gailforce2000

I wondered why they were selling those little lanyards in the gift shop that matched the large ones. Turns out they are flea collars

Lmfao

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Of course not. You clearly don't understand the reference to dumbing down. - it has to do with lowering standards. Watch Idiocracy - its where we are headed. But then again many people just "don't get it."

 

 

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I agree with you whole heartedly. I’ve noticed people in the northeast dress more formal everyday as opposed to the left coast. Guess my attitude comes from living in a big city where you go out to eat at a burger joint in jeans and a jacket and tie to a nice diner. Just my opinion but I try not to let others actions affect my and my wife’s good time. If people want to wear something which I deem inappropriate then I just don’t look at them or if it’s that outrageous then I’d report them to a crew member and accept their decision. But I do agree with the spirit of your statement!! I also think others should grow up on this site and stop attacking you for your opinion.

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Between NCL, Royal and Celebrity

 

 

 

Which is your favorite cruise line & why?

 

 

 

Which is your least favorite cruise line & why?

 

 

 

Which is your favorite ship on each cruise line & why?

 

 

 

I've sailed on Royal Allure & Oasis and Celebrity Eclipse. I'm sailing on NCL Escape in November. I loved all 3 cruises but the Allure & Oasis have the edge over Eclipse because I enjoyed the entertainment much more on Allure & Oasis. All 3 ships were beautiful but Allure & Oasis had the promenade and Central Park.

 

 

 

I will post this on the 3 sites.

RCCL. So much more to do. I also like the overall atmosphere of RCCL

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This past February we took the RCL excursion to the Hilton Rose Hall and it was absolutely beautiful. The food was good, the drinks were very good. The grounds were incredible. The lazy river was very relaxing. I will definitely go back!

How far from pier was it?

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I just got back from a 5 night stay at the Hilton Rose Hall over Veteran's Day and loved every minute of it. The food was good and the drinks were strong. Very similar food options to the Zilara it sounds like. They are doing construction but it was mostly on the hotel part, not the outdoor venues except for one area they are building something by the beach. It has a lazy river and a couple of slides that were all connected to the swim up bar which was awesome. Based on reviews I read when trying to plan my Jamaica trip, I don't think you can go wrong with either location.

Thanx

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We just returned from the Zilara in Rose Hall and loved every minute. I would love to do a day pass there.

 

 

 

There are mixed reviews but my husband and I both loved the food. There is a jerk shack with chicken and pork by the pool that is really good. A pizza type outdoors restaurant where you can pick up a slice or order a whole pizza or sandwiches etc. There is a buffet that has fresh food that is really good as well.

 

 

 

 

 

We were there during the week and it was very quiet. We always had a place to lounge by the pool or beach and you can rent a cabana if you like. The beach is very calm as most of it is protected and the water is clear.

 

 

 

 

 

We don't really drink so I can't comment on the drinks at all. I only drink wine and had to order a $35.00 bottle because I didn't want the house wine.

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone was very friendly and the service is great!

Thank you

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We are looking at going to one of these to spend the day when we dock in Falmouth. Has anyone been to either or both and can give me their opinion. I've checked them both out online but would like some cruisers opinions relating food, drinks, pool, beaches, friendliness, etc,.

Thanks in advance.

Allure is not a good ship, if you want to enjoy a cigar, while the ship is moving. I wouldn't rely on booking on a ship with a lounge. It might be gone when you get there.

 

 

 

That being said, I find it relaxing to enjoy a cigar on deck, while the ship is in port. It's not crowded and you can find a spot to relax easily enough.

Thank you

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On our last cruise in July 2017 on the Allure.. my husband who smokes cigars could only smoke on the 16 & 17th deck on one side. He tried to smoke in the casino.. but was asked to not to.. because a cigarette smoker complained.. so he had to extinguish his $10 cigar for a 50 cent cigarette smoker... in December 2017 we are staying in a sky suite.. and supposedly there is a designated area near by to smoke.. :cool:

Thanks for the reply

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Interesting, first time I've see a report where they allow one guest to have Deluxe and the other to have Classic Soda.

