MelKaps

I spotted a glitch in the cruise planner last week for the UDP. Regular price was $199pp and the sale price was $148.99pp. This was $75 less than what I paid. After clicking on it, it said sold out and I was unable to purchase it. However, I called up Royal and was on the phone for an hour. They were unable to refund me, so instead they generously gave me $150 OBC for how much I would have saved.

Now the regular price is $384.99pp with the sale price being $287.99pp.

Interesting! I was off Odyssey at 6:45am last year and we had a private shuttle waiting for us. We made our 11am flight with plenty of time. 

It has been a while, but new cruise vlogs are here! In September 2022, we sailed aboard Odyssey of the Seas from Civitavecchia to Greece and Turkey.

Odyssey of the Seas Embarkation Day

1 - When a hot tub is full and people still enter, squishing themselves in. The elevator is one thing, but a hot tub?

2- When people don't realize a bathroom stall is occupied and proceed to tug on the handle of every stall. If it is red, it is occupied. (Yes, sometimes the colors are not accurate, but I honestly prefer a knock than someone trying to barge in.)

3- Guest Relations line is always long no matter the time or day.

4- People grabbing food in the buffet with their hands.

5- When the elevator is too full and the people waiting push the up/down button before the elevator has a chance to leave, causing the doors to keep opening.

July 8, 2023 Liberty

December 3, 2023 Wonder

The key is flexibility. In 2017, my Eastern Caribbean cruise was changed to Western 2 days before we set sail due to Hurricane Irma. On day 4, the captain announced the cruise is extended 3 days because we wouldn’t be able to get back to Florida. The itinerary changed daily and we had no idea where we would end up. We made two stops to Cozumel!

The cruise after us got shortened and they were offering discounts to extend the cruise an additional few days since so many people on the next cruise cancelled. I was already missing too many days of work so had to head home. 

I depart on Monday, September 19 and my flight is at 11am (only flight available and we are spending 8 days in Italy prior to the cruise). I am hoping to talk to guest services and try to get off the ship as early as possible. I am also booking a private shuttle. Fingers crossed!

I recently flew out of Amsterdam and people warned us about the airports. Check in and security took less than 2 hours since it was a Tuesday morning. Weekends may be a little more hectic. 

It has been a month since the last upload, but happy to say the next cruise vlog is live. The best days are when you eat all the complimentary food onboard.

HARMONY OF THE SEAS: EATING EVERYTHING ON ROYAL CARIBBEAN!

In this week's vlog, we passed out on our Sorrento and Amalfi bus tour from exhaustion.

HARMONY OF THE SEAS: PASSED OUT IN ITALY!

In this week’s vlog, we got a small taste of Rome by abiding by Italy’s covid restrictions. 
HARMONY OF THE SEAS: ITALY’S COVID RESTRICTIONS!

New vlog is live! In this week’s vlog, we went on a tour of Cinque Terre in La Spezia and enjoyed delicious Italian food. 
HARMONY OF THE SEAS: Italian Riviera!

In 2018, I booked the Rhino Riders Adventure excursion through the ship. You drive small motor boats to a beach and then go snorkeling. Below is the vlog I filmed.

St. Maarten Rhino Riders

If you have strict dietary restrictions, I recommend skipping. My husband loved it, but I left hungry since the food and experience wasn't for me. We are giving Wonderland a second try this year, but I think I'll eat beforehand to be safe, plus I know what to expect now.

I have been using a full face snorkle mask for about 5 years and love it. With that being said, I agree and definitely suggest testing it out in a pool before going snorkeling as it can get some getting used to. 

Two weeks in a row with new vlogs. I'm on a roll!

The third day of our cruise was a sea day with high winds. Fun Fact: We were supposed to stop in Marseille, France. However, France didn't want any cruise ship passengers, so we had a sea day instead with rough waves off the coast of France.

HARMONY OF THE SEAS: WINDY SEA DAY!

It's been a while, but the next vlog is live! Our second port of call was Palma de Mallorca, Spain. It was the one port we were allowed to wander on our own.

HARMONY OF THE SEAS: PALMA DE MALLORCA!

On 3/30/2022 at 2:51 PM, LISA MARIA said:

Hello, we are thinking about booking this same excursion through Royal Caribbean during our upcoming cruise in May.  Question:  did the boat you rode for the excursion have a bathroom?

I would really appreciate your prompt answer before we buy.

Thanks

Yes, there is a small bathroom on board on the lower deck. 

Two years in the making and we finally have a new cruise vlog! In October 2021, we embarked on Harmony of the Seas in Barcelona, Spain for our honeymoon. We last sailed on Harmony of the Seas in October 2019 and a lot had changed in two years, but we still had an incredible vacation!

Here's the new vlog: HARMONY OF THE SEAS EMBARKATION DAY COVID EDITION!

Also check out our pre-cruise vlogs when we were exploring Paris and Barcelona: Honeymoon October 2021

58 minutes ago, twangster said:

They make for great COVID testing lab rooms right now too.   

When I was on Harmony in October on a Mediterranean cruise, they used the conference room for covid testing in order to return to Spain. 

I booked Cinque Terre: Sail the Italian Riviera. I haven’t read any reviews yet and I sail a week before you do.  I found a video of the excursion on YouTube from pre-pandemic, but I assume a lot changed since then. 

17 hours ago, absolutebrilliance said:

Hi all! My extended family and I are set to travel on Harmony leaving from Rome in October. I'm the ringmaster for three households (all adults) traveling together. Since we're a group traveling together, does anyone know if I can fill out one Digital PLF form for everyone or do I have to set up individual accounts for each person and complete a form? Any advice appreciated. Thanks! 

I am sailing on Harmony in a couple of weeks and I filled it out for each guest, but made sure to also list each of us as family members traveling together. 
 

However, I am confused since Italy wants you to list them as the final destination even though we disembark in Spain. It seems very confusing especially since we have three ports of call in Italy.

On 8/31/2021 at 9:23 AM, crabkitty said:

1. Yes, this is for ALL guests. Everyone over the age of 16 was required to be vaccinated on our cruise, but everyone still had their temperature checked. The only difference between vaccinated and non-vaccinated was that the NON had to get a test mid-cruise, where vaccinated did not.

Can you provide some more details and logistics on the temperature checks? Do you have to wait around in your cabin to get checked? What if you have an early excursion? Our Rome excursion meets before 8am.

On 8/30/2021 at 9:12 AM, crabkitty said:

I don't believe so. Where we docked, they boarded us right on the busses. It didn't appear that anybody was able to go out on their own. Things are always changing frequently though.

We had the bike tour booked, but it was cancelled because we were the only ones signed up.   After that, we booked the caves tour, which I would ABSOLUTELY recommend.

Spain is requiring masks everywhere you go, and are pretty strict about it.

Which tours did you book in Italy? Can you provide brief reviews on them? Thanks so much for all of your input. I sail on October 10.

I was originally booked on Odyssey on October 10 this year, but with cancellations and the pandemic, I booked Harmony of the Seas out of Barcelona on October 10, 2021. Honeymoon here I come! 

I hope this will carry over to the other ships sailing this summer. From someone who doesn't purchase the drink package, it would be nice to redeem a free drink earlier in the day instead of waiting until ~4:30pm.