momto2js

We will be visiting at the end of August, but I am having a hard time finding an operator, that is not the ships operator, that will work with cruise guests.  Any one have any good recommendations

6 minutes ago, Mullwi said:

I’m booked on Adventure out of Fort Lauderdale on 2/1. we have watched the Super Bowl on several cruises and love that, but had no idea it was in Miami this year. I feel horrible for those who have been canceled and hope you can find another good alternative! My first thought was I hope they don’t cancel ours too, but just realized that even if they don’t, that airfare may be unaffordably high for us since we planned on flying down Thursday night from Boston. Any experience or thoughts on that?

I would book that TODAY!! and then buy some trip insurance!

20 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Use a porter.

There is no porter available for the 90 minute wait in line getting off the ship.  We have never had any issues once we clear immigration. 

Has anyone used this at Port Canaveral?  I have had 2 miserable debarkation and both were at PC.  It is almost worth it to me to have the Key just to avoid the 90 minute line with all of our stuff and tired cranky kids!!  

In NYC we had a bunch of luggage and 4 people (2 adults and 2 kids) was cheaper to get 2 lift cars.   One adult and the luggage in one and 3 people in the other.  It worked well for us.  Run the cost on  both and see how it works out.

I agree that 6-8 weeks even for the pier looks iffy, but I am going to have a solid plan B for our September trip.  I don't see the waterpark being done before then. 

We refer to is as the "toilet bowl pool"  My kids were 11 an 9 and both tall enough as long as I was in the water too, but too short if I was not.  They were both over 54" tall at the time. 

I think it depends on the height and weight of the kids.  If you have 9 year olds that just miss the cutoffs, then there HONESTLY isn't much more to do on  Allure but be disappointed about all the things you can't do.  

On 2/14/2019 at 1:40 PM, SportsFanatic said:

I booked 88.00 package with meal. I was told meal consisted of Jerk Chicken, rise and beans, cole slaw and platain chips.
Do you other  food options available and price? Thinking of opting out full package 

If you find out will you please report back here.  I will make a similar decision.  It appears much has changed since our last visit.  Kayaks and paddle boards were a favorite of my kids so adding the $25 to the basic price is the most appealing.  I can pack snacks and water if need be.

My 12 year old will be driving a car in 3 short years!!  I do not want that to be the first time he is out in the big bad world alone.  We do lots of things to build independence.  I walk into the warehouse store and had each kid $5 and tell them I expect them to be done with lunch before I finish the shopping.  There is a store not far from our suburban home at 10 and 12 I send them for milk.  I honestly don't think the world is more dangerous than ever before, I just think we know more and that gives us more to worry about.  

Having just completed a cruise that the average age was close to pushing 65.  I do think that the industry is going to have to do some catching up to lure younger passengers.  I think the first thing is going to be internet.  On a shore excursion, we were having lunch at the providers shop and they had an internet hot spot, so I connected to catch up on  a few things.  After 9 days with out, it was nice to check in.  One of the land vacationers on the tour asked about my comment about internet and could not believe that people still went on a week or more vacation where they knew there would be no internet.  

The interesting thing is lack of "connectedness" is what got us cruising in the first place.  A ship was the only place my DH's work phone didn't work!!  

On 2/7/2019 at 5:51 PM, williamsk said:

RCL worked in that age group was very strict, told my husband my son was out after one accident. The guy was a total xxxxx to my son when it happened, set him back a bit as he was left sobbing alone in the bathroom. Apparently that's not cruiseline policy? Maybe just the Indy program was the issue.

 The major issue is that the staff are not allowed to help AT ALL.  So if there is an accident, their options are pretty  limited, especially for a male employee (not that it should make a difference, but it often does) parking him in the bathroom may have been the only option.  I am not saying it was not unkind, or the only option.  But because of strict hands off policies, the staff often finds few options.

