Lots of RCI secrets compiled, packing list, Oasis schedule!!

[quiltymama]

Awesome list and secrets, I need to find one like this for "Independence of the seas".

[TigerLady]

So as a "SuperPlanner" (meaning I do an obsessive amount of research on restaurants, activities, etc, for any trip I go on :D) I have compiled a list of tons of tips from the various "Secrets" threads and some of my own of tips and reminders (some are Oasis or RCI specific, others are for any cruiseline!). Don't skip my "secrets" packing list with advice on things to bring NOT in my "tips" list separately (only including the non-obvious items to pack...did not include definites like bathing suits that you probably have already on your list) below AND a copy of the schedule I have outlined for my husband and myself. Just as some background for us: early 30s, no kids, married 8 years (2nd honeymoon!) and going on Eastern Caribbean 7-day cruise on Oasis of the Seas in May. Hope you enjoy what I've put together so far!!

 

TIPS/REMINDERS/THINGS TO-DO

- Make comedy show reservations as soon as you book or they open up, they run out first!!

- Ask about any last minute specials or available upgrades by calling a week before the cruise AND when checking in at the port

- Park Café – everyone RAVES about roast beef sandwich

- Have special daily "After-dinner shooters" at MDR

- Shuffleboard location behind aqua theater is a great view of ship's wake

- Order fruit, yogurt, etc for room service and grab free snacks from Cafes (etc) for in-room snacks and to bring when off-ship.

- Attending “Shop Talk” gets you a book of coupons for free things at ports (i.e. free shot glass, keychains, etc)

- Definitely attend the 70s show, and sit in rising tide bar or Schooner (best locales)

- Best place to see the parade is from the Schooner bar and you can watch it from a level up or Sorrento’s pizza

- Tutti salad bar in MDR for lunch - will mix in (and chop if desired) any of an infinite amount of ingredients

- Can ask for eggs benedict in main dining room even if not on menu...and they're good!

- Character breakfast needs reservations

- There is a "chocolate buffet" breakfast in the Windjammer on last or second to last full day at sea where you can get chocolate croissants, chocolate pancakes or waffles, etc (NOT on daily compass!!!)

- The egg and bacon english muffins in the park at breakfast are good for packing up for a quick breakfast on way off the ship at one of the islands, they also do nice fruit pots to take away that can up part of a picnic.

- On the boardwalk the bar at the end does nice corndogs and also chip and dip combos

- If you like NY style cheesecake, there is a specialty coffee kiosk in the promenade that had this delicious dessert. It's was FREE on this past Feb. Oasis cruise. It was a nice change from the desserts in the MDR.

- Book private excursions...MUCH cheaper and less like being a member of a "cattle herd"...just be sure to pick a tour/excursion that gets you back at least an hour (preferably two) to the ship dock area....if you're back early you can enjoy the ship while quiet or shop in the area near the docks.

- Bring a lanyard (or buy one on board or get free one while they last) and have purser holepunch you're room/seapass card...wear it as a necklace so you don't have to worry about pockets or forgetting your key!)

- Bring walkie talkies or rent "phones" from the ship on the first day (before they run out) to keep in touch with people in your group.

- Oasis- SECRET SPOTS - Deck 14 forward, port (Left) side of ship is access to deck above bridge with side wing access. As others have said great for sail away or quiet sun bathing. Walk all the way forward down the stateroom hall on the port side to access door. Decks 11, 12 and 14 aft, either side of ship is access to public balconies with chairs and tables. Great of sun bathing, watching the ocean and watching the Aqua Theater shows. Walk all the way aft down the stateroom hall on either side to access door. Balcony on deck 11 is largest, with 12 being medium and 14 small in size..

- Limited sundries (sunscreen, meds, snacks) on board so bring what you will need!

- Walk the whole ship to look at art, including interactive art, that changes with every floor

- Can bring food back from MDR (i.e. salad bar) to room (they will give a cover) and enjoy dinner on balcony, breakfast in bed, etc.

