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View of the Aqua Theater from Stateroom 9727

This is where a TA…. Oh wait. Never mind.

@JohnK6404 Yes. In Bermuda, the gangway will be open and manned 24hrs a day while in port. Local security officers will also be manning the entry point on the pier. The ship is just like your hotel. Come and go as you please.

also dont forget youtube videos with ship tours, they usually hit the gyms in their vids. you can see firsthand whats there. I, personally, am more interested in doing 12oz curls while cruising. But to each their own.

On 7+ night cruises you may almost certainly be offered an all you can fit (underwear, t-shirts, swim, socks) for $35 bag so you may also be able to take advantage of that if you aren't on the sink/shower laundry train

USB Charging Port and 110V outlet on both sides of the bed

Friday morning arrived and we woke up in Costa Maya. We had not been to this port before, so we were excited to visit. We chose to go to Maya Chan based on all of the suggestions and we were not disappointed. After making our way through the maze that is the port, and to the meeting point, we were escorted into a taxi for the bumpy ride to the resort. Once there, we were shown to our "area" with chairs, beach bed and hammock. For those that are not aware, Maya Chan is an all inclusive resort. Each party gets their own shaded area. Included, are all you can drink, and lunch is included too (more on that) There are sand toys, snorkel equipment, kayaks, paddle boards, floating chairs etc etc. Transportation to and from the resort is also included. All for $60 per person. Very affordable, and it was a great place to spend the day. Reservations are required and its not a large area, so it does not feel crowded. We have already decided, that any time we are in Costa Maya, we will go here again. We got settled in with drinks, and a snack of Chips, salsa and guac, and it was some of the best we have had. We were not disappointed with this view! Im actually happy it was kinda cloudy today, because it kept the temperature in a bearable place, and as many know, the sea grass is plentiful here. Even with the wind, it had a pretty strong odor, and I can only imagine how bad it could have been if the sun was baking down on it. Several times during the day, they would rake it into wheel barrels, and relocate the grass. Here is a nice view of the ship from the resort, and more sea grass. Back to the lunch. They set up a taco bar for you. They had Steak, chicken, pork and fish. There were home made flour and corn tortillas, rice, beans, and all the toppings. I ate way too many! It was a great way to bookend the cruise by starting and ending with beach days. Sadly the day started winding down and we needed to head back to the ship. The staff here were wonderful. They arrange everything for you. When you arrive, they tell you when the last taxi will be so that you are back to the port with plenty of time. Once lunch is down, they come around and ask you what time you would like to take a taxi back, then make sure that you are on that taxi when it is time. Back at the port, the kids had fun with the animals... We made our way back to the ship. Norwegian Dawn was here with us, and man does she look small compared to Oasis!

The next morning we woke up in Roatan. This was a day we have been looking forward to for a while. Its been two years since we were here, and our favorite activity is here, holding sloths. We chose to go with Victor Bodden again as our tour guide. They have great rates, and offer a lot of great different tours. We chose to go with their private tour, which includes access to their monkey and sloth sanctuary. While there we also did their zip-line adventure. Our driver then took us on a tour of the island. We stopped at a chocolate factory here as well. We all agreed that the chocolate here was not as good as the chocolate that we got in Mexico, but it was still good. I did find a bag of coffee to bring home that smelled amazing. Here is an update on the construction at the port. Julie and Johnny were dressed for the occasion!! When we arrived at the sanctuary, we got to meet one of the resident dogs, which of course the kids loved! Soon we were all suited up in our harnesses for the zip-lines! Here is a shot of Julie coming down one of them. We were very proud of Julie. She is very afraid of heights, but still wanted to challenge herself and step out of her comfort zone. She went tethered with a guide for the first one, but after that went solo and had a blast. She said it was an amazing experience and was glad that she did it. Once the zip-lines were done, we headed to what we were all looking forward to. We first spent some time with the monkeys. I'm pretty sure that these two violated me in some way. Nobody would tell me what they were up to.... I wasn't the only one though... Soon enough we saw the sloths though!! I have this same shot from two years ago. This is her favorite thing!! This sloth that Johnny was holding was the same one we saw two years ago as a baby!! We saw many more animals and birds, then we headed back to the ship. We took the obligatory port picture Even though the ship is already empty, we like to enjoy the ship with smaller crowds on the port days. Once back to the ship, more snacks were waiting, which were quickly consumed, then had second lunch up at El Loco Fresh. We really love those tacos!!! We then spent the afternoon doing various activities. The kids were in the pools, Julie did the archery tournament. I was going to, but since I didn't have sneakers on, they wouldn't let me on the sports court. I wasn't that concerned about missing it to go allll the way back to the room, so I cheered her on while enjoying some tasty cocktails.

