Saturngrl

Keep a manual watch on ship's time at all times.  Cell phones in port change to local time, which may cause you to miss the ship.  I always make sure we are back on board at least two hours before sailaway.  Reasons:  1.  Less waiting in line out in the blazing sun to board ship and 2.  time to get cleaned up on holler at the pier runners who waited until the last minute to board.  

Check you app when you are closer to your cruise.   It will list all of the scheduled activities, including Friends of Bill W. if they are hosting one.  If not, do as a previous poster noted, ask Guest Services to schedule a space for you to meet and they will post a notice accordingly. 

Congratulations on your recovery!  Keep working it! 

• The Reflection has cloth towels in the public restrooms. 
• You can drop your carry-on bags and pick up your Sea Pass card at your stateroom after boarding.  Your room may not be ready yet, but it's nice that you don't have to wait until your room is ready to do this. 
• Lawn Club Grill is a must! 
• The Martini Bar is a lot of fun. 
• The Sky Lounge has beautiful views. 
• Play Bocce on the Lawn.
• The World Class Bar has amazing crafted cocktails. 
• Expect a quieter vibe than the family cruiselines. 
• Cafe' El Baccio is awesome! 

In addition to many of the drinks already posted, I like a Miami Vice.  It's a layering of frozen strawberry daquiri and pina colada.  Sooo good at the Sunset Bar! 

The best way to deal with seasickness is to PREVENT seasickness.   I use Meclazine 25 mg (also known as Bonine) every 12 hours, beginning the day before we cruise.  I also bring ginger capsules in case I do feel queazy, but have only had to use them once in the open Atlantic on one of my 14 cruises. 

May I also suggest you utilize ParknGo?  That way, their shuttle will take you directly to the pier you are sailing from, and pick you up at the other pier after you disembark. 

The cruise lines hold no responsibility for the vendors in the ports.  In 15 cruises, I have seen scammers like these in every port, including facial products, hair products, nail products, jewelry, hair braiding and other stuff.   My personal policy: 

1.  Decline and walk past anyone hawking skin products or a free bracelet charm.

2.  Research prices and availability of products I may want to purchase in port, i.e. Sheridan's liquor or vanilla extract in Mexico.  

3.  Negotiate prices with the vendors.  Their sticker prices are never solid. 

As noted above, there is no suite-only area at CoCo Cay.  The CoCo beach club is an extra upcharge, but worth it for the the quiet, higher level of service and AMAZING lunch there.  We did that on our last cruise.  

We have also purchased a cabana by Oasis Lagoon.  It was fun and near the swim up bar.  Our cabana attendant brought us fruit kabobs, our drinks, and lots of great food from the Snack Shack.  

We had no problem with use of our beverage packages on the island.  

Enjoy! 

We use ParknGo for our cruises out of Port Everglades.  They accept reservations.  You drop your car near the shuttles after you enter, load your bags onto the shuttle and depart for the port shortly thereafter.   Upon return, you provide your parking slip to the driver, who will drive you to your car.  They provide bottled water at the exit and you are on your way home quickly! 

Florida native here.  On a Friday morning from Kissimmee to the port, I would give an estimate of 1 hour and 30 minute drive, via the 417 to 528.  Yes, they are toll roads, but worth the price to get to the port in time.  

They say the parking garage opens at 10:00, but the last time we were there in May 2023, we had no problems with drop-off and parking just before 10:00.  

Thanks, there is reportedly going to be a May birthday white party in Blazes on one night of our 4-night cruise.  DH and I have no May birthdays, so we probably won't attend.,  

JSF, White Night parties are where everyone wears white and dances under blacklights.   It's kind of cool-looking, but I am not sure I want to be up that late.  

We are on two different FB groups for our May 2024 sailing.  One states there will be a White Party in one of the lounges on our cruise.  I cannot find any posting on the RC app.   Anyone with recent Allure experience who can verify one way or the other? 

Other perks of Elite on Celebrity include: 

• Elite breakfast in Tuscan Grill offering mimosas, pastry, fruit and cheese plates.
• Music and Mixology event
• Backstage theatre tour
• Free scoop of gelato (I like taking mine over to Cafe' Baccio to pour espresso over it to create an affogato)
• Disembarkation Lounge (usually Tuscan Grill) with coffee, tea and pastries while you wait to leave the ship the final morning, 

I may be picky, but remain quite pleased with one little extra perk on Celebrity:  cloth towels in the public restrooms.  It is such a nice touch to make the Celebrity experience more luxurious than other mid-priced cruise lines.   

So glad Decoy is back!   

We did CoCo Beach Club last May for $89 per person.  The $125 price is about as high as I would go for this perk.  The lunch is AMAZING.  The service and quiet are terrific.  However, DH and I live in Florida, so a pool/beach day holds no interest to us.  CoCo Beach Club was a one-and-done for us.  

