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So...I actually proposed on a Royal Caribbean ship. Enchantment in '99. My biggest advice? Talk to the Cruise Director. They LOVE doing this kind of stuff! He talked me through several options, but to keep the story down to non-novel length, essentially he and the assistant cruise director schemed to get her on stage between the opening act and the main show in the theater on the 2nd formal night. I intentionally got a big drink so I could "excuse myself to the bathroom" just as the opening act was ending (helped for nerves, too!). While I was out, the director came on stage doing the normal how's everyone doing shtick, then said someone had dropped their SeaPass card. He called her by name and brought her on stage. "How's the service been? Enjoying table 153?" So on and so forth. Finally gets to how important it is to take care of your SeaPass because it's like losing money. Asks her how she'd feel if he bought everyone in the theater a drink? "I wouldn't care," she replies, deadpan as can be. "It's linked to my boyfriend's credit card." Crowd loses it. Has to look like she's a plant at this point. Until he says, "Well, I'd bet he'd have something to say about that!" At which point, I come on stage left after the assistant director lead me through the back of the house and proceed to propose. She never saw it coming, and I know that for a fact because another benefit of using the Cruise Director as an accomplice is that I have the whole thing professionally videotaped, and can see the look of shock on her face. Big or small, very public or private and quiet, they can make it happen. They'll be able to share ideas and experience about what has worked, what hasn't, and how they can make it more likely to match your desires. My biggest regret is that I did it on the 2nd formal night and not the 1st, because neither of us could buy a drink the rest of the cruise! . Whatever you do, best of luck!

I agree. Central Park is pretty busy on formal night. The reverse thinking on this is that there will more than likely be a ship photographer near by that you can take pictures with. You could even speak with the photo people to see if they would be in on it with you. There is an option to buy a private photo session with a photographer. You could tell you're girlfriend you won a free session and you thought pictures together in Central Park would be nice. You could do the whole, "Oops, I dropped my seapass card" drop to your knee to it pick up trick, all while the photographer is snapping away.

Yesterday was CocoCay day! Got up early and hit the gym again, and Bridgerton got a little emotional so if you see a social media post about a crazy lady crying on the elliptical, that would be me. Breakfast at coastal kitchen and then we got ready and met Leroy at Bolero’s to get ready to go. We went downstairs to an area that was only genies and their cabins. We were ready to walk on and … we weren’t cleared for a while. Apparently things got a little gnarly up in the line on deck 3 to get off the boat. We just counted our blessings and waited it out. When they cleared us, they said no crew could leave - no idea why. So Leroy had to direct us to our cabana instead of escorting us and all of the genies were upset. I honestly didn’t think it was that bad, and they gave us an extra hour on the island. so… cococay. We made very ambitious plans even though you all warned us it was a lot. It was, but my kids abhor being still for more than ten seconds so I wanted to plan a full day. When we booked this two years ago I snagged a good deal on an overwater cabana, and then on Black Friday I got water park tickets for 40 each. Following Leroy’s advice, we went to beach club first and got settled in our cabana. Holy cow. That was amazing. We had cabana 11, which others had told me was the best. It was incredible. My son loves marine life, so swimming around with giant rays made him happy as a clam. We arranged with our cabin attendant to do lunch around 1:30 and we headed off to the water park. I have to say, for all of the hype this is what I was least impressed by. Not a lot of options, especially for a kid who wants an exciting but not terrifying ride (like my increasingly cranky daughter). The lines were also crazy. Maybe that’s star class spoiled status talking. I pacified the younger kid with a walk through the island market and the purchase of a 20 dollar stuffed animal that she claims is her new best friend and that she will clearly have forgotten about by next week. Then back to the cabana for the afternoon. We also checked out the beach club pool, which was lovely and not crowded. we headed back to the ship and cleaned up, then headed to coastal kitchen for dinner. I forgot how much being out in the sun wipes you out. My kids both crashed hardcore, as pictured here. Leroy stopped by to bring us some aloe because I mentioned we were sunburned. I never want to not have a genie, lol. After dinner it was straight to bed. this morning has been quiet, more Bridgerton at the gym and subsequently more crying on the elliptical. Breakfast at coastal kitchen - tried the Baja eggs. We’re not getting off the boat in Nassau, so hoping for a quiet day. fun pic: if you zoom in you can see me on our balcony!

Michelle just arranged a great Disney World trip for us !!

