CrznTxn

@Atlantix2000 is correct. It is crew access and storage area. We have gone by several times when they are open and they store towels, cleaning supplies, ice machines and other needed items for them to take care of us without having to go to the lower decks and haul it up. It also has the crew only elevators and stairs so they can get around the ship without having to access the passenger areas. Even the Promenades have "secret" doors that lead to crew access areas. Think of it as a ship within a ship.

Yes it is offered on several days.

The ships we have sailed on recently have had a Singles and Solo Cruisers gathering @ 7:00pm each night. On Voyager it is in the R Bar.

The age signup for the app is on the honor system and they do not check it. It is a workaround that we have used and will for another year when the youngest comes of age. We do not sign them is as one of us to keep in-app purchases away and does not display all of our account information. As for the survey, we received ours for Quantum this past Monday while we were sitting in the airport waiting for our flight home. Unusual that you have not received it as we usually receive ours within hours of disembarkation. Might check your spam folder.

September 24th on Allure for this month's cruise along with Bowen and V12Tommy.

Was on Quantum OTS last week and the Sonic Odyssey show along with Starwater are very good. We were able to sit on the front row of Two70 and the show was literally at my feet. The cast on Quantum and musicians are outstanding.

If you decide to apply for passports you need to do it immediately. The wait time for passports can be quite long. Exception is to go to the county passport office and expedite it.

Some times on our cruises we are "gifted" lunches or dinners and we always have cash with us for a tip when it is above and beyond which is most of the time. That way is goes directly to the persons involved and not into the general fund.

You can book a transfer to the port from IAH directly through Royal. We have done this in other ports and you need to give them your flight information. We always book directly (except for one time immediately after the pandemic when the rates were insanely low) as we have air miles for our flights. We have never had an issue and they want the information so they know how many people are at which pickup point. We are doing this tomorrow at Seattle for our Alaska cruise and it was not a problem. On a trip last month with our son on another cruise line it was like pulling teeth to get the shuttle but Royal has been quick and easy.

When you use your free Diamond drinks there is never gratuity charged so we tip the bartender or waiter per drink. We see so many that do not and we have found that we receive stellar service for our tips. Many times the waiters will see us coming and come up and ask if we want the same as we have been having. Sure makes us feel special too. We make sure to bring plenty of $1's with us and if we do get low, customer service or the Casino will make change.

Not on the website. Unfortunately you have to call them. If you booked your cruise you call them, your travel agent if you booked through them.

Having cruised on Liberty 15+ times the Oceanview Balconies are fine no matter which one you get. You can sit out on your balcony and hear the ocean all you want. We never really noticed the noise from the neighbor's cabin and yes, it does take some of the room for the door but we never spent much time on the couch/chair. On the next smaller ships the rear balconies have major obstructions but not on the Freedom class ships.

By baggage claim. There will be a person with a Royal Caribbean sign and you go to them and they have a list of everyone who has a reservation. They will gather everyone together and get you to the shuttle.

Most of the cabinets that the coolers are in are too restrictive on air flow which is why some of them do not cool very well. Also the thermoelectric temperature settings are not changable without disassembly or at all (I am a themo-mechanical engineer). We always prop the cabinet door open slightly with something to allow cooler cabin air in and better air flow. This usually, not always, helps get the temperature down to a chill level. Only one time did we have a cooler that actually froze some of the liquid in the wife's water bottles. The rest of the time is is only a slight chill better than room temperature. The ice bags will definitely help.

I watched this first hand on Allure where the Genie reserved the center front row seats for their charges at the Ice Show and had popcorn and drinks ready for them when they finally showed up 3 minutes before the show started. Saw it again at the Aqua Show later in the trip. Reserved two entire rows in the center and had their popcorn ready. Only problem half of them did not show up.

In the July 26th Cruise Compass they show Solo travelers get together almost every night @ 7:00pm on the ship. Look in the Cruise Compass tab at the top of the Blog and select Quantum OTS. It will also let you know the times of the shows and other activities you can plan for on your cruise.

I used the Starlink Voom on Grandeur for work and it was fine. Downloaded much, much faster than the previous internet and I could remote access my workstation back at the office and work off of that without issue.

The app, like many which are constantly being updated has some display and usage issues. We use the refresh by pulling down the time line at the top of the daily planner to update every time we use it while we are onboard. This has usually worked and loads any updates to the planner that may be made since the last time we accessed it.

We have found that the service on the "smaller" ships is mostly better than on the larger ships. The crew is more in tune with the guests and they go out of their way to help as they usually do not have all the bells and whistles of the big boys. We always love our small ship voyages over the bigger ones. As someone once said: "we aim to please".

It will be on the app when you get onboard. You click on the person and scroll down to the internet. When you select it there will be a menu on signing in (name, room number) and then you can select the Voom and it will show you a discount of the days you are eligible for. Select that and you will have it for 24 hours at a time. If you want a specific day be sure to only use it then. There is no option to pick the day you want.

It is on the app. Click on the person and choose the cruise you are sailing on, if you have multiple cruises. The safety videos will show on 8:00am on the day of the sailing. You can then watch them and be confirmed before you get aboard.

They allow hairdryers. The wife brings hers and will not use the ones provided.

Annual Birthday Cruise. Taking a cold to warm weather break to the Western Caribbean, visiting some of our favorite ports and snorkeling. What a way of celebrating getting old.

Lock, lock, lock. If TSA accesses your luggage they place a notice that they were in it, at least they have with ours. If your luggage is placed in "time out" on the ship, Royal will not open it but will have you come and open it in their presence. I have also used zip ties on non-locking luggage such as my dive bag when I am cruising locally so I can carry a smaller suitcase. I just make sure I have spares for when we disembark.

$25 is the standard charge for a pool towel. Always check your final bill (you can see it on your app) the last evening and if there is anything amiss you go to customer service immediately to have it corrected. Once off the ship it is difficult to have items disputed or refunded in a timely manner. Over the many cruises we have had there have been only a couple of times that there was a problem. We have had more problems with the other cruise lines than Royal which is why we prefer them.