tropiclvrs

I'm glad we got insurance months ago. Most policies will only include hurricane aid if you sign up before the storm is named, and Irma was named several days ago.

 

At his point I'm wondering if my cruise will even happen. Supposed to be 9/10 (Allure) and we're flying in from the Bay Area on 9/9. It seems if they wait until the last minute to cancel the cruise we'll be in the area, and potentially in harm's way of the storm. We're booked at the Embassy Suites, which like many of the hotels there, is right on or near the water's edge. This could be a very sticky situation and I hope a decision is made before we leave. I don't want to be there then be stuck there.

I would recommend that you look into possibly changing your flights and fly in even earlier. Depending on the timing of this storm, you may have difficulty getting in on the 9th as you planned. It's better to get there early than stress at the last minute if you're going to make your flight. Perhaps also make a cancelable reservation at a hotel a little further inland.

Completely agree! Love his humor and sharing in on his experiences. Check out his periscopes too (@Andrew_1720). Those are fun too!

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great review Eric. Why was it important to document (take a picture of) the guard and people? Did someone ask to see if you talked to them?

I'm not so sure this rule applies to a short visit by cruise ship but this this is what I found:

According to the U.S. Department of Treasury’s explainer on people-to-people, “Travelers utilizing this general license must ensure they maintain a full-time schedule of educational exchange activities intended to enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities, and that will result in meaningful interaction between the traveler and individuals in Cuba.”

I don't believe you will need water shoes with those ports but hopefully someone else can chime in and confirm. In the meantime, I suggest you check out the ports of call boards for some of your port specific questions.

Here is the link to the Bahamas' board. Just do a thread search if you need info on Breezes.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=58

Have a wonderful cruise! Most likely you'll be hooked like the rest of us! If so and you are eager to plan your next be sure to visit the "Next Cruise" desk while on board so you can sign up for Crown and Anchor and book with a couple of extra perks.

You can even cancel the package when you get on board - though then you'd end up with a bunch of OBC as the refund.

Well, that wouldn't do you much good if you're cancelling the cruise altogether as the OP suggested :p. However, I get what you're saying and yes you can cancel the package for a refund at anytime. You can even decide after the first couple of days that you don't want the package any longer and get a pro-rated refund for the remaining days.

Glad it worked out and good thing you were diligent and just happened to login and notice this cabin change. I think for most people it would have gone unnoticed until boarding or online checkin.

I personally would go ahead and buy the package now and keep an eye on the pricing. You can always cancel it and rebook it up to 3 days (?) prior to sailing. I don't think any pricing on board for the full package will be any less than what you can get in advance. The only other option is maybe is to hope that the ship offers the 10 drink card promo which on a 7 day sailing is typically around day 4 or 5. That card is usually a really good deal.

Curious...did you do both bookings? Or did you book 1 of the cabins and the other party booked the other connecting cabin?

Hi Radio,

 

Two Lifeguards is not overkill. It can be very difficult to see a person especially a child lying on the bottom of the pool. It's even harder when the pool is crowded or the person goes under close to the wall where the guard is standing. A rocking ship also adds to the challenge. It's best to spot a person in trouble before they go under but sometimes they just slip under un-noticed.

It's always good to have more eyes on the pool and a big help to have another guard when someone's in trouble to clear to pool or assist.

 

 

On a brighter note as usual I am really enjoying your post.

It wasn't Radio that posted that comment, it was me...I just quoted his photo. I do see your point and agree. It guess I'm just used to not seeing any on the ships.

RCCL is taking this Lifeguard thing very seriously it appears, which is good but it seems extreme to have 2 lifeguards on just that one small pool. As a former college/summer job lifeguard that pool is not big enough to warrant 2 lifeguards. Now, I do realize it's better to have too many than none at all but really this just seems like overkill to me. Better safe than sorry I suppose!

Good question! I leave my big purse/handbag at home when we travel and use a crossbody satchel. It'll hold the important items (i.e passport, phone, lipstick :-), cash/cards etc...

