Considering an RC Cruise-Questions

[Mharring33]

We returned from a cruise about a month ago (on another cruise line) and are considering a RC cruise for 2008. I have a few questions. Hopefully someone will be able to help out.

 

1. Soda/water/etc.-Is there a place we can get this free of charge?

2. Are there additional costs for eating at the specialy restuarants?

3. Are there snacks available at no extra cost throughout the day. i.e. at the pool.

4. For those of you who have traveled with children, how did you feel about your child walking around the ship without you? My DD will be almost 14 when we sail next. But Mariner of the Seas is twice the size of the last ship we sailed, I'm nervous about that.

 

Thanks everyone. Your input is greatly appreciated.

 

Mitch

[Theresa522]

Hi, just off the explorer which was our first RCL cruise.. LOVED IT.. Okay now to your questions:

 

The only place where you can get free water or soda would be in the concierge (sp?) lounge. However you need to have a Suite booked. You can purchase soda cards which will give you free fountain soda the entire cruise. I personally think it was not worth it but if you are a big soda drinker then go for it.

 

Yes, specialty restuarants are extra $20 per person. I think it is well worth the extra money.

 

There are no snacks at the pool but can be brought out to the pool area. There is the windjammer plus a few other places to get snacks from including room service.

 

I have a 12 year old and did not let her walk alone anywhere. I would bring her to the kids club and tell her to call me when she wanted to leave. We purchased walkie talkie's from toys-r-us which was WELL WORTH the $40 bucks.. I highly recommend it.. As far as having them roam the ship, my biggest fear is that as they are walking to there room someone opens a door and pull's them in :eek: What would you do?? Where do you look first?? Very scary thought, isn't it!! Better safe then sorry. My daughter had a wonderful time and is right now talking to some of the kids she met on the ship. :D

 

Hope this helps some..

[cb at sea]

Water is free--soda isn't . You can buy a soda card, if you are a big soda drinker and get unlimited fountain soda. Or, you can buy it by the can.

Specialty restaurants cost $20 pp--they're ok, but not a necessity! You can get food somewhere onboard 24/7!

A 14 year old should be able to be on his own. I'd make sure he checks in, and you know where he's going, and with whom--just like at home! He'll be fine. You'll all have a great time!

[BearySweet2Cruise]

Just to clarify further, water that is free is not bottled water, bottled water is an extra charge.. We are not soda drinkers, but it figures out hat you have to drink 4 or more sodas a day for the soda card to be worthwhile..

 

The boards rave about the specialty restraunts and say they are well worth it...

yes, food is available 24/7 including room service.

 

There are a zillion threads about all these questons in great detail on these boards.. go to the top and click search this forum and type in any of the key words you mentioned and you will have more info than you can read.. there is even a thread about how old kids should be bfore being allowed to roam the ship. Have a fun vacation.

I feel a 14 yr old would be safe on the ship as long as she is responsible enough to always let you now where she is going and checks in with you often. Walkie talkies are a great idea.

[Theresa522]

Hi, I had to chime in again as i do not believe that a child will be okay if they are responsible. Even if they keep checking in.. Okay now an hour went by and they don't check in!! Where do you begin to look for them? An hour is a long time and a ship is huge!! You could have the most responsible child in the world but if some sicko grabs a hold of them, then what?? :eek: I still say, better safe then sorry... Again this is JMPO :D

[bnsilly]

I completely agree with Theresa!!!!!!! Mother of 3 and that would scare me to death, just the thought of it!!! :eek:

[BearySweet2Cruise]

I completely agree with Theresa!!!!!!! Mother of 3 and that would scare me to death, just the thought of it!!! :eek:

Ok I will agree that certainly there is a concern.. I just think of my 17yr old is much more mature, responsible and observant than many adults, and my 12 year old is always with the 17 yr old.. I would not allow the 12 year old to be alone any place.. I don't even like it at home, like after school or something... think like a town.. what would you allow them to do at home? Can they walk the streets and the mall alone at home? probably not.. so I take back my thoughts of the 14 yr old... they seem so "on the line " so its a hard call if they are old enough or not.. definately better to be safe than sorry..

