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The Royal Genie Package experience: Our Genie for this sailing was Lissandra. She is coming from a suite concierge role into Genie. It would seem like all 4 genies working in this RGP role are newer genies on their first or second contract. Despite being newer to the role, Lissandra was fantastic for what we needed. She was able to anticipate our cruising needs rather quickly and once she got to know us a bit, conversations flowed easily. She constantly checked in on us, both through WhatsApp, and in person. She was very thoughtful as well. The genie experience itself was no different than regular Star Class. Everything that a regular star class genie could do for us, she did as well. Embarkation and disembarkation process remained the same as Star Class. The RGP experience is similar to Star Class, but it’s not. They are not trying to market it as such either. It is marketed as the RGP, right down to the banners, literature in the room, seapass card, reserved seats signs, etc., nowhere is the word “star class” mentioned, because they are not trying to make it star class. Their target market for this program is new and/or suite cruisers. For those who are familiar with SC, it makes it trickier for them in that you should not book this expecting it to be identical. There are many similarities: the genie and their “powers”, the inclusion of dining and drink packages, dedicated flowrider sessions, priority embarkation and disembarkation (identical in procedure to SC), etc. But there are definitely differences as well. One being the exclusion of gratuities, and laundry is questionable. On Freedom it seems to be pressing only; and Indy might be full laundry? The other difference is the room. When you book regular SC, part of the WOW is the suite. With the RGP, depending on what room you book, there is not much WOW. In fact, the smaller rooms hinder the ability to really take advantage of the food delivery etc. The smaller ship also limits what the genie can do. Not as many activities and amenities to offer to guests. So is it worth it? In my opinion, at the right price, maybe. Let me try to clarify. If I was booked on a Non-QN/OA/IC class ship in a category lower than a GS, then it would be worth it at the right price. At $300pp/day, it’s still a hard sell for me. The disclaimer here is that I am already D+ and have access to the crown lounge even without the suite lounge. If I was booked in a GS or higher, no way would I consider the RGP. I would probably be just as happy buying the Unlimited Dining Package, VOOM, and Evian water package. The only way I would consider the RGP if I was booked in a GS or higher would be if the price went down considerably to make it worth it. For the amount it costs (regular price) for the RGP, my money is likely better spent sailing true Sky Class on QN/OA/IC class. Overall, Hubby and I think the RGP gives you the SC “lite” experience. If you have never tried SC and want to test it out at a possible lower cost, then it’s worth trying. It’s quite similar. If you are familiar with SC, then book with the mindset that it will be a slightly downgraded experience from true SC due to the reasons mentioned above. Happy to answer any other questions anyone might have. 3 weeks to SY! This cruise was easier to end knowing there’s a short dry dock.

We came back to the room after WJ and found some food deliveries from Lissandra. In honour of Canada Day. Now just chilling with no real plan, and that is perfectly fine with me. I think Hubby has fallen asleep out on the balcony and I am going to spend the afternoon with my Kindle.

Not bad at all! Room to curb 15 mins. Total time from room to airport…1 hour. Now sitting at our gate at FLL.

I heard they're replacing grease with just wd-40

Nooooo!!!!!! Why why oh why?? Why get rid of Grease and they keep Cats on Oasis...!!??

That’s the wonderful thing about this blog community. You can be gone for a while and we will still welcome you back with open “virtual” arms

It's been a long day.....I misread this as "aggressively wash my loins...." and thought well that's a little personal, but we are all friends here so who am I to judge....

Turns out Hubby was not solo in the flowriding session today. There was another family who booked the RGP at the last minute. So last minute that even the two genies on board did not know about them until they showed up with their bags at the terminal after we did. They were not on anyone’s list or anything. But Hubby was slightly relieved too because he wasn’t sure if he could go a whole hour on his own so he was happy there were two others there to split the time with. He said it would have been hard on his legs even though his back is feeling better.

I'm sorry, but egg on pizza is just....wrong....

