Dawn T.

Hi Joe! We have always taken Rob's suit in a garment bag to cruise since we don't have to fly. With my first "cruise" flight next March, I want to ask you if you know why garment bags are not allowed on flights any more. Do you know why? One suggestion that I can make on the packing is to put the suit in a dry cleaner bag. Rob swears it helps.

I will do that. Thanks for the tip!

I think this means you already have your airline tickets for this December cruise. When did you actually purchase your tickets? Do you think you got a good price, at least as good as you would get? (I have to say, this flight thing is a pain! I like living in Florida and driving to my cruise ports. )

OP changed his post to include the $500 on Anthem. I quoted his original post in my reply above. To @Cory G, for a $500 increase on Anthem, I say absolutely do it, even though I haven't sailed on Anthem yet. To me, the extra space, double points and dinner access to Coastal Kitchen would be totally worth the bump in price.

For me this depends on many things. How much is the upgrade? Which ship? Do I get to select the JS or is Royal selecting for me? I book really early and always select my cabins. With that said, the extra space in a JS is always nice, so are the double points.

Thanks for the clarification @twangster. I actually expected to prepay my tips when paying off the trip. I figured they weren't included since we booked in the U.S. Regarding the possibility of a live blog from you for your Ovation cruise in January 2019, I can only say PLEASE DO THIS! I know I am not alone in the hope that you will live blog!

The flight is from Orlando to LA, then from LA to Sydney. I completely agree with the extra time pre-cruise in Sydney to re-adjust. We are now thinking of leaving a day sooner too, because of the lost day thing. I couldn't agree more with your last comment! I am counting the days, and it doesn't hurt that we have 3 cruises before that one!

Love this advice! Great idea and something I probably wouldn't have thought to do. I still can't believe that our first time flying to cruise and we picked Australia! I guess it is that one time thing you mentioned for the anniversary. Thanks again for all your help!

I think it was about $7k per person for us too for business/first when I did a mock booking. Congrats on your upcoming 40th! We will be celebrating our 30th anniversary for our trip next March. And, yes, it is a LONG flight. I don't like flying from Florida to the west coast. I will admit, I am apprehensive for the flying part.

@F1guynz Thanks for providing the link to your live blog on Explorer from Sydney. I loved it! I didn't see this when it was originally posted. GREAT photos!

Thanks for this information @tiny260. We are looking at premium economy for the international portion of this flight rather than coach. Rob is retired military, and has physical issues with flying coach. Would love to do business / first, but I know that isn't in the budget.

Thank you SO much! You have provided so much great information! You are awesome!

We live in Central Florida and have always cruised the Caribbean from Florida ports. Next March (2019), we are branching out and flying to Sydney, Australia for a 9-night South Pacific cruise on the Ovation of the Seas. I have a few questions. I'm sure I will think of more questions as the trip gets closer! For now, here are my questions: 1) When is the best time to book the flight for the best price? 2) Hotel recommendation in Sydney to stay pre-cruise. We plan to arrive several days before we cruise. We would like to stay somewhere near the cruise port, which is near the Sydney Opera House (based on our research). We want a hotel that is reasonably priced, not the Ritz, but not a roach motel either. 3) Restaurant recommendations in Sydney. 4) Transportation recommendations in Sydney. Rent a car? Uber, etc.? Public transportation availability? 5) Are U.S. dollars accepted or should we exchange for local currency? 6) What is South Pacific weather like in March? Any tips or hints are welcome for both Sydney and the Ovation. This will our first cruise on a Quantum class ship. Thanks!

Really enjoying your blog! We cruise on Anthem for the first time in October 2019, but planning is essential! Enjoy your day at KSC tomorrow.

The only part that I remembered from that galley tour was the labor issue. Rob reminded me that the chef also said that the demand for the midnight buffet just wasn't high enough, and that resulted in high food waste. He did give us good information on the hours worked and why the midnight buffet became a labor issue, but I don't remember specifically what he said. It made sense at the time though. I didn't realize other lines still do this, so maybe Royal really did cut it for cost issues.

My husband and I had a galley tour a few years ago and the chef told us they had to eliminate the midnight buffet because of labor laws. He said it caused the crew to work too many hours.

Very excited for your live blog on Anthem! Rob and I are on Anthem for the first time October 2019. It is NEVER too early to start planning! Safe travels and have a wonderful cruise!

I would like to add my thanks for posting this as well @LetsTryThisTech. My husband and I are on the Freedom for the 3rd time in April. We had these menus on Oasis last September. Very happy to see that they are on Freedom! Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

I am really enjoying following along here. @twangster you take AMAZING photos!

Fabulous idea!

Just noticed this thread yesterday. My husband and I are sailing on the Harmony in September of this year for the first time. We were booked in a 2C balcony. We love junior suites, but I usually can't justify the higher price. My original price for the 2C (booked on 3/26/17) was $2,313. Last December there was a sale and price came down to $2,075. I almost never see price drops now, so I was shocked. (I saved over $250 on a 2019 cruise that same day too. It was a good day!) Anyway, when I read this post, I decided to check the price of junior suites for our September 2018 Harmony trip. I typically believe if the difference between the balcony and JS is in the $500 - $700 range, it is worth the increase. Price for the JS was $3,067, BUT it came with $100 OBC and free gratuities. Further justification for the upgrade, it is a much bigger cabin and we can eat in the Coastal Kitchen for dinner! The balcony cabins on the Oasis ships seem so tight. (We have had 3 on Oasis and 1 on Allure.) So, we decided the $1,000 upgrade was worth it. We got a cabin on the bump out, so the balcony will be bigger too. VERY EXCITED for our first Harmony trip in a junior suite! So, @Sabrinaklai thanks for starting the thought process to my Harmony junior suite.

This is exactly what we do. I just put money into a separate vacation savings account. I used to make payments to Royal like @WAAAYTOOO does, but it got too confusing. I book early and have 6 booked now through the end of next year. My brain couldn't handle making payments on multiple trips. So much easier for me to just put the money into savings for later.

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I second this! Curacao is my favorite Caribbean island also, and I have only been there once. I plan to return at some point. I have cruised on Navigator 3 times and it is a great ship! We have cruised the Southern Caribbean several times, and it was always from South Florida ports. You can't go wrong with the Navigator to the Southern Caribbean from Miami!

We got a military discount on our first Royal Caribbean cruise back in July of 2010. I think it was $250.00. I haven't seen one since. I always check the box for military though when I make my reservations. Our discount in 2010 was even after final payment and Royal applied it as an onboard credit. I don't think that would happen now. After final payment, they will not give you reductions to your price. It doesn't hurt to keeping checking your reservation to see if another sale or the military discount should pop up. Oasis is an amazing ship and you will love it! Have a great cruise!