CruisingKitty

Go to WJ when it opens for dinner.  Make a plate for your late night snacks and take it back to your room.  Place it in your mini-fridge.  So much better than their pre-made selection at midnight.  My husband is Italian, so we usually make an anti-pasta salad.  Deli meats/cheeses, olives, veggies, etc, with breads. I on the other hand like to hit the carving stations and add that to the plate for me.  We than get some sweet treats too.  
We always now take a balcony.  We are early risers, 7 a.m. is late for us... I blame that on my Husband working in No VA.  We go to the gym, walk the track or ship when we wake up.  We love doing this because nobody else is out there, it feels as if you own the ship.  The night before we place our continental breakfast request on the door with our requested time for delivery.  IT IS FREE...no delivery charge.  Again,  we go to WJ before returning to our cabin.  We get omelets, hash browns, and whatever hot items catch our intention.  We try to time it right, so within minutes of being back in our cabin, the continental breakfast, with coffee is delivered.  We get the best of both worlds and more.  We don't have to scrounge for a table in WJ.  We can eat on the balcony.  We are able to have a very leisurely breakfast, while at the same time get ready for the day in our room.  Nothing like having the last sip of coffee while you are applying your makeup as you pull into port.  No need to run back to your cabin bc you realized that you forgot to pack something in your beach bag.  We did this with an ocean view, but it feels more cramped since you don't have the balcony.
If you have the DBP,  always ask for a bottle of H2O when you order an alcoholic drink.  You will need to hydrate.  Plus, at the end of the night or go on excursions you have them on hand.
Take a flat iron (hair) even if you don't need it.  Traditional irons are not allowed, but hair flat irons are.  The beauty of a flat iron is you can use it like a traditional iron for shirts and pants.  I don't take downy release because I take a flat iron.  Look at a flat iron, and you can see how you can use it to iron out wrinkles in the sleeves of a shirt, or crease the pant legs.  It takes up little room, and you don't need to worry about any liquids leaking on your clothes.
Think before you pack your carry on board suitcase or any suitcase.  1 of our cruises we didn't get our last bag of luggage until after 7.  Hubby's bag was delivered at 1.  Mine...7 pm..  We physically walked up and down the hallways to see if it was dropped at the wrong cabin...nope.  Luckily,  on my carry on I had packed a dress for dinner just in case.  After that cruise, we now make sure each bag has clothes for both of us.  
Go on FB and search to see if there is a group set up for your cruise.  IE for my cruise in July, we already have a FB page and will be doing a bar crawl on day 3 starting at 10 p.m.  I want to say the number of participants are @ 25 passengers.  
Finally, I don't know about Radiance lunch in the MDR, but, the Tutti Salad is a must if they offer it.
 
 
 

Have to agree with this - it's vacation, enjoy yourself because be you know it it'll be 365 days before your next cruise ? and you'll be counting down all over again.  Also, be nice to the staff - cause, yeah, they might be slightly moody but remember there have probably been other not so nice to them.  

Oh gosh, there are so many “musts” I have now (so many that I keep a permanent list of them and it definitely includes some of those shown above {like the wrinkle spray and a mesh bag for dirty clothes to hang inside the closet}).. But here are the ones that I have added to the list in the last year::
1. small sissors (small, blunt ones such as the type for nails or the small ones used for needlework and tip cover that comes with them).  I am always shocked at the number of things that I need to cut when I’m on a cruise!
2. Moisturizing eye drops (I have spent my life near water, including the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, but the water in the Caribbean seems 50x saltier and my eyes really hurt after a dip!). So, I now always carry this if I am headed to the beach or snorkeling and it really makes my day much nicer.
3. 1-2 disposable food prep containers - sometimes I want a small snack at night, but the room service menu is almost solidly very greasy foods and that is the polar opposite of what I want in the evening. So when I get a chance I sometimes squirrel away a roll and a small slice of cheese or a less sugary pastry into my lidded, thin food prep container that I can toss at the end of the cruise).
Happy Sailing! ??‍♀️??‍♂️

Ahh- I found it. On the page that has your photos to download, scroll to bottom and there is a "copyright release form" link between "Contact us" and "FAQ"
Thanks for all the above replies!
 

First let me Say.    We Will Not Go On A Cruise WITHOUT INSURANCE
 
We are Senior’s 67 and 66, I am Retired Military and we are Florida Residents
 
Should we buy travel insurance when we purchase the cruise because of pre-existing conditions ? 
 
Should we wait until we are sure of the cruise so that we can cancel and not lose out on the money for the insurance ?
 
This question comes to mind because.  We are going on the Harmony of the Seas on April 28, 2019.  We have Travel Insurance.  The price of our cruise dropped $450.00 and I am being told, nothing can be done since we are past final payment and every cabin is now booked so we are unable to upgrade. We are also about to purchase another cruise.
 
BACKGROUND
 
About five years ago, my wife woke me up saying I just had a seizure.  I told her, I was fine and went back to sleep.  After she left for work, I started feeling strange and drove myself to hospital.  They did an MRI and found a fairly large non-cancer meningioma tumor.  They were able to remove most of the tumor.
 
Seven months after that, and no driving for six months, I drove the car to an Auto Repair Shop.  While they were working on car, I had a seizure and woke up in the Hospital.  There was a fluid buildup where the tumor was removed and they had to do another brain surgery.
 
Three years ago, the wife and I are driving to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise on the Oasis of the Seas, and I am feeling sick, unable to urinate and feeling like I have the flu and it was flu season.  So, being stubborn and against my wife’s advice to see a doctor, I insist on getting on the ship.  Well, as soon as all hands drill is done, I go down to sickbay (Medical) and the doctor gives me some pills to take and tells me to go up to the cabin and rest.  Later that night, I am worse and go back down to medical.  That is about the last thing I remembered for a while.  I was diagnosed with chronic urinary sepsis.
 
