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Multi part post because I can't sleep. Rain, lots of it, is called for our coco cay day as of right now. Pray to the sun gods for me!!! What an amazing day. The other 9 did a catamaran excursion. Me and the wife got the day to ourselves. We did the St Maarten bus tour. Very interesting but odd at the same time. St Maarten is hard to explain, beautiful and sad at the same time. The last hurricane did a number and parts of it seem too poor to rebound. There were also 6 ships docked so or was jamming everywhere. We were the biggest but a couple of these werent small. Iguanas of the seas. Yeah... mountain goats visible from the port exit! After that we rushed back to do our vow renewal. I had to sit in the suite deck while they all got ready. I reread my vows, and madE a few last minute adjustments at the bar with vodka on the rocks. The loft attendants and concierge helped out with some decor and a cheese plate. It was amazing! My sister in law did an amazing job officiating the vow renewal in the suite. Most of those pics will have to wait as we used a better camera than my phone. Our daughter was the flower girl and my wife came down the loft stairs in a beautiful dress and we had a beautiful ceremony. We were about 15 minutes to late for a sunset back ground. we made up for it with pics around the ship! We even got a pic with the cruise director Mark right when they finished taping a show.

So I am totally gonna stray from doing a daily report as honestly I am bored and lazy at this point. LOL Food was really good overall but El Loco Fresh is by far our cup of tea and give it 5 stars. We did not buy any meal package or buy any food. Playmakers looked really good as did Port Side BBQ. The other specialty dining locations we have zero interest in but if there was a quick service with a soda package ($20 meal daily at each and the soda package for say $15 pp) we would have done that well before the sit down specialty plans. Service at dinner overall was good, not Disney standards but we only had the same servers every other night, so nights 1-3-5-7 were with the same team. They mentioned they had empty 2 top tables every night so not sure why we didn't get them but its all good. Entertainment Aqua80's is the best show I have ever seen on ANY ship including Disney. The energy and talent of that show is amazing. LOVE IT. Can't wait to see Aqua 80two on the Allure after dry dock. I can go on and on but just go see it if you have to opportunity. We booked the Allure before this cruise as a family vacation in December, this cruise was to explore and see if we should abort! LOL Cats- not for us. Sky- not for us, great talent but yea its a no. LOL Flow rider, zip line, bars, promenade parties are all great. So much to do and how could you ever be bored. Debarkation We choose to do express walk off as we had a 10:25a flight from Miami. We walked off the ship at 7a and was in a Lyft at 7:10a and at the airport at 7:26a! Hands down the best, easiest and fastest debarkation off ANY ship in ANY port we have used. Hands down the boarding and debarkation of Royal is hands down amazing! So the question is other than the Allure cruise with family what will we do, will we keep trying Royal or did we miss Disney so bad it hurt???? We upon reflection Scott and I both believe that this was our best cruise vacation EVER. The Oasis is amazing and as a 10 year ship she looks amazing, sure she just came out of a huge dry dock but we did the Disney Magic and Wonder after a big dry dock and Royal did an amazing job. On Disney on the last day once you leave Castaway Cay (around 6p) they start closing areas of the ship to get ready for the net cruise. We did not experience or see that on Royal. So Scott and I did go to the NextCruise next and booked another cruise on Oasis in October from NY. We love the ship and honestly love that class. Thanks everyone for reading and I do apologize for abruptly ending. LOL If you have any questions please ask but I have to get busy planning another vacation as today a friend called me to join him on the Symphony on Feb 15....so in about 2 weeks I am sailing again! ?

Then off to Izumi Habichi. And oh my god. The food, the entertainment, and sake were all top notch. I was seriously blown away... and completely stuffed! I highly recommend Izumi! Best hibachi for the experience hands down. They let us do Sake Bombs but we had to drop them in, that was disappointing but I can understand the rule. Grandma was gracious enough to watch the kid for the night. So Off to rising tide, a few chocolate martinis for the wife and a few espresso martinis for me (no wonder I cant sleep) was a perfect night cap! We went back to the room for a bit ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) then closed down the suite deck jacuzzi. Jackie was beat but I cant sleep so I explored the ship with noone on it. And got some amazing pics. I'll attempt to organize the next set of pics better. For now here is the port say at st maartin and the room decorations.

