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Obligatory sunset pictures

I'd share that I have zero desire to cruise on any of the ships that are like amusement parks on water. I don't want or need water slides or zip lines or any of that. I am probably in the minority but there has to be more than one of me that is okay with just sitting quietly and reading a book while I sip a drink. There has to be more than one of me out there but probably not many so they leave the smaller ships to us folks who actually avoid slides and zip lines and all that. I have nothing against them personally but it's just not what I want when I cruise. I'd like to think they realize there are still a few of us left around. Let me have that illusion.

@Matt I think the Brilliance Group Cruise might have to have a bakery taste test meet up so that we can determine which of these places are better than the other!

And we’re on board! We both needed coffee pretty desperately, so straight to La Patisserie to take advantage of our Refreshment Package.

Day 11, Port Everglades Rinse, lather, repeat. Turn around day but moving cabins this time.

My comments made it into the video. I feel like such a celebrity! (No autographs or paparazzi, please!)

So ... @StephanieH ... about my booking ... I wanted to ask you ... about ... uhmm... Just playing! You're an awesome TA!

Please @Love2Cruise2002 & @WAAATOOO and anyone else who would like to chime in, we are sailing in 36 days and are told the sailing is pretty much full. Never heard anything from Royal Up yet so we will be in an OS deck 11. Our embarkation lunch we plan to go to the CK on 17, is this super crowded on embarkation day? With the SL open 11-11 can we get a glass of wine with lunch as the amenity? We have the refreshment package as when I did the math even with our max of possibly 4 glasses a day, and even that is a stretch, it would not make sense cost wise to purchase the DBP At what time should we expect to be allowed into our stateroom? I am a 50 something mom and I am excited like a little kid, I just can't wait. Any additional advice for this first time family? Thanks so much!!

Guys, I'm 5 subscribers away from 400! If you haven't already, smash the subscribe button, and keep up to date with all my work on a cruise ship vlogs! www.youtube.com/ChristopherWongVLOGS Thank you again for all the love so far! We're just about to leave Port Canaveral, ready for yet another busy cruise. I spent today in Publix buying lots of essentials. This is how I typically spend my turnaround day.

Leave the political discussions out of this news, please.

Hello Everyone. It That Time Again. It Cruise Time. Anyway I Am Going To Keep This Story Quick. So Here Is Are Ports Of Call. -Day One- Port Miami -Day Two- Coco Cay -Day Three- Nassau -Day Four- Coco Cay So With That Said Let The Blog Begin!!!

