alexmom

The Refreshment package ($26/day) includes soda (Coke products), fresh squeezed juices, specialty coffees (espresso, latte, cappucino), non-alcoholic cocktails, bottled still and sparkling water.

 

With regard to fresh squeezed juices, you can for sure get fresh squeezed orange juice at breakfast. Depending on the ship, you may be able to get other fresh squeezed juices at other times. For example, Freedom class ships have the Squeeze juice bar on the pool deck with fresh squeezed juices. Oasis class ships have the Vitality Cafe with fresh squeezed juices. However, beyond orange juice, I don't know what else they might offer.

 

Best thing to do is wait until you are onboard to purchase so you can find out exactly what your sailing will offer.

I'm wondering about Americanos at Park Cafe. Obviously, if they do a latte, they can do an americano too. I have figured out that the $26/day drink package includes the coffee beverages in Park Cafe, as long as it is NOT Starbuck's. I don't know if the package includes espresso drinks in the MDR though. Sometimes I'll order sambucca with my after dinner espresso, so maybe that will be covered in the bar charge.

I'm not sure what the big draw is for fresh squeezed juices, especially OJ. Just want your basic Oceanspray or Dole juices and want to see them included in the drink package.

Thanks for your help.

I'm not looking for fresh squeezed cranberry or pineapple juice, LOL. We usually get the regular drink package on Princess and I also get the coffee card for my Americanos and after dinner espressos. All fruit juices are also included in the Princess package and they are available whenever and wherever I want to drink them.

I have been unable to wait the 15-20 minutes (or longer) to talk to a real person at RCI to ask my question and then no real guarantee that they have a correct answer. Before I plunk down $182 for a drink package, I want to know I can get cranberry, pineapple and grapefruit juice with it - and get it ALL day, not just for breakfast. And get it poolside, in the MDR, in a specialty restaurant, at a bar or in the Park cafe for lunch. And have it be part and parcel of the drink package. I don't drink smoothies or frozen drinks, they give me brain freeze so I avoid them. Even when I do have a margarita, it will be on the rocks, never frozen.

I took a lot of crap from the waiters and bartenders on the Getaway because all I wanted was a simple unadulterated glass of juice - and as I said, I HAD the Deluxe Package that supposedly included everything. Everything but juice.

I just don't want to make that same mistake again, and sorry if I was so unclear about what information I was looking for. I appreciate everyone's efforts ; )

We were looking at the $26/day drink package but after going through 4 pages of threads and not being able to get through to anyone at RCI by phone, I'm still unclear about exactly what is included.

For example, it says orange juice at breakfast. I usually drink cranberry juice, and at all times of the day, not just breakfast. Will I have access to cranberry, pineapple or grapefruit juice on the Allure, or will I have to pay for them at the bar or MDR table ?

Will I be charged for an Americano at the Park Cafe or an espresso after dinner in the MDR ?

I cannot find answers and I'm relying on my CC friends to help. I don't want to get the deluxe package because I'm not a big drinker, besides, I had the deluxe package on the Getaway in February and they would not give me any juices that didn't contain alcohol in them free, even in the dining rooms. If I had them put a splash of booze in them, they were suddenly free.

The other beverage question is, Coke or Pepsi onboard, just in case the $26/day package doesn't include juices (plural) 24/7 without extra charges.

Thank you for any help you can give me.

Warm Regards,

Kristine

I noticed that they had one pool for lap swimming each morning. They also have water aerobics on the schedule in the same pool. You will love the Allure!

A big THANK YOU to all who replied to my pool post !! I am old (like when dinosaurs ruled the earth), round and have a bad knee and arthritis in my hips. When I swim for an hour or so in the beginning of the day, I can walk pain free for the rest of the day. On a huge ship like Allure, that could have been a big deal.

Thanks again, I will check out the Compass link too.

Ok, so I'm only 64, but the other stuff was no exaggeration ; )

I loved your review ! I'm looking at a cruise on Liberty with 2 friends in Fall of 2018. My family and I are on Allure September 10th. I just read that the pools on Allure don't open until 11 am, (and if I could cancel without penalty, that 11 am pool time would make me do it! ), do the pools on Liberty open that late too ? I usually sail Princess, have never sailed RCI, and so I would like to know now if the 11 am thing is fleet wide with RCI or just a soul crushing anomaly on Allure. Thanks for any information you can give me.