During a live blog on YouTube in January, I asked Matt what kind of boarding/disembarking assistance Royal had for those with physical impairmentsI. I asked because I was scheduled for (and had) a total knee replacement on Feb 8th. But we were also scheduled to board Allure in Fort Lauderdale on Mar 13 Matt advised to contact Royal and ask for Pier Assist. So I did that through my trusty MEI travel agent (shout out to Kelley Hardy) What I can tell you is it was a true revalation in customer service. We found the Pier Assist spot very easily and I was promptly popped into a wheelchair for boarding. My "driver" couid not have been better. Sheryl and I were whisked through the security process in record time, and were quickly taken to the transition point. This is where a member of Allure's crew took over and had me onboard in a few moments, depositing me outside Cafe Promenade until our cabin was ready. Shortly thereafter, remembering the words of my physiotherapist (motion is lotion), although I had the option to retain the wheelchair for the whole cruise, I made the somewhat erroneous decision to return the wheelchair to guest services. (I can be an idiot if I want to and this occassion was no exception). Prior to disembarking, we confirmed with guest services how pier assist worked for ship to shore. On the day we arrived at the appropriate spot on the promenade, once more deposited into a wheelchair. This time it was down to the transition point with a member of crew, and picked up by a wheelchair driver from the terminal who zipped us through customs and immigration and all the way to the car. Huge Kudos to all involved. From Matt to Kelley, then the staff at the terminal and of course, the ships company of Allure. I thank you one and all for enhancing what was a difficult time for both myself and Sheryl. Sheryl of course takes the prize

Not to be a matt suck up but when looking at cruise ship content on YouTube , his is heads and tails superior to anything else out there. Matt’s are polished and efficient and not annoying like some of these vlogers. Also kudos to some of the staff writers like Jenna who add helpful articles as well.

Hello everyone, I've been cruising with Royal Carribean for about 12 years now and absolutely love the cruising life. I plan on proposing to my girlfriend on our planned cruise in September 2022. I was thinking of doing it in Central Park near the flower wall. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on ideas? I'm open to anything but changing location as I'd like to propose on the ship. I have tried contacting RCCL for help or advice and they haven't been of much help. I appreciate everyone's input. Thanks in advance.

I kept my MEI agent busy over the last 10 days with a reprice, a NextCruise transfer and a new booking.

I hear what you are saying, but technically the numbers are down. The question becomes how long does society continue to kvetch over case counts. To me once there is a decoupling of case counts from severe disease, hospitalization, and deaths, then as a society we move on. Heretofore, increasing case counts has predicted an inevitable increase in hospitalizations and deaths. Once this cycle is broken through immunity, it becomes a much more benign and less worrisome disease and the majority of society moves on

If you're fairly confident she'll say yes, you can tell the waitstaff ahead of time and they might do something nice at the table. You could also spring for one of the room decor packages (it's nice cuz you can take all the stuff with you) and have the room all decorated when you get back from whatever outing you'll be on when you plan to go out to propose. Your room attendant will be the one putting them up so they'll need to know when you plan to be gone. I'd also probably recommend avoiding formal night as Central Park is a good photo spot in general and probably even more so when people want to get all dressed up. Otherwise --- congratulations!!!!!! I love love!

This is a brand new and much needed feature- because so many people have questions on it and I could never be of any use on it. .

Hi All, To all UK cruisers: There is a phone number on Royal's UK website, within the healthy sail pages, that is charging a fortune. The number is 0844 493 5010 (screenshot attached). This number is set up whereby the owner (Royal) can determine how much to charge for "access" ... ie they have premeditatively chosen the rate - and this a 'help' line. I've attached a screenshot of my recent phone bill - be prepared for a shock!

This is just my opinion, your milage may vary. It only takes a brief contact to contract the COVID virus. So, any contact with someone that has COVID could cause you to have/be carrying the COVID virus. So, wearing a masks when you go out or in route to the terminal won't help, unless you are wearing the N95, I think it's called. The cloth mask offers no protection at all. The mesh of a cloth mask is much bigger than the virus. Basically the same for paper masks. What am I trying to say? Don't sweat it. Just do what YOU think is right, for you, but I wouldn't stress over it. If you think wearing a mask helps, go for it. But, it will be hard to avoid contact with others, especially as you move closer to the embarkation date. The good news, if cruising closed loop, you can take you pre-test 2 days (which is virtually 3 day) before you embark. There are more things working for you rather than against you, especially if you are already healthy. I'm 70, in great health. I've been stuck 3 times and I've had COVID, I haven't had a mask on since I had COVID. My COVID was like a very mild cold. I wouldn't have know I had it if it wasn't for something else going on in my life that I needed the test for. I'm one of those that believes that my number is in a book somewhere, it can't be changed, and when my number comes up, there's nothing I can do about it. Again, JMHO.