The cruise at the end of the day was NOT a cultural immersion. The boat is mostly full of British then some Americans and Germans, and the balance are made up of Australian and other parts. There are more Chinese waiters than any other nationality, but they can generally speak some basic English to understand what you want. Some speak some really good English. A serious word of warning. We were told by our agent that we did not need a visa in China as we would fall under the 144 hour transient visa. We did our research and confirmed that that was correct. When we arrived at Tianjin we were detained at the passport control area for 1.5 hours because we did not have the 144 hour visa to be transient in China. They took our passports off us, left us just before the immigration point on our own in an empty hall for about 30 min. Numerous people came and questioned us a few times. Eventually a lady took us somewhere and written on the wall was '144 Visa Application'. The person who was obviously in charge and holding our passports did not recognize or accept the documents we had for the cruise ship because he wanted a ticket out of China. We showed him all the stuff we had printed off, our agents itinerary, plus all the accommodation etc, but still he was not convinced. Eventually we had 9 people involved all looking at our paperwork passing it around, talking through translators to us. Someone in a high viz vest arrived who understood the cruise documents and then they took our photos and we filled out some forms. We were then taken to another area, more forms. Then through immigration. The lady behind that was not happy with one of the forms. Luckily the high viz man was standing on the other side and then a bit of discussion and pointing. When we boarded the ship, we had heard that about 300 people, who were booked on the cruise, were turned away at Xian and Beijing airports because they didn't have visas and were relying on the 72 or 144 hour transient Visa. Some went back home while others changed their flights to Japan and joined the cruise in Japan. We thought it was an elaborate story until we actually ended up at a shared dinner table with 2 couples who were affected. My agent has also confirmed this as true becuase it was on the news in Australia and New Zealand. The one couple were rejected for no reason at Xian and the other couple were split up. They let the wife in and not the husband. When asked why they were refused entry, they were told they didn't have to give a reason and that the computer says no entry. They told us that 2 entire plane loads of people where turned around at Beijing airport. Apparently the one was Emirates and the other a Turkish airline. We also met a couple who went through what we did at Beijing, except they were not alone. Just about everyone on their plane who was on the cruise didn't have visas, and they were all ushered around a corner to apply for visas. Some of the people who were in the visa que were also refused visas and had to make other plans. They would not allow people to buy tickets on planes leaving from a different terminal - they could only book flights departing from that terminal. The only flights leaving from that terminal were to Seoul. Some had already booked tickets departing from other terminals, and had to book another flight via Seoul to end up in Japan. Some went back home. Passengers were not allowed to leave the area were everyone was been detained until they could produce boarding passes on their phones. There was one Scottish man whose phone would not connect with the Wifi and he could not book his ticket. Another couple paid for his ticket just so that he could leave. He was very stressed out by it all and was not well at the end of it. Apparently the cruise is short of about 120 passengers who decided to go back home. From what I gather, they were from various places around the world, not just one country. The food has been all Western food. I must admit i am a little dissapointed because Asian food would have been wondeful. A strong recommendation - you have to eat at Wonderland on the boat. Go hungry. It is something like Hestons style food. It was the most incredible evening and allow for 2 hours to eat. All the activities are free, the Solarium was open to all, Northstar and Ripcord just needed booking at Guest Services, but free. You could not book Northstar or Ripcord through the app because it was still set for the short Asian cruises and was going to charge you. Apparently on the short Asian tours, which is for the Asian market, they have to pay for a lot of things. As we dont drink a lot of alcohol, we did not get an alcohol package. But a word of warning, alcohol is very very expensive. The only drinks that you dont have to pay for are water, tea, coffee out of a urn (not barrister coffee), juice cordial mixed with water. He rest costs money. If you want fresh juice or barrister coffee, then that costs. We drink tea, so we did not see the need to purchase a package either. They have a hot dog and ice cream stand by the pool, which is free. The one thing that is open from early till 3am is a place that makes really nice pizza. There are always the best cookies around as well. Our room had a kettle, cups, tea, cofee, milk etc in the room. With regards to shore excursions, we tend to always do our own thing as we are not into looking at old buildings and museums, and all big cities look the same. For us it is about finding the nearest food court or street food and eat local, having lived in Thailand and China before. The good thing about doing the 'On Your Own' shore excursions that the cruise offers, was that they wait for you if the bus is late. I found this to be important especially if you are traveling at peak traffic hours. Our shore excursion was cancelled in Hong Kong due to safety issues with the demonstrations which i fully understand and appreciated, so we got off the boat and were told by the local tourism people who were answering questions at the port, that we could catch bus 22 outside the door and get off at the end of the route at a shopping mall, then later catch the same bus back. It only cost us Hong Kong $5 each. Much cheaper than a shore excursion. In Taipei we went into town with cruise 'On Your Own' excursion and were dropped off at Taipei 101 - tallest building (peak traffic time). Did not get off at Japan. Da Nang - had not planned to get off plus it was bucketing down, so between the downpours we walked around the wharf as there were some hawkers selling stuff. We would have liked to have walked to the village which was about 25min walk away, but did not want to get that wet. Am planning on doing the 'On Your Own' in Saigon. We bought the basic Vroom package for internet. It was worth it. Easy and quick internet. Could live stream to family, watch Netflix. I did not see the need the buy the one where you can make calls because we use Whatsapp. The weather is hot and muggy. I struggle to understand how people can lie in the sun all day in this weather. My insides would cook. So we spent a lot of time in our cabin which was cool - resting on our balcony. The shows and entertainment were wonderful. A different one every night. For those that like to party and drink, it is all go. We booked the cruise for some rest and relaxation, and it has been good. 12 days is just enough - put on far too much weight with all the food. I would recommend the longer cruises if you dont want a cultural immersion. We have been told by the crew, that the short cruises around Asia are the cultural immersion ones. Wow, that was a long reply

Continuing on, I realize that I didn't discuss itinerary. Both sailings are going to Nassau and Coco Cay. The 4nt (first leg) has us embarking on Monday, a Sea day Tuesday, Nassau Wednesday, Coco Cay Thursday and back to Port Canaveral on Friday. Our second leg omits the sea day an visits Nassau and Coco Cay in that order. For the first visit to Nassau, we have scheduled a sunset cruise. We figure this will give us a nice opportunity to see Nassau from a different perspective since we have been there so many times. In Coco Cay we managed to snag a great deal on an Oasis Lagoon Cabana. We have never had a cabana so that will be a nice experience.

