melmar02

Have you looked at your sailing in the app? My sports section typically loads months in advance because they want to pre-sell those services along with drink and dinning packages before the cruise embarks.
There are two ways to see what sports are available on your sailing:
From the main page in the app, swipe up on the grey dash towards the bottom of the page that is between "Daily Planner" and "My Calendar". This is how you will access the daily activities schedule (Cruise Compass), and once within a week or so of your sailing, it will be loaded with all the trivia/shows/bingo etc. times as well. Before all of that loads though, the only things listed are things like casita rental, sushi classes, and the sports offerings. You can switch between the different days of your sailing at the bottom of the screen.   If you are about to sail and all the other onboard activities have loaded into the Cruise Compass, there is an easier way to see just the sports. Click on the ship icon at the top of the main page in the app. Then in the "Things to do" section, click Onboard Activities. Across the top of the screen, you can filter to just Sports. My next sailing is on Harmony, and the only Sports items available to purchase are Flowrider lessons and Pickleball lessons. On older ships without a Flowrider, they would obviously not be able to offer the lessons, hence the disclaimer about activities varying by ship.
If you are looking at Flowrider lessons, there are two options - Group lessons or Private lessons. In the group lessons, you will be with other people and they need a minimum of 4 people to sign up (they do not all have to be from your party), and you would need to make a reservation for every person that wanted to participate. The private lesson is renting out the Flowrider for yourself / your group, and only one person makes the reservation...just like only one person in the cabin purchases the photo package or would rent a cabana. 
I have never purchased the Key so I am not sure how the discount part works - if you can pre-book items and receive the discount or if you have to wait until you are onboard to book. Also, I would be surprised if the 25% discount is on top of any other sales they might have going on. For example, Pickleball lessons are showing as 30% off in the app for my next cruise so the Key would not save me any money there. 

Here is the link to Royal Caribbean's Travel Protection which is through Arch Insurance. Scroll down the page a little to the drop down boxes and select your state to see the full policy - for Texas, the cancellation penalty waiver is on the second page.
https://www.archinsurancesolutions.com/coverage/Royal/

Have you looked at your sailing in the app? My sports section typically loads months in advance because they want to pre-sell those services along with drink and dinning packages before the cruise embarks.
There are two ways to see what sports are available on your sailing:
From the main page in the app, swipe up on the grey dash towards the bottom of the page that is between "Daily Planner" and "My Calendar". This is how you will access the daily activities schedule (Cruise Compass), and once within a week or so of your sailing, it will be loaded with all the trivia/shows/bingo etc. times as well. Before all of that loads though, the only things listed are things like casita rental, sushi classes, and the sports offerings. You can switch between the different days of your sailing at the bottom of the screen.   If you are about to sail and all the other onboard activities have loaded into the Cruise Compass, there is an easier way to see just the sports. Click on the ship icon at the top of the main page in the app. Then in the "Things to do" section, click Onboard Activities. Across the top of the screen, you can filter to just Sports. My next sailing is on Harmony, and the only Sports items available to purchase are Flowrider lessons and Pickleball lessons. On older ships without a Flowrider, they would obviously not be able to offer the lessons, hence the disclaimer about activities varying by ship.
If you are looking at Flowrider lessons, there are two options - Group lessons or Private lessons. In the group lessons, you will be with other people and they need a minimum of 4 people to sign up (they do not all have to be from your party), and you would need to make a reservation for every person that wanted to participate. The private lesson is renting out the Flowrider for yourself / your group, and only one person makes the reservation...just like only one person in the cabin purchases the photo package or would rent a cabana. 
I have never purchased the Key so I am not sure how the discount part works - if you can pre-book items and receive the discount or if you have to wait until you are onboard to book. Also, I would be surprised if the 25% discount is on top of any other sales they might have going on. For example, Pickleball lessons are showing as 30% off in the app for my next cruise so the Key would not save me any money there. 

