Leaderboard

I wanted to share this story, my Wife and I have been together 10 years. We went on her first cruise last week and she wasn't happy about the $30 usd a day ($40 ish Canadian dollars) for gratuities. I didn't say much before the cruise and her plan was to go and reduce the gratuities at guest services. To clarify, I love her very much! She hasn't travelled much, this was my 3rd cruise and I have travelled a lot in the past. Day 1 she questioned why I was leaving cash tips for our lovely room attendant and still keeping reduced tips. I still didn't say too much because I was certain I knew the ending. As the cruise went on she was going on and on about all of the wonderful people being so great. We had great conversations with many of them in the Windjammer, main dining room, hallway etc. Our 2nd last day we were relaxing on Deck 12 at night and she said you know what...I feel so bad that I even considered reducing the tips and if anything we should give more. That was an amazing moment watching her come to the realization I never judged or faulted her for feeling that way, but I knew she would change her mind!

WOW.. sounds fun!

Today, when we got a cup of coffee in the suite lounge, I was wished a happy birthday. When we checked in to confirm our lunch reservation at the Beach Club, I was wished a happy birthday. Our server at the restaurant wished me one too. When we got back to our cabin, I found this. I don’t advertise my birthday, and had not mentioned it to any of them, but RCI staff is amazing in their attentiveness. So far it has been a great birthday, and hands down is so much better than the large plastic lobster plopped on my cousin Mary’s head at Red Lobster when her (now ex -is it any wonder) husband lied and told them it was her birthday so he could get a free dessert.

Another case of protocols working. Not newsworthy. Seriously if every employer and every school tested everyone every week there would be hundreds and thousands of cases popping up. Media would ignore it until one person said they were on a cruise ship, then it would make headlines. Stop reporting these things and stop clicking on the stories. The site traffic drives media to create more headlines like this.

I mean 27 days seems reasonable. But 28? That's nuts.

Day 2, Part 2 As nap time wrapped up, the wife and nanny had hair appointments for formal night. I took the three kids to explore Two70, as we hadn’t been there yet. There are parts of this ship that are drop-dead gorgeous. One of the main ones is the Via. When you come around the elevator bank on Deck 5 Aft and hit that cherry blossom corridor facing the Via, it’s breathtaking every single time. We walked down the Via, past Hublot, Jamie’s and Vintages, and into Cafe Two70. We picked up a few melon cups and cookies and I let the kids roam around Two70. This venue is another area that strikes me as well played. We haven’t seen Spectra’s Cabaret yet (tomorrow night), but when the venue is just a normal seating area, the views are gorgeous, this seating is plentiful, and the ambiance is great. After some Two70 acclimation, our oldest was getting itchy about wanting to “do something”. This has been my biggest fear going into this cruise - a lack of directly-engaging activities. We went to the SeaPlex, where it was set up half pickle ball/half basketball, and the kids weaved in and out of the basketball players (almost getting hit a few times) before we ducked out and headed upstairs to the alcoves. All the video game stations were shut off, and the only real active area was the ping-pong tables. This area is in desperate need of a re-purposing - I really like how other Quantum-class ships have Playmakers up here, and this should be a near-term retrofit for Anthem. Next was dinner prep, then off to Chic/MDR. Wow, Night 2 was total redemption for MDR! Staff was MUCH more attentive, food came out at a much quicker cadence, and all the kids stayed engaged. Our middle child was starting to burn out (she’s broken out of her naps, but still can’t do a day with a LOT packed into it). All the MDR food was on-point tonight, and was the service. Our server (Jodie) remembered all the kids and their orders from last night, and really made an effort to engage. As parents, the effort makes a difference! After dinner, we stuck it out until 8pm to see the juggling show in the main theatre, Pete Matthews. Solid, well-rehearsed, kid-friendly act with a twist - he built up several adult-level jokes to a punchline, but stopped short and let the momentum take it to where the adults got the joke, but the kids had no idea. Halfway through our middle child lost what little sanity she had left (due to exhaustion) and we exited and left the rest of the family to finish up the show. When everyone got back, they said the rest of the show was really good, and highly recommended. After everyone went to bed, I wandered a bit - through the Esplanade, through the casino, just to continue to get my bearings. I wandered back to Two70 and caught the last part of Spectra’s Cabaret. I’ve heard reviews that it’s a bit haphazard, the plot isn’t firmed up, and I can see where that idea comes from. Granted, I only caught the last 15 minutes (starting where the drummer enters on the lift), but the show could use some massaging. We’re scheduled to see it Day 4 after dinner, and today’s scouting definitely helped ID some good seats for tomorrow! After Spectra, I headed up to Deck 15 (above the pool deck) and man, is it windy! Monday Night Football was on the big screen, and I watched a few minutes of it before retiring. Off to Day 3!

