AshleyDillo

I really enjoyed Icy Strait Point which you are only going to get on the one-way North/Southbound Radiance sailings or the single 9-day RT Radiance sailing out of Vancouver. I also liked taking the Alaskan Railroad Anchorage to Seward the morning of embarkation for the southbound sailing. The views from the train are very scenic and it's an enjoyable way to be able to spend the night in Anchorage (which is easier to find hotel accommodations) and then transfer to the cruise in the morning. I'm also trying to make a decision with a group who have never been before. If it was just me going then it's a toss-up between that 9-night Radiance sailing or the 7-night Serenade sailing that visits Sitka (since that's one Alaska cruiseport I haven't visited).

First trip? Once in a lifetime trip? Starter trip to explore with the intent to come back? Serenade is a smaller ship that does the RT from Vancouver. RT tends to make flight logistics easier. As it is smaller it can visit smaller ports such at Sitka that you won't see on the Ovation itineraries. Radiance does the one-way trips. Same smaller ship, but being one-way it can visit more ports in a 7-day span than the RT cruises. These are also the cruises that link with the optional land tour components (which I highly recommend if you have the time/$ and it's the bucket list/once in a lifetime trip). Ovation is the newer ship with much more to do onboard (bumper cars, flowrider, iFly, NorthStar). It does the RT itineraries from Seattle, so it's only a couple of Alaska port stops plus Victoria to comply with the necessity for a foreign port stop. Again being RT from Seattle, that means flights are usually easier to figure out.

Yes. You just indicate that you want to set a cash account up when you check in for the cruise. You will be required to visit guest services to pay off your balance once it reaches $300 or $500 (depending on cruise length) in order to charge anything further to your onboard account. Then you will need to settle up at the end of the cruise at Guest Services or you will not be allowed to disembark. At that point you can pay off your balance with a card or with cash.

Yes! You can even visit the pool area and walk around but you can't get into the pool. I believe you've stated that you weren't interested in being responsible for driving, but I think it would be an economical and flexible option for your family. Rent a car at PC and drive to Orlando. Do what you want to do and see and drive back. I've been to Orlando plenty of times and not gone into the parks at all. You can ride the monorail around from the TTC to Epcot and all the monorail resorts, take the ferry from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom all for free..grab a Dole Whip at the Polynesian. Take a boat over to Fort Wilderness and explore the campgrounds and Wilderness Lodge. Drive over to the Animal Kingdom resorts, park and walk around and see the animals that may be out at the resorts..drive over to the EPCOT resorts, etc. If you're visiting close to Easter I know they've done some nice displays at the resorts where the employees get to decorate Easter eggs for a contest and they are incredible!

It has been an extra charge (ala carte) option from the start. Only a few more weeks to wait until hopefully a menu and prices are revealed!

NextCruise (the on-ship venue for making new bookings) doesn't really give discounts. They use the same pricing anyone can pull up on Royal's site and all of the current sales are whatever is being offered. The benefit with NextCruise is that you can sometimes get a little bit of onboard credit when you make a booking through them. They used to offer reduced deposits as well but that is becoming more and more rare. http://www.royalonboardsales.com/#seeoffer is where you can check the current offer before you sail, along with all the tiny print with the terms and conditions. If you do use them, just make sure you fully understand what you are booking and have it clarified whether it's refundable or non-refundable, etc.

It's up to the taxi or rideshare driver whether they will take the kids if you don't have the proper seats for them. Florida's rules are boosters up to age 5, I believe. Limos, buses, and chauffeured rides like that are exempt. You may want to look into some of the ultra portable options out there such as mifold.

Your photo pops up when your card is scanned, so that should be a double check. If something shows up on your account that you didn't pay for it is really easy to have it removed at Guest Services.

Yeah the Ovation cruises aren't showing up on the other travel sites I use either.

I know this is making it in there as @Matt is an early arriver..but it is absolutely my #1 tip for everyone. We are fortunate that Royal doesn't make us adhere to the assigned boarding times like some of the other cruise lines do. Take advantage of that always!

They pick a sailing every year and call it the President's Cruise. That means the president of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Michael Bayley, will be on the sailing and they make a big to-do about everything. Tons of loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers like to sail on these cruises. They will have special events and gifts. Because of all this, it tends to be a little different than your typical cruise. There will be a lot more folks on the sailing with high Crown & Anchor status and they will have a lot of special invite-only events that can close some of the venues to public use. I think anyone expecting a typical Royal Caribbean cruise will be a bit surprised by this sailing. Whether that's a good or a bad surprise is really up to the individual.

