CrimsonCruiser

Hello friends! I've come seeking your assistance. We're all booked (and have been for a while) for Oasis in August and really looking forward to it BUT funds are getting tighter with other life events. We don't want to waste our time on land but shore excursions (even ones booked 3rd party) can get pricey...so I'm here asking... What are your low-cost or free (non beach day) excursion suggestions for: BASSETERRE, ST KITTS & NEVIS SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO Much thanks as always!

I have returned! It's good to be back. Missed this place.

Reservations need to be made in person on boarding day.It will be busy but it's best to go and book what times you want as soon as you can. As for breakfast and lunch, it is a strict royal policy that JS are not able to come in for those times. If you show up, you will not be seated. THAT SAID...on a recent harmony sailing in a JS we got a call from Coastal Kitchen on the second to last day inviting us to lunch complimentary. We hadn't asked about it or anything like that, my guess is that numbers were low up there for lunches so they were offering dining to guests that normally wouldn't have been allowed. We didn't look a gift horse too much in the mouth so not sure if there were any additional factors that played into that (the fact that we were diamond, that we had only been in 1 other time that sailing, the fact that we only had 2 dinner reservations for the whole sailing etc). So...yeah..that happened and it is SUCH a YMMV scenario I only bring it up because it *did* happen not that it *will* happen

Our very first cruise we called and booked over the phone because we were taking advantage of a Cruise and Universal Studios package that royal used to offer and it was nigh impossible to book that online as first timers. Our second and third cruises we booked online ourselves. Everything after that we have booked through next cruise on board to get that sweet sweet suite OBC

Since we always book suites and suites don't have a reduced deposit, we like to book on board solely for the OBC. It's the only place you are promised OBC without having to pay extra on the base fare for the free money.

Like Doug said, there is technically and officially a corkage fee (which is applied regardless of a cork being required) and in 3 cruises taking advantage of the bring wine on board, this past August as Izumi Hibachi on Harmony was the only time it was ever mentioned to us. And, I will say we cackled when the staff said "oh there's a corkage fee" and we said "...it's a twist off..." and they're like " well, we still have to charge if we open it" to which we said "okay...then I'll twist it" and I swear they were much confused. In the end, we just saved it for the MDR. But note that your mileage may vary so if you want to avoid any and all chances of fees, it's best to open it in the room and bring poured glasses to dinner.

Resurrecting this to ask if anyone has ever taken their own polish to the spa? I know it's a pretty common practice on land but not sure if the ship spa would have any issues with it. Last time I went, they only had a selection of like...8 polishes and I didn't want to be limited like that again.

okay that is CRAZY! I've never seen something like that before..one would THINK the flooring for an outdoor area would be weather resistant!

Resurrecting my old thread to see if anyone has any opinions on Allegro Resort Cozumel or Occidental Grand Resort These are the two I'm finally narrowed down to and just looking for the hive mind's feedback on either to help me make my final decision.

Refreshment package took the win with 35% of the vote

I got this from someone who was on Harmony earlier this year and as far as I can tell in my fb group for our august sailing, it's pretty much still the same.

We discovered this last year. We had a favorite photographer and he was down by our dining room on the last night and i think we were going to be changing outfits or something after they were going to stop taking photos so we asked if he could take some with my phone and he was nice but said whether we used the backdrop or not, he couldn't do it. He could get in trouble for even touching my phone.

I am definitely the reason we wouldn't leave all that early. I like to sleep in and it's already a stretch for me to be up in time for hotel breakfast lol. If they serve from 6-8, I'm usually running in at 7:45 hoping there's still enough left for me to cobble together a meal lol. Then there's showering, repacking for boarding (especially the carry on with the drinks) and all the other little things. And since we HATE to feel rushed on vacation we have no problem taking our time. That said, it will be a good idea to re-evaluate that and see how we can shave off time. Just in case. I definitely want to talk to my past self about why I picked 12:30 instead of 1. Shame on her

was it in a recent sailing? I really don't remember seeing it in the planner lately.

I like the little show on the last day but not an everyday thing. I like it for the last day because, often by dinner, I've been cooped up packing and being sad that the trip is winding down and the music and smiles and dancing and embarrassed laughs of the staff that are participating are a nice way to remind me that it's not over yet. That said, I do wish it was just upper staff or something because I can tell that some waitstaff don't want to do it and those that are too busy or for any other reason not dancing, have a hard time getting through the aisles between conga lines and crowds that stop to watch. In fact, I don't know if they still do it, but on my very first cruise there was a farewell type of show in the main theater on the last night and they brought out as much as of the staff as they could (room stewards, waitstaff, entertainment, crew, i think even cleaning staff) and gave them big thank yous and cheers and they had show there that the staff did on the stage and we actually got teary-eyed because it was so fun and nice and seeing our room steward up there was so cool and we hooted and hollered in support of how awesome they were.... if this isn't still happening...I want it to happen again. Not just because it would stop the MDR dancing but also because it's a chance to celebrate all the hard working staff areas

This is actually really good to know. This will be our first year doing specialty dining for boarding day lunch so I definitely didn't know what to expect. Thanks for easing my mind a bit on this.

