BrianB

So far, there have been lots of posts regarding passengers experiencing the new arrival procedure. When you get to the port, you will be allowed in at your assigned time. You then check in and walk right onto the ship. If you arrive early, you’ll have to wait outside. It’s been this way for me in Bayonne NJ and Fort Lauderdale. There have been some instances where they allowed you in early, but only because there where no passengers with the current boarding time. But, as capacity keeps increasing, I don’t think that’s going to be the case too often. Enjoy your cruise!

@GKMCruising

I use an iPad to stream Prime, Netflix, Hulu, YouTube etc…..so far onboard the Anthem, Oasis and now the Wonder, I have had no problem streaming movies during the evening. I have had some issues when the ship was going through stormy weather where the internet was interrupted, or even one time where the entire fleet wide service was shut down for over a day. So, to prepare for this, I now have downloaded movies and shows on my iPad before boarding, just in case the Voom goes out.

Can I get on an airplane with Bessie? She’s my ‘emotional support’ cow. Plus, I really like a squirt of fresh milk in my coffee. **Yes...this is humor. I’ve also seen people who are ‘disabled’ at boarding day getting on the ship early…walking with a severe limp, using a cane…and them see them doing early walk-off with a pile of wheeled luggage. With the cane strapped to a bag, they literally run off the ship. It’s a shame someone feels the need to ‘get over’ by feigning a disability.

The Oasis has the open outdoor area forward of, and part of, the Solarium. It's a great space! Especially while in port.

I’ve never had that happen to me. There was always one or two of the machines that were ‘down’ but not all of the credit card machines. Seeing as I take most of my cruises out of Port Liberty, I’m now going to make sure I have sufficient cash when I get off the ship just in case. Thanks for the tip!

I agree with the elevator issue. I sail out of Port Liberty regularly over the winter. Several times there has only been one working elevator. One time both elevators were out of service. I was on the second level and was able to carry my bags up one flight…but I’m sure a lot of people had to go back in front of the terminal with their luggage and wait for one of their party to bring the car around. That must have been a mess.

Here's a good therapist...

As you turn into the terminal area, there are workers directing traffic and they’ll point you to a spot to drop off your luggage with a waiting handler. Then pull forward to the entrance of the parking garage. An attendant will hand you a ticket with the advice to ‘not leave it in the car…you’ll need it to pay before you go back into the garage’. Then you park and as soon as you walk out of the garage, the terminal entrance is steps away.

I understand these things happen everywhere…but I would expect cruise ships to be more responsible that the soap and water flows freely when so much emphasis is placed on washing my hands. I’ve yet to visit a restaurant on land where there are ‘washy washy’ people pointing me to sinks before I enter their business (not an altogether bad idea!). Plus, I agree with that. I want to wash my hands with soap and water.

I hate to be a negative poster, but I have to point out when I see something that needs to be addressed. We all know that properly washing your hands is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of germs and diseases such as Norovirus, flu, the common cold…and now most especially, Covid. Royal goes to great lengths encouraging passengers to ‘Wash Your Hands’ including having the ‘washy washy’ people posted at the entrance to the Windjammer. But, it has been my experience onboard the Anthem, the Oasis and now the Wonder…where many touch-less soap dispensers either don’t work properly, or dispense a pin-size drop of soap…and, more frustrating, the touch-less faucets in the public restrooms and Windjammer washing stations don’t work as they’re expected to. I find myself holding my hands under the faucet, waiting for water, and when it eventually does arrive…it's just a quick splash. Then it stops. I see so many passengers getting frustrated and just walking out without washing their hands after using the restroom or entering the buffet. And this is after they tapped and held the faucets (the same faucets many others have touched) trying to get water to come out…to no avail. This needs to be corrected! Before US Public Health comes aboard for their inspection and finally finds this flaw. Conserving soap and water shouldn’t come at the expense of public health! Is it just me on these particular ships, or are there others who notice this?

Wonder April 15…5 night cruise….a nice round figure… 5300! 92.4% double occupancy capacity.

I’m so sorry…I’ll try harder!

Me too! Love grabbing cheaper prices because I check it so often!