I guess maybe I will be next “up”. We are in the Grand Panoramic Suite on Oasis Dec 1. We have already received our [useless] questionnaire but have not yet heard from our Genie. I am a terrible live blogger b/c I don’t take pictures and I only have an iPad so I try and minimize the narratives (to everyone’s relief, I’m sure). Since it seems that we will be the first to experience the newly amped Oasis is SC, I will make more of an effort than I have in the past. So excited for you, Pookie (I love both your names !). The first SC is so amazing. Just wait until you do your first B2B SC. Then you will really understand decadence ! 😂😂😇

As someone in the medical field, I can highly recommend that you rapidly book two more cruises and post in the morning!!! That is exactly what helps my post cruise blues!!!🤣

There's also a Science Channel "Impossible Engineering" episode about building Harmony: https://www.sciencechannel.com/tv-shows/impossible-engineering/full-episodes/worlds-biggest-cruise-ship?

Yes! It's Oasis - last episode of the (first) season. I love this show!

Not with my Iceland & Greenland sailing. Pricing continues to be utterly insane, and no state resident rates showing for me. 😞 Current pricing I see for this 14-night sailing: $2,919 per person for an Inside cabin ($208.50 per night) -- that's up almost $1,000 per person from when I first booked! $3,869 per person for an Ocean View ($276.35 per night) $5,269 per person for a Verandah ($376.35 per night) Suites (ha! ha ha! yeah, right!) are currently starting at over $18,000 per person. That's for a Suite Class Guarantee, so I guess that means it's likely to be a higher-end suite at this point, but still... Holding out hope the prices will make a steep drop closer to sail date, but right now I'm just glad I booked as comparatively early as I did. (although I'd have much preferred to catch it when it first came in November or December)

I am on the last sailing. I Love Grandeur. Lady G was my first cruise ship. I am going to miss her. I have two more sailings with her.

Can't wait to sail with you guys! We will start to have some plans like pre stay and such once we get into 2020. But as @Matt stated. We have learned over the years that its really hard to plan some events in advance because the number of guest can change drastically right at final payment. Also, please know that I have to work with the events team on board the ship for many items and they will not even talk about most plans until a couple months before the cruise.

Phew, that was a close one. I know you guys are party animals 😜😂

I would only pre-book two things: Cabana on Coco Cay and Shore Excursions. All else, let the Genie do it. The sushi making and cupcake classes are included. Same with the Escape room and the behind the scenes tour and the bridge tour. Wait for your Genie. The money is better in your account than Royal's. Does not make sense to book it first. And @Pookie, I think we have the same cabin!

I used the WhatsApp app to text with my daughter on Independence in April. It worked really well and we didn't have any issues with the WiFi on board.

I have had lots of experience organizing group cruises. It’s a PITA. Everyone enthusiastically says “YES !” When you first talk about it and then when it comes time to pony up money, everyone scrambles and disappears. Even family. I totally agree that it’s best to let a TA handle this. Just make sure that your TA understands that you expect all “bonuses” associated with the book grouping are going to be credited back to the group. When a booking is a group booking the Agent receives all of the discounts and bonuses and if you have an unscrupulous Agent they can hold some of the benefits for themselves. Just make sure it’s someone you trust.