My wife and I did a home pre test Covid test (courtesy of the us govt) before the Binax proctored one so we wouldn’t be blindsided if we had an asymptomatic positive when we did the real one. It made the proctored one a lot less stressful knowing we had already tested negative prior to.

Royal Caribbean's Vicki Freed told travel agents today they had a company-wide meeting to show off Icon Class to employees. Perhaps a sign that they're preparing to reveal more Icon info sooner than later. Or it's nothing.

The question is not where , but what, as in what drink do you have in your hand at the time!

This'll be our third cruise since it restarted! First one was on the Celebrity Edge in Sept, followed by the Disney Fantasy in Jan. We will be going on the Symphony on the April 23rd Western Caribbean and Perfect Day cruise. At CocoCay we will be having a Beach Cabana at Coco Beach Club, very excited about the views and food! First time there. My wife and I also have passes to the thermal suite all cruise, so hopefully it's not too crowded. Day 1 - Depart Miami Day 2 - At Sea Day 3 - Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico (Possibly Mexican Salsa Experience and Beach Break) Day 4 - Roaton, Honduras (BOSS Underwater Adventure) Day 5 - Cozumel, Mexico (Legacy of the Maya: Ruins and Chocolate Tasting) Day 6 - At Sea Day 7 - Perfect Day at CocoCay (Beach Cabana at Coco Beach Club) Day 8 - Worst day ever, Disembarkation My wife and I are VERY excited for this cruise. We're going with her parents, aunt, cousin, sister, brother-in-law, and two friends. All in all, there will be 10 of us, all with the UDP, my wife and I are planning mostly everything, so it'll be fun trying to make those reservations the first day... We all either have the UDP or Refreshments Package. This is our second cruise on RCL and most of the parties first cruise ever. All of us will be in Balcony rooms, but we submitted a Royal Up bid for a 2-Bedroom Aquatheatre Suite and a Star Loft Suite, for that Genie Service. We only put in the minimum bids, so not expecting to get them. This community has been so great answering questions about all things cruising. Probably have the entire cruise ship memorized from watching hours and hours of Youtube videos. Let me know if you guys have any recommendations. Will update this as we get closer to the date!

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27114-finally-cdc-drops-cruise-travel-health-notice.html

Caipirinha’s by the pool are my go to but not every bartender makes them right. Strawberry Blondes are pretty good We we’re on Wonder last week and I have to say the BEST drinks on the whole ship were at Mason Jar. I don’t even like bourbon but man those bourbon craft cocktails were the bomb! Every one of them! Best bartender we’ve ever had on any ship was Malcolm at Mason Jar. This guy really has a deep understanding of all things alcohol. He made my friend her own drink: Sandi Special. It was awesome! We drank many! He also makes an excellent chocolate martini. Have to have one before bed! Schooner bar also made great chocolate martinis.

no clue why it would make you nervous

Some may, but MEI-Travel does not.

Day 6 - Nassau We elected to do Nassau on our own. We picked a walking tour route and headed out. It was hot! We saw the water tower, Fort Fincastle, and the Queen’s Staircase, then headed over to the distillery by way of Greycliffe. We ended at Pirate Republic brewpub for a bite and a flight. Not many pictures, unfortunately. Sunrise: In the Queen’s Staircase: Fun mural: The spot James Bond jumped over the wall: Church: We were trying to pace ourselves, both eating and drinking, because we were headed to Chef’s Table for dinner. It was definitely interesting to see how the different chef interpreted the courses. We had recently done Chef’s Table for the first time on Serenade back in October, where I declared the filet the best I had ever eaten. (Spoiler alert — it was still the best!) We had a great time and the wines were very nice, but the filet at Coco Beach Club was better. Scallop carpaccio: Lemon pepper garlic bread: Soup, first stage: Smokey tomato soup: Lobster salad: Branzino: Filet: No pic of dessert because, while delicious, it isn’t pretty. Salted Carmel Espresso Martini: We’re heading north at a pretty good clip now, and seas are just a bit rough. Full Speed is unimpressed — she’s a bit sensitive to the motion. But at least she hasn’t had any trouble up to now.

