sunset785

Hi all! My husband and I are looking to fly from Florida to do a short Mexican Riveria cruise out of Long Beach. We are eyeing the Firenze (Sunday thru Thursday) or Victory (Monday thru Friday) cruise. The Firenze spends two days in Ensenada and the Radiance is one day at Catalina Island and one day at Ensenada. We have not been to either. Would you choose one over the other? Both are in similar price ranges so that is not a deciding factor.  Any reviews on Catalina Island or Ensenada? We are open to bar hopping, eating, beaching, sight-seeing- really anything! Help us out. 

It's been a long time since I have cruised with Royal but I'm looking at a few cruises for March 2024. I'm noticing that all the fares that are coming up are non-refundable deposits. Is there a way to get a refundable deposit (and likely pay a higher price)? Non-refundable deposits are not an option for us at this point because of work schedule. Thank you! 

Is anyone out to sea right now? Specifically on a Bahamas cruise? We are on the Elation on Thursday and are familiar with hurricanes (we live in FL) but have never been on a cruise when some storms are brewing out there [emoji24] what are the seas like right now? What should we expect this weekend?

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We leave Thursday on the Elation. Ready for a nice long weekend away and this is our first time with Cheers!

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Go with the flow and don’t set your expectations too high. We cruised with our then 8 month old and I set my expectations way too high and was bummed with the outcome. Pack any medicine and any diaper you may need.

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Does the ship have a Punchliners Comedy Club? If so, did you go to it? Was it good?

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We booked for September 6th! Excited to drive less than an hour to port for a quickly getaway. We got an ocean view room on empress deck.

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Does anyone know what formal night will be ? In Freeport the second day 12-7 then Nassau 8-5 then sea day

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Thank you for the encouragement. This will be cruise #11 for us. We’ve been ok everything from small to big and never had a bad cruise.

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Looking for a quick cruise in September on the Elation since it’s less than an hour drive for us. Price is great but hurricanes make me nervous (even though I live in Florida). We have to use some of our vacation time around then and it’s an easy trip with our 4 and 6 year old. Has the elation been renovated? If so, when? What’s to like and what not to like?

Also can someone send me some links of Elation reviews? Thanks.

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My favorite is Coki Beach in St. Thomas. I loved Magen’s Bay as well but I enjoyed Coki Beach more.

HMC is also gorgeous.

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Thanks for the info. We set sail on Saturday on her. Are the pools warm?

We have never gotten Cheers but we do like to try drinks here and there. My favorite Caribbean drinks are Goombay Smashes and Pain Killers. We found on our last few cruises they won't make anything that is not on the menu which is such a bummer. My guess is that they don't know how but I would still try.

I would count Puerto Rico out. Every article I have read basically says this island is devastated. I don't see how San Juan will open up any time soon, let alone the rest of the island.

I would constantly check the site and call. I have heard that you have better chances this way than hoping to be called back from the waiting list.

We are looking at cruising next June on the Miracle out of Tampa. We are in between this and the Vista but cost-wise the Miracle would be a better choice and we would be able to get a better room. I haven't seen many reviews on the Miracle and it looks like after some research it doesn't have some of the extras like Guys and Blue Iguana that we love but that's not the end of the world for us either. We would have our kids with us who would be almost 4 and 6. They are great cruisers. It would be between this and the 6 day Vista. Vista would be about $700 more. Thoughts? Also, if you could link any picture reviews for the Miracle- that would be awesome. Thank you!

Do you have to have wifi in order to use the Hub app? Meaning, could I pay the $5 total for the cruise and be able to communicate with others in our group who have the app? Not planning on getting the wifi but I would like to get the app.

Completely depends. Any cruise I'm on is a fun cruise because of what we like to do on the ships. Yes, the bigger ships have more and I think it's a great experience, but the smaller ships do have a lot of charm. For us, we look for ships with a Guys Burger, comedy club, and waterslides. Depends on what you like.

We are traveling with another couple on our Magic cruise next month. We have chosen anytime dining. Do we need to connect our dining reservations so we can sit together? I know we use to have to do then when we chose early or late but what about with anytime? Thanks.

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This is the first time we have ever booked a cruise for October. We live in FL so we are use to this but this is too darn stressful this year. I don't know if I will ever book another fall cruise again- too much worrying.

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Irma looks to have a friend following behind that is predicted to form early next week as well.

Why are the brother and partner canceling their cruise? When you say sick, what kind of illness?

We are looking at doing a Southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan the last week of June 2018 as a family. We would fly into SJU late Friday night to have all day Saturday in San Juan. Cruise would leave on Sunday. What time is check in on the ship on Sunday? Can we check in and then get back off the ship? What do people typically do with such a late departure? Also, is there a gift shop or something after security at the port? I have seen threads with people saying they purchased liquor here. Is this still possible?

Also, we would arrive back in San Juan the following Sunday at 7 am. What time do people schedule flights for? We would have our two kids with us (almost 4 and 6 years old) and I don't want to do a whole bunch of waiting around. I'm sure they will be super tired and possibly cranky so the faster we head out, the better for us (and those around us ;p) but I wouldn't want to book something too early and we are anxious all morning to get to our flight. Plus I'm sure traffic and such may be a pain.

Any suggestions or tips would be greatly appreciated. Flight schedules are not out yet for what we are looking for but I'm still researching and gathering information. Thanks!

Ours was in the main dining room. It was fairly quick.

What is Steve's email? I tried to email him on his website but no response.