tropiclvrs

Are there any hassles or restrictions when using a birth certificate?

You will be fine with the birth certificate. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE pull it out now and make sure it is indeed a certified certificate from the county in which you were born.

If not, you will either have to go get one today or head to the passport office and hope they can get you the passport in 1 day.

Got it. Thanks so much!

You cannot have RC upgrade packages that are provided as a booking perk pre-cruise. However, you may be able to work something out with your travel agent.

So, I wouldn't be able to upgrade at all and would just need to purchase the Premium at full cost? My TA said I could have RCI credit the difference but I always am a little leery of things like that when coming from a 3rd party.

What if I want to purchase the package online now to take advantage of the 20% discount? Do I need to call RCI directly and have them just charge me the difference or will I be charged full amount and need to be refunded the difference later?

I currently have 2 Soda Packages included as one of the perks from my TA. I would like to purchase 1 Premium Drink Package online but am wondering if I will be credited the difference between the Soda and Premium once we are onboard. I presume I would need to do this via Guest Services. Just wondering if anyone has done this and if it was a problem at all?

I forgot Freedom has the Freestyle machines too, but Liberty and Indy do not. Not sure if any other ships do.

For those sailing on Oasis class ships, there is the Coke Freestyle machine that gives you A LOT more options than those listed above. Most ships do not have the Coke Freestyle machine, and I know that Indy does not...but wanted to mention it for the benefit of others who may be wondering.

Is the kids pricing of $10 also good at Izumi (Hibachi)?

Chrislilynorah, It's so nice to see a happy ending! Can't imagine the disappointment after months of excitement, only to be denied boarding. I'd be a mess!!! Hope you have the best vacation ever in February!!!

 

BlueHerons, I have a question about the Florida traffic. We are booked on the Oasis out of Fort Lauderdale in October but we are flying in a few days early to visit friends in Punta Gorda. We are renting a car and driving back to Fort Lauderdale early on the morning of our cruise but after reading the many comments about heavy traffic, I'm wondering if we should drive back the night before our cruise. Looking at the route on Google Maps, we'd take I-75 across Florida and I-595 to the FLL airport to return the car before catching a taxi. As far as I can see, we can avoid I-95. My question is... is I595 just as bad as I95 and should we drive into Fort Lauderdale the night before? I really don't think we'd miss our cruise because we'd start the 2 1/2 hour drive early morning but we do enjoy getting on the ship early and getting as much out of our first day as we can. TIA!!!

If you don't receive a reply today, try asking BlueHerons again on the Florida Departures board. I know he/she frequents that board and provides a lot of great info there.

We had connecting rooms in this category last year and would recommend it if balcony isn't an option. The obstructions that are listed are really just the top part of the rising tide bar structure which is mainly glass. I think we actually had those rooms and it wasn't an issue at all.

I would call them and also send a follow up email. It shouldn't take nearly 2 weeks to resolve your complaint or at least give you a call back to discuss the issue and let you know that they are still working on it. My guess is that it fell through the cracks...but if not, it doesn't hurt to call and follow up and see what they tell you.

Are you looking to stay closer to the port or near the beach and the action of Ft. Lauderdale? If you want to be by the beach, we always stay at the Westin Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort as it's located on the beach (well, technically across the street but they have a direct bridge access) and it's close to fun restaurants and shops. There is also the W, Ritz Carlton, Hilton and several other nice resorts in that area as well but you'll pay more.

I forgot to add that all our cruises have been 7 nights and never a problem.

Check out the family board and you will get a lot of great tips there.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

From our own personal experience, I would without a doubt go with Allure! We've been cruising with our kids since they were 2&4 (now 9&11). We started out on Mariner which was fine for the time but having sailed on Oasis/Allure exclusively the last 5 years or so, I can confidently say your kids will love Allure and so will you. Although the the ocean balconies are great I think for kids your age they will love the Boardwalk balcony. Go for it...none of you will be disappointed!

I decided to go ahead with the renewa,l and sucked it up and paid the extra $60 to expedite to be sure we had it in time. Many of you may think that is a waste of money but I'm not a gambling woman and prefer to play it safe in all aspects.

Now, what I didn't mention is I need to renew my children's passports as well. Last year we sailed just with their birth certificates, which is fine but I prefer passports. However, for them I'm just going with the standard renewal (non-expedited) since the birth certificate is still an option.

Thanks to all for the info!

Thanks for that link above. We will be travelling to St. Marteen (must be valid at time of entry), Puerto Rico (no passport required), and Labadee, Haiti (6 month validity required). Although Labadee is a "private destination" it is still Haiti and I could see that could potentially be a stinking point. I personally would rather play it safe and renew rather than get an unfortunate surprise upon checking in at the port.

Now, back to the expedited or not part of it...What if I send it non-expedited but 4 or 5 weeks go by and no passport is received yet. Is there anything that can be done to expedite after mailing it in? Can I go to the Passport Agency for an urgent passport issue? Keep in mind, that for renewal I have to mail in my current passport so I would have nothing. I don't think I even have a certified birth certificate as a backup, but I'll have to check on that. Even if I did, not sure I'd want to just use that...but that's just me.

Thanks for sharing that great video. What a great memoire of your cruise!

Was the reef in Cozumel really that vibrant in color as the video showed? Or, was any adjustments made after the fact. Either way...BEAUTIFUL!

Thanks for the info! I am going to renew my passport just to be safe. Now, I just have to decide if I should do expedited service or not. Our cruise is just over 8 weeks away and current estimate is 6 weeks for passport issue. Not sure I want to cut it that close.

Does anyone know if RCCL has a policy on how many days/months are needed before your passport expires for you to travel? I just noticed that my passport will expire exactly 1 month after my sail date for our Caribbean cruise. I know some countries require 6 months or so, but I am not sure about Caribbean countries or if RCCL has a policy of their own. I can't find anything on their website in the section that details out their travel document policy.

Thanks!

What about Uber? Is it less expensive and just as easy to take an Uber from hotel in FLL to the port and from port to airport (MIA or FLL)?

Our Allure sailing went up about $120. Glad I booked last as I thought this might happen.

Enjoying both your photo review and commentaries. We love Allure!

I see you've also sailed on Freedom and am curious how you feel about going from Oasis class to Freedom and if it noticeably has a different feel to it? Does it feel more crowded and have less things to occupy the kiddos (mine are 11& 9)?

We are considering a cruise on her this summer but I'm a bit concerned it just won't live up to Oasis and Allure. We have done several Voyager class ships and those were great at the time....but then we went up to Oasis and so far never looked back! Freedom has a slightly better itinerary interns of something different which my Dh likes, but for me I'm happy with wherever we go. I just want a ship that's amazing and gives me that wow.

This is a very "famous" cabin pair, and you should DEFINITELY grab it!

Believe it or not, this pair on the starboard and port sides or available...and the sailing is not that far away!

Has anyone used Uber from MIA to either Port Everglades or their hotel in FLL?

I'd want the two bathrooms and increased privacy of the connecting staterooms.

Yes, those are two very good reasons to go with the connecting! Our last 3 sailing have been in connecting and it was great to have the extra space without having to spring for a JS or higher. The difference in price between the balcony guarantee and the 2 connecting is almost $1000...so I have to figure out if it's really worth it or not for this cruise.

We could also do 2 promenade connecting which is $500 less than the inside/balcony connecting rooms. I know my kids would love the promenade rooms...but not sure I'll love it!