Leaderboard

We made it home around 6:30pm. Pretty exhausted. The flight was smooth, and on time. However, it took forever to get our bag at baggage claim today. Delta is usually very quick about it, but not today. Then, the border coming back into Canada was so backed up. We were stuck there for over an hour. Everything is unpacked, laundry will have to wait, getting into PJs and calling it quits today. Hubby has some nice photos that I never got to post on his phone, so I will share those tomorrow.

Let's get this PARTY STARTED!!! That's right, for the FIRST TIME, your favorite (only?) Royal Caribbean Blog moderators (me, @AshleyDillo, and @Lovetocruise2002) are sailing on the same ship at the same time! This is going to be epi..... errrr... dare I say "ICONIC"? I am so excited for this sailing. There will be so many new things and so many old and new friends to spend time with. Each one of us will contribute in our own way. If there's something on the ship that YOU want us to document, ask a moderator!!!!!!! More to come!

I’d normally make a joke about @Lovetocruise2002 here but given that her “review” of the Odyssey WJ consisted of some lovely pics of CocoCay out the back window & nothing else, perhaps not her. I got more pics of Doritos than the WJ.

Hi, all! Been lurking but not posting. Now that the dust is settling from a very busy November and December, I'm starting to realize I'm going on TWO magnificent cruises on BIG ships very soon. I'm sailing Oasis of the Seas out of Miami next Sunday, and when that's over, I'll be disembarking, scooting over to Fort Lauderdale, and boarding the Celebrity Ascent that same day. Although I've been on the Allure many times and I've been on Symphony, I've never been on Oasis. Super excited. Traveling solo and I have a balcony room overlooking central Park. That will be a first for me as well! Another first will be sailing with Celebrity! Very interested in trying out the X brand! I have a solo cabin on the Ascent with an "infinite veranda" so I'm very interested in what that looks like. It was quite the bargain and I booked this cruise almost a year ago. Am I allowed to cover my Celebrity cruise here? If so, I will, if not, I will take you all along with me on Oasis and then we'll wrap it up. Here's our itinerararies: OASIS: Sunday, Jan. 14 1. Miami departure 2. Nassau 3. Coco Cay 4. Sea Day 5. Labadee 6. Falmouth, Jamaica 7. Sea Day ASCENT: Jan. 21 1. Ft. Lauderdale departure 2. Nassau 3. Sea Day 4. Cozumel 5. Sea Day 6. George Town, Grand Cayman 7. Sea Day Really looking forward to the fun. If anyone wants any specific info on either ship, I will recon. Another first: I bought "The Key" for Oasis, so I will check out embarkation day perks and that Choppes Grill lunch on boarding day. Quick share: Last May, I picked up norovirus on the Disney Dream. HOLY SMOKES. Never ever never again, please please please. In September, I got Covid (third time), on Princess in Alaska. Should I just give up on cruising? Have I no immune system? And let me tell you, no one on those ships washed their hands more than I did. So. We will see. Also: This is interesting: I discovered that Oasis is a group cruise for 800 people that play "Dice Tower." They have the Windjammer reserved for after dinners and you need a badge to join them. Really hoping you guys will follow along because I am genuinely excited to be back on the oasis class ships, without a doubt my favorite class of ships out there. Symphony last spring was magnificent, I went with my son to the Mediterranean. Looking forward to the whole week! Lots of photos to come!

I have booked an Oceanview Balcony (4D). I'm on Deck 8, behind the Trellis Bar. My initial goal was to get a suite, but the suites were just too much of a financial leap for me on this one. A Royal Up attempt to a Junior Suite was $3500! I rarely, if ever, step into the WJ - we may have to task someone with that one!

Paging @CGTLH. Despite having the UDP, I'm sure we will end up scoping out the WJ an embarrassing number of times

A quick word about the complimentary parka. This worked quite well for me. It is a two part design with an inner bubble style jacket that zips into the red waterproof outer shell. I didn't keep mine zippered into the shell, I simply put on the shell over the jacket. Sizing for me was perfect. I am typically a large ski jacket and this large fit well. I generally wore a long sleeve t-shirt and the Silversea parka on all excursions and I was never cold. The shell did a great job. Despite being splashed often on zodiac rides I was never wet inside.

