TXcruzer

Why maintain a fleet of 30 ships when you can sail with just as many berths with fewer ships in the fleet?
That's 30 captains and staff captains, 30 sets of bridge officers and 30 hotel directors, all high paid salary positions.  Do more with less.
Royal's biggest problem is selling off the older inefficient ships while avoiding selling them to a competitor who will buy a ship at a fraction of a cost and compete with Royal in the Bahamas and Caribbean where Royal makes bank.  Cordella was a nice fit as they sail only in India.  No overlap.  TUI wants new ships for the same reasons why Royal does.  So for now it remains optimal to sail the old crud into the ground while carrying passengers and generating lower profits but avoiding giving a competitor the means to take business away for the price of a song.      

If medical is your main concern, you may want to look into an annual Geo Blue policy; I have had very positive experiences over the years with this.

But what, as a passenger, has he changed?
 
Prices have gone up? Of course they have. Prices everywhere have gone up.

Is the onboard experience radically different?
I know there's a subset of passengers who wish it was still 20 years ago in regards to ship size and types of itineraries, but that group is in the minority anymore.

Poor guy's responses were pretty terrible. "We changed it to be spend-based because we have too many people enrolled"
 
Uh, what?

Unfortunately, for us, his dedication to the bottom line is exactly what he is compensated for.
He is very, very good at making money and will continue to do whatever he can get away with to continue increasing the valuation of the company.
As a stockholder, I think this is great, as a passenger, not so much.

I thought Royals only trial balloon was on CocoCay…

Try Away luggage; they have converted my entire family with their no questions asked, seamless lifetime warranty. 
Have an issue? Take a picture, fill out the online form and attach the pictures.  In a couple days your new bag is at your door, put the old bag in the empty box and have fed ex pick it up.  Perfect customer service

There is a weather waiver for PVSA issues.

No, won't happen.  You will need to have a plan to distract the bride for a little bit.

No, won't happen.  You will need to have a plan to distract the bride for a little bit.

No, won't happen.  You will need to have a plan to distract the bride for a little bit.

Mobile??? really?

Whatever you read was publishing bad information. 

That would, and I know this sounds sad and pathetic, really influence my decision about booking a cruise with cayman on the itinerary.  Between having to tender, their obvious disdain for our presence, and booze limitations, it’s a no bueno 

As said above, just one bar open on the entire ship; generally on the pool deck, with a limited menu.

I love Grand Cayman but I’d rather sail to ports that welcome tourism and commerce.  I love Key West too but when the locals don’t want you there it puts a damper on your experience.

It’s a new species of bed bug. It naps for 7 days and only attacks at the end of a RC cruise. Its scientific name is Snoozis disembarkus. Very rare species indeed. 

Fantastic review. 
Thank you for taking the time; this is a topic that I have often wondered about and struggled deciding whether or not to try. 

Looking at the Feb 6 Anthem sailing I see the following "least expensive" cabins.
 
For two cruise guests:
ZI Interior GTY $2,460.16 USD
2U Interior Accessible cabin $2,771.16 USD
2U Interior non Accessible cabin $2,771.16 USD
 
For a solo guest:
2W Studio Interior $1,989.58 USD
2U Interior Accessible cabin $2,651.58 USD
2U Interior non Accessible $2,651.58 USD
 
