mmn531

Based on my experience from a few weeks back, it boils down to dollar amount only. I ordered a few mixed drinks that would normally go over the dollar amount and they just put the 'house brand' in there and called it a day. Wine was on the only sticking point.

I personally would not go for top notch unless you really enjoy the specialty coffees. I drink mine black and bitter so no need for the fancy stuff.

have fun on the cruise!!

So I came on a couple days ago asking for advice on 2 totally different ships- (thanks for the help) but now my friend has worked out her schedule and we can go for 5 days!! Yea! Anyway we want to leave on Saturday so that leaves us Brilliance or Liberty. Pros and Cons of each? Is Liberty worth the extra $$$ about 600$ or so more? The difference in ports is Liberty/Belize and Brill/George Town.

 

Thanks

Based on your wants of a relaxing cruise, I would go Brilliance and save the cash. I was on Liberty a few weeks back and she is lovely. And Saturday Night fever was fantastic. But if you just want to chillax :), go Brillaince.

In the end though, you can't go wrong with either and that is the fun part !!! Just go have a great vacation and NEVER second guess yourself. Live and love the moment you are in

Tough group. Seems to me that the ship only came back 2 days early. That means that it was basically an 8 night cruise instead of 10. Now mind you I understand it wasn't a "dream cruise." But (now I haven't read all accounts), were all the passengers quarantined to their rooms? Or did they have normal run of the ship? If they had normal run of the ship, use of pools, all the restaurants and entertainment, then what they really missed was the port stops. And they spent a day and a half on San Juan, so they did get that port stop (don't know about others except Labadee). The crew spent days scrubbing the ship. In the WJ passengers were served food and not allowed to get it themselves. There were hand sanitizers all over the ship. In San Juan they extended their stay (I believe) to deep clean the ship. Exactly what more could RCCL have done? The decision to cut 2 days was made for the safety of those on board and those who will board next. A smart decision.

So, all passengers get a 50% refund AND a 50% credit toward another cruise. Some of you think that's not enough. That they should get a 100% refund of all costs involved plus a free cruise. You know, if they broke down on day one, drifted at sea for 4 days with no power (like a rival cruise line did), then certainly the vacation is "ruined." But that didn't happen. Those who weren't sick likely enjoyed, at least to a certain extent, the 8 nights they had. Those who were sick, well, unfortunately that's how it goes. Unless it is RCCL's fault (i.e. negligence), why are they 100% responsible?

Here's what I feel. If on day one all passengers were confined to their cabin and unable to take advantage of what the ship offers, then I'd certainly agree. But doesn't sound like anyone except sick people were confined at all. So if you go on a ship, you get sick and have to stay in bed, then the cruise line "owes" you some sort of compensation?

Y'all.... this is just part of life. That's why we have cruise insurance. If you suffer financial loss for certain events, the insurance covers it. You agree to this when you sign your cruise contract. If you don't like the contract, don't go on the cruise.

Logical and sensible words. thanks!!

Great info, I too was on Oasis and was wondering am I going to be a bit underwhelmed with the size etc. But hell, in the end I am on a cruise. As for Chicago, i am stuck as DW has us slotted for that. but will definitely put the kiddos in the kids club area.

Were you East or west? Would like to know if beyond the water temp, the ports were good for you.

thanks for the direct info!!

I am sailing on the Liberty on Feb 6..Few questions. I am in a D2 Superior Balcony. My last few RCL cruises have been in Junior Suites but this works out, we want to be across the hall from my adult kids who are in a Promenade Inside Cabin on Deck 8. I want to make sure that the D2 Superior Balcony has hair dryers in the rooms. I am trying to pack with just carry on bags, no checked bags, so I need to pack as light as possible. Also, since its a short 4 night cruise, is the Formal Night a " not very formal night". I know most shorter Caribbean sailings usually are. Just want to make sure my husband will be okay in a dress shirt and dress pants...Somehow bringing a jacket seems a little " over the top" on such a short weekend cruise. We were on the Splendour in October out of Venice and the formal night was definitely more formal, but even then there were men with just dress shirts. Its easy for women, our dresses roll up so small. Does the Liberty have the SPIN classes on the back deck of the ship? The Splendour had that and it was awesome...Any other secrets or tricks for the Liberty?? I have been on many cruises and I know that there are always tricks and suggestions...Thanks in advance

Hair dryers, yes. DW used it. She did not complain about it so I assume it was OK. If it is terrible, she WILL talk to someone ;)

Formal night, Go with a dress shirt and tie. I took my suit but only because we wanted some good pictures. You will be fine. Spin, I don't think they do it Aft. All the bikes were in the workout room at the front of the ship every morning. I doubt they move them around the ship too often. Plus on the Liberty, not really sure where they would do the spin class??

