Live from the Rockwall of the Seas

[Kokomo_Man]

I suppose that the first thing I should do is answer the question you must be asking your self… “Why is “Live From the Rockwall of the Seas” being posted under the “Carnival” heading?” Well, part of the answer is that up until now I’ve been a mostly loyal Carnival cruiser. But with the recent change in the Carnival smoking policy, our loyalty went “up in smoke”. You see, I don’t smoke, but “The Woman to Blame” does. As long as Carnival allowed smoking in the rooms, that ruled out all other cruise lines that didn’t allow it. But with Carnivals recent rule changes (no smoking allowed in the cabins… smoking allowed on the balcony) that “opened up” other cruise lines with equivalent rules for us to evaluate.

 

So, when I was getting ready to book this summer’s cruise, I looked toward other stuff and wound up selecting a cruise on the Rockwall of the Seas. My main reason was that it has an itinerary that I’ve been “eyeballing” for two or three years. But the other reason is a bit of revenge against Carnival. So, the Woman to Blame and I also decided to give Rockwall of the Seas a try.

 

The other reason I’m posting this here is I’m going to try to make this a bit of a “compare and contrast” “Rockwall of the Seas” to Carnival. (Sounds like some kind of high school essay… “Compare and Contrast Carnival and Rockwall of the Seas.”

 

I do have one favor to ask everyone… please don’t turn this thread into a smoking issue discussion. There’s plenty of other places for that. I’m an “ex-smoker” and I live both sides of the issue every day… and frankly I’m sick of it. It is what it is.

 

Those of you who followed my earlier “Live From xxx” probably remember that I cruise because I’m searching for Kokomo. (I know… there’s other ways to search, but this is the way the “Woman to Blame” will allow.) So, it’s my goal to visit every place the Beach Boys told us about in the song Kokomo… “Aruba, Jamaica… Ooooh I wana take ya”… Go ahead… pull up YouTube or iTunes and listen to it… I’ll wait.

 

OK… now that you’ve got that song in your head and can’t get rid of it, I’ll go on.

 

The list of places I still need to go to has gotten a lot smaller. This cruise I’m going to “Catch a Glimpse of Port Au Prince”. It will be barely “catch a glimpse” because Port Au Prince is not a very good place to go to these days… it hasn’t been nice for a long long time. So as a “Glimpse”, I chose Rockwall of the Seas because it goes to Labadee, Haiti. Labadee is Rockwall’s private area. (It’s sort of like Carnival Cruise Lines Princess Cay) This cruise also goes to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel. (Searching for Kokomo is a tough job, but someone’s got to do it.) “Rockwall” was chosen specifically because it is the only cruise line I know of that goes to Haiti. By visiting Labadee, I think I’ll be able to “catch a glimpse” of what it’s like in Port Au Prince.

 

I’ll let you know what I find out… and of course I’ll be doing the “Compare and Contrast”.

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

[Kokomo_Man]

Just a quick post about the port and boarding.

 

This is our first time cruising out of Port Canaveral. The port really has their act together in the parking and baggage handling area. We rented a car and drove to the port. You drive into the port area and they let you into the combination baggage drop off – parking area for 1 hour without charge. So we dropped off our bags with the folks who take care of that and then I parked the car.

 

Those of you who know me know that I and the “Woman to Blame” travel on these cruises with way too much stuff. We have three bags that are each right at the 50 pound airline limit. Then we both have the airline limit for carry-ons… two carry-ons each loaded down with cameras, iPads, laptops, and a host of other electronic gadgets. We pulled up to the drop-off area and within two minutes the baggage handlers had the trunk empty, and were ready to wisk our bags away.

 

I parked the car in the car park area and walked over with the “Woman to Blame” and found a place for her to sit with our carry-ons while I took the rental car to the drop-off. Then I drove back into Cape Canaveral and dropped off the car. Renting a car to get here turned out to be the no muss-no fuss way to do it. Most of the rental car agencies have offices in Cape Canaveral with free shuttle busses to/from the cruise port. I don’t know what it will cost from Orlando airport since we flew into Miami a few days early so we could spend a few days in Key Largo before driving up to Port Canaveral. Still having your own transportation to explore the area with has to be the way to go.

