CrznTxn

Personally the land is better.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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. 🍹

Pretty typical for current cruises. Have found terrific bartenders on our cruises and we tend to gravitate to them. Over the last several cruises they have been reassigned to different bars and we have to look until we find them again. The specialty restaurants are a hit or miss. Once this one is great and the next time is stinks. We have always eaten breakfast in Windjammer although your time of early is late for us. Never had an issue but sometimes we have to look around to find the freshest selections on the eggs, bacon, etc. We love the Muster 2.0 and the first thing we do on embarkation, other than going to the bar and getting the first drink of the cruise, is make all our show reservations. With the capacity up to full the chair hogs have returned with a vengeance and if you are not sitting in your chair by 8:30am they are all covered by towels. Agree there should be a "pool patrol" that monitors the chairs as we have seen them unused for 5~6 hours before the owners return to use them or remove the towels so they don't get charged. Could make for some interesting confrontations though. The Solarium pool on our last cruise was sooooo crowded that we skipped that all together. You would have to shove folks aside just to get into the pool. They did not seem to mind so to each their own.

Pretty typical for current cruises. Have found terrific bartenders on our cruises and we tend to gravitate to them. Over the last several cruises they have been reassigned to different bars and we have to look until we find them again. The specialty restaurants are a hit or miss. Once this one is great and the next time is stinks. We have always eaten breakfast in Windjammer although your time of early is late for us. Never had an issue but sometimes we have to look around to find the freshest selections on the eggs, bacon, etc. We love the Muster 2.0 and the first thing we do on embarkation, other than going to the bar and getting the first drink of the cruise, is make all our show reservations. With the capacity up to full the chair hogs have returned with a vengeance and if you are not sitting in your chair by 8:30am they are all covered by towels. Agree there should be a "pool patrol" that monitors the chairs as we have seen them unused for 5~6 hours before the owners return to use them or remove the towels so they don't get charged. Could make for some interesting confrontations though. The Solarium pool on our last cruise was sooooo crowded that we skipped that all together. You would have to shove folks aside just to get into the pool. They did not seem to mind so to each their own.