Question: How was your experience with the pools? Were the chair hogs out in full force? I just realized after reading a recent cruise planner that the pools do not open until 11:00 am. Wondering how early the hogs start their day claiming the chairs.

What do you mean, the pools don't open until 11 am ?? What about people who get up really early to swim laps before the pools fill up ?? Honestly, if I had been aware of this, I would not have booked on the Allure. We sail September 10th and I am no longer excited about my cruise !! Do they net them to prevent people from entering ?? Is there an "adult" pool where swimmers have earlier access ?? I just feel sick to my stomach, it's that important to me.

I haven't read every post on this thread but I do know that Carnival is going to open the back pool to families due to the fact that in September 2017 the Conquest will be going into drydock and they will be adding a serenity section in the front of the ship. Not sure if they are adding a pool or just the special chairs/hammocks/loungers.

 

I see a lot of negativity and people jumping to conclusions being that they get a small fact and run with it.

Well, it's better than being a clueless poster, who has just one tiny, insignificant and wholly irrelevant fact and runs with it.

Here it is! Sign it [emoji4]

 

https://www.change.org/p/cclsupport-carnival-com-bring-back-adult-only-pools

Thanks for the link !! I just signed it and I'm having my husband, son and his girlfriend sign it too.

So only kids with indulgent parents splash in a pool...what about the 18s and over who think, and rightly so, that a pool is intended for "fun in the water" not just standing their with a drink in one hand soaking up the rays or sitting on the side dangling hot toes in the water and heaven forbid fearing that they may actually get wet. I just can't believe how many people who are intent on proving that kids and their parents are the source of all evil. Easy answer...don't want to get wet don't sit by the pool. Don't blame kids for being kids.

 

I'm not saying that the elimination of an infrequently used (for its intended purpose) adult only pool is a good or bad thing. I'm just saying that Carnival, by ownership, has a right to make that decision and that all the "woe is me" on this board won't change that. Maybe Carnival will only "allow" kids during peak family cruises when every inch of a ship needs to be fully utilized. Fewer kids more room for adult only spaces.

Its amazing when you travel during school breaks, holidays and summers. Kids are everywhere...duh. Other times of year the ratio of adults to kids is probably 10 to one. It makes sense to me that if I want a no kid environment I schedule wisely...whether on Carnival or any other cruise line.

 

The bottom line is that everyone has a choice that accommodates their vacation "wants". This I'm a teacher and my vacations fall during high kid times and I want a break isn't an argument....people choose to be a teacher and that means living with the time constraints of that occupation. Its all about choice as much as some want to deny that fact.

You choose to be a teacher, fine. I choose to be an adult, who for her own mental health, requires a splash-free cannonball-free adult zone. The kids have the BIG main pool, kiddie pool and slides. They do not need my cool deep TINY pool. I raised my kids, I babysit my grandkids, I've done my time with loud and rowdy. Cruise time is MY time, where I pull it all together again after 12 months of various stressors, including my kids and grandkids. Pretty cavalier of you to put down the grownups who don't want to be cannon balled. Pretty intolerant too. And judgmental. You don't know us, you don't know what we need or why we need it. Suffice to say, whether in the pool swimming and floating, whether sitting on the pool edge socializing, we are ADULTING. That should be enough !

same here. I was pricing cruises for next year, and Celebrity (which also prices in Canadian dollars for us), and included standard beverage package plus wifi, worked out to be just a couple of hundred dollars more than Carnival. I also am wanting to try NCL newer ships with solo cabins. I know Carnival is really trying to draw in the families and market itself as the family cruise line, but they are sure not doing much to draw me back. Sorry for the negative, but is just the way I feel about it.

Hi, I just got off the Getaway in February after sailing a solo. Solo was ok (it was pretty small and storage was a problem) but the food in the MDR was DISMAL. What a boring unimaginative menu, tastelessly prepared ! I buzzed the buffet a couple of dinnertimes but was not impressed. When I ordered RARE steaks (3 times) only 1 was actually cooked properly, 1 was barely edible (med) and the last one was so overcooked there was no pink in it. None. I sent it back and still didn't get a rare steak. The food on Carnival and Princess is MUCH better !

Carnival is seriously damaging my calm ! The kids already have the main pool, kiddie pools and slides-they do not need my pool ! I want a splash-free cannonball-free zone for my mental health ! I will give up Carnival if they take my pool. The Serenity decks have hot tubs and deck chairs. None of that does anything for me. This is a big mistake, one that other smarter cruise lines will benefit from.