The Ship had to get a Helicopter and I was taken to a Hospital in Santiago. I was there for almost three weeks and then another Air Ambulance to Tallahassee, Florida where I spent 3 more weeks at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and transferred to a Rehab facility for another 4 weeks.  They said I was in bad shape and lucky to be alive.  Total bill was over $400,000.00.  Boy was I glad I had Insurance. 
 
 
Then a week before Christmas 2017, I am having severe pain in my chest.  Go to hospital and they do a catheterization.  They said there was blockage but not severe enough for them to do anything.
 
Because of my medical history, of course I will not go on a cruise without insurance.
 
But the question comes up.  When should I get the insurance and where.
 Thanks
Joe
( Proud Military Veteran and Retired Navy Submarine Sailor )
 

Hoping no one was injured.
Weird thing...  I had a dream about a crane landing on a ship last night.  In my dream the crane landed on deck 12 near the VCL on what appeared to be a Voyager class ship in my dream.  How strange is that?

On our last cruise I left the tie behind, went suit but no tie and it made for good pictures which is what the wife is really worried about. I looked and felt comfortable so it worked. 

This reply is for MEN ONLY. Women, DO NOT read this post! Okay, now that we men are together by ourselves.... here's where I stand on formal night. Women like to dress up. Sorry but they do. Ask the wife what she's wearing. Ask her to suggest something for you. She is thinking not just what you or she will look like, she'll be thinking what you'll look like together, standing in that line or in front of the photographer. Of course you can suggest a slight downgrade "Honey the jacket is nice but I don't think the tie is necessary" might get you out of the tie, but if the wife wants to dress to the hilt.... sorry bud, you will too. Think about it... it's all really about making them happy, and if a night or two of pinched collars, tight shoes and sweating in a jacket will do it, it's really a small price to pay. When dinner's over suggest grabbing a drink to take back to the room. Then change out of that monkey suit as fast as you can and continue on with your plans for the night. 

We enjoy dressing up (it makes great photos for our Christmas cards!) - you can rent a tuxedo from RCL and we find it to be a great way for hubby to dress up with less hassle  ?

If real gold could be obtained by simply panning in a river, a mining company would be all over it.
On the flip side, very few miners actually found gold in the 1898 gold rush.  Most of them lost their life savings in pursuit of a media exaggerated event.  So from that perspective panning for gold today will yield a realistic lifelike experience.   

Agree with avoiding the hokey panning we did in Skagway. I did a search on "real gold panning in Alaska" and got lots of hits including this video:
 

Thanks, Matt.  You are AWESOME !!

I reached out to the head of RC Food and Beverage. There is no change in the policy and milk shakes are still included, provided you pay the cover charge to dine there.
Unfortunately, some crew members are misinformed.  Best you can do is speak to a manager at JR about it.

Very true. Can’t believe all the tiny little things, and bigger perks that have disappeared since I first cruised with RCCL 13 years ago. Trouble with me is although I’m tempted to try another liner I always end up booking with who I know.

Fresh off Navigator in March 2019 here is the latest version of the drink menu found on many ships. 
It's largely unchanged from 2017 but prices have been updated.

Small umbrella stroller for naps and to carry your stuff around.  The big ones get in the way for you and others.

If you can get through the airport without a stroller, then I wouldn’t bring it.  The ships are big but not that big.  Storage is really tight in the rooms.  You won’t see kids those ages in a stroller on the ship,  babies and toddlers yes but not preschoolers.  If you do chose to bring one, don’t bring anything bigger than an umbrella stroller. 

I would rather you punt the human and leave the dog alone. The dog shouldn't have be there in the first place.

Oasis in November, lady very over weight in a powerchair which was extremely big, she a had a very small dog on her lap, while in the schooner bar she lowered the dog by its lead to the floor where the dog did it’s business she then pulled the dog back by the lead chocking the dog and drove away not even informing crew, people were discussed and some actually confronted her, she started to rant and rave how she had a disability and the crew are there to tend to her every need and should clean it up. ? we live in a world where people pretend to be something to get extras and real people miss out..

True, hopefully he’ll be taught a lesson and refused his animal next cruise, due to poor training, care taking too. I hear royal Caribbean has phased out animals onboard if for emotional support

Other times when we’ve used the laundry services items come back damaged. They seem to wash everything on the “as hot as the surface of the sun” setting. I’m not looking to do laundry on vacation, but getting the wrinkles out of a suit before heading to get the countless number of pictures taken each night would be nice. 

Royal is not about to add self service laundry or steaming, IMO.  
I hear you on the water consumption and agree.  
The flip side is that pressing services are not unreasonable.  $7 for a shirt and long pants.  A dress is $6.50.   

I guess their theory is... you are on vacation.  Who wants to do laundry type things on vacation? 
 
 

No.  Forbidden item due to fire hazards.  
Most people use wrinkle release spray or send items to the ship laundry services and pay for pressing.  
Personally I use Downy wrinkle release.

It has been several years since we went to Roatan. This sign greeted us when we departed the ship at the port. I think you should be very careful where you go and with whom. Take a cruise excursion to the beach. Also, we took a city tour and the tour guide was very vocal about the conditions of the natives living there. For instance, the good beaches require an admission which the residents cannot afford. So they swim in the beaches into which the sewage is dumped. They call it the "poop beach." So be sure to choose a  beach which is not free.