MoneyMan702

Matt, also of note:
We went to Chops on this sailing and were actually going to be charged a corkage fee. That was certainly a first for us. The waiter I had told me that this came “from the top” and that he had never really enforced it in all of his years with the company. It also sounded like the enforcement of it was relatively recent.
The timing of this seems rather suspect considering the recent changes to the carry-on wine policy. 
 
As always, I am a sample size of one, but I’m curious if people will start reporting more instances of this in the coming weeks. I don’t see enforcement of this going over particularly well. I’ll just pop my own corks in my stateroom from now on, I guess. 

On Oasis currently and we go to CocoCay on Day 7. Last sea day is Day 6. We did go to Labadee on Day 3, so our cruise is kind of “sandwiched” with good RCI beach stops. 

My wife, son, and I are on Oasis right now and I have a few random bits of information. 
 
Matt posted an article a few days ago about Wow Bands possibly being back. They are definitely back on Oasis, at least for now. My wife and I got them from Guest Services on Monday. Still $9.99
 
The Bionic Bar is out of service and scheduled for maintenance. I think it has been down for the entire cruise, but the signage didn’t appear saying that it was out of service until Monday or Tuesday. I haven’t seen a single drink made there or any crowds there the entire cruise. 
 
Greetings from San Juan!

On Oasis currently and we go to CocoCay on Day 7. Last sea day is Day 6. We did go to Labadee on Day 3, so our cruise is kind of “sandwiched” with good RCI beach stops. 

My wife, son, and I are on Oasis right now and I have a few random bits of information. 
 
Matt posted an article a few days ago about Wow Bands possibly being back. They are definitely back on Oasis, at least for now. My wife and I got them from Guest Services on Monday. Still $9.99
 
The Bionic Bar is out of service and scheduled for maintenance. I think it has been down for the entire cruise, but the signage didn’t appear saying that it was out of service until Monday or Tuesday. I haven’t seen a single drink made there or any crowds there the entire cruise. 
 
Greetings from San Juan!

My wife, son, and I are on Oasis right now and I have a few random bits of information. 
 
Matt posted an article a few days ago about Wow Bands possibly being back. They are definitely back on Oasis, at least for now. My wife and I got them from Guest Services on Monday. Still $9.99
 
The Bionic Bar is out of service and scheduled for maintenance. I think it has been down for the entire cruise, but the signage didn’t appear saying that it was out of service until Monday or Tuesday. I haven’t seen a single drink made there or any crowds there the entire cruise. 
 
Greetings from San Juan!

My wife, son, and I are on Oasis right now and I have a few random bits of information. 
 
Matt posted an article a few days ago about Wow Bands possibly being back. They are definitely back on Oasis, at least for now. My wife and I got them from Guest Services on Monday. Still $9.99
 
The Bionic Bar is out of service and scheduled for maintenance. I think it has been down for the entire cruise, but the signage didn’t appear saying that it was out of service until Monday or Tuesday. I haven’t seen a single drink made there or any crowds there the entire cruise. 
 
Greetings from San Juan!

My wife, son, and I are on Oasis right now and I have a few random bits of information. 
 
Matt posted an article a few days ago about Wow Bands possibly being back. They are definitely back on Oasis, at least for now. My wife and I got them from Guest Services on Monday. Still $9.99
 
The Bionic Bar is out of service and scheduled for maintenance. I think it has been down for the entire cruise, but the signage didn’t appear saying that it was out of service until Monday or Tuesday. I haven’t seen a single drink made there or any crowds there the entire cruise. 
 
Greetings from San Juan!

My wife, son, and I are on Oasis right now and I have a few random bits of information. 
 
Matt posted an article a few days ago about Wow Bands possibly being back. They are definitely back on Oasis, at least for now. My wife and I got them from Guest Services on Monday. Still $9.99
 
The Bionic Bar is out of service and scheduled for maintenance. I think it has been down for the entire cruise, but the signage didn’t appear saying that it was out of service until Monday or Tuesday. I haven’t seen a single drink made there or any crowds there the entire cruise. 
 
Greetings from San Juan!

Maybe they'd work if people adhered to them. 

We ended up booking Oasis, mostly due to itinerary and because we thought Oasis might suit him better at his age than a Quantum vessel. I definitely want to get on Odyssey or another Quantum-class ship someday relatively soon though. 

Totally agree. There wasn’t a bad choice so long as it had H20 Zone or Splashaway Bay. He would be content in an inflatable pool. Hah. 
 
 
Yeah, he doesn’t love loud noises at this point. Things may change by then though. 
 
