Tammie
I too, am an avid internet researcher. I am always looking for the best bang for the buck!
For our upcoming cruise we are going with SWA. I like the no bag fees, and, we will be leaving from BWI. My DD's boyfriend lives about 10 minutes from there, so he will drop us off and pick us up. Saves on parking! Yes, I am a penny pincher!
We ended up paying $602 for 2 RT tickets, that was after all the fees and taxes. The husband of the other couple that is going with us thought that was a little high. Well, checking airfare now, the same flight is just over $1000! So, I really don't think we did that bad.
Enjoying your TR, keep it coming!
Planes, Trains and Automobiles??? I hope there's a ship in there somewhere or this is going to be a boring cruise TR!!!
See, I knew it would be fun to have you along!
Crazy the way they entice you with that low initial price and then have figured out about a 100 ways to "add-on." I tried this once with Allegiant and pretty much just gave up. It is insane!
It pretty much stinks! Funny, right after I booked I actually got an email from Spirit asking me to sign a petition for legislature preventing airlines from hiding their fees when advertising rates. What?
Ah, okay, there IS a ship!!!
Wow, that sounds very disorganized. I expect more from Disney!
READY to relax??? Looks like you're already there!!!
Nice, I like it!!!
These were the moments I realized we really were on vacation!
I guess if you can't watch the ocean and islands go by, they have to give you something to look at. for people watching!
You had to remember not to pick your nose, because they had cameras feeding live in to the TV in your stateroom from the Promenade - you could people watch from your room if you didn't have the window cabins!
I'm assuming this is where you can find the adult
Yes, except when we were ship bound in Grand Cayman! More on that later.
I guess I could cheer for the feet, but you might think I'm a perv......(and I should at least wait until later for you to discover that interesting fact....) so I'll just say Where's the picture of the Mai Tai, you tease???
Oh, please let us continue to think you are an -
I put it down so I could take the picture!
Actually, great pic! I feel more relaxed already!!! So cool you got right into the lifestyle!!!
Hey Tammie!
Finally made it! Aren't the relaxing feet pictures a must do? LOL. I even have little bit into it now! Can't wait to hear all about it!
I need a relaxing cruise right now......subbing to live vicariously through yours!
Having tried half dozen airlines, SW has never let us down, not only the best price, but gotta love the free baggage and window seat.
Our summer trip on another airline charges over $100.x for baggage!!!
I love flying with SWA! I just wish they were closer to us! $100 for bags!
We have used and highly recommended SAS to others several times. The owner Steve is very nice and very dependable. Upon return he's calling you and letting you know where to meet him. Not to mention can't beat his price ~ least expensive out there!!
He was great! I made a mistake and didn't go with him on the way home - big mistake. More on that later!
Yes, love RCCL layout and access to balcony much better than Disney !! We had cabin #7358 which has same layout as yours. Also love the comfy king bed with the rounded foot edge and no bumping of legs !! Really enjoyed sitting on the balcony watching the peaceful aqua blue ocean while rejuvenating the soul. Some days we ordered in and ate breakfast out there . Altho like the round curvature and sliding door of RCCL showers, I'll have to give Disney for their split bathrooms!!
I liked the curved shower, too - quite a space saver. But ITA about the Disney split bathrooms. I think that is where the extra space in the room is though.
DH and I really enjoyed the tranquility of adult area also, including sitting in their cozy swings!!
Pure Bliss!
BTW ~ did you get a chance to try the catilevered hot tub? Now that's quite the adventure and view to behold from so far up!!
We did! A couple of times - it was pretty awesome, sitting in a hot tub out over the ocean! Very big, too! We were just a little forward and just a little below that hot tub - I looked up and saw that at night they have purple twinkle lights in the top of it!
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Ditto! No other feeling in the world quite like sail away while sipping on your colorful tropical drink!
I have to chuckle, as I have a relaxing feet pix too ~ from the comfy hammock of RCCLs private island Labadee!!
the rooms are larger than I thought.
good think i saw the link for this on marvs report otherwise, i think i would have missed a few pages.
Here it comes: **On the Disney ship, the horn sings, When you wish upon a star so beautiful, and yet so loud they warn you and you jump out of your skin! On LOS, the horn is relatively quiet and sounds like a non-descript tugboat.
**On the Disney ship, the sail-away party is a dance over the pool with Mickey and the gang, and virtually everyone enjoying the excitement, watching on the huge screen, and taking pics of the characters. On LOS, it is a Caribbean band, and about 20 people line dancing on the bridge going over the main pool. Everyone on the ship pretty much ignored the sail away party.
