BrianB

Balconies are great pretty much anywhere onboard. But, as commented above, it’s a personal choice. Forward, mid or aft have their own pros and cons. But a major consideration for me is what’s nearby…such as what’s on the deck above. Being directly above, below or alongside a venue where there may be excessive noise…or chair dragging as they set up early morning. I’ve done pretty much all locations. Balconies forward, aft or midship are fine. The only balcony I didn’t like was the ones underneath the ship. A little too damp.

Sailing out of Port Liberty, we usually have coast guard or New York City Police boats nearby. Several times a NYPD helicopter does a low hover alongside the ship as we sail out. Once in a while a New York City Fireboat will put on a display with their water cannons. Even the New Jersey State Police marine unit may be nearby. But, New York harbor is always busy and well protected. There is plenty of boat, barge, tug, container/cargo ship, ferry, personal craft and sailboat activity. It’s a great port to sail from. Going under the Verrazano Bridge is a major highlight.

As for capacity….I think 100% can be interpreted in several ways. 1. The maximum number of passengers as per SOLAS is the highest allowable. 2. Having the full double-occupancy number of passengers onboard can also be considered 100%. 3. Lastly, having every sellable cabin occupied can also be considered 100%…even if many of those cabins are occupied by solos, thus decreasing the number of passengers. Plus (pre Covid-quarantine cabins) I do believe that they keep several cabins in different categories open. This is in the event something happens, such as a plumbing or electrical issue, and passengers must relocate. I have seen this happen several times. I heard of one instance where an officer was relocated to give up his passenger cabin. I also define capacity not only as a number, but a perception. Sometimes I have sailed during periods where, even though capacity was above 100%, it didn’t seem crowded because most passengers were, well…shall I say, not as spry as they once were. Myself included. Other times, particularly during Spring Break…capacity may have been at or less than 100%, but the ship felt overcrowded. Exuberant, excited and happy partygoers enjoying themselves and releasing some pent-up academic stress can make for some lively scenes throughout the day and into the late night. Either way…I’m happy. I’m on a cruise!

Maybe I’m an outlier, but…I like the donuts. However I can not claim to be a donut aficionado…even though my career of over thirty years was the butt of donut jokes. Dunkin’ they’re not! Crispy they’re not! But they are Royal…and me like ‘em!

Also, the shareholder OBC is not combinable with certain offers. For example, most casino promotional cruises. The shareholder benefit request will usually be denied.

I think the pent up demand has made what usually were less-than-full shoulder season sailings more attractive. The fares are usually cheaper, however as demand rises, so will prices. I also agree that there will be times during spring break (which varies by schools and universities) when the ship can seem almost like a summer sailing capacity-wise. Except instead of just families with lots of youngsters, it’s also groups of spring breakers…with access to drink packages. Keeps security busy.

I have seen a situation where a port security worker/supervisor was adamant about not allowing a certain multi-port device to go through security. The passenger very nicely requested a RC representative. I saw them later and she said a ship’s officer came to security and approved the device.

On the ship on disembarkation day…….wanting to stretch the time onboard as long as possible! In the terminal on embarkation day…….wanting those onboard to get the heck off so we can start boarding!

Checked in at midnight last night…got the 10am boarding time again! This check in was different. The questions about the vaccine, type and date of each shot, were gone. So was the need to upload a copy of the vaccination card. But the advisory about bringing the card and negative test is still prominently displayed.

I checked in via the app for my Sept 18 cruise last week at midnight. There were no changes to the vaccination information questions and uploading a photo of the card. I check in tonight at midnight for the Sept 25 cruise. I’ll see if the process is changed. I hope so, as this would definitely be a good indicator that they’re dropping more requirements.

Every time I checked in at the terminal, I’ve never had one of the port agents do any type of medical evaluation. They just confirmed my paperwork, photo and made sure I didn’t answer ‘yes’ to any question on the health form. As long as you have a negative test result…you’re okay to board. But for me, if I have any sign of allergy or cold-like symptom after I get the negative test result, I always do a quick at home test before leaving for the port…just in case. If I do get the virus, I definitely would rather be home than on a ship.

Not familiar with Miami…but in NJ, I pull my car up to the terminal where the porters are waiting. They take my luggage, I give them a tip. The next time I see that bag is outside my room later that afternoon. Then I get back in my car and pull into the parking garage, and then walk with my carry-on rolly bag to the terminal entrance which is steps away. There are always lines and groups of people clustered about. Most of them are people who, for whatever reason, arrived before their times and have to wait. If I am on time, I walk to the front, show my boarding pass, and am waved into the terminal. Then comes the security line…then check in with a worker where my paperwork is examined (I always bring paper copies of everything…don’t have to worry about showing essential documents on my device). Then I board and do pretty much what you described. Then I celebrate!

