Ditchdoc

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.

I have see a helicopter evacuation and been on board when a non scheduled stop was made to transfer a patient. Just depends on how critical the situation is, how close to port, etc.

Yes you can smoke a cigar in designated areas. I do miss the Connoisseur club on board.

Royal does not have to know. There are many variables including what kind of issue you are having, severity, weather, distance, time and so on. That decision rests with medical professionals, and maybe weather. First in line is the ships doctor who decides if you are dead or alive. If you are alive, where do you need to go and how soon. If your situation is urgent and life threatening, and you are at sea, A helicopter is your fried. Now more medical professionals will decide what is the appropriate facility. It maybe the appropriate facility is just a place to stabilize you until you can get to specialized facility. So you see, Royal basically calls 911, the rest is in the hands of medical professionals.

Worst case....boarding time might span a couple of hours. A minor inconvenience. Glad it was worked out.

The wine package. Seems like it was around $75 for 5 bottles and the waiter would bring it to your table and pour.

I don't drink soda. Until this very day, I had no idea what a Freestyle machine was.

Labadee is about 6 hours by car from Port an Prince across a pretty remote and mountainous area. Labadee is about as far as you can get from civilization in Haiti. There are a few resorts along the same north shore along with what looks like some substantial police stations. I'd say its kind of like Cancun in Mexico. The government just don't tolerate bad behavior around tourist areas.

Just search Amazon for ...cruising door decorations..... There are a few hundred decorative magnets in packages of various quantities. Usually for 10 to $20. It easy and cheap.

Bid a couple of times, haven't won. Most recently, had a back to back or two part cruise. Got a Royal Up email for the second half, didn't really want to change rooms if I won so I didn't bid. Of course about two weeks later, I got a Royal Up email for the first half. Well, doh!!! Didn't bid on that one either since it was too late to bid on the second half or risk winning one and not the other. The system is just not very cognizant of consecutive cruises.

Did a SCUBA dive excursion. In the pre-digital age. I had purchased one of the small water proof film cameras and used it to take some pictures during the dive. Once I shot the entire roll, thinking I had gotten some pretty good photos, I stuck the camera in a Velcro pouch of the BC I had rented. When I got back to the ship I realized I had forgotten the camera.. I did what I could to see if I could get it back with no luck. Always hated I never got to see how those photos turned out.

That is exciting news .... for a dermatologist.

An early cruise with cell phones. Didn't turn them off. Thought just not using them would be OK. Found out background apps pinging and accepting texts etc added up to a few hundred dollar phone bill by the end of the cruise.

Never cared for lanyards. Just don't like the way they look. On board, I don't need anything else so I just slip it in my pocket. If you carry a phone around, a card should be easy. On shore, a small bag/backpack or cargo pant pocket to keep necessities together.

Some of the ships have auto leveling billiard tables. On a larger scale I am sure bowling lanes could be auto leveling. I'm not so sure that many people actually like bowling. I'd be more interested in using the ice skating venue for drone racing.

On my upcoming B2B I received a Royal Up opportunity for the second half of the cruise. I decided to not even try since we had the same room for both cruises and didn't really want to change if we won the upgrade.

Just use some common sense like not blocking the passage, not vulgar, not dangerous and don't damage the door.

All I have are the prices in cruise planner. Any thing I posted in quotes comes directly from cruise planner. They do not break down surcharges, tips or different menus. So what I have to make my decision looks as though it is more expensive to reserve a +1 package than it is to reserve separately. Its only $3.09 difference but you would think there would be a discount for for purchasing two meals instead of a price increase. Maybe RC thinks people will purchase the +1 thinking its a bargain when it is not. At this time is is a moot point. I decided to have a nice Chops dinner and forget the whole +1 offer whose pricing is questionable at best. As far as the hijacking, go for it. Its relevant to to the RC dining experience which currently seems to be in some turmoil. Things are going to cost what they cost. I just hate fluctuating or somewhat hidden or questionable charges you may or may not expect. Just be up front with the total price and people will buy it or they wont.

"Gratuities are included in all dining packages that are purchased via Cruise planner. " Otherwise, its 18% if purchased on board.

What am I over looking? Current pricing from the RC site for Mariner on May 12. Chops +1 (25% off) $83.99 Considering Izumi as the +1. When Izumi is selected, in the information it states: "For ships with these venues, Teppanyaki/Izumi Hibachi is included, with a $15 surcharge." So the price Chops + 1 is $83.99 plus another $15 or $98.99 total. On the other hand, if you price each specialty restaurant separately: Izumi (15% off) $45.95 (There does not appear to be any surcharge) Chops (15% off) $49.95 Total $95.90 It cost $3.09 more to reserve Chops +1 than it does to reserve individual restaurants. Am I missing something?

I am not sure just what you could use that space for. As some have mentioned, a semi outdoor bar (Tiki) might work. I though maybe one of those virtual driving ranges were you hit a golf ball into a projected screen that detects speed and spin then virtually continues the balls course. You might could line up 3 or 4 people at a time and allow a limited number of balls (5 - 10). I am not sure golf is popular enough to have such an thing or not. Mariner is on it way back to the US for the summer season after a dry dock. Maybe its Skypad will be updated and give some clues for future use.

Mariner has left Gibraltar and is on her way to Port Canaveral. In case you can't tell. I'm excited. Only 45 days till we spend 2 weeks on board.

"Engine issues" is a not a very clear description of the potential problem. The ship has 4 engines. Usually, one is a spare to allow servicing. One engine being down usually does not affect ship operation. Now if the issue is with a gear box or azipod, this could cause speed issues.

Traditionally... Any vessel that can be carried or loaded on another vessel is a boat. However, there are ships specifically made to carry disabled vessels normally considered ships. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy-lift_ship

... I just know my limits.