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Thank you for a wonderful blog. May your journey home be peaceful and relaxing.

We had this issue on Oasis last January- dinner was at 530, sail away was set for 5 so we thought we'd be good.... Sail away got pushed back to almost 7 but we were never informed, so we just kept waiting out there. Next thing we know it's almost 7 and way past our dinner time- I was a little upset because it was our first cruise as a family and I wanted to enjoy dinner at MDR that night, but we just gave in and hit windjammer that night and hit MDR a few other nights that week.

Thank you for the memories. I lived in Rome for three months. They have a huge Jamaican community. Who knew you can get jerk chicken in Rome.

I'm just leaving the hotel or still driving at 11am, I don't wanna me on the ship at 11am. But I did just learn something about my upcoming Princess cruise- they have no check in times. You fill everything out on the app ahead of time, whenever you want- I'm already all "sail ready" and I don't cruise for over 3 months still. Then, you just show up- as long as it's within the boarding window, say 11am- 3pm, you are good to go. Which I wouldn't be surprised is RC does eventually since so many people already ignore the assigned times.

So you did exactly what they ask everyone to do, some people just don't take good enough pics, but if the pics they take are accepted, I'd assume they will all get the fast pass. It shouldn't make much of a difference if more people get fast pass access if you just walked right on... it'll just mean more people get on without waiting which is a good thing.

I've received many military discounts over the years. I don't recall having to show my ID card. Right before final payment I got a several hundred dollar military discount on two rooms on July 1st sailing of Allure. It is a real discount and it is out there. Just keep checking and repricing.

We do the same with 5. We give them to our cabin steward.

I love to cruise, but I never try to be the first one on board the ship--I am not sure why. I am always trying to squeeze in one last sightseeing experience on land. Usually if you board later in the day it is also quite easy to walk on board and avoid lines as well. Sometimes we have been so late we even missed the muster call, and had to do it the next day. Of course, it is no longer required to put on the lifejackets all together on most cruise lines anymore, which was always a hassle and interrupted the flow of the first day. The best thing about early arrivals is possibly getting to eat in a nicer dining area, rather than the always overcrowded Windjammer/Lido cafeteria style line-up that everybody swarms. Of course, it is nice to get a good deck chair and relax a bit the first day, but usually I am in a nice hotel the night before anyway, so I am not in too much of a hurry to leave. One thing I can proudly say is I have never missed my ship for either boarding or at a port call!

As a D+ member, you should be aware of the whole" book at a price you are comfortable with" mantra of Royal. The only time the UDP becomes cheap is BF and even then, that is not a guarantee. I have been on Mariner this year and honestly, I wouldn't do the UDP as there aren't enough specialty restaurants to make it worth it.

And check just random days frequently. I think there was a $5 a day drop on national Margarita day that I caught only because someone mentioned it here. I find that the drink pkg fluctuates about $10 a day usually, and then sometimes black Friday can really score. This year it didn't for me on the drink pkg but was awesome for excursions. Jane

Hello, Diamond Plus but we normally eat in the main dining room with the exception of Chops for one night or lunch. Current price is around $215 all inclusive per person including tip and since I am taking my daughter this time instead of the wife I want to treat her to the unlimited dining package for all 4 nights. Cruise isn't until January but wondering what a good price is per person rather than a % discount which get manipulated all the time like the drink package does. Any help with pricing and when I should pull the trigger would be appreciated. I know about Black Friday but that is a long way off. Hoping I can get better than what is being offered now and hoping someone on Mariner in 2024 can provide some tips. Thanks in advance.

