ksawyercruiser

My teenage son was refused entry on disembarkation day for breakfast in the MDR. He was wearing a tank top. I was so busy with last minute prep that I didn't notice he ignored the outfit I set out for him. We simply walked back to the cabin so he could change. The weird thing was they wouldn't seat my husband and daughter until we got back so they had to wait. But it ended up not being a big deal. We had a nice breakfast before leaving the ship.

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We tip the concierge 20% of any services provided (cabana, etc.). We also tip if they provide a no-charge service. But if no service is provided, no tip.

We always tip the waiters in the CL. We are there every night. :)

I've always been confused about the right amount to tip.

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We went there for dinner. Delicious! The waiter told my 9 year old daughter she could have any pasta and sauce she wanted. She chose penne with Alfredo. They were very accommodating to my kids.

Enjoy!!

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We wanted to peek into the diamond lounge on our recent enchantment cruise. It was the middle of the day, so we knew it would most likely be empty.

Our gold suite cards let us in. And I asked the concierge if we could look around. I explained we were in an OS and simply wanted to take a look.

He said we were more than welcome to use the diamond lounge anytime we liked.

Not sure why. Maybe it wasn't crowded on that cruise? But we stuck with the concierge. Didn't seem right to use the diamond when we are nowhere near that level.

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In case anyone was following my drama with this sale, I'm happy to report that after a week RCCL did honor the sale price for my friends so everyone in our group will be going on our Thanksgivibg cruise on the Allure. $2,334 for a family of 4. A great deal IMO. So excited!

 

 

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That's an amazing deal! Congrats!! We're on the same sailing.:D:D

When I referred to my daughter as spoiled, it was tongue in cheek. We are blessed to be able to give her cruises she will remember for a lifetime. I think all these kids are very fortunate. :)

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I said nothing about following or not following. I've stated absolutely nothing but facts. The facts are simple, it's a published & clearly stated rule.

 

But thanks for joining the hyperbole brigade... :rolleyes:

 

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Oh I sincerely apologize. I thought when you quoted policy you were implying that all published and clearly stated rules should be followed with no exceptions. Obviously my mistake.

Arguing for the sake of arguing? It's a written rule. It's not optional, it's not suggested, it's not requested. It's stated that shorts are not allowed - on the website, and on signs at the MDR entrance. OK? :rolleyes:

 

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Thank you so much for settling this. All RCI rules are to be followed to the letter. No exceptions. It must be nice to be so black and white. We can all learn a valuable lesson from you.

So no shorts ever ... By men or women ... Children or toddlers (except possibly on embarkation day). :)

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I'm not sure what "dress" shorts are (maybe not all wrinkled and sweat stained from wearing all day) but as long as you wear a sparkly top you should be good to go. :rolleyes:

Just like I don't understand what "dress jeans" are. But sparkly tops always help. :rolleyes:

The term "dress shorts" is an oxymoron. You cannot be "dressed up" and in shorts simultaneously.

 

I actually had to look them up, and they appear to be essentially Dockers-style pants, but knee length. Full length Dockers aren't "dressed up", they are business casual at best.

 

That ends my mini-lecture on clothing terminology. :)

 

Just pack one pair of khakis and be done with it. They can be worn every night, just to dinner. No one will know you're wearing them every night. As someone has previously mentioned, the MDR, heck, all the indoor space on the ship, is usually cool enough to not be uncomfortable in pants.

I was reading your post and I thought "they're obviously not from Florida." But then I saw that you are! Weird that you've never seen Dockers-style shorts.

Shorts are acceptable virtually everywhere here in south Florida. And the men I know usually wear nice shorts with polos or Tommy Bahama shirts to nice restaurants. But things must be different in Clearwater. Maybe we're just more tropical-casual here, particularly in the summer.

No judgment at all ... I was just surprised you're a Floridian. :)

Welcome to Cruise Critic. Not a place for the easily offended or faint of heart. :)

And here we go ... :rolleyes:

And don't even think about bringing bottled water on board. Also against the rules.

I find it so funny how some people are okay with breaking one rule but not another.

I think people are more forgiving of kids. I think nice "Dockers-style" shorts and a collared shirt are okay for a 12-year-old. My son wore nice shorts to the MDR when he was much younger (he's now 16).

But I think men should adhere to the rules. my husband always wears khakis and a polo (except on formal nights where he wears a suit).

Just my opinion. You're sure to get many, many others since you brought up a hot topic. ;)

Interestingly, Disney revised its policy and now allows nice shorts in the dining rooms. No cutoffs, of course.

Good tips above!

Another option is the Floridian on Las Olas. It's a landmark in Fort Lauderdale ... been there for decades. And it's open 24/7.

Have an omelet, (amazing) home fries and maybe a mimosa. Then catch a cab to the port when you're ready. Ask the cab driver to take you along the beach. It will be a pretty drive and a nice way to kick off your cruise.

The Floridian is about a 10-15 minute ride from the airport.

We booked allure thanksgiving week, OV balcony, 4 people for $3800.

We also booked vision, aft junior suite, 4 people, 4-night over Memorial Day weekend for $1800.

Both were booked with KSF.

