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Separate "higher end"toiletries that may or may not have you smelling like a salad.

Couldn't agree more. It is not the wearing of the pin, but the "better-than-thou" attitude that a very, very few exhibit from time to time. Our experience was once trying to get off the ship in Ft. Lauderdale early in order to start our 800 mile drive home, some Pinnacled Princes complained that the early departure was supposed to be for the Pinnacle guests. The few Pinnacle exhibitionist remind me of of man I met in Arlington, VA who years ago lived on a neighborhood with a lot of retired generals and admirals who had their name and rank on their mailboxes. He put his name and rank on his mailbox as well, "Private (Retired)."

He's clearly attention seeking.

Find a spot on the beach, make sure the kids know. Send them to the waterpark, see them and hear their stories of fun when they return. Spend time with your wife and enjoy the beach.

Balconies in general start on deck 6 on this class. Deck 6 has more obstructed compared to the deck 7 obstructed cabins. The obstructed cabins on deck 6 & 7 are the same price so compared to deck 6, deck 7 is much better. Keep in mind both are advertised as "obstructed" so take them for what they are - a way to get a balcony cabin ar a lower price with the trade off of accepting some obstruction. These are not sold to unsuspecting cruisers, anyone booking an obstructing cabin should expect... an obstruction. There are a few spots on deck 6 & 7 that are not obstructed by the vast majority of deck 6 & 7 balcony cabins are obstructed. Once your look at deck 8 only then are there no obstructed balconies on this class. Here are some pics from a deck 7 obstructed balcony on a sister ship. The reason to book deck 6 or 7 is save money knowing there will be obstruction. If this sort of obstruction exceeds your desires then look to balcony cabins on deck 8 or above that typically book at a slightly higher cost compared to deck 6 & 7.

Capacity on those summer 2021 cruises will never be beat, for better or for worse

Not all cruises qualify for kids sail free

Lunch in Coastal Kitchen: We had a special lunch made from India.

$150 each for the waterpark?! Personally, I don't think it's worth that - all the slides & wave pool are great and everything, but not sure about $150 great. Just something to consider.

Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the wave pool, IMO.

I'm now tempted to wear my pin just to see what people say.

10/4/22 continued lunch we had Giovanni’s dinner-we had Samba Grill We enjoyed Samba. Filet Mignon is wonderful, that was my choice because I love a good filet! Others who ate lamb said it was very good.Our server was one of the best So today was our galley tour and bridge tour. helipad from bridge our sweet genie Romina giving our tour! captains chair

We just got off the ship and walked into Barcelona - most of it is easily walkable. We did get on one of the on/off buses in the afternoon which was just OK (and overpriced). Viator, which @ChessE4mentioned above is always an option if you want to see excursions. we used them in Rome for private tours during our pre cruise stay.

Start a new topic please. Looking forward to this new one!

Thanks everyone! This will be the 1st cruise for both of us and I just wanted to know what to expect. Countdown is now in single digits!!!

I believe that it is no price adjustment (or Best Price Guarantee) after the Final Due Date, NOT after you have made final payment.

Yep...flying in 2020 was great...so many seats to choose from, low rates and rental cars deeply discounted. Summer 2021 into January/February 2022, no problem on our cruises with lines, elevators, pool chairs and much more...and best of all...the usually happy to see us crew were almost giddy...applause rang out upon embarkation and numerous times around the ship. No doubt they were happy to see us coming back but we were also happy to see them too.

Absolutely smart move!

Those of us who cruised during Covid were treated to half (or less) empty ships. It was really awesome but will likely never be repeated.

Yes, I would have made that move in a heartbeat.

My wife and I had the same discussion last week on Navigator. It was our first cruise back at full capacity. While we enjoyed the uncrowded ships it was also really nice being back on a ship that had some 'life'. I was a little worried about crowds but was quickly reminded how cruise ships have a way of dispersing crowds. Other than pool decks on sea days we never felt 'crowded', lines were non existant after day 1 and we had a fantastic cruise. I'll take the 'old' experience than the half full ship with masks and testing requirements anyday.

My two year old son likes to wear his D+ pin on board!

The best price guarantee is not the same as the lowest price guarantee. The best price says if you find a price cheaper within 48hr, you will get the lower price plus the difference back as OBC. The low price guarantee allows you to reprice a cruise all the way until final payment. During the restart some people were spoiled as it allowed pax to reprice until 48hrs before the cruise left and get the balance as OBC.

