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Common courtesy, like common sense, hasn't been so common for about 20 years.

Most hotels have a bag hold at the front desk. Give your hotel a call and see if they will hold your bags until check-in. We’ve done that plenty of times.

Another good option for late night is to take an extra dessert or three (from MDR or picked up at Windjammer) back to your room. Other options that don't require refrigeration or reheating are also acceptable, but go for the extra desserts. You're on vacation.

I think the photograph needs no explanation!

Patience is clearly not a virtue amongst anxious cruisers!

Having some SCUBA experience I'll add my $0.02. First, I am Advanced Open Water, Dry Suit, NITROX and Rescue Diver certified. I learned to dive as a SCUBA, Swift Water Rescue Team. I have over a thousand logged dives. A lot of my diving has been body, vehicles (including one military helicopter) and evidence recovery in conditions and waters most people wold never consider wading in, much less diving in. I have done a fair amount of diving in the Caribbean, deep dives, drift dives and cave dives. PADI instructors are among the best. Learning to SCUBA is very rewarding. The beauty of the oceans is like nothing you will every see on land. Learning the skills and being comfortable in the water is paramount. It is nothing to rush through and end up being uncertain about. Keep in mind that not everyone is suited for SCUBA. It can feel claustrophobic and scary. Everyone learns differently. Some take more time and patience. Keep in mind that 'quickie' resort and cruise training may not be sufficient for some people. I have seen bad situations where bad instructors just leave people to flounder because they can not keep up with the rest of the class. There are classes where time and money can take precedence over safety. I will say the experience I have had with RC dive shops on board has been good but diving excursions can and are often run by independent dive shops and the quality of instructors, boats and equipment can vary. If SCUBA is all new to you, my advice is get the best training you can. Get your own well fitted mask, snorkel and fins. You might consider a wet suit. These come in full length ankle to wrist and 'shorties' that are thigh to elbow. For Caribbean diving, something thin and light weight alike 0.5 or 1mm thickness. It will act as your cover up, help with any slight chill and offer some protection if you bump into something that might hurt. If you go on a dive boat, be prepared to contend with other divers and motion sickness. Find your rental gear, inspect it and keep it close. If you can, test fit you BC and assemble your tank and regulator, and have your weight in place. If you have questions about how much wight, or anything else, ask your dive master for advice. Test your regulator for a good fit in your mouth, that your tank is full and nothing is leaking air. As a novice, it is easy to the have the tank turned the wrong way, the regulator on the wrong side or what ever. The basic idea here is to plan ahead for that drop into water and be ready so you are not scattered, lost and over anxious when the time comes. I have never had a dive master complain about me double checking and getting everything ready in advance. If anything, it gives them some confidence that you know what you are doing. It takes practice to get good control of buoyancy. Don't over compensate and yo yo. Its easy to be excited and burn up your air in a hurry. Stay calm and enjoy. Ascend slowly and decompress. The last thing you want to do and probably will do is panic at 60 feet or more. Anyway, enough scary stuff. The point of all this is take your training seriously and if you really feel uncomfortable in the water or with the equipment, maybe stick to the swimming pool. Be cautious of accelerated courses that promise certification in a day or two. SCUBA is a serious endeavor that is fun with great rewards and learning to do it properly and safely can not be over emphasized.

By “ the front” I mean towards the bow. There are exit doors right beside the access doors to the elevators. Anyway, I then surveyed the pool area — no chair hogs yet! That could be related to the air temperature, I guess. went for a mile walk (8 laps of the track), and then headed to the Windjammer for a cup of coffee. Ok, now I’m awake enough to realize I’m hungry, so I head to quiet spot #2 — breakfast in thé MDR!

In the last two days, I've completed booking two more 7-Night Mexican Riviera cruises on Navigator from Los Angeles. That's 3 for the two of us, and 2 for my Wife and other friends or family. That makes five bookings on this ship since last fall. Why would we concentrate so much on one ship with the same itinerary each time? Well, I've been envious of the folks that live close to the ports in Florida or elsewhere. A quick jaunt to the port for them and voila! We're taking advantage of an effortless 2-hour flight to L.A. on the same day as the cruise, and in the same time zone. The airfare is less than half the cost of flying to Florida, and a hotel is not needed. I know flights can be late or cancelled, so that's taking a chance flying the day of the cruise, but flights from PDX to LAX are so frequent, if our flight was cancelled, we'd likely find a replacement flight at the next counter. When we cruise from Florida, most of the folks we meet are from the Southeastern states. And when we cruise from L.A., most of the folks we meet are from the Western states. Sounds like other Westerners already knew what we've discovered. And the Mexican Riviera is wonderful! I don't think the cruise industry is represented seriously in Los Angeles, but now being frequent cruisers from there, we're learning the ropes.

