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This has been my night at work. Nothing like using company time, company equipment, and company ink to get ready.

-Day Five Morning- Today I Got Up And Went To The Windjammer And Saw This. A Waterspout

Hi there, @A_perfect_Storm, welcome to the message boards! I'm not aware of any specific planning timelines like you mention, but here are some general guidelines I think work for any cruise. I'm sure I've missed some things, others here will fill in the gaps Starting right now Think about making monthly payments towards your cruise balance; this is a great way to spread out the cost over as much time as possible Put a reminder in your calendar for 3 days ahead of your final payment date, and make sure the cruise is paid off then -- if you miss final payment, you lose your cruise! No backsies, no mulligans, no second chances! About 12 months before sailing -- start checking your Cruise Planner for any items you may be interested in purchasing, like shore excursions, internet packages, beverage packages (alcoholic or non), specialty dining, etc. @Matt, who runs the site, is very good about posting in the main blog when new sales start in the Cruise Planner; you can re-check for things each time a new sale / promotion is announced Try to space out your purchases, to spread out the payments and avoid having a painful credit card bill in any one month Know that you can always cancel something you bought, and then re-purchase it, if you find later on that the price has dropped 8-9 months before sailing -- check your passports and make sure they will still be valid for at least 6 months after your cruise ends; if not, get them renewed now so they're in effect for about 6 months prior to sailing Also apply for passports for any family members who don't yet have them; while you can sail with just a drivers license and birth certificate, having a passport is generally better 90 days before sail date You had that reminder fire off and you took care of final payment, right? If not, do it on this day or lose your cruise! Do your online checkin and complete all forms, print your set sail pass 45 days before sail date -- start checking for your eDocuments on the web site (available under the View More Details link for your sailing after you log in) When you have your documents, you can also print your luggage tags 1 week before sail date Get all documents and papers together; passports, set sail passes, luggage tags, etc. If you haven't yet, put a travel alert on all credit cards you expect to use abroad 2+ days before sail date -- get cash for tips and other small expenses, souvenirs if you don't want to use your credit card, etc. 1+ day before sail date -- fly down to the port; never do this the day you sail away!! Hope this helps! The next year and two months is going to be a blast as you prepare and plan and eagerly await your vacation!

It tells me you ought to read that cruise contract you agreed to when booking a cruise. You agreed by booking the cruise that RC is under no obligation to actually go to any of the ports advertised. I get that you're upset your cruise isn't going to CocoCay, but unfortunately things happen. Sometimes rides at Disney World have to close due to maintenance or the Space Needle is not open to guests due to a private event, refurbishment, etc. Nature of travel sometimes. But it's not a deliberate plot to fool guests into booking a vacation under false pretenses.

Good man, do this myself and then... "borrow" a document folder so I have all my hard copies together, in order and right where I can grab them when I need them. I'm a delight to travel with lol

This cruise addiction is bad isn’t it? I know that the closer that I get to my cruise the more useless I become at work. I’m just glad that the firewall at my jobs allow this website as well as RCCL through otherwise I’d be in trouble!!??

Actually, for a "modest" investment in RCI you get to name one of the new islands. Sorry, I can't divulge that amount nor the name of the island I came up with.

Did a little picture taking on the boardwalk before it was time to get ready for dinner. This I think is one of the best views on the ship I kept saying I wanted to ride the carousel and never did. I’m just a kid at heart Johnny Rockets If you need a sugar rush, this place will take care of it for you We were going to zip line, but never got around to it before our zip line excursion in St Thomas. After that it seemed a little less exciting Playmakers was packed for the football games. Other than that it seemed like you could get a seat there whenever you wanted. I was going to try it for lunch one day, but never got around to it. Dinner tonight was also in the solarium. We weren’t overly impressed with the main dining room the first couple of nights so we decided to try something different. Most of our group really enjoyed the dinner here. For me it wasn’t really my thing. The food was fine, I’m just more of a meat and potatoes kind of a guy. After dinner we had reservations for Hiro. I was a little nervous about the show being cancelled as throughout the day we had some motion on the ship. After all the shows being cancelled on Harmony last year I really wanted to see this. It didn’t get cancelled and I thought the show was awesome. I didn’t get very many good pictures, but here are a few