Correct. I think royalup has worked very well to fix sorting demand for stateroom by category. Royal often has more "guaranteed balcony" staterooms fares sold than actual balcony staterooms available (or pick another category, I'm just using this for an illustration). Thus, the royalup emails get sent out a few weeks before your sailing and then depending on bids and status they reward the folks who were in balconies the chance to bid up the most to get into the junior suites, which are kind of an in between category that on many ships doesn't offer the whole high end experience. (You can also see that they've added a lot of these in the corners for front of the ships in each Amplified dry dock) Also lets high status customers or people already in the junior suites slide up to any unsold high end suites, etc etc. Just a good all around tool for Royal to sort everyone into a cabin they are happy with. Maybe they don't get the initial big up charge they wanted for some suites or other categories in the first place, but they do get a lot of valuable data on pricing demand, category breakdown, and customer trends moving forward. Hence, you almost never see last minute deals on suites or ocean view, they simply royal up and get more money from existing customers booked on that cruise, then blow out the cheap inside rooms in the bottom of the ship. It's obviously working very well for them. Anymore it's all about that big data and we are just the guinea pigs haha

Petty sure the majority here gives cash and if the wait staff really takes good care of you be sure to write them up (by name) in you end of cruise survey.

Cheapest rates are almost always to be had from withdrawing euros directly from an ATM once in the EU. Use euros in the ports; on board you can use dollars, for instance the casino is dollars only and I wouldn’t hesitate to tip in dollars if more convenient for you. Fyi if you need to break euros on board you can do so at guest services

St. Maarten has the "port village" just off of the dock, but that is your typical collection of overpriced and kind of schlocky merchandise (e.g., Diamonds International). If you want some decent shopping you'll be better off going into Philipsburg proper on the Dutch side of the island, or Marigot on the French side. Going to Marigot in the morning also means you can get some great authentic French breakfast pastries. 😋 In San Juan there is an area close to the port that has a nice collection of shops, dining places / coffee shops, and buskers; along with the pigeon park that is a big attraction. IF I'm remembering right, you'll walk to the end of the dock where it meets the main road, cross the street, then turn left and walk a short distance to your first right, which will go uphill to the pigeon park and shopping area.

The biggest advantage with booking thru RCL, no matter the price difference, is that if something happens and the RCL excursion arrives back late, the ship will wait for the RCL excursion people ........ if something happens and your 3rd party excursion is late, the ship WILL leave without you.

No reservations at Playmakers. Back in May didn't have any issues on Symphony ordering. Plus no issues if asking for a to-go order. Just make sure you tell them you have the dining package prior to ordering.

We went here.. and to the place across the street - wish I remembered the name - but they filled the pastries while you were there so they were not soggy when we got them. BUT.. the plan was to bring them to the ship - hmmm...... they didnt make it! 🙂 I ate the last ones in the Lyft on the way back to the ship. So my add to this - buy more than you think you need if taking back to the ship!

I would take the aft one. The one up front has a horrible view

A part of me wonders if they tried to move Enchantment to Pullmantur but their leadership said "No thanks... but we'll take Grandeur". When I sailed Enchantment last September it seemed like they were letting her go on purpose and it immediately popped in my head she is for sale.

Exactly.. Good thing your moving to Florida in the next few years because I just don't think Enchantment is for you and its not like I only went on her 1 time.. When she did 3/4 days out of Miami I went on her 4 maybe 5 times and I was so happy when they decided to first replace her with Mariner and now Navigator. They really should sell Enchantment as well.

Reports of "hundreds" of Brits recently being turned away upon landing in China to board Quantum. A few managed through the 144 visa process while hundreds were forced to fly on to the next stop or fly home. Any foreigner thinking about cruising in China should consider the full visa process rather than relying on the 144 hour visa waiver exemption. https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/10104598/royal-caribbean-cruise-china-border-visa/ The Foreign Office has updated their travel advice for China, explaining: "The British Embassy in Beijing has received reports of a recent increase in cases where entry to China under the visa waiver on arrival scheme has been refused, which may be linked to previous travel history. "You should note that entry to China under a visa waiver is not guaranteed - Chinese border officials have the right to refuse entry without warning or explanation." Forty-six-year-old Clair Matthews was travelling with her husband and parents-in-law when they faced similar problems - and were all refused entry. She explained that even though they had a temporary visa, they said they were not allowed in. Clair added: "I was told that if I was still here within 24 hours of landing and didn’t have proof of onward travel, I would be taken to prison." Both groups were forced to pay for flights to Japan to meet the ship at its next port, with Clair and her family spending more than £3,000 for last minute tickets and four nights at a hotel. Kate Hayes, 67, and her husband Ray, 72, were also both turned away after landing at Beijing Airport. She told the Liverpool Echo that immigration officers "didn't have a reason" for refusing them entry.