- Pick up fold-up map of ship the first day before they run out

- Lights by room door and carpet hint at which way is which (curved direction is aft)

- Bring travel alarm clock to avoid confusion with time-changes and your phone

- Bring hangers, clips, suction cup holders, etc, to maximize space

- Have steward(ess) empty the fridge so you can stock up on FREE items from various places on the ship or room service rather than keeping expensive mini-bar items inside

- Don't bring a bag that is too thick (there is room under the bed for average-sized suitcases, which you can use for dirty laundry once you have unpacked clean clothes)

- You can get a bag of laundry washed, dryed, and folded for $25

- Bring mini-kleenex/TP and hand sanitizer as you never know what kind of bathroom you may end up in when you are at a beach on some random island. :eek:

- Bring lots of $1 bills for tipping

- For luggage identification - put a piece of paper inside with name, contact info, etc, in case bag is lost.

- Move coffee table into closet or on balcony, or have steward remove, for more open space and a more open feeling

- RCL in WRITTEN POLICY, will allow each person over 21 years of age to bring 1 750-ml bottle of wine onboard at the beginning of the cruise

- :confused: Although policy technically does not allow this, this is rarely enforced otuside of spring break and if it is, you are out $4-5 at most: bring a case of water and attach a luggage tag directly to it (or bring in a separate suitcase and you can use that for souvenirs on way home)

- If going on an Oasis/Allure cruise, you HAVE to pre-plan a little...you will not get good times at the specialty restaurants and may be unable to book some of the shows if you do not plan ahead of time. Additionally, there are shows/activities that are not reserved ahead of time that you may wan to schedule other things around. My tip here: LOOK UP THE MOST RECENT COMPASS YOU CAN FIND FOR THE SAME CRUISESHIP/ITINERARY so you can highlight what for you is "Do Not Miss" and schedule your reservations around that.

- If you are a foodie, like me, check out the updated menus that are posted on this site (let me know if someone needs me to provide links) for the Main Dining Room so you can decide which menus you don't mind or specifically want to miss (schedule specialty restaurant those nights) and which menus are really appealing to you. Also keep in mind that the Windjammer, at night, will carry primarily the same items as the MDR so you want a more casual dinner on your own time, you can still get the same as you would in MDR. They are very generous with the food so if you cannot decide between multiple items in MDR, order both (as long as it doesn't go to waste then enjoy it all!!!) :)

- If you bring a special pillow (or if your child has a special pillow or blankie) make sure to cover pillow in a decorative pillowcase that the housekeeper could not mistake as belonging to the ship; take "blankies" out of bed before leaving room so it is not accidentally scooped up with sheets for laundry :eek:

- 150 Central Park and the Chef's Table are both pre-set menus...if you are picky, then check out menu BEFORE booking these restaurants or you will regret paying extra. From what I've heard, Chef's Table menu is same throughout cruise and 150 Central Park has 1 menu first half of week and a different menu second half of week.

 

 

SAMPLE CRUISE EVENT SCHEDULE

This is the cruise schedule I've come up with in terms of pre-scheduled events (below are listed events I want to attend but they are not specifically reserved or scheduled). Notice I've left plenty of time in between events, etc, for laying by the pool, being lazy, etc!!

 

 

Sample Cruise Event Schedule

 

awesome!! this is great..

 

 

DAY 1 – Saturday, May 18 – Depart Fort Lauderdale (4:00/5:00)

 

 

11:00-4:00 Boarding

 

 

4:30-5:00 Guest Assembly Drill

 

 

5:00 Sail Away

 

 

8:30 GIOVANNI’S

 

 

10:30-11:15 Ice Show – Frozen In Time

 

 

 

DAY 2 – Sunday, May 19 – Nassau (7:00/7:30 – 1:30)

 

 

(Flowrider and pools)

 

 

2/2:15 Couples Massage (need to book)

 

 

4:00 “Making Sense of Wine” Wine Tasting (AND Tapas!!)