Hi, how is everyone? I know, I've been a horrible friend, but i figured i would pop in and check on my peeps and what do i see but Sabrina with a Genie package on Freedom. Imagine that! Hope everyone is doing well!!

Dinner at Izumi was good as usual. Noisy though because this Izumi on Freedom has 5 Hibachi tables and there is no separation.

Proof that I can eat in the WJ if necessary

Standard warning: My intro posts tend to be TLDR. Intro As most people reading this are aware, we just did our first Utopia B2B in early June. Even though Utopia is very similar to Wonder (which we've sailed five times), the small differences and inclusion of new shows to see made it a pretty different cruise than our past few on Wonder. While our general routine didn't change, I did spend a good amount of time checking out what was new or different from Wonder. I made my way through most of the Pesky Parrot drink menu, we saw every show (some twice), we ate several meals in the WJ (which has some significant differences in terms of food selection), we skipped the MDR entirely, I tried most of the Spare Tire menu, we ate in GK's new location on deck 11, etc. It was definitely nice to have new shows to see and the nuances of a new ship to explore but my favorite part after all of that is the end result. I now have my (new) favorites as well certain things that I now consider one and dones. I really like being very familiar with a ship. I'm sure others prefer exploration and variety but that's just how my mind works. So now that I have all this firsthand information, I can't wait to return, skip most of the exploring and taste-testing (although I skipped 1-2 Parrot drinks I'll go back to try), and head straight for my favorites. All that said, we will actually be trying a few new experiences, but more on that in the dining section. Cabin We have the same exact interior on deck 10 forward as last cruise. It was chosen for location which we knew we liked from Wonder but now we know specific details about it. The mattress was fine for me but a bit too hard for my wife so she's going to ask for an extra blanket to sleep on. The shower was great (and had a small repair made during our last cruise). The cooler is a good one that actually gets/keeps stuff pretty cold. Overall, we had no major issues with it. On a related note, unless they moved him, we will have the same cabin attendant (also named Mike) who was very nice and efficient so that's another small plus. Itinerary Obviously we're going to Nassau and CocoCay again (twice) but this one is a 3/4 and leaves on a Friday (the first was a 4/3). We saw a slight difference between the 4N and 3N legs last time. The 4N was full of families and people of all ages and felt like any other June cruise. The 3N seemed to have less kids and was a bit more of a party crowd but there was nothing overly crazy about the behavior (at least where we spent our time). Judging by the mentions of kids in both FB groups for this one, I think it's possible that the 3N may be more similar to the 4N this time but we'll find out. What I expect to prefer about the 3/4 over the 4/3 is that we will end with a sea day as opposed to a CocoCay day. I've always liked ending with a leisurely sea day to just chill, go around having some of my favorite food/drink items for the last time, packing whenever (although we pack pretty quickly and always use self-assist so we can leave most of it for the end of the night), etc. We will again stay on the ship in Nassau and spend our CocoCay time in our usual spot by the Oasis Lagoon. Day 1 - PC (Embarkation) Day 2 - Nassau Day 3 - CocoCay Day 4 - PC (Turnaround Day) Day 5 - Nassau Day 6 - CocoCay Day 7 - Sea Day Day 8 - PC (Debarkation) Having been at CocoCay with two Oasis class ships before, it's never a big concern which ship is there with us. We get off the ship early and watch as it doesn't get busy until after 10am. That said, we had two very good draws last time (Grandeur and Jewel). We weren't as lucky this time but we'll just try to make sure we get off first thing. We will be joined by Oasis on the first leg and Freedom on the second. Entertainment Entertainment reservations opened long before our June B2B so I again have every show booked on both legs. We already know we're not seeing All In again but I kept the reservations anyway (we still need to see the last 10 minutes that we missed due to a stage malfunction but that will likely wait until next year with the family who has never seen it). I can definitely see us going to Aqua80TOO