Artful

30 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

Have you been contacted by email yet?  When they do reply and request CK reservations for the week.  Lesson learned the hard way.

I have not been contacted yet, but I will learn from your lesson.  I have all my preferred times written and ready to send in an email.  Thanks for the warning.

10 hours ago, cruisinghawg said:

Ah I see now, thanks for clearing that point up. By the way I have always known that pinnacles had this perk but is it not written down so that all suite folks would know this?

I am sailing next week on Allure in an OS for the first time, and I definitely was not aware that the SL and CK were not exclusive to suite guests as advertised.  I am hoping there are no problems.

If you park in the new Terminal A in Port of Miami do porters take your luggage right in the parking garage?  Is is better for my DH to drop me with the luggage at the terminal entrance and then go to park, or should we both go in through the parking garage?  We have limited walking mobility.

If we want to park in Terminal A parking garage, should my husband drop me off with the luggage or should we go directly into the garage.  It seems from what I have read there are porters right in the garage,

I reserved our Coastal Kitchen dinner reservations through the Cruise Planner last month. This was for our Allure cruise sailing May 12, 2019.

There is no opportunity to make Coastal Kitchen reservations on our cruise planner for a December 2, 2018 cruise. We are Sky Class. I wonder why you could make reservations for May, and I cannot for December.

Oceania ships have high tea each day. A string quartet plays classical music; they serve finger sandwiches, scones, assorted pastries and, of course, tea.

Reading this with interest. We actually booked an OCeania cruise and had to cancel due to work conflicts, but definitely want to try them. My biggest concern is ship movement with the smaller ships. We've only been on HAL Westerdam so far and now have RC Adventure booked for NE/Canada. Any thoughts on movement with the smaller ships would be appreciated. Thanks!

I felt queasy twice last year on Regatta, having to leave the dining room in the stern both times. Seas not terribly rough, but definitely felt the motion. On Dramamine nightly. Also, concierge balcony cabin was very small and bathroom was tiny - the toilet was almost in the shower. Nicest features: most of the food (not all was great), beautiful afternoon tea, string quartet. Entertainment -meh.

When you have purchased a three-night specialty restaurant package, are the gratuities included in the price of the package?

Thanks for the responses.

We will be sailing in an owner’s suite on Allure in .December. I am wondering if we will be able to access the suite lounge immediately upon boarding at about 10:30-11 am, although we do not have sea pass cards yet. Is someone always available if one knocks on the door that early?

If you are a suite guest, can you make your reservations for the three-night package at the Coastal Kitchen, or must you go to a specialty restaurant when you board ship?

Very creative and thoughtful.

That is correct.

 

That being said, however, there are not enough seats in the "reserved" area for EVERY passenger who is entitled. Of course, they are not all going to show up for the same performance, but it is possible to be "shut out" of the area, particularly at OceanAria.

 

Get there early - I believe that they open up the seats at 45 minutes before the Aqua Show. I suggest being in line then.

Thank you. Will do.

Entertainment just became available for my 12/2 cruise on Allure. We are in an Owners Suite. Please reassure me that I do not have to make reservations for any shows but the Comedy Show, because there are seats reserved for suite guests. Thank you. I would hate to miss out on seeing any shows.

Does anyone know if there will be valet parking at the new Miami terminal? If so, what is the additional cost?

I use original formula Dramamine only at night, starting about 2-3 nights before my cruise. I take one each night before going to bed. It seems to work well almost all of the time.

Dbarton02 - your aloe story was hilarious. I laughed out loud reading it.

Went on Oceania’s Regatta for a ten-day cruise to Bermuda and a few other ports last spring in a concierge balcony cabin. In December we are booked on Allure of the Seas in an Owners Suite. Will be interested to see how the cruise experiences differ. Found Regatta a bit boring on sea days, entertainment started at 9:30 each night (late for us), the cabin tiny and the shower absurdly small. The food was mostly good. Did not care for the buffet lunch at all. Ate all breakfasts in MDR -very good. Specialty restaurants included and mostly very good. Loved the afternoon tea. Loved the classic ship’s furnishings. Loved the chamber music. The library was exquisite. We booked The Allure suite for the huge room, living room, and bath, for the ship’s entertainment, the suite lounge, the Coastal Kitchen dining (plus the three-night dining package), reserved seating for shows, and easy embarkation and debarkation. The comparison should be interesting.

Thanks for the replies. Also the info about the MTD for suite guests. Have not cruised RCI for quite some years and our first time in Owners Suite on Allure in December. Lots of good info here on tipping in the SL, CK etc.

I thought beers and a selection of house wines were complimentary in the suite lounge from 11 to 11. Is this no longer true?

Automatic tips covers your stateroom attendant and helpers, plus your dining staff in the Main Dining Room and Windjammer.

Do suite tips include Coastal Kitchen staff?

I'm a bit of a foodie and have been disappointed with the food on my last Royal and NCL cruises. I was looking for an alternative one day and stumbled on a thread someone started in the Celebrity section about jumping from that line to Oceania. Oceania claims to have one of the better culinary programs at sea. After a little homework, I was pretty surprised at how close the all-in number is for an Oceania cruise when compared to the RCI cruise I have booked in January. I'd have to make some sacrifice in cabin (JS vs. Balcony) but might be worth it for some.

If it is an R class Oceania ship, that sacrifice might be greater than you think - we were on Regatta last April and found our concierge balcony room small with the bathroom tiny and the shower a bad joke. The food was sometimes excellent and other times not. Afternoon tea was lovely. We did not care for the buffet at all and never ate there after the first time or two. The highly touted lobster and beef sandwich was horrible - lobster undercooked and steak tough. Specialty restaurants were very good. Main dining room hit or miss.

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Thank you! Do you happen to have contact info on him? Was there anything you specifically liked about him?

Millard Lightbourne of Mills Taxi Service

Millard, known as Mills, has over 50 years of experience in the tourism industry. He worked in the 5-Star Elbow Beach Hotel in Paget for 55 years before retiring as the Assistant Chief Engineer. However he has also been a certified Tourist Guide and a driver since many years. Very well behaved, polite and having awesome knowledge of the island and its flora & fauna, Mills is one of the great drivers in the island for taxi tours. Phone: (441) 238 5690; Email: millarda@northrock.bm

He took us to our honeymoon spot of 60 years previous and any other requests we had. He knew the island very well and was personable.

We enjoyed our day with Millard Lightbourne, a blue flag driver.

Yes it’s basically the same show and you can’t book it more than once.

Thank you.