a few obscure questions

[ecmommy]

Hi everyone!

This board has been so AMAZING as we have been preparing for this trip! I have a few questions that I hope someone can answer:

- Is there laundry service (valet) on board and if so, does anyone have any idea how much it would cost? If it's not too outrageous we might splurge and let someone else do the work for us.

- We would like to check our email while we are gone. We have AOL. Can we check our AOL account from on board or do we need to set up a Hotmail account before we leave? Does the internet cafe have a per minute charge? I don't think we need to be on for more than 5 minutes or so a day, so it won't be worth it to sign up for unlimited access.

- I've read that water sandals are recommended for Castaway Cay. Is the sand on the beach hard to walk on...lots of shells, etc.? Will my DS 18months be able to play in it comfortably?

- We have requested a pack-n-play for our DS. Will it likely be there as soon as our room is ready? We are going to try to sneak in a nap for him before the safety drill.

- Which leads me to a safety drill question...I've read that we need to be at our station at 3:30 one place and 4:00 another place. Which is correct? Again...trying to schedule that all-important nap but don't want to be late for the drill.

That's it for now...Thanks so much for reading!

 

[Matty02]

- Is there laundry service (valet) on board and if so, does anyone have any idea how much it would cost? If it's not too outrageous we might splurge and let someone else do the work for us.

I think there is, but if i recall it was expensive!

- We would like to check our email while we are gone. We have AOL. Can we check our AOL account from on board or do we need to set up a Hotmail account before we leave? Does the internet cafe have a per minute charge? I don't think we need to be on for more than 5 minutes or so a day, so it won't be worth it to sign up for unlimited access.

Last time I was on the ship you could click a special spot for AOL MEMBERS and it took you right into the AOL Program. You then just logged on as a guest and BOOM you are on AOL jsut like at home. If they changed this (cant imagine they would) you can always check your AOL Mail at www.aol.com

- Which leads me to a safety drill question...I've read that we need to be at our station at 3:30 one place and 4:00 another place. Which is correct? Again...trying to schedule that all-important nap but don't want to be late for the drill.

I think it was four, but its been a while. Last time I went it was raining and they wouldnt let us go outside for the safety drill... so they just talked to us for 15 minutes over the intercoms.

 

[ssclbc]

Parts of the beach at CC are a little rocky, so water shoes aren't a bad idea but there is alot of sand which is smooth and just fine for a little one to play in.

As for the safety drill, the time will be in the Navigator which you receive when you check in. There are several overhead reminder announcements as well.

Laundry is available but sorry, I can't remember the cost.

 

[RickW]

To fill in a few things:

Internet access is $0.75/minute. If you really plan on using it 5 minutes a day, I would consider getting the unlimited package ($89.95 on the Magic, $39.95 on the Wonder), because you may be surprised how easily that "5 minutes" turns into 10-15.

The drill is at 4:00, but all ships services shut down from 3:30 to 4:30, so that may be where the 3:30 came from. You may want to get your life jackets on a couple minutes before, but there is no reason to leave your room until the "alarm" goes off.

 

[happydays]

For some strange reason, I happen to have a laundry service ticket mixed up in the Navigators I brought home from our January Magic trip. Here are some sample prices for drycleaning:
2 piece suit - $7
Shirt - $3.50
Evening Dress - $8
Jacket - $4.50
This is for next day (5pm) service. For same day service add 50% and for express service (within 3 hours) add 100%. Pressing only service will cost 50% of the drycleaning price.
Laundry prices:
Shirt - $3
Socks - $1
T-shirt - $2.50
Pajamas - $4
Pants - $3.50

So - you can see that the laundry charges would add up quickly, however I don't think that the drycleaning charges were out of line. Also, many times there is a line for the iron in the laundry rooms, so the pressing service will probably be well worth it. After all, your time on the cruise is precious and so short.

 

[albiats]

The safety drill is scheduled for 4pm, however, I was on a cruise in September of 01 when it was moved forward a few minutes so we could leave port at 4:05 to outrun a storm approaching from the southwest. If that happens, they'll let you know over the ship's loudspeaker system with enough time to prepare for it.

The safety drill informational announcements start soon after 3:30 and is one of the few that will be announced in your cabin. They also do it several times so unless he's a sound sleeper, he'll probably wake up with them.

Since he's so young and can't walk by himself on the stairs in a crowd, I'd suggest leaving your cabin a little bit early to make it easier to carry him and the life jackets up or down the stairs so you can get to deck 4 with some ease.

 

[ducklite]

Geez--
I do'nt think these prices are out of line at all. OTher than the laundry price for a shirt, they are the same or less than what we pay at home. Good to know they offer pressing service at half the dry cleaning cost--I do'nt iron at home, I'm certainly not going to do it on vacation.

Anne