jhatle01

Here is some experienced cruiser advice for anyone with a cruise on Oasis departing in the next oh.... 3 or 4 months.
Sit down and make a written contingency list of substitute places, people, events, opportunities, or even cruises. Make it a written list and the longer the better. And under each one write how you would get to the Grand Canyon, visit Aunt Edna, kick back at a caribbean resort,  spend some quality time in Montreal, etc. etc. Explore each of those possibilities what a room might cost per night, daily allowance for meals, airfare, car rental. Get yourself some ball park numbers for each of those proposals. Figure out some sort of ranking system as to the ones you like the best, the amount of hassle, and perhaps most importantly the potential cost; taking into account Royal might not immediately pony up the money you have already paid for your trip.
Be prepared! Be Proactive! Do some of that legwork now. Waiting till you get a email from Royal saying your trip has been canceled and they are working closely with an insurance company to issue a full refund---ahhh, important time will have been lost to plug something else in. About 5,500 other passengers receiving the same email will be saying the same words "Well, just put me on another boat." Sorry Charlie, 5,500 people are not just going to get on another RCL ship next week.
 
Please don't get mad and frustrated at Royal over this. This is a part of cruising we passengers all risk. At sometime in your cruising career your are going to encounter a hurricane, miss an important flight, have all your checked bags lost, a war being fought, all kinds of potential disappointing events that are going to step on your cruise buzz. We are all rolling the dice. Let this be a good lesson on how to make lemonade out of a bunch of lemons.
 
 
 

DEFINITELY get them before you board.  Everything is always waaay more expensive on the ship and the choices are usually very limited.

I've cruised along the North shore of Cuba dozens of times.  I've seen the one lighthouse visible with naked eye many times and I've often wondered what that part of Cuba is like.  
Recently flying back from Jamaica we flew right over Cuba and from 41,000' we had a fantastic birds eye view of the area.
The color of the water is quite stunning and this photo doesn't do it justice.

This is the general area of Cayo Coco, Cayo Romano and the Cayo Paredón Grande lighthouse.
The darker blue water is the deep water channel that is safe for ships to use which is narrow at this point with the shallow Grand Bahama Bank just to the North.  
For anyone who has sailed this stretch of water I'd though you might enjoy seeing it from the air.

I recently had an opportunity to try a fly-in vacation at an all inclusive resort in Jamaica so I'd thought I'd share my thoughts on my experience versus a Royal Caribbean cruise.
I booked using a Priceline "Express Deal" for a "5 star resort".   I ended up at the Hyatt Ziva Rosa Hall in Jamaica's Montego Bay.  I used a 10% off coupon from a previous Priceline stay which brought our nightly rate for two during spring break down to $400 USD per night all in (taxes, resort fees, gratuity, meals and drinks).  This for the least expensive "resort view" double bed room.  For this resort that was pretty much entry level.  Pool view and suites only went up fast from there.  I did not include the cost of flights in this price because those vary based on origination and cruises don't have flight costs bundled in.  The best rate I could find for this resort without using Priceline or my 10% coupon was over $550 per night for the same room, same dates.  
The resort itself is beautiful.  The property consists of two resorts, the Hyatt Ziva (family friendly) and the Hyatt Zilara (adult only).  We were free as adults to walk between them at will.  Both resorts have their own pools and share many facilities such as beach activities, restaurants and bars.  

First Observation - Solo Rates
As a frequent solo cruiser I often lament the dreaded single supplement.  Cruise fares are advertised on a double occupancy basis with a per person rate.  To cruise solo, you must double that advertised per person rate.  Hotels and resorts generally advertise a room rate.  Since this was an all inclusive resort including drinks and food, rates were also based on occupancy.  In this case a single person paid just $50 per night less than two people in the same room.  Even with my best deal finding, coupon clipping abilities that's just a 13% savings for a solo traveler.
On this trip I traveled with a friend who I have cruised with before but with just a $50 difference in the rate for a solo traveler it's hard to give the fly-in resort a win on solo pricing.
Second Observation - Food
The resort featured seven restaurants available to us included in the price.  These included an Italian, French, Brazilian Steakhouse, Asian and Seafood restaurant as well as more common options such as American bar food and a pizza station.  Breakfast was pretty much a buffet style affair with eggs cooked to order stations satisfying our daily start with a made to order omelet.   Fruit was plentiful.  Lots of pancakes, waffles, etc. 
Every restaurant offered upcharge options such as this common offer available regardless what restaurant we visited:

The menus looked great and the variety appealing.  However meal after meal was just okay.  Mediocre might be a better description. 
The Italian restaurant may have been our next best meal over breakfast.  The Brazilian style steakhouse offered one of those red/green discs you turn over based on your supply and demand needs.  My travel companion noted that the highlight of her meal was the salad she made for herself at the salad bar.  The meats came regardless what color our disc displayed and I sampled a few of them before just having several small servings of the 'tenderloin' beef.  Having eaten at Brazilian style restaurants in cities such as Atlanta this was not a highlight meal.  
Those breakfast omelets turned out to be the highlight of our culinary experience.  Watch out for the Scotch Bonnet Sauce, it's hot, hot, hot but very good.  A little goes a very long way.  The breakfast venue offered stunning views outdoors as we enjoyed our start to the day.  

