Grenouille21

Hello! I don't know whether I have posted here, but I have really enjoyed your reviews and I have appreciated your input when planning my own cruises. 

We sailed on Symphony of the Seas last spring, and while I know the ships are not identical I did review our experience (link in my signature) so feel free to read and let me know if you have any questions.

One thing I will recommend, if no one else has done so, is you MUST go to Johnny Rocket's for breakfast! For one thing, the location on the Boardwalk is amazing. For another thing, no one goes there so you will have the servers' full attention. Oh and the most important thing... the food is awesome!!!!! 

Oh... and it is all included in your cruise fare. Amazing!

7 hours ago, niksmom630 said:

 I wasn’t sure how I felt about this itinerary 2 sea days upfront, and with the last day being a port day. 
  
but, it was the happiest I can recall ever feeling on A Day 7....with the exception a single back to back cruise

on Brilliance and my elongated Allure cruise courtesy of Hurricane Dorian. 

 

In fact, I’m pretty excited that  I have a similar itinerary on Oasis this November. 2 sea days, St. Kitts, St Thomas and cococay 🤗

This is great to hear! I have disliked port days on the last day but I can see how Coco Cay might make it better than a port day at, say, Nassau. 

Thanks for sharing your experience and photos! I have really enjoyed reading along! 

6 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Several dissapeared 

I blame Godzilla...

1 hour ago, niksmom630 said:

Soft serve is no longer self serve 😎 Your fro-yo station now staffed with a cone filler. Saving the spread of noro, one cone at a time 
 

 

Know your cone hours and plan accordingly 😊

 

I wish they would do this with the Jammer! I know I have said it ad nauseam (pun intended), but I really really feel ill thinking about the self-serve buffet model. I know some people will argue that it will create a need for more servers, but take the people who are currently running around cleaning up and restocking the buffet and put them behind it so they can dish out the food. #germaphobe

20 hours ago, ckrobyn said:

I am not booked on Freedom anytime soon, and I really miss sailing out of PR 😞 last time was November 2017.  I'll be there for the day in a few weeks and looking forward to my Pina Colada at Barrachina 😉

 

19 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

We are on her January 17 of 2021. She looks to be amazing post dry dock.  Bad influence Andrew is working on Chris.😉

😉

Oh yay! I hope there will be trip reports as we will be on Freedom in March 2021!

So 1 vote for each. I just read that Mariner will be the only ship at Coco Cay while Indy and Navigator will both be there. That changes everything. 

This may just be wishful thinking/daydreaming but I am thinking about a 3 night solo cruise and I am deciding between Independence, Navigator, or Mariner. Same itinerary, flights cost about the same, price difference on the cruise is negligible, so the only real difference is the ship. I am sort of ruling out Mariner because it is farther from the airport but if it is somehow overwhelmingly a better choice... I will consider it. I probably won't leave the ship in Nassau but will explore Coco Cay. 

Anyone care to weigh in? Or should I pin pictures of the ships to the dart board and let the darts decide? 

#firstworldproblems

#haventseenthesunindays

#socoldhere 

3 minutes ago, A&L_Ont said:

We always go to Holland house and have got the extra 2 chairs and bucket of drinks. It is us and our son. The extra loungers works for chasing sun or shade. We always drink the extra drinks. HH also includes free wifi and fresh water shower. Their bathroom is clean and food served beach side is great. 
 

I’m sure you can just pay for the extra chair if you want. IMO it’s the best deal on the beach and their loungers have lots of cushion so you will not give you a sore butt at the end of the day. 
 

@niksmom630 thoughts of agreement?

Thanks for the reply. That makes sense, and I was thinking maybe the extra chair would be nice. If nothing else it would be a nice buffer between my teens so they don't argue.  

4 minutes ago, niksmom630 said:

You would. But, its an amazing value. Let the kids get virgin drinks. They could each have a few, you could also have a few adult beverages. You get to sit in nice padded loungers, get free WiFi, use of shower and bathrooms, and it would cost you $50. It’s either $16.50 per person for 3, or $12.50 pp for 4. 

