Ditchdoc

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.

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.