loki007

i always just take a cheap corkscrew in my luggage. Never had a problem.

depends what you want to do. Palm Beach is best for just hanging out. Probably a 20 minute cab from the Pier. Rent some chairs. Eat at either Nos Clubhuis at the Mariott or Pelican Pier. Both are great choices. There are lots of great snorkeling spots around the island but none are really great beaches for just hanging out. If you have any kids with you take a ride on the Jolly Pirate. Super fun, takes you to some nice snorkeling, open bar.

I've gotten that before. Showed up an hour late as requested an got right on.

i wear flip flops to the MDR

if you can get the beach club for $89pp grab it. Its amazing! The service, food, atmosphere...all fantastic

definitely. i always try to get the earliest boarding. Even if you have an earlier time, still use the key lines.

you still select a boarding time at check in but a couple weeks before the cruise you will get an email that tells you you can board with the Key at (usually 11:30 after suite guests) or keep your scheduled time. When you get to the port there will be plenty of signs and dedicated lines for the Key. Priority Embarkation is one of the best Key perks.

totally agree! 3 cruises in 2022 (Indy x 2) and Mariner and the food was not good in the Windjammer and MDR. On mariner my niece ordered Mac n Cheese on the kids menu and was served noodles with a half melted piece of kraft singles on top. Royal has taken a turn for the worse coming out of the pandemic.

Things definitely have changed since COVID. Staffing is difficult and i don't fault Royal for that. lots of new people, trained fast and put to work before they would have been pre-COVID I'm sure. I do fault royal for stuffing these ships to more than max capacity. That just exacerbates the poor service situation. We have moved to Celebrity and I'm hopeful my experience in December will be better than our 3 Royal experiences in 2022. Hope your cruise gets better.

Yeah our Canadian family don't visit much when the exchange rate is so bad.

inflation hits alcohol too. price of grain is up 20%

ive done zoom calls before on Oasis(Central Park is nice and quiet). Better if you can just do audio and not be on video

looks like they've done a great job with the neighborhoods separating action from relaxing. I definitely think you would like celebrity which definitely more adult, service oriented.

we always buy the DBP even though my wife probably doesn't get her moneys worth most days. I just don't want to think about it and worry about my bill at the end of the cruise. Pre-paying for the DBP is worth it for us.

the free coffee is garbage, the specialty coffee is fantastic. I always start the day with a triple shot latte

State department website reports 7-10 weeks for new applications. If its been longer than that there is something wrong. We had our renewals processed and in hand in under a month las year.

i was on Mariner in July and they were doing this in the Solarium until 10am. So basically people would sleep on the chairs from 630am until 10 then left for hours

I have never had the need for bug spray on 13 cruises. We kayaked thru a mangrove forest in St Thomas, Inland excursions in Mexico, I don't recall ever seeing a mosquito

We had a great stop in Falmouth pre-pandemic. Hired a driver for the day and went to the Falls and a couple other cool spots. Get a cab and have them take you to Scotchies for some authentic Jerk Chicken and your pint of Red Stripe.

i have, a word of wisdom...do not park under a street light. After a week my car was literally covered in bird poop

we have had the boardwalk balcony a couple times and they are a lot of fun. Lots of action during the day, quiet at night.

Labadee is awesome, one of our favorite ports. The beaches and water are spectacular, nothing better that a cold Labadoozie with the Boozie!

they are the same zip line. Dragons breath you are sitting and Dragons fire you are lying down prone. We did the Dragons breath and it was a lot of fun.

Do you have kids with you? The jolly Pirate is a lot of fun. Takes you to a couple nice snorkeling spots, provide all the gear, open bar, rope swing. It goes out of eagle beach. Take a cab there, rent some chairs, lots of food options around. highly recommend Pelican Pier, or Nos Clubhuis at the Marriott.

only and an oasis class ship. Older ships do not have a spa cafe