Side note - room service food was included but we never tried it.
One other included venue was a jerk food station with several sauces and corn bread.

It was okay but you had to carefully pick through the chicken to avoid bones as they just chopped it all up into pieces and served it on a plate.  Like most other food, it just was missing something and I'm a jerk fan (you are what you eat).
By the third day we declared Royal Caribbean food a hands down, no contest winner.  
Third Observation - Beverages
Adult beverages were included, including the stocked mini-bar in the room.  The mini bar was stocked with a couple of Red Stripe and Red Stripe Light cans, some common liquors (rum/vodka/tequila) and a couple of cans of mixers. WATA (local play on words for bottled water was also plentiful).
Pool bars offered a decent selection of frozen concoctions, Red Stripe and Red Stripe Light on tap plus your standard variety of mixed drink cocktails.  
We sampled many of the frozen concoctions.  So many we were left with a sugar buzz but not much of an alcoholic buzz.  I never like to accuse anywhere of watering down drinks but either my tolerance rose substantially for four days or those drinks were mostly water.  
The included wines were hard to drink.  Wine menus were offered with each meal but everything was at an additional cost ranging from $45 to "OMG there is no way we are getting that bottle".  The house wines left a lot to be desired.  As my glass lowered even slightly they were very good about refilling it.  However it's not often I leave a full glass of wine at the table at the end of a meal.  The wine was just that bad.  "Maybe if I don't drink it, they won't refill it" went through my mind.
Cocktails like vodka-tonic were basically well drinks with nothing top shelf available.  
Bars opened at 10am but Mimosa's were available at breakfast before that time.  We each had three one morning yet felt nothing.  
Best option turned out to be Red Stripe on tap.  Despite how much beer can fill you up, if you desire to become even moderately buzzed, stick with beer.  Fortunately I like Red Stripe.
It didn't take long to declare Royal Caribbean adult beverages a hands down winner.  Even the included Diamond happy hour wines on Royal Caribbean have found a new respect from me.  I longed for them during every dinner at the resort.  That says a lot.  
Fresh off Navigator with the hand crafted cocktails in The Bamboo Room I was very disappointed with the adult beverages at the all inclusive resort.  
Even standard Royal Caribbean frozen drinks, mixed drinks, any drink, outshined any drink I ordered at the resort.
Fourth Observation - The Resort Itself.
Beautiful resort with well kept grounds.  Staff were excellent and well trained.  Everyone we met was happy and went beyond expectations to assist and be helpful.   No complaints whatsoever at any time with the resort itself or any employee.  Just very pleasant and accommodating people.  I was quickly on a first name basis with many of them. 




Our lunch restaurant view one day:

Some of the more expensive rooms feature a shared pool exclusive to those adult only rooms with outdoor lounging beds on the patio and in water loungers. On the adult only Zilara side of the resort these pools featured a lazy river type channel to the main pool.  Very nice, but expensive. 

Meeting rooms and convention space.  Immaculate grounds.  Very well kept with attention to details.

Each resort had it's own swim up bar which was immensely popular.  Yes even Jamaica has spring breakers but nothing that was a problem.  Pools had lifeguards.  One pool next to this one had sport activities such as water bike spin classes, in water yoga, pool volleyball, etc.  Lots to do.


Cabanas available for rent.