twice again and the ice show once or twice (the cast was changing after our last cruise). We'll go to Name That Tune again b/c it's really just a game show and we always go to adult comedy (a 2nd time will depend on whether either of the comedians change in between legs). Beyond that, we don't have many set plans. Other stuff like Love & Marriage or Perfect Couple or nightly musicians will depend on how we feel and what we're in the mood for. The second leg also has a new wrinkle that could affect our post-dinner plans. Dining If you've been reading my post-cruise ramblings in my June blog, you already know what the new wrinkle is. Our original plan was to use a BOGO for GK, have burgers at Playmakers one night, and switch MJ brunch to dinner (with another BOGO). That's been our usual specialty lineup for quite a while and I was very content with all the seafood and Indian food in the WJ on Utopia. My wife had a bit more trouble with the WJ but since she only likes one of the MDR menus on Utopia, she made do. Fast forward to June 12th and while checking random stuff in the CP as I always do, I was shocked to find the UDP on sale for 55% off! For Utopia, that brought it down to under $30/day pp before gratuity. We've never had the UDP before and I've had some concern over it being too much food even for me... but there's no way I could pass up that price. I booked it for both legs and we then spent a while debating if we wanted to just try it for the 4N leg rather than both. It's clearly a good deal on paper and I was on the fence but my wife agreed it would likely be too much food and said she really didn't care about finding stuff for the first three days knowing how much we'd be eating on the last four. Her opinion coupled with the fact that I was looking forward to the WJ seafood and the other included venues before the sale appeared led us to eventually drop the 3N leg. I also realized that we might as well book the MDR under MTD for night 3 since Bon Voyage is the one acceptable menu on Utopia for my wife and I can still go get seafood/Indian in WJ before and/or after. We kept the 4N leg over the 3N because the one sea day is the only time lunch is offered at restaurants at which we don't normally dine. Ignoring Izumi Hibachi (which didn't interest us), the choices for embarkation day were Mason Jar or Gio's Kitchen and the only choice for Nassau is GK. Those are our two longtime favorites so we're happy to eat there but besides value and quantity, we wanted to try new restaurants with the UDP so the additional lunch and dinner helps with that. *At some point inside of three weeks out (after I wrote the above) Chops appeared as another lunch option for day 1 of the 4N leg. We considered moving things around but my wife will already be eating multiple filets for dinner and she can get as many burgers as she wants between Playmakers, JR's, and Mason Jar so it didn't really make sense as that's what she would order and I was happy with the current plan. Subject to change, here's what we currently have booked for the 4N leg... Day 4(1) - MJ brunch / Chops dinner Day 5(2) - GK lunch / Hooked dinner Day 6(3) - CocoCay / GK dinner Day 7(4) - Izumi Sushi lunch / MJ dinner I can see having all those specialty meals and not falling into a full food coma if I don't go nuts; it's the daily credits for Playmakers, Gio's Wine Bar, and Izumi in the Park that I feel will turn the UDP into a crazy amount of food. I'm also not sure when we're supposed to go to Johnny Rockets (possibly never). I plan to use my Playmakers credit for late night snacks since it's open late (sorry Sorrento's). I usually just get the burger and garlic parm fries so I'm looking forward to going through the rest of the menu. I'm not concerned about Izumi in the Park since I can always eat some sushi (my wife will stick to the bubble cones). The Wine Bar might wind up as the odd man out since it's only open from 5-9pm most days and we have dinner reservations for 7pm three of the four nights (one night is a bit earlier so we can go to an 8:30pm aqua show). I suppose I could go there at 5pm for a pre-dinner snack and maybe get tiramisu to go and stick it in the cooler but I don't think I'll be looking to eat a pizza or anything heavy less than two hours before a specialty dinner. My extended family booked the UDP for all 7 days next March so this will also serve as a good test run. Miscellaneous Crystal Block - We are crossing 210 points on the first leg so we have our 2nd block coming, woohoo! Sleeping/Mornings - My