Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 13:49:45 -0500 (EST)
From: "lisa" <lytlisa@netzero.com>
Subject: Calendar

September 9 - 14, 2007 - Explorer of the Seas - Cape Liberty to Cape Liberty - Bruce, Lisa, and Sarah - lytlisa@netzero.com - Daughters Birthday - It's about time!

Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 09:55:56 -0500 (EST)
From: "Nancy Seed" <seedstlc@sympatico.ca>
Subject: Calendar

March 17 - 24, 2007 - Voyager of the Seas - Miami to Miami - The Seed's - seedstlc@sympatico.ca - 30th Anniversary - This will be our first RC cruise and we are really looking forward to it. We have been on 4 Disney Cruises and was really impressed with the adult content available for the ship - no kids allowed in the adult areas. By reading some of the other cruisers comments I think this will be our new choice of cruise line. My husband is already talking about booking again next year and we haven't even sailed yet!

Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2007 08:30:17 -0500 (EST)
From: "Cherie" <dpd7cld@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Calendar

March 23 - 27, 2007 - Majesty of the Seas - Miami to Miami - Cherie, Stacy & Lori - dpd7cld@sbcglobal.net - Girl's Weekend Away! - Sweet 16th Celebration - "Caribbean here we come!".............THREE'S COMPANY!

Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2007 21:46:09 -0500 (EST)
From: "Dan Sweeney" <danviv@comcast.net>
Subject: Calendar

March 11 - 17, 2007 - Radiance of the Seas - Ft. Lauderdale to Ft. Lauderdale - Dan and Viv Sweeney  - Late Birthday Present /Winter Getaway - First time commercial cruises.Looking forward to being spoiled. Have reservations about deck 4 lodgings, wil hope for the best. Travel agent promised it to be quieter than the upper decks. If anyone has had any experiances on deck 4 please e-mail me or post a review on your experiances.

Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 14:16:34 -0500 (EST)
From: "Bill" <cmh_fireman_retired@yahoo.com>
Subject: need 1st time cruise information

We are planning a cruise with Royal Caribbean. Its our first cruise, and I have lots of questions.

1. Do we need to take formal wear for dinning? What kind of clothing should we take with us?
2. How safe is it to take a laptop and leave it in your cabin?
3. What unexpected fees and charges will I run into?
4. Are there a mix of ages on these cruises, or is everyone our age (retired)?
5. when we're in port, is it best to sign up for excusions, or just go off and roam on our own?
6. Do you have to worry about getting seasick?

Hi Bill,

I'll offer some basic answers to your questions and hope our readers will also write in with their answers and comments, too.  In addition to these answers, be sure to read many of the Cruise Reviews and Port Reports we have on this site keeping in mind that different people on the same cruise can have vastly different cruise experiences.

1.  Although formal parties and dinners are offered, some gentlemen wear dark suits and women wear fancy dresses, rather than formal attire.  As a general rule, the longer the cruise the more formal attire is seen at formal events on board.  However, many tuxes are seen on short cruises, too.

2.  I've never had any reservations about taking my laptop onboard.  However, your laptop will probably not fit into any safe that is provided in your cabin so you will have to decide if you want to take it or not.  There are Internet cafes on RCCL ships where you can log on to get your email and/or surf the Net.  There is a charge for this service.

3.  Bar service, speciality shops and restaurants, medical services, shore excursions are charged in addition to your cruise price.  However, all the food you can eat and entertainment are included in your cruise cost.  Of course, hotel and transportation from one lovely port to another is also included. 

4.  Shorter cruises tend to have younger guests than longer cruises, but there is a vast mix of ages on every cruise.

5.  If you are not familiar with a port, then an excursion may be your best way to take of advantage of your time.  Generally, only one excursion per day is plenty.  Be sure to plan a day or two of your vacation to just relax and enjoy the ship, too.

6.  I am very fortunate that I never get seasick, but our daughter sometimes feels a little motion of the ship.  You can bring motion sickness medication with you or it is available at the Guest Relations desk onboard free of charge.

Have a great time and we hope you'll send us a cruise review.

