Cruising During Spring Break - Good New and Bad News

Hubby LUUURVES to cruise.  When he isn't cruising, he's trolling the cruise websites looking for a good deal.  He can usually find a bargain around the holidays, and he doesn't always associate a date with the corresponding holiday.  Especially Spring Break.

Our last cruise was on the Independence of the Seas, the western Caribbean, March 31 - April 7.  We don't pay much attention to the port stops unless there is one we haven't visited before.  This time the new port was St. Kitts.  Different island, same...umm..shirt.

The big plus for the cruise was that we got a free upgrade for the first time in all our years of cruising. We could hang out in the cabin, and not be bothered by all the school kids on board.  Royal Caribbean has a program called Adventure Ocean, designed to keep the kids busy, especially on those days at sea.  The group for babies includes the parents, and there is a Kids Club for 3 - 11 year olds.  The trouble comes with the teens, because they are old enough to check themselves out of the club when they get bored.  And they do love hanging out together...especially in the elevators...pushing all the buttons...sitting on the floor.  They weren't really being bad, but there were a lot of them, everywhere.  And some parents gave their kids a lot of latitude with a separate cabin for the kids.  And even with the ship's curfew for people under 18, the kids may have been out of sight, but not necessarily under parental supervision late at night.

Hence the 2 AM announcement from the bridge (broadcast in all staterooms), "Will Shelby (last-name) please dial guest services by pressing zero from any phone."  Then repeated at 3 AM.

And, alas, it was not just the kids.  The woman in the cabin next door came in at 2 AM another night and "discovered" that her cellphone worked at sea, and talked loudly until 5 AM.  She will get her due when she sees her bill, $4.95 per minute for international roaming using the ship's satellite.

But we had fun.  We met a lot of nice people, and had a tour of the bridge and the galley.

We'll do it again next month on another ship.

The Allure of the Zip Line

We met with another Bucket List experience on our latest cruise aboard the Allure of the Seas.  The Allure and the Oasis of the Seas make up the Oasis class of ships for the Royal Caribbean fleet.  The ships are of identical design, but the Allure measures a whopping two inches longer than the Oasis. 

We have sailed both ships on itineraries we have traveled so many times, Labadee, Jamaica, and Cozomel that the ship is more the destination than the ports.  Each ship has seven neighborhoods, including Central Park with real trees, the Boardwalk, and an interior food court.  You may choose an outside cabin that overlooks the ocean or the Park, or the Boardwalk and Aqua theater.

There are many complimentary dining options as well as several restaurants that require a fee.  Each ship has a Broadway show, "Chicago" on Allure, and "Hair Spray" on Oasis.

We spent most our days aboard ship.  We had the beach party at Labadee, but we stayed only a couple of hours.  We walked around the ports at Falmouth, Jamaica and Cozumel, and returned to the ship within an hour.  Then it was back to the Sports Zone where we conquered the Zip Line.  The Zip Line runs high above Central Park for a ride that lasts less than a minute.  Even a scaredy-cat like me can handle it, although I was shaking when I landed.  I'm glad I did it, and I don't have to do that again.

Tinker was not to be outdone.