This would be something similar to what I would carry and if not brand minded, they come in all price points.

https://www.amazon.com/COACH-Womens-Embossed-Leather-Swingpack/dp/B00LO5K7GW/ref=sr_1_8?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1498666918&sr=1-8&nodeID=2475899011&psd=1&refinements=p_4%3ACoach

Thanks so much for sharing your experience. I am considering this ship ad line in the future but sometimes it's difficult to make that leap from one you are comfortable with and like so much (i.e RCCL).

Yes, stop considering it and just book it! Lots of people sail solo...and if you are the social type you will easily make lots of new friends on board. Typically there are solo cruiser activities planned.

I can understand that this would be a tough choice. As a mother to a 10yr and 12yr old I would say that thebigger ships would definitely be better for them on a typical Caribbean cruise. However since this is a Med cruise and you'll spend less time on the ship during the day I can see how the ship may not be as big of an issue. There will be more options/activities on the bigger ships in the evening so if you are looking for those things then maybe hat is the way to go.

We have been on Oasis class 5 times and as others have mentioned the passenger is usually not that noticeable. The only exceptions would be on the pool deck on sea days and the parades in the Royal Promenade.

Great start and sounds like you're having a wonderful time! Enjoy :D

Really enjoying your review and LOVE your photos!

Out of curiosity, how far out are you from your sailing?

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Perhaps this is something new because of the overbooking issues that several have reported here on CC? I am also wondering if they assign a cabin this far out if it's subject to be changed...I think they certainly would have that ability to do so if needed given the "guarantee" booking.

Enjoying your live report!

I'm guessing you are referring to the fire barriers. If by "connecting" you mean only the balcony dividers as, I can confirm 100% that it won't be a problem as the fire barriers are only on the interior. On our last Allure cruise we had 7698/7700 and had the fire barrier between the two cabins. We were able to open up the balcony divider without any issue what so ever. What specific cabins do you have booked or are you looking at?

Regarding the deck 14 noise level some people have stated that when out on their balcony they can hear the music and general activity going on from the pool area but you shouldn't hear anything while inside your cabin. Also, the amount of noise will depend on the location of your cabin.

Again, if you provide the cabin #'s I'll take a look for you and give you my 2 cents.

Keep an eye out for any cabins that might open up in your category in a location that you might prefer. Check every day and even multiple times a day.

Glad you got a little something for the trouble. Have a wonderful cruise!

I like Oasis. Go figure.

 

Great JS balconies, Park Cafe, Coastal Kitchen, hot dog stand, comedy club, aqua theatre, ice rink, designer shopping, massive casino, wipe out cafe, etc, etc, etc..

 

I don't flowride, but do enjoy watching best of the best at end of cruise. Probably don't need two of them, maybe something different on the other side.

 

I don't need to do zip line either. Carousel isn't important, never use solarium so I don't mind the small or missing pool.

 

I'd like to try the slides on Harmony, but would miss the beach pool umbrellas.

 

FWIW, I've never noticed this inward feel of the ship. Looking at the ocean through Windows just isn't something we do.

 

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I agree with all you have said...well, except DS does use the Flowriders and love that there are 2 of them to handle the high demand.

I also don't really get the inward feel comments from so many. There are so many places on board to enjoy the ocean views. Granted, you won't be sitting in a bar watching the ocean go by....you have to "get out there"!

Deck 14, Port side, as close to the elevators as possible.

I spend my entire day from 8:30AM to 4PM at the pool deck.

I make multiple runs to my room during the day so I like to be as close as possible.

And I actually like the sounds coming from up there....

That's a actually a very good reason to go with deck 14 that I hadn't really thought about. We always go to Solarium for breakfast and spend most of our day at the pool. It would be nice to be a short walk away from both.

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Bumping this up as I'm curious about this too. Anyone have any info?

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I'm pretty sure I recall many reporting that the beverage package was being covered up to $13.00 now. Although, maybe this isn't fleet wide or even bartender wide?!?