foxrunner

Just seeing this! Cheers!

Does Matt qualify as a celebrity? ?I think so.

Nice hooks! Can I say that here?

Hello everyone, We just received our cruise magnets from Amazon and the shipping box said "don't ship on airplane". Will this be a problem in our checked luggage? Thanks!

Are other lines building new smaller ships? If not that tells you that the profit margins are not viable.

Well said!

No way I'll look as cool as Rick in St Loue!

Blazer Slacks tie but we are talking New Years Eve.

Same!

Same!

@Matt Many other sites I frequent have a sticky post that explains FAQ in a cogent logical manner. It seems this great site could benefit from sticky posts. The above question is frequently asked and very well answered. Stickies aren't an extra task for the admin, because quality posts when recognized become stickies. If I my be so bold as to offer an other suggestion rename the third forum Dining and Drinking as that would funnel those type of questions together. Sorry for the hijack.

We did save $50 total on the refreshment package for the lads. That puts it at $17 per day. Not super impressed, hoping for the Drinky Pack to fall. We are over the New Year and I'm sure the ship is stuffed! Cyber Monday anyone?

We have a 20 year old and a 17 year old cruising with us over New Years. Because our youngest isn't 18 yet (one month short) we can't reserve the comedy shows for him. How does this work in practical terms ie do they check your Sea Pass for admission? How adult are the shows? Are we talking R rated or NC - 17 or X. We have booked for the three of us a 10 PM show and 7 PM show, are the shows less crude earlier in the day verse the midnight show? We also have the Key if this isn't complicated enough. What I'd love to do is send the boys one night and have DW and I go the other. We haven't cruised since our honeymoon and that was a Windjammer (GREAT TIME) and Royal is quite different. Thanks to all!

My wife is pardon the pun in the same boat with motion sickness. The tough part is that for the unaffected, people just don't get it. We have heard it all "can't you just tough it out?' Being motion sick for her is like feeling a vague unknown nausea all over her body. Also the impact lingers for hours once she is sick. We are cruising for the 1st time since our honeymoon and this could be our last if the motion sickness is problematic. She has a med patch which usually works and by the way Dramamine makes the sweetest person on Earth homicidal.

Super Cool! THANKS!

I need to amend my above figures as I consulted with the CEO (Wifey) and we booked in March of 2019. Our booking includes our 2 sons in an Ocean View Cabin and my wife and I in an Ocean View Balcony Cabin. The combined price drop has been a tad over $2600.oo! We are newbies and didn't book ASAP because we didn't know that strategy at the time. This site has been AWESOME! We are also cruising over New Years, potentially the most expensive time to cruise, another newbie mistake. I guess my point is that the seasoned cruisers know all the tricks and won't see big discounts on their cruise fare. Most of us first timers though really benefit from that weekly call to check rates. We don't bother to look at the promotions because the fine print is just about infinite. Just call and ask if the rate is lower. To all you regular contributors the extra green is very much appreciated! THANK YOU

I would also recommend that you call Royal weekly to check the price and rebook when the price goes down. Our next cruise is over New Years and the price has dropped from this August over $600!

Perfect. Thanks for the info and response!

I started reading your blog. It's great! Thanks for the link. I have a question. When you use the key to see a show, did you have to make prior reservations, or can you just show up to the Key area?

If Royal wants to have a dresscode they need to own it and decide were the line falls. I don't see the casual crowd caring if someone is in a tux/ballroom dress. I'd say with the divided MDR all guests would have to meet the formal standard or be seated on the causal side. I can also see this putting the staff in a tough spot but again I don't think this suggested attire thing is making everyone happy ether.

We are on Allure 2019 over New Years and have just listened to Matt's excellent "Royal Food Secrets" podcast. Which brings me as a first time cruiser to a few questions. I'm lucky to be travelling with my wife and 2 sons 17 and 20 Y.O. Right now we have the Key but we are not sure about keeping it, the only reason I mention it is that it provides a Chops lunch, and debarkation breakfast in the MDR. We have a traditional dinning time of 8:00 PM We wifey and I are early risers pre 6:00AM and the kids like sleep later. Questions 1) How often on a 7 night cruise would you eat breakfast in the MDR? I understand thanks to the great tips from the board that we can eat for free at the Windjammer, J. Rockets and the Wipe Out Cafe. We are not in a Suite. Do you tend to hit the WJ if you have an excursion ? 2) We definitely want to have dinner one night at the Hibachi with the lads. Any suggestions on the best night, we know that we need to reserve on the cruise planner precruise! 3) Wifey and I want to have one date night without the lads (they need some space too) which specialty restaurant would you choose? The list is Gio's, Chops, Izumi, 150 C. Park, Samba, and Chef's Table(kind of pricey). We are not foodies but like well made creative food. 4) We could eat in the MDR New Years Eve or hit at about double the Specialty rate ($50PP VS $89PP) a Chops,Gio's,or 150 C. Park. Recommendations please, and yes we want the boys with us. Is the price worth it? Will we miss a formal night in the MDR? 5) Do you dine breakfast lunch, and dinner differently on sea days vs port days? If so what are your tips. Sorry for such a long list of questions but I looked around and didn't find these answered previously. Feel free to answer only one part if I'm asking too much.

I love the hoody, go Pats! Laundry was always a 1st class guy, and as much as I respect Belichick, he could learn a thing about or two from Tom.

Again as a Barefoot Windjammer cruiser as my only point of reference, Royal's policy is the problem. A suggested dress code just creates problems, you ether have requirements or you don't. The ambiguity creates conflict, the "proper dresser crowd" is offended by the "casual crew" and vice versa. It isn't hard to have an standard and stick to it. Partition the dinning hall and create a formal and casual side if you want compromise, or just do away with a rule that you aren't willing to enforce. Without dresscode "suggestions" these internet conflicts would largely disappear. Some folks would talk about the good old days but like so many things today "times are a changing". My suggestion to the "Proper Crowd" is check out your hot wife in her smokin dress and to the "casual crew" try not think you are so important that everyone is judging you. See I just judged everyone....ha!

We will be sailing on Allure on December 29, 2019 and just received the dreaded email that because of the propulsion problems, we will no longer be going to Roatan. We were going to snorkel there, and it was, truthfully, the reason we chose this ship and itinerary. We will now be going to Nassau instead. We will also still be stopping at Cozumel and Costa Maya. We are traveling with our two sons, ages 17 and 20 and as a family our priorities are snorkeling, zip lining in the jungle and visiting Maya ruins. Right now we have a reservation for Xplor adventure park when we are in Cozumel. This would check off our zip line activity. But we are wondering if we should snorkel in Cozumel instead. We also have booked a visit to Maya ruins in Costa Maya. This is our first cruise as a family, and we are a little confused about what to do now. Any ideas on where to snorkel, zip line and view ruins would be appreciated. Also, any ideas about Nassau excursions, not shopping, would be appreciated.

Royal sets a standard and then due to consumer pressure they don't enforce it. This just makes everyone uncomfortable. Remember those Steak House Restaurants that used to cut your tie off if you came dressed too formally? On the Windjammer the Captains Dinner was Toga night and everyone was strongly encouraged to be authentic as possible. If a jacket and tie is important to Royal then have a rack of sportcoats and ties outside the MDR on formal night and give guest the option or a free pass to WJ. I'm a go with the flow guy and none off this will impact my vaca one way or another.