HeWhoWaits

Enjoy the shared anniversaries cruise. Several years ago we took a family cruise to Alaska celebrating my parents' 50th anniversary, our 25th anniversary, and our youngest son's 21st birthday.

We always take some plain envelopes along for our cabin steward and dining room staff (pre-filled with the minimum extra we will give) and some extras in case we want to tip others on the ship above and beyond the pooled money.

@CruiseDude72 is spot on. If you link the reservation you can make yourself the one to manage it. If all you want to be able to do is purchase things in the Cruise Planner, you just need to have reservation number and the last name associated with the account. That also usually works for completing the online checkin.

Agree with this sentiment. If "10" is passing and "9" is failing, there really is no scale. When there is a scale (numeric or just ranging from "highly satisfied" to "highly unsatisfied"), I almost never give the highest possible rating. The TOP score is for something special, something well above my expectations. Service in a restaurant that would receive a 25% tip from me still only gets about an 8 on a 10 point scale. RCCL's survey rating policy is a way to guarantee that they don't renew many contracts (thus being able to hire new people at the starting pay rather than giving raises to those retained).

Keep that email, just to be sure.

We cruised with an 11-month old and had no issues at all (helped that we were in a family suite and had 5 adults to share the love). We opted for the child on lap option for flying and transfer to the pier. The crib provided is a standard-sized "Pack and Play" and shouldn't be a problem except in the smallest interior cabin (if then). We didn't bring a stroller, because our fully mobile, fully independent little one wouldn't sit still long enough for it to be useful. One of the best things about cruising with an infant is all the attention paid by staff - many of them have families that they miss and they will always take some extra time to interact with your little one.

If this were true, the technology offerings would be much better. A lousy website and limited app availability are NOT the hallmarks of a millennial-centric organization.

Pros and cons of upper deck vs. lower deck will depend on what aspects of the ship you're going to utilize the most. What's more important - proximity to the pool deck and Windjammer or proximity to the MDR/shops/casino? As for forward/aft/mid, the biggest thing to consider is how close you are to an elevator/staircase. Do you want to be close for convenience or farther away to limit noise?

A copy/photo of the main page makes getting a replacement from the U.S. Embassy much easier.

Thanks for the idea. We have always carried paper copies of our passports separate from the passports as backup. The picture on the phone is a great way to do this! Just be sure to secure that photo with a password or other lock.

Agree - I've been on 6 cruises and couldn't have told you the name of the Captain, Cruise Director, or any other "main" crew when I got off any of them. Still remember some of the dining room staff and cabin steward names from trips in the 1990s, though. The people we interact with are the ones that are memorable.

If you're in North Carolina, and New Jersey is your "closest port," you're doing it wrong! Baltimore is on the way to New Jersey for Tar Heels. Charleston isn't much closer than Baltimore for us but Norfolk would be great.

Scooters are (almost) everywhere. Accessibility is not an issue.

A prep cook who used to be tasked with chopping up the lettuce for the Caesar salads realized that the tedious effort could be eliminated and suggested the wedge as a "time saver" for the kitchen.

Welcome - lots of great information here from lots of folks with many cruise experiences.

If I am served French toast the consistency of bread pudding, it will immediately be sent back to be properly cooked. French toast should be firm (but not dry), bread pudding should be soft (but not soggy).

December Cruise Compass will give you a pretty decent idea of what to expect in May. General activities don't change much. If the last one available was a couple years old, that would be a different story.

That's why we always purchase trip insurance.

Was not the case in September 2016 on Liberty.

If looking for 14 nights, back-to-back New England and Bermuda on Grandeur would be a good option.

I think the concern is with the period of time while within the borders of Maryland/Virginia after leaving port, rather than while still in port. Definitely something I'm interested in since we are sailing Grandeur in October. With an afternoon sailing time, the entire first evening/night could be impacted.

Our experience has been that wine tastings are on sea days. We almost always add this when it becomes available in the Cruise Planner.

If sticking together is the most important factor, just try getting in whichever line is shorter. If they "can't" join you in the shorter Platinum line, join them in the regular line. Vacation together start to finish.

Rule of thumb for elevators on the ships - if going up three decks or less, the stairs will usually be faster - if going down less than six decks, the stairs will usually be faster - exceptions are between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m. and in port as long as you avoid the first and last hour

You just have to ask! No kids required at the table to get a kids menu.