CrznTxn

No and No. The hallway is off the stair and elevator area and loops around the front of the ship. The walk way to get to the front of the ship is technically not in the Solarium proper and no one will hassle you about walking through.

Grandeur of the Seas has one for the main pool but not one for the hot tubs or Solarium pool. Liberty of the Seas has one also for the main pool only.

We were on Grandeur in July with two of my wife's friends and they were upgraded to the Spacious Ocean View on deck 8 from their GTY Ocean View that was supposed to be on Deck 3 (we found it listed using the bar code trick on their set sail pass). It was as you said a much larger room and the window was huge. We tried to get this category room on our cruise last week but they were sold out, even back in July.

This past week's check in for our Galveston cruise we did not even go to the normal desk! The folks had tablets in the queue line that they used to scan our set sail pass, verified that we had answered all the health questions, asked if anything changed and then let us continue to the holding area. Was not asked a single question about vaccine or status. Spent all of 30 seconds at check in and were already onboard right at 10:30 arrival time! Was the easiest check in we have ever had and the disembarkation had facial recognition and we barely even slowed down there. Things have gotten much easier. Make sure you have filled in all items on the app and website and have a great trip.

The champagne is a bottle and that and the strawberries may not arrive as soon as you are onboard. The wife brings a bottle (or two) with us on each trip along with a stopper that we have found at Walgreens. She has several for each of the seasons. She also brings a vacuum mid-sized water bottle along with orange MIO flavoring for her "mobile" Mimosa's during the day. Enjoy!

We had a Junior Suite on Liberty OTS deck 11 which is also a Freedom Class ship. We loved it as it was added during the amplification and all the interior is new with soft close drawers, new fixtures, etc. It is very convenient to the pool being right by the Solarium, easy walk to Windjammer without stairs and to the kids clubs. Being just a few rooms all the way forward it was also very quiet at night.

I have never, ever seen Royal pass up a money making opportunity, especially on the DBP. It is still a ways from the sail date and it would not surprise me if it shows up again.

Absolutely go to the MDR as soon as you get onboard and make sure of your group being together. We have always had to do this when we have our friends or family with us that are linked and not part of our own reservation. You can also request special seating area. We like sitting by the window and they are very accommodating.

I am not sure of her stay before she leaves. She is from the Asia region but not sure of what country.

Lou Ann is the Suite Concierge on Grandeur and like the others is fantastic. She was the Diamond Lounge host and we miss her.

Ruby is the Loyalty Ambassador on Liberty and she is FANTASTIC!! Liberty is our go-to ship out of Galveston and Ruby is unbelievable Ruby's memory of guests and our preferences. We are getting on her again next Sunday and cannot wait. Unfortunately it is her last sailing our of Galveston and we could not miss that. Hate to see her go but know that the folks in Florida will enjoy her.

Just finished our sailing on Grandeur yesterday and can say that the rooms are smaller but do have lots of storage space plus we are rarely in the rooms. We had an Ocean View and it was just great. We love the atmosphere of Grandeur and all the art and finish treatments that are not on the newer ships (more wood and less stainless steel and metal). Salvador and Shannon, the Diamond Lounge host and C&A host) are fantastic and we love to see them each time. Less hustle and bustle and the Centrum is a great place to sit, relax and enjoy the music and entertainment. The Solarium is also much less crowded than the other ships and is large and covered. Plus the Park Cafe is right there with it for pizza, salads and light fare. If you are solo, I agree with @WAAAYTOOOthat an Interior would be fine and give you more $$ for use on the ship.

If there is a Concierge Lounge then D+ can use it according to the Royal perks sheet. We have one on our Grandeur OTS next week and will check it out.

On our B2B we did not have to go through customs as we were staying on the ship technically. We disembarked the ship, stayed in the waiting area and re-boarded prior to the suite guests. We had a different cabin although on the same floor and we worked with the steward who allowed us to move our luggage to the new room when we departed. All easy. We have another at the end of the year and will do the same thing again.

Always check you have zeroed out your towels, they will charge you $25 for each towel not returned.

Personally the land is better.

As long as it does not actually transmit it is permissible per international laws. The big question is whether or not the inspection folks will let you through with it or confiscate it and return it at the end of the cruise because they do not know what it is. The risk is up to you.

They do not want to pay the up charge to the cruise line. If they did it would cost the $84pp that the other beaches do. Glad they do not, at least for Nachi Cocom. I will take the $59 charge and pay the taxi fare for a real all inclusive exclusive beach, personal palapa and much better food. The best part is the bartender is super friendly and will fix our drinks exactly (strong) as we like them.

There is a behind the scenes tour for D+ and Pinnacle but they have not restarted it that I know of. Can't wait when they do.

Geo Blue Travel Insurance

Yes, we have a yearly plan that we use and it pays for itself on the second cruise within the coverage year. The one we use has the same coverage as the single plan and is barely over double the cost of the single. We are up in age and paid $460 for the $1M plan that covers us both. The single plan was more than half that cost.

It's funny, we are higher up in C&A and Casino Royale but did not receive an invite even though sailing more than once a month. We have had issues receiving invites before and think they have not corrected it. When Liberty went on their "test" cruise we received no invite but found the cruise listed in our "past cruises" section for several months after it occurred. This was funny as we did not receive an invite so we went on another cruise instead.

Royal has always had shuttle service from the airports (George Bush and Hobby) to the terminal. We have many buses coming to and leaving from the cruises we take and we pass many of them on the road. If you come in a day early you can book the shuttle and use ride share from and to the airport and hotel rather than take the expensive ride share from the hotel to the terminal which is quite a distance away.

We use both. The wife stays up (my day starts at 4:00am) until the check in opens at midnight to reserve our arrival time, take her photo and scan the passports. I go in later on the website and complete the information and upload my photo and can see everything there but you cannot scan the passport or take photos. You must type in the data and/or upload. After that we use the website to reserve anything else on the cruise that is available prior to sailing. On sailing date everything transfers to using the app for the required muster and reservation on-board.

For your internet, yes you can use each persons on one day and pass it around. You sign in with an individual sign in and code and if you give it to others they can use it, only one at a time. We do that all the time. The Diamond Lounge also has snacks in the morning and evening which you can take advantage of. The coffee there is much better. Your drink vouchers are not usable at Johnny Rockets. You do have discounts loaded on your card that will make them less but not free. Anything you can get for a daiquiris they can make as a mocktail. We have family that do that all the time.