Any guesses about the water park?  My kids will want to check it our they will be 10 and 12.  One of us need to be around for supervision purposes, but don't need to slide.  Do I need to buy 3  passes so that we can have an adult near the slides?? 

I was on the fence and about to do it for $19.99 but there are 4 of us so even at that it was steep.  NO WAY for $31.  Maybe there will be another sail before we leave in Sept.  

4 hours ago, suesnake2002 said:

I have a cruise for Nov 2019 stopping at coco cay. Here is a list of prices in my planner, saying discount(?) is already applied :

1)thrill waterpark and zip line, adult and child same price $54

2) thrill cabana, pic shows it by wave pool , and includes water park $549

3) 1/2 day water park and zip line adult and child$44

4)oasis lagoon cabana, this one is by swim up bar. $449

5)chill island cabana with lunch at chill grill $449

6) helium balloon ride

adult $49. Child $31

 

i have never set foot on coco cay. I need shade. But what i can understand is chill grill is open to all??

Hope this helps

Interesting, the full day water park on our Sept sailing is $68 for both kids and adults.  The zipline and water park is over $100.  It surprises me that it varies that much sailing to sailing. 

I thought it was going to be a big deal fo rmy family, but in 14 days, I honestly didn't miss them at all

I understand your perspective COMPLETLY.  My son was not 54" tall until he was 12.  There were almost 2 years we did not go to amusement parks with roller coasters with a 54 inch requirement.  

In fact, our first getaway trip, I thought I had all of our bases covered.  But low and behold, I missed the 100lbs requirement (we are still likely 3 years from that happening)

I quite honestly think it depends on how tall your 10 year old is.  My oldest was not tall enough for most of the things onboard the Oasis class ships until he was almost 12 and the things he was tall enough for were WAY too young.  So we waited until we knew he was tall enough to go.  Is your 4 year old going to be happy with the carousel while his sibling is doing the flowrider, zipline, and what ever else they do?  Every kid is different, but making sure you understand the age and height restrictions before you are on board is a good idea, so that you can set expectations before hand.  If your kids are on the small side, I would not pick the bigger ships. 

The in ocean water toys at Playa Mia are LONG way from the shore.  The swim out was exhausting even for my athletic then 10 year old.  We found paradise beach a better day all the way around.

I have recently had to personally consider the daily service fee (of what ever you want to call it) in regards to an overall BAD experience.  We had a delayed embarcation and did not board until 1am.  So in short, we miss the first day on board.  For my family of 4, paying $60 for something we didnt get felt, well wrong.  However I knew the crew still worked that day, in particular the room steward worked 48 hours with just about 5 off.  

So in the end, I did remove the first days prepaid service fee, and I left it in cash for the steward.  I also have done some mental math and do not believe the crew gets all of the collected service fee in addition to a salary.  So for this one day, that was a pretty awful way to start a trip, I decided the line would not get my service fee.  It would not surprise me to hear that many removed the entire trip after how embarkation was handled and how concerns after boarding were addressed.  

We had a $600 refundable OBC credit at the end of our last cruise.  How long should it take to post to our card or will they send a check?  

Does anyone have a picture of what this actually looks like?   Potentially if you don't pull out the sofa, could you put an aerobed on the floor at  night? 

I am looking at a trip on Harmony for next year, but I need seperate beds for my 2 kids, the double couch will not work for our family.  I know Oasis has pullmans in the ocean view rooms.  Does anyone off hand know of a category that includes a pullman for the 4th guest?

We did a tour from Friends for Columbia several years ago, it was fantastic!!  I dont know if they are still working there, but it is worth a look.  We visited 3 nonprofits, my kids played games with local kids and seniors at a community center, we saw a new daycare, and a few back yard gardens.  Then they took us to the walled city for a tour.  It was great!!

We are in NYC now waiting for breakaway.  I would not choose to cruise again from here.  Everything is harder because it is a big city.  Add in the cold and the rain, not to mention snow, and it is even harder.