I think the best dessert is the frosting they use on the big cakes they frequently pass out in WJ. The cake is so-so but the light creamy frosting is delish!

I like to pop in and say, you can always go back, some people never do but for others, it's just a room.

A "glitch" on Royal Caribbean app?

Confirmed that there was no additional cost for the premier combo dinner with the 28.99 pre-paid special dinner price.

The Suite Life is definitely a 'slippery slope'....once you start down it, there's a-no-stopping it!! We started with the JS, then GS, and now Crown Lofts, all the while saying "We can go back to balconies anytime we want!!"....Coastal Kitchen is a nice perk in that it's a quiet place to dine, for breakfast, lunch or dinner and not have to fight in the WJ. I agree the menu isn't always that great but it depends on what's more important to you. Bumping up to a GS is worth it to us because we really enjoy all-day access to the Suite Lounge and early access to the Suite Concierge, who can take care of all your reservations prior to boarding. The bottom line is....you will never go back. And soon you'll be trying to come up with reasons why not to book a suite, unsuccessfully I might add. Trust & Believe!!!

If you currently have an annual tier comp on the books, you only have 7 days left to use it. It will expire on 3-31-23.

You might get lucky and your room could be available. I booked Lago Mar Resort in Ft. Lauderdale after my last cruise. They said I could drop off my luggage and use their pool, restaurants, and beach access until my room was ready. I got there around 9:30 am and to my surprise, my room was ready.

We stayed at the comfort inn in Condado and at the Sheraton (Conference center/casino). Neither are far from the cruise port, but not walkable. Easy to get a taxi at either place and the Sheraton had a shuttle. Not sure how close it would drop off to the port, but nice if you want to go to dinner or sight see while staying. Condado had a lot of restaurants to walk to and the beach was very close (very rough waves). Comfort inn was cheaper, it was clean and had breakfast included. The Sheraton was nicer and was more of a resort, with restaurants on site, large pool with pool bar/food, shuttle to various places, casino, and walking distance to Toroverde entertainment area (restaurants/music/arcade/theater), but more expensive. Both felt safe and both were nice in their own ways.

Every single day. The hogs are out at 6am and they disappear until 10-11am.

Day 2: I began the day looking at my virtual balcony and realizing it was morning! A quick look at my phone confirmed that I had scant minutes to dress and run up to Deck 11 to catch the sunrise — so I crawled back under the covers and started planning my next moves! I decided to seek out some quiet spots today. There are a LOT of kids on this sailing and the decks seem to be overrun (literally) with tiny running feet. the first spot was beside the front of the Solarium — like my own private balcony, minus the lounger.

Part of the appeal of a cruise is that fact you can get a good deal versus a land based vacation, the issue becomes when you raise you prices to match it now loses that advantage/appeal. I might as well just go on a land vacation now as I have more freedom than on a ship that visits only specific ports. I also see people try to compare room prices, and for a land vacation you can get a cheaper price on a room that's the equivalent of a standard stateroom on a cruise ship. Sure that also means food is extra but a lot of places have cheap cafe's versus high end restaurants. A dinner doesn't have to cost $50. What I find most often is that "Cruisers" are the ones who most defend this aspect, just the same as Disney fans defend every decision that company makes regardless of the absurdity of it. As someone above mention they don't mind being slapped in the face while their credit card is charged. You simply can't make an argument to them for the case of anything else. And if we remember correctly Disney park was created for all creeds to visit, not priced like it's a high rollers club that it seems to cater towards now. My family had to save for several years before we could go to Disneyland, and that's when it was still only $100 for every ride in the park and had been so since my dad went as a kid. If we had to pay the prices they're charging today we'd have had to wait even longer all the while prices increasing annually putting it out of reach with each passing year. What I find the most distasteful is when they do gratuity increases, yet cut back on said services that they encompass.

Just for perspective on pricing. Going on a 17 night Panama Canal trip on Holland America in just over two weeks. I paid $211.60 for the 17 nights. The current price offered is $251.99 - still a bargain compared to Royal.

But it is generally the show performers, who don't have that many other duties

I'm super-happy to have this ship and itinerary in CA now. I live in SF, so it's just a short hop to LA (though I still overnight before departure). I sailed in Dec/Jan on Navigator and it was one of the more fun trips I've been on.

