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Forgive me father for i have sinned! It's been 4 yrs since my last cruise! It's hard to believe not only how quickly the past 4 yrs have past but also that its 4 yrs since i first stepped onto a cruiseship (Freedom of the Seas) Back then while driving to the cruiseport in San Juan i was logged on to a hotel booking site as i had no idea if my wife would actually board given her fear of water, so i may have needed a room on dry land for 7 nights. Fast forward 2 yrs and a week sailing the Caribbean with stops in the ABC islands ( Bucket List) was all booked and we were counting down the days! Then the world went into lockdown so no 50th birthday cruise for my better half. Rebooked for March this year and included NYC for St Patricks day ( Bucket list) due to excessive testing requirements that got cancelled also! So another bucket list item was booked..Baltic Cruise that visits St Petersburg.....( yes my middle name is lucky pmsl ) We could have cancelled this cruise but as the title of this thread states there is no putin us off! So we travel from Aberdeen to Copenhagen tomorrow, overnight stay in Copenhagen then board ship on Sunday. Have added 3 nights in Copenhagen at the end of cruise for some well earned retail therapy. Flights Booked flights with British Airways and included hotels for before and after cruise. Far better deal doing this than doing it separately. Testing No tests required for flying to Denmark only needed to board ship. We used boots for our tests today. 1 point to be aware of if using them you need to register with a 2nd party then go back onto boots website to put card details in, its only after you do this that you get to see available times. When i done it only 2 time slots were available 2 hrs apart. Test results back in less than an hour. Cabin After last cruise she who must be obeyed mentioned that she would like a balcony on our next cruise so thats what i booked. However....................Royal Up email 4 days ago offering upgrades for x amount! Now im Scottish and parting with money can be difficult if its not seen as being worthwhile! So i weighed up the Pro's and Cons then decided to put in a cheeky bid for Jr and Grand suites. Cabin now a Jr suite and my wife has no idea! The tight Scotsman in me vanished when i thought about the smile on my wife's face after what has been a very difficult 2 yrs for her. Ports of Call Stockholm with overnight stay, Tallinn and Helsinki. Would have liked another port instead of an overnight in Stockholm to replace St Petersburg but its a cruise and thats whats important. Excursions Just going to use shanks pony and see what happens. Only thing my wife has said is that WE WILL be visiting the Abba Museum in Stockholm. I did say to her " if you change your mind " im ok with that! But no shes determined to go and has informed me that i have to dress up in Abba Gear if its available! Not sure that short blue dress Agnetha wore will look as good on me but hey will give anything a try once. Wasn't going to do a blog but thought it may be helpfull for those cruising from Copenhagen in the coming months if they want to know anything Anyway best go get some shut eye taxi booked arriving in 6hrs

Forget your Full English or continental breakfasts! This is the Staple diet of any scotsman on holiday this was the 1st now on my 3rd and its only 9.30am

Interesting reading other experiences after testing positive on a ship. Our experience on Indy was handled very well. After notifying medical that all 3 of us were experiencing symptoms they did a PCR test on all of us. When we all tested positive they escorted us to medical for a check up and then placed us in our new rooms. They had originally said we could stay in our original stateroom but I requested to be moved because we were in an interior room. They moved us to 2 connecting ocean view rooms for the final two days of the cruise. I would have lost my mind stuck in that tiny room with 2 teenage boys!! We had great communication with medical, guest services and room service. A doctor even stopped by yesterday afternoon to check in on us. We disembarked this morning and within an hour our contact on the ship even called me to confirm I received the email she sent containing copies of our positive test results that I requested. It was a disappointing way to end vacation, but for us, it was handled very well. We were on the 8 night Mariner ABC cruise last week so that is definitely we’re we picked up the crud. It was pretty mild for all of us - like a bad cold with a light fever for less than 24 hours. I am almost feeling back to normal this evening.