I took you off of moderation, @Leighq.

Roatan has very good (and inexpensive) zip lining. It also has very good snorkeling from the beach. I recommend a private driver in Roatan - it is a very poor country and is inexpensive. I use Rony's Tours HOME - Roatan Tours, Cruiseship Activities, Excursions, Zipline Canopy Tours with Ronys Independent Tours, Roatan (ronystours.com) Costa Maya is a good place for Mayan Ruins if you want to go the educational route. I recommend Native Choice tours. If you want the beach, Maya Chan is highly recommended. Costa Maya Excursions | Activities in Costa Maya, tours and travel information (thenativechoice.com) Costa Maya Beach Resort - Maya Chan Beach In Cozumel there is a lot of choices - I usually go to one of the beach clubs. For kids, I like Paradise Beach. It has a nice pool, great beach with chairs/umbrella/ water service, and fun giant inflatables for the kids. Even though the website sells it as all inclusive, you can choose to pay as you go if you are not big drinkers. The best all inclusive beach club in Cozumel | Paradise Beach Cozumel

A room tour!

@ Michelle is fantastic.

Unpopluar opinion... I have found that wearing a mask in the casino helps with the smell and allergies. I wish it they would go non smoking permanently.

i don't have a huge problem with this. We were just on independence and the stories from the staff about how long they went without a paycheck are really sad. Remember most of the crew are from nations who didn't bail out the average citizen. I left a little more at bars, restaurants, and my stateroom attendant than past pre-covid sailings.

Personally, if they decided to bump gratuities from $14.50 to $15 (similar to what NCL has done), I wouldn’t have a problem with it. No one wants to pay more, but if anything is going to go up, I’d rather it be the money that goes directly to the crew than anything else.

After dinner we had the Adult comedy show. The opener was okay, while the headliner was very funny. Derick sent the kids some ice cream while we were at the show. Thankfully it was only 2 scoops each, and not the full sundae bar that I have seen other genies send up. I can only imagine how late the kids would have been up had there been more! We came back to these guys to add to the zoo. Then Julie and I did some laps on the track to feel less guilty....and fat...We thought this sign along the track was funny.

We are in Orlando. My Covid test is negative. Cue the confetti. 2 more sleeps before we board. We went to downtown Disney today. We are not going to the parks. I have a DIsney time share so it’s a convenient place to stay. I’m very excited to be in the gated community. I have my new luggage tags and set sail passes printed. I just need to try and print my negative Covid test and repack.

The USB ports have enough power to charge the iPhone 13. It says "2.1A." I don't know if the two ports have 2.1 amperes each or if they share it.

Not last month on our Odyssey sailing. We received them at the muster station only after we checked in to complete the drill. We were all told to hold on to the sticker and to place it in the upper-right corner of our Sea Pass when we actually received them later (when the cabins were available). Also, those stickers are never coming off cleanly. I think it was the opposite for us... If you presented a Sea Pass to a crew member without the green sticker it meant you still had to complete muster or walk the plank. Once again, there were no stickers for our Oasis sailing back in OCT.