These answers are a bit misleading (no offense to those who provided them.) While there are "Dress Your Best" nights, there is absolutely no requirement to dress formally on any night of a cruise. Whenever this comes up here, there are always people who suggest formal nights are mandatory. I think this is either because people don't know that formal nights aren't mandatory, or they like to imply that they are because a lot of people are oddly protective of the old-school cruising vibe and want everyone to play dress-up. I won't wear a t-shirt to the Main Dining Room, but I also do not wear pants. To the MDR, I wear a golf shirt and nice shorts. On top of not wanting to dress up during my beach vacation, staterooms are small and it costs a lot of money now to check larger, heavier bags on flights, so I don't want to bring a bunch of extra formal clothing. To summarize, while you should be respectful of the dining room and not dress like a slob, there is NO dress code for "Dress Your Best" nights.

I've visited Barcelona MANY times and have stayed in several different hotels. What I've learned over the years is that the best place to be as a tourist is as close as possible to the Placa Catalunya. The Placa is the large public square at the northern terminus of Las Ramblas, the great pedestrian promenade. All of Barcelona's transportation options use the Placa as a hub...including the HOHO bus tour. The cheap, easy Aerobus to and from the airport uses the Placa as it's ultimate stop. El Corte Ingles has an extremely large department store with a great Supermarket in its basement right on the Placa. Most of the tourist sites are easy walking distance. A taxi from the Placa to the cruise port is pretty inexpensive for the short ride. For our cruise coming up in April on Symphony of the Seas, we will be staying both pre- and post-cruise at the H10 Catalunya Plaza--a great little hotel right on the Placa. We stayed there pre- and post-cruise this past August as well. We've also stayed in the 1898 Hotel on Las Ramblas just south of the Placa and it's wonderful though a bit pricey. We've also stayed at the Hotel Continental, right on Las Ramblas, just off the Placa--You can't beat the location and it can be usually had for a bargain. The Hotel Jazz, just off the Placa is another longtime cruiser favorite. You can start with those...

Bingo

We recently returned from the Allure of the Seas trip out of Galveston. I might make a review just on the ship/cruise experience itself (short version: it's nice but really needs to be Amped Up), but I wanted to share some impressions from a dining and beverage experience, having bought both the Unlimited Dining and Deluxe Beverage packages. Background: We've sailed as a couple and as a family on RC and MSC 7 times since 2017, with most cruises on Liberty and one on Independence. Deluxe Beverage package thoughts: It's amusing that every time we book a cruise, we tell ourselves that the drink package is ridiculously expensive (even on sale) and that we don't need to commit that much money up front, and we won't drink that much anyway. Then at the end of the cruise when I review our account to see we routinely drink coffee and two mimosas before 10 AM, it very quickly feels like a good deal. While we prefer beer over hard liquor during the day, we enjoy wine in the evening, and it's difficult to find an array of premium selections $14 or under by the glass in most bars. There is always a passable merlot, cab, and a malbec around the $12-$14 price point. RCL charges $14 per mimosa, which feels almost criminally expensive when paying by the glass. Vintages has many more options but quickly run into $20+ per glass. I believe Oberon pinot noir is $16 though, which might be worth it to some to pay the $2 premium. I also like being able to get two bottles of water whenever we needed. My wife prefers ice water onboard (which is saying something since she's sensitive to smell and taste in water) due to the ship's filtration systems being excellent. But asking for ice water usually results in receiving a bottle of water and maybe a glass of ice. It seems a little wasteful. Ultimate Dining Package: This package is a great deal as long as you know for sure you'll be eschewing MDR and Windjammer for your dinners and most lunches. Breakeven for the package on sale is just 3 dinners; we ate at a Specialty restaurant 6 nights for dinner and 3 times for lunch. We were familiar with the food so we knew what to expect (except for 51 Central Park), and overall it was a fantastic value. Some random dining thoughts: Booking: I tried to be proactive and book through the Royal app as soon as we boarded the ship. I noticed each booking on my calendar indicated a charge but assumed this would be zeroed out once the server closed the ticket. Fortunately, my wife pointed out that those reservations would end up charging us and that we needed to find an RCL dining services desk. This resulted in a 30-minute wait in line and 15 minutes of working with the RCL rep to get everything booked. This should really be bookable in the app to save everyone involved a lot of headaches. Izumi Hibachi - As others have pointed out, the hibachi tables are in short supply and high demand. We couldn't get a reservation before 9 PM for dinner nor any times for lunch. Around Day 3 we ventured down there early for dinner to ask for just 30 minutes at the sushi bar (I was jonesing for the champagne lobster roll!). The host said he couldn't seat us but to try back later. We returned a couple of times (8 PM and later), finally just asking for a To Go order... and, nope! They couldn't do that, either. Izumi Sushi dinner - We managed to get a Sushi dinner reservation on Day 6, which at that moment I hadn't considered it was the second formal "Lobster" night in MDR. More than any other meal, my son was looking forward to the lobster tails on Lobster night, so I called the Izumi host to ask if he could order lobster as a part of his dinner. His response: "We don't allow food from other restaurants," like I had just asked Olive Garden if I could bring food in from Maggiano's. It's all RCL! One other observation is the prix fixe menu now indicates each Large Plate selection from the rolls includes just 4 pieces. When my wife and I took a cruise on Independence over New Year's, we received a full 8-piece roll for each Large Plate selection. I admit 2 full rolls is quite a bit of food, but getting just 4 pieces seems like a cost cut move. MDR Lobster night: My son ate lightly at Izumi and we ventured over to MDR so he could "eat his weight in lobster." My son's enthusiasm deflated, though, when he saw the menu: MAINE LOBSTER TAIL - Additional lobster tail available for $16.99. As he said: "Oh no! They patched the infinite lobster glitch!" My wife and I ended up each ordering the lobster and giving him our tails. I admit I don't read every post in this forum, but this was the first I heard that RCL started charging for additional lobster tails, so it's something to keep in mind. Overall - Outside of Chops at 6 PM or the hibachi tables, we never saw completely full seating in the specialty restaurants. It's clear there is still a staffing/capacity issue that is artificially limiting not just reservations but food orders in general. We were also disappointed at the lack of accommodation. (First world problems, I know.) Our favorite meal generally is Giovanni's. They have the best filet and the pasta is incredible. We're now working off the "cruise weight" but overall enjoyed our vacation.