Can’t sleep, I think I’m still getting my sea legs we’re an interior room, mid-ship, mid-deck and this boat is shimmying! Not wildly listing, but towels are swaying in the bathroom. I’m also a light sleeper, so there’s a lot of new sensory input that might take a day or two for my brain to adjust. timeline from yesterday: 11:30am arrival, immediate admittance 12:00pm COVID test for kids (minor wait) 12:45pm test results were in (AT&T signal is strong) 1:05pm in the windjammer Lunch at the Windjammer was busy! Entrance is on the right side (opposite Coastal Kitchen), and everyone found something they liked. Adventure Ocran wasn’t quite opened yet at 2pm, so we hit up the staterooms, which we’re ready! Found all of our luggage up and down the hallway, and rapidly unpacked. By then, AO was open We were told to go to the older kids room on Deck 12 to register, then to Royal Babies to sign up for times 12 hours per kid limit for now. All the kids were eager to check it out, so we signed up for a morning session for tomorrow. After that was a few laps around the ship to get familiar, then back to the rooms to prep for dinner in MDR. Our youngest fell asleep in the late afternoon stroll, so we carried him down to MDR where he stirred and found his home in the bread basket Day 1 menu was…okay. I was still full from the WJ, so I noshed on some apps. Wife and I got the “Maryland-style” crab cake - I put it in quotes because there’s nothing “‘Maryland” about it. The butternut squash soup was heavy on the chicken broth, and the steak was tough. Salmon was good, salad was fresh. After dinner, the wife and I had a stroll and checked out Majority Rules in the Music Hall. Pretty chill, quiet evening. Let’s see if I can get a few more hours sleep!

Received the email that my RoyalUp bid was successful. From JS to Owner’s Suite. The cruise is on the Anthem from Bayonne NJ on December 12…so, five days from embarkation day. The last time I was notified of a successful bid was on Nov 5th for the Anthem sailing on Nov 8th…so, three days out. Yay!

My first insight is that this is something your TA should be doing for you. They may be inexperienced.

Cup Noodles will be very much appreciated! (Not spicy) Or any kind of instant noodles where you just add hot water and stir.

I detailed my experience in this post: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/25976-onboard-pcr-testing-for-post-cruise-international-travel/#comment-282324 Since that post, during the week of the US Thanksgiving I had to leave a cruise in the middle due to a family emergency in Canada. The ship arranged the onboard lab to open just for me outside of the normal testing cycle for crew and guests. The ship was wonderful to deal with. Very understanding and they went out of their way to assist me. This was for a PCR test. In my case I left the ship in St. Kitts which is one of three countries in the Caribbean that requires guests take a ship excursion. You can not walk off the ship and self explore in St Kitts (beyond the port area) per their local regulations. I had to apply for a St. Kitts health visa as if I was flying there to vacation. That required I upload a copy of the PCR negative result letter. I was flying American Airlines from St. Kitts to Miami and onward to Toronto. That required I upload two different trips into the VeriFly app, one for each segment. I had to upload my test result letter twice more. Finally I had to upload the result letter in ArriveCAN, the forth upload of all my stuff all over again. It took me about 5 hours to get all the apps installed and updated. On the morning I was to leave the ship in St Kitts literally as I was about to walk off, St Kitts Public Health informed the ship they wanted another antigen test performed within 3 hours of debarking. The ship opened the lab for me again and even recalled a lab technician on shore leave to return to the ship to perform the test. I had no issue with any of the three immigrations I cleared that day (St. Kitts, USA in Miami and Canada in Toronto). The ship is comprised of crew from all over the world. To get to the ship to work and to fly home at contract end the crew all deal with this themselves. If anyone on the planet understands the nuances and demands of international PCR testing, it is the ship's crew that know it all too well.

