WesKinetic

I've only been on one, so YMMV. But the one time I was on a New Year's Cruise, they did have a champagne toast at midnight on the promenade. But the party itself was the same night as one of their usual dance parties. So I can't say what they would do if New Year's Eve fell on a night when a party wasn't already scheduled. But I can say they didn't really make a huge deal of hyping New Year's, other than saying the champagne would be available at midnight.

Just a matter of priorities--do you value getting on the ship and heading to the Windjammer or breaking in your drink package as soon as possible? Or do you value sleeping in, shorter lines at check-in and being able to go to your room right away? No right or wrong answer, just personal preference based on the kind of vacation you want.

Tell work I'll see them in a week and immediately put my phone on airplane mode.

Yeah, this is a big "your mileage may vary" situation. I've had some instances in which they required me to show the second card and others where they let me get multiples on just one. I think officially the policy is per card, so if you have access to the second card and can take it, you definitely won't have any problems.

@Pooch hit the only real downside--some people feel like they need to "get their money's worth" and constantly searching out drinks becomes a chore instead of relaxing. For me the big upside that a lot of people don't talk about is quality as opposed to quantity. If I'm paying by the drink, odds are I'm going to order something I know I'll like. But with the UDP, I'll try a bunch of new things. Don't like something? Dump it and get something else. No harm, no foul. I've discovered a lot of really tasty drinks that I probably otherwise would not have ordered. When you're debating whether or not to get it, be sure to compare prices vs. what you would otherwise get. A lot of people only look at the UDP price compared to getting nothing. But if you think you will pay for a certain number of drinks by the glass or that you like getting your specialty coffees in the morning, sometimes the price to upgrade from that to the UDP isn't as big as it first seems.

@Vancity Cruiser is correct--the double points promotion expired Sep. 30, 2021. I remember it vividly because I was frantically trying to get one booked that afternoon. Sorry if you were given bad information.

Personally, I think you'd probably be fine doing that but it just kind of depends on your tolerance for risk. 90% of the time, that should work with no problems. But if there are delays at the port or long lines at the airport, you could end up cutting it close.

The "legal tender" part is only good in the United States. The Royal Caribbean fleet are all foreign-flagged ships. They accept US dollars (as do most cruise ports) as a convenience due to the number of US customers on board. But they are under no legal obligation to do so.

@Sunny_DThis could have changed since covid, but I know it used to be 90 days out. However, Royal Caribbean's IT isn't always the most trustworthy, so it may not always be available right exactly at that mark. When you get to your 90-day mark, just start checking every day and it should show up shortly.

Pre-Covid, it wasn't uncommon for the Windjammer to have a bloody mary bar set up at breakfast time. Choose your own mix, choice of liquor, spice level, etc. Was nice to get it exactly how you liked it. But I haven't seen one back since the restart.

If you buy individual meals ahead of time in the cruise planner, you can schedule them when you book and pay. The "have to wait until Day 1 to make your reservations" thing is for people who have purchased the Ultimate Dining Plan. Most specialty dining restaurants are a set price. Once you pay when you book, you're done and good to go. There are a few exceptions: Some of the restaurants will have some kind of upcharge offerings. For example, Chops will usually offer lobster as an additional charge over and above your preset meal cost. Completely optional. Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the only way to reserve Izumi ahead of time is if you purchase the prix fixe or hibachi meals. However, if you go at an off time, you can generally be seated without a reservation and order sushi a la carte. Places like Fish and Ships or Playmakers are priced a la carte and do not require reservations.

Unless it has changed recently, the policy was that anyone under 14 had to be accompanied by someone 14 or older. So these two kids should be allowed.

It depends on your level of comfort with letting your kids roam free. If you think they are responsible enough, you can go the route the poster above mentioned--go find a spot by the beach, make sure the kids know where you are, maybe arrange a time to meet up/check in and then send them on their way to the waterpark. The other option if you want to stay closer to the kids would be booking a waterpark cabana. The possible advantage there is that it includes your waterpark admission, so financially it might make sense to go that route instead of paying individually.

My daughter has always taken a few in her backpack without a problem. Can't imagine it would be a problem, unless possibly if you were bringing on some ridiculous amount.

