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As a gentleman, I packed more tropical shiirts than dress shirts on cruise last month. They worked for the Main Dining Room as well as dancing venues. I actually came home with one dress shirt and one pair of slacks "never worn". Knit shirts or T-shirts and shorts work for most of the day until you dress for dinner/dancing.

It doesn't hurt to get contact information for various Royal executives (another site publishes such information). We were able to get some intervention when my wife's suitcase was lost/stolen. Good luck!

I would favor #1 or #2. My son sailed on Voyager in May, and he found it OK but of course smaller than Oasis-class and showing its age. We are sailing out of Galveston in December on the Allure. Cozumel is interesting if you are willing to take the ferry to the mainland and try the Amazing Secret River (wading through a cave system in swimsuits) or cenote excursions.

The main point is whether you think the price is fair for the type of room and time of year you are sailing. On our first few cruises, we really didn't know what a "fair" fare really was, and we paid a premium for sailing in the summer when our son was out of school. Now we know we can book 1-2 years in advance and get a lower price. As for sale prices, we once panicked when our agent was on vacation and booked a "sale price" with another agent only to learn that our agent could have obtained the same price when she returned on Monday. So it's back to your decision about what you are willing to pay for your stateroom selection, port, ship, and time of year.

On nights marked casual you'll see a lot of dockers or jeans on men. On tropical night those same long pants might be paired with a brightly colored tropical shirt. On Dress your best/Formal night, you'll slacks and dress shirts plus whatever else you might fancy. The majority of diners don't wear shorts to the MDR, but some do, as previously mentioned. Since there are more casual venues (like Windjammer), many people follow the guidelines in the Cruise Compass for the Main Dining Room. Bottomline: Everyone is welcomed at the MDR but please don't wear swimsuits and flip-flops.

My recollection is you need to buy two at the same time, e.g., for a companion and yourself. I don't know if you will get the discount if you just order one glass. I vaguely recollect a problem when I ordered wine and my wife wanted a soda, and they weren't both the same beverage tye. I would ask the waiter before ordering if there is a "condition" that must be met.

You'll see that a specialty lunch is cheaper than dinner in most venues, and the menu is nearly the same (more than enough to fill you up). After having a specialty lunch, we couldn't eat all of our dinner in the Main Dining Room! The specialty meals do go on sale periodically.

The complimentary food is fine, but you do receive more personalized service at the better specialty restaurants. The venue variety depends upon the ship you are sailing. Our Travel Agent gives us dinner-for-2 and lunch-for-2 coupons when we book a balcony. We have also purchased a specialty lunch. We find that is enough to have a change of pace from the Main Dining Room. We consider Windjammer to be a breakfast/lunch venue. We rarely eat there for dinner. One never goes hungry on a cruise ship! Absent coupons, I would suggest they try buying one specialty lunch (it's about half the price of a dinner) and see how they like it. PS. If they are wealthy and are accustomed 5-star service, they'll want a dining package and likely a suite. Just my 2 cents worth as a retired civil servant.

I imagine you reported it to medical, so Royal knows when he became ill?!

If the 3rd person is a child, the pricing can look a little weird on your invoice. For example, they sometimes have a kids sail free special. Other times they charge guest 1 full price and guest 2 50% or 60% off. Traveling with our son, we usually selected a room with a pull-down bed. Once the room was large enough to have a sofa bed. If you are traveling with three adults, you can divide the total net price by 3 or give the 3rd person a break if the bedding is less desirable. At any rate, your invoice breaks down the discounts when you book, so you can use it as a starting point. Since the discounts are confusing, I'd use the total net price for negotiating.

I echo what Matt said. We started cruising in 2004, and I really wasn't sold on it until several years later, but we've enjoyed the special discounts as we've progressed up the ladder. Our son eventually got to share our Diamond status before he turned 18, and now his wife shares that status. He kind of grew up on cruising and has really enjoyed it. So whether you are single or not, whether you cruise a little or a lot, it's worth it to get involved with the Crown and Anchor Society.

