irun5k

We were at CoCo Cay years ago and it happened to be overrun with jellyfish during our short visit.  Pool option would have been nice.

I suppose ship's staff will come ashore and run all the amusements?   Unlike Labadee where it seems like they're able to leverage the local labor force to some degree.

1 minute ago, h20skibum said:

We were on Indy in January, and had a balcony cabin at the Promenade level.  The noise level from music was very loud, even there.  I can’t imagine how loud it was in the promenade cabins.  

 

Glad and we had a little buffer. 

Wow, I was thinking that the row of interior rooms and hallway, etc. would have pretty much silenced it but I guess that shows how loud it really is.

I don't recall the Promenade being this loud on Voyager or Oasis class sailings I've been on.  I think it is cool that the Promenade is happening place, but yeah- it has an impact on cabins.  Old posts talk about a loud door noise in the Ben & Jerry's suite but to me that was a non-issue compared to the music.

Just back from a 5 nighter to Labadee & Falmouth with our 11 yr old and 4 yr old- it was a great cruise:

Hits

• Walked right on, around 12:45 PM
• Enjoyed the Ben & Jerry's suite perks, mainly free drinks nightly at suite lounge, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, & upgraded buffet on Labadee
• Got 2 connecting staterooms for less than the price of jamming all 4 of us in one
• Ship condition very good inside and out
• MDR food, every meal was very good
• We're generally eating less these days and a full plate of buffet food is no longer how we want to start the day.  We stumbled upon breakfast sandwiches, made on demand, at Sorrentos which fit the bill for us all
• The 2018 upgrades made a meaningful difference our family, including:
  • Water slides
  • Splashaway Bay
  • Playmakers
  • Sky Pad
  • Laser tag (must be 5yrs old, watch fine print)
  • Climbing lily pad things on sports deck for little ones
• Good Hope Great House tour was really nice way to do something in Falmouth w/o excessive transit time (also "affordable" relatively speaking)
• Shows were good, we enjoyed the Rock Tribute (Private Stock band.)
• All the way around the outside of deck 4 is a great place for an ocean view walk and/or shuffleboard 
• Deck chairs and quiet spots available even on sea days as long as you're willing to take a few steps away from pool perimeter
• Aft sports area def. has an Oasis "neighborhood" feel esp. with the upgrades
• Freedom class seems easier to get around on and we didn't find much we missed from Oasis class
• Was a bit worried about spring break crowd getting too crazy.  Not an issue, generally a good crowd on board.
• This was our first 5 nighter, having sailed 2 nighters, 4 nighters, and lots of 7 nighters.  5 nights was a really nice option!  Felt long enough and certainly worth the travel time from St Pete to Port Everglades, and we still have a full 3 day weekend to enjoy at home before going back to work/school

Misses

• MTD needs work, a bit chaotic but doesn't have to be- would be easy enough to fix
• Platinum coupons difficult to use, took 45 minutes/two visits to guest services to get corrected

Minor Meh (not major or temporary issues)

• Would not book Promenade cabin again if not the Ben & Jerry's suite.  Promenade on this ship had loud music at what seems like all hours and it can be heard in Promenade staterooms.  (Some music may have been coming from Bolero's below up through centrum, was hard to tell.)
• Aft sports area requires a little more navigation than usual to find, it is a major area of ship that feels like it should have prominent access
• Navigation on deck 4 from Playmakers to Schooner Bar area requires a trip through the casino
• Ironically the biggest issue I had with other passengers was not with crazy spring break kids but rather some company that had apparently booked a bunch of suites.  Adults at Labadee suite area loudly using f word, n word, etc. around kids.

Let me know if you have any questions about the ship!

To anyone recently off Indy- what is the live music scene?  I am particularly interested to know if there is a full top-40/pop/rock style band performing on board, and if so in which venue?

Also, is Grease performed on one or multiple nights on a 5 nighter?

This time next week we'll be in the car driving to Port Everglades 🙂 Thanks in advance!

2 hours ago, gsb said:

There will never be another Richard Spacey.

I agree, he is the only cruise director I remember from any cruise I've ever been on.  He was really quite funny.  Still remember him hosting the Belly Flop competition on Oasis.... laughed so much.

Inside cabins are a great option for those of us in FL that want an inexpensive getaway.

Other than Boardwalk View balconies on Oasis class which we really like, I'm not sure we'll pay extra for a balcony again unless it is a minimal uncharge.  Ocean View, Promenade View, or interior work fine for less.

I sometimes have trouble sleeping away from home but interior cabins sleep great in my opinion.  If you are a napper, they are wonderful for that.  I remember in my early 20's going on a the Majesty with friends... I took a several hour nap one day right during the prime of the afternoon, which my friends did not understand.   But how often do you have a chance to take an afternoon nap without pesky daylight in the way...

On Oasis back in '17, it was one-per, regardless of drink.  