I've been on some January sailings and it can be warm enough to spend time at the beach, especially if you're from the north and used to it being a bit colder. Doesn't affect what excursions I will plan other than it tends to be easier to just jump right into the water when it's a bit cooler than easing yourself in. You acclimate pretty quickly once you are all the way in the water. I will say that it can get chilly once the sun goes down on the open decks of the ship, so definitely bring a light jacket. It's very windy up there which contributes to the cooler feeling. I also find it can be chilly inside the ship where they run the A/C all the time. (I say this from my office in Florida where it is currently colder inside than outside and I am wishing for a space heater.)

Nope..it never had Glacier Bay as far as I know. When you visit that cruise page it pops up with an itinerary change notification but I can't figure out why. We originally booked it in November 2018 and the current itinerary matches what's on my booking confirmation from that time. I don't expect Glacier Bay to really start showing up on itineraries until the 2021 season. There's a process they have to go through to secure the visits there and since they just got their 10-year contract accepted effective October 2019, I can't imagine that gives them a lot of time to secure everything for the 2020 season. Plus I think the other ships that got their contracts renewed actually get priority in securing their visits so Royal has to compete with those ships and gets to take what's left over.

Ovation of the Seas, June 5 RT out of Seattle. Matt booked this as his family's return to Alaska and a bunch of us went ahead and also booked it. MEI should even have a group if you ask about it..my invoice has the group number as "FLORIDA FRIENDS". It won't be a typical group cruise with scheduled activities and an itinerary, but there should be quite a few of us on that sailing!

I have stayed here. It is pretty affordable and was comfortable enough...but definitely not up to par with what you would expect from any of the chain hotels. Not in a bad way..just not polished. We ended up in a 2 bedroom suite which was like a mini apartment. It's a couple blocks to the T and a block from Fenway..but other than that there wasn't a whole lot in the immediate area. I personally haven't even thought that far ahead..still have figure out my plans for the not official group cruise Ovation for June first!

The oyster shooters may not be included at Hooked so be sure to ask..since it's a food/drink combo. Wonderland's bar is separate from the dining area, so it's a great place to go and try special drinks.

Ohh..is @Matt going to eat somewhere other than Izumi on Brillance?

Lol..I canceled and rebooked for the same price because I wanted to switch the credit card it was charged to.

When I drive I usually just park at the port for convenience. It's a little pricey at $22 a day but can't be beat for the time it takes to get the car and leave. There are some park and cruise Miami hotels but it's a hassle with the shuttle and they're still not enough of a price savings over just parking yourself at the port and paying a normal room rate. I would avoid downtown and Brickell for hotel stays as you will end up paying to park your car at the hotel. The Doral/west airport area is close enough to the port where you wouldn't have a long drive in the morning and you can find a reasonably priced hotel with free parking and included breakfast. The Hyatt Place there did use to do a Park, Sleep, Cruise rate but again you're dealing with crowded shuttles and your room rate will be more to cover the parking expenses.

If it's any consolation I find it's more comfortable to sleep on the single bed than when they are joined. I can feel the gap when the beds are put together and would much rather have them separated.

Odd..maybe it was recognizing the cellular at sea tower because you were closer or lost the local cell service? I have Sprint and it doesn't connect to the Cellular at Sea ever when I'm at the home port or even a foreign port..it tends to jump on the local cell towers. It does text me welcoming me to the service in that particular country with the data, voice, and txt rates. Maybe they don't normally turn on the Cellular at Sea until they leave the port and they accidentally did that time you connected to it?

Just turn your phone off airplane mode and it will connect to the local cell towers, not the ship's cellular.

The Star Class activity band should let you skip the lines for most of the onboard activities (waterslides, Abyss slide, flowrider, rock wall, and zipline). Although they do state that during the really busy times they would prefer that you don't use it for the flowrider...they should give you a specific timeframe of when that is. For Labadee you should get a wristband specific to the suites area.

The lifeboats are level with deck 5..so deck 8 should be 3 up from that. I highlighted in pink the ones closest to the aft.

A small tree would be allowed. Just remember that cabin space is tight and there is limited tabletop space. You may want to get creative and consider an alternative such as a Christmas tree wall decoration that you attach with magnets (as the cabin walls and doors are magnetic!).