Wow ! I am so glad I asked what I though might be viewed as a silly question ! The level of valuable information that poured out was amazing !! YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME !!

Thanks,

Kristine

I still don't understand what Voom is. Is this a way to stay in touch with other people in our party while on board via text messages or is it just for sending and checking emails ?

Thank you for any help you can give me.

Kristine

Loved it on the Getaway and I am an XL 56 year old. Tried it last year on the Breakaway with my teen nieces but it was so windy and rocky at sea and the zip line and plank were closed as a result.

 

Do it! You will love it! Buy the photo.

I guess they close those things up quite a bit, at least on some of the reviews I've read. I'm not sure if February is a rough seas month or not, but i'll find out soon enough !

Kristine

LOL! The same thing happened to me on the Getaway. Forget the plank I couldn't do any part of the ropes course. Once I got to the top, I froze and there were kids all over trying to get by. My husband kept yelling at me to move and calling me a chicken. I got down immediately, never tried again!!

I'm concerned about impatient, impulsive children so I will be looking for them to be there in short supply ! I'm sorry about your husband though ! That was uncalled for and heads the list on Most NOT Helpful Things to Say !! And it's never too late for him to apologize for cutting the legs out from under you.

I sometimes forget that not all husbands are as supportive as mine. You have a great sense of humor to recover from that experience. I'll bet you're a glass half full person too ; )

Kristine

Hi everyone. I will turn 69 tomorrow and will be on the getaway with Kristine. I also have a fear of heights, but have been marking things off of my bucket list as well, zipped lined on another ship 3 years ago and in Sept. 2016 zipped lined across the ocean in Hati. The course is the longest in the world Over Water. Bought a go pro before we went and have an awesome video of this. It was fun! I plan on taking the go pro on this cruise this Sunday as well.

 

Diane

See you soon ! Maybe at the ropes course so I can cheerlead for you ! And Happy Birthday !!

Kristine

getting a kick out of this... I recently turned 50. I'm not huge but not particularly fit and definitely not skinny. In the past I would have left this for the gymrat and teenaged people. But the big Bday has motivated me to go out of my comfort zone. So, I recently did the ropes course on both the Breakaway and Escape ... a couple words of advice!:

 

1)when you get up there, it seems really high. And the first obstacle is a balance beam thingy that looks right over the side of the ship. Panic! DONT do what I did, which is grip the rope desperately as I took little shuffle steps across. My shoulders and arms were sore for DAYS. Try to trust the harness and clips a bit more and actually balance/walk on the obstacles. I did that the 2nd time and much better.

 

2)don't look at the photos... trust me, the reason you see only skinny people on the google pics is because the rest of us don't share them. Just not a flattering look for the "average" American.

 

3)make sure to look around... if you only look at the beam or rope under your feet you will never have that "OMG I'm doing it!!" moment.

 

4)the zipline thingy on the Escape that goes in a curve OVER THE EDGE OF THE SHIP is the bomb. you literally have to run down a ramp OFF the edge of the ship and trust the equipment to bring you back. (I know you are Getaway but one day.... ) Looking back I still can't believe I did it :)

Great advice from someone who's been there ! One of the things that I believe helped me while reconditioning my fear reflex was to not avert my eyes downward. I did best when I simply looked out the window and remained centered on where I was, not where I could be if I screwed up.

One thing I wish to know, the Getaway zipline - do you take a run at that one too ?? I would hate to get stuck halfway. I've never done a zipline before. We are going on the Allure in September and I wanted to try the one onboard the ship. If I do well, I'll do the one on Labadee too !!

Thank you again !!

Kristine

I take it you've never worn a harness before? I don't know the specifics of the walk the plank but have worn plenty of harnesses for rock climbing and rope courses. They are BIG. The weight limit will stop you long before harness size. It's basically just a series of long straps you tighten to make fit.

 

Just make sure you wear long shorts (at least knee length) or capris. They will wedgie up anything that fits around where the straps go on your legs.

 

 

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I don't think I'm as afraid of falling as I am of not being able to maneuver myself back up on the beam ! I do trust the harness, especially after learning the weight limits. It will be the first time I've been a harness though.

Kristine

Kristine, no reason to worry or even give any time to what other people think. I think it's great you are doing it. Enjoy the cruise and Happy Birthday. We want pictures though when you return. ;)

Thanks for the encouragement. I can't promise that I will walk the plank, but I will climb that ropes course and I will have someone document it with my iPhone. If I don't walk the plank, it will be a wisdom judgement made about my ability to safely execute the move, not fear of doing it. I'm so done with being afraid.

thanks again ; )

Kristine

I tried to add a title so you would see this, luckyinpa, but this new format is i pretty sucky !

