FionaMG

We stayed 3 nights last November at the Hampton Inn Brickell, which is a Hilton brand hotel. We were very satisfied with it and would definitely consider staying there again.

Haha, this is me too. DH always says that if he loses track of me on the beach he just needs to look for the whitest person in sight and that'll be me. ?

Perhaps everyone who enjoys doing Chef's table should start suggesting this on their end-of-cruise surveys. It seems to me that Chef's table should be exactly that: Chef's table and not corporate table. After all, these are all qualified chefs; I'm sure if corporate just gave them a budget they'd be more than happy to give free rein to their creativity.

Personally, it would not bother me in the slightest if you ordered large amounts of food as long as you actually ate most of it. What really does bother me is when I see people piling their plates as high as they possibly can in the buffet and then leaving most of it. If you enjoy eating then why shouldn't you take the opportunity, especially since you'll get to try dishes you might not get to try at home.

Both sides accept US and cards. The official currency on the French side is the euro, so anybody who might have euro coins left over from a trip to Europe can exchange them for some delicious French pastries! ?

@AnnetteJackson, would it be acceptable to approach a specific MEI agent directly? I've just been having a look at the "Meet Our Team" section of the website and I see that there is an agent (Heather) in North Hollywood, CA, which is where my son lives. I would probably feel more comfortable knowing that she's just around the corner, so to speak, plus there are a couple of posters on here who speak highly of her... Sorry if I'm sounding like a control nut; I'm not really, but I used to be a TA myself back in the day, which is why I find it so hard to sit back and let others do the work...

Thank you, that is very useful to know. I might just give them a try next time round. I'm a bit nervous about giving up control of my bookings to someone so far away but you all speak so highly of them that I may take the plunge. They seem to provide service that is pretty much non-existent in TAs where I live.

On my cruise planner the internet packages are down too. No change to the dining packages or excursions but those could still follow on so it definitely pays to keep checking. I just wish they'd chop a bit of the post-cruise excursion I've got my eye on and which budged a cent since I booked the cruise away back in February!

It varies from sailing to sailing. Not everyone gets the same discounts all of the time.

It appeared in the cruise planner for my 8-night Thanksgiving cruise on Adventure just a week or two ago, to be held at 5.45 pm in Giovanni's on (I think) night five.

I wonder if this depends on the ship because we definitely had breakfast offered in the MDR every day on our three most recent cruises (Harmony, Serenade and Navigator)? As late risers on sea days, we only ever used it on port days. Lunch, on the other hand, was definitely only available on sea days.

The only free room service is continental breakfast. Anything else, including hot breakfast items, incurs a $7.95 charge per order.

On my last 3 cruises, MDR breakfast has had both served dishes and a buffet section in the centre. The buffet is a lot smaller than in the WJ but generally contains the fundamental breakfast items. It's proportional to the size of the ship, though, so we found it perfectly adequate on Harmony and Navigator but disappointing on Serenade. No dressing up is required for breakfast. Shorts and t-shirts are fine. I like having breakfast in the MDR because I find it a much more relaxing experience than the frenzy of the WJ. I like being escorted to a seat and not having to hunt for an open table and I like that DH and I can both go and get our food at the same time, rather than one of us having to stay at the table to make sure another guest doesn't think it's free and take it while we're away. The only problem is that the MDR opening hours are not very long for breakfast so on sea days, when we like to sleep in a bit, we usually miss it.

I work out pretty much every day. The trick is to bring 2 sets of quick-dry kit because then you can just quickly rinse it out in the sink in the bathroom and alternate between the sets. They don't take long to dry out even if you don't have a balcony. And I don't bother bringing detergent either, I just use the multi-purpose gel that's in the shower! I also save space by doubling up my formal outfits. I bring two, one for each formal night but then wear each one again when we go to one of the specialty restaurants, so that's another thing to consider if you like dressing up and have specialty dining planned.

Totally not crazy! I'm on the same cruise as you except later, over Thanksgiving rather than Halloween, and I have already pretty much packed everything in my head! ? A couple of weeks before the big day I usually draw up a table with a box for each day - where we'll be and what we'll be doing - and then jot down the outfits I plan on wearing in the relevant boxes. I find this to be especially helpful if I'm planning on mixing and matching because I can see it all at a glance.

It's definitely available on Adventure. For my Thanksgiving cruise it's been on the cruise planner since I booked back in January. One day it was grayed-out and said "sold out" but it was back again the next day. The price has fluctuated somewhat but has been steady for some time now at £18.99 (approx. $23).

The closest thing to a roll call forum is the People Connect forum here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/forum/5-people-connect/ But it's not quite the same thing as the roll calls on the other site...

Beat me by about 30 seconds. Guess I need to work on my typing speed.

There is usually a desk set up in the Royal Promenade, which is where you board the ship, so you can go straight there and they will take care of the bookings for all 3 nights. Alternatively, you can go to any of the specialty restaurants and they will do it for you. It can all be done in one go, but the sooner you do it the better your chances of getting the days and times that you want. Some flexibility may be required so it can be helpful to have a plan B in case any of your first choices aren't available.

One thing to bear in mind is that the buffet in the MDR is much smaller than in the WJ so the choices are more limited. It's also proportional in size to the ship, which can be a deal breaker. We found that on Harmony and Navigator it was sufficiently varied for our fairly limited needs, but on Serenade it was not, so we only went once on Serenade and used the WJ thereafter on that ship.

Just to add to @DandA's answer, the opening times are quite limited. On sea days we are never up early enough for breakfast in the MDR and the knock-on effect of a later breakfast in the WJ means that MDR lunch has usually finished by the time we're ready for lunch.

Honestly it is absolutely no hassle at all to do it the way the customer service rep says. You'll probably be asked at the port if you want to add a credit card and it will add a total of about 30 seconds to your check-in time.

Also note that there are set hours for the buffet; it's not an all-day thing. On our cruise it was 11.30 to 1.30. I've seen those times on Compasses for other cruises too. We found there was a massive queue at 11.30 when it first opened but hardly anyone in line when we ready for lunch at 1pm.

Royal are highly inconsistent as to what deals they offer and when, and it also depends on where you are booking from since the various special offers are not always the same across all markets. For example, in the UK a "free" beverage package is sometimes offered (although it's not really free; they usually increase the price of the cruise to compensate!). Sometimes there will be a kids sail free promotion in one market that is not being offered in another market. And in European markets refundable fares and repricing if the price of your cruise goes down after you book are not usually options. Prices fluctuate enormously; generally they are cheapest when the itineraries are first released and in the two months prior to the sailing date, when the cruise line is trying to sell off unsold cabins. If you're flexible you can get a good deal by waiting but at the risk of not getting anything at all if all the cruises sell out. Basically, it all boils down to the bottom line. When you see a price you're comfortable with, book it. Then it's up to you to decide whether to give in to temptation and keep checking the price afterwards. If you're in the US, you might catch a price drop. If you're in Europe, you'd likely have to cancel and forfeit your deposit to get that price drop, but in some cases it can be sufficiently significant for it to be worth your while doing so.

So are the ABCs the closest distant ports that would validate a repo not covered by the SJ waiver?