Leaderboard

Funny WJ story... I told Marla right after we boarded that the goal during the week was to keep my parents out of the WJ. My parents are both early risers and it's part of their cruise routine to head to the buffet before 7am. I told them leading up to the cruise that CK is way better and more calm and they should take advantage of that. First morning of the cruise, I woke up around 7am to find my parents gone. Got a text from them that they went to the WJ because they complained that CK opened too late for them. I got ready and headed to CK myself around 7:45am and texted them back that I was there. They ended up meeting me there and "tried a few things". Still unwilling to admit that CK was better. Second morning I asked if they wanted to go CK with me, they said they would "check out WJ first". They ended up doing a walk around but didn't eat anything. They joined me in CK for breakfast. By Day 3, I woke up at 7am to find a text from them saying they went to Starbucks to get coffee and were waiting in the suite lounge for CK to open up. They never went back the WJ after that.

I am in Sky on the Wonder (Crown loft) June 25th, 2023. I will give you all the details while onboard. We booked this on another sailing with friends, parted ways and were going to cancel. (Well teens parted ways, so.....) Devil on one shoulder had the phone dialed to cancel, Devil on the other was waving around my credit card, needless to say....

Symphony Of The Seas has just set the record for most people crossing the Atlantic on a cruise ship! Here's what you can expect to do with 9 days at sea, crossing from USA to Europe, on one of the largest ships in the world!

Had a great day in Cozumel! Just sailed away, leaving Serenade behind us. Gonna do some blog catch up now since we left so early to get to GC tomorrow. Yesterday after a rousing game of Bingo we tried our hand at the Corn Hole tournament in Starquest and found our way to the helipad where we saw Serenade following us to Coz. I’ve only ever been to the helipad at night on previous ships so it was really cool to see the bridge and the sweeping views during the day. Hellooo sister! Last night we had dinner in Izumi! The placement of this restaurant feels like such an afterthought. The only way to access it is at the veeery back of deck 12, past the kids pool area and we definitely got pretty wet on the 3 minute voyage since it was raining fairly hard by then. We got two rolls, Tonkotsu ramen and teriyaki. I don’t remember the rolls being only 4 pieces on any other ship. It was the only time I’ve eaten sushi and haven’t been stuffed full afterwards! I continue to like the Izumi mochi even if the skin is a little on the thick side. The funny part of this meal was the overhead speaker completely going insane and crackling with a loud static noise for the last 15 minutes or so of the meal. The manager was going around letting us all know a technician was coming but that he couldn’t fix it. A couple was entering as we were leaving and I wondered what they thought of the ambiance Bird doing the splits towel art. ¡Ole!

My kids are boh taking an origami class at our homeschool co-op. DD has started bringing folded pieces with us in the car for whenever we go through a drive thru, and she gives them to the people working the window. The smiles have been priceless, so the kids are going to fold tip money into different shapes forbthe cruise. It's the cash we were planning on giving anyway, just in a fun package. There are lots of videos on YouTube.

I imagine Symphony had a lot more lights turned on than the QM did for these crossings. Apparently Starlink internet is working almost as good as the internet on the QM did back in 1943 too.

I have bid the minimum and won. I have known pax who bid the maximum and over and have not. Bid what you can afford and hope for the best. There is very little in the way if strategy.

Ayyyy....Eagles fan here. We were on Oasis this past January and embarkation day was the NFC Championship game... the whole boardwalk\playmakers area and the aqua theater seating area was all full of Eagles fans (a few 49ers fans too) and it was a blast!! Nothing like starting the cruise with a trip to the super bowl! We had a boardwalk balcony room and our 11 yr old loved starting the EAGLES chant from up there down to the crowd! Oh man...that sounds "terrible". When is this again, I just want to make sure I don't ummm accidently...yeah, accidently... book that week. (this is a joke, I can see it being an actual pain in the ass)

Almost there! Carryon only achieved! I have to say, joining Alaska’s Lounge last year has worked really well for me. I got the membership last year because we had a huge long layover in Seattle, and it has been so worth the $350 for the year. Its hours, its people, its facilities and its menus (both food and bar) are incredible. Flew into Seattle yesterday afternoon, took the train into downtown, met my daughter and spent last night with her. She brought me down to SeaTac about 6 am, made it through security and up here enjoying breakfast by 7 am! This will be my 6th time using it, and I have 8 months and three more trips to go! It does make it much easier (and comfortable) to travel with planned (or unplanned!) layovers.