We decided to stop by Playmakers to visit with one of our absolute favorite people on this ship! If you’re cruising on Oasis don’t miss the opportunity to meet Djuro.

Fell asleep posting last night. Here is an insomniac view of harmony

For any non-resident looking at cruising out of Sydney there are some documentation requirements to consider. An eTA or Electronic Travel Authorization is required. Delta wouldn't check me in for the flight without proof of an Australian eTA so I'm glad I had a printed copy with me. I also have a separate eTA for New Zealand. I don't normally cruise with the eDocs booklet or things like hotel confirmation printed out but traveling internationally I've bought printed copies of everything in case immigration asks for them. Here is a copy an email recently received from Royal: ABOUT YOUR UPCOMING TRAVELS Dear Guest, We can’t wait to welcome you onboard for our February 2nd Ovation of the Seas sailing. Before you board, we’d like to remind you to have your travel documentation ready. We want to kick off your vacation right and ensure your boarding is as smooth as possible, so below we’ve shared some packing and check-in tips to help you get ready. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS Since we’ll be visiting New Zealand, you’ll need either a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) and you may need to pay an International Visitor Levy. To check your requirements, please click here. And, make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your sailing as some countries we visit will deny you if it expires sooner. Traveling with a minor who is not your child? In addition to their travel documents, you'll need to bring a letter of permission. Click here to learn more. PACKING TIPS Don’t forget to pack your camera, a comfortable pair of shoes, and a thirst for adventure! There are some items like, travel irons, steamers, and power strips, that must remain on land to ensure we maintain a safe environment. So, click here to check out the entire list of prohibited items so that whatever you bring isn’t taken by security! An adapter is a must! Onboard, we have US and European outlets. If you need a power cord to operate any medical equipment, your Stateroom Attendant can provide you with one for the sailing. Keep your passport book handy until you’ve completed your check-in at the terminal. Then, feel free to secure it in one of your bags. CHECK-IN TIPS If you haven't already done so, please check-in online at www.royalcaribbean.com/onlinecheckin and print the SetSail Pass for everyone in your party. You can do this up to 72 hours prior to your sailing. Online check-in is the best way to expedite your embarkation. Then, on boarding day, arrive to the pier at your selected time for a breezy check-in! Securing the right travel documentation is very important. We want to ensure you enjoy your vacation and that nothing gets in the way! Governmental rules require that guests who do not have the proper documentation be denied boarding and we really don’t want that. We want your time with us to be perfect! Thank you for your cooperation. We look forward to seeing you soon! Sincerely, Royal Caribbean International

Mission Accomplished!

Cupcake Class. Our task was to make a frog. This is not the the first time in my life that I have failed? The little cutie came in just as we were finishing so Kaitlyn invited her to join in the fun! Next up: The Escape Room. Seriously hope there’s no frogs involved.

Also in the wait at the podium camp.

Who would think it’s ok to push past the people who are obviously waiting to be seated ? As a dear friend of mine says, “You can’t fix stupid”.

Definitely in the “wait at the podium to be seated” camp.

We need to differentiate between Oasis class and Quantum class. On Oasis you need a full suite card to open the door to reach the host/hostess stand to check in. On Quantum class the host/hostess stand is outside of the CK. In both cases you should wait to be escorted to a seat. They know the waitstaff working with you and will place you accordingly. It is inappropriate to walk in and grab a seat at some table.