DAY 2, PART 1: Kids were up around 6:15am, got everyone dressed and hit up the Windjammer as they opened. Plenty of breakfast options available for everyone! We wrapped up breakfast around 8:30am, and as AO doesn’t open until 9am, went out the back of Windjammer to enjoy the view. As mentioned by many others, there are extra tables out here that are great to use when the weather’s not too cold (this morning was still a bit chilly and windy). We went up the stairs and scoped out the FlowRider, iFly, and the climbing wall. From there, we stuck our heads into the SeaPlex and checked out the first round of bumper cars until we realized AO was open! We hustled to the opposite side of the ship, and dropped the girls off in Aquanauts, and the boy off in Royal Babies. Both were very clean hand-offs, as all the kids were eager to go and play. After drop-off, the wife and I hit up the Fitness Center for a bit. All the equipment is pretty nice, plenty of variety for weights, cardio, yoga, etc. We did a mix of cardio and strength to try and offset what will be a lot of cocktails and ice cream . With some time left in our AO window, we went back, changed to bathing suits, and scoped out the hot tubs. We first checked out the Solarium, and while it’s warm, it’s a bit loud (lots of glass to reflect noise) and has a heavy chlorine smell. Moving back to the indoor pool is better, but the hot tubs were full. We ended up in a hot tub by the outdoor pool near the pool bar, which was one of the only hot tubs with a “lip” to store your towel, phone, etc. After about 30 minutes, I decided to check out the 11am FlowRider boogie boarding session. I ended up arriving a little late, and a line had formed. The staff were generous with time, as each person got about 4-5 minutes to practice bogey-boarding, no hands, knees, etc. I left the line after 30 minutes of watching to meet up with the wife, and go claim the kids from AO. AO pickup went very smoothly, the staff gave great updates on the kids, especially the little one (last diaper change, temperament, snacks). ALL of them want to go back (the littlest kept tugging back to the entrance saying “PLAY! PLAY!”), so we re-booked again for tomorrow morning. Lunch was back at the Windjammer, we got a table again towards the back. Everyone was worn out, but ate well. I volunteered to take the little one back to the room for a nap while the wife and nanny took the girls to the pool. Reports back from the pool was “the outdoor pool was too windy, and the indoor pool water was cold, like the heater wasn’t on”. The girls tried the hot tub, but deemed it too hot. Everyone came back to change and are out getting ice cream. The wife and nanny have some hair appointments tonight at the spa before formal night, so I’ll be on kid duty for a few hours. Should have another report with the rest of the day later tonight. Random thoughts: - Internet is working well, occasionally slow. Nothing to fret over. - Magnetic walls in the staterooms are a GODSEND! We got some “100lb” magnet hooks and two hanging shoe organizers just to manage all the little stuff that accumulates (coupes, remotes, masks, bracelets, bingo dabbers). Do yourself a favor and get a 10-pack of magnet hooks, even if you don’t think you have a need for them - you will find one by Day 2! - We packed everything in duffel bags, and that was a great choice - we just nested them inside each other and stuffed them under the bed. - The wife, brilliant as always, pre-packaged the kids clothes by day in ziploc bags, and that’s been a game changer as well. Dirty clothes go in one of the duffels we’ve assigned for laundry, otherwise they’re still in their bags until the right day. - If your in an interior room, a nightlight or two wouldn’t hurt! - North Star is exclusively “extended experience” during sea days ($29). No slots are opening up for the normal experience until day-of, I’m guessing that will be port days. - iFly appointments are also extended experience ($49), with normal experience not available today. There’s a small window for tomorrow during port, but that’s already booked up. I think they’re rationing it out. - Staff has been great. Main Dining Room last night was a little slow on service, not sure if that’s the norm or just day 1 jitters. - Virtual balcony has been hit-and-miss. The feed in both rooms gets a green, pixelated “flash” every now and then, which is super distracting in the middle of the night. We do pull the curtains closed, but it bleeds through a little. I only noticed it because I was awake anyway, but maybe it will be nicer when in port. - There’s a SpaceX rocket launch from the Cape at 1am when we depart back to NJ (Thursday morning, I think), with the flight path just north of the Caribbean. Gonna try and stick it out and stay up for that one!