I'm obviously bias in my opinion on this, but I've really become dissatisfied with Facebook groups for sailings. They either end up in one of two situations: completely dead or toxic sources of misinformation. It's a shame because Facebook groups used to be a great source of pre-cruise excitement, tips, and a way to meet others. But they all seem to end up creating more problems than they solve.

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but hopefully it is. After seeing the update on the blog last night about protocols being extended through the end of September I decided to go ahead and cancel our two cruises. We've been pushing them back for more than two years, and RC has had our money for almost three years, so I'd really rather just have it back instead of having it in limbo. While I was on the phone doing the cancellation the representative told me that they are leaving room on their ships now for people who have either medical or religious exemptions from the COVID vaccine. He was very clear to say that this was not a guarantee, the space is limited, it might involve changing rooms to a specific section of the ship (it basically sounded like you'd be placed with the rest of the great unwashed, lol). I don't see us doing this for a couple of reasons, but if RC can make the accommodation without a few things happening: (1) No masks, (2) No enforcement of constantly displaying anything that would indicate my or my kid's vaccination status (Arm bands, stickers on clothes, etc.), and (3) if they want me to change rooms, it's got to be a comparable room. We'd certainly love to cruise again, so I took the information from him and sent the email. The email had to go to [email protected] and had to include the following information: INCLUDE IN YOUR REQUEST:- The full name of the person who needs the accommodation, as the name appears on their reservation- Ship Name- Date of Sailing- Reservation Number- Best phone number to reach the requesting guest (or their legal guardian if they are a minor)- Best email to reach the requesting guest or their guardian, should it be different than the one you are emailing fromReligious Requests:For religious accommodation, please provide details regarding the specific nature of the religious objection to the vaccination. Your request will be evaluated by a panel to ensure that we are in compliance with all requirements related to such requests.Medical RequestsFor your request to be considered by our medical team, a letter from a physician is required. Please see the specific requirements for the letter below:- The letter must come from a Medical Doctor (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO).- The letter must include the full name and date of birth for the guest requesting the accommodation.- The letter must clearly indicate the pre-existing, non-COVID medical condition or disability that is contraindicated for vaccination.- The letter should include a note that the guest is medically fit to travel.- The letter must be signed by the MD or DO. **** I did get a response saying that they had received the request, they made sure to note a few things at the bottom: AFTER YOUR REQUEST IS APPROVED or DENIED:Approvals:- Approvals apply only to the sailing for which they were granted and need to be renewed for each new sailing as protocols and operational needs change frequently.- Approvals do not imply or guarantee an approval for any future sailings.- Please note that vaccination accommodated guests must adhere to all health protocols and travel requirements for unvaccinated guests as required by the cruise line and at the local, state and national level. Denials:If we are unable to approve your request, you can:- Change the ship/sail date and submit a new request, if your denial was based on operational capacity.- Cancel only the unvaccinated guest(s) from the booking, if the remainder of the traveling party still wishes to sail. The unvaccinated guest will receive a full refund after cancellation.- Cancel the booking that includes the unvaccinated guest and receive a full refund for the booking. Only those guests in the impacted booking are eligible to receive a full refund. Related bookings (family, friends, etc. traveling on another booking) remain subject to the standard cancellation penalty schedule. **** I'll try to remember to post and say what happens from here. I was wondering when I saw that they lowered their vaccinated threshold if that would mean they would start accepting religious/medical exemption requests.

Thank you for all of this information. Unfortunately, until they drop the requirement for testing, we are still not interested in cruising but I'm sure there will be some who will be helped by your research. Thanks again !

Voyager of the seas. Yeah it was an easy decision in the end! Use it on an upgrade or leave it for my wife to use on shopping! As much as i love clothes shopping we have differing ideas on the maximum amount of time you can spend in 1 shop.

We're from Canada, out of fear of being stuck on the ship in an enclosed stateroom (rather than our balcony cabin) and being stuck thereafter in the US we did not disclose. We kept to ourselves for the rest of the trip and ate only in our room. We left at times during the day for the attendant to make up the room and only went to the outdoor places away from other. Obviously not the protocol thing to do but it was our judgement call and we tried to not impact anyone else. Kept our masks on basically for the rest of the cruise haha...

