ThyriC

I have Pam Richter and she's been awesome to me, asking on my behalf to Royal about some weirdness on their cruise planner, and handling my multiple payments. She has made everything super simple for me and very confident that I'll have a wonderful trip for my hub's first cruise.

I would say this is a great opportunity to break in to the adult activities. Really the only activity you cant do is drink alcohol. Mocktails solve that real quick. So for things to do for the not quite 21 crowd is.... 1. Shore excursions. You're definitely not left out of those! 2. Flowriders and pools. You may find others in your age range in these areas. Its not that organized of an activity but its activity 3. Trivia. Just think, the pop culture trivia things you'll absolutely crush! There will be many older groups who will want the pop culture guru on their team! 4. Athletic activities. Things like basketball, bumper cars, ice skating. Might not be your thing, might be right up your alley. 5. FOOD! No teen or kids club telling you when to get your grub on! You want a bagel at 10am? Its yours for the taking! I think you may mean scheduled activities for just those in your age range. I think that since the under 21 over 18 crowd is so small, it just may not be feasable to have a meetup or activities just for that particular group. It may feel a bit like a limbo state, but its really a great opportunity to start doing the adult activities, just they're not going to involve drinking alcohol. One of the beautiful things about common age groups is, they find each other. My first cruise I'll never forget. I was 15 and there was no teen club to speak of on the Princess cruise I was on. Within a day I managed to find the other teens and we took over the club one night. Wasnt organized by the ship, but it was organized by the resourceful teens. And I'll be frank, I'm a bit of a social butterfly type so for me its very easy to just go up to those in my age range and say hello. But if you're not the social butterfly type, it might be an opportunity to spread your wings a little bit and start just by saying hello while enjoying a mocktail. And that goes for any age range. Cruises are magical in that they really can give introverts a chance to try out extroverting a bit. If the social interaction leads nowhere, that's fine, nothing lost. Its not like you'll be faced with the less than successful interaction for years to come. But if it IS successful, you can make friends for life. Your conundrum isnt really exclusive to the 18-21 crowd either. All age ranges experience this. And your cruise director does get a list of ages on the cruise. So if they do see an influx of the 18-21 crowd, then they'll organize activities with that crowd in mind. Same if the cruise director sees more in the 65+ range. If they see more in the younger crowd, you may see more activities by the pool and the clubs. You'll see trivia with younger themes. But be prepared to enjoy less organized activities if there isnt an influx of your age range.

To answer your question, yes you "can" bring on a garment bag as a carryon on the ship. However, consider the size of your garment bag for your own comfort sake. Many modern garment bags roll up or fold for ease of carrying on. If yours does not however, consider holding your arm up at shoulder height for an extended period of time. How comfortable you'd be? You dont want to be dragging the garment bag behind you. Consider your activities before the rooms open and bringing that garment bag along with you. Will you go to the windjammer? Where will you put the bag? Over your chair? Would you trust that someone wont step on the tail end of your bag? Would you trust that someone wont spill an entire plate of food on that bag? If you're travelling as a pair or solo, will you be OK taking up a 4 top table for one or two people and extra seats for your bag? If you're ok with the glares from other people who cant find a seat and you're sitting at a 4 top with a chair for your bag, you might get some awkward looks. Are you bringing any other carryons? Consider how you're going to manage navigation with multiple carryons including the hanging bag. Think elevators packed to the gills with people and all of their carryon luggage. I'd highly recommend if you intend to bring a garment bag as carryon luggage, that you use the foldable type. Its a very gentle fold so you shouldnt have rumpled clothes in it. There are even foldable types that look like standard wheeled carryon luggage. It might help you if you must have your garment bag as carryon

Great, now all I can think about when needing laundry done on a ship is @twangster's patent pending Cram a Bag laundry service. Now improved by the use of bots! But seriously if you have items that could be ruined by improper handling, I highly recommend doing them in your sink. The commercial grade washers and dryers onboard a ship might not be too careful with your easily ruined items. You can also opt for dry cleaning as well if something could be ruined by washing or drying at the wrong speed. So like delicate cold wash only (is the only thing I can think of that would have both speed and temp restrictions) I'd really do in your sink or have it dry cleaned.

OMG That note!! From all of the goodies, all of the arrangements, that note brought a tear to my eye!

@WAAAYTOOO on the bottom right of the video do you see a muted audio? Took me a min to find it myself.

I squealed like a little girl watching those videos of just how interesting it is to see something you never get a chance to see, even on behind the scenes tours you dont see these things.