Thanks @Villageidiot and @WAAAYTOOO. 
Unfortunately I still have to call RC. The whole reason I was in the CP in the first place was that I received an email saying that I owed them $50 for purchases, which I made last Black Friday. I paid part of the purchase with OBC, and wouldn't you know, I now have $50 OBC available to spend.  

@mikeMTL I can comment on the sea sickness as I too cannot swing on a swing set or ride in the back seat of a car. Forget trying to read a book in a moving vehicle!
On a large ship link Wonder, you won't feel much motion, if any at all, unless it is unavoidable that the captain to go through a storm. Out of an abundance of caution, I take a half of a non-drowsy Dramamine every morning of the cruise starting on embarkation day, and I have never had an issue at sea, even taking advantage of a drink package / drink vouchers. If the captain announces that there will be rough seas, I up the dosage to a full tablet. You may want your dad to check with his doctor to see what would work best for him and any other medications that he may take. There are a couple of over the counter brands, the sea bands that sit on pressure points on the wrist, or his physician can prescribe him sea sickness patches that go behind the ear. 

@mikeMTL I can comment on the sea sickness as I too cannot swing on a swing set or ride in the back seat of a car. Forget trying to read a book in a moving vehicle!
On a large ship link Wonder, you won't feel much motion, if any at all, unless it is unavoidable that the captain to go through a storm. Out of an abundance of caution, I take a half of a non-drowsy Dramamine every morning of the cruise starting on embarkation day, and I have never had an issue at sea, even taking advantage of a drink package / drink vouchers. If the captain announces that there will be rough seas, I up the dosage to a full tablet. You may want your dad to check with his doctor to see what would work best for him and any other medications that he may take. There are a couple of over the counter brands, the sea bands that sit on pressure points on the wrist, or his physician can prescribe him sea sickness patches that go behind the ear. 

Every excursion I have done with Royal that was "something and beach" the beach time was only an hour at most. 

San Juan - we skipped breakfast on the ship and ate at a restaurant that looked good along the way to the fort. Took pictures on the hill and toured the fort. Walked down the wall and around the city, then stopped in for drinks at El Covento on the way back to the ship. I think we spent less than $20pp all day, but that was also 15 years ago.

You can get an idea of what to expect in the app by switching your sailing to the current one. There are several steps to get there... Click the person/profile icon at the top of the screen then "select a different cruise". Scroll to the bottom of the screen to the "Don't see your cruise?" section and click "let's add it now." Then you can click "browse our ships". From this point it is easy - choose your ship from the list and then click on the current sailing which is at the top of the dates listed. 
To get back to your sailing it is a little bit easier. Click the person/profile icon at the top of the screen then "select a different cruise" like you did before. Then you should see your actual cruise listed, and you can just click on it.

I loved the sticky toffee pudding on UK night on Explorer a couple months ago. Fish and chips were just ok, but DS enjoyed the chicken and mushroom pie.
Welcome night is out least favorite followed closely by Italian. If we eat in the MDR on night one I usually get the crab cake, prime rib, and DH and I also split the chicken saag. None of the desserts jump out at me either.

You can get an idea of what to expect in the app by switching your sailing to the current one. There are several steps to get there... Click the person/profile icon at the top of the screen then "select a different cruise". Scroll to the bottom of the screen to the "Don't see your cruise?" section and click "let's add it now." Then you can click "browse our ships". From this point it is easy - choose your ship from the list and then click on the current sailing which is at the top of the dates listed. 
To get back to your sailing it is a little bit easier. Click the person/profile icon at the top of the screen then "select a different cruise" like you did before. Then you should see your actual cruise listed, and you can just click on it.

Wow, your daughter really looks like you !

Great news! Royal just emailed me the link to the rest of our photos, and they are downloaded! 
Thanks for following along.

Great news! Royal just emailed me the link to the rest of our photos, and they are downloaded! 
Thanks for following along.

