Leaderboard

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

When it can fit on Icon of the Seas. So says a article I read. That Enchantment of the Seas can fit in Icon so it can be called a boat at that time.,

They will usually give you an option to rebook as well as FCC for the cruise, a refund as well as FCC, or not cancel you. Not every charter cruise gets cancelled for already booked guest.

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.

I get the same thing in app. Use the planner for purchases. Only the one option there.

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

I wonder how many people barfed in that attraction. I definitely would.

No way to add extra tip (other than cash), but by ringing up the drink, he gets credit for it somehow. For a drink paid for with a package, he would get a slice of the 18% that was added to the package price. For the diamond and up drink vouchers, the source of their tips isn't clear but I'm confident they are getting credited from some tip pool Royal has that covers the diamond drinks.

Facebook post this morning from the cruise director. Sea trials begin tomorrow.

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!

Ship arrives at 6 am so it looks like it might be worthwhile. Thanks.

It seems the later in the evening it is, the less likely you have to sign anything

You don't have to do prefix; you can specify that you want to do a la carte.

This makes sense if you think about it. Instead of having some crew members tied up for the 30-60 minutes to check people in and perform the muster drill, the eMuster is tying up some crew members for many hours as they stand around, waiting for passengers to show up.

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!

@ChessE4 ahhhh. Thanks for the clarification and helpful info. I’m struggling with the difference of hotel options in Galveston as opposed to Florida accommodations. Of course — apples to oranges compounded by my procrastination and booking this close to the stay. I was also trying not to use my Marriott points for such a short overnight stay, but now that reasonable options are sold out I’m reconsidering the Tremont again. Prices are ridiculous, but we’ll hopefully cut some our losses by paying less for private transportation if we were closer to restaurants, cruise port etc. (we’re active seniors, but not up for hiking) I’m super glad I saw your post and we didn’t get lured in a time share trap!

I opened the app at 12:01am, selected arrival times for 7 people across 3 reservations and was done by 12:03am. We will enter all the necessary documentation at our convenience,

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.

They have PSA images on the screen by the pool too every once in a while telling people that they can retrieve their unattended belongings from the towel station. On adventure now and saw it in between chive showings.

Having done both Sandals in St Lucia and done 7 night cruises, these are indeed VERY different. A $7000 room is MUCH larger than a $2700 room on RC. I can get a butler for $7k at Sandals. That’s not happening on RC for 7 nights at $2700. Sandals includes all drinks and all specialty dining. Only up charges are for VERY expensive wines. At Sandals, I don’t have to watch the time to make sure I get back to the resort on time because the resort isn’t exactly going to leave without me. Comparing these are a whole lot closer when you are looking at a suite on RC as I have a feeling the $2700 they priced isn’t even for a balcony. Even then it’s just so different

My TA recommended that I come in a day early, stay at a hotel near the airport, and then just come over to the aiport in the morning to catch the Royal Caribbean shuttle to Port Canaveral. It's about $35/person each direction, which is perfect for a solo traveler. Your TA can arrange this or you can call Royal Caribbean directly to book the shuttle. I've done this regularly in Los Angeles, so I anticipate something very similar for Orlando. EDIT: Something extra I learned the last time I was on a shuttle - if something happens to the shuttle (e.g. flat tire, accident, stuck in traffic), the ship will wait for the shuttle because it's an official RC transportation. This is very similar to the ship waiting for RC shore excursions if they are late back to ship.

I believe the Pan American port is for cruises that start/end in San Juan, and the Old Town port is for ships docking for just the day.

OVERALL REVIEW Alright cruise family. I wanted to write this post to give people the opportunity to decide IF getting their certification onboard a cruise was the right choice. Let me start with some pro's and cons. PROS: - Some of the BEST DIVE LOCATIONS you could certify in! It's not everyday you get to dive in crystal clear water and see amazing coral life. To certify in those conditions with varied locations is not afforded to everyone. - You are certifying with experienced dive instructors who really know how to cater to their clientele while providing exceptional customer service. We heard horror stories from members in our class that went diving with a local company on Cozumel. (apparently the dive "master" grabbed her by the arm and tried dragging her under when she had difficulty clearing her ears. And then when she fought back, he just LEFT HER and her buddy!) - You will NEVER certify with equipment of this caliber. Everything from the gorgeous blue tanks, to the BCD's, and depth gauges are an amazing quality given the amount you're paying. - Speaking of money, the COST is really on par with what you would pay on land. For approximately the same price for certifying on land, you are getting quality instructors, quality equipment, and TOP NOTCH dive destinations. - NO IN CLASS INSTRUCTION! I personally LIKED not having to be in class like I did when I certified for my Junior Open Water Certification. It was all online and at our own pace. - Even if you don't complete your Open Water Diver, you can be signed off for the water depth you did complete, and may have a credit towards a future PADI course. We had a student that refused to dive after our first open water dive due to motion sickness. I asked what would happen to money she paid, and they indicated that she could use it towards a future class. I think this would just cover the PADI expenses, but at least it is comforting knowing it's not a total loss. CONS: - You're supposed to be on vacation! Our vacation time is sacred to us; spending any time not drinking, relaxing, or doing cruise activities is kinda a drag. And you're not supposed to drink prior to diving... so that leaves little time to enjoy the libations. - Cruising with a group would RUIN your experience. If you were part of a larger group that DIDN'T want to certify, it would be very difficult to coordinate dinners and excursions around the certification and training. We were lucky it was just the two of us, but we would have been miserable doing the training if our friends were on the ship too and living their best life. - Not all equipment can be rented. You still have to buy a mask/snorkel and fins; they "can't" be rented. (I think your millage may vary depending on our instructors... ours were accommodating, but we wanted our own anyway). - Taking the course with a group of people is a gamble. Our group wasn't terrible. But, there were members that were constantly sea sick and that brought its own challenges. - This is not something you can add at the last moment. You have to have paperwork signed by an MD if you have any health conditions. Not everyone has a primary care provider, so not every MD would be willing to sign you off without knowing you and your medical history. You also have to complete the online training modules (which take almost 2 days if you're really going through them thoroughly... and probably longer if you are doing a few courses after work or school or dealing with kids). My take: Don't book this if you are going on a cruise with a group, plan on buying a dining or drinking package, or have a splurged on room accommodations. I also wouldn't do this again on a longer cruise. Financially, we splurged for everything: room, dining, drinking... the works. That means we paid for days of dining and drinking we weren't really able to use with our constantly changing dive schedule. I would have much rather booked a 4 night cruise from a local port, and dedicate it to JUST the diving certification. When all was said and done, I don't regret doing it this way! I would get certified on a cruise ship again, but would take into consideration the comments above. Let me know what questions you have! I will try not to take 4 months to respond ?