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Short update: Made call yesterday via wifi no problem. Baby boy is showing "no signs of stress and is a sweetheart". We told them he is super picky eater. Left him with 4lbs of pre package deli chicken and cheese. Told them to mix in his food, but hasn't been working. We said start hand feeding him the deli separately from the dog food. He never says no to a slice of chicken or cheese. LOL. Hand feeding works best. He's 2 and a half but still a baby in many ways. Told them if they run out to buy more and we will pay upon return. Today is St Thomas. Was planning to make our own way via taxi to Megan's Bay (about $45 less than excursion). Still waking up. Late night last night. Comedy show and then love and marriage show. Had a blast but up till 1am. So this morning is a slow start. LOL. Again, full review to come Thanks all!

This will be first Alaska cruise. My wife and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary and this is our present to each other! I am really looking forward to seeing an area of the country that I have never been to. We are flying in 2 days early to Seattle and staying in the Marriot Waterfront and will have a whole day to explore.

So.......drum roll............. I did it!!!!!!! I'll get into more post trip. But the psychological effects of many bad hard tight years vs the long anticipation vs reading too much of people's opinions vs the build-up vs the need for it to be perfect after a really long time, etc. Well it made the perfect storm. If it wasn't perfect it at least could have been in my head. Not living up after a decade of not being able to go anywhere was terrifying. You could right a book on it. Lots to say. Nothing bad. Will be updating. Wasn't planning on buying internet and broke down an hour ago and did. Didn't want to deal with the real world (and the cost), but it's hard to not look at your phone. Who sang that song that goes.........etc was driving me crazy. Little things like that get to you. Unfortunately, the real world came with an issue. The pet hotel left a message that my little 9lb boy is not eating. He gets like that. We told them. 2 pages of typed information and instructions. They know where we are and said they understand if we can't call but they are looking for ideas to get him to eat. We are trying to figure out if with T Mobile and wifi ( if and how ) we can call and potential cost? At sea now. St Thomas tomorrow. DH is messaging with T Mobile rep right now. OK he is telling me rep is saying to download whatsapp and we can call over that via wifi and not accrue any costs. This sound right to anyone?

Now I "CanHardlyWait" for the trip report. See you on the other side. So glad you pushed through!

So.......drum roll............. I did it!!!!!!! I'll get into more post trip. But the psychological effects of many bad hard tight years vs the long anticipation vs reading too much of people's opinions vs the build-up vs the need for it to be perfect after a really long time, etc. Well it made the perfect storm. If it wasn't perfect it at least could have been in my head. Not living up after a decade of not being able to go anywhere was terrifying. You could right a book on it. Lots to say. Nothing bad. Will be updating. Wasn't planning on buying internet and broke down an hour ago and did. Didn't want to deal with the real world (and the cost), but it's hard to not look at your phone. Who sang that song that goes.........etc was driving me crazy. Little things like that get to you. Unfortunately, the real world came with an issue. The pet hotel left a message that my little 9lb boy is not eating. He gets like that. We told them. 2 pages of typed information and instructions. They know where we are and said they understand if we can't call but they are looking for ideas to get him to eat. We are trying to figure out if with T Mobile and wifi ( if and how ) we can call and potential cost? At sea now. St Thomas tomorrow. DH is messaging with T Mobile rep right now. OK he is telling me rep is saying to download whatsapp and we can call over that via wifi and not accrue any costs. This sound right to anyone?

I'm kind of surprised they keep updating the app... considering how perfect it is.

Not sure if you can see me cringing from over here...

Very happy to hear you found your “peace within” and did so before you made any rash decisions regarding scraping your cruise! You took control of the situation at a very vulnerable point and turned it around! Well done! Enjoy!

@CanHardlyWait, I am so glad you took that step and got on. I hope the seas are treating you well. I'm really glad you didn't let perfect be the enemy of good. Looking forward to your run down when you return.

Here is my comprehensive video review of Wonder of the Seas in 2023. I review the drink package, unlimited dining package, WoW bands, ports of call, and much much more. Enjoy. If you don't want to watch it I can sum it up that we will continue to happily cruise with Royal Caribbean.

I can’t imagine people still getting off the ship at 11:30am. By that time, I would have already been 3 beers deep at the pool bar after embarkation!