Wow ! Submit specimens for genetic sequencing ?! Are they kidding ?? No f’n way !

No one should have to publicly state their reasons for not drinking alcohol to avoid that kind of comments.

Our experience on the Symphony TA was that 12 nights were way too short to experience all the things we wanted to try on board. Bearing in mind that the Symphony TA only had two ports (Malaga and Port Canaveral) and the Wonder TA will have 5 (Palma de Mallorca, Valencia, Malaga, Cartagena, Nassau), I'm sure even 14 nights will feel like no time at all.

thanks for the update. I'll be on Enchantment. I might not get a drink package on this cruise. if I want a drink i'll pay a la carte. save my money for excursion.

I think it depends on the ship. A while back we sailed on a ship (sorry, can’t remember which one) that only permitted you to use the laundry service on a certain day (Wednesday, as I recall). That is not the norm. Almost all of the time you can turn in laundry any time so long as they have time to get it back to you before disembarkation. Usually if you turn it in by day 5 (of a 7 night cruise) that gives them enough time to get it done and back to you. Best thing to do is ask the Concierge (if you’re in a suite) before boarding or just speak to the room attendant ASAP after boarding. The room attendant will be the one to handle the laundry for you so they will know.

Both of you get it ! The laundry is a very under-appreciated perk. Dan and I each send out a bag and it’s awesome !

Yes. 100% so far. It’s not easy though. Having a super star TA to handle this has been an immeasurable blessing. All love and thanks to @michelle for everything she has done for us. The process is pretty burdensome. Basically, you have to pay your cruise in full (unless protocols have already been announced for the dates of your cruise…which has never happened for us ), then once protocols are announced, you can request a cash refund. We were extremely fortunate to have gotten cash for all of the FCCs we had. I bundled all of them into one cruise fare (Symphony August 2021) and then when we cancelled that one, Michelle worked her magic and they all got refunded. It was almost $25K if I recall correctly. It took a long time to get everything back but eventually it all came back. The next one I have is for Voyager in Sept. I intend to downgrade my room to the lowest category I can (currently have a GS booked), then pay the [significantly reduced] balance when it’s time, and once protocols are announced, request a full refund. This will be the first one I have had to do on my own (this is a casino upgrade and I didn’t involve Michelle b/c the casino has basically cut the TAs out for commissions on casino cruises. They still get a small commission but it’s not worth the headaches they have to go through, IMO). Fingers crossed that it will be successful. I would maybe try and use the religious exemption on this one but with my luck they would approve it and then we’d still be stuck b/c there’s no way we will take a COVID test ! Best to stick with the process that has worked for us in the past !

I’m sorry some have had less than stellar experiences in the Facebook groups. I haven’t had that experience with our June 5th sailing on the Mariner. We’ve all been friendly, planning a get together after sail away, sharing yay’s over royal ups and introducing our kids to each other. No one bothered to set up a group for our sailing here, so I did it myself and it’s hardly visited. I do feel that I am running a gauntlet with covid and general illness right now. In the last month my daughter has had covid and then the flu, people coming off Mariner cruises right now have either tested positive during the sailing or just after and posting about it - not great, but not horrifying either. I was really hoping that by choosing this time is year, I could fully relax in a large group unmasked and be my usual social butterfly. So we’re just crossing fingers and hoping for the best.

I've been on a few FB groups where the complainers feel free to carry on.....thankfully the upbeat, look for the silver lining crowd tends to come out in droves for every negative Nellie (no offense to anyone named Nellie!) there are positive Patty's (lol)

If it's not an allergy then eating around it should be fine. Everything kind of melts in a gooey mess since it gets hit with hot caramel. It's so rich that a few bites is enough for anyone anyways!