We are going on 7 cruises this year. Freedom, Mariner, Independence, Utopia, Adventure, Allure and Adventure again.

Bad news @GregD. Hubby just took a look at the Visa charges this afternoon and said we are never booking the NYE tables again! Now cabanas and NYE are on the "no" list. However, I am not one to give up so easily lol. To be continued...

She definitely will..I need her generosity to even be on this sailing I have UDP so I hope to report back. Of course with new menus and a picky eater in my party, should be tons of fun No genie for us either Star Class prices were outrageous. We will be in a Panoramic Suite on Deck 16.

I am guessing you'll have an annual travel insurance policy.

Pass. We did not book the UDP on this one so you will get a full review of CK and The Grove from me This is funny. I can tell too lol. We will all try to hold it together. I also will have VOOM. Safe to say I probably won’t be anywhere near the WJ on this one. Maybe if Hubby will leave the FlowRider, I can tell him to snap a few. He already met some people on this Odyssey sailing that are also on the Icon inaugural. Shockingly he never made it into the WJ on OY.

For you guys I MIGHT go inside to snap some photos. I'll need some liquid courage first. Does it look like you have to go through the WJ to get to The Hideaway? Awkward.

One week from now I’ll be out in the ocean! I’ve opened my suitcase and started piles on the floor. Debating to “outdo” @Jaxon having the most luggage, but decided to save my trophy for the “biggest win” in the casino. Reality tells me I’ll probably get the trophy for “biggest weight” gain on a cruise! What’s the most you gained on a cruise?

This one, and anything kid related is all yours! And @Matt. When this teacher goes on vacation, she steers clear of anything kid related. It's like not being able to leave work. Who would want that? lol

Most people will pick their room. I prefer aft cabins so in most cases i pick my room. I have done the gty option twice. Once because that's what was left since I booked so close to sailing. And once for an upcoming cruise. There are some factors for whether I would let them pick. It would have to be a shorter sailing, on a smaller class and at least $400+ in savings.

Continuing on.... We have a balcony room on deck 14 near the middle. Our perfect spot. We like being high up and near the middle, helps with some rocking and has better views. We also like being away from the hustle and bustle of everyone near the stairwells. One son got a GTY balcony room which was a bit scary for us since we have never done that before and have read horror stories of people being kicked off for overbooking. Well it turned out ok, we found out his room almost 30 days ahead of time and feel better. he ended up on deck 10 in a balcony somewhere between middle and front (near the front stairs). It will be interesting to see how he likes that. This is his first balcony experience too since he was in an interior on Serenade and his girlfriend's first ever cruise. Our other son has an interior on deck 11 in the front.......that's a long story . He has that room all to himself. I should include we are Diamond Crown and Anchor. I mention this because we LOVE our free drinks. This is the only time either of us drink alcohol! Our last drinks were at our last dinner on Oasis in January 2023. Nothing since then so the next drinks will be at our first dinner of the cruise! We have recently started to find we enjoy getting the drink of the day at dinner.....and if we enjoy it we make it two!. The rest usually get used up at an evening show. 4 drinks a day is more than enough for us.......unless there is rum punch on an excursion.......then it's game over!!!! That is my favorite, locals make it soooooooo good. Might end up being a bit tipsy after this All shows have been booked! Also booked the escape room but could only get 6 in at a time slot so will try to add more once on the ship (assuming they hold some slots for on board sign ups). We really enjoyed the water show on Oasis so looking forward to what Wonder has. Loved the comedy club too, can't wait for some laughs. Curious about the Music Hall band, last time on Oasis was an Aerosmith cover band that was pretty good, but loud (I feel so old saying that). The excursions we have are: Cruise #1 Coco Cay = Chill Island Cabana Cozumel = All Terrain Buggy and Snorkel Roatan = Two Reef Snorkel (third party) Puerto Costa Maya = Chacchoben Mayan Ruins & Bacalar Lagoon Cruise #2 Coco Cay = Nothing yet, just chill on chair somewhere or see if they lower the price on a beach bed (they are crazy stupid expensive still) St Thomas = Skyride & Pirates Treasure Museum St Maarten = Plane Spotting at Maho Beach We will be recording these excursions and posting videos of them later (when I have time to put together). We fly out Thursday January 25th to Orlando in the afternoon and then have a hotel in the Lake Nona area (best price at our preferred chain). We picked the afternoon flight for price and then we don't have to get up crazy early. We rented a car for the couple days we are there, so that will be interesting. Friday January 26th is all day Universal (any tips appreciated). Unfortunately they close at 6pm for some special event (super bummer). We binged watched Harry Potter to get refreshed on it for this day!!! Saturday January 27th we will drive to Downtown Disney and check that out and see what has changed. My parents fly in that day also so we will meet them and have dinner. If anyone has suggestions near the Lake Nona area for dinner, we are all ears to it! Sunday January 28th is cruise day with a shuttle taking us to the port (they said about an hour or so). We plan to get to the port early to get on and start eating and check out the ship. We also need to check the dining room seats to see if they honored our requests...... As more happens and I think of details I will post them.