 

The processing was quick and easy. Everyone at the port was very friendly… from folks in the parking area, to the security… to the TSA folks… to the people processing us onboard. This has got to be the friendliest port I’ve ever been to. The “Rockwall” folks were quite proficient and we were on the ship in no time at all.

 

All that said, Miami is still my favorite port so far. Don’t get me wrong… all ports are good ports if you are getting on a cruise ship. But there’s something about Miami. Even though the operation here in Port Canaveral is more efficient and friendly, it is a “working” port and just isn’t as pretty as Miami. “Pretty” isn’t normally too important to me, but there’s just something “special” about Miami and the sail away.

 

And speaking of the “sail away”… I’m going to stop for now and go to the sail away party… more later

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

[tef43]

But with the recent change in the Carnival smoking policy, our loyalty went “up in smoke”. ...... But with Carnivals recent rule changes (no smoking allowed in the cabins… smoking allowed on the balcony) ...... when I was getting ready to book this summer’s cruise,

For what it's worth, Carnival's "no smoking in cabins" policy does not take effect until December 1, so I am wondering how and why this would affect what you are doing this summer? :confused:

[big_duck]

By visiting Labadee, I think I’ll be able to “catch a glimpse” of what it’s like in Port Au Prince.

 

Fat chance of that.

[Kokomo_Man]

"tef43" is right about the new smoking rules not taking effect until December. But with Carnival's announcement, it opened the door and started me looking at the other options that we wouldn't even consider before. So I decided that we would check this out and now we'll see who we cruise with in the future. I'm keeping score.

 

And... as I said before, this is affording us the opportunity to "Catch a Glimpse".

 

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

[terryinal]

I sorta feel this way about the solo traveler surcharge. But I will stick with Carnival. Just have to find someone to go with

[lymah]

Labadee was like paradise to me:) Please post more:)

[Kokomo_Man]

Yahoooooo!!!! I’m officially changing it from “Rockwall of the Seas” to “Flowrider of the Seas”. That’s the best guizmo ever put on a ship… and it’s free. They had a demonstration of the flowrider and then opened it up this afternoon to everyone for boogie-boarding. As an old surfer I had to try this. And even though it was limited to boogie-boards today, me and all the other kids were there trying it out. It was a lot of fun. Score one for “Rockwall of the… errrr…score one for the “Flowrider of the Seas”.

But I’m getting way ahead of myself. I need to tell you a little bit about the ship.

Man!!! This is a big boat… and it’s not their biggest. I made a quick tour around the boat before going out to boogie-board and it has all of the usual trinket, booze and junk shops designed to suck every last penny they can out of you. And there were the usual folks all over the ship trying to push the booze on you. Except they were a bit overboard. They would hand you the drink as if they were giving it to you… kinda like NCL when they give you a free orange juice or mimosa when you board. But here, they hand Mr. and Mrs Unsuspecting a drink along with a “Welcome Aboard” greeting. When Mr. &b Mrs Unsuspecting took a sip they are asked for their “sail and sign card”… gotcha. I saw this happen over and over again as passengers were boarding. So cruisers beware… those drinks they are handing you are not free. Score a minus one for the “Flowrider of the seas”.

Our suite was ready by about 1:30 so the “Woman to Blame” and I went to check it out… and dump all of our carry-on stuff. First, I’ve got to qualify the “suite”… it’s really a mini-suite by “Flowrider of the Seas” standards. As those of you who have followed my previous cruse posts know, the “Woman to Blame” REQUIRES a bathtub. And of course now that she can’t smoke in the room, she also REQUIRES a balcony. (Perhaps an evil plot by Carnival to drive up the price of balcony rooms.) So with the requirement of a bathtub, it’s at least a mini-suit for us on all cruise lines.

I was pleasantly surprised by the suite… I mean mini-suite. For all of our Carnival cruises we have booked an “Ocean Suite. (That’s the smaller of the Carnival suites.) But the mini-suite here on the “Flowrider of the Seas” is quite a bit larger than the “suites” we’ve had on the Carnival Freedom, Valor, and Glory. Our mini-suite has more electrical outlets which is convenient for all of our electrical guizmos. It also has both a coffee pot and tea-pot. A certain plump, bent toothed cruise director would call having the tea-pot “brilliant”.

There is also a large walk-in closet with more nice wooden coat hangers than we would know what to do with. And finally on the plus side… the balcony is two to three times the size of what we’ve become accustomed to on Carnival. The balcony is deep enough to stretch out the reclining chairs without having to put then sideways across the balcony. There’s plenty of room for two recliners and a small table along with two upright chairs and a full size table.

