EbonyCruiser
Second Mate
Joined 08/2019
11
Cruises4
Reviews34
Helpful VotesUpcoming cruises
Past cruises
March 2020 - 12 Night Transatlantic (Fort Lauderdale To Barcelona) Cruise on Allure of the Seas
Great relaxing transatlantic cruise
The Allure was scheduled to go into dry dock in Cadiz for a major makeover. Once returned to fleet, new and improved public areas. I enjoyed this 12-night TA cruise that had only one port of call—Malaga. What I did not like was moving clocks up 1-hour at noon on day 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10. No need for breakfast...went straight for lunch.
Go to the 15-minute fountain show and Johnny Rockets for breakfast at least once if you do this cruise. Blue Planet was excellent! You gotta see the tree!!! Suggest seeing Mama Mia during early evening because of its runtime (147 mins.) excluding the time to get to the theater and obtain a seat. Leaves the rest of the evening for dinner and/or other evening events.
January 2020 - 7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip) Cruise on Empress of the Seas
Worse Cabin Ever!
Overall this was a nice celebratory cruise with my friends. Strongly recommend not booking a junior suite on this ship. However, if you want a balcony, your cabin selections are limited because it’s a small ship. Crew and staff learn your name immediately because it’s a very personable ship and they do make you feel welcomed and special regardless of your cruise status.
November 2019 - 7 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Cape Liberty Roundtrip) Cruise on Anthem of the Seas
Great Day at Coco Cay
Due to a pending storm, Anthem OTS changed its itinerary from the Caribbean to Bermuda. RCI and the captain worked together to allow guests to disembark the ship overnight and provided free shuttle buses if guests wanted to go to New York. A centralized location was also identified for those who wanted to use Uber. Guests were also given the opportunity to disembark and receive a full refund because of the last minute changed itinerary. After the storm changed course, the captain of the Anthem changed the ship’s course from Bermuda to Coco Cay so that the guests would have at least one nice day to lay out on the beach and participate in beach type activities. Great move by the captain! Despite the changed itinerary and not being able to fully enjoy my balcony, I enjoyed being on the ship and stayed on. Besides, where else could I go to have all my meals prepared for me and someone to make up my bed for 7-nights!...just roll with the flow! Oh...we did receive OBC and a future cruise certificate based on the rate paid for the cruise.
October 2019 - 14 Night Caribbean Transatlantic (Southampton To Ft. Lauderdale) Cruise on Independence of the Seas
October 2019 - 5 Night Bermuda (Baltimore Roundtrip) Cruise on Grandeur of the Seas
September 2019 - 9 Night Canada & New England (Cape Liberty Roundtrip) Cruise on Anthem of the Seas
Great Friends Cruise
Overall, if you want to begin your cruise stress free without large crowds, embark after 1:00 p.m. You will still be able to have lunch and explore the ship before the guest assembly drill. In addition to formal night being replaced with Wear Your Best, the other new dress code is Laid Back Lounging that officially allows jeans in the dining room.
Allure of the Seas
Sail date: March 01, 2020
Great relaxing transatlantic cruise
The Allure was scheduled to go into dry dock in Cadiz for a major makeover. Once returned to fleet, new and improved public areas. I enjoyed this 12-night TA cruise that had only one port of call—Malaga. What I did not like was moving clocks up 1-hour at noon on day 3, 4, 6, 7, 9 and 10. No need for breakfast...went straight for lunch.
Go to the 15-minute fountain show and Johnny Rockets for breakfast at least once if you do this cruise. Blue Planet was excellent! You gotta see the tree!!! Suggest seeing Mama Mia during early evening because of its runtime (147 mins.) excluding the time to get to the theater and obtain a seat. Leaves the rest of the evening for dinner and/or other evening events.
Anthem of the Seas
Sail date: September 12, 2019
Overall, if you want to begin your cruise stress free without large crowds, embark after 1:00 p.m. You will still be able to have lunch and explore the ship before the guest assembly drill. In addition to formal night being replaced with Wear Your Best, the other new dress code is Laid Back Lounging that officially allows jeans in the dining room.
Empress of the Seas
Sail date: January 26, 2020
Overall this was a nice celebratory cruise with my friends. Strongly recommend not booking a junior suite on this ship. However, if you want a balcony, your cabin selections are limited because it’s a small ship. Crew and staff learn your name immediately because it’s a very personable ship and they do make you feel welcomed and special regardless of your cruise status.
Anthem of the Seas
Sail date: November 16, 2019
Due to a pending storm, Anthem OTS changed its itinerary from the Caribbean to Bermuda. RCI and the captain worked together to allow guests to disembark the ship overnight and provided free shuttle buses if guests wanted to go to New York. A centralized location was also identified for those who wanted to use Uber. Guests were also given the opportunity to disembark and receive a full refund because of the last minute changed itinerary. After the storm changed course, the captain of the Anthem changed the ship’s course from Bermuda to Coco Cay so that the guests would have at least one nice day to lay out on the beach and participate in beach type activities. Great move by the captain! Despite the changed itinerary and not being able to fully enjoy my balcony, I enjoyed being on the ship and stayed on. Besides, where else could I go to have all my meals prepared for me and someone to make up my bed for 7-nights!...just roll with the flow! Oh...we did receive OBC and a future cruise certificate based on the rate paid for the cruise.
Cruise tips
Trying to beat the midnight travel ban. Spain became a no travel country the next day.
Since I had visited Malaga two days on a previous cruise and did all the touristy stuff to include a horse drawn tour and visiting the museums, this time I was on a personal mission to purchase honey rum. Mission accomplished!
Allure of the Seas
Make sure you take photos from the public balcony on deck 9 near the elevators. There is no signage. Just a heavy door.
Empress of the Seas
If you should encounter a problem whether it be a staff person or your cabin, seek out the Guest Services Manager to address and resolve the concern immediately. Do not wait until you disembark and provide comments in a post survey. Staff truly wants to resolve the concern tothe satisfaction of the Guest but that is not always possible. At least staff had an a opportunity to do right by you.
Take the Belize City By Carriage on your own. This excursion costs $65 per person for adults through the ship. However, if you get off the ship and walk towards the “mall” you will encounter lots of locals vying for your attention. We found a tour company (Seasationalbelize.com) inside that offered us the same tour as a Horse & Buggy tour for $25 per person. The tour guide was knowledgeable and a history buff. It was a great tour and we did not have to wait on a group.
Use the free Duval Loop bus service for self-guided tours. It works like the hop-on-hop off bus but it’s FREE!
Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas
Nice private island. The hot air balloon was grounded because of strong winds.
Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey
While docked at Cape Liberty for two nights because of inclement weather, it provided the opportunity to visit the small park that has the Tears of Grief Memorial. It’s a tear drop sculpture that was given to the U.S.A. by Russia as a memorial to victims of the September 11, 2001 attack. 26-Russians were lost in the attack.
Cape Liberty (Bayonne), New Jersey
Embarkation was a breeze!
Not crazy about being tendered.
Anthem of the Seas
No formal attire necessary since there was not one formal night on this 9-night cruise. The new dress code is "Wear your best. It's time to shine - your way."
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