We've always opted to stay onboard in Nassau (other than our first time where we did a short walk, bought a t-shirt or two and went right back onboard). Last week when we visited on Oasis, we decided to try something new. Found a tour operator online on the other side of the island that ran dive boat excursions (where you could snorkel, SCUBA or SNUBA depending on the package you chose). The dive shop picked us right up at the port, drove us the 30 min or so to their facility (which was not fancy and under construction so not impressive but I look forward to seeing what it will become) and got us loaded onto their morning dive boat excursion. I think there were 15 of us or so; mainly from the resorts. What a fun experience!! We chugged out a ways from the shore to beautiful blue water with coral reefs where we snorkeled, etc, etc. At one point the staff even brought us to an area with sharks and fed them while we watched onboard. We did SNUBA and they were great with us. After the excursion was over, the bus brought us back to the port. We were back to the ship by 1pm or so to enjoy a full afternoon onboard. In short, getting away from the resorts and canned experiences was a lot of fun. We got to see more of the island and had a wonderful morning. We definitely see Nassau in a different light now.

Icon doesn't either. I've stayed on deck 13 on Quantum class. No bad luck followed, yet.

How about Stormy?

I think the hardest requirement to meet would be having a nautical themed last name. Anyone named Hull, Ocean or Keel should be a shoe in for the job.

"Oh &%#@!"

I never do well in these exercises because to be king for a day requires that I think like a king for that day. That means I must stop thinking about my personal needs or desires and I must think about what is best for the kingdom. Rarely are the two the same.

For anyone booked on a Celebrity Cruise (at least the 2 that I have coming up for sure, but it appears to be across the board), there is a huge sale on the Premium Drink package (50%) for the weekend. No corresponding upgrade discounts. It doesn't appear that other areas have much discount.

I wouldn't change, I like that part of the ship. You might want to change to be closer to Adventure Ocean, SeaPlex and pool decks. Motion is a normal concern for a first time cruiser, but it will likely be a non-issue. Bring some Bonine.

I hope you mentioned this in your post cruise survey.

Usually, it takes about an hour after docking for people to be let off. Then all aboard is roughly 90 minutes before departure.

It would make much, much more sense if they were to convert Enchantments Adventure Ocean to a specialty restaurant.

Yeah, parking is 30 a day now... so I'm looking at 240 for the length of the cruise. We are driving up from Philly, so its only around a 90 minute ride. I'm actually thinking of asking a family member if they are willing to drive us, but I think being able to jump in the car and leave after the cruise will be nice, so we'll likely just bite the bullet. Good to know about the breakfast joint... maybe we'll hit that before we park depending on how early our check in time is (sorry-didn't mean to hijack your awesome review post and turn it into a Cape Liberty post!)

Wonderland is good to do once. I could eat 50 spoonfuls of the liquid lobster. Also really liked the shrimp with the crusted noodles and the short rib was really good. Beyond that it was really just part show part dinner. One and done. Oh yeah, the World is a really great dessert. Yummy. Thanks for bringing us along.

Daniels?

Looks like they are going to continue with a met on staff, so there goes the salary dump theory. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/05/23/royal-caribbean-posts-job-opening-new-chief-meteorologist?fbclid=IwAR39UGe4fMJOYn28eF8FJigc6rjUdTMtwzfYdp6uiVU7EWg38OnjgY7GyAA

Thanks for the well wishes! Cruising has a special place in our hearts, because I actually proposed on a cruise a little more than 11 years ago. Then life happened, and then life paused for a while, and finally we took our first cruise since then (this time with our son) just this past fall. Garrison Brewery is right in the harbor walk area, and Alexander Keith (originally from the 1800s, I think) is just a bit further away. There are a few other good options up around the citadel: Propeller and 2 Crows.

Yes you can call via WhatsApp on wifi. I am glad you went and trusted yourself as opposed to allowing everything on the outside to affect your hard-won vacation.

Not sure. Once my mother got a yes at Chops, she just kept returning there. Wonder didn't have the Acqua Panna, they had some glass bottled spring water brand that I hadn't heard of but it got her approval. It was the same ones that they leave as the freebie in the suites.