My Jan 2024 Mariner sailing was just cancelled today, I paid with OBC, and it was refunded and added to the $100 OBC I got. So as soon as I receive the refunds on my CC, I will be made more than whole.

Ah, yes, you're right. Not for full suites anyway. I think you can for junior suites and also the panoramic (no balcony) suites that exist on a few ships.

seconding this; we went there and signed each time didn’t mind it, there were some times i forgot to bring my fives with me to tip the bartender and i was able to add on the receipt, which was helpful.

Normally, the specialty restaurants are only open on sea days. There are infrequent exceptions but they are rare and generally, unannounced.

Unfortunately you can not do what you want to do, the calendar is not "open source" it is ONLY for Royal sanctioned activities

One thing to remember about the RoyalUp program, is the price you bid is per person - for the first two. This means if you were to bid $100 to be upgraded to a balcony, you will be paying $200 if you win the bid. The present prices are $429/Interior, $450/Outside view, and $629/Balcony. Ha, but when I went to do a mock booking, I found even lower prices if RCL picks your room and higher prices if you pick your rooms. Interesting. If any of those prices are within your budget, I would call your TA or RCL and asked for the upgrade now instead of waiting for RoyalUp.

Royal should incorporate overnighters somehow into San Fran, Seattle, L.A, and/or Vancouver, in a variety of itineraries, to make these itineraries more attractive...as well as a private resort area either in Northern Baja or one of the small rocky Islands off the coast of the Baja.

This ship looks so amazing. I also recently saw a video about it by UK bloggers Ben & David. I really want to sail on Beyond sometime soon.

I think Royal is a bit delayed with the dining on these holiday cruises. Likely figuring out the special holiday meal prices. I have the same problem with my Allure sailing over Christmas and New Years. Just keep checking!

I have always wanted to go on a cruise to Alaska or up north, somewhere away from the Caribbean or Bermuda. I used to go whale watching on Cape Cod every year on my grandfather's sailboat. My travel agent has recently been promoting Royal Caribbean trips. He seemed overly enthusiastic about all the wonderful wildlife up north.

Come join our Facebook Group. Anthem of the Seas April 16th - 23rd, 2023 | Facebook

My dinner plans worked perfectly, at least in terms of timing. I was first at my table and the wait staff brought my two crab cakes right away. Delightfully warm and crispy. I was just starting on the second one when two of my table mates came in and sat down. I explained that I would be eating and running due to the Izumi reservation and they declared they wanted to do the same(I had been at the entrance to the MDR when they opened the doors at 5:15, so had a head start). I still had about 20 minutes to kill, so did the little art gallery scavenger hunt and then headed up to Deck 14 for Izumi. Great window side 2-top and such great food! Started with the edamame and then had the tofu-ginger salad (it’s pretty large!), the spicy crispy shrimp roll, the champagne lobster roll and matcha ice cream for dessert. True, the rolls were only 4 pieces each, but I definitely had enough to eat! After Izumi, I headed down to Studio B and had an amazing view from the second row back on the short side of the rink, two seats in, so I had a great view of both the ice and the cast members’ entrance. Then bed!

