ideally it would have been pushed up the chain while onboard (to supervisor, to hotel manager, etc), but I can't tell what night this was from your summary of events. Did you and your husband fall ill on the cruise, or after? Any involvement of the ship's medical facility?

It was on the 4th night of a 6 night cruise.  My son threw up from midnight until a bit before 8am.  When I went to guest services on the following morning, she just mentioned that we could bring him down to the clinic, but, we weren't sure what the purpose of visiting the clinic would be... we figured we wouldn't bring him to the doctor for a stomach bug at home, so we weren't sure what the purpose would be bringing him on the ship, especially since he was done vomiting by the time it opened.  Please know, we certainly planned on keeping him in the room for the rest of the cruise (which we did, until it was time to disembark on the last day)... and the rest of us barely left the room... my husband fell ill at noon the last day of the cruise; at that time, we kept him in 'his' room, and put the rest of us in 'Grandma's room.  I fell ill on the way home.  😕  We got a visit from the supervisor on the last day asking if we needed anything else, but by then, we really didn't need anything (My husband was able to make it to the bathroom when he got sick), and quite frankly, I was too exhausted and overwhelmed (trying to keep a 5 year old boy, a 6 year old boy with autism /ADHD/hyperactivity, and an 8 year old boy content in a tiny state room was stressful) in the moment to think to complain to the supervisor in the moment, especially with our state attendant standing right there.  😕.  Now I'm just wondering if it is worth my time and energy to file a complaint.  Will they even do anything?

21 minutes ago, cruisinmeme said:

My grandson woke up about 2;30 am throwing his guts up.  I called to see if i could take him to medical.  They didnt open until like 8:00. I was waiting at the door at 8:00. After his shot and medicine stopped.  Did it occur to go to medical and maybe this would of stoped.  Granddaughter, my husband nor myself got sick.

My son was throwing up from midnight to a bit before 8am.  By the time the clinic opened, the vomiting was done.  😕

17 minutes ago, trey420 said:

You think y'all got hit with norovirus? 

 

I would hate to have to clean it up too but if it's your job, it's your job.  I don't have any kids not sure what I'd do in that situation.  If it were just me I'd just be sick all night most likely and try to fix in the morning. 

 

What do you want the cruise company to do?  The most I expect is a canned apology letter. I do wish you luck in resolution. 

I guess I would assume it was norovirus or some similar type of bug.  I don't really expect much in response, but would be curious to know if there really is no better protocol that should have been followed.  Did we just get a bad set of staff (especially our room attendant, who we had frustration with with starting day 1), or do they really not have better plans in place?  

We just returned from sailing Adventure of the Seas.  While sailing, my 8 year old son woke in the middle of the night (midnight) vomiting, all over his pull-down pullman bed.  We immediately called down to guest services to ask for fresh bedding.  It took us 1.5 hours to get fresh bedding to our room (after multiple calls, and multiple visits to our room from staff without fresh bedding - there seemed to be a great deal of confusion, which confused us since we had simply asked for fresh bedding).  They took the soiled bedding away (which we had removed from the bed ourselves immediately, and tried to wrap up as much as possible to keep the vomit contained).  The vomit had soaked through to the mattress, so they had to take the mattress away, and didn't have any spares, so we made a make-shift bed for our son on the floor.  He had a small trash can next to him, but as he continued to vomit consistently for the next 8 hours, we were not 100% successful in getting him to get 100% percent of it in the bucket, so some if it landed on his 'new' bedding.  We also realized in the morning that some of the vomit from his pull-down pullman bed had gotten on the bed below him (we had 2 adjoining balcony rooms - both with pull-down pullman beds).  Again, we tried to wrap up all of the soiled bedding to contain it as much as possible.  There were no attendants in the hall at 8/8:30am, so I headed down to guest services to ask someone to please remove the soiled bedding and provide fresh linens as quickly as possible as we were running very low on clean bedding and towels.  Again, it took 1.5 hours for someone to arrive, and when they did, they proceeded to pull apart our 'wrapped' mess of bedding (with random vomit all over it), on our state room floor, and proceeded to remove the duvet from the duvet cover, and place a new cover on it.  We were floored that they would take this mess apart on our carpeted floor (if I were home, I would deal with the mess in a tiled area), and that they wouldn't wash the entire duvet (given that the vomit most certainly leaked through the cover).  We had to insist to our state room attendant that a new duvet be provided (something he agreed to, but was clearly annoyed).  He also removed the blue decorative runner from the mess, and folded it up to place back on the bed later (again, without inspecting it for any vomit).  Not surprisingly, my husband fell ill the next day, and me the day after that (we washed our hands as often as physically possible, but I think we would have needed Hazmat suits to avoid the germs throughout the room).  Obviously, our cruise was drastically affected by these events.  We understand that illnesses happen, but we were greatly disappointed by the lack of urgency/priority our situation was treated with, and were shocked that there isn't better protocol/processes to handle soiled bedding - we were made to feel as though we were just a huge inconvenience.  