Day 3 continued: not sure how some of those last photos got on there, sorry about that. Just my uncle and I went on the tour so after that we met up with the rest of the family. For lunch this day we decided to eat in the Solarium. This was the first time eating in the Solarium on either of my cruises and have to say it was really good. While the choices weren’t as expansive as the buffet, I thought the food was pretty good. It was a pretty nice day out so it became a lay out by the pool and spend some time on the flowrider kind of day. Not sure what’s going on here: Last year wife tried the stand up flowrider and failed miserably. This year she decided to try the kneeboarding Not sure if this video will work, but if it does feel free to laugh. It’s my wife and I laughed so it’s ok. Lol. And if not, you will notice there are no pictures of her actually on her knees on the flowrider so she failed at this as well. F0834FAC-26FD-436E-9849-A7E323AC8C9E.MOV

Hubby got me in here ? I would say we are both a bit cruise obsessed. Obviously I haven't posted/commented much yet --

A few extra details possibly not heard before: http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/articles/321371/royal-caribbean-to-open-five-private-islands Royal Caribbean International will open five ‘Perfect Day’ private islands over the next five years and has revealed that its yet-to-be-named ‘Spectrum 2’ ship will sail in Europe. The line will open ‘Perfect Day at CocoCay’ in the Bahamas in May. It will be followed by private islands in Asia, for the Chinese market, one off the coast of Australia and another in the Caribbean. Speaking at a Travel Weekly Executive Lunch, the line’s president and chief executive, Michael Bayley, said: “We have been busy acquiring land around the world and each one will have a slightly different concept, depending on what each market’s idea of a perfect day is.” Ten Royal Caribbean ships will feature CocoCay in itineraries this year, and in 2020 ships will stay later into the evenings. In 2021, vessels will stay overnight. Royal Caribbean is also building “limited overnight accommodation” on the island, which will offer “a suite-class experience”. A pier that can accommodate two ships, including one Oasis-class vessel, is being constructed. “You could go on one ship, spend a few days at CocoCay and get back on another ship,” said Bayley. Royal is preparing to launch Spectrum of the Seas, its first Quantum Ultra-class vessel, in Shanghai in April. Bayley hinted that the second Quantum Ultra-class vessel, currently known as ‘Spectrum 2’, will sail out of Barcelona after its launch in autumn 2020 and will visit the UK. Royal is poised to announce a major investment in port infrastructure in Barcelona. Bayley confirmed Royal was likely to exercise five options for new-builds it has registered with shipyards. This would be in addition to five ship orders set to be delivered in the next five years.

Just wait until it's your turn to pay for the next wall.

Without getting into a greater discussion of the business practices of Park West, I'd say it should be a very low priority to do. Personally, I would not waste my time.

With this many ships on order, I feel it is inevitable that the smaller ships will be sold to another line (or possibly they create their own separate line for small ships). The Royal brand will be all mega ships sailing to their own destinations and the few places that where these ships can dock.

Ah-ha! There's your answer @twangster, it's @Lovetocruise2002 fault!

Just saw this posted over on CC as well....doesn't surprise me at all. But what does surprise me is the amount of money this must cost and how much higher cruises fares will have to go to finance all this. I like the idea of switching ships in some cases..but that sounds like it will be only for the suite guests which wont include me. And up to 10 more ships to be ordered??! I don't think that kinda demand is there...especially when all the cruise lines are building these massive ships. I still say that at some point all this spending and increase capacity is going to come back to bite Royal. Everything goes in cycles and when it turns back down, that's a lot of islands and boats to pay for.....

Here You Go @Twangster Fan.

