twangster

9/29/19 Harmony sailing shows 8-5 for Roatan on the website today:

On Harmony in Port Canaveral it's common to see folks on the jogging track at the aft during sail away on PTZ web cams: https://www.portcanaveralwebcam.com/ Looks like Mariner is starting a cruise today. Check out the webcam this weekend when Harmony sails away.

Royal ships tend to change time to match island time. Fewer missing passengers that way.

In North America it is not normal for any TA to have to wait for a price request. Here, TAs have a direct line to a team within Royal that supports agencies and that team has access at hours that exceed the public phone number the rest of us who are not agents have to call. If booked direct through NextCruise following the US process you should be able to call Royal directly in the US.

To get an idea what cruising on Anthem out of Bayonne in winter is like you can check out my previous live blogs from her: December 2017 B2B https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5068-anthem-112517-712-b2b/ January 2018 https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/5387-anthem-11919-9-night-bahamas/

Correction, debarking December 2017: Brrrr....

Which ship? Boarding ritual - arrive early and grab a bite to eat upon boarding. Often a beverage is consumed shortly after boarding. If you are new to cruising or on a class of ship you've never sailed the intro can be informative and helpful. The "Guest Assembly Drill" or "Muster Drill" is typically about 20 minutes but often guests arrive prior to the official start of the drill. No life jackets required. For sail away I tend to watch from the pool deck or one deck above the pool deck. This varies by ship though.

Listen to the cruise line, always. Keep in mind a 7AM arrival doesn't necessarily mean the ship will be secured to the pier and cleared by local immigration officials at 7AM.

When I debarked Anthem in January 2018 there was snow on the ground. Yikes!

Sorry about that, I got a little excited on that cruise...

When I cruised Anthem in December and January I experienced what I called "Long Pants" days and "Shorts" days. The ship is heated so it's not like you'll need to bundle up around the ship. Layers would be overkill, its not an Alaskan cruise. Maybe through in an extra pair of long pants in your suit case. You'll likely be wearing a coat on your way to the ship to embark and that's all I needed for those occasions i ventured outside on northern sea days. I'm booked in early January next year. I'll simply bring an extra pair of jeans.

It's a new feature offered by Apple. It's called iTalk. It's fairly simple really and it's a wonder no phone manufacturer featured it before. Critics of Apple have pointed it the new feature really just turns off the phone and argue Android phones have had this capability longer than Apple and that Apple is simply copying Android once again. Not to be outdone, Samsung is said to be rolling out this feature on it's future super duper bendy models calling the new feature "SamsungTalk".

Those flights are already off the schedule, it's not like they are waiting for the day to start then cancelling flights that day. They know through October which flights won't fly and have adjusted the flight schedule already. Two weeks ago I had the option of moving September and October flights around without change fees. I didn't need to.

I don't know if they are switching existing itineraries or simply starting to offer new itineraries that include CocoCay which typically haven't been offered from Tampa before. Is anyone offering a specific date for a cruise that has been re-routed or is it a case of someone noticing the newly offered itineraries and assuming they have been re-routed?

You must be blocked from IMGUR where pictures after boarding are stored.

To further complicate it, Harmony is a former RoyalIQ ship that features the loophole that allows iMessage to work for free. That hidden feature is to allow push notifications to work which happens to use the same ports as iMessage. This is likely why Royal chose to migrate Harmony to the new app to test chat on a ship where push notifications work already. Unfortunately it causes confusion with reporting when people don't understand the nuances involved in experiences on one ship versus another ship. Push notifications may work on Harmony and they are likely trying different things on Allure to see if they can get push notifications to work on Allure without the full iMessage bypass that Harmony has. One cruise push might work then another it doesn't as Royal tries different things on Allure. Bottom line - it's in beta right now and results on either ship are in no way indicative of long term behavior.

Mariner got nothing in the cabins. Navigator got new sofas, chair bottom and backs replaced, new carpet. The built in desk and closets stayed the same, nightstands stayed the same, the bathroom was untouched, maybe mattresses replaced? Balcony cabins new artwork, interior not so much. So they didn't gut the cabin to the studs and rebuild them but they did refresh Navigator's cabins. Mariner's pool deck didn't get much love but the Solarium did (quite nice). Voyager's Solarium is supposed to as well. That's why I'm thinking Voyager AMP is much like Mariner's AMP minus Skypad and minus Promenade changes, plus cabin "refresh" what ever that is (which Mariner did not get).

With access to the Suite Lounge I'm assuming you are Sky or Star Class suite. Beer and wine is available from 11am to 11pm but it's a limited menu. Evenings from 5pm to 8:30pm there is a cocktail happy hour with well drinks included. Times can vary slightly. I have always purchased the Deluxe Beverage Package when in a loft or grand suite simply because I don't have to visit the suite lounge on deck 17 if I feel like a drink and with the DX I can choose from a broader range of beers, wines and alcohol. If I'm on the pool deck and I feel like a drink I don't want to go to deck 17. If I want a frozen drink by the pool those aren't available in the suite lounge. If I'm hanging out on the suite sun deck with it's own bar, that isn't included unless you have the DX package (suite lounge and suite sun deck are separate and only the suite lounge has the complimentary bar). I like the suite sun deck, it's quiet, lots of chairs and often is there no wait for a drink. If I'm at a show or in the comedy club and want a drink, the DX package works. When at their private destinations (CocoCay or Labadee) the DX package works off the ship. So many reasons to get the DX even if you get complimentary drinks in the deck 17 suite lounge.

Concur. When I have CK access I try to eat every meal there. The catch can be on some ships a Junior Suite (Sea Class) doesn't have guaranteed access to the best times and for dinner only. Full suites, Grand Suite and higher (Sky and Star Class) have better access to times and all day access (breakfast, lunch and dinner). So CK access can vary depending on suite class. In my opinion, CK is better than MDR and in some cases equal to or better than some speciality dining. #TeamCK

Yeah, I understand. I've been to some really nice spas in resort hotels. It's nothing like that on a ship. You can tour the facility on boarding day. Typically the walk up rate is the same as buying it before so you might visit the spa on boarding day and ask about the Thermal Suite Pass.

Here is Symphony's Thermal Suite: Doors on left are the sauna and steam room. Cool down shower through the black opening further down. No pools or hot tubs.

Sauna, steam room and heated ceramic beds within an area called the Thermal Suite that is co-ed so bathing suits are required. Varies by ship to a degree. Hours typically follow general Vitality Spa hours since you have to check in.

Your print at home SetSail pass has a barcode on it used to scan you onto the ship and for any purchases prior to getting your actual SeaPass cards.

Passport cards have another benefit when flying domestically if your state doesn't participate in enhanced drivers licenses or real ID. Passport cards are accepted when flying in place of a state DL Real ID. While the deadline has been pushed around a bit October 2020 is looming and carrying a passport card solves any ambiguity over the matter.

The only cruises where the online check in required a passport book were one-way Alaska (to or from Canada) and transatlantics. In my experience the on-line check in won't let you check in using inadequate ID for the journey. When I did the San Juan Adventure repositioning cruise to Bayonne I checked in with my passport card. I find cruises easier with passport card when allowed, easy to carry and pull out of a pocket in the terminal like photo ID when flying. The only time I haven't used my passport card were the times listed above. I've never cruised without a passport so have no experience using a birth certificate.