MelKaps

On the Harmony there is a sign at the Cafe Promenade water station stating you should not fill up containers.   I can't remember what the signage is elsewhere, but I remember being annoyed watching someone place a thermos under the water spout directly in front of the sign...he should have filled a glass and then gone to a table for the transfer. 

Going off what everyone else said, definitely get small bills. I always visit my bank beforehand and instead of using the ATM (unless it is a new, smart ATM), I go to a teller and withdraw lots of small bills. It comes in handy in case you need a taxi or to barter with locals (Nassau).
Also, you won't need any cash for Labadee unless you plan on visiting the Straw Market.

Hello everyone,
I was a very long time member of another cruise forum, and I'm so glad I found this one.  The members are VERY helpful and respectful - thank you all so much, and the vibe is completely different, very easygoing without the sarcasm and drama ?

I also love that you can message members here, and edit your posts outside of the 30 minute mark.  For new members, you will see your status as pre-gold, just a fun and cute feature of these message boards.  I'm not sure how it works, but it will change very quickly!

Our moderator @Lovetocruise2002 has been so warm and welcoming! and thank you @Matt, our administrator for an amazing place to share information ? 
This time around, I'm having a lot more fun planning my cruise!!!

I am waiting for Greek Isles cruises in October 2021 for my honeymoon. There is a specific itinerary I want for certain ports and I want to be able to book ASAP. Then of course reprice for almost 2 years...

I am waiting for Greek Isles cruises in October 2021 for my honeymoon. There is a specific itinerary I want for certain ports and I want to be able to book ASAP. Then of course reprice for almost 2 years...

But .... but .... but ... I belong to the "finish your plate" generation.  Mother said I cannot leave the table until I finish my food.

My advice for first time cruisers is to get to the port early. You do not have to follow your suggested check-in time. I find that they usually start the security and check-in process around 10am. Also, definitely plan to see the ice skating show and arrive early. Seats tend to fill up.
Not sure if you are arriving to ports in the afternoon, but if you do, prepare for lines because everyone is trying to get off the ship at the same time. In the morning, the crowds are more scattered.
In regards to Alaska, I have sailed to Alaska twice and both were on Celebrity. I went last year and for about the same price as Royal Caribbean, Celebrity made an extra port of call in Ketchikan. Explorer of the Seas and Celebrity Solstice both left the same day from Seattle, but Celebrity had that extra Alaska stop (in addition to Skagway and Juneau). Something to consider.

EMBARKATION PORTS
Baltimore
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/02/01/taking-royal-caribbean-cruise-baltimore-what-you-need-know
Fort Lauderdale - Port Everglades
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-223-cruising-port-everglades
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2013/12/13/getting-your-port-fort-lauderdale
Galveston
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/06/10/insiders-tips-getting-houston-the-galveston-port
Orlando - Port Canaveral
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/08/29/how-get-port-canaveral-your-royal-caribbean-cruise
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-80-cruising-and-out-of-port-canaveral
San Juan, Puerto Rico
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/01/13/embarkation-your-royal-caribbean-cruise-san-juan-puerto-rico
Tampa
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/09/04/tampa-cruise-port-embarkation-parking-directions-more
 
PORTS OF CALL:
Cozumel
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/01/18/things-do-cozumel-your-royal-caribbean-cruise
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2011/07/05/port-focus-cozumel
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/08/01/video-best-things-do-cozumel

 

I can’t remember my first cruise since I wasn’t even 2, however we have lots of home videos on VHS. 
My first Royal cruise was in 2004 and I loved Adventure Ocean. Every time you left the program for the afternoon or evening, or whenever, they gave you a ticket. On the last day I had so many tickets that I redeemed for Adventure Ocean merch. I still have so much lying around the house. Another memory is waiting on long lines at Johnny Rockets for lunch since it was complimentary. Haven’t eaten there ever since because I don’t want to pay for it. 

