Al Horner

Its quite simple, the cost for for the UDP for Symphony and Harmony was 29 $ per day ,I guess RC decided that all OASIS ships will be the same so 29*7 is 203 ,but 200 dose not looks good therefore 199 ... Only one hundred and not  two ?
Now , while its very easy to change the price in the system   - change is being made in the product catalog or some pricing reference tables and just waiting for the next automatic update,  the picture change (where you see the 24 $) is much more complicate :
First the marketing need to approach the IT to change it , IT will tell marketing its a design change so it should go to another division, the other division will send it to the graphic department which will reject the request since they just had a downsizing and the person who was in charge on pricing pictures was  fired a  week before.  After some discussion they will decide to take a contractor for this work , it will be the same person that was just fired but now he will be hire as contractor paying him 200% of his previous  salary. He will do his job and change the picture pricing to 29 PP. The picture will be sent to marketing branding group for approval , the person that need to approve it will reject it saying the price Icon is too red which contradict the new brand color pallet which changed  few days ago (actually, no much changed done but its a good for job security for such divisions). The graphic department will get back the picture, they will hold it for three days and send back the same exact picture , this time the brand group will approve it. Next marketing will send it to IT to upload to the site , IT will try to upload it on the next maintenance window just to see they do not have enough disk space as someone forgot to compress the picture , as the maintenance window will already pass it will wait for the next one. On the next window it will be uploaded and everyone will be happy , the only problem will be  once when people go to the site they will still see the 24 $ picture , yes , someone forgot to refresh the cache , oh well it can wait for another window. when it finally it will be fixed , RC will find out a drop in UDP purchasing and ask to rollback the change. 
So now you see , why its 199 in the price and still 24 in the picture ?   

If RCL is going to introduce new on-ship excursions - how about the .50 cal pirate shoot? You get 200 rounds of .50 cal and whoever sinks the most Somali pirates - wins a prize!

You need to be a seafood lover to fully enjoy Wonderland, as about 80% of the menu is some form of seafood dish (lobster, tuna, crab, branzino, etc.). Apart from that, don't be put off by stuff sounding or looking weird. I had some worries about it myself as it sounded like it was some kind of molecular gastronomy place, but honestly the food is normal things you'd have in fancy restaurants that's just made to look a little different or presented in an unusual way.
Do you like deviled eggs? You'll get that as one appetizer, just covered in a glass half-globe that's filled with smoke to impart some extra flavor.
Do you like sushi? One of the apps is just tuna sashimi served inside a hollowed out lime with some cracker-like things on the side to scoop the tuna onto.
If you like lobster, you'll be fine with the "liquid lobster", which is just a lump of tail meat on a really big spoon filled with some nicely flavored beef broth.
And definitely don't worry about leaving hungry. You each get a set of five or six small appetizers, plus an entree (usually one more entree than there are people at your table, as all the entrees are meant to be shared), plus three desserts for the table to share (maybe more if you have a big party). And since you are on Symphony, you'll also be able to enjoy the signature cocktails from the in-restaurant bar.

Nice Question! I enjoy the anticipation. I normally book a cruise more than a year in advance. During that time I check out different shore excursions, prices of specialty dining and drink packages, and just chatter about the cruise. I've never been on an Oasis class ship and our next cruise is on the Symphony. I've studied the ship so much I could probably give tours now without having ever seen it. Once on the ship, I like to unpack and know that I wont have to repack until the end of the cruise. I like going to the MDR and Windjammer and leaving without having to pay a check. My wife and I don't go out much so we really enjoy the shows and all the entertainment. We always book a Junior Suite and I love going on our balcony day and night and just looking at the ocean. I think I just talked myself into booking another cruise!

Nice Question! I enjoy the anticipation. I normally book a cruise more than a year in advance. During that time I check out different shore excursions, prices of specialty dining and drink packages, and just chatter about the cruise. I've never been on an Oasis class ship and our next cruise is on the Symphony. I've studied the ship so much I could probably give tours now without having ever seen it. Once on the ship, I like to unpack and know that I wont have to repack until the end of the cruise. I like going to the MDR and Windjammer and leaving without having to pay a check. My wife and I don't go out much so we really enjoy the shows and all the entertainment. We always book a Junior Suite and I love going on our balcony day and night and just looking at the ocean. I think I just talked myself into booking another cruise!

For us it's simple.....you only have to unpack once to visit multiple destinations and the only decision we have to make is where do we want to have dinner. 