The first few pictures look like daycare for older kids. . . No sharp edges, just alcohol and showers. . . hmmmm

Getting the itch to add #8 now, trying to restrain myself. And nevermind being productive after the cruise, try the last week before. Got 4 days to go, at work now, and all I'm doing is sitting at the desk, looking at the cruise schedule. Spent the last few work nights sitting at the desk browsing excursions for what I already have booked.

Spending time with your grandparents is very special.

That is great if I can book and cancel later on (if needed) ! Very helpful infos I am geting from you people !

Well I went from not cruising for 8 years Jan 2011 to booking a cruise in Dec for Jan 2019. Than I put a deposit down on 1/9 for a cruise in Aug 2019 & today I put a deposit down for one in Feb 2020. My wife asked was I getting carried away all of the sudden LOL but she didn't say no. Upcoming cruises Allure 1/27/2019 Ovation 8/9/2019 Adventure 2/1/2020 Guess I'll just work on planning excursions ect.. for the last 2 & hold off booking anything else for now. Thanks to Michelle - MEI Travel.

For us, we have always found our pins waiting in our stateroom when we arrive. We never got platinum pins but the emerald and diamond were waiting for us in little plastic bags attached to a congratulations note from the Loyalty Ambassador on 1st cruise after obtaining the required points.

Day Three Costa Maya After Breakfast In The Windjammer We Got Off To Go Shopping. This Was There Frist Time In Costa Maya And My Second Time. Today We Where The Only Ship In Port.

After Muster I Went To The Centrum To Hear Some Music. The Music Was Prerecorded

@Matt See My Grandma Supports The Blog.

Pool Deck Tour.

Maybe, but you're the one with a cruise plan for 2019 that rivals what @twangster usually has lined up. ?

Just an update on this. I received an email today that our reservation for The Fine Line on Super Bowl Sunday has been moved to night 4 so that they can show the Super Bowl in the Aqua Theatre. We plan to rebook the show for an earlier showing in case it gets cancelled due to weather.

In the 70’s, the hot place for spring break during high school and college in the Atlanta area was Daytona Beach, FL. Almost every year there was someone who died from trying to cross from one balcony to another (as with the 16yo boy that just lost his life doing this on a RCL ship). I think at that age it just doesn’t occur to you that you can die, they feel invincible. Such a sad ending and such a horror for his family.

Zoom Lens

Thanks @rjac

Never cruised until after I turned 57 and only when suggested by my in-laws. We did Alaska in June and subsequently booked Caribbean a couple weeks ago, Bahamas in March and Bermuda in July. A couple moths ago my spouse said "No more!". After a visit with my father in Florida after the Caribbean cruise we showed my father pictures of our Alaska. He was stationed at Ft. Richardson in Anchorage in 1959-60. After seeing the pictures it was my wife who told me to look into 2020 return to Alaska!

She has no problem with the going part LOL. She's always up for a trip somewhere. She just doesn't like the part about booking now for a cruise 54 weeks from now as she says something might come up. But it didn't take much convincing ?

Welcome to a very non-exclusive club of cruise addicts and their indifferent spouses!

I will add that at 90-120 days check your cruise planner to book entertainment. (Oasis/Quantum classes only) I will also add that if you are like me and don't want to make monthly payments to RC, open a savings account exclusively for vacations and make monthly payments to yourself. Then you'll have the $$ you need to make the final payment without a huge shock. You can also add expected airfare to your monthly savings to have the money for that too. One final thing is to look at is trip insurance. Some plans require you to purchase it within 30 days of your deposit to cover pre-existing conditions. You can buy it later but it may exclude certain things.

I absolutely agree with this one (as well as all of @JLMoran suggestions he mentioned). This is an often missed step and there's nothing worse than being on vacation out of the country and needing to use your credit card only to find it has been temporarily blocked for "suspicious activity" . Seems to be common practice for most of the larger CC companies and/or bank cards to flag sudden overseas activity as suspect.

Most definitely at this mark. The only exceptions that I have seen to that are March break and Christmas/New Years. Those two times of the year do not seem to follow that trend. For March/Spring break, when I look back at my records, the price (for Delta) was actually the lowest at first release. I might just do that for next spring break and save myself all the stress of watching it rise.