Dinner Thursday evening was at Coastal Kitchen and I was looking forward to this one. Heather was glad to get a nice picture with me... I had the grilled octopus and Caprese salad. Both of these were delicious. For Entrees, I had the duck breast, and I have to say, this was the worst dish I have ever had. Who ever made this does not know how to cook duck. The fat was never rendered out of the skin leaving is tough and I didn't even bother tasting it. The meat was not tender at all..... Heather got the short ribs, which were delicious. Julie got the duck bolognese, which also was delicious.. Thankfully desert was wonderful. Later that evening we all headed down to the main theater to see Hector is Magic. Derick had reserved our favorite seats for us again. We like to sit in the lower level in the first row behind the sound guys. The ledge is a great place to put our drinks and we don't lose armrest space putting them in the cup holders. The show was great fun. He is very talented.

Okay, so here’s what I did. Somehow, I needed to force the app to reset/refresh. So I went to another sailing and then went back to my sailing for today (Wonder) I rewatched the video and played the horn audio and I got the “Completed” mark. Same thing happened with the Health Questionnaire yesterday

Last time Royal raised gratuities they provided you an opportunity to prepay them before you sailed and lock in the lower rate. If you didn't prepay, you paid the new rate on board. Here is the letter I received from Royal in December 2017: We are excited to welcome you onboard for your upcoming Royal Caribbean vacation! As you prepare to set sail, we wanted to notify you of an update to our daily gratuity charges. As of January 2, 2018, Royal Caribbean will be increasing the automatic daily gratuity charge from $13.50 to $14.50 per guest, per day for regular staterooms and from $16.50 to $17.50 per guest, per day for suites. The daily gratuity is shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams. We’d like to extend the opportunity to pre-pay your gratuities before your sail date at the current rate. If you’d like to pay onboard, your gratuity charge applied will be at the new rate. Other onboard gratuity policies remain the same: an 18% gratuity is automatically added to bar service beverages, spa services, room service and mini bar items, and will be itemized on your receipt. To pre-pay your gratuities, please log onto www.RoyalCaribbean.com, contact your travel agent, or call 1-866-562-7625. We can’t wait to welcome you onboard. Sincerely, Royal Caribbean International

MEI Travel? Never heard of them

I'm with Brock right now on our own cruise! Love him!

The room service menu received an upgrade with new items that didn't exist before. That's when they introduced the service fee. Continental breakfast was free before and remains free now. The new burger is pretty good, as are the chicken wings.

I truly love this message board as we get to learn so much more of the tips and tricks! The 1 hour earlier than time I didn't know about if in a suite which is great!

The add-ons for CocoCay have never been more popular. Doesn't matter if there's one ship or two, lots of people are booking up cabanas and passes months in advance.

Congratulations ! I cannot wait for a review of Wonder Star Class. I hope you will keep us updated !!!

Dinner that evening was back at Giovanni's. Best laid plans went astray here as well. Knowing that pasta is filling, I was going to order a few appetizers, and then have some pasta from both of them. The waiter understood, but still got me to order my own entree, bring on the food coma. We all ordered mussels for an appetizer. I also ordered the Mozzarella di Bufala. Here are the mussels, I forgot to let the camera have a bite of the Mozzarella. To me, the mussels were just okay. They are the green mussels, and not the really good ones from PEI. They had a much stronger seafood taste and were chewier. Entrees arrived. Heather got the Bolognese, and Julie got the Carbonara. The waiter convinced me to order the grilled prawns. The carbonara was delicious. Julie and I joked that it was like eating breakfast pasta. Here are the prawns. They were cooked very well and tasted great. Considering we had a late lunch of a giant plate of nachos, and tacos in the port, snacks upon arriving back at the room, and now dinner, I was feeling like a beached whale, I did power through, and had Tiramisu for dessert. Keep me away from sharp objects or I may burst.