In case anyone comes searching here for Oasis CLS #1724, some pics. Comfortable bed: Not as big as our master shower at home, but is def a step up from all cabins we have ever stayed in. We designed our shower at home, and we joke that if we put a disco ball in it, we could have a dance party for our friends.

Some anecdotes from the day: boarding was late, and general boarding a zoo. A couple reasons were bandied about: 1. The medical evac in Key West yesterday evening caused a bit of delay in the ship arriving back to Miami. 2. A B2B CC member posted that there were a couple of passengers who couldn’t be found (to leave) and security had to hunt them down. I envision two people hiding out from security, moving from location to location like a bad Three Stooges skit. We also had the normal refusal of some to go to e-muster. E-muster was the first thing we did to get it done. As the afternoon passed, the CD’s tone got more and more irritated. Ken said he was waiting for him to start cussing like a potty-mouthed parrot. Not sure what would be a good solution to this situation, but maybe they should start calling out names and cabins. When the ship arrived later than usual this morning the captain didn’t turn the ship around to save time, so we got the pleasure of spinning around in the basin as we sailed away. We also saw the fireworks from the last night of the arts festival in Miami. So imagine sailing away seeing the beautiful sunset, the skyline of Miami, and the fireworks in the background, all while seated in Coastal Kitchen having an amazing meal. If that isn’t a great beginning to a cruise, I don’t know what is.

I am going to try out a new purchase to track our luggage. I will report back on how they worked. Anyone else use Apple AirTags in their luggage. Full disclaimer, I am still evaluating their performance but there isn’t an apple product I don’t love.

Sitting here in the Schooner bar, and looking across at Sorrento’s, I was thinking. Sorrento’s should deliver. Because you know, you shouldn’t get too much exercise on a cruise. Of course, the next best thing is Ken delivering.

Please, this ^^^^^

Easiest way to do it!

To add to what others have said, our agent has told us we can just forward her a copy of the booking that Royal emails us, and she takes care of the rest.

When I’ve transferred bookings to my travel agent (5 times now), I send her reservation booking number, date, and who is sailing. She takes care of the rest. I usually see a email from Royal confirming the change in about 2 business days. I don’t even know what the TA transfer form looks like.

$73.50 a night is a bit steep. Maybe if it was $73 even, I’d jump all over that!

Looks like you have it right. The most important step is to make sure your WiFi calling feature is working before you board the ship. Try it at home. Go into airplane mode, connect to your home WiFi and try to make a call or send a text. If it works at home today, then it should work using a paid Voom internet plan. If it doesn't work at home today, it's not going to magically work on Voom. Get it working at home and you should be all set.

I understand this is very frustrating but it sounds to me like this person had much more than just your booking number. They were at one point a trusted friend for 13 years and they know a lot about you including address, phone number and probably birthdate. They may even know all the pertinent details about your husband such as his name and birthdate. Armed with all of that personal information and your booking number they were able to impersonate you and cancel your cruise. A stranger with only your booking number can not cancel or access your cruise. This person possessed more than just your booking number. You have made it very clear they impersonated you with intricate details about your life well beyond your booking number. So while I feel terrible for what this person has done to you by impersonating you using all those personal details they possess, it's not a matter of stranger who somehow learned of your booking number and with no other information used only the booking number to cancel your cruise. I hope you are able to move forward in your legal case against this terrible person. A "criminal order" from a police officer is not a court order. A police officer is not a judge and a police officer can only investigate to a limited degree while a subpoena in a court case or a court order signed by a judge has far greater power compared to the very limited powers of the police. Good luck.

