MaryCS62

I've made my own cheese plate in WJ (to-go) before. Also always a nice snack option if you have access to the DL or SL. No matter what you think of the food onboard, tough to go wrong with cheese. 😁

Sorry, I need a little clarification on this (mobility challenged, currently walk with a cane due to bad knees, used a scooter on Anthem & will be using one on Oasis, otherwise I'd never get anywhere, but hoping not to have to on Vision next year) - when you say "gain access to the handicap lane" - is that for driving for drop off for checked luggage, or something else? DH and I are traveling from NJ, will come down the day before, stay at a hotel & drive to the port to park there. Is there a way for him to drop me off at a spot I won't have to use the ramps? He can park & walk from there no problem, but it will be easier for me not to have to do that.

Thinking about embarking next year on the Vision OTS out of Baltimore. Haven't been out of that port yet and would appreciate comments, both positive & negative, about this port. Specifically, ease to get there, parking, security, condition of the port. Thanks in advance. Here's a health tip for everyone: If you feel like you are hungry, you may just be thirsty. Try drinking a pitcher of margaritas and see how you feel! 😎

Even though I use a TA, I still put a reminder in my calendar 3 weeks before final payment is due.  With all the other family members making their payments I find it extremely hard to believe that no one mentioned it to all family going......

No, as far as I know, irons and ironing boards are not allowed in cabins - you can't bring an iron or steamer on board, and they have ironing services available for a charge

Yeah, it's not even a consideration if everyone isn't getting WiFi.  That's just too big of a nut to overcome value wise.
At this very minute the delta on my next cruise between WiFi and The Key is $17 pp/day which makes it an absolute no go.  On my last cruise, it started at about $14 more PP/Day, but when it dropped to a $5 delta then it was just 35 bucks pp for the entire cruise and there is value at that delta.
I wonder if they are selling any The Key at $45/day which I have seen listed on my next cruise.  I suppose they do, but for me, it would seem silly to spend $315 pp on The Key when UDP is $243 +grat.
Because of the wide swings, it's an item that really has to be watched if you're interested in the perks at all.

Both of you who replied about sailing being sold out in winter months really can't compare it to summer months. An August sailing on Symphony hits different than a Jan/Feb sailing on Symphony. 
Also keep in mind that specialty restaurants can be sold out and not look full. If they are understaffed, they will only seat so many people. 

They would love to!  Unfortunately Southwest only flies into LGA 😞

I started tracking Quantum's 7 day menus once they arrived in Canada/Alaska last week as I have 2 weeks booked later this summer and also want to figure out where I want to make specialty reservations.
Last week it was:
1-Welcome Aboard, 2-France, 3-Mexico, 4-Caribbean, 5-Italy, 6-Royal, 7-Bon Voyage
This week it is
1-Welcome Aboard, 2-France, 3-Asia, 4-Italy, 5-USA, 6-Royal, 7-Bon Voyage
so days 3, 4, and 5 differ from the previous week and 2 of them are completely different menus. Am going to continue tracking for curiosity's sake... 

Welcome aboard was ok, but I did skip Italian night - it looked too heavy. I also would skip Mexican night, really not enough that appealed to me.  Our upcoming 9 night, we're in a Jr Suite on Oasis, so hoping to get into CK for the nights that don't look appealing. Don't want to do specialty, because we're following that one with a 7 night UDP, so will do specialty to our heart's content then 😀

If you're driving and want something different, consider Staten Island (we stumbled onto the idea during Boy Scout camping trip) - 
Hampton Inn and Suites Staten Island, New York Hotel (hilton.com)  (free basic breakfast, perfect for pre-cruise)
https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/ewrsigi-hilton-garden-inn-new-york-staten-island/  (no free breakfast, unusual for this brand)
We used Staten Island Ferry for a day in Manhattan.  Then super-easy ~20 min drive over the Bayonne Bridge.  Also some great pizza nearby - 
Joe & Pat's Pizzeria And Restaurant | Staten Island, New York (joeandpatsny.com)
Denino's Pizzeria & Tavern | 718-442-9401 (deninossi.com)
And if the season is right (they shut down) - 
Ralph's Italian Ices & Ice Cream, 501 Port Richmond Ave (near Denino's)

Our last 7 day in March, DH wanted to do Jamie's one night, so I picked what I thought was going to be Mexican night, because that didn't appeal to me.  However, a few weeks before, they changed Mexican to British, which was annoying because British night did appeal to me, and I wanted to go.  I ended up cancelling and rebooking Jamies for Italian night, since that 1) didn't look that great either and 2) I didn't want Italian twice in 1 week.  
You could likely change your reservation to another day/time onboard if you get on the ship and realize you want MDR the night you booked specialty
 

I would start by calling/emailing the special needs department -- https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs as soon as possible to find out exactly what you need to do and explain to them what you will need. At the very least, you will probably need them to supply an extension cord for the IV pump.