We sailed in Sept 2019, and as it turned out we sailed 2 days after the hurricane hit our NC coast. The water was unusually clear where we traveled, and lots of debris on beaches to pour through. On the other hand, we've had plain old rain in May on the Oasis and got soaked trying to eat in Central Park. Pack a small folding umbrella just in case.

Izumi is "specialty dining" and costs more -- for sushi you'd look at their a la carte menu. My son has tried it (he says it's OK but nothing to brag about.) In the Main Dining Room (MDR) you can ask for multiple dishes, but please remember the burden it puts on the wait staff, if you make it a habbit. However, they would be happy to order you something to try that you are unsure of along with something else. There are members who do this regularly. I do not -- too much food. Sometimes a dish is not to your liking and you can ask your waiter to take it away and bring something else. That is a service they always provide. If you are a foodie, consider a dining package of some sort. Our Travel Agent gives us a couple of coupons when we reserve a balcony room. We found a lunch at Jamie's was outstanding (cheaper than buying a dinner but just as good), and we enjoyed our filet mignon at Chops on our recent Mariner cruise. Our take on Johnny Rockets is that it was too crowded to really enjoy the experience. If you download the Royal App to a smartphone, you will find that you can browse menus for each day. We were able to do this the week or two before the cruise, although menu selections did change when we boarded.

Plan on removing your hat when walking at the top deck where the wind is strong (on many ships this is the walking/jogging track, mni-golf, etc.) Otherwise, you should be fine.

Recommend you still pack masks for elevators and excursion buses, if you use them. My wife got Covid on the last day of our cruise in June, and we believe it was acquired on an excursion bus that lacked AC or guests (except us) who wore masks.

Our son was young when we visited the original Coco Cay (only free stuff then), and he had a great time at the beach.

Why not just get booster shots now? As you'll see in the other posts, it can help.

It's not just the cash to buy clothes, it's the availability of the right sizes. We had a luggage delay in NZ a few years ago, and despite arriving a full day early with access to Auckland shopping district, we couldn't find anything in my wife's size. We found toiletries and underwear, but nothing decent to wear at dinner in the MDR. I found one pair of dockers on the ship, but the waist was a little large (they became my fat pants for the end of the cruise). I agree with the $$ you are setting aside, but also think about where you'd fine temporary attire. It won't be on the ship, other than T-shirts. I now travel with a sport coat and long pants (I put shorts in carry-on) just in case my luggage is lost or delayed again. I also subscribe to advice others have given about cross-packing, etc.

According to FAQs, exceptions can be made for surf boards provided they are stored in your stateroom and not used on the ship. That said, I don't have personal experience, so I suggest you standby for comments from a fellow "boogie boarder".

The App? Have you tried online via a computer? We didn't really have the capability to use the App for reservations until a week or so before our June cruise. Before that, we had to use Cruise Planner via the computer to book anything, like MTD. Even about 3 months out we discovered everything was taken until 7:45-8:15 PM.

Thank you for your service. My wife is a retired RN and spent several years in Florida working in the ER. These are difficult times to be a health care professional. Take care, and better luck on your next cruise.

I agree with you. Travel insurance can be expensive because it is age-adjusted, and seniors like me pay more than young adults, like my son. The premiums also vary by level of coverage; Royal (AON) keeps rates lower by not offering high medical/evaluation amounts. Finally, the big driver is the total amount covered. Generally, I have found my premiums to be about 10% of the value insured (Allianz), and somewhat less with Royal (due to reduced coverage).

We put last name and first initial so that if we need to follow-up, we can state more clearly which bag is missing.

Check cruise compass for a sailing similar to yours. On a 7-night cruise, they are typically night 2 and 6 - never the first night or last night. However, they can move around depending upon itinerary. When you are close to your cruise, you may see something on your Royal App. However, we found that menus changed when we got to the ship, and lobster night wasn't a formal/dress your best night.

In addition to what others have said, if you are at a shared table, there is more leeway than when you are assigned your own table. We have been on cruises where table mates were 30 min or more late, and they were seated. On one occasion our excursion returned late, so on the way to our room I stopped by the MDR and told the Head Waiter we would be late. They held our table for us. I would warn the wait staff the night before that you might be late the next evening.