[Boatbuilder]

We returned from a cruise about a month ago (on another cruise line) and are considering a RC cruise for 2008. I have a few questions. Hopefully someone will be able to help out.

 

1. Soda/water/etc.-Is there a place we can get this free of charge?

2. Are there additional costs for eating at the specialy restuarants?

3. Are there snacks available at no extra cost throughout the day. i.e. at the pool.

4. For those of you who have traveled with children, how did you feel about your child walking around the ship without you? My DD will be almost 14 when we sail next. But Mariner of the Seas is twice the size of the last ship we sailed, I'm nervous about that.

 

Thanks everyone. Your input is greatly appreciated.

 

Mitch

1) Iced Tea, lemonade, OJ, tap water and coffee are free in all the restaurants and Windjammer

2) $20 and Chops is worth every penny

3) Mariner has free frozen yogurt by the pool. You can find free Pizza, sandwiches and desserts at the Promenade cafe on Deck 5. I think pizza starts around 11 AM but there are great croissants and sweet rolls available from 7-11AM.

4) I'd compare a cruise ship like Mariner to a floating Vegas Hotel with 3500 guests and 1500 foreign crew members making your bed, serving food, booze and facilitating gambling. If you're OK leaving your daughter unattended in a Vegas hotel with 2000 guests, but you draw the line at 3500 you might want to check your premises. Bigger isn't safer or more dangerous, just bigger. A cruise ship is a cross section of our society, and that includes the good and the bad aspects. It's your kids and your call.

[LarissaJay]

Just wanted to add that Chops is $20 per person, and Portofino is $15 per person. Both are WELL worth the additional expense.

[Theresa522]

Just wanted to add that Chops is $20 per person, and Portofino is $15 per person. Both are WELL worth the additional expense.

 

Hi, just off the explorer and portofino is $20 per person. Again, WELL WORTH IT.. :D

[negc]

We returned from a cruise about a month ago (on another cruise line) and are considering a RC cruise for 2008. I have a few questions. Hopefully someone will be able to help out.

 

1. Soda/water/etc.-Is there a place we can get this free of charge?

2. Are there additional costs for eating at the specialy restuarants?

3. Are there snacks available at no extra cost throughout the day. i.e. at the pool.

4. For those of you who have traveled with children, how did you feel about your child walking around the ship without you? My DD will be almost 14 when we sail next. But Mariner of the Seas is twice the size of the last ship we sailed, I'm nervous about that.

 

Thanks everyone. Your input is greatly appreciated.

 

Mitch

Tap water is fine for drinking but bottled water and soft drinks will cost you (you may want to get her a soft drink card which will help you contain costs).

Chops and Portofino cost $20 per person but, as others have said, most of us consider it worth the additional cost. There is a $3.95 cover charge for food at Johnny Rockets but that covers all the food you order. Drinks are extra. On Mariner there are soft serve ice cream machines on the pool deck and in the Windjammer. Pizza and sandwiches are available at Cafe Promenade for no charge 24/7. Room service is also free around the clock.

Use your own judgement about the amount of freedom you allow your 14 year old on the ship. If the idea of her wandering around the ship on her own makes you too nervous, don't permit it. She would probably be safe and secure, but it is not worth the worry, so make your own decision and stick to it.

[samtig]

There is a prevalent idea that cruise ships are safe for some reason. There is the same cross-section of society that you find anywhere else, including the weirdos unfortunately. I wouldn't let a 14 yr. old alone on the ship. Have a great trip!

[cruisin from florida]

I don't think that cruise ships are LESS safe than the rest of the world, either. So I guess the best thing is to equate the amount of independence they have at home with how much to give them on the cruise ship.