wife and I both have some sleep issues and they often pop up on cruises, especially for her. This really messed with our routine last cruise so we're going to do our best to prevent a repeat. I often delayed my early morning CL coffee runs and we didn't disembark on CocoCay as early as usual. Neither was a huge deal but I enjoyed the few mornings I walked across deck 16 to the CL in the early AM with most of the ship asleep and my wife usually goes walking in the morning more often than she did. I'd also prefer to get an earlier start once the UDP kicks in so I can have a little something with my coffee while leaving plenty of time to be hungry for the rest of the day. I don't plan to have large breakfasts on the 4N leg. Cruise Director - It was nice to sail with Marc "Bing Bong" Walker again last cruise. Unfortunately, he left Utopia at the end of June. As I mentioned last blog, we don't really care about the CD, Marc just happens to be from our area and his daughters went to my wife's elementary school (plus he's a fun CD). "Dan Dan" Whitney took over for Marc and he was our CD on Wonder in April. Photos - I vowed to try to take more non-food pics last blog... and I guess I sort of did but not really. I think I'm just going to have to accept that I'm not much of a photographer and stick to mostly food/drink pics. If my wife feels like taking pics of other stuff I'll have her drop them to me. Otherwise, I'll throw in as much random stuff as I can but no promises. Parking - Apparently we got to the port TOO early last time as the main outside lot right next to the garage wasn't even open yet. It was nearly empty but the payment machines hadn't yet been activated for the day. A miserable port employee tried to get us to park across the street (uhh... no). The good news is we confirmed that we like parking in the lot instead of the garage. Maybe we'll leave five minutes later than last time but even if we get there too early again, it's not a big deal to do a quick loop until the lot is open. It certainly beats parking across the street. Jen the Concierge - As I mentioned last blog, Jen the CL concierge was both very helpful in fixing an issue with our D+ internet credits as well as being sweet and friendly. After chatting several times over the course of the cruise, on the last night my wife asked her if there was anything she missed that she can't get onboard and she mentioned some sort of Chinese hot sauce we had never heard of. Fortunately, a quick Google search let me know that it was available locally so we got her a couple small jars on our last Walmart run. She mentioned that she may be switched to the SL but to just come find her if she is. We'd prefer her to be back in the CL but if she has been moved... SL here we come! It's not sneaking in when the concierge invites you, right? Other New Friends - Being the social butterfly that she is, my wife wound up chatting with a couple of the Mason Jar crew members multiple times since I stopped there for drinks so often (a manager and a hostess I think) and also asked them what we could bring. One requested chocolate and the other wanted coconut water. We had already asked Mike the cabin attendant and he also wanted chocolate. Lastly, some of you have either met or have at least heard me mention Jocelle, the amazing Mason Jar server we first met on Wonder in 2023 that my wife has kept in touch with via social media. Unfortunately she's not working right now (for a good reason) but her significant other is currently on Utopia. He works in the Royal Railway at night and I believe the WJ in the mornings. Since we can't bring Jocelle anything, my wife figured the next best thing was to ask her what we could bring him. So anyway, now my wife's carry-on (usually a beach bag or small backpack) will be full of various little gifts. I know some people don't believe in these small gifts and feel the crew just wants cash but none of them are in lieu of tips and some are for people we wouldn't normally tip to begin with (like my wife's new MJ friends). We also find the crew to be genuinely appreciative, especially when we bring them something personal that they requested. RC Blog Members - I know at least one member will be on the 1st leg and two on the 2nd. No set plans like meeting up with @WAAAYTOOO last cruise but maybe we'll run into each other. As always, questions, comments, and tangents are welcome both pre-cruise and during. With no significant travel I don't normally have much to share in the week leading up to embarkation day.

