SolariumSnoozer

How does Symphony compare to her sisters? Your pictures give me a feel of familiarity but look like there are enough differences to make it feel like a different experience.

Following, love Bermuda you will have a great time.

The only excursion I've ever had cancelled was jet skiing at Labadee, and it happened twice. Both times were for "safety" reasons ( waves were too high) and happened at the time of the excursion not the day before. Once, we actually got as far as the starting waypoint and had to turn around. In both instances my seapass account was credited the next day and I never had the feeling Royal was trying to scam us. Once, on Cococay, Royal held the jet skiing excursion even though I was the only cruiser to sign up (two jet skis, 3 people).

I always make reservations for My Time Dining before the cruise, using the Cruise Planner, and then call Royal Caribbean and ask them to note I want a table for two. For some reason the Cruise Planner does not let you make any table requests. I have never had any issues doing this.

Yes, you can call and have it noted. I have had two times where I requested the configuration be two twins only to find a king when I got in the cabin. The steward will always introduce him or herself before the muster drill. If the configuration of the beds, or anything else in the cabin, hasn't met my needs, I just ask them then and the issue has always been taken care of by the time we were done with dinner.

We always do MTD and really like it. I recommend making reservations prior to the cruise, I think you get seated faster that way and it also increases your chances of having the same server. I really like having the same server because they quickly learn your likes/preferences which makes dinner that much more enjoyable. There are two lines at the entrance to the MTD dining room, one for people with reservations and one for people without. At the busy times, the line for people without reservations can be long, although it does appear to move quickly but the line for people with reservations is always much shorter. I also note my table # the first night especially when I like the location and server. I then mention the table # to the maitre d' when we arrive for dinner, they almost always place us at the same table and if it is not available they often call in to see how long the wait is. If the wait is long they will look for another table with the same server and if one is not available they will give you the option of being seated with a different server or waiting. As far as timing, we have shown up 15 minutes early or late and never had an issue.

I have never experienced that. Plus Matt is always preaching that you should take your passports off the ship with you on excursions even if they are not required to get back on, can't do that if your passports are not in your possession.

First let me say I am shocked and bothered by your treatment. Three years ago I took my two daughters on a 4 night cruise on Enchantment. We had a new Ocean View room and had the dreaded shower curtain issue. I nicely informed the stateroom attendant about the issue and the staff went above and beyond trying to fix it. They replaced the curtain, tried to pin it at the bottom and definitively improved the issue even though they couldn't completely solve it. I was very thankful for all their efforts and told them how much I appreciated it. Then at the conclusion of the cruise the provided me future cruise credits which I was not expecting and did not request. Your situation was significantly worse and more disturbing than my inconvenience and your treatment by Royal deplorable. So the question I need to ask is: did Royal significantly change their guest relations approach and we all should expect this kind of treatment in the future or was this just very poor guest relations by the concierge who needs to be retrained or transferred to a different position?

Great pictures as always!

Following!!

@twangster, thanks for all the effort you put into your blogs and scopes, the results certainly benefit us the readers. I have been thinking about booking an Alaskan cruise and now I know the next cruise I book will be for Alaska. Your description of Icy Strait Point seems like a don't miss to me. That along with the extra ports leads me to think the one way cruise is the better choice. Do you agree with that If you can only do an Alaskan cruise once?

Great photos, really enjoyed viewing them. Thanks for posting.

With the drink card you can order any drink up to $12 on most ships and $13 on Oasis/Quantum class ships. If your drink costs more than this, Royal Caribbean just charges you the difference. For example, my wife purchased some fancy martinis that cost $15, with the card I had to pay the $2 difference plus gratuity. You also don't receive a benefit from purchasing a $10 drink, you don't owe anything but you don't receive the $2 credit either. Obviously, you should only purchase drinks that cost more than drink card average, in your case $9 ($90/10). Usually the bartenders will tell me not to buy beer with the drink card because the cost of a beer is usually less than what you paid for a drink on the card.

It seems to not only depend upon which ship you are on but also where you are on the ship. I had good luck streaming Netflix on Oasis and Independence in the solarium.

No, definitely not. It's your vacation you should make your decisions based upon what maximizes your enjoyment.

Sorry, I'm not sure, you will need someone with more cruise experience to answer that. I have found the cruise planner sales are always cheaper than buying the package on board. Keep checking the cruise planner for sales. If you find a better cruise planner sale you can return the earlier purchase and repurchase the package at the cheaper price. On my last cruise, I did this multiple multiple times for both internet and excursions.

Yes you can. All you need to do is make sure you logout of the device your using before you logon to the next device.

I have always called Royal Caribbean before the cruise and requested a table for two for my time dining. My request has always been honored. I'm sure they would also honor a request to sit at a larger table with others.

Fantastic Live Blog and I loved your pictures. Appreciate the time and effort to share your cruise experience.

I bought the luggage tags based on a previous discussion and felt they were a worthwhile investment. For those looking for a link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E4SQNU4/

My wife and I went on this excursion last February. We chose it because we had never visited Mayan ruins and Coba was the only option we could find that still allows you to climb a pyramid. Between the ferry and the bus rides a very large portion of your day is spent travelling. We found Coba very interesting but did not feel we were provided enough time to fully explore the ruins. I would return to Coba, but not on a cruise excursion when time is so limited. We did climb the pyramid which we enjoyed and was the highlight of the excursion. The cenote swim was ok. The entrance/exit is a circular staircase wide enough for only one person. Inside the cenote is some low level lighting and a wooden deck to facilitate getting in and out of the water. The water was cool and clean but after a few minutes of swimming we were done and got out. Personally, I would have preferred skipping the cenote swim to spend more time at the ruins. Hope this helps.