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Staaahhhpp. I have an inside room. I don't care, I'm cruising.

Reminds of arriving to check in for our Thanksgiving cruise on Independence a few years ago and being handed the "welcome aboard program" for the day, handed it to my wife while I finished checking us in with the agent. Wife taps me on the shoulder part way through and is pointing at one of the paragraphs on the page while saying the full version of WTF .... The paragraph read something like "As a reminder to our guests full nudity is only allowed on open decks and in the designated lounge areas, undergarments are required in all food service areas" .... turns out the week before was a chartered cruise for a clothing optional group and they were handing out the flyers from that cruise in error.

Day 6 - Naples. This is our 4th cruise with port stop in Naples , each time we find new things to do (first tour was Pompeii, second was to Sorrento and the third was Naples itself) So it was our first time to go to Capri. It was a full day tour we booked from RC. at 7:00 pre morning I waked up to the sound of the alarm (it was still dark outside I have checked) I did a quick shower and ran to the park cafe to bring us some bagels. We arrived at time to the meeting point and after 10 minutes we done our way to the pier , collecting our devices which were offered on all the Italian tours (receivers to hear the guide from a distance) and met our guide that took us to the fast ferry. The ferry ride takes around 45 minutes and it was quite smooth (well whatever I remembered since I was sleeping most of the ride , after all it was still pre morning for me). The guide asked us to get up few minutes before so we will be the first group that disembark, we done it and off we went to catch the minibus which took us to AnaCapri on top of the hill. In AnaCapri we could have choose what we want to do, chairlift to the top of the mountain , Museum or a church. We choose to do the chairlift and got tickets the from the guide. The chairlift was wonderful, it’s a single chairs so you are riding the lift for 15 minutes passing breathtaking view , a very serenity experience. Once on the top of the mountain , there is a trail with many “pictures” points and a small coffee shop. We spent 20 minutes on the top of the mountain and took the chairlift down. The next stop was Capri town , its in the middle of the hill and contains many shops, restaurants and a nice view from one of the gardens (the ticket was also included) , here is Capri typical taxi : ) we did the guided tour and got around 2 hours of free time which we used to eat a pizza, excellent ice cream and tour the town. Going back to Capri port we took the funicular (again tickets were included) were we embark the ferry back to Naples. All in all it was around 8 hours tour , very recommended and it was one of the tours that we really felt you getting a good value for your money. Although you can save some money by doing it yourself , the lines we skipped and the great tour guide was really worth it. Since we had still some time before “all on board” we decide to go and visit Naples for an hour , so we went directly to the city to enjoy a good espresso before heading back to the ship. It was formal night , so we got organized and went to eat at the Coastal Kitchen . we both took the lobster for main although they also offered the rack of lamb. For dessert we took the tapioca which was good . It was another perfect day

If you haven't listened yet, there is a brand new CruiseHabit podcast, and Episode 1 is all about Celebrity Revolution, the new revitalization project similar to the one they had a few years ago when they went and "Solsticized" their older ships. https://www.cruisehabit.com/Podcast

I just tried it on Oasis and it's got flavor. I'm in shock!

Presumably sometime after Royal begins offering 2020 cruises past May ? I'm also presuming even Matt answers to a higher power, such as Moms of the Seas, so I can't imagine its as simple as just picking a date the day Royal opens cruises for booking.

Yes, presumably the grat is already factored in but I don't really trust that it is going to the servers.

Day 5 I did not forgot , I still need to report the extra missing days ? , at Day 5 we came to the port which suppose to be near Rome , actually its about 1 hour from Rome (pending the traffic which can be problematic in Italy). As we visit Rome five month ago we decided to stay most of the time on the ship with some quick tour at the port city (for water and coffee). So we took the time to wake up and breakfast at the WJ (we planned to go to Johnny Rocket but missed it by 2 minutes). Getting to the city was quite easy , they have a shuttle bus that drops you at the port entrance and from there it’s a five minutes’ walk. Noting really to say about the city , its not the biggest or the prettiest but it has some restaurants, coffee places and supermarkets to re stock with some products and gifts options . So we walked around the city for couple of hours and took the shuttle back to the ship to take the advantage on the fact that most of the people went to visit Rome (or so we thought). I guess we were not the only people that decide to stay that day , there were some lines to the water slides and the flow rider. The worse lines were to the Laser Tag , it was the second day which they offered it (for 3 hours) and the lines started near the Casino entrance, we saw the line , gave up and were very happy we done it on the day one , as always try to take advantage on the first day for the most popular activities . Dinner was the MDR today (sorry no pictures) , service was fast and the food was good as usual bunt not special. We went to sleep early as we had 7:30 AM tour to Capri.

