FionaMG

I believe they are the ones whose numbers end in 229 (port side) and 629 (starboard). I'm sure someone will soon correct me if I've got it wrong.

Definitely do what @dustfsu said. There is an actual dedicated C&A page called "Royal Caribbean Crown & Anchor Society". I did precisely that to request my amenity as I didn't want to make an international call that would have cost more than the value of the amenity They responded very quickly and the requested amenity was correctly delivered on board.

Nice. I moved back to Freedom after they reinstated it, so I checked in just the other day.

Yes, I have! When we were on Symphony back in February. I thought it was very good excursion but it was virtually impossible to find out any information about it ahead of time other than the pathetic description on Royal's website. I wrote about in my recap blog here: I think the link will take you straight to the post in question. That way you don't have to read the whole blog unless you really want to. I hope it helps.

If you come from and are acclimatised to somewhere that is really cold then maybe you might be able to use the flowrider without freezing to death. Otherwise I suppose if you can wear one of those wet/dry suits you might be ok. I have seen hardier souls than I on the flowrider in the Bay of Biscay gradually turning blue in October. February in the North Atlantic is going to be significantly colder.

Noon was the earliest for my 7 December Freedom sailing. Check-in opened last night. Now admittedly I did not wait up as midnight EST is 5 am in my part of the world but I did actually wake up at 5.30 am (must have been the sea calling) and grabbed the times then before going back to sleep. I can't remember ever having earlier than 11.30 except on my one sailing from NJ when I got 10.30 and that makes sense because the ship sails earlier out of NJ. I doubt I'll bother checking back for anything earlier. We will just have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel and then go for a little wander if we still have any time left to kill. I would rather do that than sit around in the cruise terminal.

That's a bit odd. I have a stop in St. Lucia in December and there are 29 excursions showing, several of which are water-based. None specifically mention snorkeling in the title but there is a snuba one. The few that are sold out still show up but with a "sold out" banner across them.

One to two weeks ahead of the week when a particular destination is due to be released, Royal will put a very few of the cruises for that destination up on the website. I think the reason for this is probably just to check that everything is set up correctly. These are the test loads and they will usually be taken down again within 24 hours. Some people have reported being able to actually book them during that short window of time. They are eagerly awaited because they give you an insight into which ships will be in the area for the season. For Europe the main batch of 2026 cruises is set to be released for sale during the week beginning 28 October, so about a week from now. The release can happen at any time during that week. Historically, it tends to be overnight from the Tuesday to the Wednesday, but I have seen both earlier and later. Trans-Atlantic sailings tend to be released in two batches. Generally, the eastbound itineraries, from the US to Europe come out along with the first European ones. The return trans-Atlantic itineraries, from Europeto the US, come out later, so likely not until spring next year. And occasionally there will be an outlier that gets released on some random date that nobody expects so it pays to keep watching if there is a particular ship you are interested in.

There is a Playmakers on Freedom and the campfire cookie is on the menu in the app!

This one isn't nearly as interesting as the other one you posted. I think the only exciting thing on it is indeed the campfire cookie. I have yet to try this deliciousness and hope to get round to it on my upcoming Freedom cruise.

What amazing colours in your pics!

I'm fairly sure there's been a Voyager class ship up there in the past but can't remember what itineraries it did. And I have the vaguest recollection of Freedom being there at some point, although this could be my imagination playing tricks on me. The new itineraries are due out in the week beginning 18 November so we don't have too long to wait to find out.

It's the luck of the draw. Take a look at @Traveler's pics from their fjords cruise last year.

Great pics @Traveler. Thanks for sharing.

You must. Norway is absolutely stunning. I am hoping to go back again next year.

It's standard practice and I would guess it's just so they can test things are operational. Some people have reported actually being able to book these during the short window when they are up. They will show up again in a couple of weeks' time with the full release.

The test loads for Europe 2026 are up, ahead of the actual release in a couple of weeks' time. Don't get excited, though. By the looks of it, it's same old, same old... Liberty, Odyssey, Explorer, Brilliance and Harmony so far.

When you say text messages, do you mean SMS? If so, then I don't think you can do those with Roamless as it's data only and SMS go through your phone carrier. I'm not techie enough to be 100% sure, though. DD and I use WhatsApp for texts in addition to messenger. Have an amazing trip!

Nice video Chris. Thanks for sharing.

We sometimes order the cheese plate as an appetiser if we don't fancy any of the actual appetisers.

Indeed, not the most creative of titles. However, as far as content goes, I like that one way better than some of the usual ones.

If the grown-ups don't need all the bells and whistles of the bigger and fancier ships, Voyager and Freedom class will be more than sufficient for a 4-year-old. Remember, too, the bigger the ship the farther you have to walk to get anywhere. If your little one is tired, they'll want carried... And those classes will usually be a lot less expensive too, if budget is an issue.

The 3-night dining plan is for dinners. If you want to do Chops lunch on embarkation day, book it in the cruise planner as it will be cheaper to do it that way. Watch out for sales as the lunches are frequently discounted. You should be able to check in the app whether Johnny Rockets is open. If it is, then you can certainly go there. I don't know if it's bookable ahead of time, but suspect not, so you would do a walk-in and they would add the cost of your meal to your onboard account. Embarkation day lunch is a great idea because the windjammer gets very busy on boarding day so it can be a rather overwhelming experience.

Thanks for this. I'm a big fan of Voyager class so I'm sure Freedom will hit a sweet point too. With Oasis class, much as I like them, I often feel we're paying a premium for a bunch of bells and whistles that we never actually use.

It's your choice what drinks you want to use them for. If you're ordering cheaper, non-alcoholic drinks that you don't want to use your vouchers for, it's probably best to let them know. That way there's less room for misunderstandings.