mac66

-Don't need repeaters to operate on GMRS/FRS freqs. -A up to 2 watt radio will work fine without captains' permission. -Except for a very few places, bubble pack i.e, FRS/GMRS radios are allowed. They are considered toy radios. Never been in a Caribbean country where they weren't allowed, not that you would even use them when ashore. And to others....I don't find the use to radios anymore annoying than the use of cell phones in public. Actually less so since very few use radios and everybody has their noses buried in their phones most of the time oblivious to their surroundings. And to the OP....radios work, try them out for yourself. Don't pay attention to what others say.

Just to clarify...most bubble pack radio operate on both FRS and GMRS but only at half a watt power. That realistically limits range to about 1/4 mile despite what they say on the package. In 2017 the FCCmodified the restrictions which allowed 2 watt radios. Technically you need a license to operate in the GMRS (general mobile radio service) freq. Licenses were $70 for 10 years and covered everyone in your family. Millions of radios sold, no one got a license. Recently the FCC lowered the GMRS license cost to $35/10 yrs and more companies started making better, more powerful radios. Unlike HAM radio, you don't need to take a test to get a GMRS license. So now you can get 5-8 watt handhelds which work with repeaters (signal boosters) where available. GMRS is starting to become more popular (at least among radio users).

I've used radios several times in the past on ships. Always worked okay. Just be aware that the little bubble pack radios are usually 1/2 watt rated and operate in the FRS (family radio service). You can now get 2 watt+ GMRS versions that work much better.

You get snarky answers because... A. the question has been asked 1000 times before B.all you really have to do is google "bringing water on a RCI cruise ship" and you'll get a dozen or more hits. Sorry if this seems snarky to you.

Royal's rule is a 12 pack up to 17 oz. doesn't matter if it's bottles or cans. I assume X's is the same.

We parked at the port, early Feb. Easy peasy, First time in Tampa. There is no parking deck, it's all surface parking. We looked at off site parking, but the port parking turned out fine.

I third Eden Rock.

Actually you can bring pretty much any food on board. I eat Keto and bring bags of pork rinds, almonds and low carb keto bread on board all the time. Most people choose to check in early and go right to the OVC. If you check in after 1pm you can usually walk on the ship, no lines go to the OVC and find it uncrowded.

We did cruises in Feb, March, August and late Nov/early Dec last year and in early Feb this year. I heard that people caught covid on 4 of the 5 cruises we were on including the last one. We did not catch covid but did come home with a bad cold on our August cruise. Tested neg. Pretty sure it was a cold, lasted 10 days and was way more severe than when I had covid which only lasted 4-5 days. Self serve in the buffet was only on the last two cruises. Point is... you pay your money and takes your chances.

A 12 pack of 17 ozs is allowed.

One of our favorite meals was in the OVC. We were tired from a shore excursion and the night before experienced poor service and food in the MDR. So we went up to the OVC and ate something, maybe pasta, maybe fish and chips maybe both or something else but I remember it being surprisingly good. Hardly anyone else around. We ordered wine from the sall away bar and the bar tender kept checking on us and bringing us more. We sat quietly and talked and had a very nice evening at the end of a very nice day.

I personally don't do specialty dining. the Main Dining Room serves good food and if you choose a time, you will likely get the same table and waiters every night. AT CoCo Cay you can grab a lounger on the beach and/or near the pool and swim & snorkel without paying anything extra. It's fun to walk around and try the different free food venues as well. My wife and I have been to all your ports numerous times. I dive and my wife snorkels so I can't really help with excursions. Before covid we usually booked our own excursions. After covid we tend to book more (but not all) ship excursions, due to port times costs etc. Private excursions tended to be a lot cheaper than the ship before covid, not so much anymore. Unless you're an alcoholic, I would pass on the drink package. Takes 5+ drinks a day to break even. Though the DP includes soft drinks, specialty coffees, fresh squeezed OJ etc if all that stuff is worth extra to you go for it. Take along a couple bottles of wine (which is allowed) to supplement buying by the drink (beer costs less). Of course you could also BYOB but that's against the unenforced rules. The wifi usually sucks. If you can hold out on sea days you can usually check in on any island stops if you have roving phone service. It's usually a lot cheaper even if you have to pay extra for it. St. Thomas is in the US virgin islands so no extra charges for using your phone in US territory. We still don't get wifi on board. RC now has free onboard texting on their app and don't give out printed daily Cruise Compass' unless you ask. So keeping your phone with you is encouraged if you need to stay in contact with your spouse and want to check schedules events. I still request a printed Compass and lock my phone in the safe and don't use it but that's just me. 😏