I always choose my own room. My location on the ship is important to me.

If this is what your question means: I believe I do pay every time I book a cruise because I ALWAYS choose my room! The “we pick your room” price seems to always be lower by several hundred dollars but I do not want a room Forward therefore I will pay the higher price in order to get what I want. I also have never tried a Royal Up for that reason…perhaps I would IF I knew the room I was bidding on would NOT be in the Forward area!

@MoonMan81, it is absolutely NOT a common thing and you should not have any worries whatsoever about your GTY booking. When you consider the huge numbers of cruisers out there who are making gty bookings, the issue with bumping is infinitesimal. As with everything else, the bad stuff gets reported and blown up out of all proportion, while nobody bothers to mention that the vast majority of gty bookings go off without a hitch. The only way to sort of prevent it would be to book a specific cabin number but that will probably be more expensive and even then doesn't give you a 100% guarantee because stuff happens that can mean a cabin needs to be taken out of inventory and if the cabin in question happens to be the one you booked...

Don't be absurd.

I have the UDP. I'll take this one.

That’s me!! No clue, but we cannot afford star on icon. I am currently trying to find a way out of my surfside family suite

Well, this is going to be amazing!

She is on the move!! Heading to Coco Cay!

Who will be guarding the henhouse then?

Just got off 6 nights aboard Odyssey of the Seas and thought the Bionic Bar seemed like a huge waste of space. Kinda cool to get one drink from it but never had anyone sitting and enjoying the space like other bars. I definitely prefer the Champagne Bar that they have been getting rid of an replacing with Bionic on some ships. Just an observation.

I'm on it. I will represent the mods for this new crew member. He looks amazing, despite the extremely cliche of a name (come on, be at least a LITTLE creative). I'm a tad surprised they didn't get a breed that was a little less sheddy, but you can't beat the friendly nature of the breed.

I'm glad to see Utopia will have a Bamboo Room spin-off, Pesky Parrot, in place of the Bionic Bar.

We pick our cabin(s) because we travel with our teens in a separate room and need to be next to their room (or could be across, but we like going back and forth using the balcony). However, we use a TA and get group rates that are lower than the pick-your-own directly on the RCI site, and usually comparable to the GTY cabin prices. My parents are cruising with us in March and did a GTY oceanview first. They were assigned their room early in November. I learned their room number because I booked specialty dining using the app and I saw their room number next to their name (we have linked reservations). THEN, during the week of Thanksgiving, there was a one-day big price drop and the upgrade to a GTY oceanview balcony was only $60 total (not pp) more, so we ended up doing that for them. Same thing happened - when I went to book another specialty dining lunch in the planner, first I saw GTY for them but within a week, they had a room assignment in the reservation page of the planner. My TA reached out and said there were rooms on our floor and asked if we wanted to move them from 6th floor forward, where they had been assigned the second time, to 8th floor aft/mid where we are. So the GTY worked out really well for them. They are just two doors down from us and paid less than we did to pick our rooms.

