mattpro

I booked the Jan. 26,2020 Freedom cruise on March 18, 2018.

The Jan. 12,2020 did not show up when I booked 18 cruises on the Freedom onboard thru NextCruise on the Adventure this past March.

The NC manager thought there could be a charter for the week of 1/12/2020.

While smoking used to be on the starboard side it is now on the PORT side.

Yes, smoking with a roof over your head is still available in the casino, but the corporate word is that will end at the beginning of 2019. - for ALL ships.

Barefoot is a 100 yards away so it only costs you a dollar a yard.

The walk to Barefoot is worth the better BBQ

Don't forget your water shoes.

In the cigar bar ( Connoisseur Club - deck 5) you can smoke your own cigars as well as buy from a limited selection.

Also, drinks and cigars can be purchased nightly from 7 p.m. thru 1 a.m..

The room is open 24/7 with a TV and comfortable love seats and chairs.

The biggest advantage of being on deck 8 is the proximity to Park Café, which opens at 7:30 a.m. for morning coffee and breakfast, as well as only 2 floors above the Boardwalk.

A little trivia fact per Senor Super Mario regarding the Freedom that he told me 2 weeks ago.

Of all the ships in the fleet the crew on the Freedom prefer to STAY on the ship versus transferring to any other ship - which includes Oasis class.

As a side note I've been on this ship 5 weeks in the past 2 months and have booked the Freedom for 18 more cruises starting in Nov. 2018.

For the few smokers left out there - the Freedom is one of 2 ships left that still have the cigar bar.

For casino patrons the word is that there will be no smoking in the casinos (all ships) starting 2019.

Of course if smokers want to start a petition and receive a ton of support (including ship's officers) - everything is negotiable.

Proof of point - The Adventure's corporate plan was to put Chops Grill where Giovanni's is on the 11th deck next to the WJ and move Giovanni's to the 4th floor opposite the Schooner Bar.

Chops Grill IS on the 4th floor as I type.

Pinnacle FREE cruise

Has anyone who has taken this cruise know if C&A points are awarded ?

Orient Beach

uTube video 2 days ago

Something to do when you have a late flight out of San Juan.

For the same cost as a taxi ride (about $25) you can take a tour of Old San Juan that lasts about 2 1/2 hours.

When you walk out the door after clearing immigrations, walk to the left and you'll see a small podium with a sign that says "tours".

You and your luggage will be loaded on a mini bus that holds between 15-20 people. The tours vary, but generally you will go through Condado on the way to old San Juan, usually with a stop just before Fort El Morro where they let you off for about 15 minutes so you can take pictures of the above ground cemetary, as well as the forts.

Usually they will then drop you off at the main plaza where you have about an hour for shopping or dining.

After that it's about a 20 minute ride to the airport.

The DL outdoor seating area is open.

The scrubbers have been enclosed on both the port and starboard side.

They can convert the card/game rooms on deck 14 port side anytime they want to a Suite Lounge.

Entrance to the rockwall is now on the 13th deck.

Stairs on both side have been reconfigured to access 13th deck from the 14th deck.

For transportation and hotel rooms go to this website

gotoportcanaveral dot com

Harmony of the Seas is an excellent choice for a group of 15 . The size of the ship and the way it is laid out with it's many neighborhoods addresses the problem of overcrowding and the flexibility to enjoy many different venues.

The larger and newer ships offer better entertainment, food and dining selection as well as a larger casino with many more options for you to enjoy your evening libations.

Very close to FLL airport and many hotel options located on 17th St., adjacent to the piers, if you come in before or stay after your cruise. Shopping, dining for every taste, a Publix/Walgreens to pick up last minute incidentals and a water taxi that goes up and down the inland waterway are some of the advantages of sailing out of Port Everglades.

The optimal time to cruise for price, weather and least amount of young uns' is either the first or second week of December.

Whatever you decide - have a wonderful cruise.

Whether you book individually or with a TA the price will be the same.

However, TA's receive a 15% discount from RCL which they use to offer perks such as OBC, specialty dining, drink packages, etc. depending on how many cruises you book and the price you pay for your room.

Naturally with suites the amount of amenities you will receive should be higher that descend all the way down to interiors. So there is definite value for using a TA.

The trade-off may occur if you have any "problems" since the TA has possession of your confirmation and THEY are the ones that have to resolve the problem - NOT YOU.

Personally, I book cruises on board when they first come out - usually about 1 1/2 to 2 years in advance. The prices are generally the lowest then, but everything is based on supply and demand.

If having control is your thing - book it yourself.

If you want the "deal " and are not bothered by potential mishaps definitely use a TA.

Call Casino Royale ( 1-888-561-2234 ) when you book your next cruise for special pricing.

If you already have a cruise booked they will keep your same confirmation and adjust price accordingly.

I have been on many B2B's (with different staterooms) and after going to the first meeting I never went to another one.

Basically when changing staterooms you pack everything in your drawers and bathroom in a suitcase and they will be delivered to your new stateroom, including the hanging clothes in your closet, which you do not have to pack.

BEWARE - Any items left in the bathroom will be lost forever. THE REASON is that a separate dedicated crew cleans the bathroom and they throw EVERYTHING away that does not belong to the ship.

These should be in your new stateroom after you get off the ship - go through immigrations and go back on board.

Generally you meet in a designated lounge where you begin the process of disembarkation.

If they haven't already left your new seapass cards in your room the night before, they will give you your new seapass cards at the lounge in an envelope which will also include a (In Transit) card.

The Intransit Card allows you to get off the ship - go on a tour or whatever - then when you come back to the ship you just present this In Transit card so you don't have to wait in any lines while reboarding the ship.

As others have mentioned there will be a special lunch in one of the MDR's for consecutive cruisers, if there are enough cruisers to warrant for this.