It was just tea, coffee a section of breads and some meat and cheese on your left when you walk in. That what it was in May. Will be on again October /Nov, if I am up that early with the clocks falling back every day or so I will check again.

It is if you like waves. Just without the dirty water. Sheesh.

@Neesa So sorry for my late reply Thank you for all the tips. My BF grew up cruising so he's a very much used to what to expect (but hasn't been in about 5 years) I am an overthinker/ over packer/ overly anxious about everything so I like to ask for additional advice from other well experienced travelers for their tips. Yes I will need to bring my shampoo & conditioner, idk how men use all in one stuff lol But overall I am looking forward to this new experience & i am hoping to love it, fingers crossed

Yes, it's pretty similar to the bars on the ship. The main pool bar is large, other bars like the one by Chill Beach are smaller. They do have a signature frozen drink though, the Coco Loco.

Wouldn't that be a swap meet?

Right- we can no longer get OBC if the price drops after final payment (based on the date, not when you actually pay it).

Included options (I don't pay for food when I love what's already included) There are 3 snack shacks - really good chicken sandwiches, mozzarella sticks, and amazing funnel cakes. Chill Grill/Skippers Grill - taco bar with freshly made tortillas (they also have burgers, dogs, salads, other sandwiches, etc. but I go for the tacos). Also, a good dessert hack... take 2 chocolate chip cookies to the soft serve ice cream machine and make an ince cream sandwich... then eat it quickly before it melts, lol. Others can chime in about the pay options.

First time cruiser. We booked a cruise for late March, just the wife and I. At the time (3 weeks ago) they were sold out of double-occupancy Ocean Balcony rooms. They did offer us a GTY which we accepted. I've been a little nervous about not really knowing what we would end up with but we wanted an Ocean Balcony. This morning an additional Ocean Balcony room on the 8th floor midship opened. Cancellation? I called and changed from GTY to the selected room. Paid the extra $ and locked it in. One less thing to stress about, I guess. My thinking was that during Spring Break the cruise will be jammed and our GTY assignment could possibly be disappointing. Smart move?

Have been on 2 Halloween cruises before, once on Harmony in the caribbean. Lots of people in costume, lots of decorations, a dance party in the promenade, incl. balloon drop and a walk-through haunted house in Boleros. Lots of scary cakes and dessert in Windjammer, they all looked amazing. Then, in 2019 we were on Spectrum out of Shanghai. Seeing that 80% of passengers were locals which disappeared from the public areas after dinner (no idea where they went) and the rest was mostly Americans and lots of them in costumes. There were some decorations on the Esplanade, also themed cakes in the Windjammer and a fun halloween dance party and costume competition in 270°, incl. a cool animated Halloween-themed backdrop projection. On Oct. 30 we board Wonder of the Seas and look forward to the Halloween festivities as well and this time we will also bring costumes. I told my friend who join us that costumes are the mandatory dresscode on Oct. 31

In JS and up you get in separate bottles shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and shower gel. Depending on the ship it can be big bottles or small bottles. The small bottles usually get restocked everyday so if you play it smart you might be able to take a few bottles home with you. Last time I were in a JS I used Royal Caribbean toiletries at home several months after the cruise ended.

Depending on the cruise terminal, I’ve seen the lines for those with birth certificates ridiculously long and sooooo slow, while the passport line zips through with the new facial recognition systems that some terminals have. Time and risk of missing your flight home is enough for a passport in that case. But like others said, you don’t want to end up stuck in an emergency situation in another country without a passport.

My wife and I do enjoy having the ships being full again as it does have more life and energy. Yes, sometimes the pools and other areas are crowded but the experience is more fulfilling.

This was my view on Anthem 6702, Aft Stbd. So definately not looking at the Ocean.

Um, I disagree....a lot spoiled! LOL!!

5+ years ago that was the case. Her issues are minor compared to where she had been. She is back to work and living a normal life. Thank heavens.

Since he doesn't cruise anymore this is the next best thing.

10/4/22 our morning wake view From our balcony 2nd sea day.

When I become Pinnacle I will be getting a custom Speedo made with ‘Pinnacle’ on one side and ‘700’ on the other. Suggestions on which side to put each? Hopefully I can achieve Pinnacle in my mid age as Father Time is not kind to the Speedo.