I have found that the cruise planner items appear on day one. But, as already noted, things can change…and they frequently do. Many times there have been cancellations of entire shows due to someone in the production getting Covid. Then the entire production team, including the performers, may have to quarantine. Or, in the case of the Aqua Theater shows, bad weather can cause cancellations and rescheduling. But they always manage to provide some replacement. Some guest performers will pick up the slack and fill in with shows which include them expanding their song choices. Or the comedian/s will do more routines different from their usual offerings. Sometimes if the headline show has been cancelled, but not all of the performers are quarantined, they’ll put together a showcase act. When these things happen, they try to update the cruise planner app as soon as possible to show the changes. Also, the Cruise Director will make an announcement…usually more than once. That’s one of the main reasons that I really try to not miss any of the announcements. In the past, they were mostly reminders about upcoming events and sales…but during these particular times, the announcements can include entertainment changes that I would really want to know about. I also refresh my app frequently. Due diligence!

When I’m on the ship and have to leave…I may feel the urge to ‘linger’…. When I’m off the ship waiting for a zero count before we can board…I get upset at the ‘lingerers’!

I’m in NJ…I ordered a six pack on July 28. EMed sent an email within minutes that the order was received. Later that day, another email that my order was shipped. I received the package on July 30. Hope it goes as easily for you, too.

Maybe I’m misunderstanding…but if you were reimbursed by Royal, then the insurance would not be applicable. From what I understand, the travel insurance only kicks in if you did not receive a refund from Royal, and if the cancellation is for a covered reason listed in the insurance policy. The insurance is secondary. Allianz would communicate with Royal to determine if you did receive a refund and if so, they would deny the claim. Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.

I always do Johnny Rockets on the Oasis on embarkation day. As long as the weather is nice, there are plenty of seats available outside. My second go-to is Playmakers. Finally, if all else fails, I’ll just grab a couple of slices at Sorrentos to hold me over. Don’t let the line discourage you…it moves quick.

It may be just me, but……that’s my biggest complaint about every cruise I take; Regardless of how many days….it’s just too darn short!

On my first visit to the casino, I usually go to the host desk to see if there are any rewards promotions posted for the cruise…and to check the current points reward levels. They very rarely change, but I like to make sure. Plus, I like to say Hi to the host on duty. Always a pleasure! I usually do slots. This is the easiest way to keep track of my points. Five dollars in equals one point. Sometimes I am lucky enough to spend quite a bit of time at a machine without having to put in much money. Win some, lose some…balance goes up, balance goes down…but I accumulate points every time I press that button. If the machine doesn’t give me much play for my money, I’ll move on to another. Plus, there’s always the possibility of getting a nice win each time I spin. I like the entertainment and the anticipation. I usually just charge to my room (credit card on file) on the slot machine’s keypad because there is no fee either from Royal or my credit card. Sometimes when I get a nice payout, I go to guest services and apply my winnings back to my room account. I always make sure my card is registered and my play is accumulating. It seems sometimes during a long bonus play or free spin period, the card times out. At the end of my play time, I check my points before leaving the machine. Occasionally, prior to leaving the casino, I’ll go to the host desk and confirm my points have registered. Usually, a certificate will be delivered to my cabin offering money off my next cruise. Sometimes, I’ll just check my offers online when I get home. Either way, I never had a problem applying the certificates to any new or existing reservation. Good luck!

I’m on team #closetoelevator! Love the convenience and never had an issue with noise. Don’t hear the elevator bell nor people talking as they wait.

It sounds to me like your concern includes what other people might think. I have been on a lot of cruises since the restart...many without the mask mandate. There were always people who were masked. It's not an unusual thing. I have never seen nor heard anyone commenting about someone else masking up. It's just accepted as an individual choice...as it should be. For me, even though there's mask-wearing everywhere, masks are barely noticeable anymore. It's just a part of life. Do whatever makes you feel safe. Everybody else does. Enjoy your cruise!

I have an annual Allianz policy. I cruise often so the price of insurance per cruise would be very high as opposed to having the annual. There are limits on the annual and I know should I ever make a claim, it’s likely I would need to purchase another policy. I do not have the Cancel For Any Reason coverage, but my covered reasons are pretty good. The medical treatment and evacuation coverages are important to me, as is the Covid Rider.

I always wait until the first full day and ask at guest services or with the concierge. They have the ‘final count’ on their computers. They can also give the C&A breakdown.

I get concerned with the necessity of bringing my physical card each and every time I cruise. I have been lucky enough to be able to do 17 cruises since the restart. Each time I have to upload my card onto the app…then bring the card with me to the port so it can be examined. Sometimes they even take another photo of the card at the port. I’m always afraid that one day I may lose the card and then have to deal with an alternative document and hope it gets accepted as proof of vaccination. Hey! You’ve seen my card 17 times already! I know it’s asking a lot…but can’t they make some sort of notation on my account that I am fully vaccinated as required! If additional boosters become required, then I can present the card again showing I’ve been boosted and it can be added to my account. I figure they consider this card requirement a temporary issue and don’t want to go through the hassle of creating a new entry to everyone’s account…but it’s been a pretty long temporary period! Okay…rant over.

Port Liberty doesn’t have pre-bookings for the garage. First come/first serve. But, they guarantee parking will be available. Either in the garage, or the open lot. Both are steps away from the terminal. The price is the same whether in the garage or the lot.