What happens on their 18th birthday is not consistent nor is it specifically addressed in the terms and conditions. There are reports of former dependent children being dropped to their actual individual points level on their 18th birthday AND there are reports of dependent children being frozen at whatever level they had on their 18th birthday. In either case they should have their own C&A number and their actual points will always reflect what they have actually sailed. No one, spouse or dependent children is gifted points to match tier levels, their own points counter is always unique to them. It may look that way when you sign into a dependent account because that is what Royal does to trick the system into granting matching status but behind the scenes everyone has a counter that tracks their own actual points sailed.

Sounds like it's going to be a great trip. Have fun!

Today was a great day that seems long and varied when I look back on it. I planned to sleep late but woke up super early and was just done sleeping. I went up to the pool deck at 8 AM and every single nice chair on the immediate pool deck was covered in towels and there was barely a person in sight. Don’t you love that? Normally when I cruise I spend a lot of time by the pool but that hasn’t happened since that long swim on day one on this cruise for a couple of reasons. One is that the pools are jammed since we’re at full capacity. The second is that I saw some shockingly vulgar behavior on pool deck on day two (ladies in thongs grinding on each other, grinding on statues, giving their boyfriends full on lap dances and no reaction from the crew or lifeguard in any way.) No thanks! So I’ve re-discovered the promenade this week and really spent quite a bit of time there and really enjoyed every minute of it. It is just a great place to catch various live music all day long and into the evening, sit in a comfy chair, find snacks, or just read a book. But anyway—I figured the pool would be empty that early in the morning so I went up and swam for an hour, and then I joined in a 9 AM water aerobics class. I didn’t have high hopes… I associate water aerobics with standing around, flapping your arms and gabbing. But this was so much FUN! The crew member that led the class was hysterical and he had us all smiling and laughing and whooping and raising our arms over our head on cue, and things like that. It was not your typical water aerobics class. We even formed a giant circle, put our arms around each other’s shoulders and did a sort of Ethel Merman Olympic Synchronized Swimming floating thing, with half of us spinning the circle clockwise and the other half kicking their legs in the middle of the circle, making foam. It would’ve looked amazing from a drone shot. I felt in high spirits after that, and went and got breakfast at the solarium bistro for the first time. There was a line of people waiting for their turn at the buffet and there were no plates available. After a few minutes, someone brought in fresh plates and I eventually worked my way through the line. It was quite a challenge to find a table even though one employee was clearing them as fast as he could. Several people were standing around bewildered with plates of food in their hands, searching for a table. Anybody with more than four people in their party was out of luck and had to sit at separate tables if they were lucky enough to find them. Somehow I found one and ate (food so-so), then I went back to the pool and found a good chair (up on the sundeck since all the pool chairs were taken), ordered a Redbull, and just lay there an hour, reading my book. Eventually I swam a little bit more and then it worked out that it was nearly time for the Men’s international bellyflop contest. The last time I was on the ship, which was many many years ago, they did this event in the aqua theater. Now they just do it in the pool so there was quite a crowd but as I was in the pool already, I was able to just sit on the ledge of the pool and have a front row seat. They had eight contestants. So. First contestant is an elderly man who is clearly drunk. First thing he does is get up, turn his back to the audience, pull his swim shorts down and bend over. One of those things you can’t unsee. We were all blindsided and shrieked. Then he pulled his pants up and looked at the cruise director (who looked stunned), and then he did it again! Corey put his microphone down and just stared into space for a minute, as though now he had seen it all. He told the guy to get in the water “before anything else came off.” So the guys all did their belly flops and they were all really good. The grand prize went to a teenage boy. at this point it was 1 o’clock and I had been by the pool for five hours. That was enough sun for me. I showered and went down to the promenade for a snack and a napkin folding class. The class was one of those oddball things you try because you’re on a cruise ship, not something you would ever care about doing in real life. Well at least not me, anyway. But the cruise staff guy, Felix, made it very fun and funny. I had a virgin Miami Vice while learning how to make a flower napkin and it was all a good slice of ship life. There was a gap there with nothing I really wanted to do so I hung out in my room for a while. I went back downstairs at 4:30 for a Latin dance class. Huge mass of people participated. Promenade was packed. It started out great— it was a 30 minute class and we spent the first five minutes or so learning how to do a dance move. Then it turned out the whole rest of the class was directed at couples. The guy leading the class was Felix, the same guy that did the napkin folding. He told everybody to get their partner for the next steps. I started sidling sideways to ease myself out of the group and into the lane of traffic where people were flowing back-and-forth. I was just going to leave quietly. Then Felix said he didn’t have a partner and he needed someone so he could demonstrate the dance moves. He asked if there was anyone in the crowd that didn’t have a partner. I raised my hand and he said “come on up here, señorita!