I think what RCCL is missing is that the card almost certainly makes them a lot of income that they wouldn't collect otherwise.  I would never buy two coffee drinks every morning (one for wife, one for me) on a 7 night cruise but I was able to rationalize buying the card based on relatively low out of pocket expense and the value it gave us (a nice beverage every morning is a decent little treat.)

If they're no longer honoring their own stated rules of the card then we'll just go back to drinking the freebie coffee.  We don't drink lattes every morning at home, so we've got no addiction that we have to feed on the cruise.  So that just becomes $30 less that RCCL gets from us.

All this talk of comparison beer prices is ridiculous.  If you buy it from a warehouse club you can probably get close to a buck a beer.  If you buy it at a sporting event, concert, or any other captive location you might pay $8 or more.  When you get off a cruise ship in port, you'll find beers for a couple of bucks.  A restaurant back home can be anywhere in between- depends on location, time, type of restaurant, etc. 

In each of these cases it is a simple case of supply and demand.  

The one thing that seems to be a truth here is that the drink program has apparently changed the dynamics to some extent.  If a majority of passengers have the program, the cruise line conceivably has an incentive to serve less drinks because each drink is a cost vs. a profit center.. the exact opposite of pay-as-you-go.  Of course at some point everyone becomes unhappy so there is a limit somewhere.

With the break even at 5-6 drinks per person/day, I'm still surprised the program is as popular as it is.

4 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

Another vote for WindJammer, not as Formal as was 20yrs ago, but the Selection, Taste and presentation last couple years is best ever has been. Otherwise could do Family Dining, in Main Dining, they get kids all fed in 45min. This is great if they are going to Kids Program, they even PU kids at Dining room and take them there for you

You know, I had thought about the Adventure Ocean dining since we tried that several years ago when we just had our son, and it worked really well.  He is about done with the kids club though (can't blame him and won't force him- his age group wasn't good on last year's cruise) and our daughter may or may not want to go either if he doesn't go.

Anyway... my idea was we could still do Adventure Ocean dining but perhaps the whole family could wrap it up in 45 min.  Not sure though, seems really designed around getting the kids out to AO and letting the adults finish... hmm.

Thanks- appreciate the confirmation that MTD does seem to move quicker.  On our last 7 nighter (Oasis) we did the Windjammer the first several nights but then decided to try the dining room on  the last night.  The kids did great and enjoyed it- they asked if we could do it next time.  I do like the Windjammer, but 21 meals there is a lot 🙂

Hello, looking for recommendations on two options for our upcoming Indy cruise.  Our kids, 4 and 11, are pretty solid performers in nice restaurants but they have their limits.   Dinner needs to not be a 2-3 hr event.

We're usually early eaters so I'm looking at traditional early seating or MTD.  Sort of leaning toward early seating, since we'd have the same wait staff that will learn the right tricks, e.g. keep the food coming and probably impress our kids with their memory of preferences, etc.  OTOH as cruisers w/o kids, some of the longest dinners I've ever had have been traditional dining.  With MTD, I've often gotten the feeling that there is some incentive to get people in and out quickly (never rushed, just no uncomfortably long spells between courses.)   Still I would think that this "speedy" version of dinner could be replicated during traditional dining, but that is just a guess.

Thanks in advance.

3 hours ago, jptoz said:

Sorry to jump on your thread. But does anyone know if you can leave the ship after check in and boarding? Is there a separate entrance to get back on the ship with your seapass card? Is it practical or would it be a waste of time to go back to old San Juan.

Not sure if it is set up this way but years ago I left and reboarded the Monarch several times in San Juan.  There were some things in the liquor store (which was after security) that I needed to buy and I couldn't carry it all to my stateroom in one trip.  Did not have to spend much on onboard refreshments that trip....

10 hours ago, spookwife said:

  uhh they have too be ON BOARD by 4 pm for a 530 departure

I think that is why there won't be a line...

Nice- hope you have a great trip!  

A couple of years ago we went on the Grand Celebration (originally the Carnival Celebration) which was the first ship I ever sailed on back in '97  to celebrate my college graduation.  It was sort of a fun throwback.  Turns out my memories of the trip (e.g. friend I went with and people we met onboard) were/are stronger than the memories of the ship.  Of course the ship changed a lot including the names of all the venues so there wasn't much to jog my memory.

Plastic drinking straws are being outlawed here in St. Pete.  I think they've started down a slippery slope- I don't see how on earth a cigarette can be legal and a drinking straw can't.  Drinking straws don't emit toxins into the air and I rarely see people just throwing their drinking straws on the ground, out car windows, etc. to dispose of them.  Neither can be said about cigarettes.

Personally, I'm OK with smoking areas as long as they are completely separate.  To each his own in that regard.  I am most certainly NOT OK with cigarette butts on the beach- sadly, there are many here on our beautiful beaches.  

