# RCCL vs DCL : Getting to know RCCL (information and review thread)



## mevelandry

Hi!

*EDIT* After booking a RCCL for the first time after 3 DCL cruises (and a few Carnival cruises), I started this thread. Unfortunately, I do not have much time to update it. However, the infos that were already posted are interesting and can definitely help anyone while booking their cruise. 


*PRIVATE ISLAND*

DCL has Castaway Cay which is situated in the Bahamas. (...)

RCCL has CocoCay which is also situated in the Bahamas. The Island is currently undergoing major expansion in order to add a beach club but a new pier, a pool, new attractions (helium baloon, zip line) and a waterpark are now on site. The waterpark, the Coco Beach Club and Captain Jack's restaurant are extra charge while the rest of the beaches, restaurants, towels, chairs and amenities remain complimentary. 

While it is not a private Island, RCCL also has a property in Labadee (Haiti). Cabanas and bungalows are available for rent. Labadee has a zip line and a slide ride and a water obstacle area for a fee.

If your kids are doing Adventure Ocean, it will be outside in a designated area on Adrenaline Beach. This beach is also on the sea side of Labadee. It’s a bit rocky and crowded though. The adults area (I believe) is further down the beach.

If you like calmer waters and less rocks I recommend taking the (free) water taxi to Columbus Cove.

***Info on Labadee, Adventure Ocean and Columbus Cove - @starvenger***

*THE BOARDING 

Check-in & Boarding out of FLL*

Check in goes very smoothly and quickly. After check-in you go upstairs and all kids must check-in and get a wrist band (whether or not they plan to go to the clubs) to ID their muster station. You then find a seat in a section based on your status. Once boarding starts, section by section is called. It's all very organized (and civil).

***Info by @KashasMom***


*FIRE DRILL




THE CABINS




ITINERARIES




TRANSPORTATION




EXCURSIONS*

RCCL offers discounts on excursions (several times during the course of a year).


*KIDS CLUB*

RCCL Kids Club is called Adventure Ocean. The biggest difference between AO and Oceaneers is that the kids are (usually) separated by smaller age groups - 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11. On some ships, these groups might get smushed together, but if separate, they have their own streamlined programs.

AO is not open during meals, but they do offer to take the kids to lunch on selected days. On Oasis class, they’ll take them up to WindJammer for a small selection of foods. At dinner, they offer a service during first seating by which they’ll come to the MDR and pick up/sign in the kids around 6:30/7-ish.

Like Oceaneers, you have to register the kids so that they can go to AO. There’s no magic band - they simply scan their SeaPass card to check in/out. Again, similar to Oceaneers, you have to list which adults can pick them up. Older kids can sign themselves out (to be confirmed).


Adventure Ocean is split into three age groups as already stated. On smaller ships and during port days on the majority of ships the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups are combined.

There are three different sessions every day that have different themes: a different science and craft and games every session. They run at 9-12, 2-5, and 7-10. Kids can come and go as they please throughout the session and unlike DCL they are strict with their ratio and will stop sign ins once capacity is reached.

During port days advenure ocean will be open all day and any kids will be taken for lunch in the windjammer and have movie time in the break between morning and afternoon session. If there are a small number of kids they may go for a walk around the ship and get ice cream too...

There is also the option for kids to stay for dinner on certain days where they get taken for dinner in the windjammer in the break between afternoon and evening session. Unlike port day lunches kids have to be pre signed up for dinner and it normally only happens on certain days but can vary ship to ship. Normally it's formal nights and days that the ship leaves port late. However some ships offer this every night.

Unlike dcl staterooms do not have wave/dect phones. Nursery kids will always get given a phone/pager at check in, as will 3 year olds and kids with additional needs when there is availability.

After 10pm kids can stay up till 2am, but there is a charge of $7 a child an hour. This is called late night party zone.

On a sea day there are 2 family activities offered and on port days there is one.

Technically any child can be a self signer, meaning they can sign themselves in and out of adventure ocean, but staff may only advertise/suggest for the voyagers (9-11) age group. Older siblings can sign out younger ones. However, when the ship is docked someone over the age of 18 has to drop off and pick up kids from advenure ocean. As soon as the ship is moving again then anyone (authorised) can sign in and out again.Is split into three age groups as already stated. On smaller ships and during port days on the majority of ships the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups are combined.

There are three different sessions every day that have different themes: a different science and craft and games every session. They run at 9-12, 2-5, and 7-10. Kids can come and go as they please throughout the session and unlike DCL they are strict with their ratio and will stop sign ins once capacity is reached.

During port days advenure ocean will be open all day and any kids will be taken for lunch in the windjammer and have movie time in the break between morning and afternoon session. If there are a small number of kids they may go for a walk around the ship and get ice cream too...

There is also the option for kids to stay for dinner on certain days where they get taken for dinner in the windjammer in the break between afternoon and evening session. Unlike port day lunches kids have to be pre signed up for dinner and it normally only happens on certain days but can vary ship to ship. Normally it's formal nights and days that the ship leaves port late. However some ships offer this every night.

Unlike dcl staterooms do not have wave/dect phones. Nursery kids will always get given a phone/pager at check in, as will 3 year olds and kids with additional needs when there is availability.

After 10pm kids can stay up till 2am, but there is a charge of $7 a child an hour. This is called late night party zone.

On a sea day there are 2 family activities offered and on port days there is one.

Technically any child can be a self signer, meaning they can sign themselves in and out of adventure ocean, but staff may only advertise/suggest for the voyagers (9-11) age group. Older siblings can sign out younger ones. However, when the ship is docked someone over the age of 18 has to drop off and pick up kids from advenure ocean. As soon as the ship is moving again then anyone (authorised) can sign in and out again.

***Info by [COLOR=#666600]@starvenger[/COLOR] and @bbel   ***

*COMPLIMENTARY ACTIVITIES*

bumper cars
Flow Rider
Carousel
Rock climbing wall
Ice skating
Trivia
Madagascar greets/shows
Mardi Gras type parade
3D theater (Harmony of the Seas)
water aerobics
volley ball

***Info by @KashasMom and @mevelandry ***

*ACTIVITIES NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE ($)*

Scuba lessons
cupcake or sushi making class
galley tour and brunch
wines around the world
iFly (Sky diving simulation)
North Star

***Info by @KashasMom  and @angelinaxox   ***

*SHOWS*

Ice skating shows
Aqua/diving shows.
Aqua show with the Madagascar characters (Allure of the Seas)
Musicals

If you go on an Oasis class ship it's recommended that you reserve at least your shows in advance (and you should!). It can be daunting the first time especially when you don't know what else might be going on at that time. Take a look at the Cruise Compass of our itinerary and compare that to sea/port days. There are stand-by lines for each show.

***Info by @KashasMom***

*MOVIES*

You can watch Dive-in Movies on the giant screen near the main pool. 

*POOLS*

3 family pools
Good sized-kids' pool
splash zone
wave pool

***Info by @KashasMom***

*ADULT ONLY*

The "Solarium Pool" is adult only. 


*SPA



COMPLIMENTARY DINING *

If you don't reserve specialty dining in advance it's usually easy enough to reserve around
your show times as soon as you board. You can make changes to reservations if you need to either before you cruise or once on board.

***Info by @KashasMom ***


*SPECIALTY DINING ($)*

_Johnny Rockets_ - at sea branch of the American burger chain. Depending on the ship, you either pay a la carte or a fixed fee. Burgers are cooked on a flattop. Per the RC Blog, shakes are rumoured to be included in the beverage package. On Oasis class ships, JR offers breakfast for free.

_Izumi _- Japanese food. Hibachi grill is a fixed fee, the regular restaurant is (I believe) a la carte on all ships.

_Samba Grill_ - Brazilian steakhouse on Allure. Fixed fee, located at the Solarium Bistro.

_Giovanni’s_ - Italian food, fixed fee

_Jamie’s Italian _- at sea branch of the Jamie Oliver chain. Fixed fee.

_Chops _- Steakhouse. Fixed fee. More the Keg than Ruth’s Chris.

_Wonderland_ - Molecular Gastronomy. Fixed fee. On the newer ships

_Sabor_ - Mexican/Tex-Mex. Can be a la carte or fixed fee, depending on the ship.

_150 Park Fare_ - ??? Fixed Fee.

_Chef’s Table _- Tasting menu (?). Fixed fee


***INFO by @starvenger ***


*CAFÉS/COFFEE SHOPS


INCLUDED BEVERAGES & PACKAGES ($)*

-Cafe select coffee card

-Classic Soda Package (Coca-Cola Souvenir Cup, fountain sodas and soda from freestyle machines included). 

-Refreshment Package (Fresh-squeezed juices, premium coffees and teas, mocktails, sparkling water, Coca-Cola Souvenir Cup, fountain sodas and soda from freestyle machines included). 

-Deluxe Package (Fresh-squeezed juices, premium coffees and teas --except Starbucks--, mocktails, sparkling water, Coca-Cola Souvenir Cup, fountain sodas and soda from freestyle machines, cocktails, frozen cocktails, beer and wines by the glass included). 


*ROOM SERVICE*

DCL room service is free.

RCCL is available 24h/day. They charge 7,95$ per order and a 18% tip is additional and will automatically be added to your check.

***Info by @mevelandry***


*SHOPS



GIFTS *

You can order gits online to be delivered in your room. 


