General Questions for upcoming cruise

[Atimes5inAZ]

First wanted to say, what a great forum for all sorts of information!!

 

Couple of questions....We are cruising June 5th (Eastern Caribbean)

 

Large Interior Room: We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids (15 & 13), are we going to be "on top of each other"? My 15yo daughter is 5'8", my 136yo son is about 5'4", plus my husband is 6'5" and I am 5'6". Just wondering if we will have sleeping issues (other than the kids sharing the sleeper/sofa). Suggested items to bring for room I have read: power strip/extension cords, small flashlight, small room fan?

 

Bringing water on board: Should we pack the water bottles in a duffel bag/suitcase or just bring on as a case? Any other carry on beverages allowed (energy drinks, individual juice bottles/boxes, etc.)

 

Keeping track of the kids: We are also traveling with my brother-in-law's family (2 kids - 9 & 6 who will probably be in the adventure camps, etc.) as well as some very good friends with 3 boys (15, 14 & 12). What is the best way to keep track of the teenagers? While we are all going to enjoy our own time on the ship, we'd like to make sure the kids check in with us at various times during the day. The teenagers are very nervous about their cell phones/texting not working while on the ship.

 

Dining Room Dress Code: Other than the formal nights, what is appropriate for the teenage boys to wear? Are they ok in khaki/cotton shorts (not jean shorts) and collared shirts or do they need to wear pants?

 

 

Thank you in advance for help with these questions! We are looking forward to a great vacation!

[househunter]

First wanted to say, what a great forum for all sorts of information!!

 

Couple of questions....We are cruising June 5th (Eastern Caribbean)

 

Large Interior Room: We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids (15 & 13), are we going to be "on top of each other"? My 15yo daughter is 5'8", my 136yo son is about 5'4", plus my husband is 6'5" and I am 5'6". Just wondering if we will have sleeping issues (other than the kids sharing the sleeper/sofa). Suggested items to bring for room I have read: power strip/extension cords, small flashlight, small room fan?

 

Bringing water on board: Should we pack the water bottles in a duffel bag/suitcase or just bring on as a case? Any other carry on beverages allowed (energy drinks, individual juice bottles/boxes, etc.)

 

Keeping track of the kids: We are also traveling with my brother-in-law's family (2 kids - 9 & 6 who will probably be in the adventure camps, etc.) as well as some very good friends with 3 boys (15, 14 & 12). What is the best way to keep track of the teenagers? While we are all going to enjoy our own time on the ship, we'd like to make sure the kids check in with us at various times during the day. The teenagers are very nervous about their cell phones/texting not working while on the ship.

 

Dining Room Dress Code: Other than the formal nights, what is appropriate for the teenage boys to wear? Are they ok in khaki/cotton shorts (not jean shorts) and collared shirts or do they need to wear pants?

 

 

Thank you in advance for help with these questions! We are looking forward to a great vacation!

 

We just got back on Saturday and I can try to answer a few of your questions. We thought the rooms were very small and with 4, it is going to be tight. Do you have a pullman as well as the sofa bed?

 

Technically you are not supposed to bring on any drinks including water but they usually look the other way. The water onboard the ship is perfectly fine to drink though so not sure why anyone would go to the trouble of bringing it on?

 

Shorts are not allowed in the dining room for dinner on any night- the daily compass will state that every single day. That said we did see one or 2 who either couldn't read or didn't care in the dining room each night. They were allowed in but did look out of place for sure.

 

Have a great trip! It really is a fabulous ship!

[tracyanns]

I would be careful with the cell phones, you have roaming charges once you go so far away unless you have an international plan. I have Verizon and I made one call and it cost me almost $10 and they charge by the text...I make my daughter keep her cell phone off the entire cruise...

 

They do have some sort of phones you can rent but you have to get them as soon as you get on board or you can try a really good set of walkie talkies to see how that works...I know they work OK on some of the smaller ships but not sure about this one...we decided it was too big to bring our kids on as I don't want them to have too many places to go.