There are two components to consider when it comes to the internet experience on board a ship. The first is the actual internet connection and on a ship that is a satellite connection. The second is the WiFi platform on a ship. That is how your device connects to the ship. The two are distinctly different but either one can independently play a factor on your internet experience. I could write 10,000 words on either and still not explain it all. When it comes to WiFi each device works differently based on the chipset (hardware) and operating system (software). How an iPhone 7 works is different than an iPhone 8 even if they are both running the same iOS version and they are both different compared to how an Android on a Samsung 7 works versa Android on a Pixel 6. The software version also makes a difference so two iPhone 11s running different versions will behave differently. Someone who has an older device and who has never upgraded their phone will have a very different experience compared to another person with newer gear. All that first person knows is that they couldn't watch a cat video on FaceBook so... "the ship wifi is terrible" meanwhile it's their device at fault. Cabins are made of steel. Those steel walls and door that so many use with magnets they bring are pretty much the definition of how to create a terrible wifi experience. If you goal was to build a room that would reduce signals and minimize radio waves reaching you, a room with steel walls, floor, ceiling and door are exactly what you would use to do it. Unfortunately that often means less than ideal wifi coverage in a cabin. If we took 20 devices mounted on a cart then walked down the promenade 100 times how each device would associate and re-associate with the different ship access points they can see along that walk would be different every time for every device. In some cases devices make bad choices and hold onto a distant access point longer than they should. In most cases it's the device that decides how and when to associate to different access points when you are moving around. Blame your device if it retains a connection to a distant access point longer than it should. Yet people will always blame the ship wifi. If you walk into the pub and three people are streaming football games that makes for a pretty noisy RF airspace and it's likely your device will have some issues trying to associate with the best access point. An hour later if those streamers are all gone and you walk into the pub your device may behave much better. Yet all people know is a cat video on FaceBook wouldn't load so the ship wifi is terrible. Meanwhile if they had gone to the solarium instead the cat video would have played purrfectly. Sometimes a cat video on FaceBook won't load because FaceBook is having issues yet people will still declare the ship wifi is terrible. Most humans consider wifi to binary. It's there or its not. Yet there is so much more to it and more times than not it's the device to blame, not the ship wifi.

Fortunately all the data so far shows Omicron as quite mild, and maybe not even a new variant.

For those who have said that the water in the pool at the beach club is cold, those guys must be from Florida. it feels great! Ken had to be coaxed in, but once he got below chest level, he was good. It was kind of entertaining for those laying in loungers watching him. I was able to coax others in as well. It is currently a beautiful day. And occasional cloud like right now (thank goodness for the umbrella), but it’s a great day at Cococay!

Docking a Cococay. I can’t believe Ken got up and walked 2 miles with me, but he did. I’m sure it is because it is my birthday. I expect him to sleep in some the rest of this week. It will be interesting to see if another ship docs here today, because of the Labadee cancellations.

Found this in one of the Wonder FB groups tonight. Looks like it should be a good one.

We received six at-home test kits from the Optum store. Unfortunately, they were going to expire before we needed them (Optum store mistake, they refunded us. That's another thread.) Anyway, we decided to use one of them before they expired as DH had exposure at work. We followed the directions to a "T" and waited 15 minutes. Then we realized it. There was no test strip on the inside of the card. Thankfully, we have extras. Just a long way of saying, order double what you need! He is negative.

9 Days and Counting The Festivus shirts are ordered. I asked for tasteful with a bit of cheesy. Honestly I am not entirely sure what the final product will look like. It’s in the hands of my sister and brother in law now.

I've found here in Minnesota that the Rapid PCR tests are normally NOT covered by insurance, while the traditional PCR test is covered. The Rapid PCR is between, $150 and $300.

If there’s a rhyme or reason, I haven’t been able to figure it out. For example: On Adventure back in September, we bid minimum on a JS and just below mid range on a GS. We got the JS and met a couple onboard who got a GS with the minimum bid…. Which was less than we bid for a GS. For our money, we book a cabin we will be happy in. If we do a Royal Up and are successful, it’s a bonus.

