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Heading out tonight to avoid a long drive with young kids in the morning. Looking forward to kicking back and enjoying some great family time!

thank you @CrimsonCruiser!!

Hey all, been a while since we've cruised and have out next one in a few weeks. There used to be dedicated threads, but I can't locate them now. Can someone point me in the direction of an updated copy of the cruise compass for Odyssey of the Seas southern Caribbean run? I'd love to plan ahead a bit is possible.

Much discussion here on the drink package, but seriously do the math on whether it makes sense for you. I got what I thought was a smoking deal on the package and still wound up having to drink like a fish to feel like I was getting my money's worth. Actually was more stressful that way.

After a long hiatus, our extended family will be sailing again. Never been on Odyssey and never been to Aruba or Curacao - looking forward to both. The ship looks fantastic. Any recommendations for excursions on either island?

We anticipate that a number of our cruises will have no ports of call in the itinerary and this will be made clear at the time of booking. For cruises which do included scheduled ports of call, we will do our best to ensure that, where guests are able to disembark the ship, they are able to do so individually, although we may need to restrict disembarkation to guests who participate in shore excursions which are provided by us. Our ability to provide shore excursions is heavily dependent on local laws and regulations therefore some amenities in various destinations may be restricted or closed, and movement may be restricted due to physical distancing requirements. When you are either disembarking or embarking the ship at a port of call, you may be subject to additional mandatory health screening and checks. We will provide you with details of any additional health screening and checks prior to disembarkation at a port of call. Please note that the local authorities in the port of call may also require additional screening and testing of guests at the point of disembarkation and/or embarkation and you must comply with these requirements. Failure to comply with any of these health screening and checks or testing requirements will be considered a breach of the Guest Health Safety and Conduct Policy and your contract with us which may result in denial of boarding or disembarkation from the ship. Please note that we have no liability for injury or loss sustained in connection with shore excursions, subject to applicable law. From page 8. I guess you have to decide/be prepared to be completely unable to actually visit any port of call on your itinerary. It's one thing if a port gets shifted or skipped (happens during regular time). It's an entirely different matter if they feel the need to control your experience even when you're not on the ship. Part of the risk/reward analysis I guess.

Please see @OrlandoC post above. This case is often used as an example of extreme litigiousness in the USA, but if you actual read the details of the case, McDonald's was absolutely negligent. I seriously mean no disrespect to you, but in today's world, facts matter, and I hope your opinion may change once fully educated on the situation.

Hey I'm on the same sailing! From what I've heard, if we're at higher speed, we may feel a bit of a rattle/shake, but that's why they adjust our itinerary. As far as I'm concerned for our sailing, it's a non-issue and business as usual. Sucks if it's a total port change though. Sorry to those that are dealing with that.

I'm on Allure next month with the DDP for me and the refreshment for the wife. Price on the refreshment just dropped today for us, so it's only $10 more than the soda package. Maybe review prices today - there shouldn't be a $20/day difference between soda and refreshment package.

I've got it booked just for me and not my wife, so unfortunately I've got to call and change it manually. Wish they didn't have that "every person in the room" rule.

Realized I wasn't properly logged in when I was trying to PM. My bad. I've got it figured out now.

@JohnK6404 and @Hoski the deluxe drink package has dropped to $45/day. Even though the agent thought I was nuts, I just called and cancelled mine and rebooked to save $1/day! Just figured I'd send over an FYI since I can't figure out how to PM on here.

Was on cruise planner checking beverage package pricing and decided to review our shore excursions as well. Turns out one of our excursions has gone down $50/person! Was able to call and rebook at the lower price like usual. Looked like a lot of the excursions for our May Allure sailing have gone a bit. Make sure you check all your prices and hunt the best deals, even after you book!

I went on Harmony with our 18 month old last year and it was a breeze. Meal time was a little tough and it took a little planning but it was great. Contrary to opinion, I would recommend an interior balcony room if they have one. We could let him watch the people on the boardwalk and he entertained himself. Splash pad was great too and he loved it.

@Matt @WAAAYTOOO @twangster as always, the speed and quality of your feedback is very much appreciated! You've put my fears to rest! Actually looking forward to experiencing a little extra room for our little guy to run around while we're getting ready in the room. Those of you on the departure tomorrow, enjoy your time on the water!

We have a forward facing cabin on our upcoming Allure sailing. There are great videos on these rooms (ones with big slanted windows), but there is a concern I've heard that I'm worried about - some say these rooms get ridiculously hot. Anyone have personal experience with this?

@Hoski indeed! Let's get a RCB Jello shot party going with @JohnK6404 one sailing day! haha

@StormHunter we took our 18 month old last summer on Harmony and had no issues whatsoever. Very family friendly and he was by far not the youngest one playing in the splash zone.

Someone in my party stayed in a junior suite just down the hall at the beginning of the other hump. It wasn't a significant increase in size, but it definitely was noticeable. Always nice to have a little extra space.

My wife and son are both gluten intolerant. RCL is probably one of the best vacation options for someone with a gluten intolerance. Like Disney, they have a lot of GF options, they just might not be readily in the open - don't be afraid to ask wait staff or store clerks. Sorrento's even has GF pizza as an option (disclaimer: they bake it fresh every time so it takes longer).

You'll be amazed at how few crowds there are. Certainly there are things that most will be doing at the same time - eating at the windjammer at noon, trying to find a pool deck chair around 11am - but RC has an uncanny ability to make it feel like there aren't more than a couple hundred people on board. Of the things to be worried about for your first cruise experience, this is pretty low on the list. Just relax and have a great time!

Wait, this was actually a thing??

November 2020 Oasis has a Ft Lauderdale, At sea, Labadee, at sea, Ft Lauderdale. Been wanting something like that for a while now. Ideally I'd love this itinerary: Day 1: Port Canaveral Day 2: At sea Day 3: At sea Day 4: At sea Day 5: Port Canaveral ? They're really missing out on marketing a "Cruise to Nowhere!" opportunity

We've always brought on a travel steamer. Legit didn't know steamers aren't allowed per their policy on the website. Last time they thought our steamer was an iron so we would up in the naughty room where they tried to confiscate it. Once they realized it was a steamer, they gave it back to us with no questions.

Haha, point taken. Thanks for the insight. Sort of like people who play in the casino to rack up enough points for a cruise. Most likely you're not going to come out a winner in that game!