[coop24]

We did get the royal connect phone in April. They were great you can text, call and they also have the GPS feature so that you can see where they are on the ship. If you get them all together they wil set them up with everyones info. They are 17.50/ phone. Also they have a gps band that is not waterproof for cheaper that works with the phone. I forget if you need everyone's seapass when you get it. It had issues with chat near the elevators and out in the open at times but the gps work almost most of the time. You go down to deck 4 when you get on the ship to get them. Thye did go fast.

[corky4man]

Unless you want a surprise when you open your wireless phone bill, I suggest you turn the cell phones off and put them in the cabin safe. The kids may not agree, but they will survive.

[Hobiecat01]

First wanted to say, what a great forum for all sorts of information!!

 

Couple of questions....We are cruising June 5th (Eastern Caribbean)

 

Large Interior Room: We are a family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kids (15 & 13), are we going to be "on top of each other"? My 15yo daughter is 5'8", my 136yo son is about 5'4", plus my husband is 6'5" and I am 5'6". Just wondering if we will have sleeping issues (other than the kids sharing the sleeper/sofa). Suggested items to bring for room I have read: power strip/extension cords, small flashlight, small room fan?

 

Bringing water on board: Should we pack the water bottles in a duffel bag/suitcase or just bring on as a case? Any other carry on beverages allowed (energy drinks, individual juice bottles/boxes, etc.)

 

Thank you in advance for help with these questions! We are looking forward to a great vacation!

 

Just off the 4/17 Oasis, I would definitely bring a power strip, if for nothing else just to give you better access to a power source since they are under the desk and behind the bed. The bathrooms have a neat feature, the main light dims to a nightlight when you turn off the bathroom light. We brought our nightlight but never used it. Also DW uses a sound machine to provide a background noise like a fan. It does help mask out some hallway noise that is inevitable in a hotel-like setting.

 

As far as drinks, we had no issues bringing on water in sealed bottles. We also brought aboard the small drink mix packs (Crystal Light or generics from Walmart). We simply added the packets for whatever flavor we wanted. Also do not shy away from the ship's tap water. It is desalinated aboard ship and is cleaner than most bottled water you can buy.

 

On thing we did notice... Many adults frequented the Solarium on Deck 15 forward while teens loved the Deck 15 areas aft. The Solarium is adults only. Deck 15 aft has all of the teen areas, teen nightclub, Flowriders and THE teen favorite the Wipeout Cafe. This natural separation was enjoyed by both adults and the teens, each feeling that they had their own ship experience.

 

Above all... Enjoy your cruise! The Oasis is beyond compare and really is hard to believe until you actually see it. Pictures do not do this ship justice. You will be amazed!

-------------------------------

Sea ya!

Hobiecat01

Ron and Lee

Canton, Ga

Proud RCCL Platinum Member

"In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom,

in water there is bacteria." – Ben Franklin

Previous Cruises – 66 Days at Sea!

Carnival Mardis Gras - 3 Day Bahamas - April 1982

Carnival Destiny - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 1998

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - April 1999

Princess Sea Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2000

Princess Grand Princess - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2002

RCCL Navigator of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - March 2003

RCCL Mariner of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - April 2005

RCCL Freedom of the Seas - 7 Days Western Carib. - 6/18 - 6/25/2006

RCCL Liberty of the Seas - 7 Days Eastern Carib. - 7/19 - 7/26/2008

RCCL Oasis of the Seas –7 Days Eastern Carib. with our Friends – 4/17 – 4/24/2010

Booked & Paid Cruises

Not yet… but on the way

Planned Cruises

RCCL Allure of the Seas – Our Neighborhood Cruise - 2011

The BIG One - Southeast Asia 14 day – 2012?

The Med – 14 day – 2013?

[Atimes5inAZ]

Thanks for everyone's suggestions & comments.

 

We will DEFINITELY look into the Royal Connect phones. I really like that they have GPS built in and can easily keep track of the kids.

 

The flavored water packets are a great idea, we buy those now for at home. I also heard from a friend to bring a refillable water bottle to fill at take pool side.

[dpomes]

First wanted to say, what a great forum for all sorts of information!!

 

Couple of questions....We are cruising June 5th (Eastern Caribbean)

 

 

Hi! We are also cruising June 5. If you want to check out our roll call and meet other members, here's the link: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=834663