Yes, you can. From the RCL website: "All of the signature juices, smoothies, and protein shakes at Vitality Café are included in Deluxe and Refreshment Beverage Packages."

If it is really starting to fill, by the time you get to your trip in a few weeks there is a good chance that the prices will have already risen to the point that it negates the value of any OBC you get. I'd agree with the previous posters that you're better off booking now.

On the last formal night, I will put away as much of the Baked Alaska as they will bring me. And I will second @CrimsonCruiser on the love for the French Onion soup. I've had it lots of other places, but it just hits different on a cruise.

I know it will let you do that when you create an initial booking, but I am unaware of any way to do it online after the initial booking stage. AFAIK, you have to call or have your travel agent do it. It's stupid. Really don't understand why RC makes it so difficult.

This isn't always the case but, generally speaking, Playmakers opens at 10:30ish on sea days and 1:00 pm on port days. The bar is open until 1 am, so you might be able to catch at least some of the replay. (Be sure to eat ahead of time--the bar is open, but they stop serving food around 11 pm.) The ESPN access in the rooms on Royal Caribbean ships is always wonky (sometimes you get regular ESPN or ESPN2, sometimes just ESPN Caribbean), so even then I can't promise you'll be able to get it. I was on a cruise last spring with a friend who got an internet package for the express purpose of streaming a race he really wanted to watch.

Just looking ahead to a cruise I have in a few months, the MDR sugar-free offerings are: Pear and Blueberry Cobbler Peach Shortcake Coconut Layer Cake Dark Chocolate Custard Profiteroles Pineapple Sunshine Cake Cherries Jubilee Those are just the ones specifically advertised as "no sugar added." There may be other options available and the menu could conceivably change between now and your cruise. But this has been kind of a "standard" menu for some time now, so that should at least give you an idea. There is always at least one of these on the MDR menu, as well as several options in the Windjammer. I travel with family members who are diabetic and they've never missed a dessert yet.

I think @jupiter03 hit it on the head--the best word is inconsistent. I was on Symphony earlier this summer. For probably 80-90 percent of the time, it worked fine. But there were a few times (particularly on the last sea day) when it got noticeably slower. As a general rule, I tell people if what you want to do isn't time sensitive, you'll probably be fine because if it's not working at certain time, give it a few minutes or a different part of the ship and your luck can change. But I wouldn't bet the farm on it for things like timely financial transactions (i.e. day trading) or that make-or-break meeting or interview.

New Brunswick is on Atlantic time, so one hour ahead of Eastern Time. In most cases, ship time will stay on the time zone from which you left port. So you'd need to just be aware that any clocks you see in St. John would be an hour ahead of ship time. I say "in most cases" because it is technically at the discretion of the captain to either stay on departure port time or adjust to local time. But given your itinerary, I can't imagine much is open at 6:30 am local time, so I'd be very surprised if the ship time doesn't stay on Eastern time.

On my most recent cruise earlier this summer it was $3. Ice water is also available for free at Windjammer, Cafe Promenade, et al.

You can see all of your account charges in the app. It will show you where each purchase was made, but doesn't list the specific drink and will show each transaction as $0.00. So if you are really trying to determine "value", you'll either need to keep your own list of what you actually bought or just figure an average based on what you like to drink and multiply by the number of drinks showing in your account.

They're strict in the sense that the computer system dictates it. If you want to buy a drink, you have to use your Sea Pass card. So, using your analogy, even if your parents said yes and the MDR waiter took your card, when they go to scan it to charge your account, the system will red flag it and not let the purchase go through. So you wouldn't get your drink. It's not like a bar in the US where the bartender makes a choice whether or not to check your ID--your age is already in the computer and it will automatically disallow any drink purchases. The obvious next question is what if your parents or someone over 21 buys a drink and gives it to you? I don't know how strict they are in enforcing that kind of situation but, according to Royal Caribbean's policies, they have host of possible options if you got caught, ranging from cancelling the older person's drink package to disembarking anyone involved. I'm sorry to be Captain Buzzkill, but I'd say this is a case in which the risk is definitely not worth the reward. But definitely enjoy yourself in Bermuda.