ZoeyVictoria

I booked the Liberty as a last minute evacuation from Hurricane Ian last September. My win was enough to cover cruise fare, gratuities, internet, and parking, with $35 left over.

The lowest price for a Florida cruise is $679. For three nights. In an inside cabin. Why do they even publish this “sale”?

Thanks - I missed the April 10 version and thought something was wrong on my end.

I would rather not purchase internet for the entire cruise through the cruise planner. I enjoy being disconnected, but need to complete some tasks online on two specific days during the cruise. How much should I expect to pay for daily use? I am trying to determine if the price difference is so great that I should just pay for the entire cruise.

There were five months left on it. The passport was void because I applied for renewal through their new and problematic online system. It was void as soon as I submitted the application, but still in my possession (they do not ask for it to be turned in or mailed to them). It looked like a valid passport and the clerk did not believe me when I said it was void. There were only five months left on it because I applied for a renewal back in January, with plenty of time based on their projected 5-9 week timeline. I still do not have the new passport.

There have been several reports here on CC that the weed smell was not present on recent cruises (with the use of drug sniffing dogs prior to embarkation).

My last name is not the same as my SO/travel partner’s name. That may have been a contributing factor.

A supervisor would have been called to make a final determination if she hadn’t insisted on using the passport. I took it with me as a second form of photo i.d. Hopefully the supervisor would have known that if I had a 9.5 year old passport, surely the State Department would have verified my identification in the past. I don’t think the clerk’s motive was to avoid the interaction with a supervisor, I believe she was just uninformed but positive she knew everything.

84 cruises with a passport, just this one with a b/c and I was asked immediately. It was a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Miami very recently The only reason I got on the ship is because I had applied for a passport renewal through their new (and defective) online program, so I still had my old passport. I had it with me, and when the clerk at the terminal saw it, she told me to use that. I told her it was void, and she insisted it was not void because it didn’t have a hole punched in it. I did use the b/c to disembark and it took a very long time to get through the line.

Along with the birth certificate, don’t forget to bring any name change documents (marriage certificate, divorce decree, death certificate). I just used a b/c for the first time (passport renewal was delayed) and did not take those documents. Had a scary few minutes when I thought I would not be allowed to sail.

Thanks, that is similar to the other comments I have seen. We usually walk to the bus station and take a random local bus to see the non-touristy part of Nassau. This time we just took the water taxi round trip without getting off.

I suspect the initial problem with debarkation might be related to luggage. When we finally got into the terminal (probably around 8:00), we noticed very little luggage in place. It seemed odd that they would hold up the self-assist people because luggage was not yet available, but there are many cheaters in the self-assist line who also have checked luggage, and there would not have been space for them to wait for it. We got lucky this time because there were fewer than usual self-assist people. So many families with children had too much luggage to participate. What did you think of Blue Lagoon? I have been twice, but not for several years and the reviews haven’t been as good as they used to be.

We were also on the 3/27 to 3/31 cruise. Embarkation was very smooth, we just walked straight through. We had a 1 p.m. reservation at Giovanni’s and they were happy to move us to noon. It was not crowded at all, and the food was great. We took cannoli dessert to go. Cabins opened as we were getting ready to leave the restaurant. Our cabin was a complimentary casino interior. We bid on several Royal Up categories, but were unsuccessful. The room was fine, but narrow. It would have been impossible for either of us to get out of bed in the “king” formation, so we had to have the beds separated and sleep apart. It did make it easier to move around the cabin. We had something unmemorable In the WJ later (salad?), as we were still full from Giovanni’s, plus cannoli for a bedtime snack. The WJ was really crowded at breakfast, with the usual items. We tried El Loco Fresh for lunch, and were not impressed. Standing in line outside with music blaring and people everywhere was not a good start. Gary had a chicken burrito which was dry and mostly beans and rice. I had a cheese quesadilla with a teensy amount of cheese, but enjoyed the sour cream and guacamole. We will not try it again in the future. Dinner was formal night in the MDR and was surprisingly good. We did not notice the smaller portions that have been mentioned. We each received two pieces of tenderloin that appeared to be 3-4 ounces each and were somewhat tender but flavorful. Breakfast in the Diamond lounge was very good. Coco Cay had the usual good food at the Snack Shack. Mozarella sticks have been reduced from four to three and are smaller, funnel cake is smaller. Dinner (Caribbean night) was okay. Under the chicken dish description on the menu is a note that grilled chicken is available. Gary ordered it and it was a chicken breast, mashed potatoes, and veggies. It looked like a way to add a “classic” to the menu without backing down on their new menu. I had only appetizers because we had snacked in the Diamond lounge and I wasn’t hungry. The last night was fine. I had two appetizers for my entree; both were brought at the same time. Service was excellent at the MDR, WJ, and bars. No issues at all, just good service I thought one of the shows (Once Upon A Time) was excellent. It reminded me of the shows on MSC. The other show was related to Broadway and we just don’t enjoy Broadway music. Debarkation was not good. We used self-assist and were assigned the earliest time, 7:15. We walked straight from the cabin to the deck without stopping, then came to a screeching halt. We stood in an unmoving line, then finally started moving and merged with the people leaving from an area closer to the gangway. I believe it was Key people. Our passports are being renewed and are delayed (ten weeks so far), so we had to use the birth certificate line. There was one person working it for a while before another person was added. The time spent watching guests digging through bags for their birth certificates was frustrating. Even with self-assist and parking in the port garage, it took over an hour from cabin to car. We usually do not travel during spring break or any time schools are not in session. This year, due to extended family issues, it was either cruise on March 27 or forfeit a free cruise. We were told that there were 1,300 children on board. We spent a lot of time in the casino and solarium, but it was impossible to avoid the crowds. We enjoyed the cruise and don’t regret going, but it will be our very last spring break cruise.

