cruisetiludrop
Cruise Director
Joined 12/2013
46
Cruises14
Reviews408
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Past cruises
April 2024 - 7 Night Western Caribbean With Bahamas (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Caribbean Princess
March 2024 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Icon of the Seas
February 2024 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Icon of the Seas
January 2024 - 6 Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Odyssey of the Seas
November 2023 - 3 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Allure of the Seas
November 2023 - 4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Allure of the Seas
October 2023 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Mariner of the Seas
May 2023 - 7 Night Northbound Alaska & Hubbard Glacier (Vancouver To Seward) Cruise on Radiance of the Seas
April 2023 - 9 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Celebrity Equinox
January 2023 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Bahamas (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Celebrity Reflection
December 2022 - 7 Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Oasis of the Seas
October 2022 - 7 Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Harmony of the Seas
January 2020 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Celebrity Reflection
December 2019 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Allure of the Seas
Mama Mia what a cruise!
Allure has the best Broadway show in the fleet, Mama Mia (We will rock you is our next choice on Anthem). The Ice Show and Aqua show are also good. The Windjammer food variety is more limited than other cIass class ships for some unknown reason.
Great ship and looking forward to the improvements planned in next years dry dock upgrades.
September 2019 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Harmony of the Seas
June 2019 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Celebrity Equinox
Equinox shortly after abbreviated dry dock
We booked a guaranteed suite and ended up in a Sky Suite cabin 2118. We loved the location and the cabin except for the poor wifi in the cabin. Another guest raved about their wifi in cabin so I guess we just didn't get as lucky.
We like the western itinerary and especially the stop at Grand Cayman.
The ship experience was certainly a good one. The staff was excellent. We had a great time overall.
We had lots of onboard credit and managed to reclaim it all via roulette in the casino.
May 2019 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Harmony of the Seas
Second best cruise so far
Symphony was the best cruise we've taken. Harmony was a close second. The difference for us the is better restaurants on Symphony and Mama Mia versus Grease. Adding in a great (perfect day) on Cocoa Cay made it even better. We like going to Labadee but Coco Cay is our new preference. Super weather and no delays at any time made for a very enjoyable trip.
March 2019 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Allure of the Seas
Allure of the Seas wins me over
First of all we had great weather throughout which is always a plus. We had two sea days from Miami to St Maarten. Mama Mia is the broadway play on board and it was my first time seeing it. Although it is long like Cats (on Oasis), it was much more enjoyable to watch. I will look forward to seeing it again.
We had a Central Park balcony cabin on deck 11. There are pluses and minuses to these cabins. Pluses are that its cheeper and you get a free lunch at Giovanni's. The cabin location was very suitable as we like being near the elevators and in this case very near the diamond lounge. The minuses are day time noise from the pool deck; having no water view and having to keep the curtains closed so much that at times I felt I was staying in an inside cabin. The next time I opt for a neighborhood cabin I think I'll try Boardwalk. But mostly I'll probably stick with an Ocean View balcony.
St. Maarten is one of our favorite ports. We like beaches and they have some good ones. The half day stay in San Juan is too short in my opinion. I'd like to see the rain forest but I feel the limited time in port prevents this.
The sooner RCL converts from Sabor to Playmakers the better. Sabor costs (for what you get) are way too high to be a viable option. Symphony's Playmakers was so much better.
I was disappointed with the lack of use of Dazzles for music which we had really made use of on Oasis. If there was any it was always way too late at night. We look for something going on as an option instead of always going to a show.
We'll be back on Allure later this year and I am definitely looking forward to it.
February 2019 - 5 Night Western Caribbean (Tampa Roundtrip) Cruise on Brilliance of the Seas
First time out of Tampa and on Brilliance
Five day cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Two of our favorite ports. Our first time sailing out of Tampa. We parked at the parking doctor lot just down from the ships. This was a good choice. We found Tampa to be an easy port to use and the embarkation process very painless. The weather for the first couple days was great but it rained at Cozumel and on the way back. Still, it was a fine trip. We had booked a junior suite on deck ten. Since deck 11 is the pool deck and windjammer deck, don't be surprised to hear some noise up there. We were in 1582 under the windjammer and it was not uncommon to hear carts rolling overhead.
January 2019 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Symphony of the Seas
Would go back in a minute
Symphony of the Seas was well worth the extra cost of the New Ship price. The shows were very good and the new dining venues lived up to our hopes. We were wishing we had another week because we left feeling we hand't really seen it all. At 65 years old I was still willing to ride the dry slide. It gets you going pretty fast and with two or three corkscrew turns on the way down, once was enough LOL. The conversion of the location of Sabor into Playmakers was a hit. NFL playoff game viewing was well attended. We were surprised they did not also use the big screens in the aqua theater for the game. The food at playmakers was good too. Try the nachos with pulled pork. It would easily feed four people. Hooked was well worth the price at lunch too. El Loco Fresh was a big hit for lunch also. The size of the lines attested to it popularity.
