MarvinS

My wife and I will be on it! Looking forward to exploring this new ship. Got very reasonable pricing the day reservations became available.

Here's an excursion that is available for me to book on my upcoming Western Med. cruise on Oasis in June 2024...

As I mentioned in another thread, yes, those tour companies in Roatan highly encourage you to use cash. The country of Honduras (according to their one of the local tour business's excursion confirmation paperwork) states that the country tacks on a HUGE percentage as a credit card service fee. They were also indeed very picky even about the nice clean crisp new-looking $100 bills I brought for payment of the excursion. Here is a clip from Bodden's excursion confirmation: ====================================== There is no prepayment or deposit required for your tour. Our preferred payment method is US CASH once you get to the island. However, additional payment options are available: We accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express at our tour office -- however, there is a Credit Card Fee: The Honduran government requires credit card machines to automatically add 19% Honduran Tax onto every credit card transaction This fee is broken down on the receipt as 15% Honduran Tax + 4% Honduran Tourism Tax The only way to avoid these credit card taxes is to Pay in US CASH Honduran banks do not accept US Currency that is worn, taped or torn...so, try to save your BEST dollars for your Roatan visit! ======================================

Yes, they highly encourage you to use cash. The country of Honduras (according to their excursion confirmation paperwork) states that the country tacks on a HUGE percentage as a credit card service fee. I had a party of 6 in our group, and took about $800-$900 with me to pay for things. They were indeed very picky even about the nice clean crisp new-looking $100 bills I brought. Here is a clip from their confirmation: ====================================== There is no prepayment or deposit required for your tour. Our preferred payment method is US CASH once you get to the island. However, additional payment options are available: We accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express at our tour office -- however, there is a Credit Card Fee: The Honduran government requires credit card machines to automatically add 19% Honduran Tax onto every credit card transaction This fee is broken down on the receipt as 15% Honduran Tax + 4% Honduran Tourism Tax The only way to avoid these credit card taxes is to Pay in US CASH Honduran banks do not accept US Currency that is worn, taped or torn...so, try to save your BEST dollars for your Roatan visit! ======================================

In mid June 2023, we (group of 6; mom & dad & 4 in early 20's) did a customized private all-day tour with Victor Bodden Tours (did sort of an ala-carte selection of activites). All of the events were excellent with the exception of the ATV rides. The zip line course was a blast (went on at least 10 lines; lost count of them!), and the monkeys and sloths were a huge hit with my group and lots of fun to hold and get our sloth hugs. We also did some snorkeling off shore from a boat over the coral reefs on the West side. These were all EXCELLENT activities with Victor Bodden. The ATV was NOT an enjoyable portion of the tour. The equipment was in very poor shape, and we see why after the activity. The hills they have you ride on are quite steep, and they make everyone go down the hills together with each 4-wheeler rammed into the one in front of you. The leader (guide) is first, and they want you to literally run into the back of the leader until the 4-wheeler rests against his, the next person running into the back of the one in front of you, etc., all the way down the line. There was a raft of about 15 4-wheelers flowing down the hill while the leader rode his brakes slowly all the way trying to get everyone down the hill. There were LOTS of hills, and we rafted down together a good 10 times. No wonder the frames and racks of these 4-wheelers were all broken and banged up. My son went through four 4-wheelers by the time we completed the activity. One had zero brakes, another had the drive chain break, another wouldn't go into gear about 1/4 way through the course. Needless to say, this portion of the tour was NOT enjoyable or fun...and the ATV guide still "highly suggested" they receive tips! Everything else about Victor Bodden tour was excellent and I would do it again in a heartbeat...just not the ATV portion!

I've been on the Thenford Grey Tours myself, and COMPLETELY recommend them! We did their "grand tour" of the island. Our guide (Thenford Grey, himself) was the most personal and professional gentleman of a tour guide, and was an absolute walking encyclopedia of knowledge on the island (being born and raised there). Again, highly recommend them!

For our Sept. 28th, 2024 sailing, the Black Friday price was $38.99. I just checked, and the current sale price is now $33.99 for us. For this price, we are going to give it a try. This may very well be a one-and-done activity.

We brought our old WOW bands from prior cruises with us this last summer (June 2023) onto Wonder with no issues. Guest services happily reprogrammed them for us at no charge. The primary purpose was to provide quick and easy access to the room door. They also worked fine getting into the shows with a reservation. We used our seapass cards the remainder of the time for shopping, etc...

