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On 11/5/2023 at 11:27 AM, ScottB said:

My husband and I just added this cruise. Will by my husband's first time on Vision (I went to Alaska in 2007)

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 

GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS 

PORTLAND, MAINE 

SAINT JOHN, NB (BAY OF FUNDY) 

SAINT JOHN, NB (BAY OF FUNDY) 

HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA

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.

5 hours ago, Doug_Texas said:

In a perfect world we would prefer around 6:30.  More and more often the first available MyTime became 7:30 or later so we switched to early seating.  Now Wonder and Icon have pulled early up from 5:30 to 5:00.  That’s a bridge too far.

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.

On 2/1/2024 at 8:38 PM, Kcusack89 said:

Follow up question if anyone is still following. I'm looking to book a spring 2025 cruise. Do those of you who plan so far out in advance purchase cancel for any reason policies? So much can happen in over a year for now. Just trying to gauge the general consensus here 

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.

5 hours ago, MaryE said:

We are looking to check out shopping and restaurants. Is it a short walk from the terminal or do we need to take a taxi? Concerned about safety, am I being ridiculous?

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

15 hours ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Yes, I did the update. It's working now. I'm not printing out the set sail pass. It's a total waste and that's why we have he app. It's working now, I will keep my eye on it. Thanks for the suggestion. 

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.

7 hours ago, Minuet888 said:

I don't see it as an options on my shore excursions for late May/early June what happened? What was the incident?

Someone died during rough docking. Google it.

9 hours ago, Kevin C said:

What are some good things to do in Nassau? The excursions are pretty high, so we want to do some other things to explore and have fun.

We took a snorkeling excursion several years ago. Other than that, we've walked around downtown. Not our favorite port.

Correct, cruises out of Baltimore in the winter have diminished sunbathing/pool use. But be thankful you aren't mustering outside in cold weather as we did. Enjoy inside venues and hot tub. We observed kids in Solarium on our Vision-class trips. You can still have a fantastic cruise.

If you are arriving at departure port a day or two early for a beach day, which we have done in Florida, you'll pack your own beach towel. Then the ship excursions are covered as discussed above.

I would  consider replacing Lake Bacalar with Chacchoben. 

I have done regular wine tasting when it was about $15.  Sounds like these offerings are an upgrade to what a tried a few years ago. The wine tasting was good, but I lost my Nassau baseball cap....

8 hours ago, scotty said:

Hi,just a quick question, has anyone else paid to pick a cabin ?

We always do.  We'd never go with a guarantee because the right location makes a big difference for us.  We've always used an agent or Next Cruise, and they have always explained the price differences among our choices.

In the Centrum on the smaller ships, Promenade on larger ones. And we always catch the evening shows, too.

Just remember that time is approximate and you may need to wait for a table. That was our experience.

I am guessing you'll have an annual travel insurance policy.

When we traveled it was first-come, first served. We always found a space, but they weren't covered. Someone else can comment on the latest status. We don't sail until September.

Whatever you choose, get trip insurance so you have coverage for delays, etc.

We've returned late twice out of 50 plus Royal excursions. On one we stopped by MDR and told them we'd be 20 min late in order to change. On the other we had a later res that wasn't affected. Ship waited for about 4 tour groups, including ours.