Ya'll are just rubbing it in now...

@Matt posts to the main blog (not these forums) every time a new Cruise Planner sale starts. So you can check the blog home page daily, or subscribe to it in your news feed reader of voice, and be kept up to date. Do be aware that the Cruise Planner sometimes has random price drops that happen independently of sale timings, so it pays to check at least once a week whether you see an announcement or not. Best I got for VOOM was 50% off on-board prices, which translated to $17.99/night for a 2-device plan. That was shortly AFTER Black Friday sales had happened, and was one of those random price drops I mentioned. People here are good about posting random drops in this forum, so it’s another reason to check back regularly. ?

One thing I realized I missed last night: If you need to fly to the port, start checking airfares about 9 months out, when they first become available. When they’re at a price you’re comfortable with, book them. And make sure to fly in at least the day before sail date so you don’t risk getting delayed or having your flight canceled and missing your sailing. If you use a low-cost carrier like Southwest or Jet Blue, my personal experience is that the fares are lowest when they’re first announced and just get more expensive as the seats fill up; others here have seen differently, so watch them regularly for a bit and be ready to book when you see a price you’re good with. The bigger carriers are more likely to fluctuate; @Lovetocruise2002 and I (and several others since) have done some experimenting by tracking prices every day for our trips, even after booking, and found there seem to be two sweet spots: One around the 90 day mark, the other I believe around 180 days but @Lovetocruise2002 can confirm that.

1993 more days for me! (Me? counting? Never!)

Be sure to check to make sure your travel agent doesn't charge you. While possibly not the majority, some agents/agencies DO charge a service fee (I got stuck with a $100 service fee for booking my cruise with a local travel agent - she offered last week to book my flight for another $50 service fee - needless to say I've booked my next cruise with an MEI agent).

One thing to do right now if you haven't already is check into getting a travel agent. Even if you booked your cruise directly with RC, if it's been less than (I believe 60) days, you can still have your trip assigned to the TA so you'll have a knowledgeable planning partner at no cost to you. A lot of us on this site use MEI Travel, and you can reach out to them for an agent. Also start doing research on your ports of call to get an idea of what activities you might like to do for shore excursions. Some islands have better beaches than others, some are good for self-exploring, where others are advised to stick with something more organized, etc. You might see some excursions already available for booking in your cruise planner, but others will definitely be added later, so you can keep checking back for more options. Don't be afraid of independent excursion operators either - just do your homework to make sure they're reputable and offers refunds if your ship docks late or has to route to another island, things like that. In my experience, RC seems to offer the best discounts overall on Black Friday, so definitely watch for those and reprice any purchases you've already made that are cheaper then. Have fun!!!!

No such thing as overzealous when it comes to cruising. I've got 7 on the calendar now (one of which I need to cancel, but still...). Got one on sunday, then one in February, april, may, September, and next april. Keep at it, man.

Yep, this website is DANGEROUS for the wallet. I went 17 years since my last cruise (I was 14) and found these boards and the podcast when I was researching for a May 2019 cruise. Suddenly I also had a November 2018 one booked as well as May 2020, Jan 2021 and Michelle at MEI is going to price out a November 2019 for me tonight or tomorrow. My M.O. is pausing the podcast in the middle of an episode to call my mom and go “.......so I was having some thinky thoughts. What are your feelings on a cruise for X?” My parents love that I plan everything out and reprice regularly which has saved us hundreds and I love that doing so makes me all the more excited and connected with the trip. Works out well for everyone! Now I just have to convince my brother to join us one of these times.....

It can be addicting. I cruised in late august for the first time in 18 yrs. Then cruised again in Dec And now am cruising again in April

Umm...overzealous? No. There is a very simple explanation. You just found the RCBlog message boards, that's all.

I wouldn't say overzealous. You're just enjoying the steady rainfall resupplying the reservoir after a long drought. ?