FoxboroCruiser

I ended up booking a Peggy's Cove tour (one of the shorter ones) to lock in an excursion.  I was going to stick with Hop On Hop Off, but so many of the comments are about wait times and full buses and I don't really want to deal with that on this trip when we only have 1 port day.  I'm getting excited as I also purchased dining and drink/internet packages.   Not much else to do, but wait.  

Magnets, yes.
I am not aware of any size limitations as long as you stay within the confines of your door.

We would never consider canceling our tips.  We do provide extra tips to crew members who have made our cruise memorable or crew members who don’t get the recognition that others do.   On one cruise we heard two of the pool deck attendants talking…One was wishing the other a happy birthday.  Psycho went and bought a birthday card and we put 20 bucks in it.   When the young man came back by, we handed him the card and wished him happy birthday.   The look on his face was priceless and we will never forget it…He did asks how we knew it was his birthday.  

I think this is a personal preference deal for most of us. 
To me, $112 per person per week for across the board good or better than good service each employee I encounter, is reasonable. And even though we are not rolling in money, I don't think we've been on a cruise where we didn't hand out a few extra 20s to those who went over and above to make out trip better.
That said, I have traveled with a family member who ordered multiple dinners every night and whose wife made nightly special requests, whose son ordered off menu every night, and did not offer a single dollar extra that I saw.  For all I know, they may not have tipped at all.
If I can afford to pay for a cruise in the first place, I am a fortunate person.  I don't mind digging a little deeper into my pocket.  Makes me feel good about myself.  If I were wealthier, I would do more.

It's such a small amount of money at $16 per day per person considering they are serving you for 3 meals, cleaning your room, and all the interactions in-between.  I don't get the obsession with the tip money.  We tipped $27 on a $100 dinner (3 of us) just the other day... just for dinner.

Up to you. We pay the gratuities and tip those who we have direct contact with. It's better than following the person who wipes the tables after we eat at the buffet or Resteraunt. What about those who clean the public restrooms, are we supposed to chase them down for a tip as well.

Too funny!  This is a mom/son (13) cruise for us as well!  

We too recently booked for March 2025, which means we currently have 5 Royal bookings.
Anyone that doesn't cruise like us (and "us" as some on here on Royal Caribbean Blog) may think we're nuts and don't get it.  But...we know school dates far in advance, we know we want to cruise and this is how you get the best price.  I find, especially these days, cruise bookings only go up.  I have one that has gone up by $1000, another by $3500, and even our Icon booking has already gone up by $500 and it was only booked just over 2 months ago.  So definitely good to book as soon as you know your dates.
Also, for our March 2025, we booked one of those staterooms where there are only a few and they are already no more available, so always good to book earlier rather than later if you want a specific room.  We do book refundable though so as it gets closer, there is no harm (aside from sadness and disappointment) if we need to cancel.
P.S. - OP, DH and I were just on Liberty.  Great ship!

Here’s my advice. If you can name all the future cruises you have booked, you haven’t booked enough 😉

Yep, happened on the balcony next to ours. Apparently they had just met in the club a few hours before and decided to head to his cabin and make their way onto the balcony. I think the whole port side of the ship could hear her.

Is pre cruise testing coming back?  👀

🙂 Smile your on CCTV and it can get boring on the bridge at night. 

What happens on a cruise ship, stays on the cruise ship...

The first cruise I booked I think I received $50 OBC with no travel agent. The next cruise with a travel agent it will be $75 OBC.  While waiting to book on NEXT CRUISE onboard might not always be a good idea since you can miss sales and early discounts you WILL get more OBC. So I think I will be taking that approach moving forward.

also Foxboro Forever!