November 2018 - 8 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Adventure of the Seas
September 2018 - 9 Night Canada & New England (Cape Liberty Roundtrip) Cruise on Anthem of the Seas
New England Canada First Time Itinerary
We enjoyed the Anthem very much. It was in large part due to the excellent rock band on board called "The Royal Swedes" who we listened to in the Music Hall several nights. This was our first time going on this ship and to New England and Canada. The newness of it all adds to the overall great experience. We Will Rock You was a superb production which was went to twice. There are great dining options. We loved Jamie's Italian and we found a really good spot for a light dinner, Brass & Boch Pub. A nice alternative to Johnny Rockets.
September 2018 - 5 Night Bermuda (Cape Liberty Roundtrip) Cruise on Anthem of the Seas
April 2018 - 11 Night Ultimate Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Celebrity Reflection
January 2018 - 6 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Freedom of the Seas
Better than a sharp stick in the eye
The weather for the week was poor. Cool and windy at some times altered some of our plans but it still was a cruise and we enjoyed ourselves anyway. The food and shows were above average which helped a lot given the weather was a downer.
November 2017 - 10 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Serenade of the Seas
Smooth cruising
Very nice southern caribbean 10 day cruise with substitute ports after the 2017 hurricanes. We enjoyed seeing Martinique for the first time. We went to Balata gardens on a ship excursion. We highly recommend it if you like gardens. The weather in late Nov was perfect (minus rain in Barbados). Very good food and headliners on this trip. Rate this cruise high on our list of cruises taken. Prefer taking the ten day cruise out of Ft Lauderdale over traveling to San Juan for a 7 day cruise to the same ports.
October 2017 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Oasis of the Seas
Oasis was great again
Second time in a Central Park balcony cabin. The benefit is a free lunch in Giovanni's which we substitute for dinner. After being diverted to Nassau due to a passenger illness, we missed our first stop at Labadee but later in the week got there anyway because tropic storm Nate prevented the ship from going to Cozumel. So after Jamaica they doubled back to Labadee. Weather for the day on the beach was perfect.
The headliner this week was Savannah Jack. They played a variety of popular music and were one of the best headliners we have seen. It was so good we went to two shows.
May 2017 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Oasis of the Seas
January 2017 - 5 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Independence of the Seas
January 2017 - 10 Night Southern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Serenade of the Seas
November 2016 - 8 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Oasis of the Seas
Great cruise on Oasis
oasis-of-the-seas Nov 5th 2016. First cruise out of Port Canaveral for 8 days to Labadee, Jamaica, Costa Maya and Cozumel.
We had a great time in an oceanview balcony room on deck 11. We ate dinner in the main dining room twice, the Windjammer once and specialty restaurants the rest of the time. We did not prebuy a restaurant package because we had on board credit to spend. Once on board they were selling 3 dinners for $90. We chose Giovanni's Table, Izumi and 150. Giovanni's was very good. We chose the Hibatchi dinner at Izumi. Shrimp and beef combination was sensational. The 6 of us in our group all agreed this was our best meal. 150 was a complete dissapointment. The beef short rib was small and cooked like a roast with no sides. The waiter had bragged about the squash soup. It didn't live up to the hype. Desert was ok but didn't save the experience.
On Monday we were sitting in the promenade and were approached and offered a discount for the Solarium Bistro. First he offered 40% off. We hesitated and he went to 50% off plus he said we could get the lobster for free if we came on Tuesday which was the normal lobster night in the main dining room. Normally they get another $5 for the lobster. We agreed to purchase and go on Tuesday. I can say it was a great choice as the meal and experience was great.
All the shows were very good too. I am not too interested in sitting for 2.5 hours but I did it for CATS. I can't get excited about the story but every singer and dancer were quite good and in that context I enjoyed the show. The quality of entertainment justifies the premium the ship costs as well as the interest provided by the neighborhoods.
I had a personal priority to go to Sabor. We had experienced Sabor on Freedom of the Seas and it was so good we couldn't wait to go again. The menu on Oasis was not the full menu we had on Freedom. Instead of it being one price it was a-la-cart. They treated this venue more like a place for a snack instead of a specialty restaurant. With all we did during the week, Sabor fell through the cracks. The smaller menu just wasn't as compelling to us.
On Thursday, day 6, I saw them offering a drink card for $79. That's ten drinks that anyone can use. We didn't make the purchase but I know some readers want to know if it was offered.
September 2016 - Key West & Nassau Cruise on Empress of the Seas
April 2016 - 11 Night Ultimate Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip) Cruise on Celebrity Equinox
November 2015 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Freedom of the Seas
May 2015 - 7 Night Alaska Northern Glacier (Vancouver To Seward) Cruise on Celebrity Millennium
December 2014 - 9 Night Southern Caribbean Adventure (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Explorer of the Seas
Nice cruise for relaxing.