Day 4 (Day 2 of cruise) Sea Day So we are boring folk, we had coffee in the room and Scott ordered danish. Ordered for 7-7:30 and got the call at 6:30. Coffee was good and Scott was not impressed with the danish and said they were better on Disney, but the danish were eaten....so not sure what were not good. LOL El Loco Fresh opened at 8a so we are there, Scott enjoyed the breakfast burritos and my cold scrambled eggs were well cold. My only complaint about the food would be breakfast, you can't keep skillets of scrambled eggs warm and they are full skillets. Breakfast was never busy that we saw here but the skillets always were full. After El Loco Fresh we went to the Solarium to see what was there and shockingly Scott ordered an omelet and I had an apple. Scott was impressed with the omelet as it was served quick (Disney omelet station is a mess) . After breakfast #2 it is time for a Cold Brew from Starbucks then we walk around and people watch. The carousel opens at 10a and well we must ride it! F For reference I am the one with sun glasses. ? So the reason the carousel was a must for us is because it was made in our hometown. Both the Oasis and Allure carousels came from good ole Mansfield, Ohio. No idea why only 2 of the Oasis class were made here and not the others. Below is a link to the company and pictures from the install and facts of each http://www.carouselworks.com/carousel/carGalls/caroGall.htm Lunch was at Windjammers as El Loco had a huge line and well I hate standing in line for food. LOL After lunch it was nap time for Scott while I got my steps and and also zip lined, I figured if I died from the zip line it would be better for him not to witness it. I made it btw Dinner was scheduled at 7:30 tonight but we show up at 7 and get taken in right away. We were not seated in the same section as the first night and service was slow. No clue what we ordered but no complaints. Even though service was slow we were out by 8:45 and then we went and watched Aqua 80s in the back stand up area since we do not have reservations until tomorrow. Even only seeing 1/2 the show wow it is amazing! I will hold off my review until I see the entire show. Bed time for now. Day 5 Labadee We were excited for this beach day but the wind and rain had other ideas. We did make it off the ship early. Love the LABADEE sign when you first enter from the pier but we never got a picture as everyone is there first thing. We collect ornaments and this is the only port we have not been to so first thing on list is to get a christmas ornament. Growing up on a working farm I am used to tractors, but honestly I didn't think one would be pulling the tram on the island. We made it to the vendor market and well the we did get our ornament but the vendors were so aggressive that I just wanted to get back to the ship. Scott thinks I am over reacting but it was not my cup of tea. I know many prefer Labadee over CoCo Cay but I look forward to trying CoCo someday! LOL I grew up on dirt roads and well I prefer then paved or concrete or something....sand roads and random animals (I swear a dog was following us and was hungry- I can run faster than Scott so if needed I will sacrifice Scott). The ship was empty and we just walked around and again people watched. The shirtless crew may have been doing the slow rider and we may have watched as well. Lunch was at Windjammer and El Loco and refreshments from Starbucks. Dinner was back in the section from the first night, we were asked where we were last night and we told them we were seated in another section. They told us they had 2 tops free all night so that made no sense. Service was great and dinner good. Tonight is Aqua 80, however due to ocean conditions it was cancelled. Bedtime for us

The Apollo 18 Escape room is awesome! We enjoyed it much more than the Rubicon on Harmony.

Thank you so much for supporting Matt by using MEI-Travel to book your travel. Many people hate to get on the phone so we totally have many ways we can get that number from you. Some elect to Fax, some a quick phone call one time, and some clients will send part in an email and part in a text message. Its amazing as a person that LOVES to talk on the phone to see how many people avoid it like the plague. Our agents will also work with the client with what they are most comfortable with. And yes, once we have your card on file, we can ask you with the last 4 digits if its ok to use that card. It makes the next bookings and final payments much easier for everyone.

We were invited to CK by a friend who was Director of Hotels on Oasis. Even an Officer waits to be seated. ?

Waiting is good manners. Pushing past someone is rude.

Auqua80’s show last night was amazing. Don’t miss it. Once again the talent and athletic ability of these kids is stunning!