That is great news to hear! I definitely wanted to check out San Juan since we have never been there. We visited St. Thomas in 2018 and considered using that as a day to stay aboard. Easily walkable is definitely our preference for this trip with him. Thanks for the input. Now hopefully I don’t forget between now and then. 

Hello all. My wife and I are looking at booking our first cruise since December 2019, but this time we will have our son with us. We are looking at next February-March, at which point in time he will be 2 years old, and approaching 2-1/2. 
 
As far as ships are concerned, we are already committed to booking on an Oasis or Quantum class ship due to those classes having water features on the pool deck he can enjoy. I’m not wagering any money on being potty trained and out of swim diapers by then, so Freedom, Quantum, and Oasis are a must. We have sailed on Independence and Allure, so we know what we are getting there. Please comment with your experiences on Quantum class vessels with a child his age, and particularly if you have sailed on both Quantum and Oasis with a child his age as to which you preferred and why. 
 
As far as ports go, I guess I’m wondering which ports are easiest, simplest, most convenient, etc. to fly by the seat of our pants with him in. As I’ve read on here, we want to kind of go at his pace and be flexible. We also aren’t opposed at all to staying on the ship in port if all else fails. 
 
In the past, we could always do whatever we wanted to do, but still generally booked excursions through the cruise line. I’m not ready to make that big of a commitment given how we need to go with his flow a bit more. My wife would probably prefer easy (walking) access to a beach or cultural experience above all else. 

I’m kind of leaning toward a booking right now on Odyssey that visits Labadee, CocoCay, and Falmouth for the first two ports and the convenience of what they offer, but other possibilities are certainly on the table for consideration.
 
Any and all input is accepted. Thank you!
 

We ended up booking Oasis, mostly due to itinerary and because we thought Oasis might suit him better at his age than a Quantum vessel. I definitely want to get on Odyssey or another Quantum-class ship someday relatively soon though. 

Hello all! My wife and I just booked this cruise earlier tonight. This will be our first cruise since December 2019 due to COVID and having our first child. Our son will also be cruising with us for the first time. This will be our fifth cruise with Royal and overall, and our second time on an Oasis-class ship. 
 
My wife and I are both in our early thirties, and our son will be around 2-1/2 at sailing. 
We look forward to meeting you all!

Thanks for all the input and commentary on this topic previously. The wife and I booked our first cruise since December 2019 for March 2023 on Oasis. Little dude, who will be 2-1/2, will be along for the journey. 
 
Baby splash zones were a must for us, and the choice came down to Oasis and Odyssey for this trip. Oasis won on a cost-per-night basis and due to a slightly better itinerary to us subjectively.

Thank you for the input. I was concerned about exactly what you said about Odyssey given how I had never sailed on that class before, but that was dead on my concern/speculation. 
 
I highly doubt he will be out of swim diapers by then, or at the very least am not willing to bet the farm on it. He will also still be under 3 at the time of this prospective sailing, so nursery only for him. I’ve definitely considered how much easier waiting 8 months or so would make things since he could go to Adventure Ocean. 
 
Ironically enough, Independence has been our least favorite ship we have been on so far, which surprised me considering how much we liked Mariner. 

The baby (swim Diaper) are was just okay.  Better than Oasis but not as good as Indy.  It had a couple rubber things to step on that would squirt water.  Great ship but hard with a little one.  Can't do bumper cars, North Star, Zone Zero with a little one.  Amazing ship but my wife, 10, and 2 year old had to split up often.  She did like the interactive art pieces in the Via.  The splash pad for the toddlers out of diapers on all three ships were much more comparable but the Freedom class still has the best ones.  As much as I really liked Odyssey if the sole decision making factor was ease of use with a 2 year old it would rank lower than Oasis or Independence.    But it would also be very doable to have your little one go to adventure ocean while you hit North Star, IFly, Bumper Cars if that's your thing.  

Quick run down on highlights from our recent cruises with my 2.5 year old daughter.
Aug 2021 independence - best splash away Bay even if still in diapers as it has a good slide for a 2 year old.  Simpson Bay at St Martin is a very quick walk to water taxi and very short ride over to shallow entry calm waters in view of the ship.
Dec 2021 Oasis -  Very lacking baby splash area.  All other amenities are awesome though (carousel about 8 million times).  Coco Cay Splash Away bay and the wave pool are excellent choices!
Jan 2022 Odyssey - Amazing ABC islands trip but they were long days.  Our daughter did amazing but it could have been a nightmare too, we were lucky.  Caves in Curacoa, Eagle beach in Aruba was very steep entry and lots of rolling waves.  Climbed the rock formations.  Not for everyone with a two year old!
 