For my wife and I it is about the entire experience. We love the entire cruising routine. We love waking up in the morning and laying in bed watching the morning show to see what all is going on throughout the day. We love choosing between a great buffet or full service breakfast in the MDR and then just showing up and eating with no hassle or reservation. We love choosing whether we want to relax by the pool all afternoon while listening to steel drum music or participate in activities such as waterslides, rock climbing, surfing simulators, or escape rooms. 
Even with all that goes on during the day it is the nights that we love the most. We love being able go out to eat for a nice dinner with excellent service and order anything we want on the menu without worrying about the bill, then go to a Vegas quality show, and then end the night dancing or just relaxing at a nice bar listening to live music. These are all things we really enjoy on land, but to do it often is incredibly expensive. The value proposition cruises offer for us, especially with the quality of entertainment on Royal Caribbean, is unbeatable.
Even if we didn't ever get off of the ship I would consider it an ideal vacation. But what really puts it over the top is the fact that we get to visit multiple countries all without dealing with multiple flights and hotel check-ins. We love to research the ports before the cruise and then rent a vehicle and explore them on our own when we can. To me there's nothing like driving down a Caribbean coastline on a scooter or in a Jeep with the top down checking out all the hidden beaches or authentic restaurants. We love eating the food and finding the spots that are unique to the port. Sometimes we also love just heading to an all inclusive resort for the day and just relaxing with unlimited food and drinks. 
I think sometimes cruising gets a bad reputation from people who have never experienced it as a really touristy thing. It can be that if you want it to be, but it can also be the ultimate adventure. It is the most versatile and affordable vacation there is. Nothing even comes close to it in my opinion.

We are late 50's and never thought of cruising until this year - and only at the recommendation of my in-laws who had never cruised. We'll be doing 4 cruises in 13 months including the first one. Why?
1. Multiple cities/ports in one trip without having to pack and unpack
2. Relaxing on a balcony as the sun comes up or goes down - nothing better
3. Don't have to cook, clean, etc.
4. We always rented houses at the beach in NJ or SC and cruising is cost-competitive especially when you consider (3.)

@kontraxed totally agree!  Our first cruise was on Harmony. We booked about 300 days out and every day I would tell my wife how many days we had left. And I can’t tell you how many ship tour videos and vlogs I watched about Harmony. Think I might have drove the wife crazy lol. I think you will love Symphony and the Oasis Class. 

Because I'm lazy and cheap.

In addition to the great value, I love that cruise vacations offer something for everyone.  my wife is happy to sit in a lounger and soak up the sun and read, I'm more of a wanderer and always find plenty to see/do.  This sometimes leads to a donation to the casino but that all part of the fun.

Nice Question! I enjoy the anticipation. I normally book a cruise more than a year in advance. During that time I check out different shore excursions, prices of specialty dining and drink packages, and just chatter about the cruise. I've never been on an Oasis class ship and our next cruise is on the Symphony. I've studied the ship so much I could probably give tours now without having ever seen it. Once on the ship, I like to unpack and know that I wont have to repack until the end of the cruise. I like going to the MDR and Windjammer and leaving without having to pay a check. My wife and I don't go out much so we really enjoy the shows and all the entertainment. We always book a Junior Suite and I love going on our balcony day and night and just looking at the ocean. I think I just talked myself into booking another cruise!

Nice Question! I enjoy the anticipation. I normally book a cruise more than a year in advance. During that time I check out different shore excursions, prices of specialty dining and drink packages, and just chatter about the cruise. I've never been on an Oasis class ship and our next cruise is on the Symphony. I've studied the ship so much I could probably give tours now without having ever seen it. Once on the ship, I like to unpack and know that I wont have to repack until the end of the cruise. I like going to the MDR and Windjammer and leaving without having to pay a check. My wife and I don't go out much so we really enjoy the shows and all the entertainment. We always book a Junior Suite and I love going on our balcony day and night and just looking at the ocean. I think I just talked myself into booking another cruise!

Nice Question! I enjoy the anticipation. I normally book a cruise more than a year in advance. During that time I check out different shore excursions, prices of specialty dining and drink packages, and just chatter about the cruise. I've never been on an Oasis class ship and our next cruise is on the Symphony. I've studied the ship so much I could probably give tours now without having ever seen it. Once on the ship, I like to unpack and know that I wont have to repack until the end of the cruise. I like going to the MDR and Windjammer and leaving without having to pay a check. My wife and I don't go out much so we really enjoy the shows and all the entertainment. We always book a Junior Suite and I love going on our balcony day and night and just looking at the ocean. I think I just talked myself into booking another cruise!

