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Yes, the cereal industry is working hard to overtake the cruise giants. Sorry, had to.

I writing my thoughts here cause it took a few years and a few rc canceled cruises to finally try RC. Yes we were reluctant to cruise RC. When we finally started our drive to Port Liberty I must say I had my mental clipboard in my mind ready to rate negatively every issue we encounted onboard RC Anthem of the Seas. So for my fellow dcl'ers heres my review: Checking In for Cruise: RC about 5 min DCL about 20 min Parking: Easy at both Entering ship: Very Impressive atrium on dcl upon entering ship, plus visually amazing every time u pass through it. Adult Area on Ships: RC seems about twice as large. 4 huge beautiful Jacuzzis. RC adult area on deck 14 is enclosed, which is a huge deal. Weather controlled. It doesn't matter if it rains, and is cold, etc. It's called the Solarium and that describes it. Warm, tropical and beautiful. Multi level mid size pools and u can just sit back and watch the path the ship takes.The Solarium is totally enclosed in glass There's even a very nice small cafe in this area. Very nice. DCL Jacuzzis are much smaller and "metal" looking. No where close to RC's. The RC Jacuzzis stay on all the time. Very rarely did we have to press the button. Jacuzzis open to midnight. Some pools open to midnight. For 10 and older: RC has tons of activities. The rock climbing, the surfing area, the Ifly which is also super fun to watch, the NorthStar. How about the FunPlex area: Huge inside area that has a full court basketball area, that turns into a skating area, also a bumper car area. However the dodgeball game held here was hilarious. Each side had about 50 adults/kids playing. The game I saw, a younger female adult dressed in formal outfit ending up beating everyone. It was amazing to see her catch the balls thrown at her in her outfit. Fun! Main Theater Show: The RC shows were extravagant with special effects, lighting, singing, etc, but for us, the shows were weird. However, everyone we spoke with loved them. So I guess we'll give it another chance next cruise. Disney Shows are of course Fantastic. Dining: Here of course was one of our main concerns. I didn't like that we couldn't visit all 4 of the different dining areas. Oh well. Quality of dinner I thought was about the same between RC and DCL. DCL does present it a little better, but no big deal. DCL has a bit more variety for the dinner menu as well. Service: I found the staff at RC to be very friendly and willing to assist. Of course DCL is pretty much fantastic, but after 7 cruises on dcl, maybe they are over the top! Too much. And dcl always hints to please give them a top rating, like almost every day. Windjammer vs. DCL buffet forgot the name? The first day dcl has the shrimp and crab legs and Windjammer doesn't. After that they are pretty much the same with these few exceptions: Windjammer has way more variety. The omlet station is much easy to deal with. A few different people are making omelets. I found I had to wait at dcl for a few people before me all the time on dcl. RC also had a few staff making spaggetti with vegetables of your choice and it was really good. Windjammer seemed larger as well, more international type foods. On the last full day of the cruise, Windjammer had "special" desserts. That was a nice touch as well. Pay for soft drinks: Not even a big deal for us. Besides ice tea, juice is available in the morning, plus flavored water drinks that were really, really good. Didn't miss the soda at all. Stateroom: Very, very nice. I think the size was 198 sq ft, a little smaller than the 214 stateroom were usually reserve on dcl. We reserved a bed topper months before so the bed was fine. Sheets were very comfortable similar to dcl. We did miss the split bathroom a bit, but did enjoy the glass shower. Night Entertainment: RC seemed to have way more and a better variety. At least 2 comedians during the cruise. Also the ship has 3 bars or clubs which rotated different bands on different nights. They were really good to watch and listen to. Public Restrooms: Ok here is the place where RC needs lots of work. The Men's Restrooms around the ship are dirty most of the time. My wife said the Lady's room was fine. I'm glad for that, or she might have jumped off the ship. Not sure if this is a male thing...but the public restrooms don't have a little button to override the automatic flush, when the auto flush doesn't know that someone has left. I think it is also confused by the fact that sometimes the seat isn't closed. I don't know what it was, but RC put the little button on the toilets, so guests can manually flush the toilets. I hated that and so no need for that at all. Rebooking: RC absolutely kills DCL on this. They have 4 or 5 stations for this. Plus a book to reserve a time slot. DCL used to have a drop off box. I always researched and knew my next cruise info, and when dcl discontinued that box, I had to wait a long time in line while people who didn't research would ask begining level questions like "What ship is cruising from what port??? All stuff u can find online before u take up 2 hours just chatting. Last dcl cruise I just left my info on the managers desk and said "book this or not and getting rid of that mailbox for next cruises is a disaster from those of us who know what we want to do. I don't want to give up 2 hrs of my vacation time, cause someone higher up isn't smart enough to make the right decision." All in all, forgetting the public bathrooms, we had a great time on the Anthem of the Seas. I went in trying thinking it would be horrible, but we had a great time, like strolling around the ship at night and watch all the people having fun. (ps- I don't know how so many people drink so much. I was so full from the meals, I couldn't keep up with the drinking. But everyone was having a great time.