Flight update: it’s on time so far and we got a complimentary upgrade to Delta Comfort+! Small win but we will take the earlier zone boarding

Hahaha!!!!! Bingo! lol. As long as I make it in time for my MJ brunch, I will be happy!

Sabrina might not know the exact answer yet, but she will tomorrow Like I have already mentioned, those who are used to star class (gratuities included) make it tricky for the RGP. It’s not SC and they are not trying to be. It’s totally rebranded as the RGP and as such, does not include everything that SC does, because it’s not SC. Hard to separate if you are used to SC. Back to why I might have a better answer tomorrow. While chatting with Lissandra tonight, she told me that her boss (I am guessing the GSM?) would love to meet and chat with me. He asked her if I would be around in the suite lounge tomorrow morning and I told her I will be at Chops for breakfast. Supposedly he is going to swing by. I have no clue how I get myself into these situations but I am going to ask the gratuities and laundry question. But I think I already know the answer.

I cannot comment on the Osso Bucco but I guess I am in the minority in that I just told Lissandra today that I would choose GK any day over GT. Tonight I had a pasta that I have never tried at GK, the linguine. They were able to sub in shrimp instead of clams. It was very light and quite good. This might be my new go-to as much as I love Alfredo and carbonara, I find them heavy. Hubby had the carbonara. Pizza was half Truffle & Eggs, and half meat lovers. After dinner we saw Graig Murphy. He was quite decent.

This morning we are at Nassau. Looking at the construction on the Royal Beach Club, there seems to be a lot more to do before December. Started off in the SL to make my tea. Same breakfast items as yesterday. I tried the Berliner because my sister asked me to. It was pretty good. I think I liked it better than the regular chocolate donut and the cinnamon roll. Then I headed off to Chops for breakfast. I should have taken a pic of what I ordered today but didn’t, because it did not look that appetizing. Yesterday, I asked if they could make avocado toast. Sometimes they can in CK. They said no, because they did not have any avocados. But the waiter did say to try again tomorrow (meaning today) because they might have some. So that’s what I ordered today, avocado toast. I should have already known something was up when they asked if I wanted toast with that. What showed up was exactly that, two slices of toast with a sliced avocado on the side. It was tricky to eat lol.

Slept great last night. Lounge snacks. Made my morning tea, breakfast at Chops, Hubby is on the wave. We’re at PDCC but as you all know, I am likely not leaving this ship

Final thoughts on room: I don’t think that I will book another suite GTY in the future, unless it’s a steal of a deal. Even then, I would have to give some serious thought to age of ship etc. As I already mentioned we ended up with a JS, which I expected. The accessible part, I did not. We really enjoyed having the open space in the living area. But the bathroom was another story. Hubby had no trouble with it, but I was never able to shower successfully without getting water all over the floor. Most days I ended up putting down a blue pool towel instead of the bath mat. Also, perhaps because the ship is older, there was some not so pleasant smells in the room. There was an area by the side of the bed that I slept (near the night table) that smelled like my 8th grade classroom. There was also an area near the balcony that did not smell too fresh either. None of this seemed to bother Hubby. But for someone like myself, who is quite sensitive to smells, it did bother me all sailing. We did not say anything about it as we just chalked it up to being on an older ship.

Got lost in my book and almost forgot to post this. Lunch was at Izumi today. Something interesting to note, portion sizes are very inconsistent here on Freedom. Night 2 our rolls were half the size of today’s. The people sitting next to us today got rolls that were 2/3 the size of what we got. Ramen bowl looked like it was half eaten. It’s usually filled almost to the top. This Izumi is strange….

yes the tuna sandwiches are for me!!! so the egg on pizza is a thing around here too. i am not one who is for it — i tend to be a pizza purist — but where there is truffle, i can be persuaded. at least to try it!! (also wait are we talking about tuna on pizza? if so…. NO.) BETRAYAL BETRAYAL A G A I N!!!!!!!!!! SHE IS HORRIFIED!!!!!!!!!

Pretty leisurely morning so far. As I was making my tea in the suite lounge, the GSM came to find me. We had a nice chat and he said he wanted to talk to me to get the perspective of someone who is familiar with star class and what they think of the program. I don’t have much of a filter these days, so I was very candid about how the reaction is mixed. Will share more in my final thoughts tomorrow. Regarding the gratuities and laundry, it was what I expected. This program is not “star class”. They specifically asked for marketing to come up with new banners etc., to replace “star class” with “RGP” from the pier all the way to the sea pass card. Being that it is not SC, the powers that be who created this program, decided not to include some things in this program that SC has, laundry and inclusion of gratuities being some of those. He did say they are collecting feedback like crazy on this program. It’s a pilot. I heard that many times this week. They are in a wait and see mode as well.