Ok so in my eternal woman-ness... I will likely overpack as I do for every trip I take (even my business trips my suitcase has more makeup in it than clothes, its a problem.. I cant live without my skincare regimen and my makeup mask to go outside) however, the hub is very ummm... one dimensional in his fashion choices. He's a very jeans and tshirt guy. The jeans arent grubby or torn or anything like that. I told him that he can bring his tshirts but limit the logo tees (ones with fun sayings about sarcasm because he's a sarcastic guy). He does have plain tees which makes me a little happier, but he's not the polo or button down shirt for daily wear type. He doesnt wear shorts (except to swim or just hang out after work in) or flip flops. He doesnt wear tank top muscle tees or anything like that (he's a youthful 50+ blue collar kinda guy who really just lives in the jeans and tshirt) Bottom line... do I need to rewardrobe him for dinner dining? If I can get him into a button down shirt with his jeans would that be OK for "smart casual"? Or would a non logo tee be acceptable? He is bringing a suit for formal night (jacket, tie, shoes, the whole nine yards, when he saw the gown I bought for formal night for myself, he didnt want to look silly in pictures next to me, bless his heart for that!) and I'm thinking an interview appropriate outfit of button down and khakis for dinner at Chops. But do I need to dress him up any more for other dining? I do want to experience all of the specialty dining options onboard (might do a lunch as well to get them all in) but I do want to have him comfortable with room service or the Windjammer as well so not to have him always all dressed up whenever dinner rolls around. I'm hoping to not have him dread going to dinner because of fashion choices but I still want to (and want him to) experience all of the different dining options.

For me, having an inside stateroom for the kids might make this a little more comfortable and roomy. 4 people in a single oceanview cabin to me seems really tight. Is it doable? Certainly. If you have the means or the option to add another cabin for the kids, it would probably be a lot more comfortable. It also depends on what your family's lifestyle is like. Do you see yourself by the pool and doing activities outside of the cabin and using the cabin only for sleeping and showering? Or are you all a little more homebody and prefer to be in the cabin for a little more relax time and occasionally heading out to the activities or shows? Because with 7 days in an oceanview... I think those quarters might feel awfully tight around you, and sometimes you just need your space from each other. I'd give up the ocean view cabin for the 2 boardwalk cabins. Here's why. 1. How often are 4 of you going to be looking out the ocean view window? Think realistically. This isnt a balcony so there's no fresh air coming with that window. 2. Those boardwalk cabins have balconies. This is more space to separate from each other. While one person is in the cabin sleeping, the other can go out on the balcony and people watch and get fresh air. 3. Boardwalk balconies also have the added benefit of being able to people watch. Entertainment on tap watching people. 4. Did I mention the extra space? You do really seem to want that view of the ocean. That's admirable, it really is. However, I'd really assess how much you want to watch the ocean from your cabin vs out on deck. Not having that oceanview means extra space and separation from each other, which really, you need to do. Not to mention, are all of you going to be looking out the window at the ocean at the same time? I'd think that if you want to ocean watch together, going up on deck is far more spacious and far more ocean watching! If you're within I think its 60 days of booking, you can transfer your reservation to a travel agent. They really can help you with reservation changes, and what will be comfortable for your travel group. Even if the men sleep together and the ladies share their own cabin, I really think all 4 of you will be far happier in 2 cabins than the single cabin

Yah I couldnt imagine going through 25 drinks in a day. Even 25 sodas I dont think I could do. Especially if the bars dont open until 11am, and go until 2am, that's 15 hours to put down 25 drinks. I couldnt do it.

If you dont have one of those beverage packages, I highly recommend either getting this bottled water or bringing on your own small quantity of bottled water in your carryon luggage. Not saying that the complimentary water is bad by any means. Its rather good actually (especially the flavored waters, so good!) but sometimes you want a bottle of water in your stateroom or on a shore excursion. At I believe 3 dollars a bottle onboard, or possibly even more from your minibar or as you leave for a shore excursion they usually have some bottled water available at a premium, its kind of a no brainer to have an alternate for bottled water.

Oh wow, the wine list at Chops looks seriously legit! I have a feeling I'm just going to camp out in Chops for my entire sailing. And now I'm on a mission to try the lavender cocktail. Not normally a fan of herbal tasting drinks but hey its a purple drink, I have to try it!

OOOoooh!! Makin her look extra pretty for my October sailing!

I think a JS has the best of both worlds. Sure you dont get the myriad of perks of a Sky class suite, but it doesnt pretend to be one. Its an extra spacious balcony cabin. Larger closet and bathroom, with those double points and priority embarkation alone for some is more than worth it. And if the cost was a negligible difference between a balcony and a JS? I'd book the JS in a heartbeat. I need that bigger bathroom. I'm a bigger disabled gal (who doesnt need a handicapped stateroom, I'd rather those go to those in wheelchairs, I'm fortunate enough to not be in one yet) and the smaller shower just is a bit of a tight fit and a dance with the curtain for me. Plus I've always found JS to be a gateway to the larger suites. Once you experience a JS, maybe your next cruise you may want to try to spring for a GS. And before you know it you're yolobooking a sky loft suite! (ok maybe not that far but, ya never know!)