My MEI agent Michelle can also book all sorts of European trips and add ons. In addition to her own extensive travel experience, she has a huge network she can reach out to for answers. You are not charged for a TA’s services, they are paid on the other side through commissions

My advice is travel in a group only during the day. You can see Pike Place Market, Space Needle, etc. Use common sense. Avoid homeless encampment as drug dealers, mentally disabled, and other's have been know to harass and rob tourists. If gas prices remain high Uber and Lyft diver's are quitting.

I still believe Enchantment home ported in Sydney is a underkill. A small ship like that is better suited to smaller ports . I’m sure it’s a cover for something else.

Some of those islands where pretty overwhelmed,Mare used to hire a lot of private vans to shuttle passengers. What you say does add up ,the big ships aren’t calling into there anymore. Its interesting that voyager is still allowed. There’s rumours that voyager has be swapped in the Baltic for serenade. I think I would prefer Voyager to enchantment next season if it happens.

Got it...Thanks. I do still wear a mask when going out. I have all the floral, sequined, cute paper masks....one for every outfit, but for the last month I have been wearing the KN95s. You make some good points so I will try to relax and just enjoy the ride!!

I had an Indy 5 night go from 4 of us in an oceanview Booked at next cruise) to two balconies and about 275 in OBC. Today I saved $29 on a 7 night on Oasis....

Agreed. I heard a joke the other day that everyone that takes more precautions than you makes you think they are being overly cautious, and everyone that takes less precautions than you is reckless. It's a personal feeling for us all. Couldn't agree more. It will take a long time for certain protocols to completely disappear, as in years.

Thanks. I just don't see the cruise lines getting rid of vaccine or testing requirements. It has worked so well, even during Omicron's peak. That's a safety net I don't see the cruise lines giving up. Not to mention not one cruise line has even hinted at dropping these requirements. I love the CDC dropping the warning. Should have been done months ago, but proof is in the pudding with the lack of cases.

That pina colada with amaretto sounds delish! I am going to try one as soon as I am onboard Freedom this Monday!

dirty martini at the best bar in the fleet, trellis bar, central park

Just let your MEI agent know you definitely want to be part of the group. I believe they didn't have the group bookings set up yet on this one, but once they do they will bring everyone into the group and reprice if it's cheaper.

You would hope that CLIA would fight hard for the CDC to drop that Test to Cruise requirement.

Not gonna lie- while I managed to keep my head off the table, my eyes were closing at dinner as well.

I absolutely LOVE the pic of your son in a face plant at the dinner table. That completely describes me most evenings on a cruise, after an excursion. It is just adorable.

Just an FYI (nothing to do with this subject !!) but Agents can now see your Cruise Planner purchases (they could not in the past). I have not actually tried to do this yet but I know that CruisingPower has finally put that capability into the booking database. I suspect that Agents are not going to be interested in making changes to anyone's CP purchases but they finally can at least see them now.

A good TA can not only answer questions and help with coordinating travel and excursions…but can also make suggestions based upon their experience and client feedback. They either know the current conditions and restrictions for most places, or they can find out a lot easier with their contacts in the business. The really good ones who deal with multiple clients on a regular basis (not a part-time friend or family member who dabbles as a TA) can make sure you get the best deal, the best advice and have the answers you need to make the best decisions for you and your family. Their goal is to help you have the best vacation possible…so that you become a repeat customer and tell others of your experience. And it costs you nothing.

Some of y'all have saved more than I spend on a cruise. I saved 4% by signing up for alerts on cruiseline.com.

Thanks tis much appreciated. Another idiot move of mine was not taking my ice machine. Electing instead for cold gel packs as a substitute. Our cabin attendant was amazing in keeping me supplied with ice buckets to chill them down. Not as good as the ice chiller, but took the edge off. Honestly, I cannot praise Royal enough for the help I had. Incidentally, my surgery was delayed by 2 weeks, so I should have been much further along in the recovery process. If I were to go this week it would be a completely different experience, although I would still gladly accept the Pier Assist again.

please dont narc me out

The CDC is just one piece of the puzzle what we all have to keep in mind is cruises from the US all stop at at least one international port. I know a lot of focus has been placed on the CDC and rightfully so. However as much as we all would like to see the pre-cruise covid test dropped I don't think we will see cruise lines take that step just yet especially out of the US. I think dropping the required pre-test would only be done when destinations in the Caribbean feel comfortable enough and have enough of their population vaccinated. Right now more that 50% of Caribbean residents still have not been vaccinated, and most islands still have covid requirements that cruise lines still have to abide by. It isn't a free for all just yet I think it still going to take time for that pre-cruise test to go away.

