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Around Memorial Day it was all about rain and parkas, less about cold and winter coats. You need clothes that dry quickly. At formal night I wore a nice sweater and tie rather than a sport coat. Most scenery or animal sightings were before reaching port. Windjammer was a good place to see the sights.

And we found the fixed price gift shop very pleasant.

Isn't it up to the vendors who now require tickets? So unless vendors have a list of names from Royal to check off, I'm not sure how a Seapass would work off the ship. I wouldn't want a vendor to be able to extract personal data electronically. Since we need ID, vendor should just check name on it. PS. It's not cyber safe for a vendor to be anywhere near your smart phone. I've seen too many Leverage reruns.

If they are still using punch card, it depends whether ship name is written on the card. In the past you could if not ship specific. Stand by for recent users.

Yes, it's been in the news. But you probably won't find it on the entertainment channel. Try BBC, AP, and others.

For Americans abroad, anti-American sentiment has increased, and some ports have had an uptick in crime. For foreigners coming to US, the border issues have been documented. I have felt safest transiting locations with facial rec. If I were a green card holder, I would be careful about leaving the US to cruise. In general, geopolitics have raised travel risk some undetermined amount. We just need to pay attention to what is going rather than deny it. Many hope for clarity in the months to come.

There is elevated cruising risk for everyone right now, although it's difficult to quantify as media reports don't represent a random sample. To discount the risk is naive. We continue to cruise but are more vigilant. I encourage others to do the same.

Our shis stopped at Villefranche in the past, near Nice. We tendered.

$59 on my upcoming cruise, but that may be a Diamond rate.

Fall 2027 cruises won't be out until October to November. Did you check April to May 2027 schedule?

Most of my cruises have been on Vision or Radiance class, so Voyager is large, just not a mega ship. I started cruising on Voyager and am looking forward to Adventure in February. Other comments are on the mark.

We have such a sophisticated palate that we embrace the complimentary Crown and Anchor wine, which is provided in screw-top bottles! No fighting the cork or the fees. As stated, we drink in the stateroom.

It's been awhile, but my wife loved a short rib appetizer. I don't believe it's available now. PS. Oops. That was CP 150.

Your TA had access to the same prices at time of booking. Additionally, some travel agencies can provide group rates at discount for particular cruises. But the real benefit of a TA is the help he or she gives to solve problems and answer questions. Some agents are better than others. MEI sponsors this site. Remember that Royal's ads don't mean much. You need to do a mock booking to compare prices. Stateroom prices vary. Have a great cruise!

I honestly don't think Royal will adopt Carnival's policy. But as we age, our bucket list (itinerary) is more important than cruise line. We have booked cruises twice the cost of Royal for that reason, as others do. Booze vouchers really aren't that important to us. Younger travelers likely would be affected adversely by royalty program dilution.