An OBC offering seems to be a pretty standard perk of booking with Next Cruise but the amount is kinda meh unless you're in a suite for 7+ nights. I think it ranges from $50 - $600 with that lovely larger number being for people in grand suite or higher on a 14+ day sailing. When we've done it, GS for 7 - 8 nights, we get $300 for the room.
Travel Agentss and OBC - this is a fun conversation on the boards and so far I have to agree. Basically the consensus is that those TAs that offer OBC are great for their add-ons but may not be as proactive, responsive or helpful as those that do not. Booking with a TA is a not a guarantee for OBC and good TAs that will reprice, organize flights, handle fires etc usually don't offer any perks unless/until you've proven to be a loyal/repeat customer.
That said, we use a TA with the agency "Cruises N' More" and get about 10% of a our subtotal cruise fare as OBC, a specialty dining voucher and a spa voucher. I like these perks and our TA is responsive and kind and will reprice if I present her with the information

Why a tribute band you say? Because the bands I like are not together anymore and some of the members are dead.

I did an embarkation day lunch at Chops aboard Adventure last summer. It was worth the money to start the cruise off with premium dining and not dealing with the crowds elsewhere. Plus, by the time I was leaving Chops, the cabins were open for passengers. So swung by, grabbed my Seapass, dropped off my carry-on, and got to getting my vacation fully started.

Yes!  Just booked this cruise and getting excited for it!  What are you planning to do while in Halifax?  I'm leaning towards the simplicity of the Hop On Hop Off option.  

We looked at a similar difference (albeit on a different ship) and the biggest difference for us was the rooms with the lager balconies were on the bump-out - which I thought might be a greater overall view looking from side to side (down the side of the ship) than those on either side of the bump-out.  Anyone that know better could confirm or deny this, we've yet to stay in one. If the diagram doesn't show a bump-out this info may not be as useful to you anyway 😉 

My pet peeve 
All the rest of you interrupting my personal cruise by even being there.
When you see me coming your should move out of the way, give up your seat for me and generally make me feel like royalty.
SARCASM  LOL JOKE

I wholeheartedly agree with your observations here!
We sailed Radiance out of New Orleans in November and had a wonderful cruise. We were especially surprised by the quality of food in the Windjammer. We have sailed on RC many times (we are Diamond +) and often don't even bother with the WJ. But after a couple of meals there, we kept going back. The grilled salmon was just amazing. And the seasoned boiled shrimp was delicious as well. They had guacamole that tasted just like what Sabor serves and they even had popcorn on the buffet for a snack in the evenings!
But you are correct about disembarkation; it was quite a chaotic scene.
 
 

I have never cruised out of New Orleans and decided to try the New Years Eve Cruise on Radiance of the Seas for my wife's and my anniversary.  The ship was beautiful and the upkeep was noticed as every area seemed to shine.  The food was excellent, my wife and I commented that each area Windjammer, Main dining and Chops were all the best experiences we had in a while.  The food was fresh and well prepared.  We think that maybe because they did not have to cook for as many people they were able to make smaller batches to keep food fresher.  Room attendant was best we have had in a while as well, he anticipated our needs and really went above and beyond.  Ports were awesome and overall cruise was great.  One thing that needs improvement in New Orleans is disembarkation.  We literally got in a line that was so long it went around the cruise ship entirely.  Over hearing many guests not happy with the process, I think they should have slowed down calling numbers and waited to clear the backlog, but they just kept calling numbers and the backup continued.  That is only thing I would improve for this cruise but easily one of the best cruises we have been on with Royal, as a Diamond member we had never tried this class of ship and were really surprised by all it had to offer.  Would definitely go on this class again if given the opportunity.  

We usually book our next cruise because our cruise low level light has been on too long.  

We received OBC and reduced deposit when we booked with Next Cruise, but the fare was whatever happened to be available that day.
Our TA gives us OBC when we book with her, so lately we haven't been too excited about Next Cruise if our future schedule is undetermined.
I wouldn't wait to book a future cruise if you know you want it.  We book 2 years out because we get the best prices that way.  We prefer refundable deposit, but some folks choose non-refundable deposit.
If you have a TA, you can book with Next Cruise and transfer the booking to your agent.