CrznTxn

Wow, we will have to ask the Loyalty Ambassador about those when we get back onboard in a couple of weeks. They never mentioned those to us before.

If you want your car to park in a covered lot then you need to look at the private lots. The parking at the new terminal is all uncovered and more expensive than the private lots for some unknown reason. We use Port Parking as they are the closest now to the new terminal and they shuttle you to the terminal. They are four blocks away from the terminal. https://www.portparking.com/

We have a Navigator and Liberty block so far. The Navigator block was shipped and took around 3 months and the Liberty was delivered while onboard. Will be getting an Adventure block in December and hopefully they will have that onboard. We will see what ship we want to have after that so we can schedule appropriately.

The last three sailings on Liberty did NOT have announcements on disembarkation. We figured out that you go get in line about 30 minutes ahead of time and were good to go. Yes, there were several Key folks that were placed in line when they came down but it was not an issue. Glad to see the facial recognition back in working order, it was not working in June, July and August but the CBP personnel really did not look at anything so it was quick. Look forward to it this next month.

We fly from DFW to LAX for the Navigator cruises. We use the Royal transfer and have never had an issue. We have had large groups and singles on the buses and it is so easy. Was $70 per person.

We did Liberty OTS this past Halloween and there were many that dressed up plus they had a "gathering" in the Star Lounge and prizes for the best costume. I was the one who roamed the ship all day in a big T-Rex mask with drinking straw (had to have my 5 D+ drinks) and everyone had a blast. Also did the Christmas cruise last year where I did my best impression of the Elf on the Shelf (complete with costume) and posed all over the ship. Brought many a smile and laugh and we all had a blast.

You cannot use your diamond drinks for Ben and Jerry milkshakes on Liberty OTS. Those are considered separate and extra, just like Starbucks. I did use my Diamond drink for a chocolate milk with whip cream for one of the crew at Cafe Promenade (she was a friend of ours) and they accepted it.

You can use the link below to access the Galveston Cruise Cam. It has been working not sure if it still is. https://www.galveston.com/webcams/cruisecam/

You play for tier status from April until March of the next year. Every time you reach a tier level you are rewarded that level for the rest of that status year plus the next full status year. Points reset on March 31st each year and you must re-qualify to see what you get for the next cycle.

We just did this with a Galveston trip, not with Liberty but with Grandeur. Same port folks. We had a suite but our friends did not. We were shown to the suite departure group but our friends were shown the regular staging area. You might be lucky if all of you go as a big group and they do not check every set sail pass but lately they have been checking everyone. Good luck

The big issue may not be supply chain but availability at all. This happened several years ago with a sports venue I work with. Their jumbo screens had parts that started to fail and when they contacted the company that supplied it found out that there were no parts available for repair, only scarce used parts that "hopefully" would work. They limped through the remainder of the season with a screen with missing areas and replaced the entire screen at the end of the season at a large unexpected cost. As specialty items with very small production there are not a lot of parts actually made and when the company or subcontractor completes their build there are no further parts available. Like ordering a replacement computer board for my 2009 laptop.

Wish everyone was told that. Maybe we could spread the rumor that if you do not use good manners you will be placed in "timeout" down on deck one in the brig.

Hopefully it will be fixed by the end of October, otherwise my morning visits will be very short.

Your list seems typical for most cruises. Some folks love the MDR, others hate it. Same with Windjammer. Chair hogs are a way of life on the cruise ship and I have seen it on every cruise we have taken except for the cruises right after they started sailing again with fewer passengers. Everyone has an opinion on how it can be fixed but there is really no way to cure it without some extreme confrontations which the cruise lines will never do. Royal on the WiFi is at least fixing that with the installation of Starlink which for me is a game changer as I typically work half the time I am sailing. Love my remote office view. There is really no dress code now. They have only suggestions and some follow them some don't. We personally do not dress up but do avoid the MDR on those night to not spoil the ambiance for those that do. For us it is about the relaxation and interaction with new acquaintances that we have met over the years so the sea days do not bother us as much but we do love our port stops and have explored some very unique places that we have never seen at home.

Same for us. After getting numerous offers, taking 14 cruises in the past 12 months, attaining Signature Level (25,000 points) during the last shortened interval the hard way (no discount on number of points due to COVID) our offers have dried up this past month. Other than what we earned on our last cruise, we have one offer left that ends tomorrow for next Jan ~ March. Sure wish they would get it together. Sure get loads from the other guys.

You can stock your Mini fridge onboard with beer if you go to the bar and buy it. Calling someone to stock it for you is a definite no. You do get a discount if you buy the beer by the bucket.

You can reserve the shows once onboard. On Liberty there is only the Ice show that you can reserve, all the others are open any time although the Key folks have a special reserved area.

The only thing we were told on our Liberty cruise two weeks ago is they are replacing some of the slot machines in the Casino and will replace more when they move to Florida. Other than that we did not hear of any updates, even from Captain James. He said he did not have a time frame when their amplification would occur.

Royal Casinos only operate in international waters so they close at ports of call. The Cruise Compass will give times when the Casino will reopen after departure.

Through the government we have 3 double packs of COVID tests remaining. Since we have a short cruise coming up we were not needing a test and now that they have lifted the testing requirement we have them only in reserve. I guess we have been the lucky ones in that we have never had a bad test or missing items. All that being said we always had a spare test available when we were testing just in case. So glad we do not have to do that now.

We take an entire Del Sol canvas bag filled with candy treats for the crew and they never question it so you should not have any problem. Enjoy your cruise, we have sailed Navigator several times and enjoy her and the Western Mexico ports.

I just called C&A and requested I have automatic upgrade set to yes. The associate said that they do not have automatic upgrade any longer and it is replaced with RoyalUp. I explained that I was informed that some "friends" had just talked to C&A and they had their account updated. She then stated that she would look on one of the other screens and lo and behold there it was. So my wife and I are now checked yes for upgrades if available. I did not inquire if there were any other items I could check, I was just happy that I had that one updated. Not sure I will see any in my lifetime but at least I know it is there.

a Hint on the mini "cooler", we have found if you prop open the door in front of the cooler slightly (the Royal Hand Sanitizer bottle works well) the cooler works much better and on the last several cruises has kept the contents actually cold. We tell our room steward so they will not remove the prop and have enjoyed actual cold drinks and especially the wife's champagne for her mimosas.

A couple of weeks ago they had Karaoke separately for adults and teens in the On Air club but no competition. Last one I saw was pre-pandemic.

If you go to Clubroyaleoffers.com and enter your last name and C&A number it will show your offers (if any) and your accumulated points to date.