I have not used them. I think we got lucky in Amsterdam last year that Uber was very plentiful just like the US. In Rome it has been a bit more of a challenge, most of our rides have been no problem but yesterday we did have one driver drive in circles for 30 minutes yesterday and finally ditch us, after messaging me that they were on their way even, I know they wanted us to ditch them, probably because they have ditched too many rides but oh well, I stood my ground and wouldn't cancel until our ride became unassigned. That was the one time we decided to find a taxi stand, which might have been expensive as we did more shopping on the way . Also, glad you got the reusable liquids bags! I definitely fit more in those than a ziplok and am even on my second one! I somehow managed to rip my first one after quite a few years of use thanks to a concealer with a pointy cap, I bought a new one and no longer take that concealer in my liquids bag . The plastic is quite durable as long as you don't put something sharp in there . Yeah, I enjoyed the ones we tried on the tour but I could easily see them being dry if not done well or sitting a bit. We also have definitely preferred a Neapolitan style pizza place not far from our hotel and have went there twice now as we went there the night of the golf cart tour and again last night. Yeah, our group of 5 just had to stay as close to the guide as possible. Our guide was shorter than I am even and didn't have a flag or anything but being short myself, I am used to sticking close to guides up front on tours so I could see things. The husband in the other couple on our tour was quite tall, probably over 6'6" based on how he looked next to my dad, and me and the guide use that to find the other couple when they got separated a few times . In contrast our food walking tour and golf cart tour both had very tall guides which made them easy to spot.

We will definitely have to meet up

What month and year?

You can still do all your research and planning. Be in control of all of your decisions but have a travel agent to help you with the issues. I book 70% of my cruises with the cruise line but then move them to my travel agent (currently Costco travel) to help me with issues and give me a rebate.

I had those square weighed pizza chunks in Rome. It wasn't bad, but I found it really dry. The best pizza was from a local place a few block from our hotel. I also did the less than 10 people guided Vatican tour from Viator. It was so crowded that they had flags and it was rough to keep up. But the experience was so worth it.

two things: 1. if the price goes down after you purchase it you can cancel your purchase and re-purchase it. The only issue is the reimbursement will take a day or two and the new charge is now. 2. The changes in price and percent will be all over the board. Like @SpeedNoodles said look at the final price per day. Like a lot of stores they will raise the price then put it on sale. I have purchased items at 20% off and it was a lower price than when it was 50% off because the price went up. Also like @Doug_Texas said black Friday always has good prices but do not rely on it because all prices keep going up so back Friday might be good but good at a high price.

Keep in mind that if you did have a TA, that person probably couldn’t match your company’s special rate either. The person who said it could be done was not correct which was the “glitch” that didn’t allow it to work. In the future, do a mock booking for the exact cabin, date, ship, etc you want to get a price but do not actually book. Instead, call to compare to the special rate offered through your employer. You’ll likely find the two are not equal at all (as has been pointed out by TJCruisers - the deals are not “apples to apples.”) Once you have those details, actually decide whether to go through with an actual booking with Royal or through the work offer. Chances are the deal you booked really was the best after all. For now, believe that is the case and enjoy your cruise.

…. and as you check for price drops pay particular attention around “Black Friday” sale period if you are sailing after November.

I am even more excited for our trip now! Today I made a “Bezos offering” as @asquared17 and @Ampurp85 (and many others here) call it and bought those re-zip liquids bags. So happy to hear that you enjoyed LivTours. After hearing good reviews from you, and initially from @Jkaczano, I am pretty happy with our choice to go with LivTours for all our pre/post cruise excursions. I noticed in my research that while Rome does not have regular Uber, they do have something called “FreeNow”. I downloaded the app and it looks like exactly like the Uber/lyft app. Have you ever used them? Thinking of going this route when we get to Barcelona and Rome.

I'm going to Alaska for a cruise on Aug 11...I kinda want to do this inaugural sailing and I could *probably* get off of work but I think my wife will kill me if I bring it up since I know she can't go lmfao.

You will have a blast! I'm waiting for the drink pkg to go on a great sale

The price varies. Buy it at a price that you're comfortable with, and check for price drops. Only look at the price per day. Don't pay attention to the percentage off, as it really means nothing. It is always more expensive on board.

Oh, you are new to me I see. LOL. I'll try, but it's going to hurt. LOL.

@CanHardlyWait For every negative thing, you have to write 3 positive things going forward.