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I am beyond excited! I have to share this news with my RC Blog family! As some of you know already know from reading my posts, star class has been on my radar for a while now. I was never able to do it though for various reasons, either kids too young or work or price too crazy. Anyway, as @WAAAYTOOO mentioned in another post, yesterday I noticed early in the morning there was a STAR discount of $1000. I had my eye on upgrading my Anthem sailing next month to the GLS but sadly I moved too slow and it was gone. Because I am obsessive by nature, and also persistent, I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the $1000 discount which ends at midnight. So this morning, I was able to find (although I'm not sure what I signed up for) a 2BDR ATS-GTY for about $3400pp on none other than my favourite ship ever-Harmony! I did not hesitate this time because for a March break sailing, I knew that price was a no brainer. I am just praying that I guessed the correct dates for march break 2019 because the school calendar doesn't even come out for another two months. I am beyond excited but I have never done a guarantee room on anything before. So I am not sure what I will end up with. Any thoughts anyone? But as @WAAAYTOOO put it, the worst I can get is an A2 on deck 10 and even that is amazing! Only 403 days left but who's counting!

Me neither. Draws too much attention.

There are many who say that other cards give you more perks and I'm sure that's true. However, we use the BofA RCCL Visa card b/c, as BostonBabe suggests, you can redeem your points directly for cruise OBC and since you receive double points for any RCCL purchases, those points will accumulate quickly. We use the RCCL BofA Visa exclusively when cruising.

Great! I'll keep an eye out for 10% price drops soon!

It can not be emphasize enough how true this statement is! Particularly the "ruining forever" part. Let me add Sabrinaklai, that you will be at about the perfect time in your cruising career to get a room like this. I mean appreciation for the things that go beyond the additional living space. You'll have enough cruising history to know the difference of the details. The benefits of having a gold sea pass. How to "use" a concierge. Maybe most of all; the really, really good room attendant. Afterwards you'll have a different perspective of cruising. One of an elder that is experienced and well rounded. It's gonna look good on ya" ! I think you've made a great choice

if you werent so awesome and helpful I'd probably resent you :P

Very soon. NOW! LOL https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/02/01/royal-caribbean-announces-new-features-coming-mariner-of-the-seas

We just completed our 6th cruise and wanted to offer a general observation. We love Royal and generally think they do things well in all areas. However we come back amazed every time how many conversations we overhear that someone didn't know something was available to them on the ship. For example the last night of the cruise someone eating in the main dining room for the first time. They didn't know they could order an extra entree if they wanted one or if they have a food allergy the staff will do everything they can to meet their menu needs. I understand why the company always host a port shopping event early each cruise, to increase their profits. However I would think the could build brand loyalty by hosting a "newbie" event to offer insights into the ship and the great variety of items available during the cruise. Maybe they alrady do,but as a still relative newbie we didn't see it on the cruise compass. Royal shoould recognize that the script for the " newbie show " is already written for them with this blog and all of its great contributors. We have found so much great information here we always feel at home on whatever ship we are sailing. We really feel like we are giving back when we can answer a fellow cruisers question. We also point them here so for their next cruise they will more informed which I think leads to a better cruise experience.

Awesome sauce!!

MEI has special approval for booking blog group cruises for anyone but I don't know about non-blog cruises. I asked Jacki York, my MEI agent. Like all agencies ... it depends. There are some fly by night online agencies that undercut prices. Impossible to price match places like that. Never hurts to ask... here is her contact info: Jacki York, CTA Independent Travel Consultant Email: [email protected] Local: (518) 853-4009 Toll Free: (855) 893-8747 Fax: (518) 514-1110 Office Hours: Monday through Friday 8:00am - 5:00pm EST Saturday and Sunday - I check email and voice mail messages as time permits. I normally respond to all email inquiries within 24 hours. If your request is urgent please call.