Everyone is worried that this will happen to me too ! I have been terrified of heights since I was 10 and some chuckle head adult pushed me off an Olympic diving platform when I was visiting relatives in NY. I actually don't remember the fall but I did spend maybe a little too much time in the bottom of the pool before they realized I was unconscious. I have been slowly working up to this by doing those flyover rides at MOA. You're not really way up in the air but you do get that perspective. Then I practiced sitting up and looking out the window as we crossed the Sunshine Skyway in St. Pete instead of laying down in the backseat, as I have on other FL trips. This December we went to St. Pete, and though it took several trips, by the 4th time over the bridge I DROVE !! Don't laugh, my husband was amazed. He never thought I could do it. It's not about not being afraid, it's about controlling the fear instead of the fear controlling you. Proceed slowly and control of the fear will come. I will never, however, let a tarantula into the palm of my hand. There's fear, and then there's revulsion.

Kristine

IIrc, the harnesses come in different sizes and the guys who help you in them kind of size you up for the best fit. You step into the harness and there is lots and lots of room, and then they tighten it up around you.

 

I also saw many people of varying shapes and sizes on the course.

Thanks for not mocking me, I'll bet the harness crew will be telling tales in the crew quarters though. I'll try not to embarrass myself too much.

Thanks for helping so quickly,

Kristine

I'm fat (over 200lbs) and 5'7" and did it. I will say there are parts of the course that suck to pull your fat ass along, and they won't let you just do the plank or zip line. So be prepared for a workout.

 

 

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Thanks, I knew it was going to tough for me but I really want to do it. I'll find a slow time so I don't inconvenience other younger, fitter climbers ; )

And good for you for strapping on that harness instead of a lounge chair.

And any tips would be appreciated. I'd really hate to make it on the CC News feed!!

Thanks, Kristine

I saw people of all shapes and sizes on it...including me. The harnesses had a lot of room and were adjustable and there were various sizes of them to start with. For me it was not whether the harness fit that was the concern, they fit on everyone I saw, just fine. My only concern before during or after was the realization once I got up there that I needed to get down as fast as I could :D

 

the harness should be fine:)

I'm sure I'll have the same reaction, LOL, but the reality is it will probably take me longer than I want.

Thanks,

Kristine

You should be good to go...here is the requirements or restrictions for the Rope Course and water slides!!! Hope you have an amazing trip for your birthday!!!

 

Norwegian Breakaway / Norwegian Getaway

Ropes Course: Must be 48" (122cm) or taller to be on the course without a chaperone. Max weight is 300 lbs (136kgs) Skytykes (child's course) available for under 48" (122cm) as long as chaperone is present. Max weight is 300 lbs (136kgs). Enclosed footwear is required (such as sneakers) – no flip flops or sandals are permitted on the ropes course.

 

Waterslides: Free Fall - Must be 48" (122cm) or taller and weigh at least 99lbs (45kgs) but no more than 300lbs (136kgs). No jewelry of any kind may be worn on the slide. Whip Waterslides - Must be to be at least 48" (122cm). Family slide - Must be at least 42" (106cm).

 

Bungee: No minimum height but guests must be over 30lbs (14kgs) but under 250lbs (113kgs) and must be able to bounce unassisted.

 

Spiderweb: Minimum height is 42" (106cm) guests must be over 30lbs (14kgs) but under 250lbs (113kgs)

What a relief ! I'm way under the maximum weight, even for the spiderweb, which I will have to look up to find out what it is. Heck, maybe Gramma should bungee too !!

thanks for the official stats ; )

Kristine

I'm sailing on Getaway February 5th and I was thinking of crossing "walking the plank" off my bucket list. I just looked at images on Google and it shows SKINNY people ! I'm short and carry my weight smack dab in the MIDDLE ! Are there going to be any harnesses that will fit me for the ropes course ??

It's kind of an important thing to me, I ditched my family and bought myself this cruise for my birthday. I'm turning 64 and in complete denial ! I'm even hostessing the Pub crawl on our role call ! I just don't see how I'm going to survive this mid-life crisis if I can't do every stupid, crazy fun thing i have planned.

Please help if you can !

thank you,

Kristine

FYI, I do fit in an airline seat without an extender ! (just saying)