Sorry for the delay again folks. This one got away from me. We woke up Wednesday morning in Cozumel. There were a few other ships here with us. There was the Add Diva and we were shorty joined by two carnival ships. Celebrity Apex was docked next to us as well. Aida Diva. The number of passengers on this ship that were filming us leaving later that day was funny. There goes the neighborhood. Apex and Oasis together. While in Cozumel we opted to see the Mayan ruins at San Gervasio and Chocolate tasting tour. This was an interesting tour . As Johnny said, "you had me at chocolate. We were originally scheduled to do the Rio Secreto cave tubing, but that got cancelled a few weeks prior to departure. After talking with the group, we opted to stay on the island, and not take the ferry. My sister and Heather can easily get seasick, so avoiding the rough passage to the mainland was probably for the best. The tour left the port in a comfortable bus and we headed for the ruins. We made a brief stop at the Mayan Honey shop for bathrooms, and some quick shopping before heading to the ruins. Once there, our guide took us along the different parts of the site. He was quite knowledgeable, and we learned all about the Mayan Calendar, and how they use only 3 symbols to create all of the numbers they used. The kids got a kick out of all the iguanas that were there as well. This guy greeted us as we walked in. Here are some other shots of the ruins. Once we were done here, it was back on the bus. We took a drive along the perimeter of the Island to the Mayan Cacao Company, just outside of the Playa Mia Park. The Kids got to meet these guys, Then we settled in for some presentations on how the Mayans made chocolate and used it as currency. We then got to do some tasting. The chocolate was delicious. It typically has a much higher cacao percentage than typical milk chocolate, but the flavor was very rich and did not seem too bitter. We came home with 4 different bars of chocolate. Back at the port, we stopped for some tacos and snacks at one of the shops. Johnny was not in a sharing mood!! We took the obligatory port name picture.. and upon arriving back to our stateroom, we were met with more snacks. Johnny loves chocolate covered strawberries. They have been delivered daily so far, so this is usually the highlight of his day.

I don't think that will happen before June of 2022. I think one of the reasons cruise lines operating in this country institute vaccine requirements was to assure Caribbean nations and Latin America that they would not make their COVID situation worst by having large numbers of unvaccinated individuals come off a ship onto their shores. Look at how cruise ships were turned away from some port at the height of Omicron and Grand Cayman still hasn't reopened their ports to cruise ships the new reopening date is now set for March 21st. These islands in the Caribbean have limited resources (hospital space) and they can't afford to be overrun with COVID. In a most recent survey that came out 4 days ago most of the Caribbean and Latin America have not reach 40% vaccination rate. Grand Cayman which is still closed report just last week that 90% of their population is now fully vaccinated (they are the exception in the Caribbean) yet they remain closed to cruise ships. Many of the Caribbean islands and Latin America don't have the infrastructure necessary to store large quantities of vaccine and most of the vaccines that have been created worldwide require extremely cold storage, so they are not ordering large quantities of vaccine because it would only be wasted. There is also vaccine hesitancy in a lot of these countries among other reason why vaccination rates are so low in the Caribbean and Latin America. I said all of that to say this I think the vaccination requirement will remain in place until more countries in the regions mention see higher vaccination rates.

There are a few news articles out about this right now... Here is a link to one of them... Most of them seem to believe the consensus among the lines will be finishing out 2022 with the requirement and lifting it early next year if the fall and winter prove to be mild.... Hopefully, you would be ok.... When Will Vaccines No Longer Be Required on Cruises? Dr. Scott Gottlieb Weighs In… | Cruzely.com

That was the first thing I did. It was a restriction/non-refundable ticket. They cited $2000 for same flight 4 days later. I re-booked for less than 1/2 that amount. I went round and round with the airline for several days and even had airline cancellation insurance that found a loophole to not pay. It has been very frustrating but also very discouraging with RCCL and the huge run-a-round I have been given. This started in Oct 2021 and many emails, many people (always a different person replying to an email) many phone numbers later no resolution. For me, it goes beyond the monetary issue to the customer service issue. You would think/hope as a TA they would want to help me resolve this showing what a great company and service oriented they are. As my DH said, I am just grateful this happened to me and not one of my clients. I will add, I love RCCL product. I think it is one of the best top to bottom and will still choose to sail with them, but they have major communication and knowledge issues that makes things very challenging when an issue does arise.

I'm assuming once things are more financially stable they are going to reschedule Allure's dry dock, so that could be part of it. It's now the only Oasis ship without water slides and several other things that were supposed to be added during its dry dock in 2020.

I have gotten hard cider in place of beer. Also hard seltzer.

