FionaMG

It's been reported over on CC that Odyssey has gone on sale in the last few hours. Currently, it appears to be available on the UK site but not yet the US site (I checked both). Inaugural is out of Fort Lauderdale on the 5th of November 2020.

For Lanzarote, I would recommend looking for tours to Cueva de los Verdes (http://www.cactlanzarote.com/en/cact/cueva-de-los-verdes/) and/or Timanfaya National Park (https://turismolanzarote.com/en/visiting-the-timanfaya-national-park/)
And for Tenerife, something that lets you visit Teide National Park, where you can (weather permitting) take a cable car ride up to the top of Monte Teide, the highest peak in Spain (https://www.spain-tenerife.com/en/places/teide.html).

I suppose a shorter inaugural means less impact on passengers while the inevitable creases are being ironed out. I think some of the 8-night itineraries look quite interesting but I'm not sure I think they're sufficiently interesting to want to pay new ship prices for them.

Bet the Europe prices will be stupidly expensive. 

And also a 7-night Eastern in January 2021 and the 9-night holiday sailing over New Year.

I only do it for convenience.  Last June, I printed my Set Sail Pass for a cruise on the Mariner.  But I left it on the printer ? 

Here in Portugal, it's beer and wine at 16, and everything else at 18. My youngest nephew was in the States for a wedding recently, just two weeks before his 21st. However, he was apparently able to drink because of the different date layout, which meant people thought he had turned 21 in January!

That was me ?

Here in Portugal, it's beer and wine at 16, and everything else at 18. My youngest nephew was in the States for a wedding recently, just two weeks before his 21st. However, he was apparently able to drink because of the different date layout, which meant people thought he had turned 21 in January!

I think I read somewhere that in the US the ship must be completely cleared of all passengers before the new passengers can board for the following cruise and this is why it's not offered on US cruises. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.

I was on the recent extended Empress cruise (due to Dorian), it was my first cruise, and I just wanted to say that was the best consecutive eleven days I've ever experienced, and I'm an old guy that's seen a lot. I'm a huge Royal Caribbean fan now, can't imagine riding with anyone else from here on out. I don't know if it's appropriate but I'm posting a sunset photo taken the night before arriving back in Miami.

You don't have to upload a photo for check-in and many people who have done so have reported that it had to be redone at the check-in desk in the port anyway, so don't worry about it if the glitchiness prevents you from doing it; it definitely won't be an issue. 
And, yes, the cruise planner is notoriously glitchy. Although I have checked us in for our upcoming cruise, I can only view the set sail passes on the app. If I go into the cruise planner, it either tells the "information is not available,  please try again later" or it says "the passengers on this booking are checked in" but the set sail passes are "pending". ?

We did this walking tour a few years back and enjoyed it. Here I am at the bottom of the Queen's Staircase. 
 

We did this walking tour a few years back and enjoyed it. Here I am at the bottom of the Queen's Staircase. 
 

I think I read somewhere that in the US the ship must be completely cleared of all passengers before the new passengers can board for the following cruise and this is why it's not offered on US cruises. Feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.

The gym on Serenade is a great gym but I'm afraid that spinning with a view of the sea is not going to happen.
The reason for this is the shape of the gym and the location of the spinning bikes. Serenade's gym is horseshoe-shaped, with an entrance at each end. As you go in there are free weights, benches and weight-training machines. Once you pass those, there are plenty of cardio machines around the edge of the horseshoe shape. Some of them look out towards the sea and others look inwards towards the aerobics floor, which is in the centre of the horseshoe. It is this aerobics floor which is used for classes, including the spinning classes and the bikes are positioned facing a wall/stage area between the two entrances, where the instructor will stand.
All of which means that if your wife wants to work out with a view of the ocean, the best way to do it is to do her own session on one of the many cardio machines (treadmills, cross-trainers, recumbent and upright bikes) around the outer edge of the horseshoe. Also, with this being your first cruise and just so you are aware, use of the gym itself is free but the spinning classes come with a charge.  

Nice. Counting down to check in later this week. ?

In case it might apply to anybody else's sailings. (My sailing is Adventure over Thanksgiving). 
In my cruise planner the one-device surf & stream is currently priced at £9.11/day which is roughly equivalent to $11. That is by far the lowest I have seen it. 
 
ETA: just found the T&Cs on the e-mail I received from Royal.
"Offer applies to new individual tour bookings made prior to the voyage departure between August 20, 2019 – August 26, 2019. Offer applies to select tours on select sailings between August 29, 2019 – March 15, 2020. Discounts vary by ship."
Hope someone else is able to take advantage of it. 

But you know what... that is part of what you are getting when you book with a Travel Agent.  Yes it may put us on the phone for long times, but that is our jobs.  We know how to multi-task and get several things done at one time, and we love being able to know we saved you the client time so you can enjoy your cruise and not worry about the planning process 

In case it might apply to anybody else's sailings. (My sailing is Adventure over Thanksgiving). 
In my cruise planner the one-device surf & stream is currently priced at £9.11/day which is roughly equivalent to $11. That is by far the lowest I have seen it. 
 
ETA: just found the T&Cs on the e-mail I received from Royal.
"Offer applies to new individual tour bookings made prior to the voyage departure between August 20, 2019 – August 26, 2019. Offer applies to select tours on select sailings between August 29, 2019 – March 15, 2020. Discounts vary by ship."
Hope someone else is able to take advantage of it. 

In case it might apply to anybody else's sailings. (My sailing is Adventure over Thanksgiving). 
In my cruise planner the one-device surf & stream is currently priced at £9.11/day which is roughly equivalent to $11. That is by far the lowest I have seen it. 
 
ETA: just found the T&Cs on the e-mail I received from Royal.
"Offer applies to new individual tour bookings made prior to the voyage departure between August 20, 2019 – August 26, 2019. Offer applies to select tours on select sailings between August 29, 2019 – March 15, 2020. Discounts vary by ship."
Hope someone else is able to take advantage of it. 

In case it might apply to anybody else's sailings. (My sailing is Adventure over Thanksgiving). 
In my cruise planner the one-device surf & stream is currently priced at £9.11/day which is roughly equivalent to $11. That is by far the lowest I have seen it. 
 
ETA: just found the T&Cs on the e-mail I received from Royal.
"Offer applies to new individual tour bookings made prior to the voyage departure between August 20, 2019 – August 26, 2019. Offer applies to select tours on select sailings between August 29, 2019 – March 15, 2020. Discounts vary by ship."
Hope someone else is able to take advantage of it. 

The best time to book is when you see a price you're comfortable with and this applies both to booking the actual cruise and booking cruise planner items.
For cruise planner purchases, it is definitely worth checking the prices on a daily basis and being aware of the prices of the items you're interested in because some real sales do crop up from time to time, offering genuine savings. When this happens you can cancel your previous purchases without penalty and re-book at the lower price, with the caveat that you have to pay for them a second time and wait a few days for your refund to be returned to your account. The exception to this is if you paid using OBC from Royal, in which case you see that returned to your cruise planner the second you cancel the first booking.
For your cruise fare, if you're booking under US rules, you can sometimes get it re-priced to reflect a sale price but it can be a tricky process that is probably easier to navigate with the help of a well-qualified travel agent. Note that if you're booking from somewhere other than the US (UK, EU, etc), you're likely stuck with the original cruise fare you paid unless you are prepared to lose your deposit. In some cases, the difference in price actually makes this a cost-effective option! 

@FionaMG, well said!!