While these prices are in USD from the US system and they don't include the daily service fees that are bundled into AU pricing, it does show what may be occuring.
For two guests there is a GTY cabin type that is less than a pick your cabin rate.  However for two guests the rates for picking your own interior cabin are the same for accessible 2U and non-accessible 2U. GTY cabins are not offered for accessible at this time.  They may have been at some point, but since GTY is a promotional rate that comes and goes for any given category, that isn't clear.
For a solo guest Anthem has Studio Interior cabins that are smaller and can only accommodate one guest, category 2W.  These are the least expensive interior cabins but they are not offered in accessible versions and depending on accessibility needs are likely too small for many accessible purposes.  They are pretty small and don't even include a chair at the desk but a stool you can sit on.  For the non-Studio cabins, with only a single guest, the 2U Interior accessible and non-accessible cabin rates are the same.  
So it does not appear there is an accessible surcharge for the same cabin when you look at identical cabins that are available in both accessible and non-accessible.
There are dozens and dozens of cabin categories from four or five different interior cabin categories, four or five ocean view categories, six to eight balcony cabin categories, and many versions of suite categories.  Not every non-accessible cabin category of these twenty to thirty possible categories is available in an accessible version.  
Does Australian law require that cruise ships provide every cabin category possible in both accessible and non-accessible versions?  Not trying to argue any point here, I am simply asking about the applicable laws in Australia to educate myself on these issues.  Most countries can't impose everything on foreign flagged ships, there are international treaties and laws that govern what any country can impose on a ship registered in a foreign country.  Accessible guests in America face the same challenge but American laws can't require that foreign cruise ships make every single non-accessible cabin category available in an accessible version.  Instead the ship provides accessible cabins in select cabin categories within most cabin types.  

As stated above, you do not have bed bug bites. If your room had bed bugs (highly unlikely for many reasons) you would have been bitten prior to the last night.

Royal doesn't need to.

Fantastic review. 
Thank you for taking the time; this is a topic that I have often wondered about and struggled deciding whether or not to try. 

I recently tried a GigSky cellular data plan that included coverage on a cruise ship.  
I’ll get into the details and provide more background below but in summary GigSky has developed a roaming agreement with Cellular At Sea that provides an alternative to buying internet access from the cruise line.  It uses the cellular equipment onboard and is available for many cruise lines in different regions.  Some plans also include roaming coverage on land at ports of call so if your home cellular provider doesn’t offer international roaming or their roaming plans are costly this may be an alternative to consider.
During my testing onboard a Royal Caribbean ship I observed 3G type HSPA cellular data service using band 2 with speeds up to 6 Mbps down and up to 0.5 Mbps up but more typically speeds were around 1.5Mbps to 3Mbps most of the time.  It worked around the ship with some important caveats.  The most important of which was that it didn’t work in my cabin or on my deck 6 balcony.  It worked outside of my cabin in the hallway however the all steel cabin door was very effective at reducing the cellular signal strength to the point there was no cellular data inside my cabin with the door closed. 
The 24 hour plan cost $19.99 USD with no additional taxes or fees.  At time of writing it appears to be less expensive to purchase additional plans for ongoing coverage, at least at the moment.  The plan I chose provided 512 MB of data for a 24 hour period.  This was the least expensive plan offered.  There are additional plans available to suit your needs that provide more data and more time to use that data.  I was automatically offered a $1 credit after my purchase to apply to a new plan of my choosing.  It’s not clear if this credit expires.  
Here is more detail and the specifics of my test.
I spent my own money for this test.  No one from any organization was involved or informed that I would be performing this test.  There is no sponsorship involved, no kickbacks or revenue links used in this review.  It is simply my own personal money that was not reimbursed.  I received no compensation for doing this test.  I paid what anyone else who purchased a plan on this day paid.
To set the stage I am on currently on board Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas on a transpacific voyage from Australia to Hawaii. We left Auckland two days.  We crossed the Antimeridian yesterday and we are approaching the international date line as I write this.  Basically we are in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean. 

I have a paid Voom plan, Royal Caribbean’s marketing name for their onboard internet access.  This allowed me to download and install the required GigSky app from the Google Play store and later to purchase the GigSky cruise ship eSIM directly from GigSky within that app.

Having already paid for my plan I was now offered discounts for additional plans but you can see the regular or full price below.

I recently upgraded from a Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra to a Galaxy S25 Ultra.  I’ve moved most of my personal stuff between the two phones but I brought the S22U along on this trip in case there was something I forgot to move to the new phone.  I also have a iPhone with me that I’ll use to capture some photos of this test.
My S22U has no other active SIMs or eSIMs so it was a perfect device to use to perform this test without risking my normal cellular lines becoming active on the onboard cell towers risking undue cellular charges.  That isn't really an issue for me since I use a prepaid cellular provider who doesn't have a roaming agreement with Cellular at Sea but I am including it here because most people with normal post-paid cell plans have to be very careful not to roam onto Cellular at Sea or they can incur significant charges.