10 hours ago, brillohead said:

FYI, we didn't notice ANY "service noise" when we stayed in the Cow Butt Sweet.  Complete non-issue for us.  Enjoy your ice cream!  

Thank you- we're not very cowcerned about it either based on feedback like yours.  And since we've got the connecting room too, the light sleepers can just moove into the other room if the decibull level is udderly ridiculous when it is time to hit the hay.  I can always depend on my better hoof to tell me who sleeps where.

Also looking forward to the short stroll to get my morning calffee on the Promenade (usually get the coffee card.). I'm typically calf asleep until I've had my morning latte!

P.S. New Years bucket list item #783 is complete.  (Use an excessive number of cow puns in a Cruise Critic post.)  Bam!

1 hour ago, acruisingcouple said:

I am so looking forward to only having to share the bathroom with one person instead of three!

The way this usually goes down for us, in practice, is that one person will get one bathroom and the other three will share the other one.  Not going to mention names or roles in the family, etc., but <cough> I hope my wife enjoys her private bathroom.   LOL.

11 minutes ago, LuCruise said:

We were just in this room in December.  Perks are still included.  Just be sure to go to Guest Relations to have your sea pass changed to Gold.  

Nice, great review!  Thanks for sharing the link and appreciate that you shared the updated letter they gave you.

Oops.  I do see now:

This age limit will be waived for children sailing with their parents or guardians in connecting staterooms

I wonder if I can call and swap passengers between staterooms since final payment is already made.   Guess it is worth a try 🙂

1 hour ago, Host Clarea said:

Yes, the Ben & Jerry's sweet is still 6305.

 

Still reported to have Suite Lounge benefits.

Thanks, and I do see now that the suite lounge is on deck 14 is the spot since the concierge lounge on 10 was removed.

Unfortunately I'm the only one that will benefit from suite privileges since on paper we had to have 1 adult and 1 kid per room.  I'm hoping that I can hop up there before dinner (looks like the elevators near our room goes to 14) and grab a beer for myself and bring a glass of wine down for my wife while she's getting ready for dinner.

6 hours ago, HBE4 said:

The seat by the window is not the most comfortable but it's perfect for kids.

My thought also- maybe a decent spot to watch the parade and all other times serves as another place that isn't the bed to sit things.  There will be cows in the way in one room but the other should have a better view 🙂

1 hour ago, KmomChicago said:

Good info. Depends on the sailing and how they are messing around with various promotions but sometimes the 3rd and 4th passenger sharing the same room cost more than the 1st and 2nd. 

Right... they do so many different promotions which all involve raising the base price and then introducing a discount to get back to the same base price- there are bound to be unintended consequences given all the variables.

We did the something similar on Oasis a couple years ago for a Boardwalk view room.  In that case it was a wee bit more for two rooms vs. one but still well worth it (something like $100 for the entire week.)

Another unrelated thing I noticed is that there is a decent number of connecting cabins on the promenade.  Since they only sleep 2 maybe that was part of the design.

Just booked on the Independence.  Is 6305 still the Ben and Jerry's suite, post refurb?   If so, are the perks the same?   I read where the concierge lounge on deck 10 was removed(?)... so is there still some sort of concierge benefit or no?

Thanks!

I've taken advantage of this before, but I just did it again with the current sale directly on RCCL website:

March 2019 5 night Independence sailing:

4 people in standard inside cabin: total = $3,120

2 people in 2 adjoining promenade cabins: total = $2,570

That is just nuts (in a glorious way!) and a much more dramatic advantage than I got doing something similar on the Oasis a couple of years ago.   I like to pass along this tip because many people would expect that two staterooms for a family of 4 would be cost prohibitive and thus wouldn't even think to price it this way.  Having two rooms greatly improves the experience in a number of ways (two bathrooms, two dedicated beds, etc.)

Best of all, one of the two rooms is the Ben and Jerry's Suite.  I hope this is still a thing after the recent ship refurbishment!  I've heard that there might be some service noise in 6305 but we have two cabins to work with.  Actually I have a question about this room but will post it as a separate topic.

I am personally disregarding the reviews you mentioned because they make no sense.  People complain about being "restricted" to the MDR and buffet for included meals.  How is that different from any other mass market cruise ship?  Sure, Oasis class has a couple extras such as the Park Cafe but that is an exception (and minor one at that) since those are the largest ships afloat.  

Fantastica level will get you more than you would get you on a lot of ships.  Free drinks, free room service, etc.  And to really drive it home I'm pricing a Fantastica Seaside balcony at $2,000 less than an equivalent stateroom on NCL Bliss for the same week.  $2,000!  That is a lot of specialty dining, extra drinks, massages, or whatever and you'll still have money left over.   I'm pretty sure when all is said and done that will actually be a major upgrade over the experience you'd get on RCL, NCL, or Carnival.

Whatever you choose, good luck!