bobroo

The management of Royal Caribbean is living in 1995, you want them to to embrace digital wallet technology that has been popular for the past 5 or 6 years??? Yeah right! Adding insult to injury, fluid integration with Apple products?.....OMG..... sit down Son, we need to talk.

I recommend going with what the world gives you. My nephew popped the question during a Royal photoshoot on the first formal on Liberty two weeks ago. It was a formal night; the Royal photographer was there; and the dinner guests waiting for their seating, Boleros crowd, and the rest of the promenade gave a raucous ovation when they saw what was happening. In short, it happened just like it was a movie.

The new cups are hardly the souvenir they once were. I think most of them will be thrown into a stateroom trash can before the cruise is over. If you are a fan of the old cups and want to see their return; IMO to make them return you need to make sure Royal hears loud and clear that the new cups are being thrown into the trash. Because this directly conflicts with their Save The Waves campaign, the similar change to paper straws, and challenges being all around eco friendly. Also, Royal has an upcoming marketing campaign related to these eco issues as the Icon class ships near their release. Lots of negative clamor about the drink package cups will certainly make them look bad.

Grillz Tiki Bar opens at 7am, 7 days a week. The view of the water is nice, but not spectacular. The better view though is across the parking lot to see how long the line of embarking passangers is. Once you see that line become non-existant about 12:30-1:00, order a final round. Pay your tab and enjoy the easiest embarkation ever!

I would caution anyone in the near future doing a B2B to have a back up plan in place in case of a positive COVID test on leg one. A look at any FB sailing group shows that many, many people are coming home from their cruise vacation with COVID.

My wish is much simpler, can we allow more than one person be logged into a reservation at the same time?

This week on Liberty I payed 4% upfront for lay bets. It was a great money maker when the table was “normal” and part of a light to dark strategy.

There are passengers who are TAs just to manage their cruises better. They have access to the cruising power website and buy their cruises at wholesale. As mentioned, just about anyone can do this. A couple cautions: as we all know, Royal Caribbean is an IT derelict. This is also true for the training Royal offers new TAs to use their reservation system. And, before anyone gets the idea that they are calling Royal first thing tomorrow morning to let them know that you’d like to be recognized as a travel agency because you want to save money; you’ll soon find out how slim the margin is on a cruise and it is likely flat out not worth it.

Is this an appropriate place for me to say I L-O-V-E this commercial and think it is absolutely brilliant? Virgin Voyages for the win!!!

I'm remaining steadfast that Royal take the high road and keep their cruises as safe as possible. There is too much at stake to relent to people saying "I want". Sunburn should be the only "just a little sick" you come home with after a cruise.

Nonsense! Cases of Covid onboard are increasing; not declining, certainly not eliminated. Loosened protocols are not happening anytime soon. A immediate change I would totally support would be the elimination of testing on your own in lieu of mandatory testing at embarkation as part of the boarding process. Add a fee to everyones cruise fare to cover the cost. As Matt has shown, Covid positive people are finding their way onboard and this needs to stop.

There are other fringe benies like bridge tours, behind the scenes, Meet the Stars, meal with an officer, the sail away party, and even the Top Tier that the Diamonds “get”. I could go on about things that are not listed. The truth of the matter is it is impossible to do all these fringe benefits, enjoy the Suite benefits, have entire days spent in ports, enjoy all the other amenities of shows and activities and everything else that goes on during a 7 night cruise. You can’t do it all in a week. It takes years of vacations to touch all the bases. It’s the journey, not the destination; enjoy the ride.

Short answer: Nope, once they are gone, they're gone. Certified diving is only offered once per day and there are only 8 or 10 spots available. No matter how much demand. No matter how how many ships in port. No matter how large those ships may be.

If people go online and request the free at home COVID tests offered by the US government and test themselves a few times leading up their NAAT testing date; then they will effectively know the results before they take the submittable test. Think of it as cheating. All the testing animosity is nonsense.

Have you thoroughly checked Royal's excursions? In 2015 we went on Historical Florence & Accademia Museum. Excursion # LV1 If this specific excursion is not offered I'm sure there is something very similar. Was it worth the $172 pp we paid in 2015??? ABSO-FREAK'IN-LUTELY! The Academy is not necessarily a destination itself, it is limited for other than The David. There is a gallery or two of 16th century paintings which may have some extraordinary examples but compared to works associated to Michelangelo, who cares? The David is extraordinary and exceeds expectations. Like Burnelleschi's dome, very much a symbol of Florence. You'll be a better person after you have seen it.