HI Matt, I guess this was recent? I'm sailing on her in 93 days! YES, I am FINALLY IN COUNTDOWN MODE FOR 1ST CRUISE SINCE SONG OF AMERICA! LOL The first of 7 I have booked, alot of catching up to do!!

crossed my mind

Back to back! Now might be a good time to shamelessly plug our Mariner of the Seas group cruise! https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/event/royalcaribbeanblogcom-double-dip-cococay

Word on the street is that @twangster is not a real person ?

Well if for some reason they change the schedule next year, my offer to cruise with your husband still stands...

I've sailed Anthem in 3 different cabins. Two balcony and an interior. Two cabins were fine, one was fringe coverage. In that cabin I found if I hang my phone near the cabin door and use my bluetooth headset I could do wifi phone calls just fine. If I put my phone on my nightstand beside the bed wifi would drop overnight as the signal was too weak all the way into the cabin. Something I sail with now is a wifi travel router. I use this in my cabin so I can share my single Voom connection between my laptop and my phone while I am in the cabin. It has a better wifi antenna on it and an added benefit is that it produces its own wifi signal so my phone can be anywhere in the cabin, sort of like a repeater. Short of that one Anthem cabin, most of my experience on other ships has been good in the cabin. Perfect? Not exactly but good enough to work from the ships, sit on two hour long conference calls, participate in GoTo Meetings, etc. On older ships that do not have O3b the latency is nearly triple, often over 600ms. For wifi phone calls that isn't the best but depending on your tolerance can still be doable at times. Normal non-voice stuff like text, email, web browsing works pretty well but voice calls and video chatting suffers due to the delay. Consistent throughput also suffers on these ships. Rain seems to affect them more. Having said all this, even the older Royal Caribbean ship Voom works so much better that other cruise lines and I am being super critical pointing out the worst just so you understand the worst it will be. O3b only works between 45° S and 45°N latitude so parts of Northern Europe, Canada, Alaska and parts of New Zealand are technically outside of the intended O3b coverage area. Even newer ships have to switch over to the older geostationary satellite (non-O3b) when the O3b signal weakens in these areas.

Another Canadian company doing well making products for RCI. Handling Specialty is the company that makes the lifts for the Aqua Theatre pool.

This post is "spot on." Even with 7 Royal cruises, I'm still learning. Agree with Ray, this blog site contains a wealth of information (and cruise humor). I can't see a down side for a "Rookie " Cruisers Orientation, even for veteran cruisers on a new ship class (voluntary).

On formal night I'd suggest more than flip flops. But, I know some heels, and the like, can be very fancy and formal looking, but at the same time be considered flip flops/sandals. Not sure that makes sense, but what I'm getting at is...blingy whatevers should be ok. They don't want "pool clothes", or the "I don't give a ****" look in the MDR, that's what the Windjammer is for. However, as @Matt has mentioned in many podcasts, and I've experienced in my own cruising, some shopping for new cruise-wear is a must before each cruise ?

I did a Southbound this past June on Celebrity which is part of the Royal Caribbean family. I booked the train direct so I had that early train you saw. The duration of the train ride will be very close. My recap blog for that trip can be found here: They collect luggage in Anchorage as your arrive for the train so have your ship luggage tags on them leaving your hotel just like you would for any cruise. You'll see your luggage next outside your cabin on the ship. The chartered train stops very close to the cruise terminal in Seward. You'll see a picture of this in my blog. Like any cruise terminal here you'll need your SetSail pass and passports. Make sure you keep your documents with you and not in your luggage leaving your hotel. Same with medication, valuables and especially your camera - you'll need it on the train which was an amazing ride. See my photos in the blog above. As far as dinner I'd eat when you are hungry. I saw a whale right in the port at Seward. It stays light much later so you might want to eat early, go to the safety briefing (mandatory) and then catch sail away while it's still very light outside at 8pm. You never know what wildlife you might see. Enjoy your cruise, Alaska is amazing.

Woohoo! Good things come to those that wait.

PS: I whole heartedly disagree with this statement: “The only characteristic distinguishing cruises regardless of cruise line is the ports of call” Clearly you have not sailed the Oasis Class!

