twangster

Survey says.... Look at a cruise compass from a past guest on this site:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/symphony-of-the-seas/sat-2019-01-12-0000
Playmakers 11:30am to 6pm

Seriously?  With all the nuances we see across Royal IT you can't understand why this is occurring?  ? ? ? 

Did they finish that wall barrier early?

When I sailed Mariner out of Miami there was a wedding party present and waiting in the terminal.  In this case the wedding was taking place on the ship in Miami prior to departure and many wedding guests were present as day visitors to the ship, but not sailing the cruise.
The wedding party and all day guests boarded about 20-30 minutes before regular boarding commenced starting with suites and Pinnacles.  
In the waiting area I had the opportunity to speak with some of the wedding guests as they waited.  
Once they boarded I don't know how it went for them.  I boarded right after suites and Pinnacles.
This was before terminal A was completed so Mariner was using terminal G.

Seriously?  With all the nuances we see across Royal IT you can't understand why this is occurring?  ? ? ? 

Seriously?  With all the nuances we see across Royal IT you can't understand why this is occurring?  ? ? ? 

I'd probably never know the price was increased by 250. Bring on the free drinks!! ?

Love Key West.  Love Cozumel.  Both are better experienced over time, multiple visits.  It seems only smaller ships make it into Key West so if you are planning more cruises in the future factor that into your decision.  
You cant go wrong with either.  

Seriously?  With all the nuances we see across Royal IT you can't understand why this is occurring?  ? ? ? 

Sabor can have some odd hours for lunch, such as starting at 3pm.  
Suggest you look over some Allure cruise compasses to get an idea:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=274

Not as of December.  I asked, then stood in line like everyone else.  
To be honest it works in airports because a large number of fliers tend to be non-US citizens so having a lane for Mobile Passport or Global Entry works because of the number of eligible people who would qualify for that line.
At a cruise port, the vast majority of guests are eligible to use Mobile Passport so it doesn't work as well in my experience at a cruise port like it does at an airport.  

I doubt Virgin will have any impact to the big three.  Different target audience, different pricing model, different product.  Especially with just one ship.  
MSC is someone to watch.  They plan to crank out ships over the next few years and take on the big three closer in that market.  

Thanks @twangster! I had read this a few weeks ago when we were booked for this itinerary but went through it again today with the pictures back on there. Those are so awesome! We had to move to the week after due to school being extended (snow/ice days) and I'm bummed not to be able to visit Roatan and Costa Maya. 

I doubt Virgin will have any impact to the big three.  Different target audience, different pricing model, different product.  Especially with just one ship.  
MSC is someone to watch.  They plan to crank out ships over the next few years and take on the big three closer in that market.  

@JeffCruiser - welcome to the message boards!
Shorter cruises and Caribbean cruises tend to be less strict on dress recommendations.  Some European cruises can run a little more strict.
The key is that Royal has "recommendations" and not a absolute dress code. 
Bathing suits / swimwear are more likely to get called out in the MDR.  Regular shorts and any shirt is generally okay for breakfast and lunch on the MDR.    Casual dinner in the MDR with long pants and a shirt with a collar (polo or button shirt) is average.  Cut off jeans and a t-shirt may work on one ship but catch the eye of the restaurant staff on another ship or different night on the same ship.
I have hiking pants with lower leg sections that zipper off.  At night I zip on the lower leg sections and I have full length pants, by day they are shorts.  They work fine on casual nights.

I'm sure you are correct, just wishful thinking.  Although an enclosed solarium is going to be hot in South FL.  Granted Texas isn't cool in the summer either.  
I'm hoping they rotate more ships into Galveston with the new pier.  Sticking with one 'anchor' ship for so many years in a row will drive people to look elsewhere. 

I am almost always booked through a travel agent and once in a while that link will appear.  My payments are processed by the agency and i can't pay direct using the website even i wanted to.  
Royal IT... the mystery continues.  

I hate to break it to you, but twangster saw his shadow.   You all know what that means...

Don't believe @Matt, he is a solarium-roof-open denier ?
They had the Vision solarium roof open this past January during a port day but not at sea.  This was in Miami when we stopped there for the day.
You can see the roof open in this scope at the 57 s mark.
https://www.periscope.tv/thetwangster/1ypJdOAkVPoGW 
This is the Vision solarium with the roof open from the scope: 

More Roatán pictures.















After this it was back to the ship for a Windjammer lunch.  I'm not going to show all the food stations for lunch, there is just too much food, but I did find that was of particular interest.

This container was full when I first approached.  What can I say other than... yum.
After this and with the 1pm hour arriving that meant the slides were open.  No lines!
The Tidal Wave requires two victims passengers.  Fortunately a passing guest was eager to share a ride so we did it twice.  We almost got to touch the wall at the top.  We both resolved to return to the Windjammer to add a few more pounds in our quest to touch the top of the tidal wave slide.  
The Perfect Storm rides were also awesome and with no lines I got my workout in climbing the stairs several times.  I think I like the green one better, more interesting lighting effects.

My Cruise Compass posted here
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compasses/independence-of-the-seas/fri-2019-01-25-0000
has the departure letter included at the end

I called the bags to go last week, $8/bag per day open from 9:30-5pm daily

Keep in mind... I sailed in an inside cabin on Radiance last year in Alaska.  This photo was taken from the Windjammer outdoor seating area on deck 11 aft.
Consider your overall cruise budget.  Alaska excursions tend to be more expensive compared to many destinations.  I chose to put money towards excursions and sailed inside cabin but made a point of not being in my cabin very much.  By taking advantage of public decks I enjoyed that cruise very much.

I'm sure you are correct, just wishful thinking.  Although an enclosed solarium is going to be hot in South FL.  Granted Texas isn't cool in the summer either.  
I'm hoping they rotate more ships into Galveston with the new pier.  Sticking with one 'anchor' ship for so many years in a row will drive people to look elsewhere.