If that's a marketing scheme, I'll take it! Of course, we booked as soon as we saw the deals. There is limited capacity for the deals on each sailing.

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My beautiful "spoiled rotten" :D kids will be turning Emerald by the end of the year on there own points. Ages 6,11,13,15 so clearly the 6 year old will benefit the most by age 18 but the others have a time to build still also. They have seen/learned a lot and have met kids from across the globe that they continue to stay in touch with today by cruising. That itself is worth far more than status...

That's awesome! What a gift you've given them! :D

Having sailed on the Enchantment twice ... both times in a suite ... I would recommend you look into an Owner's Suite. It's huge ... much, much larger than the GS.

We had four in our OS, and I don't think five would be a problem. As long as you can figure out the sleeping arrangements. I think a rollaway would work and still give you all plenty of space. The bathroom is huge with double vanity. And the closet space is insane.

I think the suite perks are definitely worth it. Just my opinion.

Our three year old has been on 4 rccl cruises and one disney by 3 years and two months. Includes a 14 night transatlantic. He made platinum by 3 all by himself. His card says diamond though, cuz of my and my wifes status.

Achieving Platinum by 3 ... based on actual sailings? Awesome! Might be a record. :)

But from other posts, it sounds like he'll automatically share your status even as an adult.

I didn't know any of this. Glad I started this thread.

I don't think kids keep parents status after turning 18, I believe it reverts then to whatever they'd be with the cruises they've actually been on. I'm sure someone else will either confirm or correct this.

 

Our daughter will turn 16 on Jewel in a few weeks and will be Diamond after that, based on cruises she has sailed:)

WOW! Very cool! Congratulations to your daughter ... she has a lifetime of Diamond (and above) cruise perks ahead of her. I'm slightly jealous. :D

Ohhhh ... I didn't realize that kids automatically get the same status as their parents. Very interesting. Does that mean they keep their status into adulthood? What a great benefit!! :)

I was curious about what status kids have achieved by actual cruise nights. Our daughter is going on her ninth cruise in April and her tenth in May. Then she'll have enough C&A points to get platinum based on her past cruises.

Our spoiled 10 year old princess will move to Platinum Crown and Anchor status with our cruise in May. I'm just curious to know what status your kids have achieved, and at what ages? My husband and I joke that she'll be Diamond by the time she graduates high school. :D

Oooh...tell me more about the Martini Class! KSawyercruiser, I read your review, but it didn't mention it. Entertaining and informative review, though, by the way:) We are also doing 2 nights at Disney both before and after our 4-night EOS cruise in May.

So happy you enjoyed my review! Thank you!

The review was from our first Enchantment cruise. We did the martini tasting on our second. It was really fun.

I've found that the best places to meet fun people are the cocktail tastings. We've done beer tastings, mixology, wine, cognac and martini on our past cruises. (The exception to meeting fun people was the wine tasting. Kinda snooty ... although it was very informative and the wine was yummy.)

Okay, back to the martini tasting. There were about 14 people. It was in the Schooner. The bartender gave great information about the history of martinis and tips on how to make them.

We then got to try four different martinis: A gin martini, dirty vodka martini, a fruity martini -- I think strawberry -- and a chocolate martini. He had volunteers come up to demonstrate how to make them. The drinks were served in small martini glasses. Probably half the amount of a normal martini. But a few people didn't show up so we got to drink their martinis, too! :D

Interestingly, someone brought their son to this tasting. He was probably about 8 years old. Very well behaved and the bartender allowed him to stay. I had never seen that before. I thought it was odd but it ended up being a non issue. He just sat and read a book.

So much fun. And I think it cost $15 per person. I will definitely do it again.

Out of all our tasting classes, we enjoyed martinis and mixology the best.

Hope that helps!

First off, know that you're going to have a great cruise. We love Disney ... but we also love RCI. They are very different but both are awesome vacations.

I haven't sailed on the Serenade but I can vouch for the MDRs of the Royal ships I've sailed on. The food in the MDR is very good ... comparable to Disney. Service is excellent, in my experiences.

No one can touch Disney's kids' clubs, IMO. But our daughter has enjoyed her time in the Royal clubs. But again, it's not Disney.

The ships have a real theater just like Disney. The movie schedule is in your daily activity list.

We haven't noticed any difference in disembarkation with the various cruise lines. Allure took a little longer but there were 6,000 passengers.

Cabins are usually ready around 1-1:30. Same as Disney.

My best recommendation is to read some of the trip reviews on these boards. A wealth of information. Also to make reservations for shows, etc. in advance on the RCI website.

Have a great cruise!!

One vote for the Schooner. Love the live piano music at night and the bartenders are very personable. Sit at the bar and listen to their tales.

Not sure if he's still there but Noel is lovely. One of my all-time favorite intoxicologists.

Oh -- they made me a special cocktail while I was there ... a champagne on ice with muddled raspberries. So delicious. I don't think it was on the menu.

I did the martini class on our four-night sailing and it was a blast. Highly recommend.

Awesome review. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. It really helps people like me ... who will be sailing on the Liberty for the first time next month. I've already made note of several very helpful tips.

And your son is so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. That is one fortunate little guy. I'm sure you feel the same way about him!

Thanks again.