True, they do love their mocktails. Thank you for doing the math for me. I truly was not up to it tonight. 

I have always wondered something about Holland House, or any of those beach chair rental places. It seems they always offer chairs in sets of 2. What about families of 3? I am an adult with 2 kids. Would I really need to pay for 4 chairs, 2 umbrellas, and 8 drinks??? 

Hello from Chicago! Good to see another local here! You are getting away just in time as winter seems to have actually caught up with us!

Will be following along! I am holding a cruise with a similar itinerary in the future but am also considering another ship/itinerary. I am not a fan of having a port day on our last day on a cruise, however this itinerary would have all new (to us) ports. The other itinerary we are considering would be 2 repeat ports and 1 new port, but with sea days at the end of the cruise. Looking forward to reading your review! 

13 hours ago, luv2sailAgain said:

I found your review when you were commenting on another thread. I just loved your review!  DD and I are booked on Symphony this coming summer.

 

OMG you and I are kindred spirits! I took my two teens (18 and 16) on Liberty of the Seas for DS’s graduation a couple years ago. Your review brought back so many memories. We had other extended family cruises.  But there is nothing like just “you and the teens”.  I was laughing so hard at so many things you mentioned.  I feel your pain. You are not the only one that must sit between your kids so they do not fight (this is still sometimes true even though mine are now young adults).  Seriously, your review was like “This is Your Life!” I am an introvert and a Susan Cain fan (introvert guru).  But I have to tell you, the Comedy Show would not recharge my batteries.  I need quiet. I need it really quiet.  I can soooo relate to missing the Escape Room b/c of a fight, the missed phone call from Royal about The Key, we have two cats. . .I could go on and on.

 

Thank you for taking the time to review your trip!  Now, I need to read about your Alaska cruise!

Soul sister!

You're going to love Symphony! I am fairly certain we will be back on a mega ship in the next year or so. 

I don't know whether to say I am sorry to hear that your family is like mine, or say I am glad to hear we are not alone! What IS it with these teens? 

As a single mom/teacher I have learned to recharge with noise around me. It's all about survival. I recharge faster in a quiet place, but in a pinch I can just isolate myself around noise and manage. 

Thanks for reading, and for commenting! 

4 hours ago, kermit99 said:

I really appreciate your review, it was detailed and fun to read. We are heading to the Symphony in April over Spring Break, I'm expecting there to be a ton of kids. My kids have enjoyed the clubs in the past but this will be my youngest first time in the Teen portion so it will be interesting to see how it goes. My oldest gripped endlessly about the Teen Club last cruise because all the fun kids were in the older section and she was in the younger section and on and on. Honestly I was totally okay if she didn't get to go but that meant she was limited to hanging with us or in the room. That she complained about those options were the things that annoyed me. 

Anyway it was good to hear that even with so many kids that waits weren't that long for the "extras" as we have already deemed the The Key not worth it. 
The thing with your kids cards is this, you CAN make them so that they aren't linked to your cc before you cruise (the no charges option) but because of shady practices you have to turn off the ability to use them in the arcade on the ship. So they wouldn't be able to use the cards to purchase a ice cream or anything in the stores but they are always active in the arcade. To me it's a way that RCCI gets over on parents because a lot of parents don't realize this and even if your child goes to "free" play with the cruise staff or another event there are still games that cost and those games they will be able to swipe their card and play with you unwittingly being charged and many parents not noticing until the end of the cruise and just paying the charges. 

We tend to check our charges daily because we have had so many odd charges show up on our portfolios in the past (been on 15 cruises with RCCI). 

Any way thanks for all your time posting. I know it takes a lot to do it and even more effort to make it a joy to read. 

 

AHA!!! I think you have solved the mystery! I recently checked in for our upcoming cruise and did NOT give charging privileges to the kids, again, and I took a screenshot so I could wave it around in the faces of any Guest Services people who tried to tell me I couldn't do that during check in. I guess there will be no waving-in-faces now, but I will most certainly visit GS and turn off the arcade access. Stupid arcades! 