*INTERNET *

Voom Surf and Stream. Packages prices may vary per sailing.


*CAST MEMBERS/STAFF*

Nice and helpful.

***Info by @KashasMom***


*DISEMBARKATION


*********ROLL CALL********

2018*

August,  2018 - @Frozen2014  - 4 night Bahamas - Mariner of the Seas
August 26, 2018 - @starvenger - 7 nights Western Caribbean - Allure of the Seas
September, 2018 - @Denise W - 7 nights Bermuda - Serenade of the Seas
September 16, 2018 - @anjuan - 7 nights Caribbean - Allure of the Seas
October 28, 2018 - @tortoni - 7 nights Eastern Caribbean - Allure of the Seas *Halloween Cruise*
October 29, 2018 - @Terri - Brilliance of the Seas
November 3, 2018 - @KashasMom  - 7 night Western Caribbean - Harmony of the Seas
November 25, 2018 - @ZerasPride  - 7 nights Western Caribbean - Oasis of the Seas  *Happy 25th Anniversary Cruise!*



*2019*

April 9, 2019 - @3monkeys4me - 8 night South Pacific - Ovation of the Seas
January, 2019 - @Denise W - Back to back 7 days Eastern and Western Caribbean - Symphony of the Seas
Mar 2019 - @Frozen2014 - 7 nights Western Caribbean - Symphony of the Seas
June, 2019 - @Club Disney Chandler - 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean, Anthem of the Seas
July, 2019 - @Denise W - 9 nights Caribbean - Anthem of the Seas
October 11, 2019 - @mevelandry - 3 nights Bahamas - Mariner of the Seas



*2020*

January 12, 2020 - @mevelandry - 6 nights Western Caribbean - Adventure of the Seas

Mar 2020 - @Frozen2014 - 7 nights Bahamas - Anthem of the Seas
December 2020- @mevelandry - 3 nights Bahamas - Mariner of the Seas


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## hdrolfe

RCL also has Labadee as a private island (though of course it's not it's own island, a private port?). Room service comes at a cost now, except for the continental breakfast.


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## starvenger

I call Labadee a private peninsula. Cabanas and bungalows can be rented similar to Castaway Cay (CC). 

Labadee has a zip line and a slide ride, for extra cost of course. There is also a water obstacle area for a fee. 

If your kids are doing Adventure Ocean, it will be outside in a designated area on Adrenaline Beach. This beach is also on the sea side of Labadee. It’s a bit rocky and crowded though. The adults area (I believe) is further down the beach. 

If you like calmer waters and less rocks I recommend taking the (free) water taxi to Columbus Cove.


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## KashasMom

starvenger said:


> I call Labadee a private peninsula. Cabanas and bungalows can be rented similar to Castaway Cay (CC).
> 
> Labadee has a zip line and a slide ride, for extra cost of course. There is also a water obstacle area for a fee.
> 
> If your kids are doing Adventure Ocean, it will be outside in a designated area on Adrenaline Beach. This beach is also on the sea side of Labadee. It’s a bit rocky and crowded though. The adults area (I believe) is further down the beach.
> 
> If you like calmer waters and less rocks I recommend taking the (free) water taxi to Columbus Cove.



Please tell me more about Columbus Cove! Family beach? Water taxi from the area where all the boat excursions start? Have only been to Labadee twice. Once our family stayed on the beach and once daughter and I went on an excursion to Paradise Cove, which we loved. Only complaint was that it was too short! The water was gorgeous though and loved floating on the mats and relaxing. I was planning for us to stay on board when Harmony was in Labadee in November but may reconsider if Columbus Cove is nice. Thanks!


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## starvenger

Yes, it’s a family beach. There’s an area towards the end that are for bungalows, but lots of room for family. There are quite a few trees around that provide some nice shade. 

The taxi, I think is at a different location than the excursion boats. You’ll see it before you reach the end of the pier.


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## KashasMom

This info applies to the Oasis & Allure:

Check-in & Boarding out of FLL:
Check in goes very smoothly and quickly. After check-in you go upstairs and all kids must check-in and get a wrist band (whether or not they plan to go to the clubs) to ID their muster station. You then find a seat in a section based on your RCI status. Once boarding starts, section by section is called. It's all very organized (and civil)!

Excursions:
We usually book our own excursions but have done a few through RCI. We booked a Sea Turtle Release in Cozumel with RCI because at the time I only found it through them. Last year when my daughter and I cruised alone we booked tubing on the Rio Bueno in Falmouth, a dolphin excursion at Chankanaab in Cozumel, and an excursion to Paradise Cove in Labadee. All of the excursions were excellent. We waited to book until RCI offered discounts on excursions, which they do several times during the course of a year.

Complimentary Activities:
My daughter (she doesn't do kids' clubs on any cruise line) loved the carousel and rock climbing wall. She wasn't tall enough to do the flow rider without the boogie board so didn't want to do that but she's looking forward to doing it standing up in November. She hasn't gone ice skating yet but will likely do that in November as well. We really liked the shows, played some trivia, enjoyed the Madagascar greets/shows and enjoyed the Mardi Gras type parade around the promenade but we spent most of our time in the pool (love that they have so many on each ship). I also love that they have live music on the pool deck. Looking forward to the 3D theater on the Harmony too.

Shows:
We love the ice skating shows and the aqua/diving shows. There were 2 of each on our Allure cruise including an aqua show with the Madagascar characters. We also enjoy the musicals - very good productions. There is usually another main production show as well.

Pools:
This is a BIGGIE for us (as you might know from reading some of my posts complaining about the Disney pool). There are 3 family pools plus a good sized-kids' pool as well as a cool splash zone and a wave pool (think that's what it's called). We spent most of our time in
what is considered the sports pool. There was enough space to swim and it was never crowded. They offered water aerobics and volley ball
each day. They also had (for fee) scuba lessons there.

Complimentary dining:
On our last cruise we ate at the specialty restaurants 4 nights out of 7. The other 3 nights we ate at the buffet. It's easy and there are a lot of choices - some good, some okay. We had lunch at the buffet, Wipe Out Cafe, or Park Cafe. Park Cafe has a lot of options - salads, sandwiches, etc. and is good. Breakfast we ate in the buffet, Park Cafe, or Johnny Rockets. For snacks we ate at Cafe Promendade, Boardwalk Dog House, or Sorrento's. Food was usually good to very good and even if we had't gone to the specialty restaurants, we would have been satisfied.

Specialty Dining:
We never did specialty dining before but on our Allure cruise they offered a great deal the day we boarded. We took the 3 restaurant
package. My daughter (then 8) would either be free or small charge depending on what she ate. I loved that she could go to the specialty
restaurants with me and since it was just the two of us traveling it really was a special time for us. We selected Chops, Izumi (hibachi) and Giovanni's Table. We found out after we booked those that our TA had gifted us with a specialty restaurant so we choose 150 Central Park. We had a lot of fun at Izumi's and I loved the food at Chops. But 150 Central Park? Wow! It was such a great experience. We were seated in very high back chairs at a table for two. They had a sampler of 6 salts from around the world that you added to your unsalted butter for your bread. We had fun comparing all the salts and choosing our favorites. The service there was excellent. And the warm donuts for dessert? Who knew they could make donuts so delicious? In the end they charged very little for my daughter - nothing in Giovanni's, and little in the others, even though she always ate off the adult menu. It was definitely worth it for us. One other meal we enjoyed was the Madagascar character chocolate breakfast ($10 each). We'll be doing it again!

Shops:
Lots of shops and sales. We're not big shoppers so we didn't buy much although they did have a few nice things. The sales are one of the things that Disney people complain about but honestly it's easy to avoid (as are the smoke and the casino).

Staff:
We found everyone to be nice and helpful. We didn't have the same dining team each night but that's never been very important to us. If it is, I believe you can ask for the same team (in the same dining room).

Booking Dining/Entertainment:
If you go on an Oasis class ship it's recommended that you reserve at least your shows in advance (and you should!). It can be daunting the first time especially when you don't know what else might be going on at that time. What I do is look at the most recent Cruise Compass of our itinerary and compare that to sea/port days. If you don't reserve specialty dining in advance it's usually easy enough to reserve around
your show times as soon as you board. You can make changes to reservations if you need to either before you cruise or once on board. There are stand-by lines for each show but I'm more comfortable booking and getting a good seat!

Roll Call:
2018 - November 3rd - 7 night Western Caribbean - Harmony of the Seas


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## Club Disney Chandler

Add us to the roll call:

9 night Bermuda and Caribbean, Anthem of the Seas, June 2019


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## starvenger

*Adventure Ocean:*
The biggest difference between AO and Oceaneers is that the kids are (usually) separated by smaller age groups - 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11. On some ships, these groups might get smushed together, but if separate, they have their own streamlined programs.

AO is not open during meals, but they do offer to take the kids to  lunch on selected days. On Oasis class, they’ll take them up to WindJammer for a small selection of foods. At dinner, they offer a service during first seating by which they’ll come to the MDR and pick up/sign in the kids around 6:30/7-ish.

Like Oceaneers, you have to register the kids so that they can go to AO. There’s no magic band - they simply scan their SeaPass card to check in/out. Again, similar to Oceaneers, you have to list which adults can pick them up. I believe older kids can sign themselves out, but I don’t know for certain.

FYI, I’m on Allure in less than a month. Will see what stuff I can grab to help out here.

