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Recent fine print states that the person redeeming the free photo offer must be in the photo. Agree that "photo is a photo" and it shouldn't make difference but they make the rules:confused:

 

M

Interesting.... I usually read fine print (lawyer, here), but must have missed it this time. Is this a recent change, or is it something that's just not enforced on all the ships?

In any event, it was odd that the conversation went:

RC Staff: Who are these people in this photo?

Me: Oh, they're our tablemates.

RC Staff: So, they're not related to you?

Me: No.

What was the point of that portion of the exchange if they were going to announce 2 minutes later that I couldn't get the picture of my daughter because I wasn't in the picture? I wasn't in the picture with my tablemates either.

No, but you should contact Crown and Anchor and register your DD. She will then be Diamond and qualify for a picture of her own. :D:D

She is -- she's Diamond Plus -- but it's not one of the benefits that kids get. Kids get their own perks, but a free photo isn't one of them.

I know this thread is three years old, but it seems the best place to put this:

While on the Grandeur last month, I tried to "buy" a photo of our tablemates as my free photo (Diamond Plus) -- we were going to give it to them as a surprise -- but was told that I couldn't because I'm not related to them. Okay, fair enough.

So, then, I immediately said I would instead get a photo of my 12-year-old daughter (who was standing there right next to me while this conversation was happening) from formal night at dinner. They gave me such a hard time because -- apparently -- you can only use the free photo benefit if you, yourself, are in the picture. Otherwise, you have to pay for the photo. This, according to staff of the Grandeur.

I was pretty surprised because that has never happened on any other RCI ship. I've never had an issue getting a photo of our daughter by herself as the free photo.

Eventually they relented, but let me know that they were bending the rules.

Anyone else ever had this happen?

What port DOESN'T make you pay in advance for parking?

Miami and Fort Lauderdale don't. I don't think Port Canaveral does either.

I agree that you can't really go wrong with either choice. So, definitely a "first world problem" that you're facing. :-)

However, if you've never been on an Oasis class ship, I would suggest trying it, at least once. Between the Boardwalk with the carousel and Aqua Theater, Central Park, the Rising Tide Bar, the ice rink, etc., it really is different than other lines' large ships. Just my two cents...

For me, it's to take each day as it comes. I don't pre-plan much - nothing on the ship and usually one excursion only. That's not to say I might not take another, but I don't preplan a lot. I research a lot before I go so that I know what's available, but when I wake up, if we're in a port, I ask myself: Do I feel like going ashore? If I do, then I do. If not, I stay on the ship. When I get on the shore, I think, "Does this look interesting?" If it does, I do it, if not, forget it.

 

HAVE FUN! Lots of opportunities to make the cruise your own, whether it's relax or go, go, go.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here....

We're the exact opposite -- we make specialty dining and show reservations and usually book our excursions before getting on the ship. We're not really into trying to figure out each day what we're going to do for dinner and then discovering that if we want to go to a certain restaurant, the only times open (if any) are super early or super late. Or, wanting to see a show and finding out that without a reservation you might have to line up early (in some cases, really early) in the hopes of being able to snag a seat when they open up the theater in the last 10 minutes before the show starts. Also, some excursions do book up, so there's no guaranty if you want to do a ship's excursion that you'll be able to get the exact excursion you want if you wait until the day before. I'm not saying that we preplan every minute of the day in advance, but things that require reservations, we usually do at home beforehand so that we don't have to think about it and spend time trying to get those reservations done once on the ship.

Although I totally agree with the advice to have fun and go in with a positive attitude.

Oh, and take lots of pictures! We always seem to forget to do that....

Weighing in on the getting off the ship at port: if we're never been to a particular port, we always get off (and almost always do an excursion). However, I'm quite happy in ports like Nassau to watch other people get off the ship, while I stay onboard. Once you've been there once or twice (or ten or fifteen) times, there's really no reason not to stay on and treat it like a sea day.

Found this on http://princesspinkygirl.com/cruise-ship-scavenger-hunt-free-printable/

* funniest mustache

* ship's officer

* something with a fish on it

* ship's steering wheel

* animal carved out of fruit

* towel animal

* someone eating a cookie

* sushi roll

* magazine cover with a Kardashian

* shuffleboard

* Promenade desk sign

* someone wearing a sea sickness patch

* a team member wearing a chef hat

* picture of another cruise ship

* someone playing piano

* someone in a Big 10 shirt

* stranger sleeping on pool deck (picture taken from afar, presumably)

* 2 people with matching shirts

* stranger balancing something on their head

* Taylor Swift lookalike

* Santa Claus lookalike (I love this one!)

* stained glass window

* someone wearing a family reunion t-shirt

One tip about the port in Baltimore if you're driving and parking there. Have your luggage ready to go when you get there. We got stuck behind a car that wanted to take things out of suitcases, repack stuff, etc. Unlike other ports, it's not set up so that multiple cars can pull in and out. There were two lines of cars and if you got stuck behind a lot of "slow" cars where people didn't have their luggage ready, oh well.