I submitted this information via the post-trip survey I was sent yesterday, but does it pay to submit a 'formal complaint' via email somehow?  If so, should I send it to the CEO?  It seems they really need to come up with a better way to handle this situations.

Thank you.

We have a shore excursion planned for the Lost Mayan Kingdom Water Park at the end of February.  Does anyone happen to know if they have life vests available for kids... we are hoping to leave ours at home and this is the one stop where I am not sure if they provide them.  I did message them, but have not heard back.  Thank you!

On 3/19/2019 at 7:16 AM, LuCruise said:

Yes true...it is quite close so probably walkable.

We booked through Royal and got a very good price on Black Friday.  We just booked the water park tickets, but there are other options to combine with zipline, beach or just zipline.

Do you recall, if you book just the water park, can you add on the  zipline once you get there? Once inside the park, how do they know you only paid for the waterpark portion?  Isn't it all one park?

On 3/21/2019 at 7:44 PM, LuCruise said:

Day 4 - Costa Maya

 

The Aqua Adventure Park in Costa Maya looked like a fun day for our kids so we booked the "excursion" through Royal (back when they had Black Friday deals).  You can sign up for just the waterpark, just the zipline, or both, or park and beach.  The waterpark looked quite extensive and large so we signed up for the waterpark only.

 

They have a bus that takes you to the park, which is about a 2 minute drive.  Nice and close.  Once there, you can rent a locker to store your belongings and then start the fun.  There are some slides that are huge (and crazy) and then normal slides.  The place also has a great lazy river.  I'd say it's quite relaxing as they have animal noises and it's peaceful...except that there are areas where you will go under a waterfall...so guess that part isn't relaxing.  But it's fun.  The park also has a few different pools.  They are a bit sandy, but quite pretty otherwise.  It's nice as well as some of the ziplines are around the waterpark so you will see people zipping by. 

 

For food, I was warned that it was expensive and not even that good, so we had a big breakfast before we left and just brought a few snacks (aka cereal from the Solarium buffet).

 

Picture of the big slides.  DS enjoyed them (although he said that he didn't realize that the green one on the right had a huge drop....until he did was on it and did the free fall).  DH said some were rough though and he got banged up.  He wasn't a fan.

 

 

The tube waterslides

 

"Normal" sized slides with a big bucket that drops lots of water on you if you time it incorrectly

 

One of the pools

 

 

The excursion is listed as 3 hours, but you can return on the shuttle at any time (but before the ship leaves of course).  It was a fun day.  I think in the end we spent around 3.5-4 hours before returning.

 

And a nice photo of the ship upon our return

Do you have an option of 'adding' the zipline once there?  Once in the park, how do they know you only purchased the water park vs the combined option?

What is the best option for transportation from the cruise port in Fort Lauderdale to the airport for a family of 6?  (kids ages 5,6, & 8, Mom, Dad & Grandma).  Pre-cruise, we are staying a a hotel that has a shuttle from the airport to the hotel, and then from the hotel to the port.  The last time we cruised out of Fort Lauderdale, we hired a private driver that cost $10.00/person... is that a pretty standard rate?  He provided the booster seats (we will only need 1 this time, but will not be dragging one along), so that was ideal.  We just want whatever will be easiest, yet cost effective.  Thanks!

We are very interested in the excursions to the Maya, Lost Mayan Kingdom Adventure/Water Park Royal Caribbean offers, but they all say there is a 48" height requirement.  My youngest son is 44" (and likely won't grow 4" by the end of February).   I have verified with quite a few other people that there is a ton of stuff he will be able to do there, though... will the ship really not allow him to go on this 'excusion' due to a few inches, even though the park has different (lower) height requirements?

I've also learned that the water park is very close to the pier... but all of the options I see to purchase tickets on-line are actually more expensive than the excursion options.  It seems the on-line booking is for *all* of the options, vs just the waterpark, or just ziplining (there is 0% chance Grandma is going down a zipline!).  Does anyone know if there are different ticket options to buy direct actually *at* the park (I am posting in the Costa Maya boards as well)?  I'm surprised I can't find more information about this.  Thanks!