*Lanyards:*
I believe Royal will give out lanyards upon request. For the newer ships like Harmony and Symphony, they use RFID so if you have your DCL lanyards (with pouch) they will be perfect. Older ships use a mag stripe and can get hole punched to use with a lanyard. My observations have shown that a typical DCL lanyard raises no eyebrows among your fellow cruisers. A blingy lanyard - that’s apparently a topic of conversation.


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## 3monkeys4me

You can add us to the roll call... 4/9/19 Ovation of the Seas, 8 night South Pacific

I'll try to add more info later. 

Lanyards - We are planning on trying out the WOW bands on Ovation... Available on Quantum Class and Harmony I believe. $5 each and the take the place of a Sea Pass card, except for exiting and reentering the ship in Port.


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## ZerasPride

This is such a nice thread!! Thanks OP!

Lanyards - I bought a cute Coach lanyard for myself on sale and DH says he doesn't need one. 

Roll call - We are sailing on the Oasis of the Seas on November 25, 2018 Western itinerary for 7 nights to celebrate our 25th anniversary.


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## Denise W

Roll call:
Just completed Brilliance of the Seas 12 night Baltics cruise
Sept 2018 Serenade of the Seas 7 day to Bermuda
Jan 2019 Symphony of the Seas. Back to back 7 days east and west Caribbean
July 2019 Anthem of the Seas 9 day Caribbean
Denise


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## KashasMom

Denise W said:


> Roll call:
> Just completed Brilliance of the Seas 12 night Baltics cruise
> Sept 2018 Serenade of the Seas 7 day to Bermuda
> Jan 2019 Symphony of the Seas. Back to back 7 days east and west Caribbean
> July 2019 Anthem of the Seas 9 day Caribbean
> Denise


 
We did a 13 night Baltic on the Serenade 2 years ago - best cruise ever! Amazing itinerary!
Jealous of your b to b! Looking at Symphony for Jan 2019 as well. It's either that or the Anthem but not thrilled with the Anthem itinerary for Jan but...no flying in Jan is a big plus!


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## Club Disney Chandler

3monkeys4me said:


> You can add us to the roll call... 4/9/19 Ovation of the Seas, 8 night South Pacific
> 
> I'll try to add more info later.
> 
> Lanyards - We are planning on trying out the WOW bands on Ovation... Available on Quantum Class and Harmony I believe. $5 each and the take the place of a Sea Pass card, except for exiting and reentering the ship in Port.


That itinerary looks amazing!  Please come back here and give a review when you return, I’d love to read about your adventures. I love living vacations through others experiences.


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## 3monkeys4me

Club Disney Chandler said:


> That itinerary looks amazing!  Please come back here and give a review when you return, I’d love to read about your adventures. I love living vacations through others experiences.



I will update! To be honest we were a bit disappointed with the itinerary to begin with. We were originally booked on the cruise before, 10 nights to New Zealand which we were really looking forward to, But we had to switch due to a school commitment with my oldest daughter. We are really looking forward to it now though. Hopefully we will ge a chance to do New Zealand in a few years.


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## mevelandry

hdrolfe said:


> RCL also has Labadee as a private island (though of course it's not it's own island, a private port?). Room service comes at a cost now, except for the continental breakfast.



This post just reminded me I should totally add Amber Cove to the Carnival Thread.


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## mevelandry

starvenger said:


> I call Labadee a private peninsula. Cabanas and bungalows can be rented similar to Castaway Cay (CC).
> 
> Labadee has a zip line and a slide ride, for extra cost of course. There is also a water obstacle area for a fee.
> 
> If your kids are doing Adventure Ocean, it will be outside in a designated area on Adrenaline Beach. This beach is also on the sea side of Labadee. It’s a bit rocky and crowded though. The adults area (I believe) is further down the beach.
> 
> If you like calmer waters and less rocks I recommend taking the (free) water taxi to Columbus Cove.



Thanks, I copy-pasted those info in the section.


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## mevelandry

Club Disney Chandler said:


> Add us to the roll call:
> 
> 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean, Anthem of the Seas, June 2019



Done!


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## mevelandry

3monkeys4me said:


> *You can add us to the roll call... 4/9/19 Ovation of the Seas, 8 night South Pacific*
> 
> I'll try to add more info later.
> 
> Lanyards - We are planning on trying out the WOW bands on Ovation... Available on Quantum Class and Harmony I believe. $5 each and the take the place of a Sea Pass card, except for exiting and reentering the ship in Port.



Done!


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## mevelandry

Denise W said:


> Roll call:
> Just completed Brilliance of the Seas 12 night Baltics cruise
> Sept 2018 Serenade of the Seas 7 day to Bermuda
> Jan 2019 Symphony of the Seas. Back to back 7 days east and west Caribbean
> July 2019 Anthem of the Seas 9 day Caribbean
> Denise



Added all of them!


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## mevelandry

ZerasPride said:


> This is such a nice thread!! Thanks OP!
> 
> Lanyards - I bought a cute Coach lanyard for myself on sale and DH says he doesn't need one.
> 
> Roll call - We are sailing on the Oasis of the Seas on November 25, 2018 Western itinerary for 7 nights to celebrate our 25th anniversary.



Done! 

And Happy Anniversary!


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## mevelandry

KashasMom said:


> This info applies to the Oasis & Allure:
> 
> Check-in & Boarding out of FLL:
> Check in goes very smoothly and quickly. After check-in you go upstairs and all kids must check-in and get a wrist band (whether or not they plan to go to the clubs) to ID their muster station. You then find a seat in a section based on your RCI status. Once boarding starts, section by section is called. It's all very organized (and civil)!
> 
> Excursions:
> We usually book our own excursions but have done a few through RCI. We booked a Sea Turtle Release in Cozumel with RCI because at the time I only found it through them. Last year when my daughter and I cruised alone we booked tubing on the Rio Bueno in Falmouth, a dolphin excursion at Chankanaab in Cozumel, and an excursion to Paradise Cove in Labadee. All of the excursions were excellent. We waited to book until RCI offered discounts on excursions, which they do several times during the course of a year.
> 
> Complimentary Activities:
> My daughter (she doesn't do kids' clubs on any cruise line) loved the carousel and rock climbing wall. She wasn't tall enough to do the flow rider without the boogie board so didn't want to do that but she's looking forward to doing it standing up in November. She hasn't gone ice skating yet but will likely do that in November as well. We really liked the shows, played some trivia, enjoyed the Madagascar greets/shows and enjoyed the Mardi Gras type parade around the promenade but we spent most of our time in the pool (love that they have so many on each ship). I also love that they have live music on the pool deck. Looking forward to the 3D theater on the Harmony too.
> 
> Shows:
> We love the ice skating shows and the aqua/diving shows. There were 2 of each on our Allure cruise including an aqua show with the Madagascar characters. We also enjoy the musicals - very good productions. There is usually another main production show as well.
> 
> Pools:
> This is a BIGGIE for us (as you might know from reading some of my posts complaining about the Disney pool). There are 3 family pools plus a good sized-kids' pool as well as a cool splash zone and a wave pool (think that's what it's called). We spent most of our time in
> what is considered the sports pool. There was enough space to swim and it was never crowded. They offered water aerobics and volley ball
> each day. They also had (for fee) scuba lessons there.
> 
> Complimentary dining:
> On our last cruise we ate at the specialty restaurants 4 nights out of 7. The other 3 nights we ate at the buffet. It's easy and there are a lot of choices - some good, some okay. We had lunch at the buffet, Wipe Out Cafe, or Park Cafe. Park Cafe has a lot of options - salads, sandwiches, etc. and is good. Breakfast we ate in the buffet, Park Cafe, or Johnny Rockets. For snacks we ate at Cafe Promendade, Boardwalk Dog House, or Sorrento's. Food was usually good to very good and even if we had't gone to the specialty restaurants, we would have been satisfied.
> 
> Specialty Dining:
> We never did specialty dining before but on our Allure cruise they offered a great deal the day we boarded. We took the 3 restaurant
> package. My daughter (then 8) would either be free or small charge depending on what she ate. I loved that she could go to the specialty
> restaurants with me and since it was just the two of us traveling it really was a special time for us. We selected Chops, Izumi (hibachi) and Giovanni's Table. We found out after we booked those that our TA had gifted us with a specialty restaurant so we choose 150 Central Park. We had a lot of fun at Izumi's and I loved the food at Chops. But 150 Central Park? Wow! It was such a great experience. We were seated in very high back chairs at a table for two. They had a sampler of 6 salts from around the world that you added to your unsalted butter for your bread. We had fun comparing all the salts and choosing our favorites. The service there was excellent. And the warm donuts for dessert? Who knew they could make donuts so delicious? In the end they charged very little for my daughter - nothing in Giovanni's, and little in the others, even though she always ate off the adult menu. It was definitely worth it for us. One other meal we enjoyed was the Madagascar character chocolate breakfast ($10 each). We'll be doing it again!
> 
> Shops:
> Lots of shops and sales. We're not big shoppers so we didn't buy much although they did have a few nice things. The sales are one of the things that Disney people complain about but honestly it's easy to avoid (as are the smoke and the casino).
> 
> Staff:
> We found everyone to be nice and helpful. We didn't have the same dining team each night but that's never been very important to us. If it is, I believe you can ask for the same team (in the same dining room).
> 
> Booking Dining/Entertainment:
> If you go on an Oasis class ship it's recommended that you reserve at least your shows in advance (and you should!). It can be daunting the first time especially when you don't know what else might be going on at that time. What I do is look at the most recent Cruise Compass of our itinerary and compare that to sea/port days. If you don't reserve specialty dining in advance it's usually easy enough to reserve around
> your show times as soon as you board. You can make changes to reservations if you need to either before you cruise or once on board. There are stand-by lines for each show but I'm more comfortable booking and getting a good seat!
> 
> Roll Call:
> 2018 - November 3rd - 7 night Western Caribbean - Harmony of the Seas




I added your date to the Roll Call. 