With four sea days and not much planned activities aboard ship be prepared to entertain yourself. We had no issue with this fact and found our time to be a chance to unwind and relax. There was a distinct lack of younger people and children which we attribute to the time of year and the newness of this itinerary from this port. Being able to see the southern caribbean ports without dealing with travel to Miami or San Juan was a plus that many people couldn't pass up. There was a very heavy participation from Florida residents as well as high level crown and anchor society members. The weather was perfect for the entire cruise but finding seats on deck around the spas and pool was never an issue.
The on-board singers and dancers were superior on this boat. Usually there is one decent singer but here there were four very good singers. The production shows were very entertaining and different from other boats so we were seeing fresh shows. Same with the ice show. This was different and up to the usual superior standard that this show has offered on other boats.
We stayed in cabin 6338 which is a balcony room. Fairly standard balcony room with everything in good shape and good working order. We had a flat screen TV whereas we had heard other say they still had CRTs. We attribute this to the ship replacing defective CRT TVs with flat screens as time goes on. During retrofit next year they should all be changed to flat screens.
The ships service people were also very good. However the guest services still fell short of that standard as has been our experience in the past. If you have an issue that you'd like to take up with guest services, don't expect a favorable resolution. Sorry to say they seem to use deflection as a standard response instead of correcting the situation. The ships are extremely efficient at billing you but never are willing to correct an error.
The food in the main dining room was no different than any other RCI cruise which is to say barely above minimum acceptable standards. We found the "starters" (appetizers) more appealing than the entries and most nights had no more than one entree that looked appealing (some previous experiences with the menus has ruled out certain selections).
This ship currently only has Portofino available and we did not eat there this trip.
This was our first time at Aruba, Bonair and Curacao. They did not offer a lot to see. You either like their beaches (which we did) and snorkeling (which we didn't do) or you have little left to do. However on the plus side is that taxi fairs were minimal ($5 per person to beaches we went to) when you joined others in a van type taxi. We had trouble finding this out prior to the trip and were led to believe you'd be paying high taxi rates. Each island had the same rates so it was no problem heading out on your own (at least not taking a ship tour). Eagle beach on Aruba was broad and long, very soft sand making it slightly harder to walk if you already have trouble walking on sand. Bonaire we went to Sorobon beach was smaller and had very shallow calm water since it is on a bay. This was perfect for younger kids. The persistent wind made it ideal for wind surfers who were quite prevalent. They were entertaining to watch. There was a rope in the water providing separation (protection) between wader/swimmers and the wind surfers. Plenty of beach chairs assuming you get there by mid day. And there was a bar to order drinks and food at reasonable prices. On Curacao we walked 10 minutes from the pier to downtown and spent an hour looking around before heading out to Mombo beach (near the sea aquarium). This has an entry fee and chair fee but the overall cost was fair. This was also was a nice beach with many more chairs available and food / drink available.
We found the cruise to be everything we expected and did not find the ship to be run down due to age. Previous reports of high smoke content in and near the casino were true. Walking near the stairs down to the casino on the promenade deck was quite unpleasant. Too bad the air flow brought up the smoke to the promenade deck rather than sucking good air down to the casino.
September 2014 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip) Cruise on Freedom of the Seas
2nd time on Freedom ...still great
Spent this week in room 8354. Standard balcony room which has a great location from our point of view. Good access to the stairs / elevators. Our room steward "Speedy" did a fine job for us. We carried on two bottles of wine which he chilled for us when we wanted them to be cold.
We used my time dining for the first time. We had six people in our group and did not try to pick dining times prior to the cruise. We were faced with a choice of 6pm or 8:30pm. Nothing else. We went with 6pm for every night. Had the same table every night. Service was decent. We finished in time to go to the 8pm games in On Air which were always done in time to go to the 9PM shows. The cruise staff were very good hosts at all the events we went to. The cruise director was very much to my taste. Not over the top but very still entertaining.
My over all score for entertainment during this cruise was about a 6 out of 10. Others in our group rated it as high as an 8. The magician show was just so so. The production numbers were ok. We'd seen them before and they were so so then also. The ice show remains superior even though there were new skaters in their first week of work on the ship.
We ate at Chops and I personally found a couple of their changes not to my liking. Both my wife and I really were disappointed that they replaced Mississippi Mud Pie with a mousse style cake which was ok but nowhere near as good. They had the nerve to call it by the same name to add insult to injury. Secondly, I did not like how they changed the mushroom side dish from what they had previously served. My wife was ok with the change. They used three types of sliced mushrooms instead of the single type of whole mushrooms used before. The differences could be enough to keep me away next time.
We had very good island excursions at every port. On Jamaica we did the Martha Brae bamboo raft float. Relaxing and perfect weather. No bugs there may be normal based on what the guide said. It certainly made the trip more enjoyable. Grand Cayman was a catamaran trip to stingray city and snorkeling. First time for us at stingray city. It was fun. Snorkeling was so so. If we did this stop again we'd forego the snorkeling for time on 7 mile beach and we would not need to see stingray city again. It was worth doing once though. At Cozumel we did a jeep tour which was the best excursion of the week. We used cosumelcruiseexcursions.com. Very nice time and very good value.
