reggielew

To use iMessage for free, how do we set our phones? Do we put them in airplane mode and turn on wifi, or is there something else that we have to do? Please forgive me if this is a silly question, but we are seniors and not overly savvy about technology!

Thanks for any information you can give me.

Our family of 10 just returned from the Allure of the Seas less than 2 weeks ago, and we all had a great time. My husband and I (the grandparents) have been on 75 cruises on various lines, mostly Princess and Royal Caribbean, and our children and grandchildren have cruised with us each summer for the past 6 years. We had 5 balcony cabins on the Boardwalk, and the 2 stewards we had were both outstanding and very friendly.

We were very pleasantly surprised that the food in the main dining room was excellent, with the best beef that we have had on any cruise line. And our waiter and assistant waiter were also both excellent, warranting an extra tip in addition to the auto tips. Aside from dinners, the food in the dining room and the buffet for breakfast and lunch was also very good--much improved from food that we had experienced a few years ago on Royal Caribbean.

We have previously cruised with the children and grandchildren on NCL, but last year on the Anthem of the Seas and this year on the Allure of the Seas we found the food and service far superior to Norwegian, and we are already booked on the Harmony of the Seas for next summer.

I realize that tastes vary, but I just wanted to let future cruisers to know that we found Royal Caribbean to be excellent!

Our family of 10 was on the Anthem for the July 14th sailing and had a great time. Only my 2 adult daughters and I wanted to do the Puzzle Break Room, but we were unable to book it in advance.

Because my husband and I are Diamond members, we were able to get on the ship shortly after the boarding began. I went directly to the passenger services desk and was the only person in line. I was able to book the Puzzle Break Room for the 3 of us with no problem and was given a printed confirmation for the time I requested. My suggestion is to go as soon as you board (before going to lunch), and hopefully you will be able to book it. Good luck, and have a great cruise!

Our family just got off the Anthem of the Seas and had a great time. Can anyone tell me if there is a Puzzle Break Room on the Allure as there was on the Anthem?

Thanks for any information that you have.

When I sign up for the Puzzle Break room, am I allowed to sign up for 7 family members and friends if I have all their information (we would all like to do it at the same time) or does each person have to go in person? Thanks for all the great information on this forum!

Reggie

Hi!

We will have too much luggage to self-embark ( 6 adults and 4 children ), so I will check out other opinions as well. In New Jersey, do the lines through customs seem to move quickly as they do in Ft. Lauderdale? When I filled out the information for Royal Caribbean, they offered a choice of times between 7:00 am and about 9:30 am for people to indicate what time they would like to disembark. Hopefully, they will honor those times, but who knows???

Thanks, Reggie

To 138 East:

I have read a lot of valuable information that you have posted on this board and am following one of your suggestions and planning to book the Newark Ramada Plaza through Trinity Reservations. The price of the room for 1 night before the cruise includes free parking for the length of the cruise plus shuttle service up and back from the port. I can let them know what time I want the shuttle to pick us up (according to the man I spoke with at Trinity Reservations), so I want to know how much time I will need from the time that my number gets called to leave the ship until I would be outside at the curb.

A recent cruiser posted the disembarkation information, and after the group that does the self-carry for luggage, the regular numbers are called, starting about 7:00am. I know that in Ft. Lauderdale, we are always off the ship within half an hour after our number is called, but I am unfamiliar with the time frame in New Jersey.

If anyone has specific information regarding the amount of time we will need, I would appreciate your letting me know.

Thanks, Reggie

Hi!

We will be traveling with our family on the Anthem of the Seas in July. If we request to depart from the ship at 8:00 am, how long should it take us to go through customs and to be ready to board the shuttle from our hotel? I need to request a time for them to pick us up.

Thanks for any information that you can give me.

Reggie

Are children ( ages 9-12 ) allowed to accompany parents for the Puzzle Break if they would like to?

Thanks for all the great information!