Great news! Royal just emailed me the link to the rest of our photos, and they are downloaded! 
Thanks for following along.

Great news! Royal just emailed me the link to the rest of our photos, and they are downloaded! 
Thanks for following along.

Great news! Royal just emailed me the link to the rest of our photos, and they are downloaded! 
Thanks for following along.

Great news! Royal just emailed me the link to the rest of our photos, and they are downloaded! 
Thanks for following along.

Great news! Royal just emailed me the link to the rest of our photos, and they are downloaded! 
Thanks for following along.

Final thoughts
We sailed in connecting balconies on Harmony last spring, and these rooms were definitely smaller. Even the shower tubes seemed a little tighter. The beds were not as hard as those we have had on recent sailings though. Water pressure was great. 
Service was great.
Food was good to really good. There were some definite misses. The Tapas Medley in the MDR was bland and the pizza at Cafe Promenade usually had a burnt outer crust, but for the most part everything else was tasty.
We only thought we were prepared for the humidity in Costa Rica, Panama, and Columbia. I mean, we knew we were going to rainforests at the equator, so it was bound to be 90% humidity. But it's just something you don't really comprehend until you actually experience it.  There are times we were miserable in the moment, but we all agree that we would go back to these ports. 
I don't like how all the Miami cruise ship terminals are on all on top of one another. It seems to create unnecessary traffic issues especially with 9 ships all trying to turn passengers over at once. I much prefer Galveston and Ft. Lauderdale, and the itinerary will really have to be worth it for us to consider going out of Miami again. We sail out of Orlando next year, so it will be interesting to compare.
11 nights felt like a good length for us. There is so much go, go, go that a 7 day can feel rushed, and it was nice to have two sea days at the end of this sailing.
Next up - 8 days on Harmony out of Galveston in October. We're headed back to Coco Cay!

Good to hear!
 
Hopefully since we are used to driving to and staying outside of Galveston it won't feel so bad to us?
 
So a little photo package drama... I pre-purchased the 50 photo package and DH and I each had a free photo curtesy of C&A. I went on the last day and selected my 51 photos with a Focus crew member and was able to access them through the QR code at the end of the transaction. Then DH selected his one photo right after I finished my transaction again with the Focus crew member right there. I didn't bother checking his since it was just one photo, and to be honest, we were really happy with the 51 we already had so it was just a bonus photo. I normally download the photos right away to my phone, but my storage was almost maxed out (forgot to do a photo dump to my laptop before we left), so I thought I'll just wait for the email which I received while still on the ship disembarkation morning. Great, easy peasy, right? Wrong.
My MIL came over today, and I was going to show her the pictures. When I access the link I was emailed...only our two freebie diamond pictures are there. Not the 50 "first choice" pictures. Ugh. I took screen shots of the confirmation pages/qr codes from when we selected the pictures and tried to load them using the code from the first transaction. The same two photos pop up. I look at my second QR code screen shot, and the codes are the same. Surely they didn't overwrite my 50 photo order with these two pictures? The photo website help button cycles you through a series of "how to download your pictures" pop ups, and there is no contact information listed. I finally find a photo help form on Royal's main website which will be answered in 10 business days. 
Y'all, tell me there is hope and these pictures aren't lost forever! 😭 

Good to hear!
 
Hopefully since we are used to driving to and staying outside of Galveston it won't feel so bad to us?
 