Was on Wonder earlier this summer. We took WOW bands we had from prior cruises, and just went to guest services, and they were able to reprogram them for each one of us in our party at no charge. The cost was $9.95 for a new one, if desired. The various port agents on shore at various destinations don't have ANY way to read a WOW band and will ALWAYS want to look at your Seapass card. Everyone is explicitly told to have your Seapass card to get both off and back on the ship, along with some form of photo ID. You definitely can't get on or off the ship with a WOW band alone.

10/6 - MSuper - Ovation

$43.99 for Icon Sept. 2024. I've purchased it for now, while at this price (before RCL raises pricing). Certainly wouldn't pay any higher amount. I'll be watching other's reports on it once it goes live in January, and they actually experience it. We may just cancel/refund if it's just a noisy DJ party.

Nope, so second email from RC yet for us... Like many others, I'm very disappointed in the situation, too. I wish RC would have been upfront and explained that "they tried" but couldn't secure alternate ports. Trying to spin Victoria, BC and Seattle as equivalent substitutes is laughable. We were already planning on staying in Hawaii another week after debarkation (spending time on Oahu and the Big Island), so we won't cancel (even with the supposed no-penalty offer as referenced on the cruise-hive link). I do wish they would offer some OBC or something as a customer service gesture of understanding.

Just got an email from RC on the updated itinerary for Ovation. We will be leaving Vancouver, BC AND THEN visiting Victoria, BC for a day, followed by Seattle, WA for a day, and THEN onto Hawaii completely skipping Maui and the big island...

I highly doubt they would cancel the cruise, as RC needs to reposition the ship for the Australian cruise season, and Hawaii is just a stop on the way there. Worst case, they skip the Lahaina port stop completely (two MORE sea days) and end in Hololulu. Best case, they replace Lahaina with something else such as Kona and/or Hilo. I imagine RC is looking over the options now, and trying to figure out what to do for a replacement port stop.

We'll be on Ovation in October (6th-15th - trans-pacific Vancouver, BC to Hawaii) and were supposed to have an overnight port stop in Lahaina. Can't imagine that now, given the complete destruction and devastation of the town. I now wonder what Royal Caribbean will do now for a replacement port stop. Kona or Hilo on the big island, possibly? Government officials in Hawaii are recommending tourists to cancel any plans to visit Maui for a while... https://twitter.com/WxNB_/status/1689384898958917633?ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^tweet https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2023/08/09/photos-raging-wildfires-fueled-by-dora-wreak-havoc-maui/

+1 for Thenford Grey Tours. VERY happy with them. One of the best best tours I've been on. http://www.thenfordgreytours.com

My wife and I will also be on this cruise. First time on a Quantum class ship. Previously sailed on Oasis (2017), Harmony (2019), Wonder (2023), Freedom (2015/2022), Explorer (2022 B2B), HAL Maasdam (2015), and NCL Bliss (2022). We are both Diamond. We will be staying in Hawaii (visiting both Oahu and the big island) an additional week after the cruise!

I was just on Wonder a couple of weeks ago (Western loop sailing), and had good connectivity while in the room through the cruise (having the WAP in the cabin worked wonderfully), and every time I checked speeds (randomly throughout the cruise) it was fairly consistent at about 4MB down / 2MB up. Saw a few tests faster and a few slower, but on average, got fairly consistent results. I was able to VPN (Wireguard VPN) back into my office to deal with a couple of issues, and had zero problems connecting. I didn't have a need to participate in any Teams meetings (I was on vacation!), so can't speak to that performance or experience at all. I only had a one-device plan for my laptop, so did NOT roam around the ship testing performance and connectivity, but just left the laptop in the room and had fairly reliable and consistent performance there.