Cabanas pricing started at just $89.  Beach cabanas $99.  Aqua cabanas pictured above $139.  The most expensive Royal Palm cabanas included a fruit plate, 15 min. message and lunch delivered for $250. 
Compared to Royal Caribbean's private destinations of CocoCay and Labadee the resort cabanas are a strong winner for value.  While not as large as the new Oasis Lagoon pool on CocoCay, the resort pools were pretty incredible.  
Clearly no ship can build these massive fresh water pools, there is just not enough space on a ship pool deck to do it.   Not pictured were gas fire-pits around the grounds with resort seating around them at night.  Very peaceful and relaxing. Included Hobie catamaran 15 minute sailing, paddle boards and kayaks.  
Night time entertainment was pretty much musicians.  One played a violin or fiddle with a machine generated track of background songs and he was very, very good.  We listened to him for hours.  
No ship can compete with a resort spanning hundreds of acres with massive pools, a fitness center, fire-pits and so much more.  Hyatt Ziva is very well maintained and beautiful. 
Win for the resort especially with the reasonable cabanas. 
Honorable mention to Navigator's new resort style pool deck.  For a ship it's the next best thing to a resort.  
Summary
I'm really glad I tried an all inclusive resort because you hear so many people trying to draw comparisons. 
Departing Jamaica after boarding the plane and getting airborne I had some drink coupons so we enjoyed an airline Mimosa in a plastic cup.  We both felt more from that half-sized mini-Mimosa then we did from the three in a row we had at breakfast one morning at the resort.  
Drinks on Royal Caribbean are a clear and strong winner.
When we landed in Orlando for our connection we both clamored a real meal of airport food.  It says a lot when Outback in an airport is a fantastic experience after three days of blah.  Even with a plastic knife and fork.
After clearing immigration we had to wait for our luggage before rejoining the rest of America in the terminal.  We talked with some other people who stayed at different all inclusive resorts more expensive than ours (the word Secret is in the name).  I had to ask.  "How was the food?".  Long pregnant pause before their response... "Well, it was just okay, but we really like the resort."  Pretty much exactly how we felt.  Just okay.
Food on Royal Caribbean is a strong winner without bringing Royal specialty dining into the picture.
Chair hogs.  We learned on our first morning get out early and stake your claim.  I grabbed a coffee and claimed loungers under umbrellas while my travel buddy worked out in the fitness center.  Some of my message posts this week were from that very poolside lounger. 
WiFi was included but not much better than O3b internet on newer ships.  It struggled with Pandora.
Upcharge opportunities.  At every turn there were offers to upgrade just about everything, at a cost.  A frequent source of complaints from some cruisers comes from upcharge opportunities on a cruise.  I've heard people frequently claim "I though it was all inclusive".  At this five star all inclusive resort we were inundated with opportunities to upgrade our experience including photographers taking pictures available at an additional charge.  We didn't purchase any of them, just as I frequently don't when cruising.  I just had to mention the irony of cruisers comparing it to an all inclusive resort.
Transportation to the resort from the airport was not included and amounted to $33 per person round trip plus tip.  Not much different than airport to port and/or hotel costs for a cruise.  No clear winner.
Airfare is difficult to compare but I can say that airfare to Jamaica (with a stop in Florida each way) was more expensive for the same spring break week had our flights ended in Florida.  How much? Somewhere between $100-$150 for two people.  
My overall conclusion is that a Royal Caribbean cruise is a winner for my needs and my culinary expectations, which aren't much as a non-foodie.   A cruise is simply better value.  Despite having gratuity included in the all inclusive resort pricing it was pretty clear that a few extra bucks here and there made a better experience and our bartenders kept our drinks full or replaced with a new one before we could say no.  
I've seen that some people don't understand where Royal is heading with the CocoCay investment.  We pretty much hung out around that resort pool a lot.   I get it now, more so than before.  Oasis Lagoon at CocoCay is calling my name.  Give me a 3 night cruise with Royal Caribbean food, drinks and a long day in CocoCay any day.  
I don't regret my Jamaica vacation.  It's very beautiful there.  However I'll never feel like I am missing out by taking a cruise.  When my friends talk up the all inclusive resorts I'll just nod and smile knowing I have another Royal Caribbean cruise booked where I can enjoy the food, and drinks, and so much more.
For what's it's worth, the Hyatt Ziva is available for cruise ship "resort for a day" from independent websites.  A couple next to me at a bar mentioned "it's almost time to get back to the ship".  We watched Adventure of the Seas sail past us just after sunset one night.
The rate I saw for a day pass was $152 per person per day.  Suddenly Cozumel resorts for a day options looked like incredible deals and the food and drinks I've had at places like Nachi Cocum for a third of that price make them look like incredible bargains.  
 

Maybe when they finish all the construction, they could offer a All Access Island Tour with behind the scene areas.

I have sailed Brilliance before. It was a long time ago in 2005 when she was considered a new and larger ship. Lol. But again, that was mainly for the itinerary as well. ?
BTW, I also agree with @jhatle01 about the extra 2 days being another advantage.