January 2014 - 7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip) Cruise on Adventure of the Seas
November 2013 - 7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral roundtrip) Cruise on Freedom of the Seas
Wonderful cruise
We had a wonderful time on Freedom of the Seas. The service was great and the ship was very clean and beautiful. Loved the Chops Grille restaurant. We had 3 of our dinners at Chops and 1 at Portofinos. I highly recommend both. My husband and I cruised on the Allure last year and we still rave to everyone about how wonderful that ship is and how much we loved it. Freedom of the Seas is a step down from the Allure but is still a really nice ship.
January 2013 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale roundtrip) Cruise on Allure of the Seas
Oasis of the Seas
Sail date: October 01, 2017
Second time in a Central Park balcony cabin. The benefit is a free lunch in Giovanni's which we substitute for dinner. After being diverted to Nassau due to a passenger illness, we missed our first stop at Labadee but later in the week got there anyway because tropic storm Nate prevented the ship from going to Cozumel. So after Jamaica they doubled back to Labadee. Weather for the day on the beach was perfect.
The headliner this week was Savannah Jack. They played a variety of popular music and were one of the best headliners we have seen. It was so good we went to two shows.
Harmony of the Seas
Sail date: May 12, 2019
Symphony was the best cruise we've taken. Harmony was a close second. The difference for us the is better restaurants on Symphony and Mama Mia versus Grease. Adding in a great (perfect day) on Cocoa Cay made it even better. We like going to Labadee but Coco Cay is our new preference. Super weather and no delays at any time made for a very enjoyable trip.
Symphony of the Seas
Sail date: January 12, 2019
Symphony of the Seas was well worth the extra cost of the New Ship price. The shows were very good and the new dining venues lived up to our hopes. We were wishing we had another week because we left feeling we hand't really seen it all. At 65 years old I was still willing to ride the dry slide. It gets you going pretty fast and with two or three corkscrew turns on the way down, once was enough LOL. The conversion of the location of Sabor into Playmakers was a hit. NFL playoff game viewing was well attended. We were surprised they did not also use the big screens in the aqua theater for the game. The food at playmakers was good too. Try the nachos with pulled pork. It would easily feed four people. Hooked was well worth the price at lunch too. El Loco Fresh was a big hit for lunch also. The size of the lines attested to it popularity.
Celebrity Equinox
Sail date: June 15, 2019
Equinox shortly after abbreviated dry dock
We booked a guaranteed suite and ended up in a Sky Suite cabin 2118. We loved the location and the cabin except for the poor wifi in the cabin. Another guest raved about their wifi in cabin so I guess we just didn't get as lucky.
We like the western itinerary and especially the stop at Grand Cayman.
The ship experience was certainly a good one. The staff was excellent. We had a great time overall.
We had lots of onboard credit and managed to reclaim it all via roulette in the casino.
Serenade of the Seas
Sail date: November 24, 2017
Very nice southern caribbean 10 day cruise with substitute ports after the 2017 hurricanes. We enjoyed seeing Martinique for the first time. We went to Balata gardens on a ship excursion. We highly recommend it if you like gardens. The weather in late Nov was perfect (minus rain in Barbados). Very good food and headliners on this trip. Rate this cruise high on our list of cruises taken. Prefer taking the ten day cruise out of Ft Lauderdale over traveling to San Juan for a 7 day cruise to the same ports.
Brilliance of the Seas
Sail date: February 09, 2019
First time out of Tampa and on Brilliance
Five day cruise to Grand Cayman and Cozumel. Two of our favorite ports. Our first time sailing out of Tampa. We parked at the parking doctor lot just down from the ships. This was a good choice. We found Tampa to be an easy port to use and the embarkation process very painless. The weather for the first couple days was great but it rained at Cozumel and on the way back. Still, it was a fine trip. We had booked a junior suite on deck ten. Since deck 11 is the pool deck and windjammer deck, don't be surprised to hear some noise up there. We were in 1582 under the windjammer and it was not uncommon to hear carts rolling overhead.
Allure of the Seas
Sail date: December 01, 2019
Allure has the best Broadway show in the fleet, Mama Mia (We will rock you is our next choice on Anthem). The Ice Show and Aqua show are also good. The Windjammer food variety is more limited than other cIass class ships for some unknown reason.
Great ship and looking forward to the improvements planned in next years dry dock upgrades.
Allure of the Seas
Sail date: March 10, 2019
Allure of the Seas wins me over
First of all we had great weather throughout which is always a plus. We had two sea days from Miami to St Maarten. Mama Mia is the broadway play on board and it was my first time seeing it. Although it is long like Cats (on Oasis), it was much more enjoyable to watch. I will look forward to seeing it again.