“ So I ended up being Felix’s dance partner for the rest of the class and it was actually fun. in normal life, I am not a dancer and I don’t call attention to myself and I just don’t do things like this. But this is one of those disconnected cruise ship type things you do in the moment and you just enjoy it and it seems completely natural. You know what I mean? so we all had a really great time and we were cha-cha-ing all over the place by the time the class was over and Felix was twirling me all around the promenade. Something happened during the dance lesson. A lengthy announcement was made over the loudspeaker, and we could not hear or understand a word of it, even though Felix paused the music and paused the class. No clue what was said, but as the class was ending, large groups of security offers in uniform came hurrying through the promenade. I ended up in the elevator with them when the class was over, and figured out enough to know that they were looking for someone who had been reported missing. they had a printed out picture of the woman and someone told me that her friends had reported her missing. I felt kind of sick to my stomach at the thought that maybe somebody had fallen off the cruise ship, which is straight where my mind went. I told myself that it was far more likely this person was drunk and passed out in a restroom somewhere or was taking a nap in some obscure corner of the ship and was unaware people were searching for her. I held my breath for a while, waiting to see if the ship turned around or begin searching the sea, and that never happened and there were no other announcements made and the security officers disappeared. So I’m hoping that everything worked out just fine and the lady was found safe and sound. At 530, I watched a teen competition at the Flowrider. The competition was to see how many spins each kid could make in 90 seconds. I really enjoyed that and the kids were so earnest and so into it. The same teenage boy that won the bellyflop contest also won this one! Then: Stood in line at the Windjammer waiting for it to open for dinner, and the line got longer and longer behind me as we waited. had to be at least 50 people behind me. Just moments before it opened, a couple wandered in, stared at the line in disgust, and then as it finally started moving, they just slid in behind me, blatantly cutting the line. The husband said to his wife, “just get in here.” The people behind me were very busy having an animated conversation, and either they didn’t notice, or they decided to let it go, which was very nice of them if that’s the case. I was super annoyed on their behalf. The attitude of a husband was, “this line is ridiculous and it’s ridiculous to expect me to stand in it, so I’m just going to cut the line and make things convenient for ME.” I can’t imagine doing something like that, and I really wonder what the response would’ve been if they had been called out on their actions. The guy seemed to be spoiling for a fight. I mean it’s day seven of an eight day cruise, has he not noticed that there are long lines at the Windjammer at this point? Did he not expect to have to wait in one? Clearly not. As annoyed as I was about the situation, I wasn’t going to turn around and try to enforce any rules or start a fight, I was a little afraid of what might happen. You just don’t know with people these days. It’s like those people hogging the pool chairs… Like, who gets up at 7:30 in the morning and claims a prime chair with a towel, and then goes back to bed? People do it all the time and I guess in their minds, it makes perfect sense. These are issues that are so childish, but I guess after a week at see you really get invested in these kind of ethical dilemmas. After dinner it was my turn to go see Mamma Mia. I have to admit this is not my favorite show. I’ve seen it twice before, both times on this ship, and it’s just not my thing. I’m not a big fan of ABBA and to me the musical is like watching three hours of karaoke. It’s three hours long and started at 8:15, and by 10 I was starting to nod off in my chair like an old person. But since I got up so early, at that point I was looking at having been up for 16 hours. I got up and left and came to bed and I’m really glad I did. I really need to spend some time just resting in my room tomorrow or I’m going to go home exhausted! tomorrow makes day eight of the cruise and I’ve never been on a cruise this long before. Most I have done as a week. I’m booked to do a transAtlantic in the fall which would end up being 16 nights away from home. So I told myself imagine if this cruise was doubled, how would you feel? Would you be really ready to get off the ship and go home or would you be up for another eight days? I’m not entirely sure. Of course the transatlantic would be an entirely different experience on a different ship (the Wonder,) but that’s a very long time to solo. I’m going to give that some time and thought. it’s funny how my solo status has come up so often in this week. It’s like someone said at the beginning of the blog, opportunities just present themselves to tell people I’m traveling alone. The reactions have ranged from shocked to intrigued to impressed to envious. When I took that tour in Aruba, a man in the tour asked me if I was traveling alone and when I said yes, it clearly wasn’t the answer he was expecting, and his eyes got wide and I think I saw a lightbulb go on his head, as though he just suddenly realized that solo cruising is a life option, and this information had rocked his world. He started talking about how he might do solo cruises in the future, as his wife works and he’s retired and has more time to travel than she does. you wouldn’t think you’d find yourself talking to people about such things, especially being an introvert like I am under normal circumstances. But it’s come up pretty much every day. And that’s been fine, it’s been fun to talk to people about it. But one thing everybody says immediately is, “how’s that, cruising by yourself?“ I don’t have a clever or commercial-like answer for this question other than the truth which is, “great.“ Or, “good.“ I know that’s not the enthusiastic or long or thoughtful answer people are searching for, but what is there to say? Everybody has different experiences with everything they do, especially travel. I think solo cruising is fun, and I don’t have tons more to say about it than that right there on the spot. It works for me depending on the cruise and I choose my cruises carefully. This is only my second solo cruise and I feel like they both have been a success, and by that I mean a really nice vacation. In any case, that wrap things up for today and tomorrow is our last day! Relaxation is going to be the name of the game tomorrow for sure!

