livingonthebeach

Thanks! Enjoy your cruise!!

Yes Explorer wasn't so bad back then....will check it out.

Thanks! I'll be there next year. Did you take an RCI excursion there or did you venture out on own?

Thanks! I saw those Enchantment cruises out of Tampa but I've been on her before and was less than enchanted. 😇 I'll keep looking -- was even considering some out of LA (with airline points).

You get a discount onboard with the UDP. Sometimes they get fully booked or cancelled if they don't get enough people. Best to book during a sale in the cruise planner, pre-cruise.

I'm also 7 nights away from D+ at the moment. I'm looking for a FL 7 nights in order to reach D+ before my June 2024 Greece / Turkey cruise. I looked at Wonder in May but it's gone up substantially and out of my price range right now. If you find any bargains out of FL, please post. Tks!

I believe they are referring to “Friends and Family” rates. I don’t think you get C&A points with those unless it has changed.

I will only get excited when they offer a Krug Grande Cuvée Brut or a Louis Roederer Cristal Brut. 🥂

If zip lining is your thing or on your bucket list, then it's Labadee hands down. Labadee has The Dragon’s Breath Flight Line which is the longest over the water zip line in the world. It's 2,600 feet over the ocean — with speeds of up to 50 mph. I have to say this has been my most exhilarating RCI shore excursion in the Caribbean. The Parasailing looked awesome as well and I will try that next time I'm there. Coco Cay offers more variety in terms of activities, i.e. Thrill Park and all the water slides plus all the different venues. The hot air balloon is cool too but if you're on a ship such as Odyssey that has the North Star - you can get higher than the hot air balloon for free while you're docked at Coco Cay. Each private destination (Coco Cay, an island and Labadee a peninsula), has it plusses and minuses -- IMHO, they are both equally enjoyable.

I remember drinking kiwi caipirinhas made with cachaca in Boleros on Oasis class ships but it's been a while.

Classic Mojitos, Cosmos and Caipirinhas can all be found onboard. Tequila Mockingbird Paloma not so much.

There are many versions of the saying all of which are way too lengthy to put on a tip jar 🤔 King James BibleFor the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many New American Standard BibleFor the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

I had Evian with the water package on Rhapsody a few weeks ago. The ship had been in Barbados since pre covid (2019) and was the first time she went to the US post Covid so maybe that explains it.

I wonder how long it will be until RCI changes the word gratuities to something like Princess which changed from gratuities to “Crew Appreciation” and Cunard to “hotel and dining service charge”. Or simply just put out a tip jar like this one:

Will they refund us the extra $$ we paid for for the 10 year? LOL - I'm not holding my breath!

I believe you can get MTD and not pre-pay grats. I don't think it's fair for the UDP people to have to pay MDR servers. YMMV

Yes and the price is hefty. It costs just a little more to get a 10 year multiple entry visa so that's what I did even though I don't think I will be going back there anytime soon.

If your cruise stops anywhere in China, you will need to get a Visa on your own - the ship does not provide visas for China - this is from personal experience.

Cabin 6524

I'm a bit behind reading all the posts on this thread but wanted to chime in to say that I booked a gtd balcony on my Odyssey cruise this past December and was pleasantly surprised to have been given a deck six balcony with no obstruction -- it was way forward past all the tenders.

The wine pairing is extra as some have said and they are not generous pours but depending on the ship and the wine sommelier, you can certainly ask for more and will be accommodated. The same goes with the food substitutions -- I've witnessed many requests for variations of the menu which have all been granted.

Maybe this has been mentioned before but I admit I haven't read through all 13 pages. If someone purchases the UDP and the DBP which already tacks on 18% gratuity plus one leaves a cash tip directly to the room steward, why in the world in that situation would it be fair to ask one to pay the auto grats on top of all the other "gratuities", i.e. tips? Just mildly confused...

Surprisingly, no one has mentioned the room and board aspect the crew get as part of their contract. While they are certainly in cramped quarters and the food is different and probably of lower quality than what the passengers get, there is some value to the complimentary room and board. Fast food workers on land do not receive free room and board. Maybe this is an added incentive for workers from lesser developed countries, as they would receive more in wages that they could send home to their families than what they get earn in their home countries? Just a thought.

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports

I've been to Labadee many times in person and not from a keyboard. I've also been to many developing countries where the harassment is much, much worse. As far as I'm concerned, the vendors there are tolerable. YMMV