As a newbie who's first cruise is in Nov this year, i can honestly say this site has not only been a massive help but has also and maybe more importantly made the prospect of cruising less stressful. Simple things such as what time we can board ship, information regarding dining procedures or even the fact that disney is better for sailing if you want lots of sex , any question that is asked is answered in a friendly manner . Should RC do something to help Newbie's settle in? definitely!!! Not every newbie will find or even look for this blog

In a way, he got his money's worth: I am sure it was a heck of an experience, and excursions are all about experiences, right?

visited NY for 1st time in july, saw lots of bums, wino's and litter filled streets but as hard as i tried i just couldn't find any hookers

Do it, please. Make sure you take pictures.

I actually got the Celebrity CC (not the on that's $69.00 annual fee). It's with Bank of America. I got it because out of the 7 cruises I'm booked on 5 are Celebrity, however, when I go online to Bank of America to redeem my points which I will be doing for my upcoming Grandeur, there is a drop down box that gives the names of all 3 RCCL cruises (RC, Celebrity Azumara). I have enough for the grandeur for $250 OBC and then some so I really don't see how you can go wrong.

It's gone up 20% in the cruise planner in 2018 but I keep hoping for a sale.

Yes, Grandeur had work done in 2017

Non-RC sites tend to leave off taxes and port fees until the very end. Also, be sure to make sure the prices include gratuities or not. As @twangster noted, some of the big sites tend to rebate money off the price but that comes at the cost of service and/or charging you fees for changes. With MEI, no fees for having changes done, and you get an agent who works with you, not a call center. I'm biased and they are a sponsor, but sometimes you have to consider the bigger picture about what a TA is really there for.

My least favorite thing is getting off of the ship at the end of the cruise.

The enhancements to the steel structure on the top deck would be referencing the repair to the crack on Deck 10 .... If you look at this picture from 2016, you can see the rubber mat that covered the crack (just passed the third light pole.)

Dual citizen. Live in the U.S., family in the GTA.

There is also something to say about the overall eco system. Working across devices within the Apple eco system is painless and easy. I've got an Android phone and had an S7 Edge when it was new and the flagship model. Features and specifications are for geeks to fight over on another forum. The eco system is what really sets them apart. There are ways to do similar things on both devices but with Android there are five different apps that aren't compatible and each has pros and cons. Tomorrow Google will likely launch yet another chat app that is different again from it's video app that is different again from a similar app. Want to transfer files to a laptop? On Android there is this app that used to free but now costs money and only works on certain Android version, but there is another app, that works if you do this, on that version or that that device. On Apple? Airdrop. Boom, done. easy. Android has yet to accomplish anything as awesome as iMessage. Most of my family and friends have Apple so iMessage works incredibly well on wifi or cellular. On a ship, on a plane, in a foreign country at a coffee shop. It was the single biggest thing I missed when I had my S7. I'm as geeky as the next geek but there is a lot to say for something that works, every time, with ease. Done without jumping through hoops.

Go to cruisedeckplans.com There are pix of the bathrooms for these 2 suites for Allure. Not sure about Harmony...but they are the exact same suites as far as I can see. I will say that the bathrooms in the Sky/Star Lofts are much nicer than the bathrooms in the ATS. That's one aspect of the ATS that I thought was lacking - the bathrooms are nothing special at all. If a bathtub is a biggie then you might be disappointed. There are no bathtubs in the Sky/Star Lofts as far as I can tell. It looks like both bathrooms just have big, walk-in showers.

@DocLC can you take me off for March 9, 2019 on Indy. Booked for March 10, 2019 on Harmony instead. Thanks!

I know. I am already ruined from trying Sky class lol. As an update, hubby and I were talking about this some more last night and we figured in the spirit of YOLO we actually moved our room from the A2-GTY to a TL (star loft). With the instant savings that rolled in at midnight, we ended up paying an addition $25 more per person. Gave up the second separate bedroom but we both love Deck 17 and the sweeping views of the loft. Hubby says we're going back to standard balconies after this ?