I spent today packing and making sure I have lots of layers and rain gear for Alaska. It looks like temps between 40 and 60 degrees and wet on the long-range forecast. We don't get a lot of those kind of days here in Texas so it will be an adjustment for us. We are trying to pack light so that we can minimize the checked bags, but we will definitely need at least one for the bulkier clothing. Unfortunately, a lot of my cruise casual clothing has a distinctly Carribean feel to them so I will need to do a little shopping before the trip.

No brown stains on the crew coveralls either. That's also a good sign.

Sorry, I was playing with my new Royal Caribbean battleship board game and I got carried away. Found Navigator!

Very simple. Create a contest in which Royal Caribbean give one lucky person a lifetime cruising pass. Enter the contest. Rig things so that I win the contest. Resign in shame. Keep the pass.

I think COVID extended their time at Royal. Grandeur already had one foot out the door. The loss of Pullmantur, cemented shut by the pandemic, eliminated the pasture where Royal could transitions ships out of the RCI/Celebrity fleet. COVID also sent a lot of would be potential older ship buyers scattering into the wind. That's left many lines like Royal faced with two options. Keep them or scrap them. Not ready to scrap them, they keep them, for now.

Researching this for a land tour - I read that the loose-leaf visa is applied for ahead of time (online) and at the end of the application/fee process you get a printable page that says you have successfully applied, which is what you print out, bring with you, and produce for their customs officials. You do it ahead of time (not sure how far ahead as I haven't gotten that far yet), not at the port of entry.

I have not seen this policy yet, but that doesn't mean it is or isn't true. If I find out I will post.

I have 3 cruises booked so far. Wonder - Oct 15, 2023 Radiance - Dec 14, 2023 Odyssey - Nov 3, 2024

We sailed out of cape liberty exactly a year ago. Memorial day weekend 2022. While the restart for many ports might have been in 2021 I am pretty sure NJ Cape Liberty had only started up about a month before our sailing. There were definitely some new hire issues but our main problem was have to get an onsite COVID test for our unvaxed 4 year old. There wasn't a proper system in place to distribute the results so that was a mad house and obviously something you won't have to deal with. You will have to deal with the bottle neck getting into the terminal. There is only one road going in and out and it gets backed up. I would bake in 20 to 30 minutes of traffic time once you arrive near the terminal.

Giving my wife a surprise cruise for her 50th birthday! We will be joined by at least 12 friends and family! First time on one of the smaller ships since Majesty in 1998.

WHAT....RC doesn't update info!? crazy!

At a minimum just leave a thread with a single post that contains a link to the real thread, then lock it.

Windjammer open 24 hours Pools open 24 hours Add a sportsbook for gambling Strict dress code for MDR, make it an elegant dress up classy meal Stagger show times to adjust to early and late dining Make cruise planner available for viewing week in advance Free room service

If I'm honest, I think the main reason we are loyal to royal is because we know what to expect and the perks of C&A. We, so far, only take one vacation a year and with that we don't want to risk being disappointed by trying something new. We know Royal because we've only done Royal. We know what level of food, service, fun, people etc to expect and that gives us great relief. I truly think if we could cruise more often we'd do more...but we can't. It does also help that Diamond is such an enticing level to get to. We stayed loyal to royal because we wanted all our monies to go toward getting us to Diamond. And now we're here and no way we wanna give up those perks easily.

No, you're not being too whiny. Good food is or used to be a very important part of cruising, now it seems that is just optional...

Thanks so much, great video fantastic perspective! I loved the way you tell the story. Bonus for the true review, I hate when the videos try to just talk up everything to "sell" the ship and sailing. I watched it twice, first by myself and then with my family. So glad you had a great time.

HOLY the production value of this video is unreal. Only 6 minutes in and I’m blown away.

Or maybe just cover it with some Duct Tape. Worked for our lunar rovers.

Clarity of information on their media platforms and consistency of policy implementation fleet wide. They cannot even provide consistent information on a simple Coffee Card.

When you first open the app, click on the hints and tips section under the ship (it should say Welcome aboard! since it should be day 1), scroll down to where it says "Stateroom requests are just a tap away" and there is a TELL US link. It doesn't work unless you're on the ship but it redirects you to guest-requests.rccl.com so I'm thinking you could also just go to that URL once onboard. Keep in mind I just stumbled upon it earlier today (while at home), never actually used it on a ship. Hope this helps.