We were on the Freedom of the Seas March 27 - 31. On the only sea day, I was in the solarium, reading, at 7 a.m. A woman came in slightly later and threw a towel on all eight chairs in a group (four in each of two facing rows). She stayed there and later one man joined her. He moved two additional chairs, so they had a group of ten chairs, with both rows sticking out into the solarium walkway. Two officers arrived and they were told to move the two extra chairs. I heard the woman say, “But we have a group of like thirteen!” They then ignored the officers and did not move the chairs. It was at least two hours before any of her large group showed up, and there were never more than six there at a time. The extra chairs were put back in place by the crew that night.

Thank you, that makes sense. I will check the tags.

Ours are also red. Is it possible Platinum and Diamond are all red for pre-sorting reasons? Seems like that would add some steps to the luggage delivery process, though.

I have not used dry cleaning since I worked up north and wore business clothing that was dry clean only. Is it okay to dry clean items that are normally washed/dried, such as mens’ dress pants and shirts?

I have entertained the thought of saying, “Honey, do you think that was food poisoning or Noro?”

The waiters all wear Hawaiian shirts. They say they enjoy Caribbean night because they can “be ourselves”. The only way you can tell the difference between the waiters and the guests is the speed at which the waiters are moving.

We are at Coco Cay today on Freedom. I brought along a duck I found on the Regal Princess in January. We sat next to a family of five - Dad, Mom, another woman their age, and two kids ages 4-8. While they were briefly away from the area, we hid the duck in their umbrella. The other woman found it, showed it to the Mom, and put it into her bag. So much for surprising and pleasing little kids. But someone was happy to find the duck!

We just embarked in Miami today ☹️. We missed the entrance into the parking garage at Terminal A and had to drive through much of the port to get back to try again. At one point, there was a porter standing in the street doing nothing, so Gary stopped the car and I asked him (very nicely) how to get there. He asked if I was checking luggage and when I said no, he turned away and would not help us.

I am sure it was $45 per sailing and IT needs to make some changes. I have very limited data with my $14 per month cell phone plan and don’t mind paying $45 for unlimited use at ports. Easier all around for me.

Gary applied for his passport book via USPS in January, not expedited (previously had only passport card). It took 32 days for them to cash his check. He is also now cruising with his birth certificate, but it doesn’t upset him as much because he had only the passport card in the first place and he didn’t have the name changes I did (married, divorced, married, widowed, then the last time there wasn’t a name change with my late SO, thank goodness). I worked for the federal government for many years and receive an annuity from my late DH’s federal retirement, but I have serious reservations about the way governments services are being handled.

I am currently at 9 weeks and 4 days into a 5-9 week timeline for my online renewal. I am on the Freedom of the Seas today with my birth certificate - barely. This is my 86th cruise, first without a passport. It is totally my fault, but I did not bring some documents that were required with my birth certificate: marriage certificates, death certificate, divorce decree. I took along my old passport that was voided when I submitted my online application just in case, and the agent argued with me that it was still valid because there was not a hole punched in it. She let me on board based on that 🙄 My next cruise is April 16, desperately hoping for my new passport for that one.

I wish I had expedited mine. I applied for renewal online on January 19. Today is 9 weeks and 3 days into (past) a 5-9 week timeline. Getting on a cruise ship tomorrow with a birth certificate ☹️