Initially I was in my cabin using Voom when I ordered a GigSky eSIM and I struggled to get the new eSIM to activate.  I later learned this was because the cellular signal in my cabin wasn’t strong enough.  I had what appeared to be lots of bars of service but the signal quality at the desk in my cabin was too poor for data or for activation.

After a number of reboots and after going out into the guest hallway activation was easy. Initial speed tests were pretty decent but they wouldn't always be this good. The important thing here is to be in an area with lots of cellular signal for the first activation.

My phone was originally carrier locked to a traditional and well known US based cellular provider.  Many years ago I paid off the phone and unlocked it.  It is no longer bound to any carrier and I have used this phone with other prepaid NVMO cellular providers for some time.  This is an important requirement.  A phone must not be carrier locked and it must be eSIM capable to be able to use a GigSky eSIM.
Despite being unlocked and no longer using my old cellular provider my phone has always booted up with a familiar pink splash screen at least until now.  After installing the GigSky eSIM my phone now boots up with an AT&T logo.  I’ve never had an AT&T plan associated to this phone so I am fairly certain this new splash screen is due to the GigSky eSIM being installed.  GigSky must be associated with or partner with AT&T in some way.

Once I had it working the 4G LTE indicator on my phone was displayed but it’s not clear that I had true LTE or 4G service. Speeds observed certainly did not approach LTE expectations for my tests.  The cellular industry has a long history of tickling the 4G indicator on consumer phones while not providing a full 4G or LTE experience.  This has long been a marketing game of making 3G look better than it is in a race to claim the fastest network.  It’s not clear to me if that was what I experienced or if the ship, satellite uplink and region underperformed 4G LTE expectations.

I tested the connection using a number of apps.  One benefit of using an Android phone for this test is the variety of apps that can provide some technical details regarding cellular signals while the same is locked out on Apple devices.  For some reason Apple doesn’t want you to know anything about your connection details.
The best speeds I achieved were around 6 Mbps down.  The latency was much higher compared to Voom and Starlink which suggest that Cellular at Sea may have their own VSAT legacy satellite uplinks independent of the Starlink terminals that Royal Caribbean uses to offer Voom service on board their ships.  VSAT is more prone to rain fade during inclement weather but I wasn’t able to test that on an otherwise pleasant but windy sea day.  It is something to consider as you weigh the pros and cons.
Bionic bar overlooking the Esplanade signal strength:

That's pretty good signal strength.
Bionic Bar speed test:

The download speed is okay but that upload speed is really slow.  I couldn't imagine texting lot of pictures to friends and family back home at these speeds.
Pool deck signal strength:

Not the strongest signal but okay.
Pool deck speed test:

Two70 signal strength:

Two70 speed test:

I was surprised there was no coverage on my deck 6 balcony.  I had envisioned a cell tower on the top of the ship delivering the Cellular at Sea connection.  This proved to be a wrong assumption.  Instead as I walked the cabin hallways I observed a number of strong signal areas at specific locations along the guest hallways walking from full aft to full forward. 


It appears that Cellular at Sea has a number of micro cells on board most likely to deal with all the steel that ships are made of.  I did not perform a detailed or thorough signal strength analysis but there are definitely some areas with strong signal strength and areas with less signal strength as you walk the halls.  Since I am fairly forward on deck 6 I am forward of the nearest point of strong signal I observed which may be why I have no coverage in my cabin or on my balcony.  
Inside my cabin signal strength:

That's pretty bad.
On the balcony with no signal:

Very little signal, no data indicator and just a faint hint of any cell signal while outdoors.
Cellular 3G and LTE band 2 uses 1900 MHz which will penetrate steel cabin walls only slight better than the 2.4 GHz WiFi band does.  However there are many more WiFi access points in guest corridors resulting in better Voom WiFi coverage compared to Cellular at Sea.  Quantum class has traditionally not had the best WiFi coverage as ships go but they have upgraded the WiFi equipment on Quantum and WiFi performance in my cabin has been fine.  Voom is also faster than GigSky/Cellular at Sea with lower latency or ping times now that Voom uses Starlink satellites.  
Voom using Starlink speed test:

This Voom speed test has been fairly consistent for this voyage.
One thing I like about GigSky is that it allowed me to hotspot the cellular data plan so I activated my S22U cellular hotspot feature and connected my iPhone to it for some more testing.  At these low speeds the hotspot feature does fine with minimal losses.  At higher speeds the built in hotspot can be a limiting bottleneck but since GigSky isn’t very fast this wasn’t an issue.  This may be an attractive feature for families traveling abroad on land or at sea since one plan sized appropriately can be shared by many as long as everyone sticks together.  
iPhone connected to S22U cellular Hotspot:

I was able to VPN using a corporate SSL client over GigSky without issue.
For all of the testing I ran around doing I had consumed about 200Mb of my 512 Mb plan. Later I left the phone on doing smartphone stuff as I went to lunch and walked around the ship being a guest at sea.  This consumed a little more data.
The GigSky app allows you see your usage as you go.

However the app needs a data connection to function.  If you don't have a GigSky plan you need to be connected to the internet to purchase one.  Plan ahead.
This tracked a little higher compared to what my phone thought I had used:

Another appealing aspect of GigSky is the coverage on land plus at sea if your normal cellular provider doesn't offer international roaming or has costly day passes that add up over a week or more.
My prepaid cellular provider is US Mobile.  I pay for an annual plan that comes out to less than $33 per month that includes coverage in over 100 countries around the world.  This has worked well for me as I travel so I don't need the land coverage that GigSky includes.  
As a Pinnacle member in Royal Caribbean's Crown and Anchor Society I get free Voom for one device.  However I sail other cruise lines that don't always give me free internet plans.  
GigSky is a nice alternative for those that don't have international roaming or internet onboard a ship already included.  
Having no data coverage in my cabin is definitely a downside to GigSky or Cellular at Sea in general.  
AT&T is also offering plans that include cruise ship cellular coverage.  They use the same Cellular At Sea micro cells on board so I would expect similar performance and coverage.
One thing to consider or at least be aware of is that Cellular at Sea automatically turns off when a ship is within the 12 mile territorial boundary of any given country.  This is to avoid Cellular At Sea interfering with or running afoul of local laws for communications in any country.  Until the ship is far away from land you may not have GigSky data coverage.  Due to the location of Auckland for example, we were within New Zealand's 12 mile boundary for nearly five hours after leaving port.  The casino didn't open until 11:30pm.  I'm sure Cellular at Sea was off until then as well.
Ultimately the unlimited nature of Royal Caribbean's Voom plus the much better performance makes Voom a clear winner for my needs.  Streaming, uploading pictures or having a video chat with family back home has become commonplace using Voom.  If GigSky was significantly less than Voom I could imagine it would be fine going without those things and if you need land coverage too then GigSky maybe a worthy alternative to consider.  
Check with your current cellular provider to see if they provide usage statistics so you have an idea what you and your family consume for data on a weekly basis.  That may help guide you to the best approach for your needs.
Ships in the Royal caribbean fleet that are included:

Some Visa cards may come with a free or discounted GigSky plan!


 
Pros - Works on land and at sea, hotspot data sharing allowed, some plans less expensive compared to Voom for the full voyage.
Cons - Not all cabins or areas around the ship will have service, variable performance that is slower than Voom with much higher latency, rain fade likely with inclement weather, some plans offer no savings compared to Voom, gaps in service until the ship is far out at sea.

You are allowed one bottle per adult of drinking age. 

Agreed for several years now the only thing I print from the documents are luggage tags.  Anything else you may need in my opinion can be accessed on the app.