The one drawback to the room is that there is only one place for a computer. On the Carnival suites, there is a vanity area connecting with the bathroom where the “Woman to Blame” sets up her computer, and there’s a desk area in the main room where I set up my computer. The “Woman to Blame” also reminded me that the bathroom here on the “Flowrider of the Seas” is smaller, and the tub is a plane tub… it’s a “Jacuzzi tub” on Carnival.

I should tell you that the cost for this mini-suite was within $100 bucks of the same price as what I was looking at on Carnival, and this one has pre-paid gratuities, so what actually makes it cheaper than Carnival. So, all in all, score another one for “Flowrider of the Seas.”

I’m going to stop for now. We’ve got a special dinner tonight and I need to get ready for that. For those keeping score, the overall so far is:

Flowrider of the Seas – 1

Carnival – 0

More later.

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

[Shelli]

I have one question: since you're on a cruise, WHY are you wasting time on-line?? To quote a certain rock wall cruiseline's commercials: GET OUT THERE!

[Kokomo_Man]

The sail-away was quite different here on “Flowrider of the Seas” than Carnival. Carnival’s plan is to get the party started. They clear the deck chairs away from an area next to pool and try to get everyone pumped up… and dancing on the decks. They usually do a pretty good job of that.

Here, “Flowrider of the Seas” is hooked up with “Dream Works”… you know the folks that make the feature length cartoon-movie like the Shrek series. So instead of getting the party started, they put on more of a production show. Shrek and Fiona even make an appearance. They do try to get the crowd worked up and dancin’ a little, but the production show gets in the way. So even though there were lots of people ready to get the party started, it just didn’t work out that way.

I don’t think the sail-away was better of worse… just different. I suspect this was better for kids.

The special dinner we went to was a “Murder mystery dinner”. I should have known better. The “Woman to Blame” and I have been to this type of dinner show before and in the proper dinner theaters they have been good… lots of fun and a good dinner. This one was mostly a gimmick designed to get you to spend $50 (each) on a dinner that you probably wouldn’t do if it were not the “Murder mystery” type. Well, the “Murder mystery” part was cute and a couple of the actors were probably pretty good… but… it was really only a couple of interludes between courses of the meal. The meal itself??? Well, it was gourmet type food… the appetizers were weird stuff that I don’t eat… the soup was fine but nothing special… the filet mignon was good and cooked well… and the fancy vegetables were sparse. The veggies were cooked gourmet style and I didn’t like them. Of course, this is all a matter of taste. I fully admit to be a grazer… not a gourmet.

After dinner we walked down the promenade area looking to see what night life there is. On Carnival you can find all kinds of entertainment and night life. One of the reasons I liked Carnival the first time I cruised on the Valor was the night life. My favorite is the Piano bar (depending on the entertainer) with the Comedy Club a close second. But no matter what you like after dinner, there’s night life on Carnival.

There is an attempt here on the “Flowrider of the Seas” to have evening entertainment. There’s the two piece classical music duo… piano and violin… both very skilled. And there’s a version of a “piano bar”. But the piano bar is not an audience participation type place. The entertainer there was skilled and seemed to not make it two loud for those enjoying a drink and pleasant conversation. All in all a nice quiet evening that wouldn’t keep anyone up too late.

… score one for Carnival nightlife.

And with the lack of nightlife that would keep us awake, we’re turning in early this evening.

Tomorrow’s a sea day and I’ll get to explore the ship better.

Flowrider of the Seas – 1

Carnival – 1

Bob

Memories of Naked Fanny

[clearwatergirl]

I have one question: since you're on a cruise, WHY are you wasting time on-line?? To quote a certain rock wall cruiseline's commercials: GET OUT THERE!

 

 

Well put. Blogging while on vacation? Put the laptop away and enjoy. You'll be back soon enough.

 

I agree with a poster's comments regarding smoking policy, op statment can't be right. smoking policy wasn't even in place if op on cruise now?

 

confused. :rolleyes:

[dixieva]

I'm a little confused!

 

I cruise mostly with Royal Carribbean and I'm pretty sure you are not allowed to smoke inside their rooms either. You can smoke on your balcony. So the policy is the same as Carnival come December.