Noticed some of the menus for the Aquadome Marketplace places were posted My kids are going to get a lot of those Nutella and banan crepes lol

Thanks everyone for taking the time to reply, appreciate your feedback. Looks like I have become a sucker to fake-fear mongering. Thanks, Hopefully all goes well

i'm sure this has more to do with my lack of sleep than anything but this description is sending me into orbit

@Sweety I am on Wonder in two weeks so I will post all about Mason Jar brunch and dinner. But on topic....... I am looking forward to this blog. I will be on cruises but it will provide a nice reading experience.

Our first cruise in Feb '23 we selected our Ocean View Balcony, we wanted a lower deck and mid ship. This time for our upcoming cruise in February again, we selected GTY Suite. It will most likely be a Junior Suite which means it'll be relatively mid ship. It may not be on the deck we would ideally like but the savings were €600pp (3 persons) than if we picked our own room. I'll be sure to post which room we get in the end and our experience once we're back.

We usually pick our own cabin, as we have found the potential savings from doing a guaranteed cabin not to be worth giving up the option to pick our room. Having said that, we decided to "roll the dice" & try a guaranteed cabin for the first time when we sail on Symphony (JS) next summer since it will save us +/- $1K per person (+/- $2K in total).

I will be braving the kiddo zone for pics and impressions. I have a few non-blog friends who also need the low down on tot town. I probably won't get into Adventure Ocean itself (don't worry - @Matt will no doubt cover it), but I'll get the more public areas.

Always pick my room, near the rear elevator. Easy down to dining room and since my wife has trouble walking, a quick shot off the elevator. Next time you cruise, get off the elevator, and walk down to the furthest room, and see if you want to do that several times each day.

That was us. We didn't try to leave. We left. We are gone at the hint of loud music or dancing.

I am anticipating this cruise with pure joy.

Not really. Both are memorable. I'd more likely consider the departure and arrival ports as it relates to flights and hotel stays versus doing the canal in a specific direction.

You beat me by one day, I start my S2S2S on the 15th with Mariner, but I am doing Symphony then the Ascent next year. I am on the same Ascent sailing as @asquared17, so I am looking forward to hearing more about it. I also have a room with that weird infinite veranda thing. I did Oasis last year around this time and I agree Aqua80s is the best show. I know you are solo but try Portside, I was worried about ship BBQ but it was really good.

We are booked on this sailing. I was keeping it a quiet for a friend, but let it slip today. I was going to set up an elaborate meet up with her genie involved but its even more exciting to be able to talk pre cruise. It's our first inaugural! Hope to meet some of the great posters on here.

Friends don't let Friends moderate while drunk

Will there be enough and Ranger Cookies onboard for Girls gone wild with the rest of the clan.... This means Sabrina will have to venture into the WJ to report back to us. Just not peak and run away Suite lounge here they come Can't leave behind Ashley's mom either as she will definitely be on board Are the genie's ready for this epic Girl's gone wild venture with the rest of clan? Lots of pics of the cabins, food and menus of new venues. What type of cabins and location on ship did everyone book?

We did the Golden Eagle Catamaran snorkeling tour this week while in St Maartin and it was a very great experience. The crew was so professional and accommodating. I highly recommend you give this a try if you want to see SM by boat and do some snorkeling and a beach break. The beach stop we did was a small cove adjacent to Maho beach with crystal clear water and white sand (perfection). If you have kids they really do a great job feeding the small reef fish and will actually take kids on rides in the dingy boat they keep connected to the catamaran. The crew had small sandwiches for lunch and endless ice cold local beer and rum punch for the adults. I have been on many catamarans around the islands and this tour ranks up there with the best of them. If I had one complaint it would be the shore excursion staff onshore was very disorganized and seemed to be very flustered. It was extremely hot and some direction from the RC excursion staff would have been a nice touch. My youngest gives it 2 thumbs up and she’s quite the critique.