I believe that refers to variant identification. The thing is there is no threshold of case counts that trigger red from orange. It would take a ship admitting that their medical capabilities are overwhelmed and they are not about to do that. I received no medical checks during my isolation, which I was quite surprised by. Not even a daily phone call. Never saw a physician or had my vital signs checked, nothing, just the positive antigen and PCR, then moved cabins to isolation.

@Tania I agree with the info above, definitely call them. We upgraded from a free oceanview to a balcony for only $88 when we booked the cruise. We have only saliled in suites, so I will try for the Royalup when we get to that time, but I thought that was a pretty amazing deal and will be happy with it alone given that rock bottom price!

You need to pay the guy from Bayonne to go to Seattle with his megaphone.....he'll get boarding done appropriately. It doesn't help when in the FB groups people say to "show when you want". It invites the chaos. I've done a lot of sailings out of Bayonne and all my FB groups there are people saying "show when you want".....LOL and I warn them it's not true. I know not everyone is in the groups but I must say I appreciate my "megaphone man" and his cohort that check your set sail pass to ensure only those who can enter do and I equally enjoy those who are turned away. Especially when they get on the line after he shouts his rules and they get to the front thinking they will get past the rules. Nope, off the line for you!.

It appears that the majority of all ships are at Orange level https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise/cruise-ship-color-status.html From the CDC: If CDC is considering assigning a cruise ship “Red” status, CDC may require ships to do one or more of the following: Test all passengers mid-voyage, and/or prior to the end of the voyage, regardless of the passengers’ vaccination status; Increase routine screening testing of crew; Require mask use by all passengers and crew indoors and crowded outdoor areas; Send written notification to passengers on the current, previous, and subsequent voyages informing them of the COVID-19 conditions and measures being taken to reduce transmission on board; Offer a full refund for the cruise to any passenger who decides not to sail on the subsequent voyage; and Submit specimens for genetic sequencing.