In Seattle, the easiest way to get around is the Seattle Light Rail system (https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/stations/link-light-rail-stations) where you can get from the airport towards Pike's Place Market area (Leave from the SEA-TAC station and travel to the Westlake station - nearest station - just a few blocks walk to Pike's Place; about 38-40 minutes ride from the airport) for a cost of about $3 per person. Trains leave every few minutes. For other activities; you can take the Seattle Monorail ($3.50 per person each way) (https://www.seattlemonorail.com/) that starts from the Westlake center (adjacent to the light rail station) and travel to the "Seattle Center" area where the Seattle Space Needle is at (https://www.spaceneedle.com/). The Chihuly Garden and Glass (https://www.chihulygardenandglass.com/) is adjacent to the base of the Space Needle and is a neat place to go through. There are some combo-tickets available for various activities in the area (http://seeitall.com/?site=sn). Luggage is going to be the biggest issue to deal with. When I travel and am overnighting in Seattle, I typically stay at a Hilton hotel (https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/seaahhh-hilton-seattle-airport-and-conference-center/) literally right across the street from the airport (I walk from the airport towards the light rail station; go "through" the station and walk over the pedestrian bridge; take the elevator down to street level, and walk one block to the hotel). See map on this link: https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/stops-stations/seatac-airport-station. You can have the hotel hold your bags after checkout if you stay there. I don't have any experience with any other baggage holding services, so won't be any help there... Just a few ideas and suggestions to think about!

Living is Alaska for 40+ years, I am a very loyal Alaska Airlines customer. I've flown on them many dozens of times over the years. I've flown from Alaska to many areas in the "lower 48" including MCO and FLL and many other destinations in between. Download the Alaska Airlines app, as you will need to use it for ease of travel at the airport. At several airports, they have removed the self-serve check-in kiosk, and are expecting you to use the mobile app for check in. Once you do check in online with the app, they do have several self-serve baggage tag kiosks you can use. Scan the QR code boarding pass from the app at the baggage tag kiosk, and easily print your own baggage tags you can apply to your suitcases. Walk over to the baggage drop lines, and you are done; quick and simple. You can check in on the app starting at 24 hours prior to the flight. You can only print out baggage tags at the self-serve kiosks no more that 4 hours prior to the flight departure time. Yes, they certainly have food available. The link that @smokeybandit provided is accurate. Using the app, you can easily pre-order food starting at a couple of weeks out and up to about 24 hours before the flight begins. Once onboard, you MAY OR MAY NOT be able to purchase additional food. If you pre-order beforehand, then your food is guaranteed and planned. They only bring on a limited amount of extra meals, and they sometimes sell out of meals before getting to your row (they start out in the front and work their way to the back), so being able to purchase onboard is certainly not guaranteed. If you definitely want a meal onboard, plan on pre-ordering something. Any other questions; ask away!

This is a great resource! It is already bookmarked! Feedback: I just got off Wonder last week, and as for a few minor corrections to your table of information, Wonder does indeed have Starlink for Voom internet, it has a Bionic Bar (5th floor), and Wonderland (12th floor).

I just got off Wonder last Sunday, and am one of those geeky kind of guys that measures everything. I was curious as to the dimensions of all sorts of things in the room (looking to calculate the actual square footage, etc.). We had a typical ocean view balcony room. I believe the bathroom is fairly standard in size among the interior / oceanview / balcony cabins. I actually measured the bathroom interior (and particularly the shower), and the inside shower height floor to ceiling was 6'8" high and was 2'8" wide by 3'1" long with a curved arch of the door taking a portion of that area. The shower controls and shower head are then on an angled wall portion, with the show head being adjustable from mid-height clear to the top of the shower stall. Hope this helps!

We were in Costa Maya yesterday, and was talking to one of the locals there. He said they were working on getting the Mayan Lost Kingdom water park up and running soon, and was planning on offering free entry for the locals ONLY as a test to make sure everything worked properly, and then plan on allowing paying customers in. He wasn't sure of the official opening date, but it appears to be sooner than later if others are seeing it available in the cruise planner!

We here on Harmony pre-pandemic in 2019 and did the escape room. Cost was $20 per person, limited to 12 people per session. Minimum age was 12 to participate. They do offer multiple sessions, and they fill up very quickly. Keep an eye on your cruise planner daily before the cruise looking for it to open up, and book it ASAP for your group. Our group (8 of us) share the session with 4 others and did successfully "escape"! It was fun!

Thank you for the well wishes! What helps is that I have a conference I attend for work the week prior in Orlando, so at least my employer pays my way to Florida and back! Bonus is being able to tag on a couple of weeks of vacation after the conference! This will be our first time on Wonder. Most of my group have already been on Oasis (pre-amplification) & Harmony, so am familiar with the Oasis class. Looking forward to see the new bells and whistles on Wonder. My wife and I will also be on Ovation this October 2023 (Vancouver to Hawaii) and also a S2S in Europe in late May 2024 (Anthem & Oasis), along with Icon (booked the day it became available) for Oct 2024, so am also looking forward to these cruises, too!