Matt

Wonderful letter, thank you so much for your support Mark!

Save shopping for the end. The shops in Phillipsburg are closest to the ship. I'd go Mullet Beach first, sight seeing, Maho and shopping in that order. It sounds like you are leaning on the Dutch side more than French side. That's why I recommend getting to beach early and doing that, then taking a break when beach crowds get busiest to explore and sightsee and wrap it up with Maho stop and shopping.

Not much other than bragging rights. There will be inaugural cruise merchandise, but I don't think that is a compelling reason to book.

I think the issue here is she is past final payment. If this were prior to final payment, I agree, it is a mere formality. As others suggested, contact your TA or RC and ask. Nothing to lose by asking.

The alternative option is you drive to the port and drop off the kids (and an adult) with luggage at port, then take care to off-site parking and come back alone with no luggage.

In terms of is it possible to change cabins after final payment, if you want to spend more money (i.e. upgrade to new category), RC is usually pretty receptive about taking your money.

Welcome to the boards, Tanya! So glad you came here and are giving RC a try over DCL. You are in good company :)

On my Quantum of the Seas cruise a couple years ago, the itinerary changed a number of times (at least 4-5) and there was no notice other than me checking the cruise info manually.

Oasis 4: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-cruise-ships-order

If it says 7pm, then 6:30 is likely all aboard. I would never arrive that late. Always give yourself more than enough time to get back and to me, that is at least 2 hours.

Good point, Angie. Old Compass' provide a ballpark idea of what to expect.

There are no formal nights on Quantum-class ships. Dress codes are restaurant specific. In The Grande, every night is formal night and specialty restaurants have their own dress code.

I always park at the port. I love saving money, but the convenience factor is so worth it to me. One time in Port Canaveral we were going to park off site, pulled into the off-site parking lot and saw a huge line of people waiting for a shuttle. NOPE! I made a quick U-Turn and went back to the port to park.

My guess is China deployments seem to be a special breed and they are handled differently

While there are some stores that are closed, there's still plenty of options in my experience.

Nectar of the gods

Look for chairs closer to the kids pools. Evidently their kryptonite is children

A common question in our room was, "What is Jerel up to?" and then I would respond, "Let me go check" :lol:

Royal Caribbean has stopped really advertising the normal price, but at last check it was $69.62 per person, per day: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/royal-caribbean-beverage-packages

Sounds like a good tour! I will have to remember it for my next visit to St. Kitts

Harmony is brand new, so I am not sure you will find photos of that particular room yet.

On Royal Caribbean ships that do not have a freestanding Starbucks kiosk (all ships except for Oasis class), certain unlimited drink packages can be used to pay for Starbucks beverages. These packages include the Royal Replenish and Ultimate alcohol package.

The Voom Surf & Stream provides higher speeds and the ability to stream video, whereas you have slower speeds and blocked access to video streaming with the other package.

Our Harmony GC got the same notification. Free 30 extra minutes of cruise time!

That's what compelled me to take ultimate package over premium for my upcoming Freedom cruise. 1 coffee per day and it's break even