Lol! ??Guilty! @Susie don't feel bad. These boards are a wonderful resource and this community is so great that we can even poke fun at each other but in all honesty, any cruise is a great cruise. We have sailed everything from insides to suites and while we do prefer suites, we have not had a "bad time" on any cruise. Well, except that Carnival one. ?

Yes I'm late posting..sorry. Happy sailings to those cruising this month. October 2018 1 - henrysea13 (Brilliance of the Seas) 1 - ckmoss (Mariner of the Seas) 5 - KLAconQueso (Mariner of the Seas) 5 - Princevaliantus (Mariner of the Seas) 6 - WAAAYTOOO (Granduer of the Seas) 6 - Snoopsmom2 (Anthem of the Seas) 6 - HeWhoWaits (Grandeur of the Seas) 8 - dochedges (Adventure of the Seas) 13 - JLMoran (Anthem of the Seas) 13 - Broons77 (Anthem of the Seas) 13 - tiny260 (Freedom of the Seas) 13 - Wanderer (Harmony of the Seas) 13 - ellcee (Anthem of the Seas) 14 - RBRSKI (Allure of the Seas) 14- MBK999 (Allure of the Seas) 15 - Redgrapes2 (Brilliance of the Seas) 20- Farminger (Brilliance of the Seas) 20 - MFisher89 (Quantum of the Seas) 20 - Clear Laker (Freedom of the Seas) 21 - Larry Muster (Serenade of the Seas) 21 - FlowBro Ty (Oasis of the Seas) 22 - monctonguy (Mariner of the Seas) 22 - lanny68 (Mariner of the Seas) 22- catinthehat300 (Mariner of the Seas) 25 - coneyraven (Grandeur of the Seas) 26- RRoberts (Enchantment of the Seas) 27 - firebuck (Anthem of the Seas) 27- Jimbeck824 (Anthem of the Seas) 27- KWofPerth (Explorer of the Seas) 28 - BrianAlt (Symphony of the Seas) 28 - Neaxan (Symphony of the Seas) 28 - CruiseLife72 (Oasis of the Seas) 28 - Jewelmarie53 (Oasis of the Seas) 28 - 4ensic (Symphony of the Seas) 28 - Kathy C (Serenade of the Seas) 28 - Nancymc (Serenade of the Seas) 28- Rebecca Ann (Adventure of the Seas) 29 - Pooch (Majesty of the Seas)

You of all people should know it always comes back to Sorrento's Pizza ?

What?! Coming from you, that must mean something has changed for the better with that pizza! ? oh...and we've circled back to pizza again...totally unrelated to original post lol

Will still have it, just waiting to see if anyone else replies to my roll call poll / post on the People Connect forum. I figure when it's a few days away from sailaway, I'll update the thread with a final place and time to see if that works for everyone.

YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!

They're about 9 different sailing dates. Are you sailing on Mariner all month long?? Oh wait!! I see the dates!! Duhhhh !!!! Vacay time!! ?

Im 51 weeks away from a back to back on harmony and im already obsessing lol

Ships shops and casino close in virtually all ports because a ship is subject to local laws while within the territorial waters of any given country. Some countries ban gambling while others require a gaming license, or the local casinos don't want the competition so it becomes unattractive for a ship to operate it's casino while in port. In some ports there are exceptions in the evenings when land casinos have closed for the day and only then may a ship operate it's casino while in port. To avoid having to pay local taxes and be subject to other retail laws the shops on board the ship will typically be closed while in port. Shops will typically have open hours when the ship is in international water only. Entertainment isn't 'closed' in port, but in many cases entertainment is scheduled by the ship for when all guests would be on board. Entertainment isn't typically subject to local laws in port, it just doesn't make sense to offer entertainment when guests won't be on board to enjoy it. Activities such as water slides, zip lines, flowriders, etc. will be open at certain times again reflecting that operating these activities when few guests are on board doesn't make sense so they tend to be open at specific times closer to when some guests are beginning to return to the ship such as mid-afternoon. Cruise compasses from past guests will give you an idea of what to expect in terms of when the shops and casino may be open or closed. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=1071

So, did you still go?

