All Activity

More then likely

I think they lowered the standard for photos. It didn't seem to be an issue. If it was clear, white background, and they tell you the size they want 960 x 930 jpeg (can't remember off top of my head). But boy do you fly through. That and a passport and you just don't stop. We were a little winded by the time we hit the promenade. LOL.

If you have the UDP, can you email your suite concierge and can they make the dining reservations for you?

21 days! Hoooraaayyy! Gotta love Wonder and the Eastern Caribbean itinerary.

In this day and age, it's definitely worthwhile to use a travel agent. You still can have the control to some degree to decision making etc however let agent deal with Royal on logistics with pricing, casino comps etc. Ever since Covid, not sure if it's lack of training or communication or consistent glitches but it only took one time that if didn't have my agent i wouldn't have been able to resolve issue as easily. With FCCs, i literally had my bookings with cabin poof vanish and my agent not only call Royal but if she had to get her BDM involved then that's what happened to get my individual cabin back at that rate with correct dollars of FCCs to the exact penny. Honestly i don't have time nor patience to deal directly with Royal since it's become such a zoo. Even recently at Next Cruise there was issue applying offers with solo and resident rate. I could do it all on my end thru Royal website but Next Cruise couldn't. I text my agent because wanted that sailing which had limited availability left and she said just book it thru Next Cruise to get perks with OBC and deposit considering long sailing and once she got it on her end would call to fix the problem. Not every agent will be right fit for you. It's like finding a Dr. One you might like and work well may not be right for someone else. Don't think just big box agents like Costco only have deep discounts and perks. Agents utilize systems that can have group rates and discounts. In the end for me, i always know my agent is a text, email or speed dial away.

Thank you for bringing us along on the adventure, I hope you have a safe journey home. Oasis is in Europe and a week today it's gonna be my turn! Aaaah!

@Traveling Mike I heard, on these boards, lots of advice telling me to avoid the ‘big box store’ travel agents like Costco. That they were just interested in initial bookings and not good on follow-up or responses. I'm guessing you have a contact person who actually monitors your reservation and gives you personal service. Sounds like you got lucky. What you suggest is my plan….do all of my research and monitoring and then, instead of wasting time and effort, have a contact person that I could reach out to who would promptly take care of all those annoying follow-up details. Plus, maybe get a better price or a few extras by using the TA.

Royal only added the arrival slots post-covid, when you had to show your vax card & negative test, making check-in at the port take a little longer. They just never got rid of them. You used to show up whenever you wanted & the start of boarding went by status (suites, C&A level, etc.)

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 if 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.

We have a cruise coming up on the Symphony and noticed the same thing. Going from a full 2lbs to a full 1.25 and now 2 tails? Wonder if these are the same tails as MDR? It’s disappointing that the pricing are going up and the quality going down.

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.