 

 

8:30 Dinner in Main Dining Room

 

 

10:30-12:00 Hairspray Broadway Show

 

 

 

DAY 3 – Monday, May 20 – At Sea

 

 

(Zipline and pools)

 

 

12:30 Blackjack Tournament*

 

 

1:30 Photo Op with Fiona, Shrek, Puss in Boots

 

 

3:30-4:30 Boardwalk Family Festival (Games/music)

 

 

7:30-8:15 Oasis Diving Show

 

 

8:30 Dinner in Main Dining Room

 

 

10:30 Love & Marriage Game Show*

 

 

 

DAY 4 – St. Thomas, UVI (10:00/10:30 – 7:00)

 

 

11:00-4:30 Godfrey’s Tour (Shopping, Sightseeing, Coki Beach)

 

 

8:30 Dinner in Main Dining Room OR Anytime @ Windjammer

 

 

(WITH COMEDY OPTION 1) 9:45-10:15 Improv Comedy Show

 

 

(COMEDY OPTIONS 2 OR 3) 9:00-10:00 or 10:30-11:15 Comedy Show

 

 

10:00 Art in the Park

 

 

 

DAY 5 – Phillipsburg, St. Maarten (8:00/8:30 – 5:30)

 

 

8:15-4:00 Private “self-tour” including Orient Beach and Marigot

 

 

7:30-8:30 Headliner Show

 

 

8:15-10:30 Boardwalk Beach Party

 

 

9:00 CHOPS GRILLE

 

 

10:30 Fountain show in Aquatheater (reshown last day)

 

 

11:30 Disco Inferno Party

 

 

 

DAY 6 – At Sea

 

 

12:30 Move It! Move it! Parade

 

 

1:30/2:30-3:00 Walk for Wishes

 

 

7:30 OR 9:30 Broadway LIVE

 

 

8:30 Dinner in Main Dining Room

 

 

(COMEDY OPTION 1) 10:30 Comedy Show**

 

 

11:30 Quest Adult Game Show (WATCH ONLY - NOT TO BE MISSED)

 

 

 

DAY 7 – At Sea

 

 

7:00-11:00 Chocolate Buffet breakfast at Windjammer

 

 

1:00 Splish Splash Comedy Dive Show*

 

 

5:00-5:50 Come Fly with Me Acrobatics show

 

 

(7:00 OR 10:45 Fountain Show in Aquatheater if missed on day 5)

 

 

8:30 Dinner in Main Dining Room

 

 

(WITH COMEDY OPTIONS 2 & 3) 10:15-10:45 Improv Comedy Show

 

 

 

 

Interesting Non-Scheduled Activities/Scheduled 3+ Times

 

Rock Wall, Mini Golf, Pets-At-Sea, Library, Table Tennis, Tattoo, Casino, Shops/bars/clubs, Arcade, Volleyball (pool/outdoor), Explorer Academy, Sudoku/trivia/etc, Cards/board games, Character breakfast, Ice Skating (days 2, 3am, 6, 7mid)

 

 

ST. THOMAS - GODFREY’S TOUR 11:00-4:30

 

 

Charlotte Amalie (shopping)

 

 

Mountain Top

 

 

Bluebeard’s Castle

 

 

Drake’s Seat

 

 

Coki Beach (on-beach snorkeling)

 

 

 

ST. MAARTEN - “SELF” TOUR STOPS

 

 

Marigot: open market, Sarafina's for pastries, hike to Fort Louis, Tropicana for lunch

 

 

Orient Beach (jetski, massages on the beach)

 

 

Walk around Phillipsburg boardwalk if time allows

 

 

4:30 ALL ABOARD

 

THE "NON-OBVIOUS" SECRET PACKING LIST

Laptop to watch DVDs

DVD

Sangria (as my allowable wine...)

Garbage bags (for dirty laundry)

Kindle and Kindle charger (so no heavy books!)

Lanyard

Refillable water bottles to fill up juice in morning and keep in fridge or have purified water from the water fountain

Glade plug-in with nightlight

Dryer sheets to pack in bag with dirty clothes

Highlighter for Cruise Compass

OVER-THE-DOOR SHOE HOLDER (best tip I've gotten yet! A great place to store makeup, toiletries, small items, etc, separately and easy to find)

Hangers, wall clips, etc, to help store stuff off the floor

Case of water!