Did it yesterday travel agent said she would have to buy the refreshment package but I told her that my wife doesn’t drink coffee or tea so she asked the RCCL Agent if we can do the Classic Soda and they told her yes. Maybe cause it was a special for Cyber Monday but doesn’t matter to me I got a great deal. It never hurts to ask and also have a nice RCCL Agent Some go exactly by the book

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Bought the ultimate drink package on Cyber Monday. For $43. They let my wife buy the soda package since she doesn’t drink. Our travel agent set it up yesterday for us

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Cruusing with the younger folk next month. Are the trendy ripped jeans allowed in the main dining room? I know they aren't in specialty

OK, the answer to your question is NO, but this is RCCL and not Cunard so the dress code is rarely enforced, just like kids under 18 being admitted to the nightclubs. But even if they let people get away with wearing them, it is absolutely unacceptable dinner ware.

More proof of how the world is going, you pay more and expect less.

DAY 2, part 1: I FIND THE FUTURE MR. HUCIFER

 

 

 

“I gotta quit smoking, doctor's orders, and the drinking, court orders.”

 

--Dave Attell

 

 

 

I’m on page 8 and just getting to Day 2? Are you still with me? Jeeze, you people either are gluttons for punishment, completely bored, or can’t look away from the accident that is my trip report. In any case, I don’t know whether to applaud you or apologize for sticking with it. So thank you. And I’m sorry.

 

 

 

Onward…

 

 

 

I decide to try breakfast at the Park Café. Let me sum up what I thought of it in one word:

 

 

 

Ehhh.

 

 

 

Not the cornucopia of choices here, my friend. I am able to find an egg and sausage sandwich though, so it satisfied the need. Not awesome. But passable. Because I love Central Park so much, I walk outside with my sandwich and decaf coffee to enjoy the ambience of fake bird chirps.

 

 

 

Right here I have to stop and say, yes. I drink decaf. All this energy and sass [points to self] comes naturally, people. I feel like I need to explain because people apparently think this is weird. I get a lot of crap like, “Coffee without caffeine? What’s the point?” And I say, “I happen to like the taste?” But naysayers are everywhere, and they can’t imagine why anyone would drink coffee unless they had to.

 

 

 

All I can say is, it’s a good thing that I put the food and drink down on the table before I sat down, otherwise they would have been all over me. The cushioned chairs out there are LOW. Like, down to the ground low. Much lower than they appear to the unsuspecting eye. So low, in fact, that your chin will be level with the table and you’ll feel like a toddler eating at a grown-up table without a booster seat. I grossly miscalculate the distance between rear and cushion and I about fall backwards when I sit down. I land with an umph.

 

 

 

[casually look around to see if anyone saw]

 

 

 

After breakfast, it’s time to do something that is LONG OVERDUE: find the sea. If you remember, we shoved off at 5:30 the evening before, which was when I showed up for dinner. By the time the meal was over, it was too dark to see anything. And on this ship…if you have an interior2 cabin [patooey!], the places to actually view the surroundings are quite limited. I have to make an effort every day to see water. This is one of my biggest Allure complaints.

 

 

 

 

The sea! At long last...the SEA.

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking of complaining…when I got off the ship on day 8 I had NO SEA LEGS. I never knew how much I would miss the rocking feeling that stays with you after disembarkation. Barely felt the ship move at all this week. For those with motion sickness, I’m sure it’s a blessing. But I actually like being conscious of being on a boat: unintentionally catching ocean views from walking past a window, or being rocked to sleep in your cabin. While The Beast is a contemporary wonder, there are some basic things that she doesn’t have which I love about cruising.

 

 

 

So I am enjoying the morning and sniffing a little sea air when a text comes in. Yes, you read that right. A TEXT.

 

 

 

[raised eyebrow, gaping mouth, sudden coughing fit]

 

 

 

You have GOT to be kidding me!

 

 

 

Nope. Not kidding. I stare at my phone. This text is not just from anyone. It’s from my BOSS. I am in a momentary panic because I think…did I forget to put this phone on airplane mode? Am I fired? No, I am not fired and no, the little airplane symbol is displayed on top of my phone. So how in the name of all that’s holy did I get a text? And from HIM, of all people? While I am momentarily freaking out about this, he had written, “I can’t remember if Mexico is one of your stops, but if you are scheduled to stop there, there is a travel advisory against it and I hope you will not be getting off the ship.”