We had a Central Park balcony cabin on deck 11. There are pluses and minuses to these cabins. Pluses are that its cheeper and you get a free lunch at Giovanni's. The cabin location was very suitable as we like being near the elevators and in this case very near the diamond lounge. The minuses are day time noise from the pool deck; having no water view and having to keep the curtains closed so much that at times I felt I was staying in an inside cabin. The next time I opt for a neighborhood cabin I think I'll try Boardwalk. But mostly I'll probably stick with an Ocean View balcony.
St. Maarten is one of our favorite ports. We like beaches and they have some good ones. The half day stay in San Juan is too short in my opinion. I'd like to see the rain forest but I feel the limited time in port prevents this.
The sooner RCL converts from Sabor to Playmakers the better. Sabor costs (for what you get) are way too high to be a viable option. Symphony's Playmakers was so much better.
I was disappointed with the lack of use of Dazzles for music which we had really made use of on Oasis. If there was any it was always way too late at night. We look for something going on as an option instead of always going to a show.
We'll be back on Allure later this year and I am definitely looking forward to it.
Anthem of the Seas
Sail date: September 06, 2018
New England Canada First Time Itinerary
We enjoyed the Anthem very much. It was in large part due to the excellent rock band on board called "The Royal Swedes" who we listened to in the Music Hall several nights. This was our first time going on this ship and to New England and Canada. The newness of it all adds to the overall great experience. We Will Rock You was a superb production which was went to twice. There are great dining options. We loved Jamie's Italian and we found a really good spot for a light dinner, Brass & Boch Pub. A nice alternative to Johnny Rockets.
Oasis of the Seas
Sail date: November 05, 2016
oasis-of-the-seas Nov 5th 2016. First cruise out of Port Canaveral for 8 days to Labadee, Jamaica, Costa Maya and Cozumel.
We had a great time in an oceanview balcony room on deck 11. We ate dinner in the main dining room twice, the Windjammer once and specialty restaurants the rest of the time. We did not prebuy a restaurant package because we had on board credit to spend. Once on board they were selling 3 dinners for $90. We chose Giovanni's Table, Izumi and 150. Giovanni's was very good. We chose the Hibatchi dinner at Izumi. Shrimp and beef combination was sensational. The 6 of us in our group all agreed this was our best meal. 150 was a complete dissapointment. The beef short rib was small and cooked like a roast with no sides. The waiter had bragged about the squash soup. It didn't live up to the hype. Desert was ok but didn't save the experience.
On Monday we were sitting in the promenade and were approached and offered a discount for the Solarium Bistro. First he offered 40% off. We hesitated and he went to 50% off plus he said we could get the lobster for free if we came on Tuesday which was the normal lobster night in the main dining room. Normally they get another $5 for the lobster. We agreed to purchase and go on Tuesday. I can say it was a great choice as the meal and experience was great.
All the shows were very good too. I am not too interested in sitting for 2.5 hours but I did it for CATS. I can't get excited about the story but every singer and dancer were quite good and in that context I enjoyed the show. The quality of entertainment justifies the premium the ship costs as well as the interest provided by the neighborhoods.
I had a personal priority to go to Sabor. We had experienced Sabor on Freedom of the Seas and it was so good we couldn't wait to go again. The menu on Oasis was not the full menu we had on Freedom. Instead of it being one price it was a-la-cart. They treated this venue more like a place for a snack instead of a specialty restaurant. With all we did during the week, Sabor fell through the cracks. The smaller menu just wasn't as compelling to us.
On Thursday, day 6, I saw them offering a drink card for $79. That's ten drinks that anyone can use. We didn't make the purchase but I know some readers want to know if it was offered.
Freedom of the Seas
Sail date: September 14, 2014
2nd time on Freedom ...still great
Spent this week in room 8354. Standard balcony room which has a great location from our point of view. Good access to the stairs / elevators. Our room steward "Speedy" did a fine job for us. We carried on two bottles of wine which he chilled for us when we wanted them to be cold.
We used my time dining for the first time. We had six people in our group and did not try to pick dining times prior to the cruise. We were faced with a choice of 6pm or 8:30pm. Nothing else. We went with 6pm for every night. Had the same table every night. Service was decent. We finished in time to go to the 8pm games in On Air which were always done in time to go to the 9PM shows. The cruise staff were very good hosts at all the events we went to. The cruise director was very much to my taste. Not over the top but very still entertaining.
My over all score for entertainment during this cruise was about a 6 out of 10. Others in our group rated it as high as an 8. The magician show was just so so. The production numbers were ok. We'd seen them before and they were so so then also. The ice show remains superior even though there were new skaters in their first week of work on the ship.
We ate at Chops and I personally found a couple of their changes not to my liking. Both my wife and I really were disappointed that they replaced Mississippi Mud Pie with a mousse style cake which was ok but nowhere near as good. They had the nerve to call it by the same name to add insult to injury. Secondly, I did not like how they changed the mushroom side dish from what they had previously served. My wife was ok with the change. They used three types of sliced mushrooms instead of the single type of whole mushrooms used before. The differences could be enough to keep me away next time.