Royal Caribbean is stating there is a 48" height requirement for their excursion to the Maya Lost Mayan Kingdom waterpark, but reviews I am reading on-line have much different height requirements (varying from 38-44").  Does anyone know for sure?  This place looks perfect for my 3 energetic boys, but my youngest is currently 44" tall... I don't think he'll grow 4 inches by February!  Thank you!

We will be cruising in Feb 2020 with 3 young, VERY energetic boys... ages 5, 6, and 8.  (Did I mention they are VERY energetic?)  Our first port stop is in Grand Cayman, where we will likely spend the day at the beach; our second stop is Costa Maya, our third stop is Cozumel (where we will likely spend the day at Playa Mia).  Rather than having 3 beach days in a row, I think my boys would *love* to have the opportunity to actually CLIMB some ruins.  I was checking out Chacchoben, but it looks like we can only climb a few steps.  Are there other ruins we can reach during a port stop that they could actually climb?  Thank you!  (Again... Did I mention they are VERY energetic?) 

I was told by the RCCL 'cruise planner' that if we book adjoining balcony rooms on Adventure of the Seas, we can ask our stateroom attendant to remove the divider between the balconies to make one larger balcony, but I have been reading some things on-line suggesting that Royal Caribbean no longer allows that... what do I believe???   Will they remove the divider or no?

Thank you!

Hoping y'all can help us make a decision on which rooms to book... we are looking at booking a 6 night Western Caribbean cruise on Adventure of the Seas in March 2020.  We need 2 adjoining rooms for a total of 6 people, and options are limited.   The choices are complicated by the fact that I am *very* prone to motion sickness. We have interior options available mid-ship on deck 6 (mid and low are best for motion sickness in general), but would love balcony rooms, which are only available in the far back on Deck 10 (1670/1672 or 1370/1372).  Do you think we would feel much of a difference in motion in far back Deck 10 vs mid ship Deck 6?  We sailed the Mediterranean twice on the Brilliance of the Seas (a smaller boat, but calmer waters), and did a Caribbean cruise on Allure of the Seas (obviously a much larger ship), and I was totally fine on all 3 cruises except for a night or two on Brilliance when there were exceptionally rough seas (they had to close areas of the ship).

The balcony rooms look AMAZING, but not worth me feeling horrible... 

Our exact itinerary would be:

Fort Lauderdale 

Cruising

George Town, Grand Cayman,

Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico

Cozumel, Mexico

Cruising

Fort Lauderdale

Thank you!!!

We are sailing out next week (Feb 25th) for the same exact itinerary... it will be myself, my husband, my 3 little boys, and my mother-in-law. Everyone is wondering what kind of clothes to pack... if we plan on shorts & tank tops the entire time (with some cardigans for chilly dinners/shows), will we be ok? Or should we bring some warmer clothing along... does it get chilly on the sea days? I'm sure my boys will want to pretty much live in the pools. (We swim in Lake Michigan in the summer in Wisconsin, so... they don't exactly need it to be HOT, but I hope it will be warm enough for me to want to be in the water with them!)

Can you do your check-in from your phone? If so, it will be easy to upload the photo that way.

 

But don't worry about it. If you don't do it before your cruise, they can still take your photo the old way at the pier. Adds about 32 seconds to your check-in process. ;)

Seriously? I've been kinda stressing out about getting acceptable pics of myself, my mother-in-law, my husband, and my 3, 4, and 6 year old sons... should we just wait and do it at boarding? I started our on-line check-in, but don't think I can print our passes without them. Will it really just add a few minutes to our boarding if we show up without them? Or, do I print them without our photos?

2 weeks from today, we'll be heading out on our first cruise with our young boys along (ages 3, 4, and 6), on RCCL's Allure of the Seas. We have traveled with them before, and have cruised on our OWN before, but have never cruised with them... and now I'm wondering... is there anything I would never think to pack that might be handy? Please share any items that you were so very thankful to have along! (Ports are Falmouth, Jamaica, Labadee, and Cozumel, if that matters.) Thank you so much!

2 weeks from today, we'll be heading out on our first cruise with our young boys along (ages 3, 4, and 6), on the Allure of the Seas. We have traveled with them before, and have cruised on our OWN before, but have never cruised with them... and now I'm wondering... is there anything I would never think to pack that might be handy? Please share any items that you were so very thankful to have along! (Ports are Falmouth, Jamaica, Labadee, and Cozumel, if that matters.) Thanks in advance! (Also posting in the family board.)