Reggie

Do children have to be a certain age or a certain weight to do the IFLY? Is it safe for a 5th or 6th grade child? I would appreciate any information that you can give me. Thanks!

Another vote for Bert Stratton. He'll be on the Caribbean Princess from February 26th until April 18th, 2015.

Hi!

Thanks for your replies. I'll certainly plan to give it a try.

Reggie

Hi!

My husband and I are planning to be on the Royal Princess in 3 weeks. Is the Retreat pool free as it is on the Emerald, Ruby, Crown, etc., or is there a charge for passengers not in the Sanctuary?

Thanks, Reggie

Hi!

Thanks for the information!

Reggie

Hi!

We are planning to be on the Emerald December 9th. Can you tell me who was playing at the piano bar in Crooner's?

Thanks, Reggie

Hi!

We just returned from the September 3rd sailing of the Celebrity Silhouette and used Rome Cabs for 3 separate transfers. Each driver was prompt, efficient, polite, and helpful with our luggage. I would hightly recommend Stephano's Rome Cabs and would definitely use them again.

Reggie

Hi!

Thanks to everyone for your great suggestions.

Motib, I especially like the idea of seeing some important non-Jewish sites if time permits on Friday afternoon. That sounds very interesting.

We have just booked the 2 days in Ashdod with Guided Tours Israel as I have read excellent reviews about them. They are very flexible about what we want to do, so since we will have just 6 of us in our tour group, we can let them know at a later date our itinerary. As you can imagine, it's hard to get total agreement among all 6 of us, so we'll discuss our options further as the time gets closer and decide what is the most important to us. Therefore, I truly appreciate everyone's suggestions. By the way, Motib, do you happen to work for that tour company?

Thanks again for all your help.

Reggie

Motib,

Thank you for your thoughts about what we should do during our 2 day stay in Israel. If we should decide to skip both Masada and the Dead Sea and spend 2 full days in Jerusalem, what Jewish sites would we be able to see on Friday afternoon after 2:00 pm? Are there still things of interest that would be open for another couple of hours before we would have to leave Jerusalem (about 4:00pm) to get back to the ship in Ashdod?

We are 3 couples traveling together, and since we all have various ideas about what we should definitely NOT miss, we REALLY appreciate all your input.

Reggie

Hi Ruth,

Thank you for all the wonderful information. I really appreciate it.

We are planning to dock in Ashdod for 2 days in September and are planning to have a private guide take 6 of us to see as many of the Jewish sights as possible. The tour guide recommends spending one full day seeing Masada and the Dead Sea, spending the night at a Jerusalem hotel, and then seeing Jerusalem for a full day before returning to the ship for a 7:00pm departure. That sounds great to us, but I'm wondering if we should skip Masada (and possibly the Dead Sea as well), and spend the full 2 days in Jerusalem. Also, because the second day falls on Friday, will anything that we would want to see close early?

I know that 2 days are nowhere near enough to see all that we would want to see, but I want to be sure we use our time wisely to get the most possible out of the short time that we have.

Thank you again for all your excellent information.

Reggie

Hi!

I've really enjoyed Eric Stone, Sammy Goldstein, and Martin Kaye, but my all time favorite is Bert Stratton. He is on the Ruby Princess now until December 19th, and then will be doing a special "Bert Cruise" aboard the Ruby Princess on January 30th. However, on that cruise he will not be playing in Crooner's, but will instead be giving 3 private shows for those passengers who specifically booked through his travel agent as a private group.

By the way, Bert has never entertained on Carnival, so the previous poster may have been referring to someone else. He used to be on Dolphin Cruise Lines, but he has been on Princess for the past several years. Now, he is only on the ships sporatically as he has moved to Nashville and is hoping to "make it" as a songwriter. If Princess needs him as a fill-in from time to time, he will be on a ship for a few weeks here and there, but unfortunately, there is very little advanced notice. In fact, that is the reason that he has scheduled the private group aboard the Ruby on January 30th.

Reggie