As long as the accounts are linked, the child will receive whatever status (level) the parent has achieved until they are 18. After that, the child will retain the status, but only have the points they have personally earned. So a child whose parents were Diamond at 18 would still be Diamond even if they only had 30 points. They would not be moved up to Diamond plus until they achieved the required points on their own.

Remember to take negative comments with a grain of salt. People are way more vocal about negative experiences than positive experiences. And that's before you consider that social media amplifies things even more.

People can bring trunks with them? Don't tell my wife. I've finally got her down to 2 suitcases for our 7 night cruises.

I am just guessing here but I think they are mandated that they would have to report positive tests, thus they don't test otherwise the code for the ship would be RED. Again they opted into this of their own volition and now their actions circumvent the process they signed up for. At the end of the day it's about making the most $$ they can to address the outstanding debt. Just my 2 cents....they want it both ways.

Print maps of ports, pack, repack, get deet for mosquitoes, review spreadsheet (this could be me only), find port restaurants, review ship deck plans for at least 15 times, no matter how tempted- do not buy uli knives, review glacier ice colors to know what it means, study lyrics of wash your hands, discipline yourself to sit by windows along the inner passage (whales), learn Alaska jokes like: while hiking put a small bell on your backpack to alert bears. Also study up on bear scat. Easy to ID. It is the one with a small bell in it.....

We had a very nice room with huge panoramic window. No matter how I asked, they moved us to level 3, ocean view.

Vaccines were never developed to prevent infection (though that was seen early on after they came out with the alpha variant that was predominant at that time-not since delta variant though) , they were developed to prevent severe disease and death. its a virus, very difficult if not impossible to eliminate transmission.

First, recognize that "Los Angeles", not just the city proper but the entire megalopolis, is a VERY big place...with a great many things to see and do...and it mostly depends on your personal interests... A lot of people here seem to push amusement parks--Disney, Knott's, Universal, etc. Personally, I wouldn't bother--unless you're traveling with kids or have a love of such parks. They tend to be overpriced, crowded and difficult...Yes, the LA area is famous for them...but is it really how you want to spend your time? My best advice for most ADULT visitors is to stay in SANTA MONICA. It is one of the nicer, more upscale areas with the best weather (thanks to its seaside location). It has a lot to see and do right in Santa Monica and much more in neighboring areas. And, all of the various tour companies pick up from Santa Monica hotels plus the HOHO Tour bus uses it as a hub. Stay in the area close to the Third Street Promenade/Santa Monica Pier/Palisades Park. I have personally stayed in both the Loews and the Marriott LeMarigot...and highly recommend both. Also look at the Fairmont Miramar, Shutters-on-the-Beach, the Huntley, Wyndham, Georgian, Shangri La...or even the Marriott Courtyard or Hampton Inn--both near the ne Metro station, though a couple of blocks further inland than ideal. This is a great area to stay in due to the large number of restaurants, shopping, nightlife and attractions. Santa Monica Pier is a classic Amusement pier with rides and restaurants...and great views...and is the "location" for a great number of movies and TV shows. The Third Street Promenade is a pedestrian-only promenade with shops, restaurants and a constant stream of street performers...great place to wander around day and night. Palisades Park spans the cliffs overlooking Santa Monica Beach...a stroll at sunset yields incredible views. From Santa Monica, it's a short Uber ride or bus trip down to the Venice Beach Boardwalk. This is the quintessential Southern California experience. If you've seen movies or TV shows with girls in bikinis on roller skates, body builders lifting weights on the beach and all sorts of street performers, street vendors and just generally interesting people, THIS is the place. The Getty Villa, housing Getty's antiquities collection is just a short ride up the coast from Santa Monica and the Getty Center--LA's great Art Museum, is a short trip inland to the Sepulveda Pass. I would take one day and do a tour or the HOHO bus to go take in the standard tourist sights in Hollywood (The Hollywood Sign, Walk of Fae, Chinese Theater, etc.) and the typical stops at Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, the Farmer's Market in the Fairfax District, Sunset Strip, etc. Depending on how many days you want to devote, you can take one day out to visit a TV or movie studio (a real one, not Universal--which has become more of a theme park)...most of these are in Burbank, though Sony (MGM) is closer to Santa Monica in Culver City. I would devote between three to five nights in this area, then head down to the port area the day prior to your cruise and stay in San Pedro at the Crowne Plaza or the Doubletree for the convenience to the port in the morning. If you get to the port early, you may want to head over to Long Beach for the day to see the Queen Mary and/or Aquarium of the Pacific--depending on your time and interests... Good luck...