Welcome to the forums! We're happy to have you here! Here's a wonderful article on this site about the suite life, including a special section at the bottom of the article for those in Junior Suites https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/08/13/9-things-you-should-know-about-royal-caribbean-suites

Please allow me to ease your mind. Labadee is beautiful, Nassau is beautiful. There are wonderful activities to do in these locations. I think a lot of the complaints may come from people who have been to these locations multiple times because especially Nassau is on a LOT of itineraries. If you're a multiple time cruiser and Nassau appears for the 47th time on your itineraries, you may have a bit of destination lethargy. And when this lethargy occurs, people get more critical of the location. If its your 40th cruise, and you've been to Nassau your past 39 cruises, yah you'll probably make a ship day of your port day in Nassau. But this is your FIRST! Dont second guess yourself. You're going to have an AMAZING time. Its beautiful there. Relish in your excitement. Do all of your planning. And dont second guess yourself again. You've nothing to worry about. No cruise ship pulls up into a port that's broken down with thieves and worse rubbing their hands together like evil villains just waiting to be delivered victims on a platter. You're smart, you've done your research. No need to second guess things just because of a few negative comments. For a first timer or even 5th timer, Nassau is a wonderful beautiful place to explore.

Room service. And possibly any bar should have milk available. At the bars probably not that much milk but they may have some

Anything you want to use prior to about 4-5pm on embarkation, you'll want that in your carryon. Also remember you'll be carrying whatever you carryon with you from 10am to 1pm if you embark as early as is possible. So you want that luggage bin approved carryon luggage? Its coming with you all through the ship as you explore, go eat something, go to the pool, etc. I recommend your carryon be something the size of a backpack and MAYBE a tote bag at the most. When you start dragging luggage all through the ship, I think it winds up dragging you down for 3 hours. Also remember any wine or a 12 pack of soda/water that you want to bring, MUST be in your carryon luggage. So consider the weight of that as well if you bring 2 bottles of wine and a 12 pack of soda. That's a pretty heavy load and that's before you add anything like swimwear, medications, change of clothing, etc.

OH and before I forget. When you're using the WiFi onboard, practice the same safety with your personal information that you do on land, even more so in my opinion. Even when connecting to Voom, protect yourself. I like using a VPN (there are several low cost or free ones available, a popular one is NordVPN) to protect sensitive information such as any website you need to log into with a username and password. Yes it will be tempting to check your bank balance online while travelling. Its a good thing to keep track of your spending! BUT, assume that everyone on that public WiFi is looking directly over your shoulder when you log into websites. Even if your bank protects your account with a PIN and a secret picture/phrase, still assume someone's looking over your shoulder. Practice strict security with your data especially when travelling. This goes for hotel, airport, coffee shop, cruise terminal, etc wifi. Just having a login page to get onto the paid wifi isnt enough. Checking your bank balance or other sensitive information via phone or a secure encrypted app from your bank is FAR more secure. This isnt meant to scare people (ok maybe a little fear is a good thing when it comes to securing your personal information), but you dont know everyone on that cruise ship, or in that port. Wifi is a wonderful thing. But you dont know who else is on that wifi network like you do at home.

A way around the power strip/surge protector problem is that many devices we use these days are USB charged. A USB charging bank has yet to be on the prohibited list (may only be a matter of time) If your device is USB charged, plug it into the USB bank instead. If you travel with a laptop, use the laptop's USB ports for charging your USB charged devices, and if you bring a laptop with you (I dont travel without my laptop, one of these years I'll do a fully unplugged from the outside world cruise but... not today LOL) you can bring a USB hub with you. I have a cheapy one I got at a trade show or was a promo or something, I forget where I got it from but its promo branded and has 4 USB ports on it. Slam that into the laptop and I've expanded 1 USB port to 4 USB ports and all of them can be used to charge stuff (camera, phone, gopro, tablet, nintendo DS, vape pen for designated location use only!). A small USB hub should cost under 5 bucks, you dont need bells and whistles. Same with a USB charging bank. You dont need one with power levels or charging statuses, or a massive bank. 4 ports should be more than enough for all of your charging needs. I also highly recommend bringing a USB adapter. I have one from my company (I have a ton of promo gadgets/gizmos for some reason) and it converts from standard USB to Lightning, mini USB, and like 5 others. That way the number of charging cables I need to bring are at a minimum. And I'm going to throw out this recommendation for cable management when travelling. I color code my individual charging cables with a small piece of colored tape. I keep a piece of paper with the colors for the cables and their associated device, and I check in the cables when packing to leave for the cruise, I check them out when I unpack, then check them back in when returning. I havent lost a charging cable yet when using this method. Helps around the home too when wanting to locate charging cables and all of them wind up looking alike and you wind up with a drawer full of a tangle of charging cables. Also, dont be afraid to ask your cabin steward for a power strip once onboard. They have a limited number of power strips onboard (same with extension cords for CPAP users) If you're a CPAP user and need the extension cord, dont forget to fill out the special medical needs form! This will make sure your CPAP machine has the necessary water and extension cord. Another way to get an extra plug out of your cabin, normally the older cabins have 1 US outlet and one .... not US outlet (sorry dont know what they're called). A travel adapter will allow you to use both the US and the non US outlets, maximizing what outlets you do have access to.