It was just the absolute best time we ever had on a cruise by far. It was just so much fun. The island is beautiful with so much to do. I cannot honestly believe how much we enjoyed it.

I flew in July, 2020. I was the only person in the TSA precheck line. It was great

Beware the patches (mine was Scopolamine Transdermal) side effects. When you stated possibly would "try" them before the cruise I just felt the need to share my experience. My Doctor prescribed them and the pharmacy filled the order. At no time was I advised that the sea sick patches while providing relief must run their course. They worked fine but the cotton mouth was a bit annoying. I was scared my first sailing so I faithfully replaced them every 3rd day as directed on my 7 night sailing. My 3rd patch I ripped off on the drive home after only wearing it the previous day, OMG I almost went to the emergency room. DON'T DO THAT. Let the patch run it's course, the withdrawal is brutal. I don't use them much anymore but if I must, I wear it until it practically falls off by itself then I don't seem to have any withdrawal discomforts.

Royal is not out of the woods yet. $44bn in yet will lead to more cost cutting measures. The stock price is tanking, again. While regretful, the Eugene call center has had a target on it for a long time now. I'm presuming other domestic departments will face a similar fate. Hope the best for you and/or your family impacted.

Yay, you will love it! Download the Royal App for sure and familiarize yourself with it. You can view menus and activities as you get closer to sail date. Go to your ships Cruise Compass with a similar itinerary on this site and get an idea of how your days can be truly amazing. You will probably pack to much! Good news is suit cases can fit under the bed. If not in a suite maybe bring your own shampoo/conditioner the stuff they give you in my opinion is a bit drying. We usually go to the bank branch or Publix supermarket and bring small bills for gratuities along the way. Most of all enjoy your sailing, your way!

Day 7: Our last day is a day at sea We slept in today, okay I slept in today, my wife woke up early to sunbathe on our balcony. Once I woke up, we hung out together in the room. We were on the balcony, but it started to rain. This was the first rain I noticed since we embarked on this ship. We hung out in the room together for awhile and then headed to park cafe for breakfast before they closed. Ran into our family in Central Park. My brother and I wore our drunk 1 and drunk 2 shirts today (picture below). It’s not fair being the little brother because no matter how old I am, I’ll always be drunk 2 and when playing Super Mario Brothers, I’ll always be Luigi. We received a lot of positive reactions on our shirts, especially from our bartenders. My wife, brother, and sister in law rode the Ultimate Abyss and I was the holder of the phones and sunglasses. I beat them to the bottom and the elevator wasn’t too scary and was faster. The rest of our family just happened to be at Johnny Rockets where the Ultimate Abyss let out. We had more drinks because it would be false advertising if we we’re to wear drunk 1 and drunk 2 shirts and not drink. Lunch was at the windjammer followed by a trip to the room to pack our bags. The suitcases feel a little heavy for the plane, but there is no way to weigh them, I guess worse case scenario, if we have to take anything out of our suitcases at the airport, my dirty knickers are staying behind in Florida. It was our final dinner in the main dining room. Our waiter and assistant waiter have two large tables to serve. The other table was not there tonight so we received all the attention. Not that we don’t get most of the attention. Like I said before our waiter and assistant waiter really like my brother. I think our assistant waiter has a man crush on him. We stopped by my sister and brother-in-law’s room to pick up their device that weighs suitcases when you pick them up. 49 pounds and 46 pounds, we made it under the weight limit, I guess my soiled skivvies are safe…for now. I picked up a cold brew at cafe promenade and returned to my room where we watched a spectacular lightening show in the distance. At 9:00 pm was miniature golf, then the adult comedy show, followed by standing on the outer deck on top of the ship to see if we could see the SpaceX satellite rocket launch. No such luck, I guess it was too cloudy. Next is disembarking and a day at the Kennedy Space Center followed by a long flight back to Sacramento California.

See hubby doesn’t appreciate how great a wife he has. I HATE to shop except for the grandkids and during our biannual trips to Kittery where I buy just enough clothes to get me through to the next trip. I don’t like or wear jewelry, expensive bags, shoes or perfumes. My idea of vacation shopping (besides the grands!) is an Xmas ornament or fridge magnet. Maybe some spices or special coffee blends. Can’t force me into a jewelry store.

@TheRick, just be VERY happy that your wife went to Megan's Bay with you and did not discover that the very BEST deals on fine jewelry are in St. Thomas.