Also, you pay for parking in advance at the port, not at the end of the cruise, which slows down the initial parking, but made leaving the port a breeze after debarkation and getting through Customs.

(Oddly, the port in Baltimore is the only US Customs I've ever been through -- either at a port or in an airport -- where you go through Customs before retrieving your luggage.)

My husband broke a bone in his leg in February and had a boot on our March cruise on the Splendor.

One other thing that I don't think anyone has mentioned yet: your son does not have to go to the regular muster drill. Ask where the location is for people with special needs (on the Splendor it was in the library). I went to the regular muster drill with our daughter and my husband went to the special needs one. I didn't bother trying to find out if all three of us could have gone to the library, but I can't imagine that they wouldn't let a parent stay at the special needs muster drill with his/her child. My husband said that their drill finished earlier than the regular drill -- I think so that they would have first shot at the elevators.

Before I clicked on the link, I was hopeful that RC was resurrecting the old Diamonds in December program. (Alas no!)

I feel like a lot of RC ships (at least the ones we've been on in December) were already doing some (most?) of this stuff around the holidays anyway. How much is really new?

Not sure if this counts as "recently," but we were on the Breeze over Christmas week (2015) and the cruise director (Wee Jimmy) came to the M&G and brought some prizes/giveaways (ships on a stick and things like that). It was a large group and had been very well organized here on CC -- there were raffle prizes for every person that attended, an optional gift exchange, etc. No food or beverages were provided. It was held on the morning of the first sea day in the atrium lobby, although I can't remember now whether it was listed in the Fun Times or not.

It was a great event and it was wonderful to put faces to CC members.

I will say though that RCI does a much better job with Meet & Mingles -- someone from the entertainment staff always is there, there are sometimes (usually?) beverages and hors d'oeuvres provided by RCI, everyone gets an RC lanyard/note pad, there's a raffle with some pretty good prizes (bottles of champagne, etc.).

We've done quite a few cruises during the "holiday season" (late November-ish through the end of the year). Most ships have quite a bit of holiday decorating.

The one notable exception: we were on the Breeze during Christmas week last year and there were very few decorations....certainly much less than any other ship we've been on during December.

There were some holiday-themed events.... a holiday show, a tree-lighting event, etc. (This has been true of every ship we've been on around Christmas, not just the Breeze....there's always been some extra holiday-related events.) Wee Jimmy (the cruise director on the Breeze) even officiated a religious service himself on Christmas day because Carnival hadn't planned anything.

A lot of passengers really get into it: we saw tons of door decorations (not sure how that would go now that Carnival supposedly started cracking down on flammable decorations). We brought a small artificial Christmas tree (with lights) and Christmas stockings, which we hung in our cabin. Throughout the whole cruise, and especially on Christmas day, we saw families wearing holiday clothes, Santa hats, etc. One family (three generations) came to brunch in the MDR wearing matching pajamas on Christmas morning.

We did bring a small number of presents for our daughter to open on Christmas Day on the ship, and filled the stockings we had brought, but she understood that we were going to do a "second Christmas" when we got home and she was fine with it. We brought extra cards for our waiter, room steward, etc. and gave them an additional gratuity....one of our assistant waiters was very touched by it because she said that she only had received two or three cards (from family and friends), so she had put up our card in her cabin.

It's now changed. No longer an OBC for 3 and 4 night sailings

 

OBC now is

 

Length of Cruise

5-7 days ........... $25

8-10 days ......... $50

11-14 days........ $75

15 + days...........$100

Good to know -- thanks for the info!

We had planned to book a Jan. 2017 3-nighter on the Enchantment while on board the Grandeur later this month. I guess it would seem there's no real point in booking it while on board any more.

Or, if you do an open booking (future cruise certificate) rather than a specific booking, you get the following:

The amount of onboard credit you get from Royal Caribbean with a NextCruise Certificate depends on the length of cruise you select. Here's the breakdown for open bookings:

3-5 Nights $25

6-9 Nights $100

10-14 Nights $150

15 + Nights $200

(This is what it was a couple of years ago....if it's changed since then, I would welcome someone correcting me.)

..., and if I'd been paying attention at the time, would have gotten me to the casino in time for the free cruise my name was drawn for (I'm still bitter). ...

Ouch! So sorry.

Google "Beyondships moderno" and you will find it there.

Not sure if this is true on all ships, but on the Breakaway last November Moderno also had a fish dish that's not listed on this menu posted on Beyondships. The server asked who in our party wanted it almost as soon as we sat down since that was the one entree for which they have to place an order in the kitchen. It took so long to arrive (basically after the Pasadores had brought everything else around to our table...some things more than once) that by the time it came the people who ordered it didn't even want it any more (too full on steak, bacon-wrapped chicken (yum!), sausages, etc.), but most had a little just so that our server wouldn't feel too bad.

We love Moderno -- we had the UDP on the Breakaway and went to every specialty restaurant once, but on the final night picked Moderno as the one place to go back to a second time. Although, the desserts at Moderno are probably our least favorite of all the specialty dining restaurants....well, maybe the second worst (the green tea cake at Teppanyaki on the Pearl was probably the strangest, least appetizing dessert I've ever had on any cruise).

