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Say a little thank you to the "Big Guy" of allowing me to be on vacation. And by Big Guy...I'm not talking about my husband...lol We've had a rough year....cancer diagnoses for me, Major surgery, 12 chemo treatments, (finally finished), Hurricane Harvey flooding our home 2 weeks into my chemo. I wasn't allowed any alcohol during my treatments......yea, I'm ready for a cruise...and a big ole Bloody Mary! Come on May!!

Sitting at the doctor's office and came across the most interesting article. Thought I would share. Take away from it whatever you will. The most interesting thing to me was the fear of "chicken or beef". No wonder RC rates low for you know what! ?? still can't let it go! http://nationalpost.com/travel/secret-codes-and-subliminal-messages-a-look-inside-the-worlds-biggest-cruise-ship

@rjac has offered his services as a magic genie. Might not be the same as a Royal Genie though and you have to put up with him sleeping on your cabin floor.

There is a secret way to get a genie, say the magic words..... Eenie meenie chili beanie..... Then a genie will appear...

Well first thing I do is hit the bar for a good drink! Then I like to explore the ship. it's a great time to get familiar with the ship, see places you may want to come back and check back later as well its a great time to get photo's around the ship while she is really clean and not full of people! For first timers especially I think that would be enjoyable and to get familiar with the layout etc. I don't care for windjammers on boarding day...its usually mayhem in there....There will be other places not as busy to grab a bite. Of course if the weather is nice...its pool deck hang out to people watch, enjoy some drinks and hopefully a fun sailaway party......these are the things I look forward to after 11 cruises so for a first timer I think it would be all very enjoyable. Adventure is still a big ship with lots going on...

Personally I don’t understand the controversy. Everyone knows the reason why they did this. They aren’t alone. Other cruise lines have the same policy. I used to buy a pkg for myself and not my wife. Now I can’t do that. It’s their ship and MY choice. So, now I don’t get any pkgs, go a la carte, and there’s NO WAY my bar tab will be anywhere near the cost of 2 pkgs.

Our nonstop Southwest flights out of BWI to SJU dropped from $303 pp/rt to $200 pp/rt on sale last week. My wife gets emails from Southwest that notify her of sales and when she checked, we were pleasantly surprised with the C-note savings for each of us. That's over $500 for our family group. Maybe now we can afford to kiss a dolphin after all!

Regarding your "significant other". If the 2 of you share an address, it is possible for him to claim your D+ status. If you are eligible for him to claim your status (same address), you must sign him up for C&A ahead of time and have C&A apply the D+ status to his account. That can take a number of days (or it can be instantaneous....you just never know) so I recommend if you are going to go this route, you do it ASAP. If he attains your C&A status, there will be no issue for the 2 of you to both enjoy the D+ amenities, which include priority boarding. If he is not eligible to claim your status, technically he is not granted priority boarding HOWEVER, I have seen many, many people bring their significant others through the priority boarding line anyway. It all depends on who is marshalling the boarding lanes and how comfortable you are with trying to smuggle him through with you. If he does attain your C&A level, he should understand that he is only getting that b/c of your status. He will not be able to keep that status should your relationship status change. He will begin accumulating points when he cruises but his points count will start at 0 and he would have to attain D+ on his own in order to enjoy those benefits should your relationship change.

Yep. Picked Delta, got the confirmation number, entered into my Delta account and got my free upgrade to Comfort +.

This is good advice - it helps to have bartenders who know your face, name, and drink order! Not only for reasons stated, but chatting with the bar staff is pretty enjoyable. Big shout out to the bar crews at the Pub and Schooner on board the Allure! They were fantastic while we were on board for two weeks.

I do agree and I do appreciate his reference to salt. We also eat a fairly low sodium diet so I would probably like the food on MSC. He says they went to Senor Frogs while in Cozumel and Hard Rock...once again this is a huge indicator on type of food he likes. I personally chose to stay away from chain restaurants and I would probably go wherever Matt went in Cozumel as that is more to my taste.

Dr. Strangecheese. Or, how I learned to relax and embrace the Sorrentos.

100% insane and insensitive in some cases. If you're a Diamond member don't you get 3 free at night? Maybe the drink package isn't worth it for you with the free drinks...just pay as you go?