A couple of the trips we did Blue Lagoon in Nassau.  Excellent excellent choice for little ones.  Watch some videos and you'll see the very shallow waters.  need to be careful as a current can come through though.  Hope this helps!  Enjoy.

Hello all. My wife and I are looking at booking our first cruise since December 2019, but this time we will have our son with us. We are looking at next February-March, at which point in time he will be 2 years old, and approaching 2-1/2. 
 
As far as ships are concerned, we are already committed to booking on an Oasis or Quantum class ship due to those classes having water features on the pool deck he can enjoy. I’m not wagering any money on being potty trained and out of swim diapers by then, so Freedom, Quantum, and Oasis are a must. We have sailed on Independence and Allure, so we know what we are getting there. Please comment with your experiences on Quantum class vessels with a child his age, and particularly if you have sailed on both Quantum and Oasis with a child his age as to which you preferred and why. 
 
As far as ports go, I guess I’m wondering which ports are easiest, simplest, most convenient, etc. to fly by the seat of our pants with him in. As I’ve read on here, we want to kind of go at his pace and be flexible. We also aren’t opposed at all to staying on the ship in port if all else fails. 
 
In the past, we could always do whatever we wanted to do, but still generally booked excursions through the cruise line. I’m not ready to make that big of a commitment given how we need to go with his flow a bit more. My wife would probably prefer easy (walking) access to a beach or cultural experience above all else. 

I’m kind of leaning toward a booking right now on Odyssey that visits Labadee, CocoCay, and Falmouth for the first two ports and the convenience of what they offer, but other possibilities are certainly on the table for consideration.
 
Any and all input is accepted. Thank you!
 

Greetings All.  I hope everybody is safe and well.
My wife and I are planning our next cruise for sometime in 2022 (assuming/fingers crossed that cruising and the world have returned to something resembling pre-COVID normal), but we will have an infant with us for the first time ever.  Our little man will be at least 16-18 months old, if not a bit older, based on the window of sailings I am looking at.
I was wondering if Matt or anybody had an updated list of ships that have the baby splash zone that children in swim diapers can enter.  I am aware of Allure, Oasis, Freedom, Liberty, Independence, Anthem and Quantum having them.  I wasn't sure if due to the Royal Amped Program and/or newer ships (specifically Odyssey, Symphony and Harmony) had them as well.
Also, any tips for cruising/traveling with an infant are welcome.
I'm still by no means set on going on a cruise and/or other vacation at this point given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, but I am definitely dreaming of it and hoping that the vaccine rollout gets us one step closer to it being a reality.

Awesome! When speaking of both H2O Zone and Splashaway Bay, I was speaking of the special area for diapers that was filtered separately. That was a big reason for us looking at ships specifically with those areas, as he will almost certainly still be in diapers when we are looking to go. 
 
I saw a story Matt wrote around 2015 that mentioned the ships with the baby splash zones at that time, but there have certainly been a lot of changes and additions since. I'm glad Navigator is on the list. We love Voyager Class. 

Greetings All.  I hope everybody is safe and well.
My wife and I are planning our next cruise for sometime in 2022 (assuming/fingers crossed that cruising and the world have returned to something resembling pre-COVID normal), but we will have an infant with us for the first time ever.  Our little man will be at least 16-18 months old, if not a bit older, based on the window of sailings I am looking at.
I was wondering if Matt or anybody had an updated list of ships that have the baby splash zone that children in swim diapers can enter.  I am aware of Allure, Oasis, Freedom, Liberty, Independence, Anthem and Quantum having them.  I wasn't sure if due to the Royal Amped Program and/or newer ships (specifically Odyssey, Symphony and Harmony) had them as well.
Also, any tips for cruising/traveling with an infant are welcome.
I'm still by no means set on going on a cruise and/or other vacation at this point given the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, but I am definitely dreaming of it and hoping that the vaccine rollout gets us one step closer to it being a reality.

Hi everyone, I know we get heated debating which dessert is the best one to order, or if a balcony room is worth it, but let's keep these basic rules in mind when chatting here.
No profanity No personal insults No political discussion This includes tropes about politicians and generalizations about political parties No debating religion Keep your posts relevant and accurate to each specific thread. We can all have our little fun within each thread but please make sure the information you're putting out there is correct and current.   Topics not related to Royal Caribbean may be removed. Posts or comments encouraging cruisers to break any Royal Caribbean policy is not allowed and will be removed.

St. Kitts - Carambola beach club.   Quick taxi ride.  You can make a reservation for chair/umbrella on their website.  Good food and snorkeling there too.