CK Sunday night for the filet. Meh, not even close to one of the better I’ve had. Overcooked, too much sauce. Meh. None of us were impressed with any of our dishes. The crispy pork belly was awful. Katie shrugged at her rigatoni and sausage. Nick liked his grilled duck breast. We went to MDR tonight. Service is slow but I think we enjoyed ourselves more.

It's what you pack in the suitcases that counts, so avoid the prohibited items (power strips, irons, etc.). There are threads on packing tips and cruise tips that go into cross-packing, packing cubes, magnetic hooks, etc. I now pack fewer clothes, no one judges you if you wear the same outfit two or three times!

I think the key is to follow Matt's guidance to be flexible as there will be unexpected events. We just flew to Texas and 10 minutes before the taxi was due to arrive, I discovered I had forgotten my medical insurance card (just in case). So I frantically searched for it, then realized the cab was a no-show. Called him to find out he had us down for 11 PM instead of 10:15 AM. So we hopped in the car even though two weeks of parking is more expensive then the cab. My planning advice is to have a plan B for key stuff, and it sounds like you are already there. Now you can just chill...

Chops Lunch menu, it is half the price of dinner

Sounds like this will be a fun blog to follow.

@Stelkp They are included with the cabana. The cabana attendant will get you as many as you need.

Yes you will be. We are sailing in July in a Junior thanks to a casino coupon....and we were able to bid on Grand, Owner's, and Royal......and are patiently waiting to hear if we will end up with an upgrade on the cheap for a cruise on the cheap

I know you were looking forward to this cruise. It sucks that it wasn't the best experience, and that communication was better. I sailed on Harmony in Jan, and we were down a Genie. As this was my first star class sailing, during covid, I wasn't as upset with the lack of everything. However, on a full sailing, the services of a Genie are much needed, and I would have expected not only clear communication but some restitution. I hope your travel companions have better luck next time.

Like above the TA is there for when things go wrong so if you find a good deal just book it and have it transferred. Like you I have done mock bookings to the point of needing a CC, then my TA does the same booking and her price is close but slightly more ($25-$100 more). This happens only once in a while on cruises and more with all-inclusive vacations it seems. As of late though I have been doing more bookings on my own due to twice having missed out on pretty good price drops. One time my agent was on a cruise vacation of her own and was unavailable to handle the re-booking and the second I work nights and caught the last few hours of a sale that was unable to be re-booked the following day. Both of these if under my control could have be done by me with a phone call so I go back and forth, TA or no TA.

So what we know is that it’s been installed on the promenade. Question is: what is it? Hubby thinks it’s a new Death Star as Royal prepares to take over the cruise industry

Please add: Nov 5, 2022 - Mariner of the Seas Thanks!

With more people on the ships they have started opening up earlier check-in times. We saw a 10:30 slot on our June cruise check-in and snagged it. The wife went back and checked our May cruise on a whim where we had an 11:00 time slot as the earliest but it now showed 10:30. She snagged it and now we can start enjoying our vacation a little earlier. It is the little things in life that give us the greatest pleasure.

Please add: Jan 27 - 30, 2023 - Mariner of the Seas Thanks!

Yay on the unexpected upgrade !

Freedom of the Seas September 23rd, 2022

TRUTH!