THIS WILL BE EPIC!!!!!!!!

Breakaway Plus class, staying in Haven proper. Always my first choice. Note we have not done Prima or Viva yet. Doing Aqua in 2025 though. When you get Free at Sea, add the upgrade offer for Dining. Wait to get onboard to upgrade your WIFI package after midnight on embarkation day for savings. We do the premium plus beverage package as well for a better wine selection and cordials, Starbucks and bottled water, but you don't need to. They have a package that gets you unlimited wifi, premium drinks, 2nd guest shorex credit, and 2 extra dining credits (49$ pp/pd, valid for first 2 pax). If you don't need all that, that's why i recommended the dining and upgrading wifi onboard. The Haven restaurant is very good and can accommodate some requests, but the menu is stagnant so i always recommend specialty dining to break up the monotony. NCL's drink package is average at best and doesn't include bottled water, but your butler can bring you pitchers of ice water. If we don't have the premium plus package, we bring Yetis for water and just deal. There is also an upcharge for pedestrian drinks like Bailey's. The 2BRs in Haven proper are smaller than Royal's 2BRs, but are our favorite if we're not springing for an OS or DOS, both of which will get you unlimited bottled water and soda cans in the suite as well as 3 bottles of liquor of your choice in your stateroom and a bottle of Moet. We just did the DOS on Getaway and we had bottles of Aqua Panna for the water, and we selected Kettle One, Kahlua, and Bailey's. You can get whatever mixers you want from the Haven bartender. Speaking of which, there is no better bartender anywhere, on any ship, than your Haven bartender. He will get to know your tastes, have recommendations, and make you special drinks. They are all mixologists, and a real step above. My BFF Rodrigo (Getaway Haven bartender) made Wasabi infused vodka just for me and my morning Bloody Marys. Take that, Royal who actually uses Mrs Ts and tries to season it with pepper and Tabasco, even in the suite lounge. Room service drinks aren't free in the Haven, which is why i recommend staying in Haven proper for convenience. NCL allows 2 drinks at a time so it's easy to accumulate drinks to stock your own bar with beers and sodas and/or filling an extra large Yeti with a mixed drink. Haven bathrooms are very nice and include a shower pouf, shower cap, q-tips, and cotton balls among your usual bath products. Towels are nice and you'll also get slippers and the robes are nicer than Royal's. You can buy Haven branded robes. They're awesome. Most Haven rooms will have a water closet with a door you can close, which is nice. One thing that wins by a mile is that you do not have to stalk the cruise planner for pricing deals/sales. The price is the price, with only rare exceptions. Stalking Royal's cruise planner is exhausting. To me, it's no big deal to make my own dinner reservations (Haven gets to book earlier than anyone else), but if you're not finding what you need, simply email shoreside concierge and ask them to forward your requests directly to the ship concierge. We had to do this once when our itinerary changed from Eastern to Western Caribbean and sea days and port days all changed. When we got onboard, the ship concierge had left our updated dining schedule in our suite. I've prattled on with more than you wanted to know, so ask away or DM if you have specific questions! I'll just leave you with one last thing. If you see a Cruise First offered at $250 for a $500 cert, buy it. And one more thing better than Royal, NCL deposits are still fully refundable. https://www.ncl.com/cruisefirst-program

I wouldn’t mind so much if it weren’t NUMEROUS times AND LOUD. Ever sit under a speaker? It was so bad on Jewel I had to get up and leave. Seriously. I’m noise sensitive for a lot of things. I watch my tv with volume set to a 9…I can tolerate up to a 15. If I were in a dance club I expect loud. I think there were 4 nights of this “assault” on my 8 night sailing. Ironically also on Jewel for Greenland-different seating area , it was LOUD and one poor man at our table would practically run out of the dining room when a hint of celebration was coming. I felt bad for him, obviously he was way more sensitive to noise than I am. if I had control over the remote I’d turn it down a few notches, then perhaps I could enjoy it. Not being able to carry on a conversation because the music is overwhelming is just, well, overwhelming. I get up and leave

One on the last night is plenty.