We had very good island excursions at every port. On Jamaica we did the Martha Brae bamboo raft float. Relaxing and perfect weather. No bugs there may be normal based on what the guide said. It certainly made the trip more enjoyable. Grand Cayman was a catamaran trip to stingray city and snorkeling. First time for us at stingray city. It was fun. Snorkeling was so so. If we did this stop again we'd forego the snorkeling for time on 7 mile beach and we would not need to see stingray city again. It was worth doing once though. At Cozumel we did a jeep tour which was the best excursion of the week. We used cosumelcruiseexcursions.com. Very nice time and very good value.
Freedom of the Seas
Sail date: January 14, 2018
Better than a sharp stick in the eye
The weather for the week was poor. Cool and windy at some times altered some of our plans but it still was a cruise and we enjoyed ourselves anyway. The food and shows were above average which helped a lot given the weather was a downer.
Freedom of the Seas
Sail date: November 17, 2013
We had a wonderful time on Freedom of the Seas. The service was great and the ship was very clean and beautiful. Loved the Chops Grille restaurant. We had 3 of our dinners at Chops and 1 at Portofinos. I highly recommend both. My husband and I cruised on the Allure last year and we still rave to everyone about how wonderful that ship is and how much we loved it. Freedom of the Seas is a step down from the Allure but is still a really nice ship.
Explorer of the Seas
Sail date: December 04, 2014
With four sea days and not much planned activities aboard ship be prepared to entertain yourself. We had no issue with this fact and found our time to be a chance to unwind and relax. There was a distinct lack of younger people and children which we attribute to the time of year and the newness of this itinerary from this port. Being able to see the southern caribbean ports without dealing with travel to Miami or San Juan was a plus that many people couldn't pass up. There was a very heavy participation from Florida residents as well as high level crown and anchor society members. The weather was perfect for the entire cruise but finding seats on deck around the spas and pool was never an issue.
The on-board singers and dancers were superior on this boat. Usually there is one decent singer but here there were four very good singers. The production shows were very entertaining and different from other boats so we were seeing fresh shows. Same with the ice show. This was different and up to the usual superior standard that this show has offered on other boats.
We stayed in cabin 6338 which is a balcony room. Fairly standard balcony room with everything in good shape and good working order. We had a flat screen TV whereas we had heard other say they still had CRTs. We attribute this to the ship replacing defective CRT TVs with flat screens as time goes on. During retrofit next year they should all be changed to flat screens.
The ships service people were also very good. However the guest services still fell short of that standard as has been our experience in the past. If you have an issue that you'd like to take up with guest services, don't expect a favorable resolution. Sorry to say they seem to use deflection as a standard response instead of correcting the situation. The ships are extremely efficient at billing you but never are willing to correct an error.
The food in the main dining room was no different than any other RCI cruise which is to say barely above minimum acceptable standards. We found the "starters" (appetizers) more appealing than the entries and most nights had no more than one entree that looked appealing (some previous experiences with the menus has ruled out certain selections).
This ship currently only has Portofino available and we did not eat there this trip.
This was our first time at Aruba, Bonair and Curacao. They did not offer a lot to see. You either like their beaches (which we did) and snorkeling (which we didn't do) or you have little left to do. However on the plus side is that taxi fairs were minimal ($5 per person to beaches we went to) when you joined others in a van type taxi. We had trouble finding this out prior to the trip and were led to believe you'd be paying high taxi rates. Each island had the same rates so it was no problem heading out on your own (at least not taking a ship tour). Eagle beach on Aruba was broad and long, very soft sand making it slightly harder to walk if you already have trouble walking on sand. Bonaire we went to Sorobon beach was smaller and had very shallow calm water since it is on a bay. This was perfect for younger kids. The persistent wind made it ideal for wind surfers who were quite prevalent. They were entertaining to watch. There was a rope in the water providing separation (protection) between wader/swimmers and the wind surfers. Plenty of beach chairs assuming you get there by mid day. And there was a bar to order drinks and food at reasonable prices. On Curacao we walked 10 minutes from the pier to downtown and spent an hour looking around before heading out to Mombo beach (near the sea aquarium). This has an entry fee and chair fee but the overall cost was fair. This was also was a nice beach with many more chairs available and food / drink available.
We found the cruise to be everything we expected and did not find the ship to be run down due to age. Previous reports of high smoke content in and near the casino were true. Walking near the stairs down to the casino on the promenade deck was quite unpleasant. Too bad the air flow brought up the smoke to the promenade deck rather than sucking good air down to the casino.
Cruise tips
Spent a beach day at Crazy Lobster. The taxi cars have all been replaced en mass with new cars and the taxi fairs have jumped to $4 per person.
Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas
Third time here and still pleased by the improved food options, lack of long lines for food and great beach day all for no charge. We saw the tethered balloon was being utilized. Previous trips it was grounded all day. Construction on the island is still progressing but not a hindrance.
