NewSalt

This is definitely a MUST HAVE for any cruise!

On advice I read here, I just got two of these, one to give to my DSIL. Please tell me why he's going to love it.

And people wonder why prices increase

They increase the drink prices because they can.

It has nothing to do with people smuggling alcohol on boats.

Where exactly do you live? How long does it take to drive to Cape Liberty? What day of the week are you sailing?

 

Hope you're booked on the Liberty and not the Explorer!

Yup! Brain blink. Happens all too often lately. Explorer was last year.

DD lives about 25 minutes from Bayonne, so about an hour to drive back and get them. We're sailing on a Thursday.

Got it.

For what it's worth, I wasn't very impressed with the man-made beach at King's Wharf in Bermuda either.

Staten Island is that the one with the Statue of Liberty?

No, that's Liberty Island. No points for creativity on that one.

The one we were on- barefoot beach was definitely a man made beach and not natural.

How can you tell it was man-made? I'm not being argumentative; I just would have done a much better job if I created a beach.

My DH swears by these packing envelopes: http://www.travelsmith.com/eagle-creek-pack-it-large-garment-folder/travel-accessories/packing-organizers/787575

I have Vera Bradley packing cubes, but I've also used ZipLock bags for underwear and socks. When DD was little, I packed each outfit in a Zip Lock, shorts/pants, top, underwear, socks, hair ribbons, and just pulled out the one we chose each day. DH's slight color blindness has made me contemplate using this system for him too.

Three years ago we took our DD, DSIL, and DGS on the Summit, leaving from Bayonne. DGS was two, and the look on his face as he caught sight of the "BIG ship" from the shuttle to the ship was one of the best memories of my life. His mouth was a perfect O and his eyes were as big as saucers.

This summer we'll be on the Explorer, sailing again out of Bayonne. However, since there is no longer a need for a shuttle, the first glimpse his little brother, who is exactly the age DGS1 was, will get of the ship will be in the car.

I'd like to see that look again, but there's no way the six of us and our luggage will fit into one vehicle, even a car service. Would it be possible for DH and me to drive to the pier, drop off the luggage and then return with DD and her family? I know we would have been able to do this at the old terminal, but this will be our first time at the new one.

Or if you have any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Last summer on the Exploree, we checked out six towels to go to the beach. When I returned them, they swiped my sea pass but never bothered to count the towels I returned.

DH and I travel with a lot of toiletries for a variety of reasons. We each have an over-the-door toiletries case; his is LLBean and mine Vera Bradley. They're travel cases, so we don't need to pack another case. In addition, I carry a small leather train case for body lotion, hair mousse and spray, etc. That goes on the shelf under the sink with the bottles stored inside. Only the tooth brushes and the few items we share, like tooth paste and mouthwash, and medications are on the shelves. My makeup is in a zipper case that fits in the fold-up case and that lives in the center drawer of the desk because that's where I prefer to use it.

We take a garbage bag for dirty clothes and just put it in the suitcase when we repack. I prefer not to put clean clothes in a suitcase that held dirty underwear, but that's just one of my peccadillos.

I understand the challenge of travelling with teenagers. Sherman left Atlanta in better shape than the rooms my Girl Scouts were in when we did troop trips. Utter chaos and then everything comes to a screeching halt while they try to find something they need before they leave the room.

Maybe.

 

But the other side is if there was no sharing, and margins are met, maybe prices won't go up.

 

Some times no price increase is as good as we get. For darn sure if Royal isn't making the margin on the package they will increase the price, impose limits, police the users more carefully, or change the rules to be more restrictive.

Prices go up? Maybe. But Royal does some pretty extensive market research to determine at what point people will stop buying the package and price it accordingly. Raise the price and there's a certain number of people who will no longer buy it or take a look at other lines to cruise b

I'm not advocating sharing the package. We never buy it; the bar bill for the two of us has never come close to half the price if one package. If we did buy it, we and wouldn't share; that's not consistent with my value system. But I don't buy the idea that sharing causes a financial increase for other passengers.

If people wouldn't share drink packages, there would be nothing to build into the price to make up for the theft. Hence, the price would be lower for all the people who abide by the rules.

Royal, like every other for-profit, bases it's price on what the market will bear. If all sharing stopped tomorrow, Royal's profits would increase and the cost of the package would not go down one cent.

In St. Maarten last year we took a cab to the Butterfly Farm, and when we told the driver we planned to go to Le Galion beach, he came back in an hour or so and took us there (it's just a few minutes by car) and then came back and took us back to the ship. Le Galion is a great beach for younger children. The waves are gentle and there's a raft for them to jump from.

It was a nice outing.

About 7 years ago when we were in Naples I talked to a man in the hot tub who was robbed of his Rolex watch that morning & he said I am a defense attorney & I donot know if I Can defend these SOB anymore.

This made me shake my head. I guess defending these people is not a problem if it's not his property that's taken.