I have never booked a Land & Sea with Universal. Honestly I think its better to book them separately The reason is, if the parks actually go on sale (Disney included) you cannot get that sale usually if you are booked land/sea. I've done a lot of Land and Sea options and work with Disney as well, and most clients prefer this. its pretty seamless too depending on what you want Hope this helps and February is a great time to go, if you travel before 2/14 prices are even lower.

Of course it depends if you area casino person too...

YOU Rock Raye

Enjoy your cruise. The Brilliance is a great ship. I spent about 2 weeks on her sailing the Norwegian Fjords and Iceland out of England a couple of years ago. Enjoy. I love the Oasis class. Two of the three have been listed. We don't list Carnival cruises here! ;) Sorry for the delay on posting this one. I was on a cruise myself and only returned on the day you left. Awesome! I really need to book one of the group cruises. Unfortunately, my wife has not interest. And while she says I can go, I think it's a trap. ;) The updated list with all of the cruises quoted above can be found here:

Didn't try specialty dining. Since it was our first cruise on RC, I wanted to try all 5 nts in the main dining to evaluate variety of the menu, etc. "One more question" you stated it exactly, didn't think another cruiseline could match up and being a Disney Vacation Club member, I have never really been disappointed in my experience with them. Over 20 years of vacationing in Disney and DCL, if I've ever mentioned a problem at the resorts or anywhere else I have been reimbursed financially very well for any inconvenience. I didn't want to spend $2000 to be disappointed in any way on another cruiseline. However leaving out of NJ, and the ability to skip flying, plus not wanting to be a person who wouldn't try another cruiseline push me in this direction. Leaving out of Bayonne and going under the Veranzano Bridge was really cool. Then cruising north, dcl doesn't do that much and when they do it, like twice a year or so, they can charge a bundle, so this worked for us. Rebooking a cruise next year for 7 nts to Bermuda and a stop at Boston, was perfect for us. The rebook was easy. The price dropped about $150 and i made a call to RC and they credited me right away. Calling RC to make changes and adjustments over the last year or so, is always easy. Hardly wait. They are very helpful. So in a way, the entire experience surprised me. Getting a balcony for the same price as a dcl inside room, is also a plus. .....It's the men's bathroom that needs to be addressed. Really no excuse for that. After the trip I know sometimes things go wrong, like I tried to do early walk off on disembarkment day, wow that was a mess. But people we ate w/ just walked off at the time they were suppose to, so I'll do that next time. Tendering to Bar Harbor was also a huge pain, but I decided not to focus on the negative, which is weird for me. Too many surprisingly nice things happened for us.

Look forward to that in Oct!

Well, depending on how much of a casino person you are, you could conceivably just bring a few hundred in cash to cover your planned budget there. Not all of us gamble like Raye.

Best yet was the entire westbound transatlantic cruise from Copenhagen to Boston. Norway was great, but 4 days and 3 ports in Iceland was so different from other places we had been. Would do that sailing again in a heartbeat. The Serenade was on top of their game. Great room steward, wait staff, etc.......Everything was just right.

Your documents (PHOTO ID) has to match the name you sail with. This is for Customs. They screen the manifest 72 hours prior to the ship sailing - I agree it would be nice to have a preferred name area, but that will never happen since its a legal thing with immigration etc. etc.

Thank you for the shout out and happy to help with all your details anytime

I've been using Michelle, too. Just returned from a cruise on Princess that she booked for us and arranged for us to disembark a day early in France with Princess rather than returning to Southampton. The process couldn't have been more flawless. She's also booked a friend and another colleague and both have been happy with her service. I have three or four others booked with Michelle and she's also helping with some post cruise arrangements this coming December/January.

All the of our agents do work hard to monitor all pricing and sales for you once you are MEI clients AND we appreciate the support of some many Royal Caribbean blog clients and always are looking for new one's - and sometimes TA don't work out to be a 'perfect" match which is why we have a team of many here! HAPPY Mid-July! BTW a TIP - Alaska Cruises is a hot market for 2017 and 2018. Reminder to book shore tours early if you do have cruises, cause we have seen some start to get full.

I always get into trouble with autocorrect when posting from my phone. For some reason, it just doesn't like the word "Royal."