You mean someone finally dusted off those old, edoc templates?! It's a Royal miracle!

This has been so frustrating with Royal. Yet even the suite experience on O vs. Q class is different - 11 - 11 beer/wine in the lounge on one but not the other. Having bought suites on older ships I don't agree that they are cheaper. That's hardly the case. Yet we all know what RCI stands for - Really Consistently Inconsistent.

So here it is.... After our first time in Star class with the Genie, I will have to say it is going to be different going back to anything else. Our experience on Oasis was great but there were a couple things to comment on Sailing out of Port Miami. We flew in 2 days in advance and I'm glad we did. We had a winter storm almost wreak havoc on our flight but we were lucky. We stayed at the Hilton Downtown and had a good experience for the price. Only downfall is their elevator system and how it works. All other amenities were good, pool was awesome and warm as bath water. Embarkation was a little disjoined, there was supposed to be a dedicated location with Individuals in Purple shirts, this wasn't visible and a cause for confusion. The stand wasn't set up until almost 10:30, which is the earliest you can check in, I was just anticipating a roped line with better signage. After this the processes of Embarkation was seamless. You have your luggage taken by Star Class porters and is "Delivered to your room"(more on that later). You enter the terminal with your genie and up to Suite security check-in. Then its onto the lounge for a brief stop and then onto the ship. Luggage delivery.... That was a disappointment, at about 3pm we went back to the room and were going to get ready for sail away and supper following. We had no luggage, called the Genie and she was on it, then 5 minutes later nothing still, I finally walked down the hall and low and behold they were sitting like everyone luggage, in the Hallway, with our attached Purple Star Class Tags. Crisis averted but disappointing. Best Sail away we have had! Suite deck is absolutely the place. Also we were blessed to board on the Port side which means we were able to sail to downtown, do the turntable, and sale all the way back out. That is how every sail away should go if I was in charge at Royal! Room was great and lived up to the Ultimate Panoramic Suite. Amenities were great, bed was comfortable, over abundance of Closet space for the Wife and myself. Products requested were in the room and never in short supply, Climate control and comfort was easy to adjust(need for keeping shades closed during day or lowest setting for cooling due to all the glass). Bathrooms were great to have 2, never bothered my wife when she was getting ready and could quick use one or the other. One disappointment that I would have with the bathrooms is the toilet paper. That had to be the absolute cheapest they could find. I swear you could 5 fold that stuff and still be able to trace words on a book through it. I understand that the plumbing on the ship is not meant for heavy duty trash down the toilet, but an upgrade to that paper would be nice. Was nice to be able to have a shower or bath if you wanted and fit(6'7" doesn't fit well into most tubes), shower for me with the rainfall worked awesome and didn't have to bend over to rinse off my head. hahaha I was on the fence about the Genie and if we would utilize their services to what we would think would justify the added cost. I would say ours did have the added benefit. We were able to have her book or adjust times for reservation in restaurants and add more shows to our schedule(saw Aqua 80's twice and in exchange for Cats). It was nice being escorted on and off the ship, and having that luxury experience. She was able to have different items delivered for us to snack on(Playmakers nachos and wings, Tiramisu for a late evening desert, Tapas from Vintages, and chocolate covered strawberries) along with a nice gift that she had delivered to our room. **Pro note if you have to much food and you have a great bartender up on the suite deck, we would bring some of the food up to them and they would put it in the back area. That was a huge hit and gesture that they were really grateful for and didn't waste food. We ate at All of the Specialty Restaurant's. Still our #1 favorite is 150 Central Park. Chefs table was also a great experience to have all the parings and explanations. Playmakers Campfire cookie is still awesome even though it didn't come in the skillet like before. Most under rated place is Port Side BBQ, the food was awesome and the 3 meat option could easily be split 2 ways. We were advised to book both Chefs and Hibachi ahead of time, but we just go with the flow and let the genie rearrange our schedule to make the times work. Plus we find it fun to sit with new people and interact. Shows were great with the Genie having the best seats reserved. 3rd row dead center for the Aqua shows, middle of the Room for the Comedy show, and right against the railing for the Ice show. We could have our drinks messaged to her ahead of time and have them for the shows. My wife also took advantage of the Starbucks drinks available to Star Class and had them delivered every morning to our room. . Galley an Bridge tour was also something to see and take in. Cool to see behind the scenes. Debarkation was also awesome, we met her by the elevator bank, were able to bypass all floors and were walked off the ship. You then get handed off to a Suite dedicated person at the terminal, Genies can not go any further than up to security. We were taken directly to security/customs on the street level through the suite elevators and out to our Uber pickup location. We walked with all of our luggage, this gave us more time to pack and organize the last night. Overall it was top notch. Going back once you are spoiled with this experience to anything less now isn't going to feel the same. The way we justified this was 3 years without a vacation, and we were originally booked on Wonder for January of '23 in a GS and I'm always looking for a better price. I stumbled onto this sailing and cabin by chance. Full disclosure this cruise booked was $10,928, our Wonder was only $1,000 cheaper and we would have had another $1,800 into it with the DBP and VOOM, Dining Package..... That is the one thing I will always look at now moving forward with a cruise for any room are the added costs and if it can justify going to Star Class. Welcome any question or comments!! Central Park 150 Central Park Tenderloin for 2 Our room view just out of Port Miami Suite Lounge View from Hilton Downtown Fitness Center Bridge

