SpeedNoodles

Now THIS is what I wanted to read! And my husband just said an hour ago that I should look for another cruise to put on the books, so I'm pumped!!!!

Check the price in your cruise planner. If it's on sale for $19.99 grab it now. The price has gone up on lots, but not all, sailings.

Oh yeah, you're right. Math: It's not for everyone (i.e. me). It's listing for $31.99 for my Symphony sailing over a year away, too. I think if it drops back to $19.99 I'll grab it and then decide later if I really want it!

Awww, shucks - that's VERY kind of you. I LOVE this group and very much hope I can catch a group cruise someday!

It's up to $32 for my June Ovation cruise as well. Up until now it always had the sale banner on it, so I guess this is normal price? Probably only worth it on a 2-3 night sailing at that price. I know that Ovation has very few rooms left on my sailing.

Dang, I was hoping people would say " it goes away the more you cruise" because I'm willing to do whatever it takes! Luckily I'm not nauseated and I'm fully functional. Well, as functional as I ever am, anyway.

I'm thinking it does little good if RCCL staff can get into your safe to retrieve your passport, but the ship has already pulled away from the dock. But these are just things I muse about in the middle of the night when it's dead at work.

You also need it if you are in Alaska and an excursion takes you across the border into Canada (one of our excursions out of Skagway went about a mile into Canada and we had to bring it).

Harbour Nights? https://www.gotobermuda.com/article/harbour-nights-bermudas-weekly-summer-street-party

I couldn't figure out where to put this, since it's not limited to Royal Caribbean - 4 days post my 4-night Mariner cruise I'm still swaying. I nearly fell down in the shower tonight. I've had this before after every cruise, I honestly didn't think I'd get it at all this time since I never once felt any motion of the vessel - we had incredibly calm seas the entire trip. I can't remember how long this lasts - online it says it can last up to 2 weeks. How do people deal with this who cruise once or more a month? Do you ever feel normal, or does it just not affect you?

Viking Ocean Cruises has a lot of the extras included as well (not that I'm steering anyone in any direction! Loyal to Royal! But itineraries being what they are, I could have a wandering eye some day).

Feel free to DM me if you want me to shoot some ideas at ya.

Haha, yes, to avoid teen drama I would imagine it would be WELL worth it! Enjoy!

This trip was solo, so my husband was home taking care of the pack. We'll be using the sitter in June for our Alaskan cruise on Ovation - and we're hoping it goes so well and that she likes it (and the compensation) that she'll agree to do it again for our Symphony cruise in 2020!

Nobody even looked at my passport when I disembarked in Miami. Nobody even spoke to me - they scanned my face at the exit, and off I went, without my ID, anything else about me or with me being checked. It was faster than getting out of the airport on a domestic flight, lol.

Was this at the airport or at the cruise terminal?

But then you have the option of a Wow band. At least you don't have to take that off to get into your cabin.

I was personally escorted off the ship at disembarkation on Friday with The Key. You just have to find a staff member monitoring the line.

I was just on my Mariner cruise and had the lanyard with the plastic sleeve. It was a total pain. I got really sick of digging it out everytime i wanted a drink or needed to get into my cabin. On day 3 i saw someone who had a hole punched through his and he told me that he had a staff member do it. By then it was too late to bother for me, but given the same situation again I'd definitely go that route. I did have a clip option on my lanyard..

