ninsianna

When I'm on vaca I drink more than normal, but even at that, it's hard to get in 5 - 6 adult drinks per day, when you take into account the days you're off the ship most of the day in port. I bought the deluxe drink package on my New Years cruise but just the soda package on my most recent cruise.  I spent just about $300 on my sea card on mostly alcohol across all 7 days.  With the best rate available to me I would have spent over $400 on the deluxe drink package.  I think even the soda package wasn't really worth it for me, other than I snuck a couple sodas for  my grandmother and mom.  Even at that, I don't think I averaged 3 sodas a day.

Thanks so much for posting this question; I was wondering the same thing.  We purchased the "key" for our RC cruise next month which is supposed to allow us to board early.  But the earliest boarding time provided to us was 1:00 pm.  I called RC and had a very confusing conversation.  After explaining my concern, he said the terminal did not open until noon, and we should board at 1pm.  One of the "perks" of the key, is a special lunch at Chopps grill from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm.  I reiterated this, and was told again, to board at 1pm.  Not very helpful.

I posted a similar question in our Roll-Call thread, and someone suggested 10:30 am.

This is a first time cruise for my elderly grandmother so I want to give her plenty of time to take her time getting around, and don't want her to have to deal with the rush of people during normal boarding (hence the purchase of the Key).

I would love to hear other folks input about boarding time.

Do we know what time suites and diamond+ board on RCCL?  If so that would help a bit, since purchasers of The Key are supposed to board immediately after.

Thanks for the heads up!  I'll take reallyitsmema advice and go get the car to come pick up the rest of the group, and based on your suggestion, xpcdoojk, I'll go early to beat the crowd.

I have a family cruise coming up in October with stops at Portland, Maine; Bar Harbor, Maine; Saint John's Bay, NB; and Halifax, NS.  Everyone is super excited about lighthouses.  Which port would be the best one to do a lighthouse tour?  We'll have my grandmother with us, so something like a boat ride our bus ride with minimal walking would be ideal.  However, if there are more active tours available that are not to be missed, my cousin and I may do something like that, while we send our moms and grandmother on the low activity tour.  

We'r renting a car in Halifax to drive out to Peggy's Cove, so we're game for going out on our own as well.  

Thank you everyone for your suggestions and advice!  I was able to reserve a mini van rental  from Avis (there's 5 of us) for $50 CAD for the day.  So much cheaper and gives us more flexibility to take our time where we want to.

Now I'll go to the Excursion specific threads (as recommended above) and see about our other stops along the way.  With the  money we're saving we can add a few more port excursions to our itinerary.

I'm cruising in October, and plan to cruise again in January.  I haven't booked the January cruise yet.  Right now they're doing a BOGO1/2 (2nd passenger is 1/2 off).  Will I be better off waiting to book online for specials then, or should I grab this deal now?  Do you have an app or tool you use to notify you about price drops?

TIA

Thank you so much!  She can get up and down stairs using the railing, she's just really slow about it.  At home she doesn't use  a walker, just a cane.  We're bringing a small walker (the one's with wheels) just to make it a little easier while wandering around the cruise ship.  (I think it's overkill, but if it makes her feel more confident, we'll bring it).

My grandmother (who's name is Peggy) is super excited about going to Peggy's Cove.  This is her first cruise (Serenade of the Seas departing Oct 20).  She's 85, and will have a walker.  She mostly gets around okay, but tires easy.  I want to her to get the most out of Peggy's Cove, but obviously don't want to exhaust her.  This may be the only excursion we do with her (besides the Boston bus tour to the airport at the end).

Anybody have recommendations on which of the many Peggy's Cove tours in Halifax would be best for her to enjoy?