I can’t remember my first cruise since I wasn’t even 2, however we have lots of home videos on VHS. 
My first Royal cruise was in 2004 and I loved Adventure Ocean. Every time you left the program for the afternoon or evening, or whenever, they gave you a ticket. On the last day I had so many tickets that I redeemed for Adventure Ocean merch. I still have so much lying around the house. Another memory is waiting on long lines at Johnny Rockets for lunch since it was complimentary. Haven’t eaten there ever since because I don’t want to pay for it. 

I can’t remember my first cruise since I wasn’t even 2, however we have lots of home videos on VHS. 
My first Royal cruise was in 2004 and I loved Adventure Ocean. Every time you left the program for the afternoon or evening, or whenever, they gave you a ticket. On the last day I had so many tickets that I redeemed for Adventure Ocean merch. I still have so much lying around the house. Another memory is waiting on long lines at Johnny Rockets for lunch since it was complimentary. Haven’t eaten there ever since because I don’t want to pay for it. 

I can’t remember my first cruise since I wasn’t even 2, however we have lots of home videos on VHS. 
My first Royal cruise was in 2004 and I loved Adventure Ocean. Every time you left the program for the afternoon or evening, or whenever, they gave you a ticket. On the last day I had so many tickets that I redeemed for Adventure Ocean merch. I still have so much lying around the house. Another memory is waiting on long lines at Johnny Rockets for lunch since it was complimentary. Haven’t eaten there ever since because I don’t want to pay for it. 

SOLUTION: If your original booking included said package prior to the change, RCCL must honor it since it is a contract. If RCCL does not honor it, the contract has been breached and at that point you can cancel your non-refundable booking and not be penalized. If they tell you different, they are bluffing.
Such as the case at bar, I have an OotS booking and threatened to cancel. The CSR stated I would lose my deposit. I informed her to show me where RCCL had sole discretion to change any part of the contract/booking except the itinerary. She could not. I told her to either honor it OR cancel it. She referred my issue to a Supervisor and after 20 mins back and forth with the Supervisor, she had to call me back after she speaks with her legal dept. I gave her my law firm name and office number and with the mention of legal class action for breach of contract, I received a callback and got my original booking honored with a complimentary bottle of wine for the "misunderstanding".
I don't think anyone should be subjected to this type of treatment. As a Diamond Plus or any level member, RCCL should not pull a fast one such as this and give their loyal passengers what they paid for.
Would RCCL like to be substituted for another cruise line? I don't think so!

The more I thought about it today, the more I can see the point of those that booked 2020 sailings and getting just $50 in lieu of the perks. Yes, $50 is better than nothing, but it would have been a better transition away from this if they just said "okay, everyone that booked as of today gets it and that's it."

I really enjoy Celebrity Cruises. I am Elite status with Celebrity, which carries over to Diamond on Royal. The staff and food are great. I personally think the buffet is better than Royal Caribbean. I do notice that they cater more to the older generation than millennials. Royal has many activities on their ships such as ice skating, rock climbing, flow rider, etc., but Celebrity doesn't really have that. I find that I am lounging around more than participating in activities on Celebrity vs Royal.

I just booked a 2021 Double Dip cruise to Coco Cay and went to check out Thrill Waterpark prices.
The 2-day pass is listed as $79 per person and the 1 day pass is $59.99. From these boards I know that a $79 1-day water park pass is a great price, let alone a 2-day pass so I added it immediately to the cart while I have these rock bottom prices. THE BENEFICIAL GLITCH comes when you add everything to the cart and go through all the motions of Yes I'm 40" and No I'm not 300 lbs, on the final final page of checkout, the price changes for the 2-day to $59 each. 
I thought I made a mistake and must've only chosen 1-day somehow even though everything said 2-day. I backed out and tried it again.. yep, you can get a 2-day Thrill pass for $59/per person right now! $118 total for me and my bf. This is Navigator January 2021. I booked it and it shows in my calendar as a Thrill ticket on both stops! Holy cow! Go check!! ?
 