 

 

 

Wait. What?

 

 

 

[sudden burst of uncontrolled laughter]

 

 

 

We’ll just pretend that I didn’t see that text until I get back to Lauderdale.

 

 

 

[crumples text and tosses overboard, walking away, casually whistling tune]

 

 

 

After I recover from my impromptu emotional outburst, it’s time for the Welcome Back thingee. For those in the know, it’s for Platinum [patooey!] and above, so I was totally invited. The best part about this event? FREE BOOZE. “I’ll take two Mimosas. The other is for my friend who isn’t here but will be coming and will be thirsty and very happy that I grabbed one for her. I’m super thoughtful that way.” Because no one is going to believe that a hot chick like me came on this ship alone.

 

 

 

 

Before.

 

 

 

 

After.

 

 

 

The event begins and Captain Stubing introduces himself and his crew. My favorite crewmembers were the naked ones who performed tricks for us. Was hoping that they were going to ask for a female volunteer from the audience to wipe up their sweat with either a towel or her tongue, her choosing. But no such luck. I may never cruise on this ship again with all its disappointments.

 

 

 

 

I choose...tongue.

 

 

 

 

Definitely tongue again, but I may need some assistance.

 

 

 

I also attend the Meet and Greet. Actually, that happened before the Welcome Back thingee. Geeze, I have SO MANY personal invitations to things that I just can’t keep them straight. The event is interesting in the fact that I would pretty much not run into any of these people around the ship for the rest of the week, and the point of these is to make the ship a little smaller by meeting folks. And here’s a funny contrast: at home I tell people that this is my eighth cruise and they’re all, “Your EIGHTH cruise? Wow you take a lot of cruises!” And I’m all, yeah. Look at me, the cruising expert. I’m PLATINUM. And then I watch them marvel at my Platinum-ness. The ignorant fools.

 

 

 

Then I go on Cruise Critic or meet folks on the ship who have taken a thousand cruises. My Platinum-ness [patooey!] suddenly becomes a big embarrassment as I revere the Diamond, Diamond-Plus, and Pinnacle people around me. But everyone is really nice at the event and no one shames my Crown and Anchor status. At least not to my face.

 

 

 

Prizes are awarded. I don’t win. I return to my inferior interior2 cabin empty-handed.

 

 

 

I drag my rear into the Champagne Bar, where the solo lunch meet starts. There are only two others: a very young fresh-out-of-college girl named Erin who is staying with her brother and his family on the ship on the 17th deck (I didn’t even know The Beast HAD cabins on the 17th deck), and a fifty-something divorced man named Frank or Steve or Bob or something who is vacationing on casino comps and is here with other casino folks. This isn’t my first solo luncheon, so the low number didn’t surprise me. A crewmember walks us to the Silk dining room and sits us at a large table with three other couples, all of which were way cooler than the couple that sit at my dinner table. Conversation goes well enough, but the three of just don’t have enough in common to continue socializing after lunch. Frank/Steve/Bob’s eyes keep licking me up and down throughout the lunch, so the sooner I finish this delicious build-your-own-pasta dish and run from the table, the better. I mention to the other two that I like how The Beast actually has digital clocks in the rooms. Frank/Steve/Bob’s eyes darted momentarily away from my legs to look me in the eyes and say, “I know, but the clock is downstairs, and my bed is upstairs, so I can’t see it when I’m in bed.”

 

 

 

[blinks]

 

 

 

So if I didn’t already feel steerage enough with my interior2 cabin, I’m dining with 17th-deck, superior ocean-view, multistory cabin dwellers. Like Fat Albert dining with Mariah Carey and Thurston Howell.

 

 

 

After lunch, the Sexiest Man Alive contest is scheduled to begin at the Aqua Theatre. I take a seat in the hot sun and patiently wait for the young eye candy to make appearances.

 

 

 

And then I saw him. Robo. He is working with Grant, the activities manager, to collect names for the contest. He’s from Mexico and is the sexiest thing I’ve seen with a clipboard and sunglasses since Bubbles.