Not to be too much of an alarmist but a SCUBA diving Hawaiian poster on another (non-related) forum that I frequent advises strongly against the full face snorkel masks. He posted this link and has this to say. “Unprecedented Spike in Ocean Drowning Incidents,” 9 Deaths in 13 Days January 29, 2018 The build up of carbon dioxide inside mask that can lead to blackout.When using traditional 2 piece, newer snorkel designs (dry and semi-dry) create too much breathing resistance due to the stopper unlike the old J type purge style which I suspect is what does these guys in. Rare occasions I go to resorts where tourist are to dive and the breathing noise and rhythm coming out their snorkels is insane. Relax and breathe through snorkel like you do the air on land and you'll be fine.Also keeping a snorkel in your mouth when diving is a recipe for a lung full of water. If you pass out, your tongue can't stop the water from entering. Cressi, Mares, ScubaPro, Oceanic, Omer and Riffe, in order of cost lowest to highest. I'd recommend a full foot fin that wears like a shoe. If you're going to go out there a long time, get some fin socks so you don't wear the skin on top of your foot raw. Avoid the heel strap style unless in shallow water so it will be easy to retrieve if it falls off.I prefer all black color for all my gear so as to not attract sharks. Colors, especially those that create contrast raises the odds you'll have an encounter.

Thanks for all your advise we decided today and booked Independence of the Seas for April 2019 to Labadee. So excited..

With the announcement that Carnival is adding Carnival Spirit to its two other ships that are already full time in the Australian market is it now time for RCI to follow suit? RCI normally operate in Australia / New Zealand between October and March (spring, summer) each year before redeploying them to Alaska and Asia. This means we are without an RCI option for 7 months a year leaving the market to Carnival, Princess and P&O who have ships in the region year round. If we want to sail outside this window it is necessary to fly for 8-10 hours up to Singapore or China and those cruises are not targeted at the western demographic. It would be nice if when the next round of itineraries are announced that at least 1 ship stays in our market year round offering cruises up to the Pacific Islands during our winter. These cruises are already popular with the other lines and I guess for us it would be the equivalent of a Caribbean cruise in the midst of winter. Originally Carnival started with 1 ship in the market year round and now they are expanding to 2 with another here during peak times. I know there is a high demand for ships but in a fast growing and presumably profit market (Australians and New Zealanders really like their alcohol, on our cruise on Ovation the bar staff went from 40 for China to 140 for Australia) it might now be worth having a market presence all year round. Probably a only a pipe dream for the near future but it would certainly be nice to have more choice about when to cruise and how often.

Woop Woop!!! That is all!!

My husband says he is my genie and bank.

We've sent physical letters before praising the work of crew members by name. We always get a personal response back from a high ranking customer service officer.

We always try and get reservations knocked out first (Specialty restaurants), then a snack or meal, then a drink, explore the ship if we haven't been on it before or just familiarize ourselves again if it is one we have been on recently, maybe then to the Solarium for a quick swim (Always have a swim suite in our carry on bag) then to the room and unpack if luggage shows up, by then it is Muster time (On Adventure it will be outside on deck 5, running track, I think), then up on the top deck to watch sail away and have another drink, then clean up for dinner, dinner, either a show or a stroll on the top deck under the stars. I like an occasional cigar so I might have one while strolling the top deck, then maybe a late night snack before bed...

+1 on this - when my husband and I moved in together a few years before the whole 'marriage' thing we had my C&A account linked to his - bumped me up to Platinum, and now our next Adventure cruise will be our first Emerald cruise. Looking at Diamond around mid-2019 :)

My experience with the private islands, since onset of the drink packages, is that the bars will be packed and terribly understaffed. Absolutely ruined Labadee for me the last time. Also, no roving bar staff on the beaches anymore. Only ones I saw were selling coconut filled drinks for an additional charge above the drink package. My advise would be to take care of your bartender early with a nice tip so that he remembers you and your drink of choice. Otherwise, you will be several people deep in multiple, chaotic lines.