Day 3 - dinner at Wonderland Bottom line: I liked it, and I definitely would go back. I didn’t think that I’d be saying that, but maybe I’m more adventurous than I thought? I am a foodie, and I appreciate all of the work that goes into making the dishes so pretty. It reminded me of Victoria & Alberts at WDW, just less formal. V&A dabbles in molecular gastronomy, while Wonderland goes all out. Our waiter brought all of the appetizers and thoroughly explained each one as they arrived to the table. He recommended that we choose 3 to 4 entrees and share them family style. We chose 4: pork belly, halibut, short rib, and chicken. For dessert, again, he just brought them all. Buffalo Chicken Eggs Something mushroomy and Liquid Lobster Shrimp Kataifi Crispy Crab Cone Reconstructed Caprese Oceanic Citrus Baby Vegetables in the Garden Halibut Cooked in Clear Paper Short Rib Pork Belly Chicken. That “egg” is made of cauliflower and butternut squash! Magical Mushroom dessert The World dessert Sadly, the picture for the Forbidden Apple dessert was too blurry. We liked that one the best. Kids Meal was comprised of mac&cheese fries and popcorn chicken:

The tall handsome guy in black is Marco the Production Manager in the main theater. He took us backstage and explained how he makes all the shows happen. I have great photos from the costume room, dressing room and the area with all of the props. I can’t share many of them due to copyright issues involving Cats. It was really interesting to hear him explain how things were done. I asked questions about what is in the open pit during One Sky....and are the cables that control the entertainers in the air are computer controlled? He provided very detailed and fun answers. The ladies didn’t hear a word he said. But there eyes were big?

Great, so my father in law whose prone to mass hysteria called me this morning asking me to cancel my back2back cruise in March on the Brilliance and Harmony due to Coronavirus scare (two sailings which has nothing to do with China). My in laws were supposed to join us on the Brilliance on 3/2, and then we would go with friends on the Harmony on 3/8. He already said they're not gonna go and insist my family cancel too, actually went as far as to calling me out saying I'm not a responsible father to my kids if I still insist on going. I tried to calm his hysteria and said it's still too early to make that kind of rash decisions. If things get worse, Royal will cancel themselves. I hate traveling with my in laws sometimes, this wasn't the first mass hysteria drama we had to deal with with them.

I will sometimes do the same thing, for the same reasons when I am flying in the same day. There is nothing wrong with using the Royal shuttle service and I have done it too, for the same reason that you gave for using A2S. To be honest, up until very recently, the ride share services on PR were banned at the airport and very unreliable elsewhere. I think they have recently been permitted to service the airport and port but frankly, I would choose either the Royal shuttle or a taxi. Once you are on the island, you’re golden and the ship has a very late departure so there’s no hurry to get on board except just to get on board ! I recommend you do whatever makes it easiest for you. You would probably get to the ship a bit quicker using a taxi b/c you wouldn’t have to wait for other passengers to board the shuttle....but there’s nothing wrong with using the shuttle.

it would appear the per person price is taken as an average per person after discounts applied, and $4340 is the price before discounts applied. If you look at the bottom what they're trying to charge you for is the $3044.82 which is what you expected within $1. Being new to RC I can tell you it starts getting a little easier to look at ? The good news is the price for your cruise is what you expected it to be ($3044) I also imagine a more experienced member will pipe up soon and make it all make better sense

...especially when you see people already hanging out at the concierge desk. It should be obvious...but some people are just obtuse.

Isn’t it basic common sense that when you go to a restaurant you wait to be seated? Short of a fast food place I can’t remember the last time I was at a “seat yourself” restaurant. Especially if you look around and see that menus aren’t on the table. It feels sometimes like people are so worried about not getting the best table or having to wait 2 or 3 minutes for something means they’ve been slighted in some way. Everyone needs to chill out. The world won’t end. The ship isn’t going to run out of food. Wait a couple minutes. Talk to some people. Enjoy the view. Take a breath - you’re on vacation!!! And if you’re in that much of a hurry - then that’s your issue. Late for a show? Plan your day better. Plans didn’t go accordingly? Maybe modify dinner expectations. Your emergency isn’t someone else’s responsibility. (Not “you” specifically, I refer to the Royal “you” ?)