Another super lazy day but we are in no way complaining. This is exactly how we like to cruise and why we love cruising. Hubby. Dinner plans in a bit are back to Giovanni’s. We purposely kept eating light today because I knew I wanted the pizza. After dinner we are going to check out the comedian onboard. I might regret this, but Hubby likes watching these things.

We had a super lazy afternoon. After eating in the WJ, we came back to the room. Hubby took a nap on the balcony and I spent time reading. Some point mid afternoon, we headed to the suite lounge for some tea and got some ice cream from Sugar Beach on the promenade. This is included with the Genie package. Lissandra also let us know that movies are included as well. So that is the same as regular SC. Spent the rest of the afternoon reading. It really was a “perfect day at Coco Cay” lol Because we ate lunch early today, we decided to make it an earlier night. Having dinner shortly at Izumi and then going to catch the 7:30pm show in the theatre.

Watching Hubby at the flowrider for a bit. I see my next ride, and home, in 26 days

Agreed that for 4 night it’s fine. But it’s sort of about the principle of it. Little things like laundry not included seems like nit picking. But I am starting to get the feeling that this genie package program is targeted for newer cruisers, or people who are not familiar with star class. Someone like me makes it tricky for them I think because I am constantly comparing to star class and it’s not branded as such. Just my initial thoughts.

Giovanni’s was good as usual. I went out of my usual and got the filet tonight. It was ok but not as good as CK. Hubby got his usual Alfredo pasta. Because we just had pizza yesterday, we skipped it tonight. I really wanted it because I like Giovanni’s crust but it was a good call since I walked out of there stuffed. The verdict came in over dinner. We texted Lissandra and told her we are skipping the ice show. While scanning for movies back in the room, Hubby noticed there is a charge. This is different from normal SC. Going to ask Lissandra tomorrow if movies are included or if this is another difference. We also got Royal Caribbean slippers tonight. Pretty sure this is Genie thing and not a suite thing as a JS is not a full suite.

Just so ya know...you were scammed ! Chickens do NOT have fingers...nor do fish... SO many people fall for this scam ! Thank you sooo much for your incredible reviews(s). I truly enjoy reading your missives....and I have a very soft spot in my heart for Scots, in general.

Onto more positive news! Our flight home was smooth! Even landed 15mins early at DTW. Crossing the Ambassador bridge was easy too today. Less than 15 min wait and that is a huge win. To put it into perspective, when we come home after spring break & NYE sailings, the wait is over an hour sometimes at the bridge. Got home around 4pm. So not bad at all from ship to driveway in 8 hours. Now completely unpacked, and settled on the couch waiting on pizza. Freeloaders had good intentions to do their laundry. However, when I got home, I noticed everything was loaded into the machine but it was dry. One freeloader, the one who was not working today, forgot to turn the machine on. So back to doing laundry for them. I actually breathed a sigh of relief when I stepped back into my own bathroom! Back to my shower where water will not go all over the floor and enough counter space for yours truly, the product junkie.

First, God I love trellis and you are correct , no room for a cup. Second, I appreciate your good naturedness. Obviously it all depends how one cruises. Third, Between my Hyperactive nature plus FOMO plus two little crystal meth jacked up sons. I don’t have the luxury of just hanging out in once place for Any amount of time. So a cup clip, while cool for some, is lost on me. Perhaps when we sail sans the crystal meth twins , but even then, im a rover by nature.

No show tonight. We’ve seen it before and did not care for it the first time. Packed all our stuff after dinner. Lissandra is going to meet us in our room at 7:45am. Making the trek back to FLL and fingers crossed for a smooth return home.