We will be acting precruise the same way we do in the two weeks before we see our adult immune suppressed daughter: N95 mask, well fitted, anytime we are indoors in public spaces, no parties, no indoor restaurants. We still get together with very close friends and family, people we can trust to be honest with us about their level of exposure, and who will happily test before spending indoor time with us. This is more extreme than most would advise, especially with low community spread right now. But in terms of peace of mind going into a COVID test, it works. For us, it’s about not being the ones to kill our child, so doesn’t seem overly taxing.

I totally agree with the advice above from JasonOasis!! I’ve never done a Mediterranean cruise, but I did two independent 2-week trips in Italy, once in my 20’s and once in my 40’s. The first time was low-budget and I visited outside but did not go in the Coliseum. I regretted it and made sure I finally went inside 20 years later. I planned the heck out of my second trip, which included my son and my mother, and it was so worth it. For half the price of a group land tour, we did private tours of the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, Pompeii and Capri, a cooking lesson in Lucca, a wonderful private driver in the Sorrento/Amalfi area, a gondola rowing lesson in Venice, a private fresco painting class in Florence, and first class high-speed train rides in between cities. Oh and one of my very favorite things was a food tour in the Trastevere section of Rome. There’s a lot you can do for so much less money if you do a little searching! Let me know if any of these things particularly appeal and you want more info.

I purchase the arcade every cruise. The purchase is made in cruise planner under my teens name, she knows it's a 50.00 limit and it's tethered to her sea pass card. She keeps track and asserts there is a clear way in the arcade to see your balance. Now. IF she goes over the charges are there on her seapass card, I keep an eye for this also. We pay 40.00 she gets 50.00 of play and if she goes over it's usually 2.00 to 5.00. She is 15 and enjoys the independence of it. Our last sailing she was with a friend so we did the 80.00/100.00 play package. She struggled to spend the credits on the Odyssey she didn't like that arcade. We always purchase before we sail. OMG I asked her how she finds out her balance. " I GO TO THE CASINO!" Oh brother I had no idea. Now I'm going to look into this arcade credit promotion above!

I like the analogy @Matt used on his livestream that getting rid of the protocols is like saying ‘hey our team is in first place, we should get rid of our best players, we don’t need them’. I don’t like the testing either but it is what has made cruising able to happen and keep numbers low.

We had another fabulous day in Star Class heaven. I got up early so I went to the gym and pretended to work out while I watched Bridgerton. Had a quiet coffee at la patisserie without any kids. Delightful. Leroy had breakfast delivered to our suite right at 8:30 as requested. He then met us at the rock wall and let us through the line. I let the rest of my family enjoy that - I learned from ifly that sportiness is not my strong suit. We then went to our appointment for Northstar, which was cool. Leroy brought the kids a pair of binoculars, which would have been awesome if they didn’t spend the whole ride fighting over whose turn it was to look. Now it was my turn to pretend I’d never met any of them. We went straight from North Star to lunch at Izumi, which was great. It was during this meal that the most incredible moment of my life happened - my son consumed a vegetable. Ok, it was fried tempura style, but it was an actual vegetable. After lunch was pool time. The suite Sun deck is lovely but not very convenient to the pool. I was nervous going into tonight because my husband and I reserved chef’s table and my daughter was adamant that she didn’t want to go to adventure ocean and my son was totally fine with meeting up with his friend and wandering around the ship - terrifying. Leroy to the rescue again - he calmed my daughter down and escorted her to AO, where she ended up making lots of new friends. She informed me that she has to meet a friend at “the pirate ship” at 9 tomorrow. Um, ok. so the main event… chef’s table. My lord I am full. Full and tipsy. Leroy made more magic happen - he told us the chef would accommodate our dietary needs, which we assumed meant vegetarian and fish dishes. We never would have thought it meant a full kosher steak! And dairy free but amazing desserts! We loved getting to know the people at our table - such a fun night! So excited for CocoCay tomorrow. Pics of our food below:

I usually just purchase a next cruise certificate. That way you still get the on-board credit but can apply it to a cruise later on

I've seen people with self-made gold "Pinnacle in Training" badges before and thought they were the only thing more ridiculous than the actual Pinnacle badges.