ChessE4

We are AAA members, so we use their travel services.

I go to Chill Island, beyond the swimmers to the rocks, or along the rope and farther out. Watch the current beyond the rope.

No, another tier isn't needed. Moreover, tiers aren't really that motivational. We don't cruise for the tiers, but the experience. Royal should focus on the experience to build and retain business. Existing perks are sufficient provided the onboard experience doesn't erode. If that happens, well give up drink vouchers for a better cruise vacation on another line.

We were just there on another line. Bora Bora and most others were tender. Papeete and Raiatea can handle small ships, but I don't know about Royal's size. Recommend ship excursions but the few onshore operators are cheaper for snorkeling. Sundays most ports shut down. French Polynesia not over- developed like Hawaii; surprisingly rural. Got lost in Papeete and locals very helpful despite my limited French.

And we were just on a 700 pax ship in French Polynesia which tendered almost everywhere. We docked in Papeete and Raiatea, which can handle ferry-sized ships. But Key makes sense only if 3rd party excursions are cheap enough or internet essential.

Santorini is tender, as you stated. I would look at cruise compass. Don't no about Mykonos but Civitavecchia, Turkey, and Athens are docked. We were docked at Palermo. Again, check compass for similar itinerary. The ports link on website might have something.

After you receive your OBC, you can spend it on cruise planner purchase, or you can use it on the ship. However, point redemptions may take time to process. If there is a good sale before your OBC is credited, you may want to pay with CC. Then on the ship, you can cash out OBC, use it for gratuities or spend it on other room charges.

I don't know which description you are reading, but others have posted about smaller group size of a more expensive option under Shore Excursions forum. We had fun with the cheaper one, but we had about 40 on the bus.

The next 2 cruises we have booked are Vision and Brillance with Serenade likely to follow. We still find affordable cruises. That said, you may be on to something--a migration of cruisers (by demographic) to different lines with preferred class of ship.

I'll add snorkel vest. I've encountered strong currents before.

I will add that a vest is helpful when current is strong. So take one with your gear.

We avoid the back road between beaches and shop at the fixed price store. Have found what we want there.

We are going on the 19th, which lists Boston instead of Gloucester. Oddly, my first cruise was to Canada in 2004, a 5 nighter from NJ. Looking forward to see how things have changed. Hope you have a great trip. We've always liked the Centrum on vision-class ships.

The excursions are synchronized with port arrival times. I've had issues with Cruise Planner excursions being all messed up for our Med cruise. So I wouldn't worry if you booked with Royal -- you will be given updated excursion times on the ship. Also, the itinerary may change as you get closer to sail date.

We've almost always done early traditional dining, but we recently completed a cruise on another line. The main dining room didn't open until 6:30 PM, no reservations required. We arrived at opening and found it a perfect time for dinner. If only MTD were reliable....

Matt published new rates awhile back, but for seniors figure around 10% for ballpark estimate. With Alianz we pay more on lower fares, but coverage is better.

We almost never had dinner in WJ, just breakfast and lunch. For lunch I made myself a salad and tried sauteed fish plus dessert. I assume that is still available?

On 18 Royal cruises we've been at/near the window twice (traditional seating). That doesn't stop you from following the advice of others and making a request.

We don't, but we are retired. If you purchase right away, you are covered for pre-existing health conditions you may have. When I was still working, I made sure my boss approved my leave. This was Ok several months out, but not two years out. What I did then was "refundable deposit" so if I had to cancel before final payment, I was covered. Others don't think the deposit protection is worth it. Recently, our last two booked cruises have been nonrefundable deposit to get a great cruise price.

We just got off another line, and while the food was superb (like specialty dining everyday), and the ship experience intimate (689 pax), the price was double what we pay on Royal, at least for our next 2 booked cruises. I am waiting on 2026 schedule and prices before I commit again on any cruise line.

There's nothing wrong with repeating ships. I lean towards choosing preferred itinerary. As a teen our son enjoyed youth groups, even on Vision class. Have done Galveston and Florida but have been to Mexico too many times. Hence we prefer Florida for itinerary options.

When we changed days, we added the 2nd res before cancelling the first. We made sure we had a decent time. We did this when meal was on sale, so price was good.

To go downtown, you'll want to take a taxi. (Or you can sign up for the shopping trip for jewelry stores.)

There is a concept in business called "mistake proofing". So us folks who print set sail passes are trying to avoid a mistake if phone fails, gets lost or stolen, etc. Likewise, phone is backup if paper is lost. In my senior years I find I do more risk management. And then there is th concept of "reorder point" for household supplies like toilet paper!...Lean 6 Sigma and TQM actually work.

Someone died during rough docking. Google it.