End game here for Royal Caribbean is to make money. Obviously they preach safety to the extent they need to by law and In some instances even beyond which is fine. In order to keep these ships floating and the shareholders happy there needs to be people on these ships. It should be as cut and dry as a negative test = enjoy your cruise.

They are good three months past the expiration date (it should have had some verbiage to this on the order page).

Thanks! I reached out to RC in Twitter and they are responding. I'll see how that works out. If it doesn't work. I'll try to find an agent to take over. I booked and paid deposit on Cyber Monday. So I should have some time.

Royal may not actually send you a copy of the booking. Previously, whenever I booked on their website I would immediately receive a guest copy by email but the most recent time all I received was an e-mail saying they confirmed receipt of the deposit for booking number such-and-such. I sent that number to Michelle and once she had control of the booking she was able to send me the copy. But she handled the entire process just fine only with the booking number.

Terminal A

I agree! We are going on 11-night Vision OTS cruise Jan 24. We already bought (during Black Friday week) both a 2-dev Voom and a 1-dev Voom knowing we'd cancel one of them. The difference between the two of them is $126.50. However, If we drop the 1-dev and then bought the chatting feature for both of us it would cost 43.78 (2 x 1.99 x 11). Then, the savings would only be $82.72 (again, for 11 nights). I don't think it's worth it. Unless RC stops charging for texting on their app, we'll keep the 2-dev Voom.

This is really nonsensical; as the federal CARES act covers the cost of travel related testing done by participation members, of which CVS is one. My family has had no less than a dozen tests at CVS in the last 8 weeks, all scheduled truthfully as travel requirements, and never charged a dime. This is in TX

Coastal Kitchen on Oasis was great. The restaurant manager was very involved. We ate there the whole week. We had requested to have the same waiter the whole week and she was great- always sent my son away with a full plate of cookies to go. We also had really good service in the lounge. We typically showed up 30 minutes early for a pre dinner drink and we were always served very quickly.

I had some similar observations on Oasis 21-28 Nov. I didn't think the galley was working on all cylinders either. Missed key ingredients (like the proteins) on some of the salads, wrong or missing side dishes just as you observed. My wife was not impressed with the champaign lobster, sent back for a replacement without the sauce (wasn't an issue). Wait staff was very responsive and apologetic. Was told ship was understaffed, guessing may not have the A-team in place yet.

Yeah, I’m sure it’s a corporate menu across the entire fleet - if they just called it a “crab cake”, I’d give it a pass. But don’t embarrass my state!

We bought them on the Adventure in August a couple nights. My wife has advised me that her goal for our Christmas cruise is to have a lobster every night. So take that as a recommendation, I think.

Really not a good idea to pass off bogus information like this to new cruisers. While i have had one that didn't seem to do a whole lot of checking, On my thanksgiving cruise my test was scrutinized to the Nth degree even comparing the name to my passport. Testing is very simple now, easy to obtain and with many more options. As stated the previously the Abbott ID Now test from Walgreens will sufice

Doesn't say still what prompted them to test people prior to disembarkation. Doesn't make sense. But still 17 out of of 3200 is good.

Being married to a southern gentleman is so nice. I’m on his second Diamond drink now. Edited to clarify: I ask him to go get me a drink and he uses his card. I’m sure he will catch on sooner or later.

Luggage unpacked and important stuff in the safe.

Waiting to board. At check-in they only wanted to see our negative tests, they didn’t even look at our passports, they didn’t want to see our shot cards because they are loaded thru the app. Your mileage may vary depending on the port and the ship.

Thanks @Dan Curtis! We moved to this area 16 years ago after traveling here for many years. They are great places to live that avoid the tourist traffic, and we reside in one of those areas with the most amazing view from our front window. Used to think this place was just tourists too. LOL. Our view:

1 DAY OUT! COVID TESTS: Test results came in just before 10pm - all six are negative! Printing them out now and putting them with passports and hard copies of the Set Sail pass (great advice, so we’re not fumbling with phones). Up and early tomorrow for the 3-ish hour drive to Bayonne - first check-in time is 11:30am. 🛳