I hope your kids enjoy the clubs. I do enjoy spending time with my kids, but when they complain about everything I do/want to do, I want to tell them to go to the Teen Club and leave me alone. It's just like you said! Your choices are Teen Club or do what I want to do. You have to pick one and you can't complain about your choice! I know DD would have rather just gone to the room and watched TV/You Tube (oh how I HATE You Tube!) but that is not a choice on vacation. 

DD has sighed with relief that we are on a smaller ship and thus will have fewer kids in the Teen Club. Let's hope BOTH kids find a friend or two so we can each enjoy the things we want to do!

Thank you for reading, and thank you SO much for finally solving this arcade mystery!!! 

I have a review of Symphony in my signature, with lots of photos of the ship and stories about our experience. Feel free to check it out! You'll have a great time!

2 hours ago, cb at sea said:

Well, on those sea days, you will have lots of opportunity to use your "perks"....and if cabin space is something you like  (and I sure do), then even on days when you're ashore, you'll still have your evenings.  

 

You're right...it's all what YOU enjoy and can afford!  We seldom see a need to be "1st off" at any port, so that "perk" is a waste to us, but the suite life is mighty sweet!

Thank you for sharing your thoughts! We do appreciate having space (3 in a cruise ship room is a bit too close for comfort). I am thinking we will keep the suite for now, and downgrade if it seems unnecessary later on. 

Hello,

We are booking a Med sailing, most likely for 2021. I am looking at Apex, and the Sky Suite (and its' related perks- including wifi, bev pkg, and gratuities for guests 1 and 2) sound amazing. However, this is a really port-intensive sailing and I am not sure we will really enjoy the perks. We will be doing excursions through the ship, most likely, so I am not sure whether priority tendering etc. is worthwhile. On the other hand, I am thinking priority boarding/disembarkation might be worthwhile. I know we will have 1 sea day, and we will have 1-2 days where we are on shorter excursions. 

I know "Is it worthwhile?" is a subjective question, and depends to many on exact cost comparisons etc. But overall, is Europe/Western Med. a place where having a suite and its' associated benefits like priority embark/disembark etc. are going to be well-used? I would appreciate any thoughts from those who have sailed this itinerary. really on any cruise line, with or without suite benefits, and whether you think it would be worth having. Thanks!

We did not find it worth the cost. It was insanely crowded, and we waited 45 minutes for hot dogs and chips from the "quick" service restaurant near the pool. We won't be going back there ever. 

We walked on and off the Symphony last year. They move people along and you hardly have time to stop to tie your shoe or use the bathroom. We had a 10:00 flight and had hours to wait in the airport. 

However, don't plan on lingering on the last morning. They want you off the ship. Breakfast is a buffet and you are booted off asap. If you plan to walk your bags off you might be OK. But if you are leaving your bags the night before... I wouldn't do it. 

I was hoping to find recent reviews of De Palm Island. Has anyone been there recently? Any comments, concerns, etc.? Should we go elsewhere? I don't want a crowded, loud beach. We would get a cabana if we did go. 

7 day for sure. We just sailed on the Symphony (sister ship to Harmony) and it was awesome!  I love cruising and if we only sailed on Disney we would hardly ever sail. Royal's pricing and availability allow us to cruise more and go more places.

12 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

Balcony partitions on side-facing balconies can be opened on Freedom, pending managment approval.

Thank you.

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

Connecting cabins having nothing to do with the ability of  Balcony dividers being opened. Aft balconies have solid partitions between them that do not open 

That is what I figured about the connecting cabins, but I had to check since someone did state that when I was looking for answers before posting. Bummer about aft cabins as the extra extra big balcony would be awesome!

I am looking at staterooms for an upcoming cruise, and cannot find connecting rooms for our family. I was thinking of getting rooms next to each other and opening the balcony partition but I read a comment from someone who said you can only open the partition if you have connecting rooms. Is that accurate? And is it also accurate that you cannot open the partition on aft balconies? 

On 7/7/2019 at 10:14 AM, jagsfan said:

Be careful when you separate them if they come stuck together. Ours were stuck to each other but had a piece of paper between them so you could slide them apart. 

The piece of paper fell out while my DH was sliding them and they immediately glommed onto each other never to be separated again. 