Just call it "muster that's not a cluster..."

Five feet away & you didn’t see the person leaving the note. Maybe they also did not see you.

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!

It’s nice to see Royal try.

It is so personal, right? I mean when I woke up early morning of the Icon release credit card in hand I felt like I was punched in the face. The ship's enormous offerings of bells and whistles didn't speak to me. I honestly don't know what I was expecting but I knew even at day one pricing my enjoyment would not equal the price I would be paying. That said my style of cruising at this stage in my life isn't Icon. Clearly though it speaks to many many others and for that I am happy. The company will charge what we are willing to pay for the experience. I personally believe that if you are careful and choose what you know you and your family gravitates to then it is an amazing value vacation. Same with Coco Cay Cabanas pricing. Previously I indulged in a few cabanas, Bare foot Beach, Oasis Pool, Water Park X 2. I loved the experience, I loved the home base as well as the comfort. Moving forward the prices being what they are I will enjoy a beach bed or lounger. Maybe a Coco Beach club pass, maybe. It's about my personal feeling of cost=enjoyment. I'm weird like that, if I feel it's fair I enjoy it more. While I enjoyed my one Star class sailing Sky is my happy place, but again full circle there is something for everyone with Royal and I still feel it's a great value vacation if you know how to make the most of your own choices. Prices going up everywhere, while I am not a Jason Liberty fan at all I get it. I am blessed to be able to vacation once in a while & I choose cruising every time.

Teaching the day before spring break is the worst! We have 30 teachers out today out of 200. 2:45 can't get here soon enough. Y'all have fun & enjoy your time off.

How do we know the difference between throttling and just poorer service in some areas

If you checked in for your cruise you can see your temporary cabin assignment. I have done it two times and it worked both times. If you use an iPhone, simply add the set sail pass to your Apple wallet. Numbers will appear below the bar code. The numbers to the right of the dash represent your cabin. If Android, simply scan the bar code with a QR scanner. (This works for iPhone too; the Apple wallet is just easier.) NOTE: You have to wait to get your official assignment to ask to switch as this is just your holding cabin until they are ready to make them permanent.

Hi @DivaDeaconess, The likelihood of being assigned rooms with an obstructed view depends to some extent on the ship you're looking at. For example, Quantum class ships have a lot of obstructed balcony cabins on deck 6 because of where the lifeboats are carried on those ships and some of them are less obstructed than others. Generally, when booking a guarantee cabin, it's best to assume you'll get the least desirable rooms because the more desirable ones will have been snapped up by people booking specific rooms well in advance of their sailing. However, this is not necessarily always the case and you may be lucky, especially if someone who has a "good" room cancels around the time your room is assigned. Expect the worst and hope for the best is usually the safest philosophy here. There is no set time frame for assigning rooms. In fact, even if you book all three rooms together, they could conceivably not all be assigned at the same time, since each room has its own individual booking number. You could find that your rooms are assigned immediately on booking or you may not even find out until you get to the port to check in. After you check in online, you can use the "bar code trick" to try and find out your room assignment before receiving official notification. One thing to bear in mind when booking more than one GTY room is that you are never guaranteed they will be together or even vaguely in close proximity to each other. Again, you may be lucky and get all three in a row; or you may find that they are scattered as far as physically possible from each other while still actually being on the same ship. If you are booking in the North American market, once you find out your room assignment, you may be able to change it to another room that you prefer, but the alternative has to be in the exact same category as the one assigned and this close in to the sailing date your choices may be limited or non-existent. Hope this helps.

Here is some advice to get the best out of your drink and quiet. I like to find quiet and read a good book. There are lots of quite places on the cruise. One of my favorites is the solarium. It is an adult only place that has lounger chairs, couches and sleeper to look out the glass at the sea going by. There are bars that are not used very much and are very quiet. Most of the ships have a wine bar that is quiet. If you walk the medium decks (like deck 5) that has walking outside, you will find places to set outdoors and enjoy the sea and it will be quiet. For the first few days when you head to your room stop by a bar and get a water to take to your room. Before you know it, you will have extra bottles of water for night and early in the morning. You can take your drinks almost anywhere like they have said above. If you stop by and have a drink before dinner don't worry about taking that drink to dinner. If you are full at the end of dinner you can order your desert to go. They will give you your desert in a plate with a cover to take to your room for a late-night snack. According to my son, the last thing you do at night is stop by the pizza place and take pizza back to your room for a late-night snack.

Only restriction is glass by the pool, they will transfer your drink to a plastic glass should you head poolside.