Thank you all. This has been most informative. I can't wait to share the title the next time we cruise.

A very nice reminder of a more gracious past.

On the thread about the attack on HAL, a poster mentioned "yum yum men" delivering food.

Please, what is a yum yum man?

It sounds like someone to put on my list of "People I'd like to be able to hire someday," somewhere between "Personal chef" and "Pool boy."

Two bottles of wine per stateroom. No corkage fee to bring it to the MDR. One of the nicest things about RCCL.

We checked a case of water on the Explorer last summer in Bayonne. It was not a problem.

We've sailed on the Emerald Princess twice, RCCL Explorer and Legend once each, and I agree with most of the opinions on this thread.

Buffet set-up on Princess is crowded and annoying. However the food is far superior and much more varied from day to day.

We always found something we liked at the International Cafe, almost never at the Promenade Cafe. The gelato in the IC was very, very good and quite reasonable.

Loved MUTS. Was very disappointed when we attended our first movie in a theater when we returned home and we had to sit in a regular seat, not a lounge chair, and no one came around with cold milk and warm cookies. :(

Also liked the coffee card.

Loved having a coin-operated washer and dryer available. So convenient.

Liked having the MDR open for lunch on the day we sailed. Not fighting the mob scene in the Windjammer really made a difference in the way we started out trip.

I thought the military discount was a very nice touch.

We did have a couch in our balcony rooms on Emerald.

We travel with our DD and her family in the summer, and RCCL's itineraries work best for us, and the ice show and ice rink, kiddie pools and activities, and some of the shows like the aerial one, on Royal win out.

Until we had a pre-existing condition that we needed to cover, I never bought trip insurance before the final payment was made. It was never an issue.

I loved having a washer and dryer on Princess. I never had to wait to use one. Throw in a couple of loads, go back to the room and sit on the balcony with a glass of wine and my book, return and throw the clothes in the dryer, back to the balcony until they're ready to be taken out and folded.

I take my favorite clothes on a cruise (because pictures) and I don't want to subject them to a commercial laundry. And hand washing clothes and having them draped around the bathroom is, IMO, a lot more unpleasant than spending an hour or so with a washer.

Thanks for posting your review. I really enjoyed reading it, and the pictures are terrific. I love the wine glass perspective. When I saw your pictures from Pearl Harbor, I was reminded of one we took of the "tears." When we got home and had it developed (that long ago), there was a clearly visible face outlined in the oil. Eerie.

We were on the Legend in February and found the same situation in the solarium. We had breakfast or lunch there a few times and often had to sit on the pool surround. People toweled lounge chairs and then spent hours playing cards at a table.

Best wishes for your up-coming marriage. A Greek island cruise is on my bucket list.

PPs have mentioned many of the things we enjoy doing, but none have told you about my absolute favorite part of any cruise, which we didn't discover until we three or four cruises behind us.

Before you retire for the night, decide how early you want to awake, and then fill out the little order form that you bang out on your doorknob. We order juice, coffee, possibly a croissant. At the time you've chosen, you'll hear a knock on the door and your order will be delivered. (A small tip is customary.) Then sit out on the balcony in your PJ's, drink your coffee and watch the ocean glide by or read.

And don't miss having a drink on the balcony before you do go to bed. Without light pollution, the stars will be amazing.

Most cruise lines state 200lbs PER PERSON....can't imagine anyone needing 200 lbs!!!

That's because you haven't met my DD. :D

Our issue is not celiac but a variety of serious food allergies, and we loved our Celebrity cruises. We've done the same cruise that you're taking three times, the first shortly after my DD and DSIL learned that their son was allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, all dairy, eggs, mushrooms, melon. They did such a great job of handling his allergies that a cruise has been our vacation choice ever since.

As I'm sure you're aware, there is no way to ensure that there is no cross-contamination at a buffet. The first two times we sailed, our captain and DD chose our DGS's meals for the following day at dinner each evening. Then, when we went to the buffet, we found the captain and asked that his safe meal be delivered to the buffet, and the rest of us filled our plates at the buffet. Once he was old enough to feel bad that he couldn't have some if the delicious food in the buffet, we started taking all our meal in the MDR. But it doesn't seem that this would be a problem with an adult who is used to having restrictions on his food.

The specialty dining rooms are so anxious to accommodate their diners that it have a hard time believing that they would not be able to prepare meals that your DH could eat. I'd recommend having a chat with the maître d' when you are on board.

And you'll find a wide range of dress on formal nights -- everything from gowns and tuxes to polo shirts, khakis, and Sunday dresses. Especially for a teenager, I wouldn't even bother with a vest. Does he have a dress shirt and tie (Dad's?)?

I hope you enjoy the Summit as much as we did.

I never towel off. Put on a terry robe after I shower, and by the time I've finished putting on my make-up and drying my hair, I'm dry.

Saves time and your clothes aren't damp and clingy.