HeWhoWaits

7:00 is not "early."

In May, Ovation had the WJ omelet station. In July, Explorer had the WJ omelet station but Freedom did not.

Earlier MTD times "sell out" almost as soon as they are available. The best scenario is to book the cruise early and start checking to see if MTD is available to book right away. Keep checking daily until it opens up and hope you're not too many hours into the day it opened.

To maximize how your points are awarded for the connecting rooms scenario, book one adult solo and the other adult with the kids in the adjoining room. Always book the same parent as the solo to accumulate double points on a single account. Cost of cruise is slightly more this way as you'll pay four full price and one reduced fare (as opposed to four full price) but it's a great way to accumulate double points if you're booking two rooms anyway.

Windjammer opens at 7:00. Sunrise is often much closer to 6:00. That's why I miss the "Early Risers Breakfast" selection of yesteryear.

We experienced the same thing on Ovation, Freedom, and Explorer during 2022. Global supply issues hit us everywhere, even on vacation.

If nothing else appeals to you, the chicken fingers with fries are very good.

Table numbers are flexible depending on the size of parties on each cruise. There's no way to tell in advance where a particular table number will be located.

Except when it's not. We've had early seating as early as 5:00 and late seating as late as 8:30. Depends on the ship and the itinerary.

Sounds like the exception that proves the rule. Have never previously heard of this happening (rule) but if it did (exception) I will be interested to hear how it turns out.

Best service ever! Your bags are picked up outside your stateroom on the final evening and just magically appear at baggage claim at your destination airport.

On a typical 7 night cruise, I ordered a vegan option (usually an appetizer) 3 or 4 nights.

Even more than the midnight buffet, I miss the "Early risers continental breakfast" outside the Windjammer on the pool deck. I could get my fruit, pastries, cheese, and coffee to enjoy with viewing the sunrise (except on those days that sunrise was well before 6:00 a.m.).

While I thoroughly enjoyed the midnight buffet when it existed, there was a significant amount of food wasted. Perhaps a good compromise for the nostalgia of the chocolate buffet with ice sculptures and over-the-top desserts previously associated with one special night would be to have such an event during the afternoon of a sea day.

Or a sarcastic "excuse me" as my shoulders move 2 or 3 of them in the process. The fact they're walking 4-5 abreast and conversing (probably loudly) makes it unlikely that they'll hear your polite "excuse me" and even if they do, they may not move.

Noise from the Suite Lounge? That's a new on on me.

A hearty appetite.

No email received yet, but 19 nights over three cruises. Would this be 19 days on board or 22?

I agree with @twangster that it is best to get the information directly from Royal, but the itinerary with no ports listed could have been one we took with an 11 month old in 2016. CocoCay was not one of the stops.

With you being below average total spenders, it's very easy to get to an average of $200-$250 per day (for 5000 or 4000 passengers).

Your best hope of getting a vehicle to yourselves is that the number of people on the excursion is a multiple of two that is NOT a multiple of four. Then when the operator asks for volunteers to be a "two" instead of part of a "four" make sure your hands shoot up very quickly and the operator hears you shout "we will."

The standards have changed. In the past, no shorts would have been allowed for men (but short skirts were always okay) and only the very nicest jeans would have passed muster for admission to the MDR. Now, as long as what you're wearing doesn't LOOK like swimwear, you're good to go. Some of us may live in the past and not like it, but that's our problem not yours.

The biggest benefit to the change is that instead of a "day" being a calendar day it's a real-life day (from the time I get up until I go to bed, whatever that interval may be).