CrznTxn

In Galveston they have not even asked your boarding time the last couple of cruises. If you were there you got through check-in.

There are two formal nights on Allure now. There is also Red night and White night. To round it off there is usually 70's night which was really fun to see the attire some brought out, complete with long hair wigs, bell-bottoms, platform shoes and open flowered shirts.

Having been on Allure several times in the past couple of months you will have plenty of areas to chill. The Central Park area on Deck 8 is an outdoor oasis with plants, several nice eating areas and piped in bird sounds. The Boardwalk is a nice area with a merry-go-round and other areas to sit and watch others. For real chill you can go to the Solarium adults only area for a little peace and quiet. I have found more than enough areas to sit and read without being bothered.

They dropped it with Starlink. Our D+ originally was for internet only but we noticed at the change of providers that it is Surf and Stream. Fine by me as I use it for work.

The Diamond, D+ and Pinnacle rewards are the amenities in the cabin for your level and the blocks are for each additional 70 points in sailings after 140. We enjoy both and the wife is looking forward to the D+ 340 point level coming up soon for the extra amenities.

If you want the paper Compass you need to request it from your room steward. They do not keep them around Customer service like they used to. I have the Allure from this past week for each day except day 1. Scanned and gave it to our son who is going in March with the kids.

Yes, you see when someone sends a message at the top of the app but it still does not give any tactile indication (sound or vibration). Was that way this past week between the wife and I.

On the Allure cruise this past week, this change was brought up at the officers meet and greet and they said it was going to happen by April/May time frame.

Yes the point are added to each other. She has gone on a couple without me and I receive the points. I am about to go without her (her decision for some reason) and my points will add to hers. The nice part is each of these solo cruises are double points and we move up faster although the Pinnacle level is still a bit off in the distance.

They want everyone off by 10:45am so they can clean and get ready for the next cruise embarkation. The disembarkation is quite easy until you get out to the front of the terminal where it is a zoo. As we live in Texas (albeit a 4 1/2 hour drive) we get off as early as possible and were off this past Sunday by 7:30am. Not sure why they start so late with a ship as large as Allure as they are in port by 6:00am and cleared by Customs by 6:30. All the other ships start at 7:00am.

We got off Sunday. They have two guys working every day pruning the plants that can be saved, removing the dead ones and planting new ones. In a week they were able to attend to a little over 40% of the plants there. Unfortunately the trees fared poorly and I am not sure what they will do with those except replant which is a major task. Probably wait until Spring before they do so there will not be a repeat. Overall it is much better than it was.

Yes, each one separately. When you move from one cruise to the next on-board you will need to leave the ship into the terminal where they will check you out and give you your new room key for the next voyage, even if you are staying in the same room (They give you your old card back if you collect them) as they treat each voyage separately. The only exception is if they can get Customs and Border Patrol to come on board. Has not happen on any of our B2B voyages.

Here is an older list but the last time we checked it had not changed. 18063159_CAS_MemberBonus_Amenity_List_v3-1.pdf

All Royal sailings go out of the new terminal.

Royal generally has a smaller ship such as Radiance or Brilliance also departing Galveston around that time. This last year there were three: Liberty (Freedom class), Adventure (Voyager class) and Grandeur (Vision class) during the summer months. We did all three and loved it. Now they have an Oasis class ship as the anchor and not sure what the smaller ships will be.

We have a B2B on Adventure this next week. On previous B2B cruises we have had to change cabins but the attendants have made this very easy. We get the TA to get our cabins at least on the same deck and side to make it simple for us to remember where the cabins are. The lunch for the B2B folks depends on the number of repeat cruisers and we were told at least 30 was the minimum to have one. Otherwise to just get off and back on in a group. On smaller ships this number is mostly not met and you may not have the luncheon (we never have). Larger ships (Oasis class) have many, many more B2B and more cruisers. Will be interesting to see if the number is larger due to the end of the year crowd.

They never stay populated as long as I have been using their website so it is not just you. Another Software/IT glitch that, in my opinion, is not a big enough deal that they will fix it. But it is indicative of their lack of finishing the small details that makes for a phenomenal guest experience. (general complaint on my part)

We love the West Coast cruises even though we are in Texas and try to get back as often as possible. We were on Navigator on the Royal restart of the western cruises and actually sat next to the local governor in Puerto Vallarta who was presenting Royal with a plaque commemorating the event. We keep checking the air fares so we can go back.

In most of the free dining venues throughout the ship they have lemonade, water and sometimes tea or fake fruit drink..

Typically you can buy a 3X fitness signup for $39 that covers yoga classes or unlimited for $69. They do not have specific yoga class package, just the general.

On a recent cancel and rebook, RCCL remitted the funds in two payments. The first 10% within a week and the remainder two weeks later. They were dated the first of the week but our credit card company did not post it until after the following weekend which is consistent with their past refund processing. Better than the pandemic where it took RCCL 3 months to refund in various incremental amounts and only after I called them.

When we took our grandchildren with us a notarized letter from the parents was tucked away in case of emergency along with a copy of insurance coverage. We made sure they had either a passport or passport card for ease of travel and it made them feel more important. Our divorced son is taking his children on a cruise this spring and will have the same notarized letter and insurance from their mother to make sure of no hiccups.

We found talking to the poolside waiters that they are the ones who actually make the drinks in the back room from the bar. We always tip them and the wife makes it a point to read their name badges and call them by name when they serve us later. Much easier to get a little stronger drink when she is around. We also see waiters from other ships and it absolutely floors them when she calls them by name ( a big gift she has, a fantastic memory). Either way, the tip goes a long way in getting superb service.

We use Port Parking, as usual, and they are only a couple of blocks away now. It was extremely fast a week ago with Adventure as the new entrance is an extreme improvement in traffic flow. Plus they do not have any other cruise line traffic at the terminal to interfere. They drop you off in a dedicated area and the porters are right there. it is a short walk around the corner and you walk into the HUGE lobby to get onto the escalator (or elevator) and right up to the check in area. We absolutely love it. Will be back this next Sunday to try our first Oasis ship. Will see how Embarkation is with a Gianormous ship.

Just got off at the new terminal last Thursday and it is a great improvement over the older terminals. Our check-in was quick and easy, the only caveat is we HAD to give our luggage to a porter to check it in. The "labeled" area for luggage drop off is not for you to carry and drop off your luggage but to hand it to to a porter. No problem just a little deceptive as the personal drop off area you can use is on the other side of the terminal. There are two sets of escalators, one for Pinnacle and Suite guests and the other for all of us little people. At the top of the escalator is the first check in point where they will scan your Set Sail pass and check your data entry and photo. Proceed on to the luggage and people scanners. This was the only slow down and it seemed that the personnel there were all brand new and they kept checking our backpacks (or at least mine) although it contained exactly the same things that I always carry on and not place in the luggage. Once through there, and it really did not take long. you proceed to the waiting area which is very large, roomy and a huge improvement in ambiance department. Once boarding commences they have re-instituted the tier boarding they had prior to COVID. Key, Pinnacle, Suite entered and then Diamond+ (Yay, we finally moved up in the line) followed by the others. The ramps to the ship are straight without the switchback or turns, are wide and are nearly level. Overall it was only 20 minutes from the time we rolled up to the terminal until we were walking on the ship.