I remember my first day like it was yesterday......okay...a month ago! Got to the terminal (Galveston) around 10:15 and got checked in. Boarded shortly after that. Went up to the pool deck and immediately got drinks at the bar at the corner of the pool (wound up being my worst drink of the cruise (Mai Tai). Went to windjammers and on our way in saw a guy from Choppes. Got our reservation for FNDR set up with him. Next into Windjammer where i saw a person from Johnny Rockets...alas, no coupons. Got lunch in Windjammers, headed down and walked thru promenade. About this time they announced rooms were ready (1:15ish). Went to room, unpacked and got settled in....just in time for muster....after muster returned to room...MISTAKE...while wife was in restroom, I sat on couch and looked out balcony doors. That's when i noticed oil derrick outside was moving......only oil derricks don't move!!! we were moving! Yup! Completely missed Sail-Away! Oh well, explored ship for a while then had last dinner at Choppes (excellent) before heading back to room and enjoying the cold balcony as we watched the lights of other ships moving thru the gulf.

After boarding, we like to head towards the nearest bar for a drink and walk around the ship to figure out where everything is! Usually, stuff like Sorrento's or Cafe Promenade is less crowded than the insanity that is the Windjammer after embarkation. The sail away party and pool deck on embarkation day is always a great time! For places to hang out in the evening, we are big fans of the pub as well as the schooner bar. We like the laid back atmosphere as well as the entertainment. The Viking Crown Lounge as well as the Champagne Bar/R Bar are some of our favorite stops for pre-dinner drinks.

I usually hit the windjammer first thing too, but we get there early. Then its off to the first bar. Once we get relaxed we go to the dining room to look for our table instead of searching at dinner time. Since your boyfriend is in the same room, he will board with you.

Not making any judgements on your group of guys but we ran into something we had never heard of and thought we would post as a general tip. We had lunch with a couple a couple of days into our cruise and wife seemed a little upset. Apparantly hubby had to much to drink in first port stop to the point he had to be assisted in boarding. Since he was in such tough shape a sticker was placed on his sea pass that he could not drink on board for 24 hours. Since they both had the drink package and were in the same room wife was also stickered. So she not only embarrassed but was mad because here card was also flagged. We had never heard of this but something to consider if you decide to let the good times roll.

Yes! But, this was for a 3 day cruise and we had all packed light. Uber XL might work better for lots of luggage/people!

Thanks, both of you! I'm planning on using Lyft, so hopefully will have smooth sailing.

Looks like Adventure in May is using the new check in process where you upload your photo and SeaPass cards are outside your stateroom. Bet she will be added to the new app soon too.

That is exactly what I'm doing right now! March 2020. If she's getting slides, then it will be perfect for my kids.

That's the biggest issue with food reviews. Unless they explain the flavour in detail it's really subjective and may be influenced by things like where they are from and what they tend to eat, to begin with. If they compared it to something referenceable it might be better. I definitely have to agree, this is my only issue with his reviews. Look at his commentary about the salting of the food on Seaside, and how he found everything highly under-salted, then an Italian passenger complained that the tomato soup was far too salty -- and he found it exactly right! For me, this would be an indication that food on Seaside might actually be quite enjoyable for me. Why? Because for years as a teen, due to my dad having developed high blood pressure, I had to learn to deal with salt-free / low-salt cooking, and I've stuck with that my whole adult life. I now find typical American diner and chain restaurant food to be so heavily over-salted that I end up not eating those things again (or being ready to drink an absolute ton of water to flush it out fast). It also warns me that I should expect the food on RC to maybe be a good bit more salted than I might care for, but at least I know I can then speak to the dining staff and ask them to please prepare my meals with less salt going forward.

I just read his review and want to read his review of Liberty next having been on that ship. Just makes me realize how these reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt. I know food is very subjective but reading where and what he eats in ports makes me realize that I would never take his food recommendations. I'll probably read the Harmony review just to know what he likes so I know what to stay away from! Now the media file does make me want to try it but as I look at family friendly vacations this isn't going to be the ship for us. The more competition the better for us all ideally. That being said I think I found a good thing for my family with RC so I'm unwilling to try something new. Our vacation time is precious and I'd hate to spend the time and money on something that we may or may not like.