My coworker said the same thing, he has spent $1200 already on excursions. He makes good money, so he claims it's no big deal, . Alaska is a bucket list cruise; I might hold out in hopes I can make it our family vacation for 2024.

Years ago we treated ourselves to a Grand Suite. Our cruise friends said the Suite Life was habit forming. Well our last 60 cruises has been in a GS or OS but we never got the habit! Enjoy and never look back. Bill

I got another email today saying that my package was cancelled and when I go into my planner, it shows that it is being refunded. We cruise in a week and a half, so I'm glad they seem to be taking care of it before then. No credit on my card yet though - the newest email said 14 days for refund again.

No doubt they've blocked the speed test sites to prevent folks from posting proof of the slow speeds.

Here is a bidding piece of advice: whenever you want to bid the minimum, go the minimum plus a little bit extra. A lot of people will try for a minimum bid. But if you are just a few bucks more, you will be in better shape to win. Good luck!

My “Lounge view” this morning. That’s the Olympic Mountains off in the distance!

In my experience the concierge for Sky class reached out to me about a week before sailing asking about dinner and show times. They booked my times, and I had no issues. I believe they can book your specialty dining at around 3-5 days before you sail, so no issues.

I think your issue is that the decision will ultimately be made at the port and you have no idea whether or not they're going to let you, even if you were to call RC ahead of time. It seems like one of those things where you are going to show up with it and the person at the port is ultimately going to be the one to make the decision regardless of anything anyone will tell you before that moment. And there doesn't seem to be precedent for it so it could go either way. So unless you're prepared to show up and not be able to bring it, I wouldn't.

Oh, I also want to point out my cruise docs came at 31 days and they actually list the terminal. When I sailed out of Port Everglades, there was nothing in the eDocs saying which terminal. But more importantly they have the verbiage saying it is now one bottle of wine per guest.

This screams a very pushy sales consultation (I'm thinking time share).