I've had the card for about 15 years and managed to get 3 free cruises during that time. Well the cruises aren't exactly free. In all free cruise cases (125K points), you need to pay port charges and taxes. They change the rules as they see fit, so you have to deal with that. The basic free deal is this: You can get a RCL 7 day Ocean View Caribbean cruise for two at a value up to $2500. That's about a 2% return if you do the math (assume you book a room close to $2500 in value, some of your points are doubled from RCL purchases, and minus the port charges and taxes you have to pay). This is tricky, takes patience, and not an exact science. Also, if you use that card for only RCL purchases you will find that exchanging points for OBC will yield a 2% return. These days, I use the Citi Double Cash Card (2% for every purchase!). I find this is just easier to deal with for the same return. NOTE: During the time I booked my second free cruise, RCL's policy had changed and they made me pay more for the cruise than I could actually purchase it for! They had some sort of lookup table that they were required to book the complimentary cruise using. Needless to say, that free cruise netted me less that a 2% return and I was NOT happy. My 201101 Harmony cruise is a free BOA RCL card reward. I upgraded to a Balcony from the standard Ocean View and our total cost was around $650. An OK deal, but the old C&A balcony upgrade for diamond was $175 and they used to honor that upgrade deal - back in the old days... 🙂

Thats good that they let you know.

Phase of the moon isn't in my favor on this trip or certain sporting events and the drink package have conspired against me many nights plus the milky way center has headed South but I did bring a small tripod to see what it can do. Will let you know if the opportunity presents itself.

My wife and I are going on a 5-night to Bermuda from Cape Liberty next week. This will be our first Quantum Class ship, so we're excited about seeing how we like Anthem. Re: Bermuda, I was wondering if anyone who has been there could give advice on our first day. It's mostly open except the Pub Crawl starting at 7pm. My wife wants some beach time, and I'd like to see the Crystal Caverns. What's the best way to sit on the beach for a while, then go to the caverns, then make it to our pub crawl (which I'm assuming leaves from the ship)? I've seen some live blogs where they hopped on the first ferry to St. George, went to Tobacco Bay, then took a bus to the cavers. What about getting ourselves to a different beach by Taxi/Bus, like Pink Beach or Windsor Beach (just looking at Google Maps). Any thoughts/advice? We're doing a scuba excursion on our second day, so I don't expect to have much time for anything else that day.

Have a fantastic trip!

Thank you, Joe! This is our first time on RC (embarkation on Sunday...yay!) so I thought I better find out 🙂

For one bit of clarification. This would be a back stage tour. Don't confuse it with the All Access Ship tour.

We have done Alaska twice (one was a cruise/tour) and we have done NE/Canada once. If you love outdoor adventure you cannot beat Alaska but if you love history you NE/Canada outdoes Alaska. So both are great depending on what you are looking for. Also, take into consideration that next year will be the 400 year anniversary for the landing of the Mayflower. If you sail from Boston or have Boston as a port there will be all sorts of extra things going on because of this major historical event.

Happy Thanksgiving. Do you guys do turkey, too ? Are the ovens in your igloos big enough for a 20-pounder ? 😂😂😇

i agree! we want the use of the wow bands with or without door opening functionality (though it would be nice to have that too).

I have never seen a ship that didn't match the local time of the port it was in. That being said, I would arrive before noon your time. The earlier you can get to the port the faster you can start your cruise. They usually start letting passengers on about 10:30-11 am. Enjoy your cruise!

@JLMoran I Will Be Following This One!! I Cant Wait Till Your Cruise.

No harm in asking, but it's fairly normal for the answer to be no. I used to think the benefit of a TA was to get bonus OBC, but it doesn't usually happen. The value of a good TA is in the service they provide and how much time they save you. So sure, go ahead and ask if there are any extra booking benefits or agency specials going on, but you shouldn't be surprised to hear the answer is no.

Assuming you don't have to avoid Central Park due to allergies remember they have lots of afternoon and evening musical performances; really a very intimate setting that won't blast your ear drums as the noisier venues do. Have a great trip!

Random observation but it's because all of the other letters in Manitoba besides "b" are used in US state abbreviations!