CA/NE group cruise FTW! Come on, @Matt - hook us pizza snobby New Jersians up! ? Speaking of pizza... I can't wait to try this "updated pizza recipe" in Sorrentos...

Thanks, Yes , the chairlift has a bar that you lower once you are in the seat and take it up before leaving the seat , the operator has a stop and a slow button which they can press if they see someone need extra time to catch the seat or to get out of it.

I'm flying in the day before due to work constraints but sounds like a great idea. I'm still getting over the envy from you having done Symphony twice while many us haven't yet been once. ?

Truth is I sail often in an interior cabin. Super Mario has over 7,500 points in the Crown and Anchor system. He lives on ships and he chooses interior cabins. Some people jokingly say once you've had a balcony or a suite you can't go back but I have and do all the time. I've had suites and they are great but that isn't what makes the cruise. My worst Royal cruise was in a junior suite. Don't ever feel you are missing out because you don't have a suite.

This thread is intended to be a Thank You to Michelle C. from MEI for her extraordinary work in making a dream come true for us ! If I haven't made it clear before, let me reassert now, that a good Travel Agent can make things happen that you just never thought you would be able to do ! These 2 cruises on Anthem, Feb 15-23 and Feb 23-3 March 2019 began as lowly inside stateroom casino comped rooms. All we would have had to pay was the taxes and gratuities and we could have been on our way for 16 days for nearly -0- cost. But Michelle immediately upgraded these inside rooms to balcony rooms for us for a very nominal amount (less than $100 each). She was able to find us a nice location on deck 12 where we could have the same room on both cruises, which is a nice touch...no need to change rooms. They remained that way for some weeks...until I asked Michelle to check and find out how much an upgrade to a JS would be for the first half of the B2B. She came back with a very reasonable upgrade charge, so we upgraded the first cruise to a JS on deck 13 and remained in the original balcony room for the second half of the B2B. Then one day I noticed that a Grand Loft Suite (GLS) had popped up on the first half of the cruise (there had been no Star Class suites available on either of these cruises when we first booked). Thinking that there was no WAY we could afford to upgrade AGAIN, AGAIN I asked Michelle to just call and ask. At this time I was on a biz trip (I think I was in Reno at the time !) so even with the time difference, she was so helpful. Sure enough, the price was very attractive, so I pulled the trigger and had her upgrade the first cruise from the JS to the GLS. YIPPEE !!! I was now going to be Star Class for the first half of the B2B. I was in heaven ! ...and wouldn't you know it...shortly after that, another GLS became available on the second half of the B2B and she once again worked her magic and we snagged that one, too !! ...both of these B2B Star Class cruises together were about half the cost of 1 SC cruise by itself ! They are different suites, so we will have to move from deck 8 to deck 10 on the turnaround but I'm hoping that we can keep the same Genie. I have no idea how something like that works. It will be our first B2B and now both of them will be in Star Class. Can it get any better than this ? While Michelle was certainly instrumental in getting all of this accomplished for us, I have to also give credit to the Club Royale people with whom she worked. ...but Michelle was dogged in her pursuit of this dream on our behalf. If she didn't like the price that one agent gave her, she would call back again and again until she got the price she thought we should get...until it was all done. I know I wore her out with all of the calling and rebooking that she was doing. But once again, she has come through for us and I am so very grateful. Great job, Michelle. Thank you !

Not poor at all! Many here book interior rooms, not because of a lack of funds, but simply because that means more cruises that can be booked! ? Youre just getting an early exposure to our “Suite Snob” contingent, which definitely skews things a bit. ? Also, several here who regularly book suites are doing so as members of the Club Royale casino loyalty program that Royal has. You have to gamble a lot more than I’d ever be comfortable with, but at the same time you can gamble way short of what I’d consider “high roller” levels and manage to score really good discounts on high-end suites. Especially if you have a travel agent like the legendary Michelle!

Enjoy and thank you! I better get a thank you card from the RCCL shareholders for what I'm contributing to this years profit margin with this cruise.