Secrets, the only ones I have are

1. the craps table did not roll well the entire time

2. I was able to get good seats around the pool as late as 10:30

3. If you are into it, the cigar bar attendant was fantastic. sorry on the name, Scotch does that to you ya know :)

Happy Cruising!!

We are either looking for this September - November time frame or going to wait until they extend bookings until September - November 2015. Myself, I am not one to book SOOO far in advance because I find myself looking at my countdown clock about once every hour on the hour!!

 

We are even possibly looking at RC's repositioning cruise in October / November From Boston on the Brilliance of the seas, but have yet to do my research (reviews etc) on that ship.

Go ahead and book September. We sail all the time in Sept and always have a great cruise. We did Oasis in 12 and are doing Allure this year. In the end, you will have a blast. Just read a ton of reviews and you will be ready to have a great vacation.

also on your drink question, if you are not a big drinker, pay by the drink. Other than that, book it and then salivate until you get on board :D Happy cruising

The bathroom rack on Allure is a little bit bigger than on Oasis althoug they look similar :D

Cracking me up!!! Needed that :o

I already tried the port of call threads but no responses so I thought I would try this .

has anyone been to 22 duke street in Falmouth the location of the jerk center that was featured in guy s family cruise tv special on food network. if so was it worth it and is it walking distance from the rc port. secondly did you feel safe enough

There was a little shop in the gates that sold Jerk when I was there last and it was great. the best part, I did not have to enter the 'real' Jamaica and worry myself sick about what could happen. That country has such great natural beauty to be so dangerous. Very sad...

OK, so not all of the numbers were provided here. Counted

16 - Carnival

2 - Disney

Plus a bunch of other onesie twosie line outbreaks

Either way, not sure what the lines are doing but I was on Liberty 2 weeks ago and it boggles the mind the number of people I see walk out of the bathroom without washing their hands plus the ones who refuse to use hand sanitizer on the way into the eating areas. Seriously, cleaning your hands will solve most of these outbreaks..

Oh well, such is the life. Just hope I never run into the weight loss virus :rolleyes:

Thanks to both of you for your responses!!

I have searched for this but cannot find an answer. I am a loyal Royal Caribbean traveler but with the new ships coming to NCL, my interests are really stirring. I am going to be in port the same day as the Getaway coming up in Sept this year. Does anyone know if NCL offers any types of in-port ship tours for people other than travel agents?

Probably a dumb question as I assume the answer is no but the worst you can say is no. Thanks for any information on this !!!

Happy Cruising

I did the Premium package on the liberty and I too am a beer guy. I found the package worth it. I drank Sierra Nevada most of the time which is a bit pricier than the buds etc. Then in the pub, they have several good beers that are 7 a pop that you can get. I personally added in a few scotches in the cigar bar and made my money back.

the best part is that you don't worry about the money for drinks. It is done and you move on.

In the end, just have a fun cruise no matter what package you do or don't buy. that is the key!!

Attached is a 'blank' copy of the Countdown Planner Sheet. In order to set the countdown, scroll to the right to cell columns AC & AD -- Here you enter the date and time of the flight/cruise departure

 

TRAVEL ALERT: For accuracy, be sure to convert the cruise time into your local time-zone.

 

Because Microsoft Excel does not have any "real-time" updating capabilities, the countdown will not "tick" down, but will update anytime a cell is changed -- a quick strike of the "delete" key on an empty cell is sufficient.

Thank you so much. Saves me from having to make my own!!

I know there are a million posts about this but I can't seem to get a clear answer.

If you are asking the question, it will probably be worthwhile to get the package. I had it (Premium) on a 4 night earlier this month and it ended up being a steal for me. I like drinking scotch so those add up REAL quick.