One of my biggest pet peeves is people who fail to do their homework in advance.  This website, along with RC and other travel sites, provides a plethora of information, including advice to keep your watches on ship time at all times.   I do my homework to learn the time zones for every port and document the difference in times.  I also make sure we return to the ship at least two hours before "all aboard".  

This being stated, we love to watch the pier runners.  On the rare occasions we've witnessed passengers being left behind, we do feel sorry for them to the extent they missed out.  

We go to the Crown Lounge for the free lattes in the morning.  I am curious if the pastries include lox, bagels and cream cheese.  We hope to avoid Windjammer on our Allure cruise and my DH wants his schmear fix, lol! 

For those who have purchased this perk, will you please answer the questions below: 

1.  "Early terminal access" -does this mean you can enter the terminal when it opens at an early time?  And/or does this gain you priority boarding after suites and handicapped/assisted? 

2.  Does this include disembarkation on the final day at a time of your choice, similar to the Key?  

You didn't say what day of the week you disembark, nor the month you plan to cruise.  On a good day, you might make it to the airport in time for an 11:30 flight.  However, this is Central Florida and traffic is becoming more and more of a nightmare these days.  I would wager at least one hour drive from the port to MCO.  

You may want to purchase an extra perks package, like FTTF on Carnival or The Key on Royal, that includes priority disembarkation. 

Another idea:  You may want see if your cruiseline has an excursion that includes driving you to MCO after the excursion.  My friends and I did this with Celebrity after a Bermuda cruise.  We did a NYC tour from Bayonne to Newark for our 4:00 p.m. flight.  The tour was great and we made it to the airport in plenty of time! 

It's really up to you to decide if the Key is value-added perk for your cruise.  Personally, I think it's worth the following perks (sailing out of Port Canaveral):

• Separate line for security and check in
• Separate pre-boarding waiting area close to the gangway
• Priority boarding behind suites and assisted boarding
• Drop your carry on at the MDR and enjoy lunch from the Chops Grille lunch menu.  The menu is limited, but it sure beats fighting the crowds in Windjammer, Solarium buffet, Park Cafe and the added-fee specialty lunch venues.  Your carry on is delivered to your stateroom
• Key seating in the shows IF you made advanced reservations.  They open seating there for everyone else right before showtime, if there is any remaining available seating in that section.
• We don't use the special activity hours, like Flow Rider or rock climbing.
• We LOVE the disembarkation breakfast in the MDR!  It's a nice way to end your cruise.  After breakfast, a crew member with a Key sign escorts you off the ship whenever you choose and your baggage is waiting for you in a Key section at baggage claim.  

Plus Sushi on Five will likely be open for a fee.  

Agree with the above posters. Additionally, if you order a beverage higher than the Classic limit, you will be charged the balance of that drink.  You may want to consider upgrading your package to Premium, which should be done via Cruise Planner. 

21 hours ago, Salt Lifer said:

Laura seems especially skilled at talking around any questions that is asked, all with a big smile.  I suspect that was her biggest qualifications for getting the job. 

 

Personally, I wish they would find a new host for these presentations that appeared more professional.  I didn't think it could get worse than her constantly overused valley-girl injection of "awesome" into every other sentence, but apparently she is now trying to balance that out by throwing "epic" into as many sentences as possible, as well.  

 

Here is the Cliff's notes of the video.

1.) The President's cruise will be both AWESOME and EPIC!!!

2.) Sorry Southamptoners, no additional ships in port for you.

3.) More awesome (and epic?) wine options will be available at an upcharge, allegedly requested by the "most loyal guests" so no complaining about the upcharge, okay? 

4.) Better say your goodbyes now to your favorite M-class ships....

5.) Hints that the RC, Silversea, and Celebrity points may combine, but of course no official confirmation.  Personally, this one would be a positive change for the guest if it were to happen.

 

Great summary of the webinar!  I was irate at the inane questions allowed for the President to reply with no real answers to any of them.  Why bother requesting questions from CC Elite and above members?   Additionally, what outcomes are expected from the President's cruise?  Probably none, just the expected satisfaction members feel from spending 6 nights on the same multi-thousands passenger ship with the President. 

We are sailing Allure in May 2024 and have been to CoCo Cay numerous times.  We are Floridians, so a beach/pool day holds no interest to us.  We plan to stay on the ship that day and enjoy the onboard amenities.   I know many of the ship's crew will work on the island that day, which leads me to ask what will be open on board?  Windjammer?  Pool bar?  Park Cafe?  Solarium?  TYIA.  

We always sail Concierge and are Elite level members.  We considered the Premium Pass, but:

1.  Basic wi fi for one device is fine with us.  We cruise to disengage from the constant phone disruptions

2.  We enjoy the embarkation luncheon in the MDR as Concierge class passengers

3.  The PP offers early terminal access, but fails to mention any priority in boarding the ship

4.  Despite a dedicated area for luggage on disembarkation day,  this pass does not offer the exclusive breakfast in the MDR and an escort off the ship at a time of our choice. 

Hope this helps in your decision-making.