We are sailing the end of Feb on RCCL's Allure of the Seas, with our 3, 4, and 6 year old boys. We just learned we may not be able to get the Family Time Dining (where they come pick up our kids 45 minutes into dinner) as we apparently have to be signed up for the early dinner time, which we are not, and it is fully booked. What are some other options that might allow my husband and I to actually enjoy a nice meal without our boys? Can we just drop them off at the Adventure Ocean Club on the way to dinner????

We booked a Feb 2018 cruise on the Allure of the Seas many months ago. One of the selling points of the cruise was the My Family Time Dining - we are traveling with a 3, 4, and 6 year old boys.... and LOVE the idea of someone whisking them away 45 minutes into our dinner so we can actually enjoy dinner every night! (Seriously... we have had about 5 dinners in peace without children in the last 6 years, so the idea of having 5 in one week is heavenly.. this is a HUGE selling point of the cruise.)

This morning I called to make sure we were booked for the family dining as I noticed on our reservation that it wasn't listed. The representative I spoke to CHANGED our dining time from the early dining time to Any Time Dining and said that we couldn't book My Family Time dining until we were on board. I was at work and didn't have a chance to fully process that until I got home tonight, when I looked into it more...

Sure enough, he changed us to the WRONG dining option. Family Time dining is apparently only offered for the early dining time, which is exactly what we had less than 12 hours ago (before that idiot changed it), and now it is fully booked. I called back and talked to (well, yelled at) another rep and a supervisor said the dining team is off for the Christmas holiday and she will talk to them on Tuesday.

I am LIVID. As I explained to the supervisor, we literally would not have booked this cruise without this perk. She said she is confident she can get it fixed, but I won't know for sure until next Tuesday or Wednesday.

With all that said... we have zero experience with the Adventure Ocean club... if we can't get the Family Time Dining, is there anything that would keep us from just dropping our own kids off there 30 minutes into dinner? Or, better yet, is there any chance a miracle can be worked once we are actually on-board? If we have Any Time Dining, can't we just show up at the same time as the early dining? Why couldn't we also take advantage of this perk if we eat at the same time as early time dining?

Here is their website:

http://www.playamia.com/#gref

 

I think it might have something to do with with the Water Park. Are you booking just the beach day pass?

 

Laurie

Yes... we'll have our 3, 4, and 6 year old boys, who we think will love the little Buccaneer's Bay, playground, and just hanging out on the beach. I don't think it matters if my husband is 74 inches for any of those activities. :)

I am trying to sign us up for a ship excursion (to Playa Mia in Cozumel), and it is stating there is a maximum height of 72 inches... my husband is 6'2"... are they really going to check? (I have to answer 'yes' or 'no' to the question 'Are you 72 inches or less' when signing us up on-line. I've never heard of such a thing.... the excursion is just to a resort... I'm confused why there would be a height maximum.

Our cruise (on Allure, to set sail Feb 25, 2018) is offering 20% off of VOOM Internet packages... is that a good deal? Should we jump on it, or wait for something better? (If we do purchase it, and a better deal comes along, can we cancel and re-book at the better price?)

If you are looking for something to do to kill time, you can take the free trolley on Saturday and Sundays from the airport to downtown Fort Lauderdale.

 

Here is the link to get the actual details:

 

http://www.suntrolley.com/routes-schedules-fares/airport/

 

I did a walk-through of this for our cruise last December if you want to see what we did. Click on the trip report below under my signature on Freedom of the Seas and skip all the way to post 1292 where it shows how we stored the suitcases at the airport storage area and you can see what we did riding the trolley to downtown. Great option especially since it’s free but it only runs on weekends.

 

As for the flight options, think you have more than enough opinions from everyone to make your head spin so I won’t add mine. As luck have it, we are looking to book flights for our December cruise soon and we have the option to fly out of FLL on a 9:30 AM flight post cruise, I just laughed when I saw that and moved on. Not a morning person…;p

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! This is EXACTLY the type of thing we were looking for!!!!!!!!!! There is a ship excursion or two we could take, but it would run us over $400 for a party of 6, and that is alot of money to spend to just 'busy' ourselves for a few hours! This is absolutely perfect!

Our cruise will be ending in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, March 4th, 2018. Our flight doesn't leave FLL until 3:20pm. Does anyone have any great ideas of what we could do to pass the time with our 3 young children (ages 3,4, & 6)?