This should help explain and answer your questions. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/05/19/first-time-cruisers-what-you-need-know-about-gratuities-royal-caribbean

Right, it's a way of augmenting your cruise with more time on land.

To answer your question, yes. Below was posted by Matt in another thread of the same topic. "Here's an overview of the dining packages: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/01/28/spotlight-royal-caribbean-dining-packages"

I think there is a Scottish place near there....MacDonald's

Sept 16, 2017 Excited to announce that I am finally booked for the Harmony group cruise. Look forward to sailing with old and new friends alike. HUGE thanks to my lovely wife for being so supportive of my cruise addiction and allowing me to go. She is unavailable due to a new job but she is booked the Alaska group cruise.

Just boarded Liberty and I can report there is nothing in the fridge and no bottles of water on the vanity. So it looks like this practice has been stopped. The 12-pack of Evian I pre-ordered and paid for is here.

Stephanie @ MEI is my go-to! I wish I could take more cruises to help her out (and hey, it would help me out too!)

I was also VERY dissatisfied with my TA, and switched to MEI. Like Billy, I've been working with Brock for the past couple of cruises and so far nothing but positive results.

So excited! We just upgraded to a grand suite for our August HOTS cruise. We have never stayed in a grand suite before so I was hoping those of you out there who are familiar with sky class benefits could answer a few questions: 1. What exactly does priority disembarkation get you? Do you get to walk off the ship and bypass all lines on the last day? 2. What is Priority Dining reservations? 3. What seats do they reserve for you at shows? Front? Middle? And do they reserve a set number for all suite guests or as requested? 4. How do you make reservations to CK? It's not on my cruise planner. Do we have to wait till we get there? Also, if anyone has other comments, tips or suggestions I would love to hear it. Thanks in advance :)

Have never been in JS, yet, but have never had a problem getting extra hangers from our cabin attendant. Would assume the same for you, just ask.

This is GREAT! Thanks WT Ryan, please let us know how this goes. Sounds like a win-win plan!

Ok. To contact the concierge on board Explorer, send an email to [email protected] The Suites Concierge will probably be Denzil, but that's not a guarantee. They switch up all the time. But if you send an email to the generic concierge address someone should answer. Good luck !!

But Disney ain't got Hogwarts!!!

We sail this Sunday on the Oasis so I will have our cabin steward remove the extra "sitting around" water. I get bottled water with my package anyway.

I got hit with this. $5.84. Just called RC this morning to rectify the situation. Easy enough to fix, but seems odd it happens this frequently.

You Pinnacle people always get the free stuff...

I don't remember seeing them... The drink package could have been the reason...

When you check in, tell them you want to use a different card and they will do the switch for you. I've done this twice after Bank of America changed my account numbers due to "security breaches" at vendors. Will not be a problem as long as you have your set sail pass.

I know Nick Vitani and his wife are booked, but unsure of anyone else. I'm getting married that day so I'll be missing this sailing.

Can't thank you all enough for the responses and help. Decided to go with Oasis of the Seas in March 2018. We'll be stopping in philipsburg, st. Maarten,,San juan Puerto Rico, and labadee, Haiti. It looks like a great ship. Now to look at excursions and dining options which I'm sure will bring more questions to the table haha. Thanks again for all the help everyone.

Thank you for supporting our sponsor! Thank you for supporting our sponsor! And you're so right, cruising with friends is the way to go!

I agree with Cruisinmom315. I have always used a larger internet cruise travel agency in the past so this is my first experience with MEI Travel. I have been impressed so far with all my interactions with them. Their response to my questions has been quick and their suggestions have been spot on with what we wanted. Yes you might get some extra OBC with a large agency and I thought that was the best way but MEI is making me rethink that strategy. The extras so far with the group cruise has more than made up for the OBC I might have received. I am so excited to be going on the group cruise on Harmony of the Seas. Come join us for the fun. As Matt says it's more fun to cruise with friends!

Thanks rjac - much appreciated :) However, I have now found them on Amazon UK. What on earth did we do before Amazon?!

Yes, been there and done that and don't like it, have the t-shirt to prove it...

Just signed up! Glad I can help support this very informative forum.

I think there should be a "RC Blog All Stars" page with little bios of these "celebrities" so people like me who don't know who Jerel or Michael Poole are, can go there and read about them so we too can be in the know...