Compared to todays market and prices, the Playmakers burger and fries is an excellent value @ $10! They should justifiably be charging double.

Not good news at all. Norwegian is really struggling, it would not surprise me if they were a take over target.

No, it's the folks of South Florida who should say it's unfair for cruise ships to inundate our transportation network. It is undue burden for the residents here to have to deal with the traffic, congestion, and limiting of resources so that these cruise lines can make money on their ships that cost $1 B a piece. And; Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, and Virgin each one of you have just spent about $250 M a piece to build terminals in Miami for yourselves-- so there is plenty of money available. Port authorities, we want you to build ( entirely funded by the cruise lines) a zipline, ski lift gondola, Elon Musk magnetic underground train, a tram, a train, or dredge a canal so that the cruise lines can transport their passengers directly to and from FLL or MIA and not interfere with our community any longer. And Port Canaveral......you especially are in our crosshairs.

It is beyond reasonable thinking why the people of South Florida do not require the port authorities of Miami and Ft Lauderdale and their co-conspirators in the cruise industry to fund and build a tram service/ ski lift/ train/ or a zip line inbetween the cruise port and it’s airport. Why?????

I like it when an assistant waiter makes the waiter unnecessary.

Grills Tiki Bar is easy walking distance to where Royal usually docks at Port Canaveral. Bonus! They open everyday at 7am. I don’t understand why all the Kraken thirsty Blog people don’t belly up there before a cruise.out of Canaveral? Your arrival time would no longer matter and any concern about crowds would easily be solved by literally looking across the street. Are you guys not aware of this???

I’ve had over a $200 bar bill at the sit n’ pee at that Margaritaville. I can’t wait to get back!

I think nearly everyone prepares for a cruise right? Have you ever noticed how many new pairs of shoes shoes you see on fellow passengers on Day 1? In my case going on a cruise also means putting at least $100 into a cash register at Kohls. If Kohls does not have the shoes or dress pants or flip flops or polo I am looking for....I go to a different store. I think it is entirely fair for Royal to prepare for an upcoming cruise in the same way. If they forecast a reasonable need based on upcoming passenger volume for more labor, potato flour, or Jack Daniels and they can't obtain this items from their normal vendors....then they too need to go to a different store. We all can accept some shortcomings. You can blame it on COVID, supply chain issues, or unexpected demand. But the OP is bringing up a different situation. The OP (and lots of chatter I hear from other places online) is that for the high price that is being paid for todays cruise fares and onboard spending; there are too many shortcomings. So many shortcomings that they can no longer be overlooked and people are getting upset. This needs to stop, pronto.

When doing a B2B whether solo or otherwise, I always plan to hit a drugstore, liquor store, and maybe even a bank while in port in between both cruises. Chances are strong I'll need to pick up something from a Walgreens/CVS and if they sell wine--bonus! For me this is a planned event it is not "shopping". I will do research where the the closest stores are that have wine, toothpaste, and safety pins I need. I have that address written down and maybe the address of the bank branch that's closest. Once I get the new sea pass for cruise #2 I go outside a grab a cab or an Uber and give them the address I need. Important: I make them wait for me to return; their meter is running. I can tell you a good story how I got "stuck" in Miami last November getting my eyeglasses repaired and buying wine for the next voyage. Total honesty: I have never needed to go to a Chase Bank in-between cruises, it is only a fantasy that I would have won so much cash in the casino the week prior that I need to make a deposit. But I like having lots of options... A way someone who wants to save money on a drink package when doing a B2B might try this. I have never done it, but I'm pretty sure it works just fine. On your first leg go and buy some yourself some bottle(s) of booze. Something you like to drink straight up or w/ water, nothing fancy pants. Be it at a port stop or in Royals little liquor store onboard. Allow them to confiscate it and on the last night of cruise one Royal will send someone around to personally deliver your hooch; the hooch you'll being enjoying during cruise #2.

I'm a pocket guy because IMO passengers exaggerate how important/valuable a sea pass is. And....<pats self on back>... it has been at least 10 cruises since I have kept a sea pass in the same pocket as a cell phone and decoded it. Luggage Tag holders? Absolutely! Nearly as important as a wristwatch.