I also read your review and cherry-picked infos here and there that I added to the original post.


----------



## KashasMom

ZerasPride said:


> This is such a nice thread!! Thanks OP!
> 
> Lanyards - I bought a cute Coach lanyard for myself on sale and DH says he doesn't need one.
> 
> Roll call - We are sailing on the Oasis of the Seas on November 25, 2018 Western itinerary for 7 nights to celebrate our 25th anniversary.



Happy Anniversary!


----------



## starvenger

I’m on Allure Aug 26. If anyone has something specific they want me to find out let me know and I’ll do my best to get that info to you.


----------



## ZerasPride

KashasMom said:


> Happy Anniversary!



Thanks!


----------



## ZerasPride

mevelandry said:


> Done!
> 
> And Happy Anniversary!



Thanks for adding us to the roll call and for the happy anniversary wishes! So excited about this trip!


----------



## starvenger

*Coffee*
The free stuff is real drip coffee, as opposed to whatever they’ve got on DCL. It’s still not great coffee, but it’s drinkable. But if you like coffee and don’t want to pay premium prices, buy some Starbucks Via or bring a French Press. 

On my last cruise on Harmony, they gave out paper cups by request only. If you like walking around with coffee, consider bringing a travellers mug. 

The upcharge stuff is at cafe promenade (and other locations?) They serve Starbucks unless there is a Starbucks kiosk on board - they serve Seattle’s Best if this is the case. They serve the usual. I think you can make your coffee “Irish”, but I can’t remember for certain.


----------



## mevelandry

starvenger said:


> I’m on Allure Aug 26. If anyone has something specific they want me to find out let me know and I’ll do my best to get that info to you.



Added!


----------



## mevelandry

As you may have noticed, I added credits to the information received on the thread. If many people give info regarding a subject, I will add more names without being too specific on who said what, though. 

I'm tempted to add infos that sound more like reviews with credit as well.


----------



## DaddysPrincess

Aw this is making me miss cruising right now. I've never done a Disney cruise; however, I've been on 2 royal carribean, 2 carnival, and 1 celebrity (which is technically also royal caribbean). 
Royal is definitely my favorite. Has a good balance between young/fun and older/relaxed vibes. Ngl tho, I think carnival actually has better food -- pizza pirate is my jam 
Fyi stingray season is may-Sept (although I'm sure you Floridians know this). My bf had to go to the ER in cozumel *on his birthday *last year thanks to one of those suckers! Terrifying then, great story now.


----------



## Frozen2014

You can add us..
August 2018 - 4 night Bahamas on Mariner of the Seas
Mar 2019 - 7 night Western Caribbean on Symphony of the Seas
Mar 2020 - 7 night Bahamas on Anthem of the Seas

Thanks.


----------



## mevelandry

DaddysPrincess said:


> Aw this is making me miss cruising right now. I've never done a Disney cruise; however, I've been on 2 royal carribean, 2 carnival, and 1 celebrity (which is technically also royal caribbean).
> Royal is definitely my favorite. Has a good balance between young/fun and older/relaxed vibes. Ngl tho, I think carnival actually has better food -- pizza pirate is my jam
> Fyi stingray season is may-Sept (although I'm sure you Floridians know this). *My bf had to go to the ER in cozumel on his birthday last year thanks to one of those suckers! Terrifying then, great story now.*



Please tell me what happened!


----------



## mevelandry

Frozen2014 said:


> You can add us..
> August 2018 - 4 night Bahamas on Mariner of the Seas
> Mar 2019 - 7 night Western Caribbean on Symphony of the Seas
> Mar 2020 - 7 night Bahamas on Anthem of the Seas
> 
> Thanks.



Done!


----------



## DaddysPrincess

mevelandry said:


> Please tell me what happened!


I'll try to keep it short but it's crazy so...

We booked a snorkeling excursion with Fury Catamarans (can't remember if it was thru RC or not) that included a private-ish beach break w/ those giant inflatable "parks" to play on. The snorkeling was amazing, we were having a wonderful morning. After snorkeling, we are taken to the beach park. I lounge in a hammock, bf enjoys a burger, and we decide to go play on the inflatables. Mind you, there is already quite a few people who are playing out there, enjoying the "park" & swimming about. No joke, we chose the closest slide and bf went down first. I was at the top of the slide when bf resurfaced and yelled "don't come down the slide! Something just cut me!" I meet him on the shore, by that time it was bleeding like crazy & people started crowding. So bf is looking for a cut and starts saying it _hurts _*bad *(he's a tough guy so if he's hurting, I believe him). He notices a tiny dot on the top of his "index" toe .. looks at the bottom and says "something's punctured my toe! It went thru my toe!" I immediately knew it was a stingray but we couldn't be sure since it obviously swam off. By this time, poor bf is in excruciating pain and threw up right there on the beach. He said he could _feel _the venom coursing thru him. So our catamaran director said he'd either take us to the ship or the hospital. I decided the hospital since they probably see this kind of thing more often.
We get in some dude's old Mazda pickup, no muffler and start hauling a$$. THEN he says, we have to switch vehicles! He slams to a stop behind a tiny white car with no license plate and beeps his horn. The driver of the white car ushers us in but first clears out the backseat of all the beercans so my giant bf had more room. We take off again, by now I'm praying we're actually going to a hospital because it was getting sketchy. We arrive at the hospital, they put his foot in the hottest water bf could stand & he immediately got relief. Apparently hot water is the treatment for stingrays so this is how we officially knew what it was. We were there for a few hours, until he could keep his foot out of the hot water for 20 minutes without the pain returning. The most amazing part was Fury Catamaran. The driver stayed at the hospital til we were discharged and they even paid his hospital bill!! We still had a few hours of port time left so he took us to a place with strong, cheap drinks. 
Needless to say, bf instantly became a celebrity on the ship. Everyone called him stingray or Steve irwin lol whew that was long, sorry


----------



## angelinaxox

I can add a couple of pay activities that can be booked. Some activities that were bookable for the cruise I am on currently and have a charge are cupcake or sushi making class, galley tour and brunch, and wines around the world activity (which I hadn’t seen before).

I did the sushi class last summer on the Anthem and did it again today on the Rhapsody. I enjoyed it both times I have done this activity.


----------



## starvenger

Specialty Restaurants:
Johnny Rockets - at sea branch of the American burger chain. Depending on the ship, you either pay a la carte or a fixed fee. Burgers are cooked on a flattop. Per the RC Blog, shakes are rumoured to be included in the beverage package. On Oasis class ships, JR offers breakfast for free.

Izumi - Japanese food. Hibachi grill is a fixed fee, the regular restaurant is (I believe) a la carte on all ships.

Samba Grill - Brazilian steakhouse on Allure. Fixed fee, located at the Solarium Bistro.

Giovanni’s - Italian food, fixed fee

Jamie’s Italian - at sea branch of the Jamie Oliver chain. Fixed fee.

Chops - Steakhouse. Fixed fee. More the Keg than Ruth’s Chris.

Wonderland - Molecular Gastronomy. Fixed fee. On the newer ships

Sabor - Mexican/Tex-Mex. Can be a la carte or fixed fee, depending on the ship.

150 Park Fare - ??? Fixed Fee.

Chef’s Table - Tasting menu (?). Fixed fee


----------



## mevelandry

starvenger said:


> Specialty Restaurants:
> Johnny Rockets - at sea branch of the American burger chain. Depending on the ship, you either pay a la carte or a fixed fee. Burgers are cooked on a flattop. Per the RC Blog, shakes are rumoured to be included in the beverage package. On Oasis class ships, JR offers breakfast for free.
> 
> Izumi - Japanese food. Hibachi grill is a fixed fee, the regular restaurant is (I believe) a la carte on all ships.
> 
> Samba Grill - Brazilian steakhouse on Allure. Fixed fee, located at the Solarium Bistro.
> 
> Giovanni’s - Italian food, fixed fee
> 
> Jamie’s Italian - at sea branch of the Jamie Oliver chain. Fixed fee.
> 
> Chops - Steakhouse. Fixed fee. More the Keg than Ruth’s Chris.
> 
> Wonderland - Molecular Gastronomy. Fixed fee. On the newer ships
> 
> Sabor - Mexican/Tex-Mex. Can be a la carte or fixed fee, depending on the ship.
> 
> 150 Park Fare - ??? Fixed Fee.
> 
> Chef’s Table - Tasting menu (?). Fixed fee



Thank you so much! I just added your list to the original post. 

Whenever I get the chance, I will try to find out the prices for those restaurants and add them!


