CruisingOz

It’s a slippery slope from Sky Class to Star Class ??

I was just looking at the Royal Caribbean App checking through my reservations and noticed two ships we have reservations on where the App is not yet available, the Grandeur and Radiance. If the App is not available for things like Muster 2.0 Drill and paperless menus and alike, do think Royal will offer free Voom wifi on the ships so guests can access various tasks with minimal contact and interaction with crew? I am sure it is only a matter of time before all ships will be able to connect to the app, so it would be interesting to find out if Royal has any timelines?      

Hello Guys, 
I wear glasses, and I have found the cheapest option was to visit a local dive shop who sell masks which are made to be able to click on lenses onto the from of the mask lens. The beauty of these is that if your prescription changes you can simply clip on a new lens. My right eye is different to my left and so able to mix and match lens. They generally come in 0.5 increments. They are quite durable, I use them for diving and snorkelling, and mine are about three years old.
There was an option where I could have glass lens ground and fitted into the mask, but they were very expensive and as a seasonal user, the clip on lens are great, highly recommend them. 

That's not as bad as Majesty. When she got her major refurb to keep her in the fleet (2016?) the cruise line advertised free internet for all onboard.  A few months later, that turned into "JKLOL"

Once Upon A Time...  Michael Bayley hinted that internet would be free on Enchantment.  Look how that turned out.  
It costs a lot of money to blast satellites into space and to support them.  SpaceX has had several launches very recently with more in the coming days that are putting Elon Musk's Starlink constellation into place.  They estimate the cost to build it to be around $10B.  Residential internet service will become available in rural and underserved areas as a result but will cost an estimated $100 per month for the general consumer, triple that of land based providers.
The point is that satellite based internet costs a lot of money and no one will be giving it away free to the public at large due to the super high costs associated with operating in space.

You have a better chance of counting all the stars in the sky or all the leaves on the trees. ?

Hi @CruisingOz
Grandeur booking next February has Voom packages available and they are listed most days. However I have noticed that some days they are not shown but back again next day.
Managed to get a good deal last month for the 14 day trip for 2 devices with streaming for about 30% less than it is showing today so def worth checking daily.

You have a better chance in winning the PowerBall than RCG giving away free internet.  ?

Royal has never published timelines for the app as it relates to which ship and when.  
Free Voom?  No.  They'll get these ships app enabled soon.  It's probably already done but not turned on or imminent (It's a safe bet Odyssey will be app enabled yet she still shows not available in the app).  Even if they needed to rely on shore based websites to accomplish muster 2.0 or menus they could just whitelist that one domain rather than requiring the entire internet be free.  For example royalcaribbean.com and celebritycruises.com are free now.  They could make any domain they want be reachable 24x7.  However I don't think it will come to that.  
They didn't app-enable Grandeur because she was scheduled to leave the fleet in April.  With her departure from the fleet no longer happening I expect her to be app enabled by the time guests have an opportunity to board.
Not sure about Radiance or Explorer.  Both were scheduled to have dry docks that were impacted by the pandemic so it's likely just a matter of implementing the tech upgrade outside of a dry dock.  Explorer was recently in Port Canaveral picking up a lot of cargo and material so I would be surprised if that included some servers required to app enable her.  It's probably on someone's to do list right now.
I feel like in the coming months as the restart moves closer these ships won't be part of the first phase in the restart but as soon as they are approaching their individual restart date they'll flip the switch and suddenly they will be app enabled. 

Not really a fan of the new style. I don't think it looks as refined as the rest of the fleet. You certainaly will not have any issues knowing which ship is from a far

We see the double points as a positive and a thank you from Royal for cruising. We feel that the customer loyalty program from Royal is the best of all the majors and by offering double points, it will allow Royal to build a more loyal base of cruisers which will ultimately benefit all of us with newer ships, more on board experiences and new itineraries. We are Diamond Plus and Pinnacle is so far off, but the double points will get us closer to our goal and will keep us loyal to Royal. We are a bit upset that L&S ended, we had an amazing price on a Grand Loft Suite (about a third of the normal cost) on the Quantum for a 10 night around Japan which cancelled in early February. This would have been our first Star class and we were so pumped as it was soooo cheap and great itinerary. Such is life, and now looking forward to our next adventure, fingers and legs crossed it will be really soon. 

