kadeycat

Roatan for snorkeling. We went in Cozumel recently where we always enjoyed snorkeling and the reef is struggling. Brown coral and not nearly as many fish as years ago.

We were also on the Allure a few weeks ago. We only reserved one comedy show and the headliner show. Which turned out to be the Three Tenors. a really great show. we waited in the standby line for Aqua Theatre. It was the best show of the week. We also got to watch the rehearsals from our Boardwalk Balcony. also went back to Comedy in the standby line on the last night. Never had a problem getting in. Always be sure each person who reserved a seat has their sea pass card. They scan each one as you go in to the venue. Blue Planet was really 'meh'. Ok but nothing we were thrilled about.

Samba Grill is the Brazilian Steakhouse but Sabor is the Mexican food place. We were on a few weeks ago but didn't try either one. Chops is most excellent! We ate in the Solarium Bistro and the Wipeout Café most breakfast and lunch. There were never any tables available in the Windjammer. I'm not going to stand in line for 30 minutes to eat at a buffet! Preferred Wipeout omelettes and fresh scrambled eggs. For some reason the OJ was also thicker and pulpier than other restaurants.

We used this as a morning sea day activity. Found all 20 on the Allure list. Some are pretty cool like the Noahs Ark and the sarong pins. People would see us looking into them and ask what it was. We helped a few more people get interested in finding more

We are considering a transatlantic cruise for the first time. When do the Spring 2019 trips get released for booking?

Anyone have great experiences on U.S. to Europe transatlantic trips. Our 2 week Panama Canal cruise was one of our favorites.

We will be there also on Oct. 8th. Just checked our hotel and its closed now but supposed to open again on Friday.

Hyatt Pier 66 is currently closed but will open this weekend according to their Facebook page

Our reservation at Hyatt Pier 66 is not until Oct. 7th but thanks for the info on when they plan to be open again.

We have been on both ships. Star to Alaska and Jewel in the Southern Caribbean. I would definitely choose the Jewel of the Seas. Very nice ship.

Gee, thanks! we got a balcony that is 5 rooms from the back of the ship. We figure we can watch Ocean-aria and movies and still see a bit of the ocean.

If you look at the top row on my signature photo. Our room is the fifth from left.

Cruising on the Allure of the Seas Oct. 8th. frequent cruiser but its been awhile since we have been on RCCL.

The description of our Boardwalk Balcony cabin online has

Enjoy DINE • DRINK • DISCOVER exclusive amenities available only to Boardwalk guests including a complimentary meal for four at Johnny Rockets®, soda packages for two and a rock climbing session for the whole family. Do we really get these perks?

How fancy does everyone dress for the formal nights? can you post photos of examples? Many long dresses or mostly cocktail knee length?

I have choices but just not sure what to pack.

What nights are the 'cruise dressy' nights on the Western itinerary?

Thanks for any help!

Last cruise there was a seven year old running around the pool deck. He said his parents were in the room and he was supposed to stay away for awhile.

That's going to be tough since the Breeze does not move to Galveston for another month. Probably is not available yet.

We tried Playa Uvas last time we visited. Very nice snorkeling and fantastic service. Reserved online. Worked nice to take taxi to and from.

We really enjoyed the river rafting. Very fun! The boats are inflatable so fairly stable.

Last cruise there was a 7 year old boy who would run from pool to slide to hot tub and jump in splashing everyone. We asked him where his parents were at and he said they were in the room napping. That's too young to be running around by yourself. Next day there were about 10 kids in each hot tub along with a mom and diapered baby. I just want to relax and soak for a few minutes.

One of the coolest snorkeling we have done is the Champagne reef in Dominica. Can be paired with the Titou gorge to see the river and waterfall. One of my favorite islands.

We will be joining you on the breeze.

When you get off the tender in grand Cayman, go out the gate and walk down the street to your right. There is decent snorkeling at Eden rock about 1/4 mile down the road. Stairs for entry and a snack shop if you need food.

I. The fish and chips area they make a Bouillabase soup that is A-amazing. It takes a few minutes but its worth it.

We were on the same sailing of the Freedom. We noticed that even though the comedians were still onboard, there were only a few nights of shows. The magic had 5 comedy shows every night. We never once saw a piano player in the piano bar. The casino area band had a questionable singer. I thought it was karaoke at first.

Could not figure out if it was just the first cruise or the entertainment was typical.

I was pleasantly surprised with the new shows like Heart of soul and Getaway island. I still prefer the old show bands but at least the songs were good and the performers had alot of energy and enthusiasm.

The specific difficulty in Houston/Galveston cruises is the transport from airport to cruise ship. We investigated renting a car , staying on the island and dropping car near the port but there are NO agencies that are open on weekends. so no one way is possible. We just stayed near the airport and caught the shuttle down the next morning.

That helps planning. Thanks.

We are trying to book an excursion that starts at 9:30 am. The ship docks at 8 am but I'm not sure if local time is the same as ship time. Since we start in San Juan I would think it's the same time zone. Can anyone confirm? We don't want to get off the ship and find out local time is already 9 am. That is cutting a bit too close.

Some very good ideas have been posted.

Definitley what to pack and the travel insurance is a must with older travelers. There were a few items I use frequently but would never have thought to pack.

We found that having the discussion about the style of the vacation is very important. They may feel that they must stay with you all the time or be more active than they want to. Just talking about the expectations helps everyone feel more at ease.

Some folks are comfortable being left alone to do as they please most of the day however others would not be so much.

Also given the choice to be as active or sedentary as they would like. They can decide how they are feeling each day. don't need to plan every second way ahead of time.

as long as they know what you have planned for your family unit, they can work with or around those plans.

Have a great trip!

We did a back to back on the Magic last October.

They have you meet on the lobby atrium or lounge as a group and walk you off and back onto the ship.

By the time they let us off and we got through customs, there were about 50-100 other people already on board.

We were a bit disappointed that the masses had already started to clog up the ship before we had a chance to put our documents back in our stateroom.

It was great though to know that we did not have to go to the airport and we could enjoy another week of sailing.