Since it seems to come up a lot, and although Twangster's detailed blog is far superior, I thought there may be one or two who might be curious about a recent experience. I purchased it for my 4-night Mariner of the Seas cruise to Nassau/Coco Cay. I was a solo traveler and I had a $25 onboard credit, so the price came to $55. Between Voom and lunch on embarkation day, I'd already gotten my value, so it was really a no-brainer purchase for me. Embarkation: They called The Key people with the Pinnacle/Diamond/Diamond Plus members when they opened up the doors. I suspect they just threw us in with them because it was so early and there were very few people in the terminal yet. Delivery of carry on luggage to stateroom: A few of us wandered around trying to figure out where to drop off our carry on luggage when we first boarded - they were a little behind and didn't have a sign on the theatre door, or anyone in the theatre to take the bags yet. In about 10 minutes we all figured it out (all 5 of us at that point) and someone did show up to start the process. Unfortunately that person hadn't been provided with any luggage tags, so anyone who hadn't tagged their luggage had to wait a little while - I had my luggage tag on my one rolling carry on. They also had business cards with Voom codes on it - but none of them matched the names of anyone who was there, so staff was confused. In the end they just gave us a card for whoever (sorry Adam Davis, or whoever's I had), and we were on our way. I assume they managed to work it out in the end, but it was never an issue for me. Lunch at Chops - was a nice treat! Reserved seating section at shows - I only went to the comedy show really late on Embarkation day and on the last night. There was a section roped off for The Key next to either higher C&A or suite folks - it really didn't matter at this show because there was really hardly anyone in the theatre. The first night I sat in The Key section, the last night I sat somewhere else - it didn't matter. But this is Mariner, not a Quantum or Oasis class ship, so I imagine it would make a difference on one of those ships. Reserved times for Flow Rider/Rock Climbing Wall/Sky Pad/Perfect Storm - they had at least 2 hours set aside during the week for each activity. They weren't at the most convenient hours, but, at least on my sailing, it wasn't necessary for a separate time - there was never a line at any of those activities - I never saw more than a few people in line for any of them and most of the time nobody was using them. Apparently this was a "sit by the pool and drink" cruise for folks. On the 2nd day, I happened to stop by my cabin to pick something up and someone knocked on my door and delivered a fruit plate that was complimentary for The Key people. That was unexpected. Priority tender - We only tendered at CoCo Cay - I went down to get on the tender about an hour after we anchored and there was a line (not a ridiculous line, but a line as you'd expect there to be). There was no staff along the line at all to ask about The Key benefit, and I'm just not the type to walk past a bunch of people who are waiting to also get on the tender to get in front of them, so I just got on with everyone else. I was able to get on the tender right away anyway, probably because I wasn't trying to get on the first tender of the day, so it was just fine with me. I could have been more assertive, but that's just not me. And the ending result would have been exactly the same in this case. Disembarkation Day - it was nice to have a quiet, unrushed breakfast in the MDR. It was the only time I'd sat with other people during a meal - almost the only time I'd spoken to any other people all week (I did talk to the iguana and the chickens on CoCo Cay earlier, that's a whole different story #retiredzookeeper) and I did enjoy that. After breakfast, I ran back up to my room, grabbed my carry on, and went down to Deck 4, where there happened to be a staff member manning the line. I asked him about The Key disembarkation, and he personally escorted me to the gangway past a long line, which was REALLY nice. I liked the program, and it was defnintely worth it on a short sailing. I was getting Voom anyway, and there were just enough things that I was going to enjoy along the way that it made it worth it to me. I very much doubt that I'll get it on my Ovation sailing to Alaska in June - I will be going with my husband, who has no interest in Voom, and we will be meeting up with old friends, who will not have The Key, so we won't be taking advantage of reserved seating with shows and special times for activities since they won't be able to partake with us during those times. We'll evaluate it again on our Symphony sailing in Feb 2020 - things may have changed with the program, or the hubs may decide he wants internet access, so we'll see then. Hope this helps someone out there!

You get me! You really get me!!! Thanks ?

At 5 years old, they won't be hitting any buttons without help, I could barely reach them, LOL

There were crews working on every area - even the little wooden buildings right by the docks (no idea what those are going to be, someone here might) - that's the photo with the blue metal fence in front of it.

On Mariner this week they called Pinnacle, Diamond, Diamond Plus and The Key all at once. I think they did this because there just weren't that many people in the terminal yet.

Here are my favorites from this past week on Mariner. Yes, one is just a chicken. I was the one wandering the island desperately searching for wildlife. I did manage to catch sight of the chickens (admit it, she's looking pretty sassy), I found an iguana, and I saw several pelicans roosting (yep, I'm THAT nerd).