----------



## mevelandry

DaddysPrincess said:


> I'll try to keep it short but it's crazy so...
> 
> We booked a snorkeling excursion with Fury Catamarans (can't remember if it was thru RC or not) that included a private-ish beach break w/ those giant inflatable "parks" to play on. The snorkeling was amazing, we were having a wonderful morning. After snorkeling, we are taken to the beach park. I lounge in a hammock, bf enjoys a burger, and we decide to go play on the inflatables. Mind you, there is already quite a few people who are playing out there, enjoying the "park" & swimming about. No joke, we chose the closest slide and bf went down first. I was at the top of the slide when bf resurfaced and yelled "don't come down the slide! Something just cut me!" I meet him on the shore, by that time it was bleeding like crazy & people started crowding. So bf is looking for a cut and starts saying it _hurts _*bad *(he's a tough guy so if he's hurting, I believe him). He notices a tiny dot on the top of his "index" toe .. looks at the bottom and says "something's punctured my toe! It went thru my toe!" I immediately knew it was a stingray but we couldn't be sure since it obviously swam off. By this time, poor bf is in excruciating pain and threw up right there on the beach. He said he could _feel _the venom coursing thru him. So our catamaran director said he'd either take us to the ship or the hospital. I decided the hospital since they probably see this kind of thing more often.
> We get in some dude's old Mazda pickup, no muffler and start hauling a$$. THEN he says, we have to switch vehicles! He slams to a stop behind a tiny white car with no license plate and beeps his horn. The driver of the white car ushers us in but first clears out the backseat of all the beercans so my giant bf had more room. We take off again, by now I'm praying we're actually going to a hospital because it was getting sketchy. We arrive at the hospital, they put his foot in the hottest water bf could stand & he immediately got relief. Apparently hot water is the treatment for stingrays so this is how we officially knew what it was. We were there for a few hours, until he could keep his foot out of the hot water for 20 minutes without the pain returning. The most amazing part was Fury Catamaran. The driver stayed at the hospital til we were discharged and they even paid his hospital bill!! We still had a few hours of port time left so he took us to a place with strong, cheap drinks.
> Needless to say, bf instantly became a celebrity on the ship. Everyone called him stingray or Steve irwin lol whew that was long, sorry



Ooouchhhh!!! :/


----------



## mevelandry

angelinaxox said:


> I can add a couple of pay activities that can be booked. Some activities that were bookable for the cruise I am on currently and have a charge are cupcake or sushi making class, galley tour and brunch, and wines around the world activity (which I hadn’t seen before).
> 
> I did the sushi class last summer on the Anthem and did it again today on the Rhapsody. I enjoyed it both times I have done this activity.



Thanks I added this in the "Activities with a fee" section.


----------



## hdrolfe

mevelandry said:


> Thank you so much! I just added your list to the original post.
> 
> Whenever I get the chance, I will try to find out the prices for those restaurants and add them!



The prices vary a bit by ship, and also if you buy a package, which can go on sale.


----------



## anjuan

You can add me to the roll call for September 16, 2018- 7 day Caribbean on Allure.  This will be my first RCI cruise and my first child-free cruise so I'm excited to try something new!


----------



## mevelandry

anjuan said:


> You can add me to the roll call for September 16, 2018- 7 day Caribbean on Allure.  This will be my first RCI cruise and my first child-free cruise so I'm excited to try something new!



Done!


----------



## DisKaren

starvenger said:


> Specialty Restaurants:
> Johnny Rockets - at sea branch of the American burger chain. Depending on the ship, you either pay a la carte or a fixed fee. Burgers are cooked on a flattop. Per the RC Blog, shakes are rumoured to be included in the beverage package.



We are currently on the Oasis. On the 1st day of our cruise Johnny Rockets told us that we could get free shakes with both the Refreshment drink package and Deluxe drink package.  The 2nd cruise day they said there was a misunderstanding — only the deluxe plan included shakes. If you have the Refreshment package you have to buy a meal to get a free shake. The 3rd day we were told that even if you have the deluxe plan you have to buy a meal to get a free shake. We pulled up Royal’s website which said they were included on the deluxe plan and went to Guest Services to find out what the deal was. They said they were included, and they called JR’s in front of us. JRs told them they changed their policy. I nicely told the man at Guest Services that they should change the info on their site, and he agreed.  We are having a fabulous time otherwise!!!  It’s going to be hard to leave tomorrow. Let me know if I can answer any questions!


----------



## mevelandry

DisKaren said:


> We are currently on the Oasis. On the 1st day of our cruise Johnny Rockets told us that we could get free shakes with both the Refreshment drink package and Deluxe drink package.  The 2nd cruise day they said there was a misunderstanding — only the deluxe plan included shakes. If you have the Refreshment package you have to buy a meal to get a free shake. The 3rd day we were told that even if you have the deluxe plan you have to buy a meal to get a free shake. We pulled up Royal’s website which said they were included on the deluxe plan and went to Guest Services to find out what the deal was. They said they were included, and they called JR’s in front of us. JRs told them they changed their policy. I nicely told the man at Guest Services that they should change the info on their site, and he agreed.  We are having a fabulous time otherwise!!!  It’s going to be hard to leave tomorrow. Let me know if I can answer any questions!



I'll get back to you.


----------



## Terri

You can add us the roll call, too.   I just booked our very first ever cruise on Brilliance of the Sea!  We're on the Oct 29 5 day sailing.


----------



## mevelandry

Terri said:


> You can add us the roll call, too.   I just booked our very first ever cruise on Brilliance of the Sea!  We're on the Oct 29 5 day sailing.



You're on the list now!   I'm envious. We were supposed to sail on Brilliance of the Seas last year but had a change of plan.


----------



## bbel

Other complimentary activities: 
Laser tag on select ships (I think Indy, Mariner and Symphony) 
Sky Pad (virtual reality trampolines) (Indy and Mariner) 

Then for a fee there's the escape rooms. 

Other 'shows' throughout the cruise include: 
Parades (tend to be different themes on different ship) 
Flag parade or nations 
70's, 80's, 90's and Rock Britannia street parties.


----------



## Denise W

bbel said:


> Other complimentary activities:
> Laser tag on select ships (I think Indy, Mariner and Symphony)
> Sky Pad (virtual reality trampolines) (Indy and Mariner)
> 
> Then for a fee there's the escape rooms.
> 
> Other 'shows' throughout the cruise include:
> Parades (tend to be different themes on different ship)
> Flag parade or nations
> 70's, 80's, 90's and Rock Britannia street parties.


It depends on the ship. On Anthem, the escape room was free. Anthem also has IFly and NorthStar for free.
Denise


----------



## bbel

Denise W said:


> It depends on the ship. On Anthem, the escape room was free. Anthem also has IFly and NorthStar for free.
> Denise



I dont know about anthem but at least on Harmony, Symphony and Independence there is now a fee for the escape room.


----------



## bbel

Adventure Ocean:
Is split into three age groups as already stated. On smaller ships and during port days on the majority of ships the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups are combined.

There are three different sessions every day that have different themes: a different science and craft and games every session. They run at 9-12, 2-5, and 7-10. Kids can come and go as they please throughout the session and unlike DCL they are strict with their ratio and will stop sign ins once capacity is reached.

During port days advenure ocean will be open all day and any kids will be taken for lunch in the windjammer and have movie time in the break between morning and afternoon session. If there are a small number of kids they may go for a walk around the ship and get ice cream too...

There is also the option for kids to stay for dinner on certain days where they get taken for dinner in the windjammer in the break between afternoon and evening session. Unlike port day lunches kids have to be pre signed up for dinner and it normally only happens on certain days but can vary ship to ship. Normally it's formal nights and days that the ship leaves port late. However some ships offer this every night.

Unlike dcl staterooms do not have wave/dect phones. Nursery kids will always get given a phone/pager at check in, as will 3 year olds and kids with additional needs when there is availability.

After 10pm kids can stay up till 2am, but there is a charge of $7 a child an hour. This is called late night party zone.

On a sea day there are 2 family activities offered and on port days there is one.

Technically any child can be a self signer, meaning they can sign themselves in and out of adventure ocean, but staff may only advertise/suggest for the voyagers (9-11) age group. Older siblings can sign out younger ones. However, when the ship is docked someone over the age of 18 has to drop off and pick up kids from advenure ocean. As soon as the ship is moving again then anyone (authorised) can sign in and out again.


----------



## BensDaddy

My 12YO is heartbroken that he can’t participate in the escape room on Indy. He’s done several at home and loves the challenge.


----------



## mevelandry

bbel said:


> Adventure Ocean:
> Is split into three age groups as already stated. On smaller ships and during port days on the majority of ships the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups are combined.
> 
> There are three different sessions every day that have different themes: a different science and craft and games every session. They run at 9-12, 2-5, and 7-10. Kids can come and go as they please throughout the session and unlike DCL they are strict with their ratio and will stop sign ins once capacity is reached.
> 
> During port days advenure ocean will be open all day and any kids will be taken for lunch in the windjammer and have movie time in the break between morning and afternoon session. If there are a small number of kids they may go for a walk around the ship and get ice cream too...
> 
> There is also the option for kids to stay for dinner on certain days where they get taken for dinner in the windjammer in the break between afternoon and evening session. Unlike port day lunches kids have to be pre signed up for dinner and it normally only happens on certain days but can vary ship to ship. Normally it's formal nights and days that the ship leaves port late. However some ships offer this every night.
> 
> Unlike dcl staterooms do not have wave/dect phones. Nursery kids will always get given a phone/pager at check in, as will 3 year olds and kids with additional needs when there is availability.
> 
> After 10pm kids can stay up till 2am, but there is a charge of $7 a child an hour. This is called late night party zone.
> 
> On a sea day there are 2 family activities offered and on port days there is one.
> 
> Technically any child can be a self signer, meaning they can sign themselves in and out of adventure ocean, but staff may only advertise/suggest for the voyagers (9-11) age group. Older siblings can sign out younger ones. However, when the ship is docked someone over the age of 18 has to drop off and pick up kids from advenure ocean. As soon as the ship is moving again then anyone (authorised) can sign in and out again.



