AshleyDillo

Shouldn't be too overwhelming if you are staying concentrated in only a few areas such as just doing Disney Springs area and also the TTC/monorail loop. If you get stressed about it taking too long for a bus to show up, then Uber/Lyft is very prevalent and easy to get around in the Disney area. Buses should run every 20 minutes. There's tons to explore for free without access to Disney. You can ride the monorail loop to Epcot which whizzes through the park and also do monorail resorts and stop at all of them and walk around and check out the decor. There are boats to Fort Wilderness and Wilderness Lodge which you can walk around and explore. I would think the kids would have fun with the monorail and the boat transportation alone. You can research each of the resorts and see what the unique features are and check them out. I know there's a geyser at Wilderness Lodge that goes off every hour. Disney Springs has a lot to see. You can pop into some restaurants and check out the decor such as TRex. There's a kids play area there and you aren't required to eat there to play. There's the Lego store which is a hit with kids. There's a CocaCola store where you can meet the Coke polar bear and there's a rooftop bar. If you have any questions or want to be pointed in a particular direction feel free to ask. I'm sure there are plenty of Disney fans here who can help. I'm too cheap to regularly do the Disney parks (despite living in Florida my whole life) so I know how to entertain and explore without giving them my money really well ?

This is actually an excellent question. I'm not sure I've ever seen or heard of anyone in this situation to provide you with an answer. I know in a regular situation you can add people up to a couple of days prior to sailing but if you haven't already established a 3rd person price then sometimes they end up repricing the whole room when you try to add the 3rd (and beyond). But if you're originally booked with 3 people then anyone after 3 gets locked into that 3rd person price until sail date. I would hope that if you already had 3 people and successfully RoyalUp'd in enough time to add people prior to sailing that you could at the prevailing 3rd person price. You also have to remember that the muster stations have a capacity and if there isn't room for more people you won't be allowed to add anyone, so that may come into play with a last minute add.

Don't be too alarmed about folks being able to see into this room as the helipad on Symphony is only used on occasion for the suites sailaway parties. It isn't open for access all the time like on the smaller ships.

Deluxe drink package was incorrectly priced at $18/day for about a 5-6 hour period of time. Royal ultimately decided to honor the price. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2019/07/03/royal-caribbean-will-honor-drink-package-price-glitch

It really depends on what you are looking for in a hotel room. Are you getting in early where you will have a lot of time and want to explore things? Do you need to be near walkable places to eat or shop? Do you need a room that can accommodate more than 2 people? Do you prefer an included breakfast? There are soooo many options out there. Two places that I have stayed and would recommend are: Hampton Inn & Suites in Brickell. The Brickell area has a lot of walkable restaurants and shopping. You can also take the rail directly from the airport if you have a manageable amount of luggage and no mobility issues. It includes breakfast. It was relatively close to the port (maybe 10 mins via Uber/Lyft) and the airport. Doubletree Biscayne Bay. This hotel is attached to a small area with restaurants and coffee shops. There is also a Publix (grocery store) within walking distance for anything you need last minute such as your 2 bottles of wine and drinks to take onto the ship, toiletries, sunscreen, etc. There's also a free trolley stop in the area which will take you to a lot of different places in the area if you have time and desire to explore.

It's funny but I got the plot from actually watching it..CATS however..still didn't get it after reading what it was about ?

I believe the Cuba situation had a grandfather clause attached to it to phase out over several weeks, if not months.

I have my own theories on why the water near the swim-up bar may be a bit warmer.

Yup..you also can't get any kind of insurance (aside from CFAR) coverage if you cancel before the ship does. The cancellation is the event that triggers an insurance "loss" and if you self-cancel then it isn't considered a covered event. The cruiseline has to cancel and then you have to get all the appropriate documentation for anything that the cruiseline doesn't refund or issue you a credit for. Even CFAR is limiting because it's only a partial reimbursement of losses for most policies and the coverage is $$$.

Your TA absolutely needs to follow up with this. If you didn't get any correspondence about the changes, then your TA got them or there was a mistake when your email address was entered in for your booking.