We see the double points as a positive and a thank you from Royal for cruising. We feel that the customer loyalty program from Royal is the best of all the majors and by offering double points, it will allow Royal to build a more loyal base of cruisers which will ultimately benefit all of us with newer ships, more on board experiences and new itineraries. We are Diamond Plus and Pinnacle is so far off, but the double points will get us closer to our goal and will keep us loyal to Royal. We are a bit upset that L&S ended, we had an amazing price on a Grand Loft Suite (about a third of the normal cost) on the Quantum for a 10 night around Japan which cancelled in early February. This would have been our first Star class and we were so pumped as it was soooo cheap and great itinerary. Such is life, and now looking forward to our next adventure, fingers and legs crossed it will be really soon. 

If you do book it, we would love to know your thoughts. It looks amazing but I am worried if it is windy, does it rock too much? It does seem expensive but as a group, splitting the cost, it should work out reasonable and what a fantastic place to base your group for the day, so jelly. Fingers crossed your sailing goes ahead.
All the best 
 

We stay at the Marriott which is next door to the Doubletree. Those two hotels are connected to a mini-mall that separates them. In the mini-mall is a Starbucks, few restaurants, hair salon, deli, fruit smoothie shop, etc

Entering within the jurisdiction of another nation without guests or crew having an opportunity to leave the ship to visit that country is pretty much the definition of a "technical stop".   That is no different compared to actually pulling up to a pier and waiting an hour then leaving.  The purpose is to circumvent the PVSA which makes it violate the PVSA.  
Remember in the United States cruises to nowhere are not restricted because of the PVSA.  Cruises to nowhere are now impossible because foreign ship crew visas do not allow them stay and work in the United States.  A crew that never leaves the United States (never enters another country) overstays their foreign ship crew visa.  Immigration laws prevent cruises to nowhere in the United States.
The ruling against the small gambling operations that used foreign crew in this manner came about in part because the ship owners were doing something that many people found intolerable.  They were circumventing other laws including state level bans and controls about gambling.  Once their boat was in international water the laws of the state they departed from no longer applied.  State taxes didn't have to be paid on any gaming profit.  Some states don't allow gambling at all.  The state governments were outraged that these US companies could set up shop in their state then advertise and offer gambling from their shores.  The home states were powerless to stop it until CBP determined that their foreign crew were found to be overstaying their ship's crew visas.  These states were thrilled the federal government was able to stop what the states themselves could not.
The end of cruises to nowhere was triggered not by the mass market cruise lines.  It was a gaming company that caused this.  It's all about money and companies trying to work around the intent of law for profit.  That is what ended cruises to nowhere in the United States.  

Excess product going to auction is normal. Once Royal ships are due to end the Australian season, and head off for their Asian sailing, they sell off their excess alcohol as the Asian market don't drink as much as Australian's. 

Excess product going to auction is normal. Once Royal ships are due to end the Australian season, and head off for their Asian sailing, they sell off their excess alcohol as the Asian market don't drink as much as Australian's. 

This is our first Jr. Suite on Allure.
We're looking forward to the Coastal Kitchen. ?
Plus we got the drink package ?
All set for our cruise this December. 
 

Hello Guys, 
I wear glasses, and I have found the cheapest option was to visit a local dive shop who sell masks which are made to be able to click on lenses onto the from of the mask lens. The beauty of these is that if your prescription changes you can simply clip on a new lens. My right eye is different to my left and so able to mix and match lens. They generally come in 0.5 increments. They are quite durable, I use them for diving and snorkelling, and mine are about three years old.
There was an option where I could have glass lens ground and fitted into the mask, but they were very expensive and as a seasonal user, the clip on lens are great, highly recommend them. 

I gotta say, UDP is always way too much food for us. I prefer a 3-night package myself. Or even just doing ala carte as we go, especially since you can usually get a good price at lunchtime in most venues. 