EXTENSION CORD - there are minimal outlets in the rooms and they are difficult to reach!

 

 

 

ENJOY!!!! :)

 

 

 

 

awesome, this is so great!!!!

[trk699b]

Very well put. I have learned acouple on my past cruises.

 

Clothes pins

extension cords

 

i am going to print your post so i can remember some of the things you said.

 

THANKS !!

[funfamilyof6]

Great tips....thank you!!! :)

[poolex3]

SuperPlanner, I see that you are sailing Oasis May 18th, we will be there with you and I have already printed your information to help me with my packing list. Why don't you join us on our roll call board?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1565030

 

Stephanie

Edited April 23, 2013 by poolex3

[KBRADFORD79]

Ok, Super Planner... your posting had me geeked! :p I'm already on vacation mode here at work and came up with a schedule for me and DH. Please join the Oasis May 18th/Meet & Mingle group, we would love to meet you on the Oasis! (I was able to come up with this using the previous weeks Compass, hopefully it doesnt change too much) I hope some will find this useful planning their week out. Enjoy!

 

SATURDAY, May 18th (Ft Lauderdale)

1:30 Lunch at Giovanni’s

8:00 Trivia – Oasis Orientation

8:45 Casual Dinner

10:30 Comedy Show √

SUNDAY, May 19th (Bahamas)

7:30a – 1:30p Nassau, Bahamas

1:45 Platinum Sail Away Party

3:00 Pool Volleyball

8:30 Formal Dinner

9:30 Majority Rules Game Show *

MONDAY, May 20th (At Sea)

11:30 Trivia - Cartoons

1:15 Line Class - Hairspray

2:30 Hairspray Broadway Show √

4:00 Volleyball

5:00 Trivia – Entertainment

7:45 Trivia – 80s

8:30 Casual Dinner

10:30 Love & Marriage Show *

TUESDAY, May 21st (St Thomas)

10:15a – 6:30p Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

4:00 Logo Mascot Quiz

5:00 Trivia – Music

7:45 Finish That Lyric Game Show *

8:30 Casual Dinner

9:30 Oasis of Dreams Show √

1045 Battle Of The Sexes Game *

WEDNESDAY, May 22nd (St Maarten)

7:30a – 4:30p Phillipsburg, St. Maarten

4:00 Volleyball

5:00 Line Dancing – 70’s

7:30 Headliner Show √

8:30 Casual Dinner

10:30 Frozen In Time Show √

THURSDAY, May 23rd (At Sea)

10:00 Zumba Dance Class

11:00 Lady Gaga Dance Class

12:00 Dance Discovery

1:45 Flash Mob Class

2:00 Trivia - Entertainment

2:30 Line Dancing - Caribbean

3:00 Volleyball

4:30 Win-A-Cruise Bingo

4:45 Trivia – Movies

8:00 Trivia – Sports

8:30 Formal Dinner

10:30 Come Fly With Me √

11:30 The Quest Game *

FRIDAY, MAY 24TH (At Sea)

1:15 Volleyball

1:45 Flashmob Class

4:00 Volleyball Tournament

7:45 Throw Me A Line Show *

9:00 Majority Rules Game Show *

10:45 Karaoke *

SATURDAY, MAY 25TH (DISEMBARKATION)

[Trekker954]

We are going on the allure. Would the tips work on our also since they are sister ships?

 

Chris

sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3

 

Sure, except the plugs are up on top of desk on the Allure, not hidden. I would leave the extension cord at home. maybe just a multi plug extender

[SuperPlanner]

Ok, Super Planner... your posting had me geeked! :p I'm already on vacation mode here at work and came up with a schedule for me and DH. Please join the Oasis May 18th/Meet & Mingle group, we would love to meet you on the Oasis! (I was able to come up with this using the previous weeks Compass, hopefully it doesnt change too much) I hope some will find this useful planning their week out. Enjoy!