Yeah, me too but my son and his wife talked my wife and I into trying it. It's kind of fun and gets the competitive juices flowing again. It's not as strenuous as tennis and a bit easier on these old knees. It's something to do, i;e, we can still do as we get older.

I actually thought the above was funny and somewhat appropriate. Saying you're privileged enough to only book Aqua class doesn't illicit much sympathy..."oh, poor you...book something cheaper next time"

I've always brought a full sized SAK and a Leatherman mutltool on cruises. However I put them in my checked luggage. They've never been found. However, I started carrying a pair of EMT shears through security on both planes and ships when I started diving a few years ago. Much cheaper and works better than a dive knife and has never failed to get through security

On the last couple cruise we've been on there are open PB hours and tournaments. You only have to show up and put your name in the que for the open hours, sign up for the Ts.

This post certainly makes me look forward to our upcoming cruise on her on 4/30.....😟 The only good thing is I can hold it over DH's head, saying "you're the one who wanted to cruise out of Tampa!" Be aware that opinions on forums (including mine) are worth exactly what you pay for them.

We did the Rock & Romance cruise on the Summit and it was full. Originally booked in 2020 on the Silhouette . No canceling allowed.

We've been on the equinox twice, reflection once, summit twice and constellation once. The summit cruises were both last year, a charter last February was a fun cruise due to the itinerary but service and food were marginal at best. The other summit was a 9 day from iceland last August. Food and service were lousy but that could be because of an outbreak of covid on the ship. Based on those cruises I probably wouldn't choose her again. First equinox cruise was X's first Mardi Gras cruise in 2017, an 11 nighter. Second was a 12 night southern Caribbean last March both excellent cruises. Very nice ship. I really liked the Constellation when were on her. It was a very good cruise but that was 7 or 8 years ago and not had a chance to sail on her again due to changed itineraries. We would sail on her if we could. Having said all that, every cruise is different based on the ship, itinerary, ports, time of year, weather, class/level you sail at, cabin/cabin location etc., etc.

It's for the hors d'oeuvres, you still have to use your vouchers. We eat late, will sometimes go to the DL for a snack and a drink, and to talk/meet with others around 5 pm.

I was aware of that it is offered in legs. Still...62 or even 20 days is a long time to be on board a ship. The longest we've gone is 12 days and we were tired of the food and drink after 9 or 10 days. But...I could suffer through (being factitious) a much longer cruise if I had too.😁 Sounds like a once in a lifetime trip. Enjoy!

Yeah. We kind of liked the ambiance on the Serenade. Lots of wood throughout. Not much variety in the windjammer but the food was decent. Didn't have to wait in line or search for a table like on the bigger ships. Didn't like having to walk through the very smokey casino to get to the pub and theater We were on the explorer in early December when they still had a full menu in the MDR and as many lodsters as you wanted. The Serenade had the new limited MDR menu. The limited menu wasn't an issue with us. The food was good but would get old on a longer cruise. Can't imagine spending months or even more than a couple weeks on a cruise ship.

Yeah, go figure....The serenade is being used for the world cruise later in the year. Will be refurbished sometime before leaving. Talked to some world cruisers who were on board when we were on her and they seemed to like her and were looking forward to their trip.

I bought Carnival @ 7.33 last summer which I dont sail on but I've been on one Princess cruise and may try them again. My parents were loyal HAL cruisers and I may try them at some point when I get old(er).

I take cheap EMT shears with me as well. Buy 'em cheap by the pack on Amazon. Use them for every thing including diving. Dived on a cruise in Curacao, bonaire and Aruba in December and just got back from a cruise diving in Roatan and Mexico . We did run across a tangle of fishing line strung across a reef in Bonaire but the guide just pulled it loose and wrapped it up.