You are an excellent judge of character!See, I knew it would be fun to have you along!
That's a little more to people watching than I care to undertake!You had to remember not to pick your nose, because they had cameras feeding live in to the TV in your stateroom from the Promenade - you could people watch from your room if you didn't have the window cabins!
Well, I THOUGHT you were an excellent judge!Oh, please let us continue to think you are an -
sailaway ADD!I actually kept jumping up to see the sailaway party, then sitting down, then jumping up to wave at people on shore and in boats and jet skis, then sitting down again! I think I had sailaway ADD!
DAN!! I'm glad you're here! I will be over to catch up on your fabulous TR, too!!! Yes, thank you Marv for sharing your space!
I know I left you with the image of my relaxed toes, Marv, stay with us here
Don't you just hate people like that!!!You have to know that Jim is a detail-oriented controller. He needs to feel like there is a plan, and we know what we are doing and where at all times.
**Pool snack bar What? No burgers and wraps at the pool??? What kind of ship is this????
OK, since I've got a cruise coming up in just under a year I'm in(though I do wonder how this wound up on the community board instead of the TR board )
I will disagree on DCL's check-in being confusing. Once we figured out where to go in it was smooth sailing so to speak And since our hotel's shuttle was later than we planned, by the time we got there there were no lines to check in. So I don't see the point in getting there too early next time.
And I'm glad we have to wear life vests fro the drill on DCL. It took me a few minutes to figure out how to do mine, so its better for a first time cruiser. Definitely bulkier at the drill though.
So let's eat
never been on a cruise, but from what ive gathered from reading about them, the sail away on disney is pretty cool...to bad the people on yours didnt really get involved with them as much.
Joining in
I am taking a RC cruise on the Freedom of the seas next month..I can't wait..and this is getting me even more excited for it!
Love the picture of the beach and the water!! I still can't believe how big the boat is! It's amazing.
I'M HERE!!!
Now to go back and catch up.
Some really great pictures, and you're off to a good start so far! Maybe if you had taken your little group and joined in, the sail away party may have actually taken off! If not, after a few of those umbrella drinks, I bet you wouldn't have cared anyway!!! Now that you found all the attractions on the ship, I'm expecting things to really start picking up!
Yay Yuki! Look at you - on the top of the page and everything - I know - that's how you roll! Welcome!
That is EXACTLY how I roll!
I've only been on one cruise and I can't wait to go on more! I was on one of the smallest ships of RCCL and had a blast.
Reading your TR.....REALLY makes me want to go on one right nowwwwww.
Great start to your trip! Getting good flight deals are all about timing, knowing when they come out with the great deals you need. That $9 site just seemed too good to be true, and it was!!
Wow....your room looks really nice. What category was it in? What were the restaurants that weren't part of the cruise price?
I would say I'm a lot like Jim, in that I had to check out EVERYTHING on the cruise before really settling down. I was just too excited to relax just yet!
Hey wait a minute, I thought you were the laid back "fly by the seat of your pants" type???The Port of Miami is a crazy place, so I was thankful for the direction by the porters. Okay, the truth is I don't like the little boarding cards - someone telling me I can't get on the ship until they say so! I liked just being able to get up the escalator and start exploring and eating! Control Freak, I know.
I did think about the life jacket thing when we were mustering. I was thinking it would make sense to have done the drill with the jackets. One thing they emphasized is that if you weren't in your cabin in case of an emergency, we were to just show up there without a lifejacket and they would give us one. The lifeboats are mostly enclosed capsules - only about 12ft long and 6 ft wide and the capacity is 135 people! ENCLOSED! Jim and I agreed we would not get in something like that to be cooked alive by the sun and with possibly sick people , not to mention our claustrophobia - we would just hang on to the ropes on the outside!
You have just hit on the main reason why I NEVER will get on a cruise ship. I swear that it will tip over and I will die! yes I watched too many diaster movies as a child but I can't get over this fear.
I have this same fear. I don't think I'll get seasick, just be scared being out in the middle of the ocean with nothing around me, nobody to hear me scream if we hit an iceberg - hey, THAT movie really sticks with me!!!! Yes, even in the Caribbean, there may be an iceberg. At least in my mind there is.
And Lorrie, FWIW, I have a friend who is a TA and she said that Carnival is a very close second to DCL in terms of kids programs. We almost did the el cheapo Carnival Cruise when we lived in Jax, but the timing was never right. Thought a 3 night for $129 might help us decide if we want to go all out for DCL one day.....