So a little photo package drama... I pre-purchased the 50 photo package and DH and I each had a free photo curtesy of C&A. I went on the last day and selected my 51 photos with a Focus crew member and was able to access them through the QR code at the end of the transaction. Then DH selected his one photo right after I finished my transaction again with the Focus crew member right there. I didn't bother checking his since it was just one photo, and to be honest, we were really happy with the 51 we already had so it was just a bonus photo. I normally download the photos right away to my phone, but my storage was almost maxed out (forgot to do a photo dump to my laptop before we left), so I thought I'll just wait for the email which I received while still on the ship disembarkation morning. Great, easy peasy, right? Wrong.
My MIL came over today, and I was going to show her the pictures. When I access the link I was emailed...only our two freebie diamond pictures are there. Not the 50 "first choice" pictures. Ugh. I took screen shots of the confirmation pages/qr codes from when we selected the pictures and tried to load them using the code from the first transaction. The same two photos pop up. I look at my second QR code screen shot, and the codes are the same. Surely they didn't overwrite my 50 photo order with these two pictures? The photo website help button cycles you through a series of "how to download your pictures" pop ups, and there is no contact information listed. I finally find a photo help form on Royal's main website which will be answered in 10 business days. 
Y'all, tell me there is hope and these pictures aren't lost forever! 😭 

Good to hear!
 
Hopefully since we are used to driving to and staying outside of Galveston it won't feel so bad to us?
 
So a little photo package drama... I pre-purchased the 50 photo package and DH and I each had a free photo curtesy of C&A. I went on the last day and selected my 51 photos with a Focus crew member and was able to access them through the QR code at the end of the transaction. Then DH selected his one photo right after I finished my transaction again with the Focus crew member right there. I didn't bother checking his since it was just one photo, and to be honest, we were really happy with the 51 we already had so it was just a bonus photo. I normally download the photos right away to my phone, but my storage was almost maxed out (forgot to do a photo dump to my laptop before we left), so I thought I'll just wait for the email which I received while still on the ship disembarkation morning. Great, easy peasy, right? Wrong.
My MIL came over today, and I was going to show her the pictures. When I access the link I was emailed...only our two freebie diamond pictures are there. Not the 50 "first choice" pictures. Ugh. I took screen shots of the confirmation pages/qr codes from when we selected the pictures and tried to load them using the code from the first transaction. The same two photos pop up. I look at my second QR code screen shot, and the codes are the same. Surely they didn't overwrite my 50 photo order with these two pictures? The photo website help button cycles you through a series of "how to download your pictures" pop ups, and there is no contact information listed. I finally find a photo help form on Royal's main website which will be answered in 10 business days. 
Y'all, tell me there is hope and these pictures aren't lost forever! 😭 

Good to hear!
 
Hopefully since we are used to driving to and staying outside of Galveston it won't feel so bad to us?
 
So a little photo package drama... I pre-purchased the 50 photo package and DH and I each had a free photo curtesy of C&A. I went on the last day and selected my 51 photos with a Focus crew member and was able to access them through the QR code at the end of the transaction. Then DH selected his one photo right after I finished my transaction again with the Focus crew member right there. I didn't bother checking his since it was just one photo, and to be honest, we were really happy with the 51 we already had so it was just a bonus photo. I normally download the photos right away to my phone, but my storage was almost maxed out (forgot to do a photo dump to my laptop before we left), so I thought I'll just wait for the email which I received while still on the ship disembarkation morning. Great, easy peasy, right? Wrong.
My MIL came over today, and I was going to show her the pictures. When I access the link I was emailed...only our two freebie diamond pictures are there. Not the 50 "first choice" pictures. Ugh. I took screen shots of the confirmation pages/qr codes from when we selected the pictures and tried to load them using the code from the first transaction. The same two photos pop up. I look at my second QR code screen shot, and the codes are the same. Surely they didn't overwrite my 50 photo order with these two pictures? The photo website help button cycles you through a series of "how to download your pictures" pop ups, and there is no contact information listed. I finally find a photo help form on Royal's main website which will be answered in 10 business days. 
Y'all, tell me there is hope and these pictures aren't lost forever! 😭 

Thanks for taking us along..very insightful as we've never done this specific itinerary, but going back to Aruba for me is a must!
I agree on POM chaos going to avoid it if we can....
Glad you made it home and had a safe trip!