 

SATURDAY, May 18th (Ft Lauderdale)

1:30 Lunch at Giovanni’s

8:00 Trivia – Oasis Orientation

8:45 Casual Dinner

10:30 Comedy Show √

 

SUNDAY, May 19th (Bahamas)

7:30a – 1:30p Nassau, Bahamas

1:45 Platinum Sail Away Party

3:00 Pool Volleyball

8:30 Formal Dinner

9:30 Majority Rules Game Show *

 

MONDAY, May 20th (At Sea)

11:30 Trivia - Cartoons

1:15 Line Class - Hairspray

2:30 Hairspray Broadway Show √

4:00 Volleyball

5:00 Trivia – Entertainment

7:45 Trivia – 80s

8:30 Casual Dinner

10:30 Love & Marriage Show *

 

 

TUESDAY, May 21st (St Thomas)

10:15a – 6:30p Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

4:00 Logo Mascot Quiz

5:00 Trivia – Music

7:45 Finish That Lyric Game Show *

8:30 Casual Dinner

9:30 Oasis of Dreams Show √

1045 Battle Of The Sexes Game *

 

WEDNESDAY, May 22nd (St Maarten)

7:30a – 4:30p Phillipsburg, St. Maarten

4:00 Volleyball

5:00 Line Dancing – 70’s

7:30 Headliner Show √

8:30 Casual Dinner

10:30 Frozen In Time Show √

 

THURSDAY, May 23rd (At Sea)

10:00 Zumba Dance Class

11:00 Lady Gaga Dance Class

12:00 Dance Discovery

1:45 Flash Mob Class

2:00 Trivia - Entertainment

2:30 Line Dancing - Caribbean

3:00 Volleyball

4:30 Win-A-Cruise Bingo

4:45 Trivia – Movies

8:00 Trivia – Sports

8:30 Formal Dinner

10:30 Come Fly With Me √

11:30 The Quest Game *

 

FRIDAY, MAY 24TH (At Sea)

1:15 Volleyball

1:45 Flashmob Class

4:00 Volleyball Tournament

7:45 Throw Me A Line Show *

9:00 Majority Rules Game Show *

10:45 Karaoke *

 

SATURDAY, MAY 25TH (DISEMBARKATION)

 

 

 

Great schedule but just a few thoughts/comments....:)

1. You forgot to eat on Friday!!

2. Some of your shows are scheduled for 9:30 with 8:30 dinner beforehand. If you are eating in MDR, it is unlikely you will be done in time to attend a 9:30 show (esp. since you want to get there 20-30 minutes early to get a good seat and not have seat given up to those who don't have reservations).

3. A lot of what you have scheduled is really close together and you haven't really allotted enough time for certain things, not to mention travel/walking time.

Just some thoughts to help you out....it's obsessive details like these that made me adjust my schedule a billion times until I was able to hit everything we wanted. Good luck and have fun!

[Doug R.]

The whole thing sounds a wee bit OCD over the top to me :D. Hopefully the OP is a bit flexible on schedule so that a slight deviation doesn't cause a tailspin and a ruined vacation :eek:.

 

Having said that I am also a planner but not quite to that extent. I make sure I know the ports and things to do on board.

 

I did have a friend who planned to this extent for a cruise with hour by hour schedules for her, her husband and the two teens. Husband reported that after the first port stop they were ready to toss her overboard :eek:. Apparently the three of them tore up her schedules and itenerares in a family intervention. :D

 

P.S. To the OP -- on the packing list you might delete the extension cord, there have been reports that they are being confiscated resulting in a naughty room trip.

[jpolm]

The whole thing sounds a wee bit OCD over the top to me :D. Hopefully the OP is a bit flexible on schedule so that a slight deviation doesn't cause a tailspin and a ruined vacation :eek:.

 

Having said that I am also a planner but not quite to that extent. I make sure I know the ports and things to do on board.