It is amazing how quickly you can get to 55 bucks including gratuities. the best part is not having to wonder about your bill at the end. To me that was worth 10 dollars a day right there :)

We are on the april 26-may 3 2014 sailing and i really appreciate your observations, especially the section on the entertainment.

Did you see any of the shows? (hairspray?)

Hairspray was great when we were on Oasis. My 5 yr old boy still talks abut that show. It was his favorite part of the cruise !!! All the shows were good to me except the ABBA tribute band. overly corny but I am sure they are no on anymore ....

Thank you for this post. We are considering this as well in September. Looking forward to some good responses!!

Or better yet, just go with a more versatile rewards card that can give you miles, hotel points, or cash back. You can just take the cash and apply it to a cruise. I can take 50,000 miles or hotel points and get way more than $1000 in value. Many cards also have more than 1 point per dollar.

 

 

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Great, now I have to go shop for another card LOL.. Great point ;)

We were able to upgrade to a junior suite from our ocean view that we booked with our points. It took about an hour on the phone but they were able to pull up what I originally paid for the cruise and apply that price towards the junior suite. I think we wound up paying around $100 for the JS. Just be persistent and patient. I think the free 3 or 4 night cruises are the best value for using the points.

Go dawgs BTW.

I did the hour long call but did not get the result. Some kind of excuse since there was a promotional rate blah blah. should have been more demanding. But in the end, I think I will go OBC.

Thanks for the feedback. Glad to know you were able to upgrade !!!

I handed the server a 5 with my first order. He took my cooler and filled it with ice. each time he came by I just handed him my card, he handed me a beer ad before you knew it, I had a full cooler. Took it back to the room later and read for a while on the balcony. My favorite part of any cruise.

As long as you don't try to really abuse the Premium package, you will be just fine.

Happy cruising!!

I am very close to earning 50,000 points on my RCI Visa. I would like to use the points for a four night Bahamas cruise. Has anyone done this before? Are there blackout dates or can I book any four night Bahamas cruise I want? The website says the value my not exceed $1000.00; if my cruise costs more can I just pay the difference?

Agree with everything clarea said. I just did a 4 night on Liberty with points. Easy booking etc. the one caution I have is if you are looking to upgrade after the initial booking, it can get tricky and pricey. I am now thinking that instead of using points to book a free cruise, i may just go full on OBC instead. I missed out on a GS for $100 above the original booking price.

BUT, if you could care less about upgrading, the points are the way to go. Have fun in the Bahamas!!

Try grabbing a tension rod for clothes. Put it way up high on the hall door where he cannot reach. As for the balcony door, if he can open that thing, well he is stronger than my wife who can barely open them. Plus they make a ton of noise.

heck, he may be so worn out from all the fun he has, he could sleep late :)

I would personally pick April. It is spring break time which means there would be a ton of kids for your daughter to play with and maybe make some lifelong pen pals.

As for deck 14, we were on Oasis on 14 in a boardwalk balcony directly under the basketball court. I did not hear a sound. Can't speak for the ocean view balconies, but I can't imagine anything could be louder than the basketball court.

Also when touring around Orlando, April will be a 'little' less crowded than December. Not much though. LA, not sure, I have been to LA many times but always on business so I do not know the tourist areas much.

Hope this helps in your decision making. And BTW, I seem to meet Aussies every time i cruise. I definitely need to come down and visit. You guys seem to have a wonderful outlook on life. Happy planning !!!

You can only get one drink at a time with the package.

Figured but thought I would ask. Thanks!!!

I believe all ships have it. It isn't actually one of the 4 all inclusive drink packages but rather a "bucket of beer" only served in the cooler. When we were on the Allure last year we purchased the all inclusive drink package and then bought the cooler separately so that we could have it in our room and around the pool deck for water bottles ect. We have taken it on other non-crusing vacations since just to have in our room. It packs so easily in a suitcase.

I am on Liberty in 3 days. I have the cooler and the drink package. Will they let me fill a cooler with beer? Thanks!!

But my DW said when I was talking to her about this thread, " Aren't all the cabins hump cabins when your kids are not with you"

Her words not mine :D