28 days to go........ On St. Patrick day I got a special offer for 50% of the DX, not that I need it, it was still $72.99/d. Current price is $83.99 with 20% off. That Royal math is crazy as hell!!! I had a moment of weakness and was going to get the UDP during the cruise planner "sale" for $142+grats. Funny enough the cruise planner glitched and said they had sold out of UDP. No biggie, I took it as a sign I should stick to my plan and try traditional dining at a shared table so I can blog about shenanigans. I check CP once a day and it's back up. The Premier Pass fiasco is still ongoing. I have the $50 OBC but nothing has been cancelled. I would have thought they would have cancelled the packages and then the refunds would take two weeks. But Royal hasn't cancelled any of them. Since two out of three are in Oct or later, I am not too worried. But for the April sailing, I probably will have to cancel it myself to ensure I get a refund. I know I mentioned on my last live blog how several of my coworkers were also cruising around the same time I was. Well, it's de ja vu, one will be on Explorer starting the 15th and the other will sail on Brillance on the 17th like me. There was a really smart one amongst us and he was able to do Quantum Alaskan sailing for 9/11. I should have looked at the list a little better. No worries, when I earn my free cruise on this one, I plan to finally try an Alaskan itinerary. My one coworker who did the 11N Anthem in Jan was able to make Signature in the Casino, his partner played tables and was able to make prime. They have a ton of comped cruises and are booking them as B2B and S2S. It makes me even more determined to make my brother and mother prime, we might be able to get enough offers to combine our way up to Sky class. A girl can dream... Last year for my B2B on Navigator I purchased a new carry-on; it was a Kono (https://www.amazon.com/Kono-Lightweight-Hardside-Approved-Suitcase1) brand on Amazon that had amazing reviews. I inspected it, the stitching seemed weird but I chalked it up to design, and it was fine for that trip. Since all my other cruises/vacations after that would require something bigger, I put it away. Today, I got it out to do a pre-packing, you know seeing what fits, and its broken!!! Somehow the seams have just shredded apart and there is a gaping hole. It was not an expandable luggage, so maybe I packed it too hard. But to say I am dissatisfied and disappointed would be an understatement. I have been on Amazon looking for a decent carry-on. I make it hard for myself because I only want purple luggage, so my choices are always limited . I have settled on one https://www.amazon.com/Travelers-Choice-Archer-Polycarbonate-Hardside my brother has the full set in green, so I can attest to the quality of this brand myself. I just hope that when it gets here it will be a light purple and not pink. Less than a month to and I cannot wait.

I think the photograph needs no explanation!

Just boarded Adventure and of course they have changed now to once a day service. BTW I am OK with just once a day service. Also the door magnet that had "Out Catching Thrills" on one side and "Sleeping Off the Adventure" on the reverse side have been replaced throughout this ship with one sided magnets that only have "Sleeping Off the Adventure" on them. Seems on this ship it is a more if you don't have the do not disturb out they will try to get to your room when they have time. My cabin steward did say if I wanted service I should call her extension on the card she gave me. Personally I liked that "Out Catching Thrills" side to let my steward know I was ready for service. Also on boarding day the cabins seemed to be available later than normal for a ship that started boarding just before 10:30, I imagine since they now each have more cabins to service that will be the normal going forward.

Hello all, After may cruises staying in a interior room, our last cruise was a balcony room. After having that room for a week, I don't think I can ever go back to an interior room again Well? now I've booked a Suite. Granted it's only a Junior Suite, but I'm hoping it's worth it vs a standard balcony room. If it is, I feel that I may going on a dangerous road wanted to keep stepping up My question is?? What perks (if any) can I expect with having a Junior Suite? I think I've heard that all suite guests regardless of what type have priority boarding? Is this true? Also, do suite guests have access to a different dining room? Just want to know what perks come with this room so that I don't miss out on anything. We will be on the Harmony this October. Thank you all!

Still waiting to leave in Grand Cayman, we’re 50 minutes late so far. Saw someone get disembarked to a waiting flashing vehicle on shore. Hope they’re okay! I actually saw the family waving her off from their cabin. They seemed cheerful and no one was in a stretcher when the tender landed. (Thank you, binoculars)

WE WIN!!!!!!!

I love doing the muster on our own because before you were all checked in but waiting on the few to finally show up. This way our cruise can officially start instead of waiting on the few showing up late.

BTW, Rhapsody is still doing 2 stateroom visits per day until April. Barbados excursion and transfer to the airport was pretty nice. Got to see different parts of the island, like Bathsheba beach. Got to the airport at least 3 hours ahead of my flight. Waiting for the Jetblue agent took longer than getting through customs. You can buy Mount Gay Rum at the airport. And you get on the plane outside. I mean why not, it's gorgeous weather. I would do this itinerary again, but maybe add Curacao and Tobago. Rhapsody is a great ship for solo cruisers and those with no kids. Overall a great time was had by all!

I did sky on oasis in February 2022, the concierge reached out to me two weeks prior. I was actually able through him to reserve playmakers' private room for the Superbowl for my kids. We ate mostly in coastal kitchen besides that.... concierge was super nice and very accommodating.

Hoping we get Royal up for our August Harmony and they look this good. We have JS this year but I got the mom to agree that if we get Royal up we'd bid as much as we paid for the internet package for a GS 1 Bedroom. At rates like these we would be just above the minimum bid and if what @FireFishII says would be true, that'd put us in a good standing to maybe actually win

Me too! He is currently our only towel art but our attendant Charles has let him stay so far! I put sunglasses on him to show our appreciation which may be the reason why he hasn’t been bussed away yet

I love that bird doing the splits.