If you have enough hesitation on trying Carnival to ask here, then selecting a short cruise may be the best way to give it a try. You won't be committed to a long voyage if you find the line is not for you.

I'm going to play devil's advocate here and propose that the short cruises (e.g., 3- and 4-nights) are not the best way to try out a new line. They're generally on the lines' older, smaller ships and the crowd is definitely different. I've done five 3-night cruises (Miami to the Bahamas) on the Majesty of the Seas and, while I enjoyed each one, it's not really fair to judge all of RCI based on one 3-night cruise on the Majesty. (Just like it's probably not fair to judge all of RCI based on a cruise on an Oasis class ship.)

I'd say pick a 7-night on one of the medium-sized ships on a line, preferably one that's been refreshed fairly recently and go during a time when you know it won't be unusually crowded and/or filled with kids (i.e., avoid holidays, Spring Break and, except for the longer cruises, the summer). I think that's the best way to get a real sense of what a typical cruise on a certain line would be like.

Thanks for posting about your observations and experiences. We'll be on the Grandeur in less than two weeks on a 9-night New England/Canada itinerary that's RT from Baltimore.

You mentioned the Diamond Lounge....not sure if you're D or D+, but -- if it's the latter -- did you happen to go to the Concierge Club?

To the OP, no, you're obviously not alone.

Personally, I enjoy smaller, in-between and the megaships. If I had to choose my absolute favorites, it would be the megaships. I hear people complain about crowds on them and that really surprises me. With so much to see and do and so much going on, the crowds don't seem any bigger to me in any one area than they would be on a smaller ship. Plus, I like having more choices of things to do, although -- yes, it can sometimes require some advance planning.

One benefit to the smaller ships that I don't think has been mentioned yet is that I feel like you get to know more people on the smaller ships because people start to look familiar....you might run into the same people at breakfast that you were on an excursion with the day before, etc. Which, if you like meeting and talking to people (we do in our family) is a good thing. The bigger NCL ships are probably the worst in that area because you don't even get consistent tablemates at dinner each night.

Eagerly awaiting your next installment. Thanks for posting. We had contemplated a cruise on the Harmony, but then couldn't pass up a great deal on an Avalon river cruise, so we're doing that instead. Maybe we'll try for a cruise on the Allure or the Harmony in 2017.

The pictures are wonderful (making a mental note to bring my actual camera on my next cruise and not just take pictures with my phone).

 

The hours on all 9 ships we've been on are 6:00am to 10:00pm every day.

The late hours find the gym empty and early mornings are most always crowded. Things get slower after 9-10am.

 

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We were on the Splendor in March and I went every night around 6:00 pm (we had late seating for dinner) and there were always many treadmills available.

On another ship (probably on RCI), I went at 6 am (the stated opening hour) pretty much on the dot and there were quite a few people already in there exercising, so I'm not sure how strictly each ship will enforce the hours.

I love the NE/Canada itinerary...we did it in September in 2010 on the Explorer (RT from NJ) and we're doing it later this month on the Grandeur (RT from Baltimore). Definitely more to see and do at the ports than on most Caribbean cruises, in my opinion. Since we're not exactly "beach people," that's a plus for us.

I'm assuming there will be more kids on the Grandeur (we have a 12-year-old) since it's sailing in the summer. There weren't many kids when we sailed on the Explorer but I've found that to be the case most of the time that we sail during times when school is in session, no matter what the itinerary. It didn't seem to me that the average passenger on the Explorer was older than the average passenger on most Caribbean cruises -- it was actually probably a younger crowd.

If you've never done one, I encourage you to give the itinerary a try!

It would be nice if RCL followed Carnival's lead and allowed you to pre-order a 12-pack or two of water for $3.99 and have it waiting in your cabin when you get on board. :)

Yes, I agree! It's wonderful not having to carry it in your luggage and having it just arrive in your stateroom on the first day. Hard to believe they only charge $3.99 for it (not complaining!).

Sorry, I can't speculate about NYC, but we were on the first cruise on the Splendor in March after its dry dock -- which left from Miami. Embarkation pretty much started at the normal time, although all the cabins were ready when we got on, if I remember correctly.

The one thing we hadn't thought of -- which is unlikely to be a problem (or as much of a problem) in NYC -- was that with no disembarking passengers, there were no cars leaving the parking lot directly across from the ship, which was full. So, we ended up having to park at a parking garage pretty far away (and then had to do the trek back to that same distant parking garage when we returned).

I just read, straight through, all the posts in this thread. Thanks so much for posting, especially all the pictures.

We've got both a Hawaiian cruise on the POA and an Alaska cruise on our cruising "to do" list. I'm kind of leaning towards doing the Alaskan cruise first, just because I feel like I want to see it before it changes too much (climate change, etc.). But, boy, reading through this thread definitely makes me want to go to Hawaii sooner rather than later!