PhillyDad

I. I miss the good old days of cruising!

Thanks for the reply. I tried to call them but couldn't get through. I also sent them an email but haven't gotten a reply yet. I can't imagine lunch is $40 pp at the casual poolside restaurants.

I'm trying to decide if I want to purchase the Atlantis excursion from Bahamasday pass.com with Lunch included ($169 pp) or with out Lunch ($129 pp). I know food is pricy at Atlantis but should I expect to pay $40 pp for Lunch? Has anyone ever purchased this option? Which restaurants are included? I'm assuming there are the 6 that are poolside (Beach Bites, Breakwater's Grill, Cave Grill, Dive In, River Bend Cafe and Shark Bites) but have no idea. Does this plan include water and non alcoholic drinks (Soda)? I've read a bottle of water can cost $9 at Atlantis.Thanks in advance for any help!

Just FYI - like most of the big production shows on the new ships, this was not an original NCL production. This was a show on stage on land first, that has been moved and modified to the ship. The original name was "For the Record: Dear John Hughes". We loved it, too!

I did not know that! Thanks for letting me know. Now I have a chance of seeing it again without having to sail on the Escape. I'm gonna keep a look out for it. Would make a fun road trip.

Lauren,

 

Your review was very detailed and on point. I don't think you left anything out. I really enjoyed this cruise and for me the people I met and hung out with,(you, PhillyDad, Tim, Suzanne) were the ones that made the cruise.

 

I agree, traveling solo, NCL is the way to go. As you know my second solo trip is booked and I am currently working on my third.

 

Hope to meet up with you guys on another cruise in the future.

 

Caryn

Great review Lauren! Was such a fun cruise! Miss you guys already. Dinners just aren't the same without you. :D

And...I was def on the tender before you...lol

Yay! So looking forward to reading this. Looks great so far :-)

I just came back from the Aug 28th sailing of the Escape and I wanted to tell everyone not to miss the show "For The Record: The Brat Pack Live". It was outstanding. If you are a fan of The Breakfast Club or any of the other John Hughes films, then make sure you see this show! NCL did a great job of putting it together. It was very creative and featured a lot of the music and classic lines from the various films.

I was on this cruise but didnt notice anything like what you witnessed. Though I will say the lines in the windjammer were a bit confusing. At the taco station, they had the shells at one end, the meet at the other end and the toppings in the middle. You kind of had to jump back and forth to make your taco. Overall, I thought it was a terrific time!

We had late seating. (Sailed 4/12 to 4/20) and enjoy the movies most nights. They might call it movies under the stars but they start at 6 and its still light out. By the time the movies ended, it was dark out. A few nights they showed double features. The movie selection was great and included: Grown Ups 2, Frozen, Smurfs 2, Saving Mr. Banks, and a bunch of others I can't remember off hand.

We watched from the pool, the hot tubs and the lounge chairs. Some nights the deck was mobbed (esp the night they showed Frozen) and other nights the deck was deserted.

We had plenty of time to shower and be ready for second seating.

In that case...congrats!

sr5242...I'm curious if you heard back from the concierge comfirming you got the cabana you asked for? I think he probably sent that email out to all of the suite guests. I got the same one and responded that I would be interested in a cabana but have not heard back from him after the initial email.

Does anyone know if the IOS has a shoeshine stand anywhere on board or do I need to take care of getting my shoes shined before I leave? Thanks.

I find that I get my best sleep on a ship. Sometimes there is just some gentle rocking that lulls me to sleep.

+1

It's one of the things I most look forward to on a cruise.

This is very sad. :-(

Thank you for posting!

I believe it is ID_Concierge@rccl.com

 

It is an underscore between ID and Concierge.

Thank you! :D

ID_SuitesConcierge@rccl.com is not a valid email address. Can someone give me the email address for the concierge on the IOS? Thanks!

Just found this on the RRCL site:

"You will be able to complete all Onboard' Activities Waivers once onboard. If you're sailing on Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, you may sign waivers online, up to 3 days prior to your sail date."

Trying to see how (or if its possible) to sign the activity waivers (ie flowrider) on line ahead of time before sailing. I called RCCL twice and got conflicting answers. One person said they are available when I complete my set sail document. I couldn't find it though. Another said yes but had no idea how to do it.

I've been on both ships. I happen to live the Grandeur but the Indy blows it out of the water. The Independence is my favorite ship in the RCCl family. So nice and so much to do. However, it does NOT currently have the freestyle coke machine. Hope that helps.

Yes...it's great. It will usually be all folded up and put back by the time you get back breakfast. The stateroom attendants are amazing on Royal!

I didn't realize the glass for different. Thanks for posting. I'm actually not sure if I'm directly under the hot tub or just real close to it. Has anyone ever stayed in cabin 1268 on one of the Freedom Class Ships (specifically the IOS). Is it possible half of the glass is reflective and the other half is clear? Seems odd but from the pics it looks like one of the GS has that.

I'm more curious than envy thing else. I'd rather have the clear glass but it is ends up being the mirrored glass, it won't be the end of the world. I'll still be on a cruise...which is better than being at the office :-)

Has anyone stayed in a cabin (Grand Suite) directly under one of the cantilevered hot tubs on one of the the Freedom Class ships?

Is there any disadvantage to having a cabin directly under one of the cantilevered hot tubs on the Freedom Class of ships? Is your view obstructed at all or is the sun blocked out at all? Do you feel confined on the balcony since the hot tub sticks out over side of the ship? can you even tell its there?

Is the balcony any larger than the other cabins (of the same category) just in front or behind the hottubs? I was told they were deeper and therefore bigger.

I would assume there is not a disadvantage since all of the cabins in this area (including those directly under the hot tubs) are Grand Suites but was curious.

Hi...I'm looking for any recent reviews of the Rhino Rider excursion. Im thinking about booking it with st maarten excrusions (seems less exopensive) and was wondering if anyone has booked with them rather than directly through the company or through the cruise line.

I'll be needing the 3 passenger vehicle since it will be myself and my 2 kids. Can you drive the boats on the slower side if you want? My son and I like to go fast but my daughter prefers to go slower.

We were there too but I thought there was a ton of sea glass there. I wasn't there last year so I have nothing to compare it too but I have a picture and the sand is covered with sea glass. It must have been a lower tide.

Black Bay Beach was awesome...exactly as you described it.

Don't forget about the hammocks!