We walked to Junkaroo beach and found it very doable, pleasant walk. No hassles along the way either.
First time visit to Paradise Beach. Normally we go to Mr Sachos. Eleven ships in port made for a busy beach but it was still a great day there. Drinks and food were good. As a couple we prefer Paradise Beach. Had we been with a small group we would prefer Mr Sanchos for their tables on the beach to better handle group conversations.
Allure of the Seas
Don't miss Mama Mia.
Went to the free beach for $6 each taxi ride (one way). Paid $20 for two chairs and an umbrella and enjoyed the best beach and water for the whole trip. Only two or three beach vendors offered massages. What a great place to be in the caribbean.
We visited the Truman House and Hemmingway House. Walked to both and then to the southern most point monument. Both houses had tours through them which we found quite interesting.
We've been to Cozumel many times but we chose not to go out this time. Sea weed issues this week caused us to wait for Grand Cayman to get our beach day.
The week we visited had seen a major seaweed influx so we could not use the beach. We've been here several times before so it was not a major impact to our day. We walked through the port stores. We could have just used the free pool in the port area but we didn't.
Celebrity Equinox
Don't expect a Royal Caribbean experience. Embrace the difference and enjoy your cruise. Of all beach stops don't miss Grand Cayman (western itinerary). There's essentially no beach vendors present on the beach.
Spent the day on the beach at Grand Bay. Took the water taxi for $7 all day. Spent $25 for two chairs and an umbrella plus 5 sodas or water. Beer instead of soda would be $30. Bargain and you might do better. Don't bargain and you could do worse. The couple next to us paid $35.
We traveled over to St. John for the day. The downtown ferry was no longer operating (we were told) so we had to taxi over to Red Hook. The ship got to port just before noon and we were off and sitting in a taxi/bus at 12:17. We just barely made it to the ferry and were the last people to board at a few minutes after one. On to Trunk Bay for about 2 hours before returning to the ferry. Not a good use of time for sure but when you haven't seen Trunk Bay it is a viable option. Had we missed that ferry and had to wait to two oclock for the next one, it would not have been a good option at all. Too much travel time. We had great weather though and that helped.
Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas
First Harmony cruise to CocoCay after it's opening. Such an improved experience over past stops here. Of course the pier virtually guarantees being able to get on to the island. We did not go into the paid section so we can't comment on the slides etc. But the free pool and the improved food services, the free beach chairs and umbrellas (both at the beach and at the pool) were nice to have. Most people seemed more interested in the pool than the beach. There was enough space and cairs for another cruise ship worth of people. The pool music was a bit lowder than we could handle for long periods of time. We noticed later in the day they toned it down a bit. Two really nice features of the pool and deck were their surfaces. The pavers around the pool never got hot nor even warm even in the hot sun all day. The pool serfuce was something I had never experienced. There was a soft cushiness feel to it. There was a nice breeze most of the day. Just enough to make it comfortable. I noticed the balloon did not go up all day. If this breeze prevented it going up (which I'm not sure was the reason), then don't expect the balloon to go up very often.
Harmony of the Seas
See the show Columbus. It was really good.
Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)
Found our traditional place on the beach in Columbus Cove and spent a fun day in the beach. Lunch was the same ole lunch but it was reasonably good.
We were in port for half a day which makes it hard to do excursions. We walked around old town and shopped a bit. Then we ate lunch at Punto de Vista roof top restaurant. We wanted to try the Puerto Rican food so we chose empanadas and mofongo which were very good choices.
Allure of the Seas
Don't expect to be able to select Chops on the First Night Done Right dinner package.
We walked to the beach and rented chairs and an umbrella for $20. You have an option to buy five sodas for an extra $5 or 5 beers for an extra $10. The amount of beach vendors was noticably less than other times we've been there. Don't know why but I'll take it.
We love 7 mile beach. We usually go to the public beach at Calico Jacks. This time we tried Royal Palms thinking it would be less crowded since it costs more if you rent two chairs and an umbrella. Well it was crowded here too. On the plus side, their wifi extended to the beach chairs and worked well and they had a pool. There was good bar service on the beach too.
Back to Mr Sanchos and had another nice outing although there was intermittent rain all day.
Brilliance of the Seas
We would go again on Brilliance any time.
Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras
Our first time in Roatan. We like beaches for our activities and West Bay was a worthy visit. We look forward to going back. We booked a excursion through Shore Excursioneer which included transportation. For $30 we got two chairs and a welcoming drink, each at Bananarama resort. It was a good location on the beach which turned out to be less crowded than other locations on the beach. I'd certainly go there again. I did a snorkeling trip by boat offered at the beach. One of the better snorkeling trips I've been on. They tell you the trip cost $35 per person. One guy on the trip said he negotiated $30 for he and his wife included. I paid $30 just for me. It was worth it I thought. The vendors were constant but not harrasing much like Costa Maya.
We like this port having been there a few times already. Unfortunately it rained the whole day this time so we stayed on the ship.