 

I did have a friend who planned to this extent for a cruise with hour by hour schedules for her, her husband and the two teens. Husband reported that after the first port stop they were ready to toss her overboard :eek:. Apparently the three of them tore up her schedules and itenerares in a family intervention. :D

 

P.S. To the OP -- on the packing list you might delete the extension cord, there have been reports that they are being confiscated resulting in a naughty room trip.

That's funny but not lol. I too am a

Planner and enjoy it. I've got an itinerary reservations made, dinner, shows -and excursions. It almost seems I have to with this type if ship/shows. Now I only do this so we have opportunities but I don't hold a gun to anyone's head that they/we have to follow this . It just helps with those "not to miss" things. And not to overbook. I want I be sure we see the shows but also have flexibility to just relax have a drink at a lounge, stop and see singing at the piano bar etc. I don't feel i want to be in a tight schedule but it does help to see how my days are going to go and with kids too. M sure once infer in the ship I may not want to rush to Mdr one night and prefer to just hang at pool, casual dinner etc. we shall see. But this does help us planners.

[akcruz]

That's funny but not lol. I too am a

Planner and enjoy it. I've got an itinerary reservations made, dinner, shows -and excursions. It almost seems I have to with this type if ship/shows. Now I only do this so we have opportunities but I don't hold a gun to anyone's head that they/we have to follow this . It just helps with those "not to miss" things. And not to overbook. I want I be sure we see the shows but also have flexibility to just relax have a drink at a lounge, stop and see singing at the piano bar etc. I don't feel i want to be in a tight schedule but it does help to see how my days are going to go and with kids too. M sure once infer in the ship I may not want to rush to Mdr one night and prefer to just hang at pool, casual dinner etc. we shall see. But this does help us planners.

 

This is how I "attack" it as well. I plan, have all my reservations made ahead of time, then go with the flow once on board. Having it all planned out let's me relax as well as everyone else. There usually is at least one blip during the trip where we miss something scheduled, or due to a change have an overlap and need to make a decision, but overall it helps. My family laughs at my folder that has all the confirmations, schedules, etc in it, but they have come to appreciate it. Without some planning you end up missing a lot, especially on Oasis/Allure. A little planning up front can go a long way in having a more relaxing trip, you just need to be flexible and know something is going to awry (planned or unplanned) at some point during the cruise.

[rhenzejr]

Can someone who has sailed on Oasis within past 6 months please tell me:

- Can you only get chocolate breakfast if you go to character dining or will it be available to all guests in MDR that day?

- What days is chocolate breakfast? Pretty much any time the character dining is scheduled? If so, does that mean it is available any morning in the MDR that a character breakfast is scheduled?

- What time is latest you can go for chocolate breakfast?

 

THANKS SO MUCH!

someone also told me to take magnets to hold items......the ship is all metal

I will find out in feb

[jpgtr]

Great Post! Researching before I start packing for Oasis cruise which leaves tomorrow.

[seaofwonder]

Oh wow. And people think I'm OCD because I make show reservations. I need to show them this.

 

As a fellow OCD planner (I plan much more extensively for our 2-3 week land trips), just chill. You're on a ship that isn't going anywhere. Just relax and see what the day brings. All those day time activities are there all week. Just wake up in the morning and see what strikes your fancy based on how you are feeling. It's vacation, not boot camp.

 

Show reservations are a must though. Dinner reservations can always be done on board.

[seaofwonder]

Great Post! Researching before I start packing for Oasis cruise which leaves tomorrow.

 

Oh so quick witted. I love it! We usually pack the morning we leave for the airport (unless it's a real early flight). After a few cruises you sort of realize you don't need the kitchen sink, clothes pins, or duct tape.

[ginadc]

Oh wow. And people think I'm OCD because I make show reservations. I need to show them this.

 

As a fellow OCD planner (I plan much more extensively for our 2-3 week land trips), just chill. You're on a ship that isn't going anywhere. Just relax and see what the day brings. All those day time activities are there all week. Just wake up in the morning and see what strikes your fancy based on how you are feeling. It's vacation, not boot camp.

 

Show reservations are a must though. Dinner reservations can always be done on board.