One of my tips is if you do specialty dining, half the portion you're given and ask them for a to-go box immediately. Out of sight out of mouth! Or ask for a child's portion. That way you can still enjoy all of the wonderful tastes and not feel deprived when there are amazing smells wafting around, but still keep to your goals. Drink at least 2 glasses of water before food goes into your mouth. Helps to fill up your stomach. Veggies first, then protein, then starch, then fats. Ask for a double helping of veggies! More veggies on the plate, the less deprived you feel. Dessert options stick to sorbets and fruit. You can also ask for a sugar free option as well. They'll definitely have these for diabetics. And they do help with feelings of deprivation. If everyone at your table is snarfing down cake, and you're sitting there with folded hands sipping away on water.... that's a fast track to binge eating later. The biggest thing with the food, fill up on hearty fibrous veggies like broccoli, spinach, etc. Lettuce isnt going to fill you up and make you feel satisfied in the long run. Not to mention there's a lot of temptation on that salad bar. Dressings, bacon, eggs, legumes... they all taste wonderful but they're calorie killers on the salad bar. Tell them to remove the bread basket from the table. Out of sight, out of mouth! Big thing for me and dieting is not feeling deprived of food. It sure sounds easy just to eat less, but when you're in a high temptation environment like a cruise, just eating less is an unrealistic expectation. Salad is wonderful dont get me wrong, but its not going to fill you up unless you have those hunger busting fibrous veggies in the salad. They help fill you up and help you stay full! Now, for the exercising. Walk everywhere. The elevator is your friend only when carrying your luggage. Otherwise, stairs all the way. Do the dance lessons onboard. They help keep you moving! At the pool, jump on in and play! I think as adults we've really neglected the power of play. Play keeps us active so let loose! Feel free to enroll in a spinning class if your fitness level is up to spinning. Aerobics classes, free weights, machines galore. Hop on the treadmill or elliptical and enjoy the amazing views. You'll completely forget that you're exercising when enjoying such amazing views. Now for the overall health. Get good rest. Easier said than done when you're excited on your cruise! But remember, healthy mind healthy body! Reward yourself with a massage or facial or other spa treatment. Sticking to a diet on a cruise is hard work! So have that reward massage!

For me its all about the lanyard life. I can tuck in the lanyard into my blouse if I dont want it flapping in the breeze. There are some lanyards out there with detachable sleeves to shift between lanyard and bag if you're only partially about the lanyard life. If you dont want to spring for lanyard with detachable sleeve, then just remove the seapass from the lanyard and shift from lanyard life to wallet or bag life.

@Matt I think though that every good community starts with a good leader. Normally a community starts mimicking the leader. When leadership is positive and welcoming and their energy is contageous and upbeat, the community will reflect that. If a community's leader is toxic then the community will be toxic. If the community is critical, reading like a bunch of Yelpers trying to appear to be food critics, then you reap what you sow. I know when I went to that other site, the reviews of pretty much every cruise line short of something like Viking were crazy critical. If they didnt get a new and different towel animal every day of their cruise, they'd start screaming that their cruise was RUINED! Ruined I say! (I really did see a review of a ship criticizing the towel animal situation) Being critical can be a good thing. If something went terribly, by all means say so. But if your parsley on your dinner in the MDR isnt perfectly placed and you race to customer service demanding a full cruise refund and they refuse because its a silly piece of parsley.... then you're being unreasonable. If there's raw sewage pouring into your cabin, and the cruise line refuses to move you or fix it or offer something, then yes you're well within reason to criticize.

And here I thought I was the super shopper. Dang you really worked those upgrades! That's AWESOME! If I had the opportunity to have a B2B in star class? Oh HECK YAH I'd yolo book it. I'd figure out my credit card hades later, I'd book the heck out of it.

The agent on the phone would take the order for you, and send you an email confirmation of the order. I had an issue purchasing a certain item, it just wouldnt checkout for some reason. So I called, they placed the order, I received the confirmation email