It rained all day in Costa Maya but cleared up the next day in Cozumel. We usually go to Mr Sanchos but decided to try another venue. The El Cozumeleno was almost as good as Mr Sanchos. It certainly hand an advantage or two going for it. We bought through Shore Excursioneer web site. The cost was $55 each. It included one hour of free snorkeling equipment which I enjoyed. The snorkeling here is better than Mr Sanchos. There was also free minigolf that we did not use. The pools were big also. The access to the beach was dependent on where you sat. It is partially sea walled and partially walk in. The food was decent but not as good as Mr Sanchos and similarly we preferred Mr Sanchos mixed drinks. El Cozumeleno is less crowded though and just as spread out. I think you have less locations with shade and they don't use umbrellas here so don't expect shade if you get there late morning. All and all oour experience was good but we'll likely stick with Mr Sanchos.
This was our last port. The weather was ok but we had run out of motivation to get off the ship and go to the beach.
Symphony of the Seas
You better book two weeks because one isn't enough.
Fun walking around the shops and we did a city tour using "The Real Portland Tour". We booked onlline but you can find them by walking off the ship and signing up on the street. Well worth the time and money.
You can't see it all in one day even though we were there for a full day. Pick your priorities and spend enough time at each to really enjoy what you do get to see. The USS Constitution was great and free to board. Wear some good walking shoes. We used a hop on hop off bus called the City Bus. It helped us see more sites and the various drivers would point out and describe various things along the way. Well worth using them.
Only thing to do seemingly is Peggy's Cove. For a first time trip on this itinerary it was a nice tour but for repeat visits? Not sure how else to fill your time.
Some people think this is too touristy. I beg to differ. A fun day looking through the shops and eating lunch. Very scenic setting. A bit hilly but worth the effort to walk around and enjoy it.
Another walking around port with not much to see after a first time visit.
Anthem of the Seas
Check out the Music Hall and consider a light meal in Brass & Boch Pub.
The port area continues to improve with things to see and enjoy at little to no cost. However we wanted a new experience so went to Maya Chan by taxi. The weather in Jan was not sunny and was breezy. The day was pleasant but not our typical weather for a beach day. The water temperature was cold for these Floridians so we were limited to enjoying the food and drinks. Our seating site was predetermined by the resort staff. The provided a nice setup for us near the end of their property. The downside of this was their wifi did not reach us. The service was good and the food was excellent. All in all we probably would not go to Maya Chan again.
This trip we happened upon a new shopping area called Camana Bay which is located across from the Royal Palms Resort. https://camanabay.com/home-visitor/ It was worth a bit of time to see it if you are so inclined. We we walking to the Royal Palms when we saw it and checked it out. The walk probably took 45 minutes one way. The weather allowed for a pleasant walk.
The weather was coool and very windy for our January day. That canceled our plans to go to Mr Sanchos. We just stayed on board the ship.
Second time at this port. We decided to stay on the ship that day since had previously toured the island.
We spent the day at Magens Bay. They were still planting new trees after hurricane Irma but the beach was in good shape. We took a taxi (van) for $10 a person one way. There was a beach vendor for chairs and umbrellas but we ended up passing this up based on their pricing. They wanted $45 and said they would return $20 at the end (like a deposit). Then we saw you'd have too drag the chairs yourself. Not at all the same as every other beach experience we've had.
Spent the day at Ciboney Beach resort on Dickenson Bay. $6 per person taxi, one way and $20 for chairs and umbrella. Great spot for spending some time on the beach and in the water.
Spent the day at The Boatyard. Unfortunately it rained most of this day but the time we had their was enjoyable. I'd go back to The Boatyard again.
Serenade of the Seas
Enjoy the advantages of the smaller size ships, relax and have fun cruising.
Oasis of the Seas
If you value watching your ports team, pay for the highest speed internet and stream you own programming. The ship will only present one game a day.
They have a shuttle and taxis to take you to the beach. The taxis are located a short distance beyond the shuttle service. Shuttle cost was $3 per person but the taxis only charges $2 per person. Taxis are faster too.
Oasis of the Seas
Get online as soon as reservations open and pre-book all your shows. Reservations go fast especially for the comedy venue. Start checking 3 months out.
Explorer of the Seas
Main dining room breakfasts are going to take a long time and the food will not be pleasing however lunches are good there and provide a nice alternative to the windjammer. Snacks are limited at the Cafe Promenade. We do not like the pizza at all. I suspect they don't make them on board.
A cheap $5 per person cab ride puts you on 7 mile beach.
Great island tour and snorkel.
Two straight cruises with good excursions. Locals not pushy at all.
Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)
water temp was great this time of year yet not blasing hot in the sun
Home port for us. Easy on and off the ship.
Freedom of the Seas
They seemed to have left out a couple things that we noticed from last time in the windjammer. Prunes... cottage cheese. Who knows why or what else they eliminated. Do not expect guest services to help solve any issues you have. You must deal directly with whomever you had an issue with.
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