Discussing medical issues with guests introduces HIPPA laws and compliance. The real issue here is social media. Someone figures out they can claim medical or something else and get around the policy then social media explodes with "how to circumvent the drink policy". No company can ask for proof of medical or dig into medical details without running into HIPPA, so they are left with little choice. The same people that created this issue by sharing the drink package are the same ones doing everything they can to circumvent the policy and cheat. That leaves Royal with few options. Requiring the Replenish package is a compromise. RCI simply fell in line with NCL and Carnival who has had this policy for years. It's hard to single out RCI and claim they are being outrageous with this policy when the other cruise lines always have had the same policy. My diamond status is irrelevant to the issue but honestly since achieving diamond I haven't felt inclined to buy the drink package. A beer and frozen something each day comes to around $20. Free drinks during diamond happy hour plus a couple drinks during the day is like having a drink package that cost $20 per day. On 12 night cruises I never did the drink package before making diamond - drink fatigue kicks in around day 7 for me. Many days I only drink in the evenings so diamond happy hour is a game changer. On a recent 9 night cruise even the diamond happy hour started into drink fatigue territory towards the end.

I wonder if there's enough feedback on this if Royal would be willing to take on medical requests on a case-by-case basis with the policy.

As far as I know, that's still the case for Uber so a lot of people use that method. The taxi drivers tend to know what's going on and might get a little annoyed about it. An option I've used is Smart-Two shuttles. They offer pretty reasonable rates if you don't want to deal with either Uber or a rental car. Huge vans, always on time, with wifi, usb ports, and bottled water available. I've used them two separate times for round trips and always had a very positive experience.

Love Indy. You are going to have an awesome time.

I can't disagree F1guynz. Mid-winter cruises to the South Pacific would be ideal. As it is, we can only do that by being disloyal to Royal !

April 2019 there's a 9nt southern Caribbean itinerary leaving from Florida

I love how fired up people get in Sorrento's threads

That's still better than the 14 that I have.....and I will have put in 32 years by then....

You sound like my husband!! You will sooooo enjoy retirement! At least he is. I'm hoping to hang it up in the next two years but I work from home, have great bosses so I'm not in a hurry! When we see you on Adventure, he'll tell you all about it! LOL

According to the Captain of the Indy: "A ship has a Captain, a boat has an unhappy husband".

Am I the only one that sees the humor in the fact that the Skylight Chapel is now the Escape Room ..... A location where people said their vows is now an Escape Room......Related????? You be the judge.

BS on the crowd control and BS on charging for it! These so called all inclusive cruise vacations may be a thing of the past. Oh Yeah, it's all about the profit, what a go to statement now a days. I have waited for over 40 minutes maybe more in the flow rider line., Do I like it, No but it doesn't stop me waiting in line. Just think you might start a conversation with the person next to you and not with your smart phone. I have made many new friends on the flow rider line.

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

When we were on Grandeur going around Hurricane Jose..... my wife bought everything out there "just in case" ---- She ended up really loving the patch..... the only down side was that it made her drowsy...... but like a champ, she muscled through so she could have fun in the VCL at night.

My experience with my last several hotel bookings has been that, at worst, the hotels offer the same rate you'll find on Expedia / Orbitz / Travelocity / etc; often, booking directly has gotten me a better rate, or given me options that I wasn't offered on the big sites. And here's a key thing to consider: Even if the rates listed on the hotel chains' sites are the same as those big online travel sites, the other big difference I've found is that booking directly with the hotel means my card isn't charged until I actually stay there, and I retain the option to cancel as late as 3 PM the day of arrival with no penalty. With the big travel sites, a lot of their posted rates are immediately billed to your credit card and carry a note in micro-print that this is a "specially negotiated rate" (which is total BS) that does not allow for any cancellation for any reason whatsoever. This is a deliberate effort on the part of the hotel chains. The Expedias of the web are becoming a bit of a racket and keeping more of the money for themselves than before, and the hotels want that money back. Definitely look up each hotel you're interested in online, and when you find one you want I'd say personally call the hotel's actual reservation desk or chain's booking number. You may even find they'll tell you about some unadvertised options that could save you a little more (this happened to me twice) or get you in a slightly better room for the same rate.

tell me about it £350 pp it cost me from jfk to sju for Nov and ticket price has risen by £50 since i booked last week

Nope. Been there done that. Even called and asked them if it shown as booked or just on hold. It's booked. I knew it would go fast. It was a good deal. I can't even talk about it right now. Still too painful.