FionaMG

I'm just browsing on the book a new cruise bit of the website and noticed a "Kids Sail Free" filter that I don't remember ever seeing before. My kids are well past the "sail free" age but just in case it might be useful to anyone.

OP, I think you may just have been unlucky. We did Giovanni's and Chops once each on our Navigator cruise last November. Both were good but for us Giovanni's was the better one. DH had the mushroom risotto and thought it was delicious. We have the 3 night package for our next cruise on Adventure this coming November and will probably do Giovanni's twice and Chops once. We're not sushi fans either.

This is precisely why we prefer to relax at our hotel and not board until around 1pm when the rooms open up. ?

The individual boxes of cereal available at breakfast time are another option.

Note to self: remember to try this. Although I have to add in gym gear too as I'm a fitness freak.

Don't even try to get your head around the percentages because Royal practices "creative maths" and changes the rules willy-nilly. Just look at the bottom line. When you see a price you're comfortable with, pull the trigger. You can cancel and rebook without penalty if you subsequently see it at a cheaper price. If you are buying just the two-device internet (without any beverage package), you buy just one. The system will ask you to assign it to one of the passengers. That person will then receive one code that allows two devices to be connected simultaneously.

Can you get away with it? Probably. But it sounds to me as if you don't feel entirely comfortable with the idea. If he's only going to be drinking water and the occasional soda, you might as well just buy them individually. It won't set you back a lot and you'll have a clear conscience.

Happened to us too in Curaçao, with people buying shopping trolley loads full of the liqueur. Infuriating.

Yes, we have, in Rio de Janeiro. We made it but only just. However, that was mostly the fault of the stragglers in my party who were late getting down to the meeting point for the first excursion. This meant we were on the very last bus of several doing the same excursion and had to wait a bit longer yet for some more stragglers. As a result we got back to ship only with enough time to go to the toilet and grab a sandwich to eat on the way back off the ship for the next one. So you should be ok for your double trip but make sure to get to the meeting point early to try and get on the first bus out. The earlier your bus leaves, the earlier it will be back. Enjoy!

We will be on Adventure later this year and there doesn't seem to be a lot of current information about her so it's good to know you're having a great cruise. Thanks for posting. ?

Agree with CFL. We stayed at this hotel in December 2017 and are booked to stay again this coming November. There's a water taxi stop less than 10 minutes walk away too, if that's something you'd be interested in.

This exact same thing happened to me last year, although with euros rather than Canadian dollars. At the time I took screen shots of the page on their website showing I had paid in full but it was never an issue. Turned out to be the exchange rate working in my favour. Perhaps that's what's going on with your booking too.

Have you taken into account how much you would spend over the course of 7 nights in Orlando versus 3 nights in Miami? If you'd be going to the parks the cost adds up to large sums very quickly, so while the initial outlay may be €400 cheaper for the longer trip, it might work out a lot more expensive in the end.

On our last two cruises (Serenade, December 2017, and Navigator, November/December 2018) the themes for the WJ dinners were shown in the Compass. Don't know if it's the same on Harmony, though.

We like the Best Western Plus Oceanside Inn on Seabreeze. It's set just off the beach, walking distance to restaurants and shopping, and a water taxi stop as well, if that's something you'd be interested in. It's very close to the port; I think we paid 15 dollars for the taxi in December 2017, when we stayed 3 nights pre-cruise. There's a very decent breakfast included in the price too. We're booked to stay there again this coming November.

One thing for sure is that if you're going to stay awhile the Oasis class ships are the ones to do it on! Perhaps afterwards you could come back and post your impressions? I'm sure it would be helpful for others thinking about it too. Have a great cruise.

I vaguely remember reading somewhere that it was until 4 pm or thereabouts, but I can't be sure and it may possibly depend on the time the ship is due to depart.

It's sold as an excursion so if it's going to be available it will show up in the cruise planner. Description here, applicable to Barcelona: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreExcursions/product/detail/view.do?sourcePage=shorexByPort&ProductCode=BRC7&DestinationCode= Availability depends not only on the ship but also where the ship is sailing. For example, as I understand it, US law prevents it from being offered in US ports.

Haha, so simple. Thanks a lot. Appreciate it.

There is a charge for the stay awhile option and while it could be a convenient option for someone flying out later the same day I would say it might be a waste of money for you. You have to vacate your cabin at around 8 am so after that you only have the public areas of the ship at your disposal. I would suggest checking with your hotel if they will store your luggage for until check-in time. If so, it could be a better option for you to just get off the ship at the normal time and head straight to the hotel. Hotels don't usually charge for this service and once you have left your bags with them you can get out and about to explore Barcelona.

Thanks so much @twangster for sharing your experiences and amazing photos. It's been a wonderful ride. Can I ask you how you get the space between your photos to separate them from each other and to caption them? Whenever I have uploaded more than one photo they post all stuck together which detracts from viewing and means all the text has to come at the start or at the end. (Sorry if I'm missing something really basic and it's a dumb question).

I honestly don't think this is anything to do with Royal not wanting people to check the prices of excursions after booking; I believe it's more likely to be some sort of IT glitch. This exact same situation happens to me if and only if I log into the Cruise Planner on Chrome on my (Android) tablet, and then it happens using both a normal and an incognito tab. If I log in on any other device, or even on the same tablet but using Firefox I can still see my booked excursion on the normal Cruise Planner page. That said, going into the order history does work for me too on the tablet.

In the past they were part of Royal's sports staff. It's possible that in more recent years the responsibility could have been passed on to the company that runs the spa; I honestly don't know. But either way, for a cruise line that constantly emphasises the importance of guest safety, the current level of gym staffing leaves a lot to be desired.

Good luck finding any staff to help unless you want something that you have to pay for, like a foot analysis. On my last three or four Royal cruises the gym staff have been conspicuous by their absence and/or their lack of interest. On Serenade a couple of years ago the instructor spent all her time hunched over her mobile phone (except when she was doing foot analyses). I never once saw her lift her eyes or walk around the gym to see if anyone needed any assistance. This was an 11-night cruise and I was in the gym every day! The gyms are an accident waiting to happen, especially since people are so inclined to "give it a go" just because it's included in their cruise fare, even if they wouldn't dream of setting foot in a gym at home. I have seen people in there on the treadmills in flip-flops and/or long floaty dresses and there is not a single instructor to be seen to warn them of the dangers. In the past Royal always instructors on hand in the gym but for some reason they seem to think the gym is a good place to save some money by cutting staff. MSC have them beaten hands-down in this respect. They make you sign a waiver, there is always an instructor present in the gym and they do chase people away who are not properly kitted out. On the plus side, the gyms are great, far superior to the ones you usually find in hotels at land-based resorts. As I understand it, they can be quite busy in the mornings. I usually go in the evenings, around 4.30/5.00 pm at which time they are usually quiet and you can get your workout done without having to wait around for the machines.

I have been able to book excursions at 25% off prices previously advertised in the cruise planner (not on your sailing). Prices go up and down like a yoyo. However, since Royal practises creative maths, the trick is to book your excursions as soon as you see them at a price you're comfortable with. That way, you lock in your places at an acceptable price but can still cancel and rebook if you see it cheaper during a subsequent sale. Being somewhat obsessive in checking your cruise planner can definitely pay off.