What are the must-dos? Traveling with an 11 and 7 year old.

Yes... when we were waiting to board in the terminal, they actually suggested we complete the first couple of steps before boarding (watch video and listen to the sound of the alert/ship horn). Once onboard, you'll only need to go to your assigned muster station (indicated in the app) and they will check you in to complete the drill and give you a sticker to place on your SeaPass card. They hand you the sticker as they understand many folks won't have their SeasPass cards just yet.

I do like those little rice crispy treats. The rest are usually pretty boring

Navigator: Robet and Gerald. Great MDR team.

@Sharla with MEI Travel. She’s awesome!

This is why we have our first SC cruise on Wonder in 3 weeks! Thanks to@WAAAYTOOO @Jax @AshleyDilloalso.

A note about the $50 Discount Code I found on a mock booking for an itinerary I've been eyeing.1. Applying the code reduced the "30% Off Every Guest" promo discount by $15. So the discount for using it actually ends up being $35.2. The Code appears in the Summary as "Email Bonus NRD" (Non-Refundable Deposit?) I'm not sure, but does that mean this automatically makes the booking an NRD? UPDATE: This original image in for a GTY cabin, the same mock booking using "Pick Your Own Room" gives the full $50 discount.

I was on her in November 2019, I assume she was close to capacity, only time I thought it was busy was at the elevators and sometimes in the windjammer. Otherwise is was perfect and energetic. We spent alot of time at my favorite spot on that ship , trellis bar in Central Park. Always so peaceful

I really miss some of my favorite cruise ports on Canada’s east coast in the fall. Beautiful places with really wonderful people. Great pubs, sights, food and shopping. Just a really welcoming atmosphere! I hope they finally work it out so that we can go back this fall…fingers crossed!

We made it to Labadee on Feb 15 on Mariner. Captain Tor said ours was the third docking since reopening. IT WAS AS BEAUTIFUL AS WE COULD EVER REMEMBER!!! Spent the entire day on Adrenaline Beach.

Resurrecting this one b/c we are about to bring this saga to a close ! Today is final walk-through for the new house. So excited and yet have the stomach butterflies... Today is final walk-through and next Wed (9-15) is closing. We have quite a bit of "stuff" to do after closing so we will not move in until 9-26 but closing will trigger a flurry of activity. Of note...we are closing almost exactly 1 year to the day from the day we signed the contract. We signed on 9-19-20 and we will close on 9-15-21. Closing is EXACTLY 6 months from the day they "broke ground" on the new build. They started putting in forms for the foundation on 3-15-21. This is the first new build I have ever done...so I really don't have anything to compare it to, but I will say that I just don't think things could have been any smoother. Our timing (pure accident !) must have been perfect. We managed to get most of the outside construction done during the "dry" season so we missed almost NO days to weather. Those who are in the "outside" phase of the construction right now are missing nearly EVERY single afternoon due to heavy rains. During the initial phase of the development there were considerable problems with delivery of appliances. There was much wailing from people who got the dreaded "appliance" letter. We waited, thinking we would surely get one, too....but apparently they had solved the appliance "issue" by the time we came along b/c we had no problems or delays with delivery of ANYthing. (Apparently they got a new appliance vendor somewhere along the line which solved the delivery problem). So, off we go to do the final inspection. Wish us luck !! PS. We really don't need any luck. We have been over at that house EVERY f'n day for the past 6 months. I probably know more about this property than the builders do. I know where every speck of drywall dust went and Dan has picked up every pebble out of the yard both pre-sod and post-sod. HA !

I'm still laughing. Thanks, I don't get a chance to do that lately. It took me over 60 years to really understand my chosen profession (Engineering). With that much training, "nerd" is now genetically encoded. Curt from Canada

We are going on Freedom of Seas March 8th, and i am looking to book Izumi hibachi. It says its $45 per person, we will have 2 adults and one 8 year old and 1 5 year old. Are both kids $45? If we don't want to go the hibachi and just want to get sushi is it $45 per person? Is there an ala carter option? My kids love eating sushi.