Jimnbigd

Probably better to ask here (the Royal Caribbean forum) --> https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/51-royal-caribbean-international/

But the answer is:  Buffet (deck 11 aft -- go to the back part of the buffet; the first part is Asian and good but not a lot of selection), Cafe Promenade (deck 5 -- pre-made sandwiches and desserts), and I think Sorrentos (pizza, also deck 5) should also be open, but sometimes it is not. Cafe Promenade is a good choice if you have early dinner and don't want to eat a lot for lunch.

On boarding day, the buffet can be crowded --this is true for just about any ship or cruise line. If more than one of you, go find a table first, then one stays and hold the table while the others go to the buffet. When the others return, the person holding the table can go get food. Otherwise you might find yourselves walking around with a plate of food looking for a place to sit.

When is your cruise? Also, IMO you should drive instead of fly -- drive down on Saturday (the day before). You can stay anywhere near Houston or Galveston. We usually stay near the north airport because oddly we find the best rates there (La Quinta).

I recommend 2 connecting cabins for the kids and 2 parents. Connecting cabins have an inside door so you can go from one cabin to the other without going into the hall. You could put the kids and parents together in one cabin, but this would be crowded. With 2 cabins you'll have double the space (and bathrooms), and usually for not that much more price than 4 in one cabin. If only 1 parent is going, then I'd go with 3 in one cabin, because cabins are priced as "2 per cabin", so a single in a cabin basically pays double.

I also vote for Royal Caribbean -- one with an ice rink like voyager or freedom or oasis class. Don't wait too long too book, or you will find your cabin selections lacking.

I searched but did not find any topic on this. A 1-year-old died from a fall on the Freedom of the Seas. We are praying for this family.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/royal-caribbean-cruise-death-american-girl-falls-from-freedom-of-the-seas-window-san-juan-puerto-rico-2019-07-08/

5 hours ago, CruisinPandora said:

Wow! ⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐

Thanks so much. I'm printing this out and taking it with me. Super helpful!

You are welcome.

Question for Ken...Have you ever cruised before?

Also you might view and post to your roll call (Adventure of the Seas July12)

18 hours ago, CruisinPandora said:

Thanks,

Boarding next Friday.

 

If you have not done so already, you should do your online checkin now.

Back to the entertainment, when you board you will find a "Cruise Compass" in your cabin. Every evening your cabin attendant will place in the cabin the next day's Cruise Compass. This is a daily schedule of events, including all entertainment and live music schedules and locations. The Cruise Compass is also available next to Guest Services (deck 5), and available on interactive screens in most of the public areas near the staircases. (I've not sailed on Adventure but I would think they have these screens by now.) There might be only one theater show the first and last night. Other nights there should be two (2) shows, scheduled around the fixed dining times -- early diners go to the later show (after dinner), and later diners go to the early show (before dinner).

Live music times vary but are usually something like 9pm until midnight, with 15-20 minute breaks ever hour or so. You do NOT need to buy a drink to see the live music -- just sit down (if you can find a seat) and enjoy. I don't think the Adventure of the Seas requires nor takes reservations for shows.

Ice Show -- Some cruises I've been on had free tickets for the ice show (but not reserved seats) -- those with tickets get to enter first -- but my last cruises have not done this. Hint: The first 2 ice shows are usually more crowded than the others. (My cruises have 4 ice shows -- 2 one one day and 2 on another.) Guest services can tell you when the ice shows are scheduled. The ice show is usually a "don't miss".

There should also be a "Love and Marriage" game show, which is "newlywed game" but with one newly married couple, one couple married around 20 years or so, and one couple married over 50 years -- On my cruises this as been mid-cruise around 10pm in the theater, with no main theater show that night.

Towards the end of the cruise (usually the 2nd or 3rd to the last night around 10pm or so in Studio B deck 3) is the Quest game show. This is for adults only, and can get close to R rated. I like this show, but my wife does not. You can find some youtube videos of this -- for example, youtube video ID 2wzuicolClk on the Liberty of the Seas. Ships without studio B do the quest in the lounge, which I actually prefer. In the lounge you have lots of groups -- 30 or more -- each with only 5 or 6 people, so everyone participates. In Studio B, you have only 8 to 12 groups, and most people are spectators and don't participate. It is still a lot of fun, I think.

The ship's 9-piece big band usually does at least one dance set, probably in the deck 5 forward lounge. There is usually a "jazz" set also another night with the ship's singers.

Check for daytime events, such as the men's belly flop contest or the women's hairy chest contest. (Just kidding about this last one -- it is men!). There are usually trivia contests on sea days, and sometimes even on port days -- no charge. There are also games with a fee, such as bingo.

If you want to use the casino, bring some cash. You can use your cruise Seapass card (which is your room key and charge card on the ship) to get cash, but there fee -- 3% I think. And the casino will likely be smoky since this is one of the few areas for smoking.

Enjoy your cruise.