Lois Evensen
WebAnchor

Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:36:31 -0500 (EST)
From: "alicia tavis" <alicia@satpon.com>
Subject: Malga Spain

i just saw your pictures of Malga Spain while doing a searh on the net - i will be taking the mediterranean cruise in Novemeber - the carriage ride you went on was that offered as you got off the ship or something you booked privately? how was the shopping? Did you go to croatia? Lisbon, Tunis - that trip? Any help would be greatly appreciated as i am having a difficult time finding information on these ports if one can just jump off and start walking and sightseeing or if an excursion is necessary.

Hello Alicia,

Yes, we hired the Malaga carriage ride privately, but there many shore excursions you can book from the ship if you prefer to do it that way. 

Click here to see a listing of images of other ports we visited.  We have visited many ports in Europe over a period of time and our favorite souvenirs are the images we capture.

Have a fabulous cruise!  I hope you'll send us a cruise review.

Best,

Lois Evensen
WebAnchor  

Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:02:48 -0500 (EST)
From: "Suzan Schroeder" <suzanschroeder@yahoo.com>
Subject: Calendar

May 27 - June 2, 2007 - Rhapsody of the Seas - Galveston to Galveston - Donny, Suzan, Ronnie, Leighann, Bill, Patricia Schroeder; Larry and Kathy Hendon; Tommy and Sue Lyons - suzanschroeder@yahoo.com - vacation - Summer Time

Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2007 10:49:29 -0500 (EST)
From: "Joe" <jdmuscaux@yahoo.com>
Subject: Review - Enchantment of the Seas - February 8 - 12, 2007

My wife and I returned from our first ever cruise a few days ago. Fantastic is all we can say! We took this short four night cruise to "test the waters" (no pun intended) to see if she would enjoy cruising, as she tends to get motion sickness, and is an insulin dependant diabetic.

Both getting on and off the ship was effortless and well organized. We arrived at the Ft. Lauderdale Cruise Terminal as about 10:30 AM and were on board by 11:30-11:45 AM. By the time we enjoyed a great lunch at the Windjammer, our cabin was ready. We met our cabin steward (can't remember his name) and he made sure the refrigerator we requested to keep insulin at the proper temperature was in the cabin, plugged in and pre-cooled. That was the last we saw of him, but he was very efficient in keeping our cabin neat and clean, with no problems. We had an outside cabin, midship on deck three. With everything we have read on the boards, we were apprehensive about the size of the cabin and especially the shower. Not to worry!!! Although the cabin is on the small side, it is ingeniously laid out, with plenty of room to store everything...even though we grossly overpacked. Sure..the shower is small, and he curtain sticks to one like glue, but the water pressure was good, t he water was hot and we managed to get ourselves clean. What more could we want? !!! I only felt sorry for the cabin steward who had to mop up wet floors, as there is no way to keep the shower from spilling onto the bathroom floor.

Disembarking was well organized. We had color green and were up early to take advantage of a good breakfast at the Windjammer. After that, we went to our assigned area and waited for our color to be called. That happened within a short time, and we were off the ship, luggage in hand by 10:30 AM. No muss, no fuss, with very little standing in line. This was another surprise after reading some of the horror stories posted here.

The ship itself is beautiful....much nicer than we expected, due to her age. The recent "stretch job" is hardly visible, and the entire ship is as clean as a whistle, with cleaning being carried out seemingly around the clock. Unfortunately, due to the short duration of the cruise, we didn't have a chance to see the entire ship...but what we did see was beautiful.

The entertainment was good, but not great. We saw a juggler, who was just ok, a comedian was so so and the one production show we saw was just so-so. We did not attend the second production show as my wife had dancing on her mind, and we spent the evening at Boleros, with the salsa dancing. This is not meant to be a complaint about the shows....it was probably our own personal taste in entertainment, as everyone seemed to enjoy them.

We ate breakfast and lunch at the Windjammer, which was more than good. The variety of choices was amazing and everything we tried was good, especially the roasted chicken at lunch. The only item I did not care for was the scrambled eggs the first morning, but I remedied that by going to the omelet bar and getting eggs over the rest of the cruise. They were delicious. We also appreciated the crewmember stationed at the entrance to the Windjammer, making sure everyone sanitized their hands before entering. That goes a long way towards keeping the bug from ruining a vacation. One person who really merits special mention is Maurice, from Jamaica, one of the Windjammer waiters. He couldn't do enough for us and could have been a comedy act himself! Ya Mon!! We were also impressed by the many (though not obtrusive) announcements to keep hands washed with soap and water throughout the cruise.