 

 

 

[Robo casually looks around the audience and suddenly locks eyes with me. Tchaikovsky's Romeo & Juliet Overture swells while Robo and I stare at each other. He drops his clipboard, throws off his sunglasses, then runs toward me in slow motion.]

 

 

 

So I stare at Robo while I wait for the contest to begin. It starts late because they can’t get enough contestants to sign up. And that makes me very sad. But eventually a few men sign up. And when Grant asks for female volunteers to judge the contest, I am screaming Robo’s name and waving my arms frantically to get called. Nope. Rejected like Walter Mondale in a Presidential election. Apparently boring my eyes at Robo while saliva dribbles down my chin is an undesirable quality for judging this event.

 

 

 

The contest is fun. I enjoy watching the men wiggle around and do their best to convince the judges that they should win. Of particular note is the young man who brought a rubber horse head mask to the contest and danced Gangnam style. Maybe not the sexiest, but definitely portrayed the best personality. And, let’s be honest, personality IS sexy.

 

 

 

 

Gangnam guy doing his thing. Robo (sigh) is behind the judges.

 

 

 

When the contest is over and we all funnel out of the theatre, Robo is at the top of the stairs. As I pass him I say, “I have to tell you. You are extremely hot.”

 

 

 

Robo is taken by surprise but thanks me and says, “If you want to see more of me, I’ll be wearing very little and playing volleyball in the sports pool later today.” A personal invite to see a nearly-naked Robo? OMG.

 

 

 

[bites lip]

 

 

 

And while he does seem genuinely flattered that an old woman like me thinks he’s hot, he does not drop his clipboard or even remove his sunglasses.

 

 

 

That’s okay. I have six more days to win you over, Robo.

 

 

 

[maniacal laugh]

 

 

 

 

 

UP NEXT: THE CLOSEST I COME TO HAVING SEX

You are adorable!!! Keep it up

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OP, I think I know why your upset. You must of heard wrong.

 

 

 

The ship is "Duty Free" not "Doodie Free"

Lol

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That worked great. I really liked the middle one and printed that out.

Thanx for the link

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Where can you have a cigar on Allure. Do they have a connoisseurs club

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Anyone asking for more than 2 bottles of water at a time IMO is sharing. Also the drink packages are for use on the ship not to provide you with a day's worth of drinks off the ship.

 

 

 

You should have left this off your list of complaints as you don't get much sympathy on this topic.

 

 

 

Sorry to hear of the other issues.

Totally agree

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I'll pass on a secret: you can wear the same clothes more than once.

Don’t marry an ex Miss Pennsylvania. 7 night cruise equals minimum of 10 dresses just in case it’s cooler or warmer in the venue we’re eating. At least 7-8 pairs of shoes (heels) wearing same pair twice is sacrilegious. Lol. Minimum of 4 bathing suites with matching sarongs and we won’t go on about afternoon short n shirt combo’s. Shore excursion ensembles and workout close make up a hair supplies and so on!!! Yes it costs me a lot just to get her suitcases on the plane. We always do a grand suite mainly so she has a place to put all her dam luggage.

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Awesome. Hope the fog isn't too bad

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Going out of Galveston tomorrow on the Navigator was wondering what time we can board the ship

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How is John Perry as a cruise director? We're going on NOS dec 28

Thanx

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Thanks John B!!!

thank u

I am a Diamond level on RCCL, we are planning a Celebrity Cruise and was wondering if we can use our Diamond level for perks on Celebrity, also do we get cruise points to add to our account on RCCL if we are on a Celebrity Cruise.

Thank You

To those who said on here that they haven't had a problem with the website I say........Bull!!!! The website is rarely fully functioning, you are suppose to be able to access the restaurants 90 days prior to saying and they never get up and running til sometimes just before 30 days. I'm less than 60 days out from our next cruise and the reservation for the fine dining is still not up. I called and they said it isn't up to them it is up to the people who run the website. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of good info on the site, I'm just saying that many times it isn't updated or it crashes. It crashed this morning when I went on to see if I could book dinner times.