Bingo!!! LOL

For the application, I don't need AC1200 or beyond. I bought mine for traveling in hotel rooms and cruise ships. It's small and lightweight. I don't need multi-gig throughput when traveling. I don't need to be the strongest access point on the seas so that three ships over in port they see my signal. In fact I don't want that. This little guy is all I need for a small hotel room or cabin on a ship. It isn't going to take down the ship wifi because it's too strong or obliterating the entire spectrum so I'm less likely to draw the attention of on-board IT. Why pay for stuff I don't need?

You say cool but the lowest it ever gets even with a cold front is in the 70s. Even when that big storm froze Northern Florida we were at perfect temps.

There is a lot of steel on ships including the steel cabin door. Perfect coverage in every cabin is unlikely. Even hotels suffer from the same issue. I've had cabins with great coverage in my cabin and some with poor coverage in my cabin. Same with various public areas around any ship. There will be spots with poor wifi coverage or so many people connected it can impact performance. Beyond wifi coverage there is the matter of the satellite connection on the ship. All Oasis and Quantum class ships use the same system. All ships limit individual speeds for Surf & Stream to around 4Mb down and 2 Mb up. This is to avoid one person hogging all the bandwidth. Another factor that many people don't consider for the new ships that use medium earth orbiting satellites is that these satellites are moving, circling the earth. There are a number of them following each other but at some point the system will lose a satellite as it moves away and the ship has to find the next one rising on the opposite horizon. Rain has a major impact on Satellite signal so if there are rain clouds on one horizon but none on the other that can impact ship internet at times. Combine all these - poor wifi in one particular cabin, a satellite moving away or behind a rain cloud and performance can vary sometimes. All this to say, ship internet isn't perfect but compared to other cruise lines Voom works amazingly well. Land based internet will always seem better, but I've had great experiences on both Anthem and Harmony most of the time. I streamed NFL playoffs walking around Anthem a couple weeks ago. No issues. The ships that use the new O3b satellite platform that Harmony uses includes Oasis, Allure, Harmony, Anthem, Ovation, Quantum, Freedom and Independence. Symphony will too. Many of us are hoping more ships get upgraded to O3b but who knows. With the exception of Ovation and Quantum I've had Voom on all the ships above and they all worked great, most of the time.

Thanks for the link! The most recent one for Radiance of the Seas was from June 2016 but able to glean lots of good information. Will scan ours when we get back!

On the smaller ships, you won't know the entertainment until you get your daily cruise compass. You might be able to find other ones that can help you get an idea on times. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass

Not for my 7/7 cruise! A double occupancy room has been $300-500 more since booking in August. I check, obsessively.

Karma. Should have stayed loyal. Just sayin'...

Now I know why I book down by the prop.....

When I bring wines I tend to bring screw top wines. There are some really good ones now especially from AU and/or NZ. I was at a nice restaurant at a marina in Chesapeake Bay one time. Our young waitress was struggling to open the bottle we ordered fumbling with the cork screw for several minutes as she answered menu questions. Finally I asked if she needed help with the wine. Her relief at my offer quickly turned to embarrassment when I simply twisted the screw top off. Poor girl...

I've heard all about your infamous wine glass. ??? But is your glass half full or half empty ?

Perhaps the best place to live is Wisconsin, so that you have more appreciation for vacations when it's -25 outside

OpenVPN is not tolerant of high latency. At least not some version. OpenVPN on BSD using UDP for example doesn't work well over satellite. SSL VPN and IPSEC VPN work fine on Voom, even the geosync satellites with 600+ms latency. I routinely use Cisco AnyConnect (SSL or IPSEC) and Tunnelblick on OSX on Voom using TCP and have no issues. Both to corporate and to my home ASA firewall. I've also used Juniper's VPN client without issue. I too have set up many VPN servers and/or firewalls in my lifetime and the only ones that don't work well on Voom are OpenVPN based and/or UDP based. I also make numerous wifi calls over Voom. Sometimes multiple hours long sitting on boring conference calls. So I'm not sure who that facebook page belongs to but they have a very different experience from mine. Even the MagicJack app worked on Oasis. I will say though that the only Carnival ship of 10 I've sailed where I could get even SSL VPN to work was the Breeze. The rest? No way.