Matt

Seeing as you live in the UK, I believe there is some cost to changing your sailing. To be honest, I'm not very familiar with the UK booking rules, but it was my understanding that unlike the USA, you cannot change sailings without some cost being incurred. I would check with your travel agent for specifics.

Sounds like you have a great cruise planned!

Welcome! Check out this first timer's guide to Oasis of the Seas: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/01/31/first-time-cruisers-guide-royal-caribbeans-oasis-of-the-seas

March is not a time of year where missing a port is common. It really boils down to which islands are of greater interest to you. In general, Eastern Caribbean islands tend to have the perception of having prettier beaches (clear water, white sand, etc) but Western Caribbean beaches are lovely too. I'd probably consider a secondary option for picking the sailing, like ship, cost, room type, etc.

With apologies to @Christie, the jump in price from Sky Class to Star Class continuously amazes me

Sounds about right. Plus, walkie talkies/2 way radios are super annoying to other guests.

Welcome Wanderer!

I like the theory of the PIP. I shouldn't be penalized for booking well in advance. Like @DocLC, over the last year or so, I've consistently seen prices only go up from where I booked. The Harmony of the Seas GC is the only exception I've spotted to date, where after final payment date prices for a few suites plummeted. It turned out to be because someone booked a bunch of suites with no intention of actually staying in them. I would have preferred the PIP keep those room prices up, but then again, I was able to upgrade to them. It seems to me the only people who would not like the PIP is someone living near a cruise port who traditionally enjoyed jumping on last minute fares. I doubt that demographic is a sizeable one, nor one RC is looking to grow.

My biggest issue with the bag special is not the price, but the turn around time. Seems to take a couple days, so unless you get them in by like day 3 or 4, not much point for a 7 night cruise.

Ideally, a flight between 11am-1pm. Probably something in the 12:00 hour would be idea, so you don't feel rushed getting off ship, but not sitting in the airport for hours either.

Most ships don't have the photo at online check-in, just the newer ships

Indoor muster drill stations are the best. Being able to sit down in air conditioning makes such a big difference, especially in summer months.

For a second I thought Raye was posting about the Harmony GC sailing and I just about fell out of my chair, until I read 2019.

The bulk of the menu is the same. The difference really is limited to if they offer hot rocks or not. You can refer to the menus listed here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/menus

You just get bonus OBC on top of whatever deal RC is running to the general public

If there is one, it is never mentioned or enforced.

Totally agree. I see it all the time.

This is my crowning achievement!

To help fill in empty staterooms, Royal Caribbean will offer a guarantee room rate. This means you pick a category of stateroom that you are promised you will receive nothing less than that. In fact, you might even be upgraded to something higher. On top of it, you will pay less than someone who picks their stateroom. The "catch" to a guarantee room is that Royal Caribbean will assign your room number at some point between when you book the stateroom and your sail date. You are essentially trading the ability to pick your stateroom location for a lower cruise fare.

It definitely says on the sheet what the bag is limited to. Whether or not they will cause a problem for you if you put pants/jeans in there is another question. The bag is rather small, so pants take up a lot of space. If you do just t-shirts, undergarments and socks you can really stuff that bag effectively.

I recognize that first and foremost, RC is a business. Their #1 goal is to make money. Making us happy is a priority, but like any business, profit comes first. So when I see these kind of changes, I certainly don't like it or say it's something I'd wish for, but it's their prerogative and at the end of the day, I still enjoy cruising with them. If it reaches a point where it's not financially viable for me to cruise with them (see Disney Cruise Line), I start looking elsewhere. I doubt anyone will say they like NextCruise better with this change. I certainly don't, but as stated earlier, I never booked my cruises based on the deposit amount. Reduced deposit is a great perk, but it's more like icing on the cake. I joked with my wife this change (along with the suite non-refundable change earlier this year) makes my decision so much easier to skip NextCruise all together. Less temptation, and more money in my pocket. I'm booking cruises years in advance anyway, so it has become rarer to book onboard. There's no question RC has been making changes over last year or so aimed at increasing their bottom line. Drink package "sales", onboard promotions for buying drink/dining packages, non-refundable deposits, etc. Business is booming for RC, so they are less reliant on offering steep discounts as often as they once did. I think we can all see that writing on the wall. I guess what I'm trying to say is while I don't love the change, I sort of understand it on some level and it won't stop me from cruising RC. I think as fans, we absolutely don't have to like everything the cruise line does and should call them out on poor choices. I file this one under "que sera sera".

I'd agree with that, but doubt we see this change anytime soon.

The quick and dirty review is it's a tremendous value, but it's a lot of food.

Ditto