RockerDom31

Here is an article from this site on the best practices of contacting Royal Caribbean: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/04/20/contact-royal-caribbean-customer-service Hopefully this will help?

I vaguely remember something about PDCC being able to accomodate 10000 people? My memory escapes me but that sounds familiar. And has Celebrity started calling at PDCC now too? I am not too familiar with the size of their ships.

Anecdotally, I *think* the following have taken place when a weather system is coming up the East Coast: Re-route north to Canada. I think Oasis of the Seas did a couple of these over the past few summers as scheduled itineraries so at least one Canadian port can handle an Oasis-class ship (maybe Nova Scotia?) Wait it out by staying docked at Cape Liberty and letting people on/off the ship to explore NYC, which I believe results in canceling a port stop (most likely Port Canaveral) I can't imagine too many other choices since a route to Bermuda (the other popular stop from Cape Liberty) would most likely be affected by the same weather system and also I don't believe I've ever seen an Oasis-class ship in Bermuda so I don't know if that port can handle it.

I wouldn’t expect 2026 for a little while. They just released Summer/Fall 2025 for Cape Liberty a few weeks ago. Unless something drastic happens with the port or the state of NJ imposes some sort of restriction, I expect there to always be at least one ship departing from Bayonne at all times during the year. In fact, I think Cape Liberty is exclusive to Royal Caribbean and their brands.

That was such an interesting read! I always wondered how gratuities worked when it is prepaid with a drink package. It does make sense that it depends on how many drink packages were sold for that cruise.

We did the Key on our first three sailings but have decided against it for our sailing this summer. The price difference between the Key vs. Internet Package x2 is no longer a small difference (in each of the three times we got the Key, we were able to get the Key for just an additional $5ish extra per person/per day). We primarily did it for the internet and maybe one or two random perks the Key had (priority embarkation, reserved seating at shows, priority disembarkation) but we never did any of the reserved activity times (Flow Rider, Rock Climbing, etc.) or priority tendering (since we never had to take a tender). When we had the Key on our last sailing...we never did the Key lunch, our check-in time was already 11AM, we didn't do the Key breakfast, we carried off our own luggage, we didn't watch any shows, we didn't do any of the activities so we basically just used the Internet benefit. Right now, internet is $21.99 pp/pd and the Key is $34.99 pp/pd. If the Key price ever drops to $24.99 pp/pd, we'll consider it.

Thanks for sharing - How did I possibly miss this article??

Does Rover sleep in the handler's crew room? Does Rover have an on-board vet? Does Rover have her own name tag, ID card, etc. that gets scanned when em"bark"ing and disem"bark"ing?? (see what I did there haha). Is Rover counted as a "person" towards the capacity of a life boat? Does she have her own life jacket? I have so many questions! In addition to the Captain's Q&A session, they should have Q&A about Rover! Apologies for me geeking-out. My wife and I love dogs!

What goes on at these Top Tier events? We just got promoted to Platinum from Gold after our last cruse. Our next cruise is our first one being Platinum. Still got a long way to go though!

Something to think about too… Does your itinerary visit Labadee and/or Coco Cay? Your drink package will work at the bars at those private destinations as well.

8/18 - 8/25 is when we’ll be going too!

That's actually the main reason why we stick with Cape Liberty. I imagine that, one day, the repeated yearly itinerary is going to get old but it's hard to beat the cost savings: Cruise fare from Cape Liberty + Parking + Gas costs us less than Cruise fare from Florida port + flights to/from NYC or Philly + hotel stay day before + Uber to/from ports I did the math once and we could get two cruise vacations from Cape Liberty for the price of one flying down to Florida (or any other port). Baltimore is also within driving distance but we'd rather stick with Freedom, Quantum, and Oasis class ships. And with my work schedule (teacher), we primarily can only cruise during the summer time so everything is at a pretty high price then. We try to cruise during that one week in August that seems to be the lowest fare of the summer (I guess historically that is when the most amount of hurricanes/storms hit? or something?? who knows!).

I don't know if there is any other way but the way I find out are from either... A) The Captain's Q&A session B) The Top-Tier event (which I have never been to but other people have and they tell me that's where they get it from)

On my very first cruise, my wife brought some essential oils, just in case I get seasick or nauseous. When her carry-on bag went through the X-Ray machine, the agents asked to inspect her bag. We knew we had nothing to hide so we were intrigued why they wanted to hand-inspect her bag. Turns out, they thought the little vials of essential oils resembled little vials of alcohol. Simple misunderstanding and we were on our way shortly after.

I don’t know how big the actual port’s property is but I always marvel at the fact that during the summer that there are, at most, 3 ships worth of passengers parked at the port - Oasis (soon to be Symphony), Liberty, and Celebrity (Summit, I believe). I know not everyone parks at the port but still…they guarantee parking for everyone.

I had only started cruising in 2019 so unfortunately I don't have a reference of what cruising was like back in the day. However, I imagine Royal does extensive research and have a backup plan before implementing a technology-forward approach. I think that the cruise shutdown and its aftermath accelerated and validated many of their tech initiatives (such as the e-muster, which seems to be universally well-liked).

If anyone is interested, there is a Code of Conduct and here is the link to it - https://www.royalcaribbean.com/guest-terms/guest-health-safety-and-conduct-policy/english/ If something is truly a nuisance or presents a danger, you have every right to inform a crew member. Me? Policing other people or caring what they do is literally the last thing I want to do on a cruise (unless of course, they are a danger to themselves or others. Then, yes, I will speak up).

Any recommendations for the Nassau Resort for a Day? It looks like Baha Bay, RIU, Breezes, Warwick, and Margaritaville are the choices. Thanks!!

I hear you! Between my wife and I, we have a carry-on gym bag just for medication alone. When I reached out to the Special Needs department last summer about the insulin fridge and needles, I received the following as a reply: Just like with anything else, your mileage may vary!

I always brought my meds in its original container with the prescription label (including my insulin pen needles). I just figure better safe than sorry. You never know when you might run into a customs agent who is a stickler for the rules (by the way…I am someone who is a stickler for the rules!)

I imagine they wouldn’t make this decision lightly. The traditional re-routes (north to Canada or south to Bahamas) probably wouldn’t be feasible. Plus, there’s probably port closure or tricky navigation considerations too. It sounds like a case of too many factors to overcome to adjust.

$52.99 per guest, August 2024 - Symphony of the Seas from Cape Liberty. I will wait for a review before I consider booking. With what is known now, I'm not sure I see the value in it.

We’re down by LBI. The cheapest Uber or Lyft would be more expensive than just driving ourselves and parking at the port. We paid $270 to park at Cape Liberty for a 9-night cruise. And it’s less than $20 in tolls between the Parkway and Turnpike. An Uber or Lyft was about $200 each way plus the logistics of booking a ride and finding them at the port. And random safety tip - if you do decide to take your own car, do not leave your garage door opener and anything that has your address on it in the car. Yes, the port parking area is extremely safe but you just never know. Call me paranoid but you are leaving your car in a place that isn’t your home for many days.

We use the clips - we like them very much! The bands were intriguing but I feel like the clips are more "durable". I can't explain it other than it's just a feeling.

I don't have first-hand experience of staying in a hotel and using their cruise shuttle but I have heard many people's frustrations about using them. The biggest complaint I have heard was families sitting at the terminal for hours on end waiting for the return trip back to the hotel. I do have first-hand experience in parking at Cape Liberty and it is a very smooth process, even if there are multiple ships using the port at the same time. As soon as we stepped off of Liberty, passed customs, and collected our luggage, we were in the car and on the road in less than 15 minutes.