They won't be able to offer anything different from what you could book yourself online when it comes to pricing. You may get some OBC for the booking or they'll take the OBC offer off of the price of the cruise. You need to make sure you book early enough before they close the cruise to new bookings, so I would definitely go the first night of the cruise and get that worked out. You can always find the current NextCruise offer online at http://www.royalonboardsales.com/#seeoffer

The suite reserved area in the theater is on the balcony level, front rows in the center. For 270, I believe it is similar but can't confirm... we arrived too late for suite seating to be in effect. It involved the Schooner bar and losing track of time ?????

Never tried to do this through NextCruise but MANY years ago we were on Radiance and were returning home to a horrific snow storm. Our flights had been cancelled and Dan and I thought about just staying on the ship for another go. We were somewhat surprised to find that they were not willing to give us any kind of discount or deal whatsoever to try and fill one of the last remaining inside cabins that were left for that following cruise. We passed on it and slogged home through the storm. If you are willing to pay the going rate for the room, I'm sure you could arrange it so long as you don't wait until the very last minute to do it. I believe that they have to finalize their manifest at least 48 hours prior to sailing so as long as it is more than 48 hours before the sailing, I think you could do it. If you can go on a cruise for less than 1 night in a hotel, I say go for it, for sure !

Day 4 - Puerto Rico We have a busy day planned. Arrival at port around 3PM. Gangway expected to open around 330PM. We’ll be headed to shore to walk around a bit. But before that, we’ll be having breakfast at CK, bumper cars at 11AM. Lunch at Johnny Rockets? Our son will be doing trapeze at 2PM and Flowrider at 230PM. Dinner tonight is at Izumi.

I suggest to wait around 10 days more. Few days ago they found that the virus can spread by people who do not show any signs yet . Once they found this fact the quarantine became tighten . Since the virus become active after 14 days from the infection we will know were we are going in about 10 to 14 days , if the numbers will still increase it will take some more few month but if the numbers of new infected people will start to go down it will indicate it's finally under control and the quarantine is effective

After the rockwall I had some time to kill before some of my good buddies flowrider rental. So I Took that time to relax in the Dimond club and enjoy the last sunset of the cruise. At 6:15pm It Was time for the last flowrider runs of the cruise. This was a private session that one of my fellow flowrider friend booked. After that awesome flowrider private session. It was time for dinner. Tonight's dinner was super good. I Did not take that many photos so here is a photo of desert. this is then "new" apple pie. I like this so much due to it having no raisins!! Well Guys that is it for this blog I hope you enjoyed it. If you have any question's feel free to ask them.

I really like her. I feel that the formality that some folks mention is just mistaken professionalism. She will do what you ask, but seems reluctant to outright state her personal opinion - in favor of guest preferences. If you listen closely to her, she is spot on. So, we’ve been following her recommendations and having a great time. She’s really taken excellent care of us. It’s our first time in SC, so I wouldn’t know if it’s supposed to be any different than what we’ve experienced. But I also can’t imagine what else she could be doing.

Good morning everybody, This is my first post here, but I've been reading this blog since I realized cruising with Royal Caribbean was a possibility in my life. My first Royal Caribbean cruise will be a 3 night on-board Navigator of the Seas, I'm super excited. I know that within the United States and Canada(i believe), there's the possibility of repricing your cruise if you find a better rate.. but I'm from a small beautiful country in Central America called Panama and I don't know if that will be an option for me. I did tried to book the cruise through a Travel Agent but I didn't receive an answer so I booked it myself through the web page because it seemed like and awesome deal that is now becoming an even better deal, basically I have 2 questions: 1) If there's a list or something with the information of which countries are able to reprice. 2) If someone knows about a Travel Agent that works with Non US Residents. Thanks so much in advance guys. Thanks to this blog I know I will have a new addiction to cruising, that's why I want to save every penny I can so I can book more cruises and it also hurts a little watching those prices drop and not being able to do anything about it.

Another good news story. Cruised last August on Enchantment of the Seas out of Galveston. Our first stop was going to be Costa Maya where we had a beach excursion planned. When we got in the room we were welcomed by a RCCL notice warning us about the large amount of seaweed the beaches there were experiencing at that time. We were disappointed and decided we really didn't want to fight seaweed while we were on the beach so we sent to the Excursions desk and inquired about a refund. Immediately, the staff issued a credit to our account with no questions asked. Incredibly impressed with the customer service and just another reason we stick with Royal Caribbean!

