KWong

It depends on the ship. If it's one of the newer ships (I want to say Quantum Class, Icon Class, Harmony and Symphony but please correct me if I'm wrong), they have RFID cards so you'd have no problems there.
I believe all the other ships use magstripe cards, which may or may not be an issue. It's been so long since I've relied on the magstripe on a card that I don't know if a cellphone will mess up a magstripe.

Just saying a quick hello here, first time in about four years. I just booked the 12-night Odyssey sailing in Jan 2025, which is an itinerary I've been wanting to do kind of since I first started sailing with Royal in 2018 and learned about it. Seemed like a nice way to celebrate turning 55. 🙂
To everyone I haven't spoken with in all these years, hope you've been well!

And there I thought it was a sign on the loo door on Ryanair, LOL! 🤣

When I look at the title I’m thinking that’s pretty expensive for a pay 🚽 

I've used Euro adapters for things like my laptop. But of course a laptop has it's own converter so no issues on that front. Also used an adapter for my Anker USB Powerport with no issues, apart from the flimsiness of having an adapter and a USB multiport attached to it. For my trip to France last year, I ended up buying some Euro-specific USB multiports and ended up using those on my last cruise as well.

I would use the American outlet for the fridge and get a euro adapter for device charging since those don't care about voltage

Yes, Explorer is the same as the rest of the fleet for craps.  $10 min, 1x odds.  $25+, 2x odds.  $50+ 3x/4x/5x odds.
I only play roulette a little but it's definitely a double zero (American) wheel.

Thanks. I play a bit but not enough to get comps, so not that worried about it. And I hate slots.
But I do like to know what I'm getting into before I get there. Bad house odds will probably limit my casino time a bit more than I planned.

Thanks. I play a bit but not enough to get comps, so not that worried about it. And I hate slots.
But I do like to know what I'm getting into before I get there. Bad house odds will probably limit my casino time a bit more than I planned.

Not sure about Explorer specifically, but in general I see craps with only 1x odds and blackjack only pays 6 to 5 on RC ships.  I have not noticed a triple zero roulette wheel, but it would not surprise me if that's what they offer (I am not a roulette fan and have not looked at it specifically).  For these reasons, I generally avoid serious play on their table games and usually spend time in poker tournaments when they are available, or just casually and socially playing slots with my wife.  Slots get you the best chance for comps on the ship if that's what you are after.  They have invite only high roller areas with better odds on some ships primarily for Asian markets, but they usually are not open for sailings in Western markets.

So my old Platinum and Emerald ones are now 'collectible'?  Ebay here I come...
 

I will try to come back and post this.  Our sailing is not for another year.  But booking hotels and flights will have to start happening soon.  I prefer to book well in advance for our hotels and keep track of the price to see if I can get a better deal down the road.

This sounds good, KWong.  We'll certainly keep it in mind for future possibility.  Thanks!

And they told two friends. And so on. And so on.

I went on Regal Princess over New Year's. Skews older, not that many bells and whistles in terms of activities. Really nice ship if one of your main goals is to relax and not do too much. Not a good ship if you like waterslides, rock walls etc. You definitely have to make your own fun. But if you're ok with that, it is quite enjoyable.

I actually prefer the location north of the airport. And there are a bunch of other hotels in the area as well - Matt I think you've reviewed at least 1 or 2 of them?
I really like the fact that the rooms are BIG. Even if you're only there for a night, it's nice for four people to be able to spread out and not feel like you're walking over each other - plenty of time for that when you're onboard and in the staterooms!
Plus the area has a lot of food and amenities in case you've forgotten anything, or need to buy wine.

WE bring such things everywhere we go.  I am diabetic and sometimes need a snack to keep my blood sugar from going too low.  Especially on the ship or shore excursion that I might be more active than normal.  They just need to be unopened prepackaged and you will have no issues.

It only matters if the country that you are visiting requires it to be within the 6 months. The is a common requirement in Europe, but not the Caribbean. I would bring a driver license and birth certificate just to he on the safe side,  but you should be ok.

We've also traditionally tipped over and above (and I build it into our travel budget), but to reiterate everyone else it's not necessary to do so.
As for how much over and above... I don't know that there's a "correct" way to do this.
For the stateroom attendant, it ends up being slightly more than what I would tip housekeeping at a hotel.
For the servers, it's a few dollars, per person, per day, and rounding to the nearest 10. For us, a family of four, it works out to a decent amount.

We've also traditionally tipped over and above (and I build it into our travel budget), but to reiterate everyone else it's not necessary to do so.
As for how much over and above... I don't know that there's a "correct" way to do this.
For the stateroom attendant, it ends up being slightly more than what I would tip housekeeping at a hotel.
For the servers, it's a few dollars, per person, per day, and rounding to the nearest 10. For us, a family of four, it works out to a decent amount.

Sounds like a nice backup flotation device

Self serve buffet has been around virtually since the dawn of mass cruising. It’s been the industry standard for decades and very little has changed. Although I have only been cruising since 2015, I very rarely have been on a ship where Norovirus raised its ugly head. When it did, the ship went to a ‘code red’ and instituted pre-planned health protocols which included crew-served buffets.
I would like to see a choice program at the buffet. Many food-type stations are repeated throughout the buffet. Give passengers a choice to get their meal from a self-serve or a crew-served buffet station. Then the cruise lines can get an idea of what their customers want. Stand in line for a crew-served station…or move quickly through a self serve. Just an idea.

I tried to get info for Rome, but search defaulted to Barcelona.  Guess they need to work out bugs.  Not sure about competitiveness of rates

Naa, it's Haiti's fault. 😆 they shouldn't have that island in the way of the trash.