She’s in a suite or probably Star Class anyways so it doesn’t really matter about the check in time

Hi Everyone, Back to recap day 4 in Molde, Norway. I didn't have a tour here so I just got off and walked around the town and got lunch in town. Random photos from town: Lunch in town at Glass Restaurant: Pear Cider: Tortelloni: Fish and Chips: Once back on the ship, I got another chef's choice amenity: Towel Animal: Balcony sail away view: The stowaway pianist was in Boleros: Then we had dinner in the MDR, we got into My Time to try out Taste of the UK, a new menu for me that I missed last cruise due to the late port in Copenhagen: Mozzarella Sticks: Fish and Chips without Mushy Peas: Sticky Toffee Pudding: And then pub time with Laurence again: Sunny bright balcony at 11pm as I headed in early due to my early tour today: Today was Olden, Norway and I had an early tour, will come around to updating on that later. Thanks! - Ashley

I think she said something like he wants my feedback on the program cause it’s new. And they know I am familiar with SC so they want to know what I think? I don’t really know but I love a focus group session too.

Lunch was at El Loco today. They open at 12pm on Nassau port days. I had totally forgotten that El Loco was completely out in the open here on Freedom.

At these prices I think I’ll enjoy whatever ship I’m on

Hi everyone, Just wanted to share a quick recommendation—especially for any fellow UK cruisers who usually book direct with Royal (like I always have!). For our Caribbean cruise next year, I decided to try using a US-based travel agent for the first time and booked through MEI Travel. I was connected with Becky, and she’s been absolutely brilliant. Not only has she answered all my many questions quickly and clearly, she’s also worked with Royal on our behalf—securing the best location, applying discount codes, and handling our future cruise credits. She really knows her stuff. One big benefit I didn’t realise before: booking through a US travel agent gives you access to refundable deposits, which we can’t get here in the UK. Plus, they monitor your cruise price and will automatically reprice if it drops—again, not something available to us normally when booking direct from the UK. Another example: we wanted 7:30pm dining, which I thought would mean going with My Time Dining, but Becky let us know Royal has recently added a third traditional dining time—and she got us booked into that with a table request already in. All in all, I’m really impressed and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend MEI Travel. It’s been a far smoother, more personalised experience than I’ve had before, and I’m confident we’ve got the best deal too. Happy sailing! Darren

Hi Everyone! Yesterday was day 5 in Olden. I did the skylift tour through the cruise line that met bright and early at 8am. Here are some photos once I got to the top: Some photos on the trip down since I was on the right side of the car for that one to get good views: Then we had the bus tour portion and because we were ahead of schedule, we had a 30 minute break in Stryn. I got a brownie cookie at a bakery and some more souvenirs (ie magnets haha): And then 30 minutes became 45 when everyone got back to the bus on time except 2 people who very clearly lost track of time and had no clue how late they were. It wasn't like there was much there... anyways as a result our bus was late getting back to the ship but we were the first of 2 of those tours on that bus so no major impact to us, just possibly the later group on that bus. Speaking of the bus, our tour guide was from Italy and was pretty great, overall one of the better shore excursions I have done, usually I say shore excursions are not the memorable parts of these trips. Balcony view once I got back on board (there hasn't been a bad balcony view this cruise): Late lunch in Johnny Rockets: Grilled Cheese (because diet of a teenager): Hibachi Dinner: Pub time with Laurence: Another cider since they are having issues keeping some of them stocked: Schooner time with Anthony: And as I walked back to my room, they were clearly getting ready for tonight: Today is a lazier day in Haugesund, Norway. I will get off at some point but I have less of a plan. Thanks! - Ashley

I beg to differ. Scottish fish and chips is FAR superior to English fish and chips!! Chippies (the name for a shop that sells fish and chips) all serve up in different means. Some serve in boxes now, some still put a piece of grease proof paper on what would be newsprint (not printed on, just plain newsprint paper). There is nothing quite like opening a bag of chips and the smell of vinegar hitting you smack in the face, it’s a very comforting smell Also, can I just state for the record, no matter what anyone tells you, Scottish people do not regularly eat deep fried mars bars. If you ever find yourself in chippie that sells them, run. I have reached 40 years living in Scotland and could count on one hand the number of chippies I have encountered that have sold this. It’s performative for tourists. We do batter and deep fry pizzas though

Those are for @asquared17 .

