Frogfanatic

We are excited about this sailing as well. Been 2 years since our last RCCL cruise. Will have a 12 and 14 year old girls who are who can hardly wait. Aruba and Curacao are new locations to us and are a bit overwhelmed with the what exactly to do to get the full experience of the islands.

As many others have said, the UBP includes all the non-alcoholic drinks (including bottle waters) as well. These typically get overlooked. With the waters, I get a bottle every two-ish alcoholic drinks and one or two for the stateroom fridge every day. These can add up. For me personally, I love the feeling of freedom knowing that if I chose to try something that I wouldn't try at home and don't like it, then no big deal, just order something else. It's the peace of mind that is part of what I am paying for and that is big for me.

Wow! These are some great ideas. Wonder if there is access to the helipad on HOS. Sounds like at high up as possible is the general consensus and port side or aft. Bucket of beer sounds like good plan as well. I didn't know you could order this. Only been on one other RCCL cruise before. The rest have been with Disney and they would allow it as well. Keep them coming.......

Hey Y'all! The fam and I are headed out on HOS on April 3 from Cape Canaveral and was wondering what everyones sail away traditions are. I am looking for some ideas on where the best place to be on the ship is and/or other cool activities to do for sail away. I'm all ears.

Thank you @Matt!

Hello All!! We have a HOS sailing April 3-10 and headed to Labadee for the first time. I am late in looking at the Cruise Planner and was hoping for a cabana somewhere, but am too late. So, I was looking at the Beach Lounger For Two just for some shade while on the beach. Is this our only option for some sort of cover while there other than a cabaña? Also, I have a family of four so, would I have to book two of these or can the family use just one? Thank you all for your time.

I would absolutely volunteer for this. I understand that this would be a "working" cruise, not a vacation and I imagine a lot would be asked of the "passengers." I want to do what I can to help support the return of the cruise industry. I am also relatively young and not in the target zone of the virus. It's just exciting that this we have gotten to this point and it is even a possibility. Much more will be learned for future cruise protocol with these types of sailings.

Fingers crossed for our April '21 sailing on her. If she is anything like, and I know she is, Symphony of the Seas then she will be an amazing ship.

No real discounts on my July HOS sailing. Will keep checking though.

Are you saying that you don't think I would be able to get the FCC before this July sailing to put toward the trip or that I wouldn't get the refund from the initial payment that the FCC is replacing? This whole Cruise with Confidence is confusing. haha...

I have a twist to this same line of thinking. We have a May 24th HOS sailing that hasn't (yet) been canceled. We are trying to be proactive in planning ahead for another cruise and found a HOS sailing July 5. According to @michelle, this curise is past final payment and if we want to book this we cannot put down a deposit we would have to pay in full. If the May 24th cruise gets cancelled we would take the FCC. After paying in full for the July 5 sailing, can we apply the FCC and get what we paid refunded? Thank you all.

Abos-freaking-lutley!! Perfect!

Cruising is by far my favorite way to vacation. I will miss the build up/anticipation that builds as the time grows near. I will miss the vision of the ship for the first time as we pull into port and be in awe of its size. I will miss the first steps on the ship and the feeling of vacation. My wife makes fun of me, but I really will miss waking up early and watching the sunrise with a coffee at the back of the ship on the top deck then head to the gym. I could go on and on, but even though my sailing (May 24 on HOS) hasn't been canceled yet, and I'm sure it will, I am switching my sights to our April 2021 sailing on OOS.

We have a May 24th sailing on Harmony. My hope is hanging on by a thin thread. If the port situation round The Caribbean is an issue for future sailings I would be happy to spend an extra day at Coco Cay and just hang on the ship for the rest of the days. haha.....

Thanks Steve!

Hello All, we are headed out on HOS in May 2020 and I have been working on or activity calendar with entertainment and activities. My question is when, or where, can I find the schedule for the different fitness classes that are offered? I am looking to sign up for one of the fitness packages, but would like to know and schedule different classes. Thank you!!

Very happy that it all worked out, but I feel for you and the disappointment. I wish you a very quick recovery and happy hunting on the Cruise Planner. I can personally attest to the incredible guidance and service of @michelle. She is da BOMB!

thank you @mworkman!!!

My apologies as I know this had been provided in an earlier post, but could the spreadsheet that was created to determine if the drink package is with it be re-posted? I have looked through a ton of posts and can’t seem to find it. Thank you so much!

@wllm1969 this is a great analysis of the drink package. Thank you.

On our Symphony cruise back in May, we had the WOW bands. They are very convenient as others have said, but what was not convenient was having to take it off every time we ordered a drink anywhere on the ship. I hope in the future RC offers the staff mobile scanning devices for the WOW bands. Then they would be a perfect accessory for the cruise.

Bravo for being so diligence and committed to your workout routine. Better people than me for sure. I am religious at home, but considered myself successful for going to the gym twice during my 7-night sailing. I'm not familiar with the Class Pass, but there are certain free classes offered, however limited in nature, and will be found in the daily information sheet.

My family and I just did a 7-night cruise on Symphony March 30-April 6. It was our first time with RC and all we could expect was what I researched and read. Let me tell you that this blog got us more than prepared for what to expect. We LOVED the ship, the size, the activities, the food, the drink, all of it. I know you will too. We have two girls (7 and 9 years) and they really did like Adventure Ocean. It appeared that the staff there really kept the kids busy having fun. You will definitely get your steps in...haha... We were in an ocean balcony 10310 and 10312 (connecting roooms) and we felt that these cabins were very well laid out and comfortable. As I type this it brings me back to our sailing and I get a little sad that its over and we have to wait till May 2020 to do it again. Have a blast and be in the moment. Oh, one thing our girls loved doing was ordering drinks from the IPad at the Bionic Bar. Go during the middle of the day as it gets quite busy at night.

I can concur with the others. I just got off Symphony this past Saturday and without the internet package, you cannot text others through the app. In my post-cruise survey I encouraged RC to have this feature. It would be tremendously helpful.

Great question! This is an interesting brain exercise.