melmar02

We missed out on the $18 DBP, but we were on her in September 2019. That seems so long ago now!

What is a no-see um? Like jellyfish?

Finally, after 732 days on land, we will be embarking on Liberty of the Seas out of Galveston on February 13! DH has been on the fence about going due to Omicron, but he booked his covid test and our hotel yesterday, so I think I finally nudged him to go. Ok, I might have pushed him off that fence while holding a pitchfork, but a girl can only stay at home watching the FCCs pile up for so long! We originally booked under a Kids Sail Free promo (remember those?), and our lift and shift froze pricing for our daughter who has aged out of the kids’ pricing during the shutdown. We really got a steal on our cabin, and we’ll turn diamond on this cruise thanks to the double points promotion. I really did not want to cancel this one! Like everyone else’s rescheduled cruises, how we got here is kind of a convoluted story. 2 years ago (almost to the day) we took my MIL on her first cruise, which was Enchantment in February 2020, for her birthday. We get along great and always have fun together, so we headed to the Next Cruise office and booked another family cruise with her for the next year. We found a real gem – 7 days on Jewel from Galveston going to Perfect Day! Little did we know that covid would shut everything down for so long, and our trip was lifted and shifted to Liberty visiting Cozumel, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman. Of course, two of those ports have changed, and we are now stopping in Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Belize. That’s fine with me as long as I can still get a lava flow on the pool deck or a habanero grapefruit daiquiri in the Schooner Bar! A little about us: Me - longtime homeschooling mom who runs a wedding bakery from home. I’m either grading papers or covered in icing. DH - engineer who likes naps. I’m the night owl who likes to sleep past the sun rising, whereas DH is a morning person who naturally wakes up early. 5am is sleeping in for him. DD – 13 and is starting those fun (ahem…awkward) teen years. DS – 9 and is your typical bouncing boy. The kid literally has no off button. Unfortunately, due to some ongoing health issues, MIL decided a couple months ago to not come along. This is our fifth cruise, and the kids’ third, all on Royal. Cabin details coming soon...

It doesn't matter who's name the device is in. Your Voom package determines the number of devices which can be logged into Voom at one time. Whatever device you want to use, you just login. We have used what's app when sailing on ships without the messaging feature. It worked well and didn't cost anything above the wifi package we had already purchased.

I do both, but prefer paper. With two kids that don't have a phone, but are old enough to hold their own paperwork, I prefer they carry their own.

Ok so I got the whole bar code to print on one page finally. Changing the scale didn't work, printing landscape vs. portrait didn't work, nothing! So I thought I'd try one more thing. I had originally saved our set sail passes to print later - you know, in case Royal's website started acting wonky. Anyway, I was trying to print from my saved PDFs which created a 3 page document no matter what I tried. I logged into the Cruise Planner and was able to print them on 2 pages (no split bar code) without changing anything though. Thanks for all the suggestions. Clearly this was operator error.

I know I've seen instructions recently ( @SpeedNoodles maybe?), but I can't find the right combo of words in the search function... How do I get my Set Sail Pass to print on one page? The bar code is split between the second and third pages.

I was under the impression (heard it on a FB group from someone who asked crew so take it with a grain of salt) that they were waiting on parts to fix.

@Jill and @Baked Alaska Even if they home port in Seattle, I think they would go with Ovation and Quantum round trip sailings. Or did they have smaller ships go one way from Seattle to Anchorage this past, short season?

I just watched a YouTube video that spanned a couple days onboard. They brought the cans they brought onboard to the WJ for lunch and dinner. They allow you to bring it onboard, so I don't think anyone would mind. Now if you snuck on a fifth of Jack and asked for a shot glass...

I do. DS is almost 10 and DD is 13.

We've never received a can in the MDR.

We are supposed to be on the same sailing. Have you tried contacting Royal's Private Journeys? Maybe they can set up an excursion that is exactly what you want that includes your toddler as well? I found a few beach excursions in Costa Maya and Cozumel with no age limit on our sailing (none in Belize). In the cruise planner, you can filter by age on the left side of the desktop version. Costa Maya Town Highlights and Beach Break and in Cozumel Deluxe Beach Break at Playa Mia / Playa Mia Grand Beach Break. There are a couple more in Cozumel with beach time, but the excursion also includes ruins or something.

I was just thinking about this today. We're sailing southbound with a pre-cruise tour.

The pools are great for general swim, but if your kid swims competitively, the pools may be too small for a good workout. He/she will surface just in time for the next flip turn.

No. Your entire party will be seated in the unvax section of the MDR, but individually everyone other than the baby is considered vaccinated. You can leave the baby with auntie and go anywhere, or if you have the baby auntie can go anywhere. You'll get a colored bracelet at check in indicating your Vax status.

The Alcohol Policy section of the cruise docs specifically states no boxes. YMMV as far as getting one on board.

Some snorkeling excursions we have been on had lockers. If not, we'll just leave our bag on the boat - I doubt Royal would continue to work with excursion operators that rob their customers. However, DH has a little wearable case that we use if we're planning on bringing lots of cash.

I'm pretty sure my husband would riot! We joke about how they have to order an extra pallet when we cruise.

I've seen mobile bars serving mimosas and bloody Mary's at the entrance to the Windjammer and in the promenade in the mornings.

Binax has an over the counter test that is proctored via video call - no Rx needed. It's not available at the drugstore and not valid for under unvaccinated under 12 since they would need a PCR. Royal Caribbean has a link to purchase on their website.

I'm picturing a cross between a deli and the Bionic Bar - just need a droid to deliver it.

I love the map too. Forget the in flight movie!

I think it's all personal preference. We're a family of 4 that sails in the 2 br grand suite. DD is on the spectrum and needs a place that is our own to skip around in the afternoons. She and DS are old enough that sharing a pull out doesn't work. DH gets up before dawn and needs a place of his own so the rest of us can sleep until a decent hour. I love the suite lounge and concierge, but we would book this room even without the benefits.

We bring extra cash and distribute it in thank you notes on the last night.