Literally LOL'd @ space tube

Worst shore excursion EVER!

We were on a sailing a few years back with the Steelers partial charter. It was super fun - obviously lots of team jerseys and gear and there were some closed off spaces for them at times but we did not feel that it hindered our vacation in any way.

You should have access to priority boarding although this has recently come into question. You will have access to dinner only in Coastal Kitchen. You must go there & request reservations as it is as space allows for Junior Suites. The walk in closet is great & you’ll have a tub/shower combo instead of the space tube and upgraded bath products.

Welcome to the husband doesn't know club. This is a great club to be in. I have booked many cruises in this club.

My husband and I are on this one celebrating 44 yrs married! I originally booked Oasis…then changed to Liberty…and last month switched to this one since we have been to Labadee just once and loved it! I booked a JS to get double points which will bring me to Emerald! My husband still doesn’t know about this… Update (4/16/23)…hubby STILL doesn’t know Update again (5/30/23)…hubby STILL does not know!!

Just wanted to mention to the people who talk about flights canceling and you can get another flight in couple hours. That works if you live in large city. I live in a small town, if a flight gets canceled it could be couple days til I get another available flight. And usually comes with an overnight at some other city in between. I also understand why airlines and cruises get overbooked. And you do not have to accept their offer. Youi can continue your cruise as planned. But there will always be others that do accept the offer, and can benefit from it. We all have choices.

Me...you've seen me I hate the idea of being without something I may need, so I always end up packing a variety just in case. Especially with cruising where I may actually change my clothes 3 times in one day! I need all the things!

I witnessed the staff removing belongings on Odyssey of the Seas a few weeks ago. The issue became when the person that had their stuff removed by the staff came back. The person started to yell and argue with the new person in the chair vs the staff for removing it. It also became a fight but staff stepped in. The back and forth arguing lasted a good 20 minutes too.

No, you typically cannot take food off of the ship into a port. The only exception is something that's prepackaged. I always bring some sort of nutritional bars on the cruise that I can bring into port (Sans bars are my go-to).

Just got off Anthem, and I saw little cards that were left on unattended (towels only, no belongings) lounges in the Solarium with the time the attendant first noticed it. These particular ones were labeled 730 am, I think. They removed the towels around 930 am, which was about the point when there weren't really any more empty loungers. Didn't spend a lot of time by the pools, as it was a little cool so I did other things, but it worked that one day

My concierge requested laundry detergent, softener and dryer sheets when I asked what I could bring besides $$ of course. They do their own laundry and apparently that stuff is expensive on the ship. I purchased smaller versions but multiple of fragrance free items, I thought he would kiss us, he was so grateful. Tried to pay us for the items. I was mindful of limited space considerations so no big jugs. His smile was priceless. Keep your space uncluttered for ease of movement and cleaning as well as gift him/her a day off. We do this at least once each sailing, just get enough towels, they really appreciate it.

My advice is - do nothing.

A little back story about room service. The assistant waiters with the lowest seniority get the duty of delivering the room service goodies. You'll see a different person everyday. I'm sure it's a bunch of running around the ship to places they were just at seemingly just minutes ago. The delivery of your order is awkward. The full trays are a tight squeeze inside your cabin doorframe. It's an uneasy transition from when you answer the door and the waiter tries to enter fighting off the 10,000 lbs of force door closer with your tray of food. And, there isn't always a clear landing place for the tray once he/she gets inside. Above all else you are probably in your PJs trying to quickly cover yourself up with that inadequate free Royal robe. Yeah, it's a real awkward place and time. And yeah, that assistant waiter has drawn the short straw. Now that you now this, that person who delivers your order? Deserves a couple bucks!!! Two or three dollar bills and a polite thank you go along way. My experience is they are surprised to receive it so it must not happen often. But now you reading this know better; you are an advanced cruiser. Be that guy, do the right thing! When you place the order, whether its on the stateroom television or using a door hanger; lay a couple spare dollars out so they are ready to go. "Oh yeah, I gotta tip this dude" rummaging around to find a couple crumpled dollar bills after the tray of food has landed only adds to the strangeness. Now, turn those bright lights back off because you look ridiculous with squinty eyes and messy hair. And for God sakes tighten that robe back up because Sponge Bob Squarepants is peeking out.