Ditchdoc

As cruise ships get bigger and bigger with thousands of passengers and sometimes 2 and 3 ships in port at the same time, the sudden influx of 10, 15 thousand or more passengers puts a tremendous strain on port city'. Infrastructure, traffic, embark/debark hotels, restaurants, public transportation and so on. Amsterdam, Venice, Vancouver, Key West and others have had issues. Having lived in vacation resort town, I can sympathize with all the above not to mention high prices year round.

Most browsers save names and passwords for you if you like so that they auto-fill. I agree the RC website could be better. There are two basic issues. Poor user interface or design and errors in information and lack of depth. The first issue of poor design is prevalent on a lot of web sites. I am not sure who companies hire and why they tolerate poor design, but they do. Cruising is a very dynamic field. Information is being added and updated continuously. That information is data and it takes work from real people and keyboards to keep that data up to date and correct. A lot of web sites fail at this. At the same time, there are excellent sites that have great design and they keep data current and pertinent. Amazon is not perfect but look at the volume of data they deal with. The "Trader' sites like auto-trader or rv-trader are generally well designed and give the user a multitude of filters to any make, model, price, location you want. Stock market sites update an enormous amount of data that continuously has to be current. They are all different but it goes to show what you can do. RC does a good job and I understand they are working with an international market that brings is own set of hurdles. At the same time, the web site has to transition from the desk top computer to their app. Some data can only be updated in real time. For instance, an excursion is cancelled due to ... whatever. The itinerary changes for shows, destinations, and a million other things. A lot of this could be helpful to peoples plans in advance. We see these kinds of 'what if' questions in this forum all the time because its just not available on line. Well... sometimes it is but people can not or will not find it for whatever reason. To me, this just shows a lot of information could more accessible with better design and current data. The information may be there but if its hard to find or incomplete then it cause issues for people.

I liked the Connoisseur Club a lot. It was never real busy but there was most always someone in there enjoying a good smoke and libation. Royal has moved away from sophistication to an amusement park mentality of noise and color. Basically the older generation has been excluded in favor of the sub 30 year olds.

Depends on which way the ship is going. You are going from Spain to Florida or basically traveling south-west. Late in northern hemisphere the sun will be lower in the sky. Very generally, the port side of the ship would be facing south or the direction of the sun when it is low in the sky during winter months. For most of the Atlantic crossing, I would say your balcony would be shaded most of the time. Central Park balconies are nice. You will like it.

It is state room dependent, not individual. As already said, we get our shore bag ready, with towels, the night before and go down to the exit a little early so as soon as allowed, we head to where ever so we can get a choice spot, usually in the shade. Note that twice now, there were two ships docked. Both arrived around dawn, and both started departure at exactly 8am. I think the captains do this so the passengers on both ships have the same opportunity. Also note, CoCo Cay is pretty big and it allows people to spread out. If you get a fairly early start, you really do not have to race to find a good spot. If you wait until noon, well, you get the left overs but there are still plenty of chairs etc scattered around. Finally, the staff at towel stands are not 'Towel Nazis'. Just be reasonable, return what you borrow, explain if you have some kind of mishap, and they will generally be OK with it. If you want 4 or 6 towels for 2 people, its OK. If you keep the towels overnight, its OK. At times, I've had them give me the towels and not even scan my Sea Pass. They do their job, but they are not going to crucify you over a towel. That is not to say they will not bill you if you try to keep them.

Did Captains Table twice. First time was an Alaska cruise and on the the exact date of our 20th wedding anniversary. The head waiter picked us because we were sitting at a table for two and he said he did not want to disappoint anyone else that might be sitting at the larger tables. Having seen how that system worked, on a latter cruise, we 'casually' mentioned to the head waiter that if he was looking for someone to sit at the Captains Table we were available ..... Well, he selected us. This time it was the Chief Engineer that sat with us. Both times we were met a one of the bars, offered a drink, escorted to the table, served beverages of our choice, wine was poured, a complementary photo taken with names and date, ship etc added to the borders. As you would expect, the service was exemplary and the meal excellent. Both times the table was large, round and sat in the middle of the dining room. I think four additional couples joined us so it was 10 people plus the officer. These were nice little perks that made a cruise truly special that cost RC almost nothing other than a few drinks. Its getting were nothing is 'special' any more unless you pay extra for it.

Dont forget the KY

Marketing is what it is .... they want to make you think if you don't act now, you are going to lose out on some bargain. I documented the "SALE" e-mails I got from RC for a couple of months. Virtually every one was $650 off +30% off every cruise. The lead in would vary with ... "Ends Tonight" "Ends Tomorrow" "Now Extended" Invariably, the exact same "sale" or discount would show up again in another e-mail within a couple of days. Occasionally they throw in : "Deluxe Beverage Package Buy One, get one 50% off" or "Up to 35% Off Internet, Drinks, Photo Packages" Basically, the pricing never changes, at least not in these promos and the promos seem to be nearly continuous.

Sounds like you are using CCPD. Talk to your doctor and perhaps for the duration of the cruise, you could do CAPD. I suppose you are more familiar with this than I am but essentially you manually exchange the fluid every so often rather than a machine doing the exchange overnight. Its more manipulation on your part but you don't have to lug the machine with you. Obviously if you and your doc decide CAPD is not for you, go with the machine.