In other news…poor Hubby…he tweaked his back and his RGP flowriding session is tomorrow I think he is still going to go.

Dan has had that nasty red sauce on his Osso Bucco before. I don't know why they put it on sometimes, and sometimes they don't. I also think GT is better than GK in almost everything.

Nope, VOOM was included. It was already loaded when I boarded. I didn't either, but since my mom was paying I decided to be a guinea pig and try it out and report back to her. But for me I was on a casino comp in an oceanview room and solo on a 3-nighter, so that $900 for it was nothing compared to what others end up paying with multiple in their room on longer sailings.

Hmmmm....sounds yummy. I always ask for EXTRA Sulphur Dioxide !

Hey everyone! Here is yesterday, day 3, at sea: Started off the day with Cafe Promenade Breakfast: Went to the behind the scenes theater tour: Saw the ice show a second time this sailing but I also saw it on this ship MANY times before so it is a bit excessive but also the weather was bad and my seat was bad the first time so it gave me an excuse to stay inside and redeem my first seat: The Grease conductor did a set in the Schooner bar, no comments on him compared to our actual schooner bar entertainer other than saying I really enjoyed the Grease conductor... trying not to be rude about the actual evening entertainer but you get the idea... will probably be back on the entertainer's off night watching the Grease conductor again... Playmakers dinner, we originally had a port late on day 3 that was cancelled where I had a tour booked so it messed up the dining plans but also was in the mood for a break from sit down meals: Buffalo chicken crunch rolls: Onion Rings: Then because this was supposed to be a port evening, they didn't have a headliner so we got voices of royal instead, this can be well done, I have seen it well done on other ships since they get to pick their own songs and show there own style but this was not as well done and a couple of the singers were just not that great, hopefully they are better in Grease later this cruise: Then we had love and marriage, we were expecting maybe some UK couples but got 3 US couples. It was still a hoot: It was Canada Day and the ship celebrated... (I need to brace myself for another holiday in a few days that the MDR just updated the menu for ): Some more Laurence in the Pub: Today is Day 4 at our first port of this cruise finally, Molde, Norway. Not really much planned here except walking into town. Thanks! - Ashley

Hey All! I am behind again, here is Day 2, at Sea: Started the day with a lazy morning, skipping breakfast, came back to the room to a new towel animal: Top tier was that morning but I didn't go, here is the slide photo someone shared with me: Then we had the Pinnacle lunch: Beet Salad: Tortellini! Not the same as Royal Night in the US but it will have to do... Key Lime Pie: That Afternoon, Laurence in the pub played a randomly early hour due to the parties on the promenade: Then we had Giovanni's for dinner: Meat and Cheese Board: View from the restaurant: Carbonara (with Penne instead): Tiramisu: More late night pub fun with Laurence: And we lost that hour again: Thanks everyone! - Ashley

After Izumi we went to the Royal Theatre to watch Marquee. We have seen this before but neither one of us remembered it. It was your typical non-QN/OA/IC class show. Because we ate early tonight, we asked for a post show snack delivery. This is one of the things I love most about having a genie. Hubby and I watched a bit of Snow White while snacking on popcorn. I did not want to. D16 told me all about how “not good” it was but Hubby wanted to see Gal Gadot in it. We did not make it past the 40 min mark.

omg goOD B Y E. FOREVER!!!!!

Spent most of the afternoon relaxing on the balcony. Hubby spent a chunk of time after lunch on the Flowrider. Now headed off to dinner. We are crawling along to PDCC. Trying to decide if we actually want to watch the ice show later. Show times on this sailing are 7:30/9:30. First one is too early for us, right in the middle of dinner time, and 9:30pm feels late. We are getting so old lol