And:  Schooner bar (deck 4), Boleros (deck 4),  Duck and Dog pub (deck 5), Imperial lounge (deck 5), plus a pool band sometimes. I'm guessing the deck 14 Blue Moon (Viking Crown) is a disco at night since the old "dungeon" lounge has been removed from decks 3 and 4. Sometimes the Royal Promenade (deck 5) has music or parades or parties.

Cruises out of Ft. Lauderdale or Miami are probably the best choice -- not too long a flight, and easy to get from the airport to the ship. 7-day Caribbean cruises are usually either Eastern or Western. (Western most always includes Cozumel Mexico.) You might try whichever route you did not do 3 years ago. I think the best is a Sunday departure -- Fly down on Saturday and spend the night, enjoying the departure port, then arrive by noon for lunch on the ship.

For me, it is nice not to carry a lot of cash.  Casinos on ships I've sailed take (and sometimes require) cash. I use cash to tip servers, waiters, and stewards above the usual 18% or standard gratuity, and cash to tip porters at the sailing port and bus drivers (take me from the departure port parking lot to the ship and back).  Some ports-of-call places (such as Nachi Cocom in Cozumel) required cash.

The downside is:  It is easier to spend more when not paying cash.  On one of my Carnival cruises, the casino slot machine took the ship's card with no fee -- Big mistake for me -- I lost more than I ever have when using cash.

We like the theater shows, which are usually scheduled around the traditional fixed dining times, so we go for fixed dining.

There are two commercial Houston airports. Hobby airport is south of downtown and is closer to Galveston than the Bush airport. Southwest usually flies to Hobby and has no luggage fees. Regardless, the ground transportation is not cheap. Even Hobby is about an hour away, and the Bush airport is about 90 minutes away -- longer if there are any major problems on I-45 (the highway to Galveston).

If you want to use the ship's shuttle, I know that Royal Caribbean would pick you up only on sailing departure date. I'm not sure about Carnival or other lines. On our last cruise, my wife's brother and family flew into the Bush airport the day before departure (Saturday), and stayed at one of the many hotels with a free airport shuttle. On the morning of the cruise departure (Sunday), they took the hotel shuttle back to the airport and then took a pre-booked cruise shuttle to the ship. On debarkation the following Sunday, they had a somewhat early flight (around 12:30pm -- yes, that is early trying to make it from Galveston), so they used the self-assist for luggage and got off the ship around 8:30am, and took the ship's shuttle back to the Bush airport.

Now some question:  How many people? If more than 2, you might save money booking private shuttle like Uber or Lyft, or even a taxi. There are also private limo services. And there is Supershuttle, but we've used them 3 times, and all 3 times they were very late picking us up after the cruise -- no issues taking us to the cruise, but always at least an hour late after the cruise.

Also...Have a "plan B" for the return flight. Sometimes there is fog in Galveston, delaying debarkation after the cruise.

17 hours ago, MicCanberra said:

The itinerary is more important to me than the ship or line, so I would be picking that first

Note that no port-of-call is 100% guaranteed. Also, I think the first week in December is a great time -- lower cruise prices and ships are usually decorated for Christmas.

More information from you would help.

What is the budget?

Note that your budget should include all expenses.

Make sure your cruise price include taxes and port charges.

For a seven day cruise, add on about another $100 per person for gratuities.

Add on the often high cost of flying, plus airport parking, ground transport between airport and ship, and shore excursions, and your cruise can become triple or more from the original cruise price.

You said November, 2020. Is this flexible? Note that prices are much higher then for USA Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November).

How many nights? (Seven is common).
 

How firm is Belize?

Royal Caribbean (my favorite) does not do many sailings to Belize anymore (not sure why).

MSC has some, but I have heard it is not the best. (Others might differ.)

Carnival has the most to Belize, but as you found out it can be crowded. (More passengers per tonnage.)
 

Do you want a lot of ports?

If so, consider flying to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and doing a Southern Caribbean.

As others said, dressing up is not what is used to be. A nice shirt and slacks for men and a nice pants suit or dress for women is fine.

If you can sail other than November, 2020, this opens more doors.

The Liberty of the Seas from Galveston April 12, 2020 (Easter Sunday) goes to Belize and has a good price. Note that is can be somewhat expensive to get from the Houston airport to Galveston. Hobby (the south airport) is usually a better choice, and Southwest flies into Hobby.

21 minutes ago, travelplus said:

So does it make sense to eat  a big lunch and then rely on Appetizers and Drinks in the Lounge during happy hour? Me thinks to use the 3 drinks for the show!  Is there a time limit between drink orders? Can I order a Cognac and Whiskey in one order and then about 1 hr later use my last for a Campari?

 

 

My last cruise said "No DL drinks from the theater bar." So, I just went outside to the Schooner bar (freedom class ship) and brought the drink in with me. On my cruises there was a minimum time between drinks, but I don't know the exact number of minutes. My wife and I are both diamond, and I've had no problem using her card (as well as mine) to order 2 drinks, but I was told I could not order 2 drinks at the same time with my card alone. An hour (heck, even 10 minutes) should be enough time between drink orders, as long as it is still DL happy hour.

