Lovestotravel

I 100% share your fear of bed bugs.  All Royal ships have a strict protocol that they follow if they find bed bugs.  Can it happen?  Most definitely yes, but the crew moves pretty swiftly to clear it if there is a case of it. 
How do I know this?  About a week or two prior to our Anthem Group cruise back in July, I had heard through FB of a reported case of bed bugs in the room right next to mine!  Needless to say, I was panicked.  Not everything you read online is true, but for someone like me, where in my job, bed bugs are a true reality, that was enough to scare me.  Anyway, I wasn't about to cancel the cruise but when I got on board, I did make it my mission to find out if it was true.  My stateroom attendant (who had both my room and the one next door) confirmed that yes, a few weeks prior there was a bed bug incident next door, exactly as I had read.  He then went through the entire protocol with us that they followed after.  According to him, after cleaning out the room from top to bottom, they closed off the room for a few sailings and then went back to check thoroughly prior to opening it back up. 
The conclusion that I always come to is that unless I never want to leave my house, I will just do my due diligence by checking the beds, wiping things down, etc.  Not going to be able to avoid it 100% but it's not going to stop me from travelling either.

I’ve never seen a bug at all in a cruise room. Because of the small environment they are usually meticulous about cleaning rooms as things spread fast. 

Just got back from MotS in Studio cabin which are new and we had Gnats a/k/a drain bugs or fruit flies in the bathroom. Royal took care of the issue right away.

Out of the nine cruises under our belts we have not had one issue with ANY sort of bugs.  Haven't even seen an ant onboard! Even if there was an issue I know enough to know that it would be handled by the staff onboard.  RCCL does an amazing job of taking care of their guests as well as their brand.  Bed bugs are a hot topic, and if they did have any issues and not take care of them promptly that would create some extremely horrible press for their brand.  You really don't have much to worry about!  Take your cruise and relax! Leave all the stress at home where it belongs! 
 

Thanks! 

A Royal Caribbean cruise where we organize events and activities for folks who join me on the sailing: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/event/royalcaribbeanblogcom-cruise-aboard-freedom-of-the-seas-0

Anxious to hear about the rest of the trip!  Taking this itinerary next year and trying to plan excursions!

I have always been "colorful" and not one to follow the beaten path. I have had a couple occasions  where staff had to ask me nicely to stop fishing off my balcony. This time I decided to go a slightly different direction. Brought my daughter to Coco Cay when she was about seven and came up with a "good way" to spice her trip up some. I brought her to the little shallow beach away from the popular snorkeling one to do some "special snorkeling". Being a fisherman and diver over the years I developed a collection of old galleon "pirate coins". brought one along tucked in my waist band. The water on that south beach was maybe knee deep, sand bottom and of course gin clear. We were maybe thirty yard from shore and I tossed the coin out in front of us without her seeing... I nudged her and kept her on course to "find" it... I remember her making noises through her snorkel when she "found" it.  
"Daddy its a pirate coin!" Wow was she excited! Mission accomplished  (or so I thought). We exited the water and she ran off showing the coin to every person she saw. Before I knew it,  the other areas emptied out and we were "joined" with a couple thousand "treasure hunters"... She's 27 this year and getting married. I had that coin set and unbeknownst to her I will make it available for her to wear when I walk her down the aisle... ?

I am going to agree with all that is said here, and give you a quick tip!  We made the mistake of going outside to eat, and we forgot our drinks as well as silverware so we grabbed a table and walked back inside to get them, needless to say at that point we were docked and there were seagulls present and our breakfast was destroyed.  Some wonderful folks got them away from the table but they had already done their damage!  Just a heads up to pay attention to where you are when you eat outside it is a lesson we will never forget!!!!?
 

We don't cruise until May 2020, and there are almost 100 excursions already listed!  I think I would call them if I were you. 

I'd be finding a way to drive to Puerto Rico

Thank-you everyone!  You answered my question and so much more!  I love these forums! ? 

It may even be trickier than that. The people manning the cruiseline airfare desks are not expert travel agents...they're basically glorified salespeople. They may have access to if a fare is upgradeable with a simple "Yes' or "No" note on that fare type. Maybe. But even if they do, they may just say "Yes" without telling, or even knowing, that while the fare is technically ungradeable, it is only upgradeable to a certain group of people. Definitely one of the risks of booking your air travel through people who aren't air travel experts.

InsInstall WhatsApp on both phones and use data for a voice call.   Test it before you leave so both of you are clear on how it works - but this should suffice and will prevent international roaming issues/fees 

Good to know!  Thanks!

Taxi.  Coming back after sunset took some time to call a cab but we had a late departure so it worked out.  

Scuba diving in the morning then Eagle beach late afternoon through sunset.  

This was taken from Eagle Beach

Yes, it does.  We passed the beaches and had nice views of the shoreline.  I attached a couple of pictures/
 

We did it a couple of years ago, we enjoyed it.  Very laid back.  We were brought out to spot with a clear view of the horizon.  It was amazing to be able to see the movement of the sun as it went down.  The crew counted down to the last beam of light.  
I have pictures somewhere, if I can find them, I'll post one

Yep! (Same as the drink card that gets offered sometimes onboard)

You're out a lot of money just in taxes, if a few more calls doesn't get better results, you're probably better off going for the 2 nights and relaxing a bit. You might end up with a better offer in the end than a future cruise credit for the 2 missed days.
A friends cruise was diverted a few years ago and they received 50% off their cruise fare as an OBC which they didn't need to spend it all and could 'cash out' the balance.

The answer to your question is "it depends". 
Here's a more in-depth answer: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/09/13/hurricane-season-cruises

I haven't been to these islands yet, but will be on my next cruise, and from what I've seen on my research, that appears to be correct.  Aruba and St. Maarten - nice sandy beaches, Curacao and Bonaire - more rocky/broken shell beaches.  Bonaire has amazing diving and snorkeling just off shore by boat.  Curacao is great for land/town exploration.  

On Pinel, there is a small beach bar/restaurant. We just rented chairs from them for the day. The lunch wasn't great truthfully.  You can explore the island and go to the beaches on the other side. We just relaxed. I will just add that it is a very European style beach as in topless and very small swimsuits. Just putting that out there as either a warning or an encouragement. ? On Curaco, we just got off the boat and walked for a bit. It was a very very hot day (98) and I only lasted about an hour and a half.  In Bonaire, my husband and I split up. He did the Scuba diving excursion offered by RCL and loved it. I did the tour called Best of Bonnaire. I enjoyed it. It was a smallish van and a tour of the island. About three hours.  Saw lots and lots of flamingos and learned about the salt business on the island.  Hope that helps.