Well ... there you have it ..... nice work

Well ... I guess it just depends. There are several variables. Time of year, sunrise, sunset etc. It is 160 miles down the Chesapeake from Baltimore to the Bay Bridge. The Chesapeake is busy all the time with cargo ships and pleasure/fishing boats as well as military. Ship speed is limited near the mouth of the Chesapeake to 10knots due to Wright Whales. There are as many as a dozen course changes to stay in the shipping lanes and most all of this is done in darkness. Point being, 15 knots is probably the best a cruise ship can do in the Chesapeake and then only for some legs. This means the trip from Baltimore to the Bay Bridge takes about 12 hours, maybe a bit less, possibly a bit more. So, again, depending on sun rise, sun set, departure time etc.....maybe you exit the bay in daylight, maybe in the dark. Maybe you have the views on departure, maybe on return.

Did not find this to be the case. With about a 4-5 pm departure, it takes all night to traverse the Chesapeake and passing through the junction of the James and York Rivers, Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Ocean takes place the morning of the second day.

Did New England and Nova Scotia out of Baltimore. The port is well marked off I95 and just a couple blocks off the exit. Sailing from here means traveling down the Chesapeake Bay to get to the Atlantic but going past the Norfolk navel yard, Newport News shipyard and the Bay bridge tunnel was just part of the adventure and kinda neat.

We get up early and are out and about so morning is a good time for room to be serviced. Stop by Guest Services and tell them you want a Cruise Compass delivered each day. They document it in your preferences and you will get one each evening for the next day. We tell our attendant we want fresh towels each day. They can provide extra towels if you need them. As for towel animals, that is entirely up the room attendant, their skills and time.

When we started with Royal, guests were a bit older, more subdued, respectful. Food was better, service was better, things were a slower pace and relaxed. We liked it. Since, Royal marketing has turned the ships into amusement parks, people are brash, many are inconsiderate not only with other people but with the crew and ship. On our last cruise kids (I think), on two occasions, kicked room service trays down the hall, strowing food and ketchup down the passage. There were reports of door decorations stolen. People are just inconsiderate. One showed up at the Chefs Table, the high end meal on RC, looking like he just walked in off the beach. Others would show up at the MDR 30 and 45 minutes late while others were being served entrees, expecting to start their meal. Now, we feel like we are simply obligated in ways since our loyalty perks are important and we would hate to start over with another brand. I understand the marketing but cruising is turning into a floating state fair amusement park. Civility is on the decline in favor of loud wiz bang and colors.

Depends on the length of the cruise(s) and how much you packed. I'd have the bag ready to pick up two days before turn around day so it comes back the day before turn around day. I would generally plan to just have small clothes done, underwear, T shirts, socks, etc. Roll them tightly and carefully pack the paper sack you get. A couple can easily get a weeks worth in the bag and probably have a bit of room left over for anything you feel safe washing. If you hang your nicer clothes, only wear them for a couple hours for dinner, change and rehang them, you can get at least two wearings out of them if not more. For a longer cruise, 3 or 4 tops and 2 bottoms should do. Shoes take a lot of space, don't get too crazy with them. A dark pair walking/tennis shoes, even nice sandals can sub for evening wear. I know most women will bring what they gotta bring Reserve proper shorts for after dinner wear and shore excursions. Light weight gym clothes are great to hang out in on sea days, slip on for the morning coffee run/ breakfast or an alternate to hanging out in a swim suit all day and you can wear them to the gym. These same light weight gym clothes can also fit well in the laundry bag if needed.

You might count different ways but Mariner has at least 8 bars, 10 restaurants, 3 pools, several shows, A solarium, A promenade, ice skating rink, flow rider, gym, spa........

I see, makes sense.

My first passport was done by mail. Had to send my birth certificate but it was returned with the passport. Granted, its been a few years. I would think these newer drivers license with "real ID" would be good. I'm not so sure about driving around while your license is in the mail though.

Never had to do it at a post office. Its all on-line. Instructions, forms to fill out etc. Recommend someone that does passport photos (drug stores etc.) to get it just right. Your application will be rejected if the photo is not right. Once your forms, photo, ID (birth certificate, check are all together, package it in a proper envelope or mailer, send it to the passport office, certified. If everything is correct, you will get your passport and birth certificate back. Usually quicker than they advertise. Make sure you get all your info from a dot gov website. There are fakes out there and many sites that want to charge you for filing for a passport. These are called 'Couriers'. You do not need them. DonR posted the link above. Also on the government site, they offer expedited service but there may be an additional fee.

You rent the ship. If you want someone to drive it, thats extra.

If you are Diamond you can use your drink perks for bottles of water.

Gotta agree. Old design is like crystal, it can be displayed most anywhere and look sheik and classic. The new design, adding color makes it a decorating issue and looks more like a post card. Just as I was getting excited about collecting, now I don't really care. I think all of RC has gone from elegance to Six Flags over the Ocean.

Like most things .... Different strokes etc.....in the past we have met really nice people and staff we enjoyed sharing time with each evening. On the other hand, we have dined with individuals who, by the third night, caused us to consider alternative dining arrangements. Lately, post COVID, (dang COVID has changed so many things) the tables in the MDR are mostly arranged for two persons instead of 4, 6 or 8.

The standard (250 lbs.) and heavy duty (350 lbs.) scooters and wheelchairs fit through the door of a regular stateroom. A large scooter rated for 400 lbs. will probably require an room rated as accessible. These rooms have wider doors and more space for the same price but are limited. At ports, staff can help get scooters on and off if ramps are steep but if you have to tender, you may not be able to leave the ship, at least not on a scooter. Finally, most standard doors are between 23 and 24 inches wide.