I copy-pasted those info in the first post. Thank you!


----------



## tortoni

Great thread.  Please add us to the roll call. We are on Allure for the Halloween Cruise on 10/28.  

Would love more info on the specialty restaurants as we bought the ultimate dining package.


----------



## mevelandry

tortoni said:


> Great thread.  Please add us to the roll call. We are on Allure for the Halloween Cruise on 10/28.
> 
> Would love more info on the specialty restaurants as we bought the ultimate dining package.



Glad you like the thread (although it is still under construction). 

I added your cruise to the roll call!  

I'll let experienced RCCL cruisers give you the info regarding your package!


----------



## starvenger

Door decorations/fish extenders
There are no fishes or similar to allow for extenders

Decorations are allowed for Royal, but it’s not common. Magnetic whiteboards are used, but it is not a common sight. 

On Harmony, doors were flat so you could easily add decorations to the door. 

On Allure, the doors have wavy ridges on them which make it difficult to place magnets on it. We actually put our whiteboard beside the door. Have not had any complaints about it yet. 

Lanyards
Harmony, Symphony and Quantum class ships use rfid cards, so DCL lanyards with the pouch can be used with no problems

Other ships use a magnetic stripe, and guest services will hole punch your card (for free!) so you can clip your SeaPass to your lanyard.


----------



## Mika02

Please add me to the Roll call

Recently Booked:
August 18 2019 7 night Jewel of the Sea- Greek Isles. It's my 1st RCI cruise.

I'm also contemplating an RCI cruise for my 40th inspired by the movie Crazy Rich Asians a 5 nights cruise on Quantum of the Sea- Spice of Southeast Asia

Let you know when or if I book it..


----------



## starvenger

More stuff to add:
*Boarding/Embarkation
(Port Everglades)*
- Once dropped off you make your way to the boarding area. 
- There are entrances for suites, express check in and regular check in. 
- Once you enter the building you will go through the security area. 
- As with DCL, this is generally the bottleneck point.
- Past security is the check in counters, organized by deck number, and Crown & Anchor status. Since the status break is gold and above, there is really no effective difference between the two lines.
- If you've done most or all of the check in online, they'll scan your boarding pass and let you through. You may need to retake your ID photo.
- On some of the ships you may not get a seapass card until you board. If that is the case your boarding pass will get you on board the ship.
- You then proceed to the centre of the terminal. You can take a picture here if you'd like
- Past the picture area are kiosks selling impulse items like lanyards.
- Head up the escalators
- To the left are the kids muster wristband tables
- Seats are separated based on C&A status.
- Boarding starts from highest C&A status to lowest
- You will need to scan your boarding pass several times between check in and actually boarding, so keep it in your hand.

*Muster Drill*
On Oasis class your drill station is likely to be inside, on level 4 or 5. You will be asked to head to the station ahead of the actual drill. If you have difficulty standing it is recommended that you do this.

*Movies*
On Oasis class movies are shown either in the main theatre or the aqua theatre.

*CAFÉS/COFFEE SHOPS*
On Oasis class:
Promenade Cafe (Promenade) - 24/7. Free coffee, Seattle's Best for $
Park Cafe (Central Park). Free coffee, Seattle's Best for $
Starbucks (Promenade (Oasis/Allure), Boardwalk (Harmony)) for $

*Included Beverages*
- Drip Coffee
- Tea
- Hot Chocolate
- Water
- Various flavoured water
- Lemonades
- Iced Tea

Note: You can get ice from the Freestyle machines even if you don't have a drink package.

*SHOPS*
On Allure:
- Michael Kors
- Coach
- Kate Spade
- Jewelry
- Watches
- Duty Free
- RCI Merch

*INTERNET*
- Voom wireless internet is very good. There are two price levels - one for mostly surfing and one for mostly streaming. I haven't done much streaming but the lower tier seems to be fine.
- The Royal Caribbean app is currently testing a free chat feature on Allure

*DISEMBARKATION*
- On my last cruise they assigned a departure number based on your check-in info (they ask you when/how you are leaving)
- Self Disembarkation starts roughly between 6:30-7 am
- Standard Disembarkation starts roughly between 7:30-8am
- Last call is at roughly 10:30am
- Once you leave the ship you will be sent off to an upper level waiting area before going downstairs to the baggage claim. If you have a late number you may end up standing here a while. There are seats so if you need to sit down *do not be afraid to ask*.
- Port Everglades has a Global Entry/Mobile Passport line which can save you a lot of time at the terminal.
- Customs may be split into US Citizen, Global Entry/Mobile Passport and International Citizen queues.
- FLL is approximately 10 minutes away by taxi.
- If you have an 11am flight you can easily make it if you have an early departure number (say < 10).


----------



## cherokeemamma

Please add me to roll call. Brilliance of the Sea; 5 night sailing 10/15/18

This is our first RCCL cruise only have done DCL. I’m worrying it won’t measure up. We are going with another couple that aren’t Disney fanatics like us. I really don’t want to compare everything to DCL


----------



## starvenger

cherokeemamma said:


> This is our first RCCL cruise only have done DCL. I’m worrying it won’t measure up. We are going with another couple that aren’t Disney fanatics like us. I really don’t want to compare everything to DCL


Here's the thing - you will compare a lot of things to DCL. If you've only done DCL, how could you not? After all, you have no other frame of reference. And whether you end up thinking DCL is better or not, remember this one thing - you're still on a cruise, still on vacation. There are plenty worse places to be.


----------



## Mika02

starvenger said:


> Here's the thing - you will compare a lot of things to DCL. If you've only done DCL, how could you not? After all, you have no other frame of reference. And whether you end up thinking DCL is better or not, remember this one thing - *you're still on a cruise, still on vacation. There are plenty worse places to be.[*/QUOTE]
> 
> This is my Philosophy going into it. I have done 3 Carnival Cruises and been on the DCL once on the dream. I have not had a bad cruise yet. Even when they cancelled 2 of our islands on one of our Carnival itineraries due to a Hurricane we still had an amazing time. I'm excited to try RCCL and see what they have to offer. I'm hoping my kids like it as well because if I can't find a cruise for 2020 on DCL I will be doing RCCL again or trying Norwegian.


----------



## frank808

Port everglades, after security and scanning your carry ons. There are lines for gold and up, diamond and d+ and pinnacles and suites line to check in.  Most times I just go in whatever line is the shortest except for suites if I am not sailing in one.


----------



## mousefan73

Hi! So happy this thread exists. We didnour first cruise, 4 night Dream in Sept. We looved it. When we booked that last year this time, I went cruise crazy and booked the Oasis June 13th from Rome Med 7 night. So now I am trying to figure this line out!  Is anyone booked on this?  

Just now getting started on my research planning. Main thing is dining. We really do not want to pay for a dining upgrade. In a way I like the DCL style, you know when and where you eat at night. And have no waits. I believe we are at a set time. Do we then always eat on the same MDR?  Need to check what this is called. There are so many restaurants. Not sure what is what.  

Do you guys recommend my time or anset time. ??


----------



## Denise W

mousefan73 said:


> Hi! So happy this thread exists. We didnour first cruise, 4 night Dream in Sept. We looved it. When we booked that last year this time, I went cruise crazy and booked the Oasis June 13th from Rome Med 7 night. So now I am trying to figure this line out!  Is anyone booked on this?
> 
> Just now getting started on my research planning. Main thing is dining. We really do not want to pay for a dining upgrade. In a way I like the DCL style, you know when and where you eat at night. And have no waits. I believe we are at a set time. Do we then always eat on the same MDR?  Need to check what this is called. There are so many restaurants. Not sure what is what.
> 
> Do you guys recommend my time or anset time. ??


Dining on RCCL can be exactly the same as DCL. On RCCL if you have traditional dining, you eat at the same time (early or late dining just like DCL) with the same servers, and in the same restaurant. You do not have to pay for any of the specialty dining venues if you don't want to. RCCL also offers My Time Dining, which is on a different floor of the main dining room, or even in a different dining room (like on Anthem). You either show up at any time to eat and depending on the crowd, either get seated immediately or may have to wait if there is a crowd. We now book My Time Dining but go online before the cruise and make a reservation for every night of the cruise. We show up at our reserved time and have never had to wait to be seated. 
Denise


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## starvenger

mousefan73 said:


> Hi! So happy this thread exists. We didnour first cruise, 4 night Dream in Sept. We looved it. When we booked that last year this time, I went cruise crazy and booked the Oasis June 13th from Rome Med 7 night. So now I am trying to figure this line out!  Is anyone booked on this?
> 
> Just now getting started on my research planning. Main thing is dining. We really do not want to pay for a dining upgrade. In a way I like the DCL style, you know when and where you eat at night. And have no waits. I believe we are at a set time. Do we then always eat on the same MDR?  Need to check what this is called. There are so many restaurants. Not sure what is what.
> 
> Do you guys recommend my time or anset time. ??