We had dinner every night at the My Fair Lady Dining Room, and what an experience that was!! We were seated at a table of eight,table 99, with pleasant tablemates, with whom we had a good time and good conversation. The best part though, was the wait staff. They were (headwaiter Ricardo who visited our table at least twice each night, Waiter Chris from the Phillipines, and Jaoa (sp?) from India. These guys were GREAT!!! They really added to the pleasure of cruising. They were efficient, comedic and just a pleasure to be around. We had a few moments to speak with each of them about their families etc, and really enjoyed talking with them. Chris, our waiter, knew of my wife's diabetes and went above and beyond in making sure she had the proper foods with his suggestions and made sure he pointed out those sugar free desserts she could enjoy. Royal Caribbean is indeed lucky to have them all! Although we opted for the prepaid suggested tips, a little extra went into each of their envelopes, along with the voucher. They worked very hard to please us and they surely deserved more than the suggested amount. The meals were all delicious, and served hot. The only meal I had that was not great was the prime rib. I asked for it to be a medium cut and it was a little too well done and somewhat dry for my taste. Since it was certainly not inedible, I said nothing to Chris, since if I had, he would have been apologizing the rest of the cruise! Everyone at our table commented on how well everything was presented and how good it was. Have I had better meals at upscale 5 star restaurants? Sure..but for the amount of meals being prepared at the same time, each and every meal was much more than acceptable....in fact, rather good.

As to shore excursions, Key West was a little of a disappointment...only because of the short time we were there. We arrived a 7AM and had to be back on board no later then 1:30 PM. We had only time to take the Conch Train tour and it was enjoyable, but we wished we had more time in that port.

Cozumel was a blast! As a surprise to my wife (a devout animal lover) I booked a Swim with the Dolphins tour through the ship. I havn't seen such a big smile on my wife's face in many a year. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. The only suggestion we would make is to warn folks to wear some bathing shoes of some kind on this tour. A large part of the time is spent in standing on a platform, whose floor is open steel grating. This is hard on bare feet, and we wished we would have worn bathing shoes. That was a very small inconvenience to an otherwise very enjoyable tour.

As to my wife's propensity to motion sickness, she was fine until Sunday morning on the return trip from Cozumel to Ft. Lauderdale. The major snow storm that hit the entire East Coast on Tuesday and Wednesday had its beginning in the area we were cruising. It was raining all day, with high winds and the ship got to "rocking and rolling". She started feeling a little queazy and took a meclazine tablet prescribed by her Doctor. After lying down in the cabin for about an hour, she felt much better. She got up and we went to the Windjammer for lunch...What Else??? She was fine from that point on.

All in all, it was a great time. We found that cruising is a ball, and we will definitely do it again. Now that we have this trial run down, we'll take a longer cruise next time, possibly in the Eastern Caribbean. Whereever we go, it will definitely be on Royal Caribbean. No, I don't work for the cruise line and I'm not a plant on these boards. Even though, as first time cruisers, we have nothing to compare it to, we thought this cruise was top notch. I don't see how the entire crew could have done anything more to make our vacation a success. I think RCI has it down pat.

Sorry if this review was too long....but I'm new at this.
USCOASTIE

Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2007 14:56:39 -0500 (EST)
From: "Sue Stokes" <stokesaway@hotmail.com>
Subject: Hawaiian Cruise - May (Radiance of the Seas)

We have read reviews stating that the first two days cruising from San Diego to Hawaii can be cool and windy. Also that the weather in Hawaii can be rainy.

Has anyone been on this cruise at this time of year? Would this be the weather to expect?

Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:45:06 -0500 (EST)
From: "Richard Santer" <gramparich@aol.com>
Subject: Calendar

March 16 - 26, 2007 - Brilliance of the Seas - Miami to Miami - Richard Santer - gramparich@aol.com - Can't believe how much I am looking forward to this cruise. This will be #17 for my wife Margaret and I. Royal Caribbean is still our favorite line. (Nordic Prince,1989,Viking Serenade,1990,Legend,1998, Rhapsody,2001 and Explorer,2005) Would appreciate any current input on traveling with battery powered scooters. We recently sailed Alaska on Carnival, twice in 11 months. Had great access to ports and tendered shore excursions in Sitka in July 2005. Same ship, same tour (Sea Otter and Whale tour) in June 2006, we were refused tender boarding dispite fact that I had requested update on tender regulations prior to cruise. We were told only that this was policy. Carnival did make restitution following intervention by the Alaska Human Rights Board.I would like to know what other handicapped travelers have experienced recently. Our Oct 2005 cruise on Explorer was great, no problems coming and going with the scooter which we sometimes handled ourselves depending on the situation. We had plenty of cheerful help from the crew of Explorer when we needed it.

Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2007 10:06:34 -0500 (EST)
From: "Richard Santer" <gramparich@aol.com>
Subject: Handicap Access Panama Canal Dome Car Train

We are booked on Brilliance of the Seas March 16, 2007. Have also selected Dome Car Train excursion. Would like to know how much walking is involved on this tour. My wife has limited walking ability. She can handle short walks but normally uses a battery powered scooter for longer distances. I contacted RCCL and was advised that we would have to be able to walk 326 meters. Need to know if that is broken down into more manageable smaller segments. Thanks and looking forward to another great Royal Caribbean cruise.

DS

Date: Fri, 9 Feb 2007 21:50:39 -0500 (EST)
From: "JACQUES" <jacques.latour@sympatico.ca>
Subject: Calendar

September 4 - 17, 2007 - Legend of the Seas - Civitavecchia to Civitavecchia - Jacqueline, Cacques, Lucie, Yvon, and more friends - jacques.latour@sympatico.ca -

Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 21:27:37 -0500 (EST)
From: "JC Marion" <jaymar41@earthlink.net>
Subject: Review - Radiance of the Seas- January 28 - February 3, 2007

This was our 5th cruise on RCCL and this time we did it on the cheap because it was close to a last minute decision and we got a super low rate for an ocean view cabin down on Deck 2. Embarkation was smooth at Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) and we were off. This was our first time on this class of ship (previously the old Nordic Prince, Sovereign, Navigator, and Adventure) and we liked the glass wall effects especially on the elevators. Key West was cold (for them) at 66 degrees, but coming from a wind chill of -10 it was fine. We took the Trails of Margaritaville tour offered by RCCL and it was interesting and well worth the cost. Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Montego Bay, Jamaica, all had sunny and mid eighties or better, and each stop was great. The cabin steward was almost invisible, but was first class as was the dining room staff. The breakfast buffet every morning was superb (we have learned not to bother with the main dining room except for dinner). The layo ut of the ship was very convenient even though it does not have the "street" set up of Navigator class ships. Guest relations staff went out of their way to be helpful whenever needed, and the captain (A Canadian ! ) seemed to be enjoying himself among the cruise passengers. If you are just a couple, an important part of the cruise is having nice interesting dinner companions, and we were certainly lucky in this regard. All in all this was one of the better cruises we have experienced and I would heartily recommend this ship to either first timers or veteran cruisers.

Date: Thu, 8 Feb 2007 17:59:57 -0500 (EST)
From: "Deborah" <debdsei@hotmail.com>
Subject: Calendar

March 17 - 24, 2007 - Navigator of the Seas - Miami to Miami - Scott, Deborah and Kristina - debdsei@hotmail.com - This is our 4th Royal Caribbean Cruise. 1st was on Explorer, 2nd on Splendour, 3rd on Rhapsody and now 4th, back on a Voyager Class ship, Navigator. We are SOOO excited! Had the opportunity to cruise with Carnival this past Christmas vacation (it was a gift - I don't think I'd have strayed otherwise!) and found that I was glad we had never actually spent money for any other cruise line. RC is the BEST when it comes to an overall, well rounded, all ages friendly cruising experience and I love them!!! I'm even planning another cruise for this October with a girlfriend! More to come on that!

Date: Tue, 6 Feb 2007 13:43:56 -0500 (EST)
From: "Chris McConnell" <millenwmn2000@aol.com>
Subject: Calendar

February 25 - March 4, 2007 - Vision of the Seas - Los Angeles to Los Angeles - Jim McConnell Chris McConnell - millenwmn2000@aol.com - Our 8th cruise and our first cruise to the Mexican Riveria.