 

Everybody vacations differently.

 

I've started putting together a daily schedule on the Google calendar my husband and I share of the things we really want to do. If we don't do them, no biggie, but at least we have an organized schedule of when they are, so we're not constantly searching through the Compass trying to find the Dreamworks appearance our kids wanted to see among "1:30 pm: Seminar on Secrets to a Flatter Stomach" and so on.

 

I figure a lot of the time I'll take a glance at my phone and say, "Hmm, want to go to that Flash Mob Dance Class I put on the schedule?" And we'll lay back in our lounge chairs and say "Nah," and order another drink. But maybe once in awhile we'll remember to get up and do whatever it is we wanted to do.

 

And some dinner reservations can be done on board, but not all...at least I'm finding that availability for 150 Central Park is getting mighty thin as we get closer to our 2/16 sailing. If I hadn't made my schedule last night, I wouldn't have realized that we originally booked our Central Park dinner (the one specialty meal DH and I both really want to do) to conflict with something else that we *really* want to do. I was able to rearrange the 150 CP reservation for another time, but if we'd waited until after we were on board I'm guessing it wouldn't have been so easy. Character breakfasts also book up very early.

 

For me, I find that a little planning ahead on the front end allows us to be a lot more relaxed and unstressed (especially with three little kids) on the actual trip end.

[seaofwonder]

For the daytime activities it seriously takes 5 minutes to peruse the compass the night before :)

 

I know...I am a planner, I can relate. However, seeing a previous post where every.single.hour was planned seems so over the top.

 

Diversity makes the world a great place though. Sometimes it is good to plan to do nothing :)

 

 

I've also found that for many restaurants they don't open up all availability online. You can usually make reservations onboard. The diamond and suite concierge can also work miracles.

Edited January 10, 2014 by seaofwonder

[seaofwonder]

Eventually all good things come to an end by people posting online. Spending that much onboard will net me much more than $280 in value on other credit cards.

 

There are still ways to trick the system and get points for free :)

[Hypo]

I usually purchase 2 or three paperback novels, read them, and then leave them in the library for others to read. Also, many of the ships have a shelf in the library where you can leave your previously read paperbacks and take a replacement one with you to read (like on the way home).

[Paulette3028]

The OP put in the list of tips " The egg and bacon english muffins in the park at breakfast are good for packing up for a quick breakfast on way off the ship at one of the islands, they also do nice fruit pots to take away that can up part of a picnic." -- but you CAN NOT take off the ship food that is not 'pre-packaged'. You can't even take off the ship a banana or apple.

You can take off the ship the small boxes of cereal (unopened) or containers of yogurt (again unopened) or wrapped granola bars, but nothing that was made in the dining room or in WJ.

[At Sea 4Ever]

If anyone is interested, I also posted (on another thread) the MDR and 150 Central Park spring menus and the link to an APRIL compass (just two weeks ago). These are for the Oasis, however, in terms of the menus, they are accurate for Allure, with exception of 1 or 2 being out of order. You can find current order of the menus on CC from several posters.

 

Hopefully I've saved some of you lots of time with my planning! Between the current thread and the one mentioned above, you have the menus, daily compass, tips pulled from all of the LONG threads about secrets and tricks, sample daily schedules, and a not-so-obvious packing list. If I'm missing anything please let me know because that means I have more research to do!!! :D

 

Could you provide the link to your other thread? Thanks!

[Remm1024]

Thanks for the wonderful hints and suggestions.

[taraj78]

Sweet!!! I would love to read your other thread with tips! Can you post the link please :)

[Caleby]

Can someone please explain how to make reservations for shows? First time cruiser here, thanks.

[Lionesss]

If you go to RCI site and log in with your reservation.............

 

The site will be open when you can book your reservation...........

 

It can happen anywhere from 90-60 days out.

 

If sailing the Oasis or the Allure make sure you book the comedy club, it is a small venue and the same show occurs everynight, it varies a little by crowd participation.

 

When is your sailing and what ship?

 

Sea Ya