[tnsunshine]

I am loving this review! You are so right about the balcony! There is NO comparison to CCL balconies and the other lines that I have sailed! The sliding door is a huge difference as far as useable balcony space!! Having said that I still love any balcony!!!! Love how your review is done with humor so NO flaming from the hard core only sail Carnival or don't sail at all group! Enjoy!!!!

[sharecruises]

Ummm.....Carnival policy does not take effect till Dec 1.

 

Royal Caribbean already had the same policy in place : NO smoking inside the cabins, smoking on balconies only

 

So what is the big deal here?? Technically , she could puff away inside the cabin on Carnival till Dec 1...if you could stand it. :eek:

 

 

The only lines with a more liberal smoking policy are Costa and Pulmanter

 

and the most liberal is Pulmanter but you should speak Spanish as the ship sails from Spain and caters to them. Your "Woman to Blame" could indulge her addiction on their ships to her hearts content.

 

I also don't understand why you are even posting this "Flowrider of the Seas"...."Rockwall of the Seas" stuff on the Carnival board?? It doesn't make much sense really. If it is the smoking policy you are worried about, it seems many of the diehard smokers are moving over to NCL or to land vacations.

[mickiemac]

Enjoying the comparison/review. Have fun...

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Which Rockwall/Flowrider are you on? Freedom?

[Scottee25]

Which Rockwall/Flowrider are you on? Freedom?

 

I think that is a safe assumption considering OP said it was not their biggest ship (Oasis/Allure). Only other class that has Flowrider is the Freedom class and only ship from that class in the area at the moment is Freedom.

[Ratt]

Thanks for posting your review / comparison.

 

For those that are not interested in this (or any other) thread, please skip over it. There are many threads that myself and others could care less about but we don't feel the need to tell other people that their thread is boring, stupid, in the wrong place, been discussed before, etc.

 

I would like to suggest a new "block thread" feature. If a person "blocks" a thread it will no longer show up in the list of threads.

[debster11]

Again...comparison between the 2 lines:rolleyes:

 

If you read it properly you would see that he said the new smoking policy opened up the opportunity to try other lines...they just tried it prior to the rule taking effect. And he asked that this thread not become a smoking thread.

 

OP asked that this not become a smoking thread (and I would be happy about that as well!) There have been way too many of these lately.

 

 

Kokomo, I am interested in your comparisons...although I have remained loyal to Carnival at this point. Always like to keep my options open, and the more I know, the better equipped I am when decision time comes around.;) Carry on with your enjoyable read!:D

 

I agree with you. I like the honest comparison as well.

[okwriter]

I greatly appreciate your side-by-side comparison! Thanks for posting and I hope you will continue! :)

 

I've only cruised three times...all on Carnival. And I'm getting ready to book another one (maybe two) with them. But that doesn't mean I will never, ever consider another cruise line. So please tell us about the rest of your cruise as time permits. ;)

 

The ones who don't want to read it can exercise their SOB freedom (scroll on by). :D

[realtyexecdeb]

I greatly appreciate your side-by-side comparison! Thanks for posting and I hope you will continue! :)

 

I've only cruised three times...all on Carnival. And I'm getting ready to book another one (maybe two) with them. But that doesn't mean I will never, ever consider another cruise line. So please tell us about the rest of your cruise as time permits. ;)

 

The ones who don't want to read it can exercise their SOB freedom (scroll on by). :D

 

Ditto..........:D

[Duncarob]

Full steam ahead, OP! Really enjoying your comparison. Don't listen to the naysayers. If they don't care to see a comparison review on this board, why are they reading it??

[adamsfly]

I'm enjoying your review/comparison as well. Please continue and BTW, love your style of writing.

[amsred2]

I love the blog so far! I am so glad you enjoy doing it!!! I enjoy reading it...it makes my day to know you two crazy kids are having such a great adventure!!!

 

P.S. Love you daddy...and tell mom I said HI!

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Thanks for posting your review / comparison.

 

For those that are not interested in this (or any other) thread, please skip over it. There are many threads that myself and others could care less about but we don't feel the need to tell other people that their thread is boring, stupid, in the wrong place, been discussed before, etc.

 

I would like to suggest a new "block thread" feature. If a person "blocks" a thread it will no longer show up in the list of threads.

 

 

But how else would some people get their post count up?