Each ship and port handles this disembarkation differently due to the U.S. immigration laws and regulations pertaining to that facility.

But, as another poster noted, this is a big to do over nothing and actually not worth getting stressed out over.

The stress comes from the fear of the unknown.

Enjoy your cruise

Booking another room

Unfortunately your credit can not be used for this.

They only allow it for certificate holder and they only allow you to be in one room at a time on a cruise.

Can answer a few questions

Boarding is regular - nothing special.

I have always prepaid taxes, port fees and gratuities.

I have used comp amount for future cruises against already booked cruise(s) - even past the 30 day window and on other cruises not listed on their form.

Call Casino Royale and they will take care of you - in a very friendly helpful way with your best interests in mind.

Freedom - on sea days for lunch

Use the MDR - they have a tutti salad where you select from about 20 different items and a chef will make and mix your salad with your dressing of choice.

On the last sea day they offer barramundi on their menu, a very tasty Australian white fish gently spiced. Also, they offer unlimited peeled shrimp on their buffet.

On sea days you can order off the menu and/or use their buffet.

Check your compass for times, since lunch only lasts about 1 1/2 hours.

Regarding cruise certificates given by casino

It has been my experience to call Casino Royale and tell them what cruise I have either booked or want to book and see what they can do for me.

I give them my certificate numbers and they make adjustments to price based on the amount of credit given for that week.

Since I book cruises when they first come out (end of April usually) I have about 16-20 cruises with confirmation numbers.

When CR makes the price adjustment they use your current confirmation without canceling and re-booking a new cruise.

I have been pleasantly surprised with the results.

Making Pinnacle

Retiring in 2011 I took my first cruise in 2012 and liked it enough to take 4 more cruises in 2013, which got me hooked on cruising.

Most of these cruises were in a Grand Suite sailing as a couple for at least 7 days in the Caribbean.

In 2014 I started sailing solo in an interior cabin, which I prefer because the room is totally dark with the lights off and I only use the room for sleeping.

I only cruise in the months between November and May and only in the Caribbean to get away from the cold weather in northern Virginia.

Each year I added more cruises and became Pinnacle on the Adventure February 18,2017.

So it really only takes about 4 years getting double points if you're retired and get hooked on cruises.

I book 20 cruises a year usually on the ship when the cruises first come out about 2 years in advance that sail in the southern Caribbean and have a Promenade.

Once you get over 350 C&A points solo's only have to pay 1.5x vs. 2x before that.

I budget $25k for 5 months which is about the same as I would pay if I were at home.

The benefits are no grocery shopping, cleaning and cooking.

Once you're on the ship everything is there for you and the cooking and entertainment is definitely better than if I stayed home.

There are more retired folks doing this than you think and the amount of folks doing it are more than you would think.

But what's so nice about cruising is that you meet about 4000 people who have paid good money to have a good time.

Now if that is not a recipe for a good time I don't know what is.

Cuban cigars

The only place that I know that has real Cubans is right inside the port area. There are a lot of fakes.

As you go thru the gates and into the plaza - look to the right.

There is a store above the casino that sells real Cubans.

Suite Lounge

Adventure's next drydock won't be completed until Feb. 2018.

The first sailing is 2/17/2018 out of San Juan after a 5 day re-positioning out of Florida.

At that time the SL will be located port side on deck 14.

The solution

Refund every customer for upcoming cruise.

Allow the current passengers another week's cruise - FREE !!!

Probably make a lot of folks happy and reduce the stress level.

Congratulations that you've reached a stage where you can cruise anytime, anywhere without having to worry about cost.

As a retired former business owner who got hooked on cruising I found myself in the situation as yourself.

Others have mentioned Super Mario ( I call him Professor Mario) as a reference to a "frequent floater". Having met and talked to him on the best way to do extended cruising he gave me some good advice.

First he said find out what itinerary you want to do and where do you want to sail from. Then find a ship that has the amenities you want.

He books on board when the new itineraries come out in late March/April 2 years in advance. He prefers to cruise in the Caribbean out of FLL since he has a condo in Key Biscayne.

Normally he does 4 transatlantic cruises to and from Europe so he totals about 350 days a year on a ship.

By booking on board when the cruises first come out his spreadsheet data tells him that this is the most economical time to book.

Then he transfers those booking to his own Travel Agent who not only watch for any price drops, as well as getting special perks (although now I would imagine he works out a cash rebate of the 15% fee given to the TA).

Personally, I just want to cruise the Caribbean in the winter months between Oct - Apr and only want to make 2 round trip flights. So currently I book 6 weeks before Xmas and 12 weeks after Jan. 1 when the itineraries come out.

If you are a solo traveler RCL gives you the privilege to pay twice as much for your room, however you receive double C&A points.

As a Diamond member you've probably been on quite a few different ships. If you have a favorite stick with that one, if not keep experimenting.

Whatever you choose is fine since each week you get new fish in the pond which makes each cruise new and different.

You will be surprised at how many folks you now see cruising multiple weeks on the same ship.

I hope you enjoy your new lifestyle - cruising is addictive - no doubt about it.

Very quickly you will attain over 350 points which means you only have to pay 1.5x vs. 2x.

Suite guests dining

For breakfast you have use of Giovanni's, which is located on the 11th deck ( same as the WindJammer) starboard side.

It is a full service sit down breakfast with your own chef and a very nice menu with a small but very nice buffet that has upgraded pastries and such.

This breakfast is also open on the day you depart which is a MAJOR PERK while the bedlam occurs in the WJ.

Lunch is the same for everyone - port days the WJ.

Sea days a choice of the MDR for their delicious tutti salad for those who eat healthy and enjoy over 20 different ingredients for a personally made salad.

Dinner is MDR or a specialty restaurant with an upcharge.