Thanks for that link.

You should be able to find someone that speaks your language. I would defiantly call and not depend on email.

In the first month of 2020, there have been hostilities between Iran and the USA, Australia is on fire, Venice is underwater (though that might have been December), and China is sick. So the cartoon character is scared because there's 11 months left in the year.

6 days until we leave, 8 days until the cruise! I started the laundry to be packed today. You know, the pile of "don't touch that once it comes out of the dryer" stuff that's going straight to our guest room bed for pre-pack staging. We're really going to try to pack less this time, but it's hard with as many days pre and post cruise as on the actual ship. I'm hoping this will be good practice for Alaska in 2022. Right now, we think we're going to take one small rolling suit case each for me, DD, and DS. DH will take his big 27" for his stuff plus any overflow from ours (my hair dryer!). Then we'll all have a backpack to carry on as well. MIL has a small rolling suit case, and is just planning on a over the shoulder type carry on. Since we have the drink package, we're not bothering with wine. BUT... MIL drinks Diet Coke instead of coffee in the morning. We'll want to carry on a 12 pack for her for the mornings since she's up at dark o'clock. Otherwise DH would be the one to run up to the Windjammer Freestyle machine every morning. Also, DD has started using a weighted blanket, and while I was skeptical, it has really improved her sleep. Fortunately her backpack rolls, so the cokes and blanket will go in there. I'm happy to be the one to roll it - I'm just not carrying that blanket around until 1:00pm when rooms are ready. It weighs a ton! ?️

I loved this little surprise on the Explorer of the Seas. What surprises or moments were your favorites?

Thank you so much @Neesa for following along! You guys will love the two stops at Coco Cay! I did that same cruise in October but I was on Navigator not mariner.

While we were in St Maarten, Oasis docked. Thought it was a cool comparison picture.

Looks like Oasis needs to be put on diet for a while - that tushy is getting rather robust ? And, I will be on her in about 35 days so I shall tell her then. Hope she is ok with a soft suggestion.

he lives on cruise ships....correlation? ?

Sign into your account at royalcaribbean.com Click on the applicable cruise Go to the small banner at the top and choose "Order History" Under "Shore Excursions", click on "View Order Details" Go to the bottom left corner and click on "Cancel" Then follow the instructions to cancel all or part of the participants. Follow remaining instructions. If you used online OBC to purchase your excursion, it will be immediately credited back to your OBC account and will be available for use again, immediately. If you booked using your credit card, the funds will be credited back to your CC but it may take 3 - 5 business days for that to happen. Good luck !!

My fake alias no longer needs to put her fake traveling companion in? Excellent (poor Ken Adams, he'll never get to go anywhere again). Now if they'd just eliminate the nonsense of making you go all of the way to the end to see the refundable price and would let you see it before entering any names..... (I went in to try this on two different sailings and I still had to put in the 2nd guest ... boooo).

Lots of swaying on this cruise. Started feeling kinda nauseous. Of course it happened right in the middle of our lunch at Jamie's Italian. I stayed for the pics of dessert but didnt eat any of them. The waiter was great and wrapped up some brand new ones for us to take back. Attempting a nap with some dramamine. So far unsuccessful, but the nausea is going away.

As for people saying its no big deal and 300,00 ppl a year die from the flu...well there must be a reason why this particular outbreak is concerning? Building 2 hospitals in 2 weeks, thousands of ppl infected in a couple weeks with this strain....and it concentrated in one large area....all reasons to be concerned and not be so flippant about it... All fun and games till it happens to you or someone you know....

I agree with all the above!! and for the record, I do find that there are a few posters that I find consistently sarcastic and quite frequently negative. I’ve decided that I’m not going to really argue or change them! And I refuse to let them bring me down lol. I read what they say with a grain of salt, and move on to the next post!! Jane