I have been vlogging my cruises since July 2017 (Youtube.com/Melkaps). People really enjoy our cruise ship and cabin tours. Another thing people like is to see what food is offered at the buffet. For my next cruise I will try to get breakfast, lunch, and dinner, since I have only been able to catch lunch. Even though the food can change at the buffet, people want to know if there will be options for them.
Another idea is to capture more of the daily activities. Not just the belly flop or quest, but examples include line dancing, napkin folding, and entertainment around the ship.
Enjoy your cruise and good luck with the filming!

I saw a listing on monster.com.  "Odyssey Captain Required, salary TBD"  
Just kidding.
With four Quantum class ships they have eight Captains now since all Captains work on a rotational basis.  Typically the same two Captains will stay with a ship for several years taking turns while the other is on vacation.  I've heard they rotate every few months, two on, two off sort of thing.  The Captains stay in touch by email letting each other know of note worthy events and/or maintenance conditions.    
At the same time there are Staff Captains that do something similar.  They may move more between ships so they are exposed to different Captains and expand their knowledge in this fashion.  They are fully capable of being Captain, but each ship has only one Master of the vessel at any given moment.  
Every ship in the fleet works on this basis.  At some point a Staff Captain may be ready to become a Master.  They likely would not take a Staff Captain who has never served on a Quantum class ship to be the first Odyssey captain.  They'll likely take an experienced Quantum class Captain for Odyssey and backfill the vacancy on their old Quantum class ship.  It doesn't have to be this way, they could take any of their Captains and move them to Odyssey.   A Voyager Captain could be picked, an Oasis Captain could be picked.  If that Captain has worked through a build process on another ship that experience works in their favor.
The Captain and a Staff Captain will join the ship long before it is handed over to Royal however their position isn't official.  The ship yard has it's own Captains who will be on board for sea trials and fulfil the role of Master until the ship is handed over because until it's handed over, the ship doesn't belong to Royal.    Royal's own Captains will be on board but in an observation role.  Despite that they all tend to get along and be included in meetings and operations.  
Looking beyond the bridge as the ship becomes an actual ship and is ready for crew to live on board Royal will begin to assemble the "float out crew" for Odyssey.  They tend to pick experienced crew for all positions, from chef's to bar managers to waiters to hotel directors the entire crew will need to be selected.  Several of the Symphony crew I talked to on the transatlantic have been chosen to be the float out crew for several Oasis class ships.   They knew the drill, they've done it before, this is how a ship can launch and be so ready on the very first cruise. 
At some point as the ship is nearing completion the float out crew or many of them will start living on the ship.  The bridge crew may have been for months now.  They have had cabin attendants and meals served on board for a while.  In this manner the ship itself is tested albeit not for the thousands it will eventually serve.  At the moment of handover the crew is in place and ready to go, all experienced and hand picked from across the fleet. 
In conclusion they don't crew the ship with newbies off the street.  They tend to staff positions from across the fleet drawing on more senior or repeat contract employees who already know their jobs and the Royal way of doing things.  The vacancy they create on their old ship will see people move up within the ranks based on individual merit to do so.  It works this way for bridge crews as it does for the customer facing hotel positions.

....or might act like a flame thrower and incinerate everyone within 25 feet !  Either way, it will be exciting !

Spray it on in the smoking area on deck. Might help the aroma in the area.

Cruise #23: Harmony of the Seas, October 13. Almost a month out!

Cruise #23: Harmony of the Seas, October 13. Almost a month out!

Don't miss the muster drill.
Don't miss Quest.
Don't miss out on the cruise compass. Make sure to check what activities are being offered every day.

Don't miss the pier runners. It's an additional show that is complimentary.

Don't miss the muster drill.
Don't miss Quest.
Don't miss out on the cruise compass. Make sure to check what activities are being offered every day.