@jay1021 Anticipation is part of the process! Savor it! Enjoy it! I love the time leading up to the cruise. When I look back on it, time flew until I boarded. Then I concentrated on enjoying every single moment onboard and in the ports. I purposely make it drag out…no rushing…no pressure. No stress!! Enjoy your friends…enjoy your cruise.

Yes! Made out like a bandit! I cruise solo in a suite and usually get 3 points…1 per night, 1 per solo, 1 per suite….and with the double point promotion I made 6 points each night. Vaulted from 292 points to 860 points between September and now. Then again, I’m a Cruisaholic who can’t stand being on dry land!

No. I cruise solo so I don’t have another name to put it under. Every time I have done it, I was booked on the Anthem out of Port Liberty…I don’t know if that makes a difference, but I don’t see how it would. In fact…I’ll go log in now and try to double book something…be right back! @YOLOI booked another Coco Beach Club…at a much higher price ($160) on my October Oasis cruise..but it would be stupid of me to cancel the $99 dollar one…so I just cancelled the new one. The system took my second reservation and cancelled it without any problem, leaving my first, cheaper one intact. However, I’m thinking as this was done on the older Cruise Planner page, and not the newer one…I’m thinking maybe that’s the difference?

@jay1021 I have done it many times! When I see a price drop for the Coco Beach club…or a Beach Bed…I book it even though I already have one booked. Then I go back and cancel the first, higher priced booking. I’ve also done it for the three meal dining package, although that rarely changes from the basic price. One time I canceled the beach club first to grab a lower price and got blocked out. Lesson learned. *Do a test…book something twice, then cancel one.

Also…always a good idea to get back up tests. There have been many stories of tests going wrong. Such as the liquid in the enclosed bottle was empty…or accidentally dropping the card off the table…or losing your internet connection with the monitor.

Me too! If I don’t have the time, or documents handy, I’ll quickly hit check in…pick my arrival time…then exit check in. It saves my choice and I can then go back in and finish later.

Every time I got the Key…I received an email shortly before boarding (usually a few days out). It specifically said to come to the terminal between 11 and 11:30 and show my boarding pass with the Key symbol. I have done so many times at Port Liberty and was waved through right away. Regardless of what assigned time I had chosen. This is to make sure we have the time to take advantage of the carry on drop off service and the Key lunch…which is only served during a certain time. I think it’s before 1pm.

I lived right next to the Lincoln Tunnel on the Jersey side. If you’re traveling on a Sunday morning, traffic is light in both directions. On a weekday, traffic can be a mess going into the city, both through the tunnel and every approach to it, especially the NJ Turnpike. Coming out of the city on weekdays is a bit better, but still gets congested on the Jersey side when you get out of the tunnel. On a Sunday, without any unforeseen issue, you can make it from Times Square to the tunnel entrance quickly…then zip through and onto the NJ Turnpike South. From there it’s a quick ride to the cruise port, all highway until the approach road. Also, if you’re driving, the fee in the parking garage is $25 per night. But it’s right next to the cruise terminal…very convenient.

I’m on the Wonder now. Just so you know…I visited the Suite Neighborhood Sun Deck because I’m Pinnacle. Not very impressed. It overlooks the sports court and the mini golf areas. Also, and most annoyingly, there is always a covering of black soot spots from the smoke stacks. They have light colored fabrics on the seats and loungers and the soot spots are pretty obvious. Just touching them leaves black marks on your skin and clothes which are hard to remove. I like the concept, but the location leaves a lot to be desired……but the bar and staff are great!

Ahhhh…the puzzle of the light switches. Always a fun game pushing switches to see what does what.

Self serve buffet has been around virtually since the dawn of mass cruising. It’s been the industry standard for decades and very little has changed. Although I have only been cruising since 2015, I very rarely have been on a ship where Norovirus raised its ugly head. When it did, the ship went to a ‘code red’ and instituted pre-planned health protocols which included crew-served buffets. I would like to see a choice program at the buffet. Many food-type stations are repeated throughout the buffet. Give passengers a choice to get their meal from a self-serve or a crew-served buffet station. Then the cruise lines can get an idea of what their customers want. Stand in line for a crew-served station…or move quickly through a self serve. Just an idea.