I'd rather have dinner than lunch in the MDR, but this is a cruise so do whatever floats your boat. I usually have late dinner, and getting some appetizers before dinner works for me. The appetizers are usually OK to good, but not enough for a meal for me.

FYI: Kids can order from the adult menu if desired. Heck, adults can order from the kids menu (my wife like the banana split, which is really sliced bananas instead of "split"). While I don't like wasting food, a cruise is a great time to try something new. If your kids don't like it, order something else. Cafe Promenade (deck 5) is good for pre-made sandwiches, pastries, and (for breakfast) danish. Good coffee there too.

How old are the kids?

I usually bring some dollar bills for tipping in the DL and the bars. If I need to change a larger bill, I usually go to the casino. The 3 free drinks are only available during the DL happy hour (hours vary depending on ship), and is a limited selection. You don't have to finish the drink during happy hour. I've gotten a glass of wine, and taken it to my cabin for later consumption. (Tip: Pour it into a standard glass in the room -- the swaying of the cabin can cause the typical wine glass to topple over.) We've even taken bar drinks in to the dining room. The 3 free drinks are not available in the MDR, but they let you take a drink in there.

Did you try the cappuccino coffee machine? It is available during the day and is unlimited.

On 4/20/2019 at 8:22 AM, evandbob said:

I flew into Houston twice from NYC airports, arriving by 9am each time.  I booked cruise line transportation to the pier as well.  My flights were non stop, direct, and I used just carry on luggage...One time went very smoothly, the other time we had to wait over 2 hours at the airport for the cruise line's shuttle!  We arrived at the cruise terminal around 2:30 -3PM. probably the latest I ever boarded a ship scheduled to leave at 4PM.

 

If you booked the shuttle through the cruise ship, the ship might have waited for you, or else the ship would have to fly you at their expense to the first port (probably cheaper for the ship to wait since presumably you were not the only ones arriving late). Not so if you book your own transport.

It is not "natural light", but a promenade view cabin on Royal Caribbean (on ships with a Royal Promenade) might work. These are inside cabins but with a window that looks onto the Royal Promenade (which is inside the ship).

As previously posted, locate the nearest public restroom. Also, one or more of you could shower in the gym shower if in a hurry.

During the USA school year you won't have many kids, but you'll probably always have some kids on the lower to middle priced cruises. Also,  late dining has fewer kids. High priced cruises such as Crystal, Regent, and Silversea won't have many if any kids, but these are very expensive. Since you probably have to fly, try something from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami. Don't rule out the Easter Caribbean.

I like the Royal Caribbean voyager and freedom class ships. If one or both of you are working and want to take only one week's vacation, try a cruise that sails and returns on Sunday, but fly out on Saturday and spend the night. And don't book too early a return flight -- after 1pm should be fine from Ft. Lauderdale or Miami, since the airports are fairly close to the cruise terminals.

You are wise to book now for next year. You'll probably get a better price and cabin selection.

Some for Royal Caribbean (RCI):
CL = Concierge Lounge (for suite guests)
CP = Cafe Promenade (available on some RCI ships)
DL = Diamond Lounge (for those who have done lots of RCI cruises)

As prevously posted, RCI means "Royal Caribbean International" and refers to the Royal Caribbean ships (all end with the words "of the Seas"). RCCL is "Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines", and not only includes Royal Caribbean, but also other lines owned by RCCL such as Celebrity. However, on Cruise Critic, RCCL often is used when RCI is meant -- Royal Caribbean "of the Seas" ships.

And: ACRONYM = Abbreviated Character Representation Of Names You'll Misuse

8 hours ago, A2Mich said:

 

....not sure if RCI has their MDR open on debarked day.  May vary from one cruise line to another?

The MDR has been open for all my RCI cruises on debarkation day. Carnival too.

4 hours ago, K32682 said:

 

Buffet works on a port day when you want to eat quickly and get off the boat.  MDR is best on a sea day when you've got lots of time and can enjoy a leisurely breakfast, brought to your table, without having to elbow past the hordes to get your meal.  

Cafe Promenade (on ships that have them) is also a good choice for a quick continental breakfast.

On debarkation day, the MDR is a highlight, and can be quicker than the crowded buffet.

ignore...duplicate post

17 hours ago, Thorben-Hendrik said:

Heard they will close all DL starting July 1st!😱

Is this for real? Do you have a link for this?

Lobster used to be on an entree called "The Fisherman's Plate", but my last cruise it simply said "Lobster". It's been pretty good. There is also a whole lobster available for a rather substantial extra charge (I don't remember for sure -- maybe $30 or so), but i've never tried it.  Shrimp cocktail has been available every night and is very good IMO. Last I heard lobster was not available on cruises less than 7 days, but others might know for sure.