Nice Question! I enjoy the anticipation. I normally book a cruise more than a year in advance. During that time I check out different shore excursions, prices of specialty dining and drink packages, and just chatter about the cruise. I've never been on an Oasis class ship and our next cruise is on the Symphony. I've studied the ship so much I could probably give tours now without having ever seen it. Once on the ship, I like to unpack and know that I wont have to repack until the end of the cruise. I like going to the MDR and Windjammer and leaving without having to pay a check. My wife and I don't go out much so we really enjoy the shows and all the entertainment. We always book a Junior Suite and I love going on our balcony day and night and just looking at the ocean. I think I just talked myself into booking another cruise!

Nice Question! I enjoy the anticipation. I normally book a cruise more than a year in advance. During that time I check out different shore excursions, prices of specialty dining and drink packages, and just chatter about the cruise. I've never been on an Oasis class ship and our next cruise is on the Symphony. I've studied the ship so much I could probably give tours now without having ever seen it. Once on the ship, I like to unpack and know that I wont have to repack until the end of the cruise. I like going to the MDR and Windjammer and leaving without having to pay a check. My wife and I don't go out much so we really enjoy the shows and all the entertainment. We always book a Junior Suite and I love going on our balcony day and night and just looking at the ocean. I think I just talked myself into booking another cruise!

Nice Question! I enjoy the anticipation. I normally book a cruise more than a year in advance. During that time I check out different shore excursions, prices of specialty dining and drink packages, and just chatter about the cruise. I've never been on an Oasis class ship and our next cruise is on the Symphony. I've studied the ship so much I could probably give tours now without having ever seen it. Once on the ship, I like to unpack and know that I wont have to repack until the end of the cruise. I like going to the MDR and Windjammer and leaving without having to pay a check. My wife and I don't go out much so we really enjoy the shows and all the entertainment. We always book a Junior Suite and I love going on our balcony day and night and just looking at the ocean. I think I just talked myself into booking another cruise!

Nope.not true..I have booked my last 10 cruises or so cheaper than Royal using a vacation website.......so that isn't the total truth. I agree there maybe more perks..but usually not in my case.
 
 

This is not my first time with this comment. Why doesn't RCL try to accommodate the majority of their customers? They could ask on your cruise documents if you prefer casual or formal wear on "formal" nights. Then, they could seat you on an appropriate MDR deck. So on "formal" nights, you would have one or two MDR decks with casual wear and the remaining decks for formal wear. I don't think this would be difficult.

I would suggest checking the Royal app. You can look at the menus for the current and upcoming trips to see what the menus are currently showing as being. That should give you a good idea about what to expect. 

Sorry to hear what your daughter is going through, but, not to sound like a downer, but once you book a cruise and read all the nice little fine print in the cruise contract, you sign away all your rights to RCCL in the event they deem it necessary in any event to change the itinerary to secure the safety of ALL of its passengers. That's why I can't stress enough by repeating what I've said hundreds of times ... TRAVEL INSURANCE IS A MUST!!  Then, cancellation would be an option. It's happened to me and I received 100% reimbursement. 

You mean something like that :

Not sure , maybe it can add more option to the 7 days menu ? 

Anyone I talked to about Coco Cay on this past cruise was disappointed to hear/see of the changes coming. While I enjoy a good waterslide or enjoy eating some good wings as much as the next person....there was something about Coco Cay that was so peaceful and relaxing.....and yes, you don't have to pay for anything if you don't want to but the whole vibe of the stop will be different once it opens.
 
Will I still get  off....sure I will.....will I spend time there....sure I will......will I spend some $ there....sure I will.....but it wont be the same no matter what.

I look forward to going to the new Perfect Day at Cococay in May 2019. What I find pretty daunting are the prices. As of today (Oct. 23rd) Cabanas can cost from $600 to $800 or more. The 30 minute helium balloon ride (which is what I would like to do) costs $64.00. I'm sure it's supply and demand but it's beginning to look like we'll get of the ship, look around and then get back on the ship.

Ok, so the cruise industry is trying to attract the younger folks. But, on board tattoo parlor and now fencing? What the hell is next.....bungy jumping?