 

For example: Does your child walk home from school with a sibling or friend? Then you would probably feel comfortable with him or her returning to your cabin from Adventure Ocean with a sibling.

 

Does your child walk home from school alone? Then, again, you might feel comfortable having him or her return back from Adventure Ocean to your room.

 

Do you ever let your child walk around somewhere, other than school, without you? (mall, etc.?) Then you would probably feel comfortable with them going to a few places on board, with your knowlege, and checking in frequently.

 

Does your child drive to visit friends/go to the movies, etc., or does a friend pick him or her up to go places? Then you are probably ready to give them a curfew and limits, and let them go.

 

Note - none of these are really age-specific or hard-and-fast. Just some things to consider if you're wonder how much freedom you'll be comfortable with on board

[westcoastvecs]

I don't even think you would have to worry about your DD walking around alone-chances are she will meet a bunch of new friends right away...my kids do and then they are never alone.

[Mharring33]

Thanks Everyone for the info. It helps knowing what additional expenses we might incur.

 

Also, thanks for your opinons on letting my DD walk around alone on the ship. I know it is a hot topic for some people. I'll have to wait until we get there and decide on how I feel.

 

What type of radios did you buy at Toys R us? We had radios with us on our most recent cruise, but they didn't work. My guess is we need to buy a better model.

 

Hope to talk to you all again soon.

 

Mitch

[mercedesmom2002]

Mitch:

 

We're going on our 3rd RCI cruise and taking our 14 yr. old DD (this is her 1st cruise). We also have her 18 yr. old friend going (with her father who is our friend) so the two girls will hang out together. We are going to get the DECT phones as soon as we board. We will have one, DD will have one, friend will have one and friend's father will have one. Each phone can call up to 4 numbers from what I understand. They can also be reached from any phone on the ship. This way we will keep track of the girls and call them especially if we think they'll be late for dinner!!! This will just give us a little more comfort in being able to reach them. My DD does walk home from the bus stop and we live in town. She also rides the City bus so I guess our comfort level is probably a bit better with letting her walk with her friend than some others would be. She also is very responsible, has been babysitting, staying at home after school sometimes. We also camp all summer long and we let her and her friends go around the campground so we feel she'll be responsible.

 

But do what you feel comfortable with or just try it and if it becomes a problem, pull the reins in. We told the girls they must eat breakfast and dinner with us, lunch will be on their own on at sea days. They also have to go into port with us and stay with us there.

 

Have fun cruising!!!

 

Sue

[uksimonusa]

Mitch:

 

We're going on our 3rd RCI cruise and taking our 14 yr. old DD (this is her 1st cruise). We also have her 18 yr. old friend going (with her father who is our friend) so the two girls will hang out together. We are going to get the DECT phones as soon as we board. We will have one, DD will have one, friend will have one and friend's father will have one. Each phone can call up to 4 numbers from what I understand. They can also be reached from any phone on the ship. This way we will keep track of the girls and call them especially if we think they'll be late for dinner!!! This will just give us a little more comfort in being able to reach them. My DD does walk home from the bus stop and we live in town. She also rides the City bus so I guess our comfort level is probably a bit better with letting her walk with her friend than some others would be. She also is very responsible, has been babysitting, staying at home after school sometimes. We also camp all summer long and we let her and her friends go around the campground so we feel she'll be responsible.

 

But do what you feel comfortable with or just try it and if it becomes a problem, pull the reins in. We told the girls they must eat breakfast and dinner with us, lunch will be on their own on at sea days. They also have to go into port with us and stay with us there.

 

Have fun cruising!!!

 

Sue

 

Do be careful relying on DECT phones on Navigator, we were on her 05/20, called RCI customer service before we left, about DECT phones, and was told to get them from the Pursers Desk, we boarded at 12:00 and went straight to the Pursers Desk, only to be told they don't have them for rent, althougth they were advertised on RCTV later in the cruise.

 

You may want to take walkie talkies as a back up.