In Labadee, my 19 yo, 15 yo and I participated in the Dragon Fire Flight Line.  We have done Dragon's Breath Flight Line in the past and we were eager to try something new.  The biggest difference between the two zip lines is the position going down.  The Fire has one in a Superman prone position and in a seated position on the Breath line.  While both were fun, we all agreed that the Dragon's Fire Flight Line was superior to the Dragon's Breath.
We pre-booked this excursion in October for our March spring break on sale at $79 each.  You can pay as much as $129 each.  I find that the earlier booked, the more choices of times.  The weight for this excursion if 75-275 lbs.  If you are close to either end, I suggest you book earlier in the day as the wind may pick up in the afternoon and weight changes could occur. I also like booking early as we have time to spend the rest of the day at the beach.  Minimum height is 48 inches and all participants need to wear strap sandals or shoes, shirt and shorts.
I booked an 8:30 time and our ticket had a meeting time of 8:00.  After signing a waiver, each of us was weighed and given a wristband.  At 8:20, we boarded the truck to go up to the mountain.  This is different than Dragon's Breath where you get your gear and head to the practice center.  No practice on Fire!
Up top, you notice the two different platforms.  In a typical RC move, Fire is slightly longer than Breath however Fire only has 2 lines whereas Breath has 5.  The line on the left is the Fire, on the right is the bridge to the Breath and you can see the fence for the uphill section of Dragon's Tail Coaster.
 
Now we put on helmets and the gear.  You are essentially hooked up to a mat (for a lack of better words) that starts at your upper chest and ends at your feet.  Your arms are out and can move freely up, sideways or to your hips.  The guide explains the 2 positions:  Rocket with your arms at your hips or Superman arms out like at T.  Landing position is to tuck your chin to your chest and cross arms.  The guide will tell you which position based on your weight and break people into groups. 
Climb to the top of the platforms and here is the hardest part of the excursion:  the trust fall!  Logically, you know you are hooked up to the safety line as well as the back line but it is still scary to allow yourself to fall forward into position.  Now your feet end are hooked up and you are actually quite comfortable.  There is something about stepping off a platform that freaks me out and in this respect I prefer the Fire and Breath compared to land based zip lines as someone else starts you.  No backing out once you are hooked up.  All clear!  3-2-1 and I'm off flying like Superman over the trees and beautiful ocean.  
The landing was very smooth and smoother than the Breath line.  There is a ladder to help get you down by unhooking your feet first and then your back.  I was the last one down and done by 8:52.  
Overall it was an amazing ride!  If you have done the Dragon's Breath before, try this as well!  If you only choose one zipline, then I highly suggest the Fire!

This place looks pretty good for my April sailing on Adventure.  We didn't have anything planned for there yet.  It will prob be between there or possibly https://coconut-reef.com/tour/snorkeling-discovery/for me.

$9.99 per day plus the 18% gratuity is $11.79. Comparing Orange Vanilla Coke to Orange Vanilla Coke here.

But the bottle I buy on the ship provides a stronger pour since I am the bartender   :)

I'm not ANTI kid (I know there are lines for adults only and I know Royal is a family-oriented line).  I just try to avoid massive numbers, lol.

Royal up bid accepted. ?
 
 

Southwest has cheap seats intra-Florida.  When I needed to get from Indy in Port Everglades to Brilliance in Tampa this was the cheapest and fastest option.  I think my ticket was $59.  
Few women I know would be happy in a $59 bridal suite.

If you ever sail a ship with the Bamboo Room try the Tiki Tea signature cocktail..tastes like peach iced tea!

@jhatle01 I found an extremely interesting (and very recent) article on this topic at yourwarrantyisvoided.com - I am sending you a direct message with the direct url (I would put it here, but the fact that the other thread disappearex confuses me, so maybe it’s better to do it this way). Happy sailing!

LOL! This didn't even occur to me! My name refers to my hounds (somewhat related to Greyhounds....really fast and really skinny).

Apparently fast ones.

@SpeedNoodles
Fond of noodles? 

@twangster there was a great thread where you had gone to great lengths to explain the router setup, but I have searched and cannot find it anywhere. ? It was one of the best threads that I have seen in the topic, so I very much hope that it was not somehow deleted? 

They've got some tasty bugs in the Bahamas ?

Worked well on Adventure.  

I agree.  When I'm on vacation, I do NOT want to eat at a buffet...i prefer to sit in the MDR for cruise breakfasts, because we are waited on...
Also, Eggs Benedict were offered like 2 or 3 times during our 6 night cruise in December...but NOT every single morning...each morning the menu had a difference.

Here you go:
(from Navigator March 2019)

 

No eggs benedict on our last cruise on Radiance Mediterranean last November.
?

No 20 minute timeout for posting on this site apparently....hence evenjngevening.