They don't really have a lot of place to store stuff..so I typically lean towards something consumable when making a gift suggestion. If there's a local item from your area that you can bring to gift them that might be an idea for someone you know nothing about. If there's younger children, have them make a thank you card or draw a picture. The physical things we've gifted weren't planned (we gifted a USB charger to a room steward that had made a comment about it) and we often brought back treats from the ports for crew members.

Good catch! No, it is definitely a cabana. The thrillpark cabanas are for 6 people while the beach cabanas are for 8. The beach bungalows are different and are only for 6. I'm not sure how they regulate the access to the thrillpark cabanas but each cabana will get 6 waterpark admissions. Per the FAQ you use your SeaPass to enter the waterpark. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/how-does-admission-into-thrill-waterpark-work-on-perfect-day-at-cococay @Matt has done the cabanas in the waterpark, so perhaps he can shed some light on it for you on where the check-in is and if the cabanas in the waterpark are restricted access.

I believe the waterpark access is tied to the SeaPass card. The Thrill cabanas are actually INSIDE the waterpark, so only those 6 people that you put on the cabana list would have entrance into the park where the cabanas were. You would need to purchase waterpark access for the other 2 people for them to even be able to get to the cabana.

Brickell and Biscayne Bay and even the airport hotels are reasonable for getting to the port. Brickell and Biscayne Bay will have offerings within walking distance for food. I have stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Brickell which has the standard Hampton Inn amenities like free breakfast. You can get to this area from the airport using the rail system if you can walk and drag luggage with no issues. The Biscayne Bay area has a Publix nearby which is great for picking up last minute wine, sunscreen, toiletries, etc. and has a great bakery/deli department which you would purchase stuff for breakfast in the morning if the hotel didn't offer one. I have stayed at the Doubletree there and it was comfortable and it is also attached to a little mall with restaurants and a coffee shop.

You won't get options there until they are ready to be booked.

Typically if Royal does completely cancel you get a full refund to your method of payment or sometimes they will also give you the choice of some price protected alternative cruises (meaning that if you locked in a great price on your category room you can rebook onto another sailing even if the current pricing is higher). They will sometimes offer a $200 flight change/fee reimbursement per person. If they end up sailing but with a modified itinerary it won't be a full refund.

I just wanted to follow back up and stated that we rented an ATV for 8 hours through Viatour for our visit to Aruba. My reservation was handled through a company called Roadrunner. We had an amazing time as you get to explore on your own. When we picked up the ATV they went through a map and helped us bookmark a bunch of places on a map program so we could see what we wanted. With the ATV you get to use the normal surface streets as well as the offroad trails. You aren't stuck with a tour where you're as slow as the slowest person in your group. We went to the national park and the caves and the natural pool and it was tons of fun..we also stopped by a couple of beaches that were off the beaten path and so serene and beautiful. Well worth it for our 8a-8p port stop.

Symphony is the newest ship of the three..Oasis got AMPed so she's pseudo-new and Allure will be AMPed before it goes to Galveston..so the ships are far more alike than different. Port Everglades and Miami are the easier ports to get to as they are both near the airports. The bonus is that they are only 35-50 minutes from each other so if you're going out of either you can pick flying into FLL or MIA which opens up a lot of choices for flights. I haven't personally experienced Galveston.

For now the beach club is only for folks that purchase the pass or the special beach club cabanas.

Won't it still be multiple shifts as the debarking cruise still needs dock workers and terminal employees? I'm not sure what the case is for this Serenade sailing, but I would imagine it would be coming in the typical morning AM hours.

July 16, 2021 - (Anthem) Royal Caribbean Blog Norwegian Fjords GC

There's a free trolley that you can pick up in that area that makes exploring a bit easy: https://www.miamigov.com/Services/Transportation/Get-Trolley-Information-Schedules-and-Maps

For Oasis they freshened up the rooms (new carpet in most, new furniture in some) but the overall decor hasn't changed. I would expect it will be the same for Allure.

I always recommend the Fulton Parking Garage. They have a shuttle but it's only a few blocks to walk if you can manage your luggage..actually takes less time to walk because vehicles have to go alllll the way around the convention center to the port. This will allow you to stay in a hotel further out for cheaper prices and more included amenities.

Another vote for Jamie's..I found the food to be better and I appreciate the more casual environment.