@Broons77 Oasis, as I'm cruising toward the Bahamas for day 4 tomorrow.

Look what’s on the menu for room service...Ultimate Bloody Mary ?

Yep, charter was the week before … usual clothing standards applied for our cruise. I would neither want to see nor be seen in a clothing optional environment … my eyes are still trying to recover from visiting the beach in Nice 10 years ago …. naked grandmothers is not something you ever need to see.

Yes, that reminds me....i need to cal MEI and help JLMorgan out to request his 4 cots for his cabins ? You don't have to thank me Joe, Just trying to help out when i can. ?

Yes, you can call and have it noted. I have had two times where I requested the configuration be two twins only to find a king when I got in the cabin. The steward will always introduce him or herself before the muster drill. If the configuration of the beds, or anything else in the cabin, hasn't met my needs, I just ask them then and the issue has always been taken care of by the time we were done with dinner.

Oct 28 - Serenade

Hello, I'm Stephanie. I'm not new to cruising but I found this podcast this summer and knew this was the place for me. Royal Caribbean is by far my favorite cruise line and I love the wealth of info everyone here has to offer. Such a friendly environment. I have to wait 52 days until my next cruise and I'm not sure I can take the wait :0) Happy Cruising Everyone!

Oct 29. Majesty of the Seas

NOAA has a tidal predication webpage. For Miami March 10 through 30: https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/noaatidepredictions.html?id=8723170&units=standard&bdate=20190310&edate=20190330&timezone=LST/LDT&clock=12hour&datum=MLLW&interval=hilo&action=dailychart You can see a distinct change in tides forecasted beginning Mar. 18 through the 26th. Peak high/low is around Mar 21-23. Smaller ships with less draft can likely remain with their safety margins but the largest cruise ship in the world has to be more careful and time it's approach to occur away from low tide.

Which... is... taking... forever... to... GET... HERE... ALREADY!!!! ?

What a great blog and amazing photos! Thanks for sharing! A Mediterranean cruise is now on my bucket list. I was thinking about an Alaskan cruise on Ovation next year, but now.... hmmm...

Must be the season for these kinds of bookings. I splurged on the JS I have booked on Anthem, partly because it's just the wife and me so I could afford to bump us up a bit, partly to get a sense of the benefits on Anthem and make the short trip a little more fun in that regard, partly because I want to get to Platinum ASAP and the double points on this short 5-nighter help with that! ? If there's truly a 2020 CA/NE group cruise, I'll definitely be booking inside or OV cabin for that, unless a wave sale comes along that makes the balcony rooms same price as OV. Budget won't allow anything more expensive.

I know how you feel. I normally book inside or window(sometimes) but this coming cruise I booked a Balcony to celebrate reaching Diamond Member. I am so excited and can wait for my trip. I always take my 6 years old with me (only child) so that is added up quick on the room price.

Who said I was able to afford this? ? This is a splurge trip, which is part of the reason why I'm asking so many questions - so I can squeeze out every penny of fun and perks I have coming to me! I'll be in the balcony cabin right next to you soon enough. But like folks on this thread have said, how much fun is had is not at all connected to the room you stay in.

We did not. My friend made the reservation right before we walked in (say 15 before) and except for a small party we were the only people in there. Not necessary and it was a sea day. Perhaps it's not a bad idea to call/book just in case though.

Worst case - as soon as you board head to Boleros one deck down using the circular staircase right in front of you after stepping onto the ship. There you will find the box office staff in a temporary setup to book exactly these types of reservations. On a B2B in December I was first in line at Boleros and got all my reservations when they never showed up despite daily checking before sailing.

As a shareholder I thank you... Now, would you be interested in purchasing a Beverage or Dining package? Please don't forget to visit Next Cruise while onboard! /sarcasm

Thank you !

wow- thank you for this true vote of confidence and for the post - I love finding the deal and the Casino people were great both times in really getting this set up for us. SO SO happy you will be able to live out this dream - and like I said before - happy to come along :-) Happy sailing - and yes, this was kind of fun too, to see what we could do - happy for text messaging!

Episode 232 of the Royal Caribbean Blog podcast is all about how to check for price drops: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-232-how-check-price-drops-your-royal-caribbean-cruise

added the option :P