Street Performer Playa Mia Playa Mia Complex Offshore Water Gym Paddle Boarding for Two Pool Snorkeling Pool Snorkeling Pier Family Shot Delicious Chocolate Shrimp Cocktail Caesar Salad

So this was the first cruise in which we had 3 successive port days. Being that Cozumel is probably the most frequent stop for Galveston/West Florida cruises (meaning we’d be returning often…), it was last in terms of deciding our port activities on this cruise. Eventually it was decided that we simply wanted a beach/resort day and booked the Deluxe Beach Break and Playa Mia Water Park Excursion via the Cruise Planner for $66USD per adult and $56USD for our daughter. This included access to all the park facilities except motorized watercraft, massages, etc… Lunch Buffet and Unlimited Drinks (with and without Alcohol) were included. We had actually done a cooking class at Playa Mia in 2006 on a Princess Cruise. I honestly didn’t make the connection until after I’d booked the current excursion. The then sous-chef now appears to be the head chef and his face is plastered all over the advertising. Funny how things turn out… Following our rain-filled Monday, it was simply overcast and cloudy on our Tuesday in Cozumel. We were one of the first groups off the ship and hit the port market for about 30 minutes before our transfer buses loaded and departed. Instructions were given to the family to simply take notes of items to buy as I didn’t want to haul bags of souvenirs on an excursion. Of the three ports we hit this voyage, the pricing of small knick-knacks was lowest at this port. We purchased several maracas, shot glasses, bracelets, etc… for $1 each. (We already have plans to buy more on our next cruise in December which also stops at Cozumel…) There were two gentlemen under a hut in the shopping area dressed in Mayan (?) garb/body paint and performing various dances. They were entertaining and well-earned the tip money they received from the crowd. The bus ride to Playa Mia was about ~10-15 minutes in length and was uneventful. Wristbands for admission and food/beverage access were passed out in the Port Market Area before the bus ride, so we were able to walk directly from the buses to our beach chairs… The buses remained onsite until our afternoon departure. If we wanted to leave early, a taxi could have been arranged at our expense. There was a floating playground out in the water which my daughter wanted to attack first. Life jackets were required and several kids were sent back to shore by safety staff in order to obtain them. I’ll be honest and say it was 1) a bit of work to swim out to these features and 2) even more work to actually climb up/stay on them. The main activity we did was the large slide. It was fun and I’m glad we did it, but I now know I’ll never have to pay for this type of activity at other ports because it just wasn’t worth all the physical effort. Daughter wanted to use her mask and snorkel but the water was too cloudy from all the surf and people kicking up sand. Instead, we retreated to the swimming pool and did some pool snorkeling. The lack of fish, coral, and other sea life didn’t seem to bother her… Lunch was a nice buffet spread. Plenty of fresh fruits, salads, rice, beans, chicken fajitas and the usual kid fare of hot dogs, chicken nuggets, pasta, etc… They had a self-service drink station that featured various fruit punches. There was also a bar at the end of buffet that you could get alcohol and soda if desired… After lunch, we journeyed over to the water park area and rode the water slides a couple of times. The kiddie area seemed very popular with that crowd and the larger oval pool was well attended by adults looking for a place to lounge with their drinks. We headed over to the watercraft section and my wife and daughter boarded a paddle boat and hit the water. They really seemed to enjoy their relaxing ride through the surf. I attempted to paddle out on a kayak but quickly found myself in a position that I was not happy with. All of the watercraft appeared to be for 2 passengers- including the kayaks. I was sitting in the rear as instructed and quickly found the front of the kayak higher out of the water than I would have liked. I tried to lean forward to compensate for the tilt but my life vest made it 1) challenging to get my torso forward and 2) to actually breathe. Knowing I had been defeated, I threw in the towel and paddled the 30 feet back to shore and beached my craft for its next victim... Within the same complex at Playa Mia is The Mayan Cacao Company. They offer a tour on the process of making chocolate along with some Mayan history but we did not have time to fit it in our schedule. We did find time to visit the gift shop and drop some $$$ on some delicious gourmet chocolate bars. They had samples set up of the many varieties of bars and they were amazing. (Will have to find a source in Port for these on our next visit…) The bus ride back to port was uneventful and our pre-planned shopping stops were executed with surgical precision. Walking back to the ship was quick and painless. We finally got some blue sky as we got back on board. Dinner in the MDR started with Shrimp Cocktail and a Caesar Salad and progressed nicely from there… After dinner we took in the Comedy and Juggling Act of Billy Prudhomme in the Platinum Theatre. Some of his humor seemed to get a bit too dark at times, particularly when he had audience participants. His juggling was enjoyable and the few drops could be understandable given the movement of the ship. My wife did not like him at all, so keep that in mind… Opinions vary… Grand Cayman was on the horizon so we turned in for the evening- dreaming of the Sting Rays and Reef Snorkeling that lie ahead…