It really depends on the cruiser. Some people try My Time and end up loving it. I’m usually travelling in a large group so fixed aka traditional dining works better for me. 

FYI early seating is usually at 5:30.


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## Denise W

starvenger said:


> It really depends on the cruiser. Some people try My Time and end up loving it. I’m usually travelling in a large group so fixed aka traditional dining works better for me.
> 
> FYI early seating is usually at 5:30.


Yes, usually 5:30, although on my Baltics cruise this summer, early dining was at 6:00.
Denise


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## Mika02

On my Greek Isle cruise for Next August I had the choice between 5:30p(early) and 8pm(late) I chose Late but unfortunately there is no longer any late seatings on my sailing so I was given My Time dining. 

I'm slightly meticulous so I plan on just scheduling our My Time Dining for the entire trip.


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## mevelandry

*Sorry, wrong thread*


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## ofcabbagesandkings

Has anyone here ever taken one of the RCCL cruises to Cuba? Or any other cruise on the Empress of the Seas? Would love to hear what you think of the itinerary and/or ship.


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## mevelandry

Hi guys... 

I did not come here often in the last months but I promise I'll spend a lot of time here after our April cruise (with Carnival) and I'll work hard to build a nice thread with all the updated informations.


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## mevelandry

Hello again! 

I now have 3 RCCL cruises booked for 2019-2020. 

Still getting to know RCCL but so far, I like what I see!


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## mevelandry

I have a question. On one of our cruises (6 nights), we picked "assigned dining" (I asked for a private table of 4). 

Are we going to have the same team/same table every night? 

Thanks in advance.


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## starvenger

If Assigned Dining = fixed time i.e. not My Time Dining then yes, you will.


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## mevelandry

starvenger said:


> If Assigned Dining = fixed time i.e. not My Time Dining then yes, you will.



Yes. We have 6:00 PM.


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## Denise W

We have had My Time Dining the last few cruises, but I reserved the same time each night. On our last cruise, we liked our serving crew the first night so much that we requested to have them every night, and so we were "assigned" the same table from that night on. It worked out well.
Denise


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## Matrix21

Great thread!

I'm looking for a cruise either next year or 2021. We've been on 3 DCL cruises so far (one of them was our wedding ceremony) and we'd like to try something else because DCL is really expensive these days, RCCL is almost 2000$ cheaper for Caribbean cruise between SEPT and DEC.
Of course we'll wait until our kiddo is potty trained since RCCL/DCL requires kids to be potty trained to use their pools.

A thread like this one is giving the little kick in the butt to jump ship to RCCL


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## Lynne G

Okay, did Disney this year, and years in the past, will be doing Carnival next year, and now, RC the year after.  So, great thread to have, and I guess by 2 years from now, I can write my thoughts of all 3 cruise lines.


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## mevelandry

Lynne G said:


> Okay, did Disney this year, and years in the past, will be doing Carnival next year, and now, RC the year after.  So, great thread to have, and I guess by 2 years from now, I can write my thoughts of all 3 cruise lines.



Yes, that would be nice and interesting.


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## mevelandry

I've completed my check-in last week. I've been watching a lot of reviews on Youtube and listening to RCCL blog Podcast...  I am so excited. I can't wait.


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## John VN

mevelandry said:


> I've completed my check-in last week. I've been watching a lot of reviews on Youtube and listening to RCCL blog Podcast...  I am so excited. I can't wait.



I am also "so excited" for you.   ENJOY!!!        

We have to wait until Jan. for our RCCL cruise.


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## FlyingBelle

hello - just realized there was some RC info on disboards!

We've got a 6 night cruise on Adventure of the Seas on Dec 29th for 16 people. Trying to learn all I can because it's been about 20 years since my one and only RC cruise.

The website says that flavored water is included for free (along with lemonade, ice tea, coffee, etc.) Can anyone elaborate on the flavored water? I assume it's not sparkling, since that's in the drink package?


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## starvenger

i equate it to one of those little squirt vials you can buy for personal use, but for thousands of people and rather diluted.


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## FlyingBelle

starvenger said:


> i equate it to one of those little squirt vials you can buy for personal use, but for thousands of people and rather diluted.


Ewww... I'm addicted to sparkling water, I don't drink soda. I was hoping the flavored water would work for me. Sounds like it won't 

If I purchased the non-alcoholic drink package - is it something I can hand the cup over to my kids to get a drink, or are they strict about not sharing?


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## starvenger

If there are Freestyle machines no one is really looking to see if you are signed up for a package or not. If you have to go to a bar... I'm not certain. I only know about the freestyle machines from observation, and because you can get ice from there, package or not.


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## mevelandry

FlyingBelle said:


> hello - just realized there was some RC info on disboards!
> 
> We've got a *6 night cruise on Adventure of the Seas on Dec 29th* for 16 people. Trying to learn all I can because it's been about 20 years since my one and only RC cruise.
> 
> The website says that flavored water is included for free (along with lemonade, ice tea, coffee, etc.) Can anyone elaborate on the flavored water? I assume it's not sparkling, since that's in the drink package?



Hi! 

Are your going to Grand Cayman - Costa Maya -Cozumel? Because if you are, we are doing this same itinerary on the same ship in January 2020!


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## Denise W

We were recently on the Anthem and their flavored water was Mango, or Strawberry Kiwi. We found both of them fine and tasty. 
Denise


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## FlyingBelle

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> Are your going to Grand Cayman - Costa Maya -Cozumel? Because if you are, we are doing this same itinerary on the same ship in January 2020!



Yes we are!


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## FlyingBelle

Denise W said:


> We were recently on the Anthem and their flavored water was Mango, or Strawberry Kiwi. We found both of them fine and tasty.
> Denise



That’s encouraging to hear - thanks!


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## Snowwhyt

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> Are your going to Grand Cayman - Costa Maya -Cozumel? Because if you are, we are doing this same itinerary on the same ship in January 2020!


Jan 12th? Adventure?


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## mevelandry

Snowwhyt said:


> Jan 12th? Adventure?



Yes!!!!


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## Brumeiser

mevelandry said:


> Hi!
> 
> *EDIT* After booking a RCCL for the first time after 3 DCL cruises (and a few Carnival cruises), I started this thread. Unfortunately, I do not have much time to update it. However, the infos that were already posted are interesting and can definitely help anyone while booking their cruise.
> 
> 
> *PRIVATE ISLAND*
> 
> DCL has Castaway Cay which is situated in the Bahamas. (...)
> 
> RCCL has CocoCay which is also situated in the Bahamas. The Island is currently undergoing major expansion in order to add a beach club but a new pier, a pool, new attractions (helium baloon, zip line) and a waterpark are now on site. The waterpark, the Coco Beach Club and Captain Jack's restaurant are extra charge while the rest of the beaches, restaurants, towels, chairs and amenities remain complimentary.
> 
> While it is not a private Island, RCCL also has a property in Labadee (Haiti). Cabanas and bungalows are available for rent. Labadee has a zip line and a slide ride and a water obstacle area for a fee.
> 
> If your kids are doing Adventure Ocean, it will be outside in a designated area on Adrenaline Beach. This beach is also on the sea side of Labadee. It’s a bit rocky and crowded though. The adults area (I believe) is further down the beach.
> 
> If you like calmer waters and less rocks I recommend taking the (free) water taxi to Columbus Cove.
> 
> ***Info on Labadee, Adventure Ocean and Columbus Cove - @starvenger***
> 
> *THE BOARDING
> 
> Check-in & Boarding out of FLL*
> 
> Check in goes very smoothly and quickly. After check-in you go upstairs and all kids must check-in and get a wrist band (whether or not they plan to go to the clubs) to ID their muster station. You then find a seat in a section based on your status. Once boarding starts, section by section is called. It's all very organized (and civil).
> 
> ***Info by @KashasMom***
> 
> 
> *FIRE DRILL
> 
> 
> 
> 
> THE CABINS
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ITINERARIES
> 
> 
> 
> 
> TRANSPORTATION
> 
> 
> 
> 
> EXCURSIONS*
> 
> RCCL offers discounts on excursions (several times during the course of a year).
> 
> 
> *KIDS CLUB*
> 
> RCCL Kids Club is called Adventure Ocean. The biggest difference between AO and Oceaneers is that the kids are (usually) separated by smaller age groups - 3-5, 6-8 and 9-11. On some ships, these groups might get smushed together, but if separate, they have their own streamlined programs.
> 
> AO is not open during meals, but they do offer to take the kids to lunch on selected days. On Oasis class, they’ll take them up to WindJammer for a small selection of foods. At dinner, they offer a service during first seating by which they’ll come to the MDR and pick up/sign in the kids around 6:30/7-ish.
> 
> Like Oceaneers, you have to register the kids so that they can go to AO. There’s no magic band - they simply scan their SeaPass card to check in/out. Again, similar to Oceaneers, you have to list which adults can pick them up. Older kids can sign themselves out (to be confirmed).
> 
> 
> Adventure Ocean is split into three age groups as already stated. On smaller ships and during port days on the majority of ships the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups are combined.
> 
> There are three different sessions every day that have different themes: a different science and craft and games every session. They run at 9-12, 2-5, and 7-10. Kids can come and go as they please throughout the session and unlike DCL they are strict with their ratio and will stop sign ins once capacity is reached.
> 
> During port days advenure ocean will be open all day and any kids will be taken for lunch in the windjammer and have movie time in the break between morning and afternoon session. If there are a small number of kids they may go for a walk around the ship and get ice cream too...
> 
> There is also the option for kids to stay for dinner on certain days where they get taken for dinner in the windjammer in the break between afternoon and evening session. Unlike port day lunches kids have to be pre signed up for dinner and it normally only happens on certain days but can vary ship to ship. Normally it's formal nights and days that the ship leaves port late. However some ships offer this every night.
> 
> Unlike dcl staterooms do not have wave/dect phones. Nursery kids will always get given a phone/pager at check in, as will 3 year olds and kids with additional needs when there is availability.
> 
> After 10pm kids can stay up till 2am, but there is a charge of $7 a child an hour. This is called late night party zone.
> 
> On a sea day there are 2 family activities offered and on port days there is one.
> 
> Technically any child can be a self signer, meaning they can sign themselves in and out of adventure ocean, but staff may only advertise/suggest for the voyagers (9-11) age group. Older siblings can sign out younger ones. However, when the ship is docked someone over the age of 18 has to drop off and pick up kids from advenure ocean. As soon as the ship is moving again then anyone (authorised) can sign in and out again.Is split into three age groups as already stated. On smaller ships and during port days on the majority of ships the 6-8 and 9-11 age groups are combined.
> 
> There are three different sessions every day that have different themes: a different science and craft and games every session. They run at 9-12, 2-5, and 7-10. Kids can come and go as they please throughout the session and unlike DCL they are strict with their ratio and will stop sign ins once capacity is reached.
> 
> During port days advenure ocean will be open all day and any kids will be taken for lunch in the windjammer and have movie time in the break between morning and afternoon session. If there are a small number of kids they may go for a walk around the ship and get ice cream too...
> 
> There is also the option for kids to stay for dinner on certain days where they get taken for dinner in the windjammer in the break between afternoon and evening session. Unlike port day lunches kids have to be pre signed up for dinner and it normally only happens on certain days but can vary ship to ship. Normally it's formal nights and days that the ship leaves port late. However some ships offer this every night.
> 
> Unlike dcl staterooms do not have wave/dect phones. Nursery kids will always get given a phone/pager at check in, as will 3 year olds and kids with additional needs when there is availability.
> 
> After 10pm kids can stay up till 2am, but there is a charge of $7 a child an hour. This is called late night party zone.
> 
> On a sea day there are 2 family activities offered and on port days there is one.
> 
> Technically any child can be a self signer, meaning they can sign themselves in and out of adventure ocean, but staff may only advertise/suggest for the voyagers (9-11) age group. Older siblings can sign out younger ones. However, when the ship is docked someone over the age of 18 has to drop off and pick up kids from advenure ocean. As soon as the ship is moving again then anyone (authorised) can sign in and out again.
> 
> ***Info by [COLOR=#666600]@starvenger[/COLOR] and @bbel   ***
> 
> *COMPLIMENTARY ACTIVITIES*
> 
> bumper cars
> Flow Rider
> Carousel
> Rock climbing wall
> Ice skating
> Trivia
> Madagascar greets/shows
> Mardi Gras type parade
> 3D theater (Harmony of the Seas)
> water aerobics
> volley ball
> 
> ***Info by @KashasMom and @mevelandry ***
> 
> *ACTIVITIES NOT INCLUDED IN THE PRICE ($)*
> 
> Scuba lessons
> cupcake or sushi making class
> galley tour and brunch
> wines around the world
> iFly (Sky diving simulation)
> North Star
> 
> ***Info by @KashasMom  and @angelinaxox   ***
> 
> *SHOWS*
> 
> Ice skating shows
> Aqua/diving shows.
> Aqua show with the Madagascar characters (Allure of the Seas)
> Musicals
> 
> If you go on an Oasis class ship it's recommended that you reserve at least your shows in advance (and you should!). It can be daunting the first time especially when you don't know what else might be going on at that time. Take a look at the Cruise Compass of our itinerary and compare that to sea/port days. There are stand-by lines for each show.
> 
> ***Info by @KashasMom***
> 
> *MOVIES*
> 
> You can watch Dive-in Movies on the giant screen near the main pool.
> 
> *POOLS*
> 
> 3 family pools
> Good sized-kids' pool
> splash zone
> wave pool
> 
> ***Info by @KashasMom***
> 
> *ADULT ONLY*
> 
> The "Solarium Pool" is adult only.
> 
> 
> *SPA
> 
> 
> 
> COMPLIMENTARY DINING *
> 
> If you don't reserve specialty dining in advance it's usually easy enough to reserve around
> your show times as soon as you board. You can make changes to reservations if you need to either before you cruise or once on board.
> 
> ***Info by @KashasMom ***
> 
> 
> *SPECIALTY DINING ($)*
> 
> _Johnny Rockets_ - at sea branch of the American burger chain. Depending on the ship, you either pay a la carte or a fixed fee. Burgers are cooked on a flattop. Per the RC Blog, shakes are rumoured to be included in the beverage package. On Oasis class ships, JR offers breakfast for free.
> 
> _Izumi _- Japanese food. Hibachi grill is a fixed fee, the regular restaurant is (I believe) a la carte on all ships.
> 
> _Samba Grill_ - Brazilian steakhouse on Allure. Fixed fee, located at the Solarium Bistro.
> 
> _Giovanni’s_ - Italian food, fixed fee
> 
> _Jamie’s Italian _- at sea branch of the Jamie Oliver chain. Fixed fee.
> 
> _Chops _- Steakhouse. Fixed fee. More the Keg than Ruth’s Chris.
> 
> _Wonderland_ - Molecular Gastronomy. Fixed fee. On the newer ships
> 
> _Sabor_ - Mexican/Tex-Mex. Can be a la carte or fixed fee, depending on the ship.
> 
> _150 Park Fare_ - ??? Fixed Fee.
> 
> _Chef’s Table _- Tasting menu (?). Fixed fee
> 
> 
> ***INFO by @starvenger ***
> 
> 
> *CAFÉS/COFFEE SHOPS
> 
> 
> INCLUDED BEVERAGES & PACKAGES ($)*
> 
> -Cafe select coffee card
> 
> -Classic Soda Package (Coca-Cola Souvenir Cup, fountain sodas and soda from freestyle machines included).
> 
> -Refreshment Package (Fresh-squeezed juices, premium coffees and teas, mocktails, sparkling water, Coca-Cola Souvenir Cup, fountain sodas and soda from freestyle machines included).
> 
> -Deluxe Package (Fresh-squeezed juices, premium coffees and teas --except Starbucks--, mocktails, sparkling water, Coca-Cola Souvenir Cup, fountain sodas and soda from freestyle machines, cocktails, frozen cocktails, beer and wines by the glass included).
> 
> 
> *ROOM SERVICE*
> 
> DCL room service is free.
> 
> RCCL is available 24h/day. They charge 7,95$ per order and a 18% tip is additional and will automatically be added to your check.
> 
> ***Info by @mevelandry***
> 
> 
> *SHOPS
> 
> 
> 
> GIFTS *
> 
> You can order gits online to be delivered in your room.
> 
> 
> *INTERNET *
> 
> Voom Surf and Stream. Packages prices may vary per sailing.
> 
> 
> *CAST MEMBERS/STAFF*
> 
> Nice and helpful.
> 
> ***Info by @KashasMom***
> 
> 
> *DISEMBARKATION
> 
> 
> *********ROLL CALL********
> 
> 2018*
> 
> August,  2018 - @Frozen2014  - 4 night Bahamas - Mariner of the Seas
> August 26, 2018 - @starvenger - 7 nights Western Caribbean - Allure of the Seas
> September, 2018 - @Denise W - 7 nights Bermuda - Serenade of the Seas
> September 16, 2018 - @anjuan - 7 nights Caribbean - Allure of the Seas
> October 28, 2018 - @tortoni - 7 nights Eastern Caribbean - Allure of the Seas *Halloween Cruise*
> October 29, 2018 - @Terri - Brilliance of the Seas
> November 3, 2018 - @KashasMom  - 7 night Western Caribbean - Harmony of the Seas
> November 25, 2018 - @ZerasPride  - 7 nights Western Caribbean - Oasis of the Seas  *Happy 25th Anniversary Cruise!*
> 
> 
> 
> *2019*
> 
> April 9, 2019 - @3monkeys4me - 8 night South Pacific - Ovation of the Seas
> January, 2019 - @Denise W - Back to back 7 days Eastern and Western Caribbean - Symphony of the Seas
> Mar 2019 - @Frozen2014 - 7 nights Western Caribbean - Symphony of the Seas
> June, 2019 - @Club Disney Chandler - 9 night Bermuda and Caribbean, Anthem of the Seas
> July, 2019 - @Denise W - 9 nights Caribbean - Anthem of the Seas
> October 11, 2019 - @mevelandry - 3 nights Bahamas - Mariner of the Seas
> October 11, 2019 user bruiser 3 night bahamas mariner of the seas
> 
> 
> *2020*
> 
> January 12, 2020 - @mevelandry - 6 nights Western Caribbean - Adventure of the Seas
> 
> Mar 2020 - @Frozen2014 - 7 nights Bahamas - Anthem of the Seas
> December 2020- @mevelandry - 3 nights Bahamas - Mariner of the Seas


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