We tried several times over the cruise and finally chucked them 

Yes they are very powerful!!!  Definitely a test of your strength if they get stuck to each other!

Has anyone done both the 3 and 4 hour snorkel? Besides the obvious difference of 1 hour, do you feel the 2 are truly different enough to make the 4 hour worthwhile? Still struggling to find a tour that works with our 4 hour snorkel. 

3 hours ago, canadianbear said:

I’ve done both the morning & afternoon snorkel. I used their “wetsuits” that were provided.  They also offer prescription masks & head protection (I have wild crazy hair so used it-not sure what it’s called but it was great-a cap I guess).  

 

They are very close to where the ship docks-10 minute walk at most.  The little town of Bonaire is very cute and easily walkable from the ship.  Our son actually  snorkelled right close to the ship too and saw various species-guess he didn’t get enough on the tour, lol!   

 

 

Did you see a difference in the morning and afternoon snorkels? I always choose morning because I was led to believe the sea life will be more plentiful because they haven't been scared away and the water will be less murky from all the previous snorkelers. Is this totally bogus? 

11 hours ago, hrmkr said:

We are doing the opposite to be able to do the 2 tours in 1 day.  We are snorkeling with Woodwind in the morning and then a tour afterwards.

Which tour are you doing after your snorkel? I am trying to plan this but none of the tours meet at times that will work with our snorkel! I guess I could change to the 3 hour snorkel, but is that even worth it? 

On 6/29/2019 at 11:40 AM, foodallergycruising said:

Hello Everyone,

 

My wife and I are considering booking a cruise on either Royal Caribbean or Disney, and we wanted to know if anyone has had an experience that went "above and beyond" with regards to food allergies? Our son has severe food allergies to dairy, eggs, and peanuts; and based on a few reviews, both DCL and RC can accommodate his allergies in the main dining room and kids club. However, my question is...has anyone had an experience where they (or their child) were able to eat at some of the other restaurants on the ship? (on RC: Johnny Rockets, WindJammers, Cupcake Cupboard, etc and on DCL: Cabannas, Vanellope’s Sweets and Treats, etc). We would be especially interested in hearing about any experiences where the staff went "above and beyond" to accommodate a child's food allergy...especially in places that serve sweets (cupcakes, candy, etc). 

We have sailed on DCL and Royal (and Holland) with food allergies and I feel they were all on equal standing.   We mostly avoid the buffet and dine elsewhere, and it has been fine.  You have to be very proactive, though, and alert them in advance through their special needs department, and then talk to the head server on the ship and make sure they show you the menu for the next night's dinner so you can pre-order.  

DCL doesn't have kid-friendly specialty dining, so that wasn't an issue.  I would use the same precautions you would use at any other cupcake shop for Vanellope's (didn't have that when we sailed).  For us, I talk to a manager about their practices and that helps me determine whether or not I am comfortable with DD eating there.

We ate at Chops Grille on Royal and DD had no issues getting safe food.  Again, you have to be proactive and tell them about the allergy and listen to whatever they advise.  DD ate at El Loco Fresh, Sorrento's, etc. and again, we avoided the buffet.  

With the allergies you mention I would completely avoid the buffet 100% and alert the ship in advance, and follow their guidance for how to manage on board.  And just be proactive, the same as you do at any other restaurant anywhere else.  Don't assume that everyone on the ship is looking out for your safety. 

Just as an example of how you cannot assume that anything is safe just because of what other people tell you: people RAVE about how AWESOME Disney is with allergies, right?  Well they brought DD the wrong allergy meal.  It was for a child at the table next to us, with completely different allergies.  That could have killed my daughter, or the other child (assuming they had brought him the wrong meal, too).  Disney also served regular bread and called it gluten-free, then came back 20 minutes later and said "Oh oops, that wasn't GF bread, sorry".  So you have to be aware and check everything, every time.  

7 minutes ago, rockvixxen said:

They said when system processes tonight it will correct and cancel all purchases of the 18 pp pd packages—I spoke with RC because I had also purchased 

 

they said refund would take about 3-7 days

Weird, since they also clearly stated that the price was valid.