Yo2slick

Covers up to $13 on most ships.  You just have to pay the overage plus 18% of the overage beyond that.  There are a handful of wines in each category that fit within the limit, but many of the wines are $$$.  If you can find out the wines to be sampled ahead of time it can make your decision to partake easier.

THANK YOU!

Congrats! My wife's birthday is 2 days before Christmas. I learned a long time ago not to try to combine the two. So we are going on a BIRTHDAY cruise.?

I will for sure!  This is our first ever cruise for both of us.  We are celebrating wifes birthday and our anniversary which are 3 days apart.

My hubby, who is a retired aircraft mechanic for the Navy, keeps reminding me its hurricane season. He does this not to scare me though. He wants to feel the boat rock and see the waves crash. I told him ok, but no hurricane when we're in port. I want to enjoy my excursions without worrying about being blown away. :-)

Hope y'all have a great cruise! Ours is Christmas (and wife's birthday) so I hope you reply after your cruise with an assessment of this.....just for curiosity?

Exactly!  We are proud Key holders for our future Liberty cruise....wonder how many others are too? 

There is a limited number that are sold. When I was on the Independence of the Seas it was only 100 sold. I'm not sure about Oasis class.

We paid ours when we booked the cruise.  Of course I plan on bringing some extra cash that will go to dining staff and our Room attendant.

@twangster , Even though I suggested calling them in a previous thread, we really need to stop giving that number out...I've never had to wait on hold there, always got right through and now everyone will be calling there! ???
@MicDay , tip..when you call there press option 9. Will get you to someone without all the prompts. (SHHH...DON'T TELL ANYONE)

You are welcome.  I only call C&A, even when booking a new cruise or to get a quote.  
They can do pretty much everything the general contact center can do and more.

NextCruise is a department within the Crown and Anchor Society.  Try calling them, not the general toll free number.
C&A 800-526-9723

I concur, and when off the ship there is the usual common sense, like not putting all documents in one place.  When I wear my SeaPass in a lanyard, I keep my license separately.  I don't pool documents with my wife.  If one of us loses something, the other can get back on the ship for extra documents from the safe, etc.

Negative on taking passports off the ship.  In an extreme emergency, they can be retrieved by crew, as mentioned above.  Instead, you have a couple of options.  Take a photocopy of the main page with you, purchase a travel card when you order your passport (and take it as your ID off the ship), or just trust that your driver's license and SeaPass are sufficient.  The more you carry passports around off ship, the more likely you are to be pick-pocketed or forgetful.   And on excursions, there is the risk of water damage at the beach, etc.  State Department has the STEP program that allows you to register foreign travel, so US will know where you are in an emergency.  We have taken 14 cruises without incident except for the time I did take passports. On that occasion our small boat stalled in choppy seas, we and passports were soaked to the skin, and I felt stupid for almost ruining our documents.  They are needed to re-enter the US, which is why they stay in a locked stateroom safe.

It's just a matter of time before passports are required for cruising.  You are wise to get them now.  

Full refund if you choose not to sail or 50% refund if you keep your booking.  Sounds pretty fair to me.
I don't however think they accept requests for alternate ports.  i.e. - "no Nassau please"

If you do not pre-pay your gratuities, you will be charged each night for gratuities for each person in your stateroom. These charges go to your SeaPass account. At the end of the cruise, Royal Caribbean charges your credit card on file the amount your SeaPass account has racked up.
These gratuities go towards your stateroom attendant and dining room staff.
When you buy a drink package, they will charge you a service fee that covers gratuity for any and all drinks you order with the drink package.

Amen to that !

I always wear jeans and a t shirt around the house and have never even tried on a Tux lol.  But Ill be rocking one on our cruise because my wife will get more enjoyment out of it than anything else.

I always wear jeans and a t shirt around the house and have never even tried on a Tux lol.  But Ill be rocking one on our cruise because my wife will get more enjoyment out of it than anything else.

I needed to share my joy with someone so here seems like the place.  We leave Sunday on the Allure just hubby and I to celebrate 25 years of marriage then on the 27th we board the Empress with our three children for a family cruise.  I'm so freaking excited even though we just cruised in December.  I cannot wait to be without the kids for a vacation and I'm also excited for Cuba. 
 

You're welcome!
The dinner dress code guideline listed on the Cruise Planner is specifically for the MDR for that evening. Generally speaking, the dress code in Specialty restaurants is more toward the "neat" (pants, collared shirt, shoes, etc.), for lack of a better term, or even formal side regardless of the evening since they are considered more upscale dining options. It varies based on the specific restaurant... Sabor or Izumi may be casual while 150 CP, Chops Grill, etc., may be more toward nicer wardrobe. You won't be turned away either way unless your attire is inappropriate/offensive.
As @MikeK mentioned above, people tend to do what they want... some people dress casual on formal nights in the MDR while others still dress formal on casual evenings! Dress code is subjective and just a recommended guideline.
Also, many folks like to dress up on formal evenings because they take tons of pictures in the MDR and throughout the ship in front of various backdrops.

That would be correct...although in my defense I have never cruised without it and this only happened once......so far
 
Damn solo cabins on Brilliance......those doors close quickly behind you when you step out to look down the hall..lol
 
Only good thing was that those rooms are about  pretty close to Guest services(deck 4)..but nothing like walking through the centrum in your boxer briefs at 2am......

This happened to me just this past Saturday !!!  Dan was out back on the deck sunbathing in his "Speedo style" trunks.  He would NEVER wear them anywhere in public....but I went to tell him goodbye (leaving for an errand) and locked the deck sliding glass doors out of PURE HABIT.  I locked him completely out of the house.  Luckily I wasn't gone long.  He wasn't too happy with me when I got home.  I don't even remember locking the door !  It was pure reflex.

Navigator of the seas Jun 10-14. First cruise and first longer than a weekend vacation with hubby in 28 yrs of marriage.