I am #teamCK all the way.  Many of the dishes in CK are so similar to specialty venues and CK does it better.  That being said, something was slightly "off" with the Symphony CK when we sailed her in July 2019.  It wasn't bad, just some of my tried and true CK favourites, I had better in other Coastal Kitchens.  Could have just been that particular sailing or the CK team at the time.  That being said, it would still be a shame if you did not try it.  I agree with @SpeedNoodles.  If you are doing a B2B, I would do one week CK and one week UDP.

I would second @KristiZ's vote for just going a la carte. As @twangster noted, not every night in CK is going to be a winner for you as far as dinner selection goes. With 14 nights of dining choices, it should be relatively easy to find enough nights to sample most (if not all) of the specialty venues once. Maybe even one or two of your favorites twice.
I haven't sailed O-class ships, ever. So I can't speak for the quality of the food on any O-class' specialty venues. That said, I've sailed twice on Anthem and felt that CK exceeded every specialty venue I tried -- Wonderland, Chops (accidental sampling due to my wife's dislike of Wonderland's menu), and Jamie's Italian. CK's filet puts Chops' to shame. So if you're sailing in a suite I would say to take as much advantage of CK as you can.

Thank you for the insight and thoughts. We were thinking like yourself, leg #2 UDP. We have done the UDP once before on Voyage and it was way too much food and we vowed to never do it again, but a first time Symphony we thinking go hard, pack extra antacids, and borrow a motorised scooter to aid us to disemarked, LOL. You are right, take the first leg to enjoy, explore and take in the ambiance and then go into leg #2 with knowledge and a plan. Thanks again  

Thank you for the insight and thoughts. We were thinking like yourself, leg #2 UDP. We have done the UDP once before on Voyage and it was way too much food and we vowed to never do it again, but a first time Symphony we thinking go hard, pack extra antacids, and borrow a motorised scooter to aid us to disemarked, LOL. You are right, take the first leg to enjoy, explore and take in the ambiance and then go into leg #2 with knowledge and a plan. Thanks again  

Food is very personal so this is kind of like asking people should I buy a mattress that is hard or soft?  Plush or firm? 
I am definitely a proud member of #teamCK.
Having said I am not going to lie.  Not every nightly CK menu appeals to my tastes.  If the choices were CK or MDR I would say CK.  Once you bring specialty dining into it... that can change the math.
You are fortunate to be doing a B2B and that is both fantastic for a bunch of unrelated reasons but also fantastic from a dining perspective given your willingness to entertain all options.
The Ultimate Dining Package on any ship but especially Oasis class is a lot of choice and a lot of food.  Bring stretchy pants.  I have my favorites but that's not important.  What is important is that it gives you the opportunity to decide what venues YOU like.  
UDP on one cruise and CK on the other is a solid strategy.  I have mixed feeling the order to do that in.
My suggestion would be to do the UDP on cruise #1 of the B2B.  Explore eat venue, try different things.  By the end of the week you will know what works for your stomach and what doesn't as much.
On cruise #2 having eaten so much on cruise you may decide not eat until day 3.  Just kidding.  CK has lighter meals, not in taste but in portions or size so after a week of so much food with the UDP this may be just what the doctor (or stomach) ordered.  
Having said that I changed my mind.
Do CK on cruise #1 and UDP on cruise #2.  By exploring the CK for dinner you can look at the menu daily and maybe even decide to try the MDR one night.  While onboard you can visit each specialty venue and see for yourself how the venue appeals to your preferences.  A big part of specialty dining is the ambiance.  Chops has a covered enclosed glass outdoor area.  Maybe that looks appealing for a Central Park dinner after dark on the next cruise for example.   With this foundation you can go into cruise #2 with a game plan for UDP.  That game plan might include a night in CK to enjoy a favorite entree discovered on cruise #1.
Either way don't forget to check out places like Playmakers for the food included with the UDP.
I think (as much as I am #teamCK) two weeks of CK would be too much.  I also think two weeks of UDP would be wayyyyy toooo muchhhh food.  
At the end of the day this is about discovering what YOU like.  Enjoy the ship, she is fantastic.