For my GF daughter, safest option is to have scheduled dining (NOT MTD), so that you have the same waiter pairing every day. Also, go to your dining room when you first board, introduce yourselves to the headwaiter, and inform him/her about the issue. They will be on top of it and be an extra layer of protection.

Awesome @caffeinated!
We like traditional dining and choose the early seating.  We prefer it because we like to walk up and go directly to our table, no waiting.  Same table, waiter and time each night.  MTD is sort of like on land restaurant dining.  For the best results you would still reserve individual MTD slots each day or you can just show up.  the former results in a shorter wait than the latter.  
You of course don't' need to dine in the MDR (Main Dining Room) each night, you are welcome to hit the buffet or any of the specialty restaurants (at an extra charge for specialty).
Drink packages are personal and they are costly.  For the Deluxe Package (Alcohol), I always say that if someone needs it, they know they need it.  Otherwise I recommend you fund your own drink package as you can probably save.  For Soda package, if you're moderate soda drinker there is probably value there.  it comes out to only like 3 soda's per day.  Refreshment package is in between and good for those that want mocktails, specialty coffees and soda.  
We're all over the board in our clan.  I take Soda, teenagers get Refreshment and my wife brings 2 bottles of wine onboard and we self fund the rest with no package.  Just remember when doing drink calculations per day, that you are talking every day including port days when you may be off the ship.  Your drink packages will work in the private stops of Labadee and Coco Cay.
Other tips.  Get a passport.  Arrive in port a day early.  Pack less than you think you need to pack.  If there is something you want from the cruise planner, it will not be less expensive on the ship.  If an item in CP is at a price you can accept, buy it, don't wait.  If it goes down you can cancel and rebook it.  Try to plan less and let your experiences onboard guide you.  Don't worry if you don't do everything, the ship will sail again.

The dining package is cheaper than reserving individually, so the trade-off is getting a better price for possibly less than desirable times.

The dining package is cheaper than reserving individually, so the trade-off is getting a better price for possibly less than desirable times.

The dining package is cheaper than reserving individually, so the trade-off is getting a better price for possibly less than desirable times.

Dear Matt,
My wife and I decided to celebrate our 50th anniversary as a Star Class passengers on Oasis of the Seas based upon what we learned from you and your Royal Caribbean blog on YouTube. We thank you and your blog for a wonderful cruise.
Based upon your advice:
We scoured recent Cruise Compasses for Oasis of the Seas. When our  Royal Genie, Derrick Martis (who made our cruise magical), contacted us prior to the cruise, we texted him a list of what we wanted to do. Upon boarding, Derrick presented us with a full schedule (date, time and location) of everything we asked for. Unfortunately the Aqua Show was cancelled because of a hydraulic leak. 
We checked in (including the health questionnaire) online and got to the ship at our scheduled boarding time so boarding was a snap. We went directly to our muster station. This entire process, curb to cabin, took less than 30 minutes. Also, we bought yellow highlighter, the plastic luggage tags and metal hooks. The luggage tags and highlighter were really helpful, however you should know that suite 1701 on Oasis of the Seas has wallpaper on drywall so the metal hooks don’t stick. It was pretty funny going from surface to surface trying to find non existent metal for the hooks and repeatedly watching them fall to the floor. 

Starting night 1 we went to the Trellis bar in Central Park to enjoy the beautiful view, the Blue Hawaiians (Trellis bar special) and a musician playing Spanish music on an acoustic guitar. Having the Ultimate Drink package allowed us to find quiet spots around the ship for a drink rather than the hubbub of most of the bars. Likewise, the Ultimate Dining package allowed us to eat all our meals in specialty restaurants. Believe it or not, we never made it into the Windjammer (first time in 8 cruises). There was no need. The Royal Genie made sure we had all our desired food, drinks and snacks in our cabin.
We saw Cats, the broadway musical, on board. The performers were excellent with wonderful voices and energy. The best show was the Ice show where the colors and pageantry were show stopping but the physicality of the performers stole the show. This one comic skater kept smashing into the fence to stop his momentum. Then he would jump into the stands and sit in a woman’s lap or kiss her hands; all unexpected and very funny. There was even a mind blowing demonstration of sand art that left the crowd in awe. 
Oasis of the Seas was our 8th Royal Caribbean cruise and our best. We were able to take advantage of everything on board the ship because we knew what to ask for. Thank you!!
Harmony in June (40 days to go). MarioSteve

I'm in the minority obviously, but I'd love that. Neither of us are morning people and never get to the port before 12:30 anyway, vacation or not. 

They need to rename it Their Time Dining

Standard or traditional dining is at a set time - currently, at least on US sailings, I believe, Early dining is 5pm (changed from 530) & Late dining is 730pm (changed from 8).  You are supposed to show up within 15 minutes of your scheduled time so that the room can be cleared for the next service.
My Time Dining is a little of a misnomer. It used to be you just showed up at whatever time you wanted, at anytime within the traditional dining hours (ie, 530-9pm) and could get seated. It was usually in one of the Main dining rooms NOT being used for traditional dining. You were not always immediately seated, depending on the crowd, but basically it was similar to going to a land restaurant.  Most recently, most of the ships (I can actually only speak about Anthem, since that's the only one I've sailed recently), MTD didn't start until 645pm - in other words, after early dining - and continued start time til 845 or 9pm. You could either just walk up during those times, OR you could try to make a reservation for a particular time.  Unfortunately, the earliest times - ie, 645-730 - got snapped up quickly, and some people ended up getting very late times, which is problematic for those who didn't want to eat that late, or had small children, etc.
We have used traditional in the past because my DD has Celiac disease, and it's safer and easier not to have to explain it to a new set of waiters each night, if you don't end up at the same table every night.  We also used to do early because other DD had medical issues and generally was not awake all that late, so earlier was better.  It all depends on what you like or need. Some people don't like being tied to a specific time on vacation, or are flexible enough not to care

Standard or traditional dining is at a set time - currently, at least on US sailings, I believe, Early dining is 5pm (changed from 530) & Late dining is 730pm (changed from 8).  You are supposed to show up within 15 minutes of your scheduled time so that the room can be cleared for the next service.
My Time Dining is a little of a misnomer. It used to be you just showed up at whatever time you wanted, at anytime within the traditional dining hours (ie, 530-9pm) and could get seated. It was usually in one of the Main dining rooms NOT being used for traditional dining. You were not always immediately seated, depending on the crowd, but basically it was similar to going to a land restaurant.  Most recently, most of the ships (I can actually only speak about Anthem, since that's the only one I've sailed recently), MTD didn't start until 645pm - in other words, after early dining - and continued start time til 845 or 9pm. You could either just walk up during those times, OR you could try to make a reservation for a particular time.  Unfortunately, the earliest times - ie, 645-730 - got snapped up quickly, and some people ended up getting very late times, which is problematic for those who didn't want to eat that late, or had small children, etc.
We have used traditional in the past because my DD has Celiac disease, and it's safer and easier not to have to explain it to a new set of waiters each night, if you don't end up at the same table every night.  We also used to do early because other DD had medical issues and generally was not awake all that late, so earlier was better.  It all depends on what you like or need. Some people don't like being tied to a specific time on vacation, or are flexible enough not to care

We are scheduled for a B2B in August, and this is some of the info I have read.
Once you are on the ship for your first cruise, go to Guest Services at some point and make sure they have you on the list for consecutive cruisers. This way, they mark you down as not leaving, you get instructions the night before what to do on the day of turnover (ie, where to report that morning, because you will probably have to leave the ship to clear customs, etc, where you can have lunch - I think there is a special set up in the MDR for that set of guests) and make sure your room steward knows so that they don't freak out when your room isn't packed up.
Also, if you B2B and can't get the same room, there are instructions on how to deal with your luggage and other belongings so that they get moved properly.

We are scheduled for a B2B in August, and this is some of the info I have read.
Once you are on the ship for your first cruise, go to Guest Services at some point and make sure they have you on the list for consecutive cruisers. This way, they mark you down as not leaving, you get instructions the night before what to do on the day of turnover (ie, where to report that morning, because you will probably have to leave the ship to clear customs, etc, where you can have lunch - I think there is a special set up in the MDR for that set of guests) and make sure your room steward knows so that they don't freak out when your room isn't packed up.
Also, if you B2B and can't get the same room, there are instructions on how to deal with your luggage and other belongings so that they get moved properly.