So...here goes... Back in Oct 2023 there was a great sale on the Italian dining on board and I decided to grab a boarding day lunch at Jaime's. Knowing that we usually try to get on the ship between 11-noon, I grabbed the 12:30 slot. A bit later, we secured a hotel which ended up being in Houston because we weren't able to find a hotel that fit our budget/needs closer to Galveston. No problem; we've done this trek before. Yesterday, check-in opens and I do the travel math and realize we may be cutting it close to our lunch time (knowing that we usually like to leave the hotel around 11 + traffic + check in). But oh no! I can't modify my reservation in the app nor online! 'Well, that's okay' I think as I pull up the Royal customer service number. 'I can just call!' And call I do...and after a bit of wait I get connected to an agent and I tell her my story of woe and ask to shift my reservation back about an hour. "Well," she tells me "we would have to rebook it and it's currently a higher price than what you paid." "I know," I say back. "That's why I'm calling to ask you to do it. Can't you just shift the time?" "Hold please" So I hold and listen to the automated voice tell me all about a ship I very much can't afford to be on for just 3 days. "Okay," she starts as she returns to the call after a few minutes. "I checked the promotions and the price right now is $21 per person. But we can keep an eye out since you're sailing on Aug 25 and maybe there will be another promotion. Or, on your first day, you can just go to guest services and get the time changed." "Wait..." I say with confusion. "If I change the time now..I pay more money...but if I do it onboard...I don't?" "Correct!" "Well that doesn't make sense to me..." "yeah unfortunately I can only rebook at the current promotion rate." "But if I tell the suite concierge to shift my time...they too can do it with change?" "Right." "But I have to wait and run the risk the time slot sells out?" "..." "okay well...thanks for....that" And so...today I learned...be confident in the time you pick nearly a year before your sailing...or hope that the odds are ever in your favor onboard. *and Scene*

Thanks guys! This is really helpful to know.

It's about a $150 difference since we're looking at jr suites so it may not be a lot a lot but it's enough to make a difference. It sounds like it might be better to ask for extra keys vs getting a full room swap, then? to avoid the many bits and bobs that have to get changed in the background. Is there a cost for extra keys? And what info is printed on those? Like could those extra keys be used at the bar or to buy things or are they just for room access and the original card for everything else?

Borrowing this thread. Next year we're looking at cruising with some first timers who obviously would be pre-gold on C&A. If we (2 diamond cruisers) booked one room under each of our names then got new sea passes on board (so that the first timers were together and we diamonds were together), would the change of C&A levels trigger a change in price at that point? (As a note, I am looking at connecting rooms and if we're able to get one, this may be a moot point but I'm just feeling out all the options)

As of writing this thread, it seems Wonder and Utopia still don't have any Broadway production and as that is one of the coolest draws for the Oasis class, I can only hope it's just a matter of time before they get their shows. So I thought it might be fun to toss some ideas/suggestions out there for the staff that TOTALLY don't read these forums For me, I just saw SIX recently and I think it is the PERFECT show for a ship. Now obviously it's still doing quite well on land stages and tours so it would probably be several years before Broadway and the like would consider putting it on a ship, but I think it's timeless enough to be worth the wait. At a tight 90 minutes (with no intermission), simple stage design with most of the impact coming from lighting, and a focus on vocal performances and audience interaction it feels like it would translate really well to a cruise ship. Plus it's pretty family friendly, non-controversial, and, with the sampling of different music styles, appeals to a wide variety of viewers. What are some shows you suggest?

Hi friends! I heard rumor that Corey, the current cruise director on Harmony, will be on vacation during the Aug 25 sailing, however I can't find where people are getting this info (I don't see it on his socials). Can anyone confirm this rumor and, if it's true, does anyone know who will be filling his shoes during this time?

I does look like that but according to the terms and conditions, this particular promo had 3 segments. Unfortunately the page is broken on royal's site again so I can't grab a screenshot (not even on the wayback machine T_T) EDIT: haha! switched browsers and got it: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/terms-and-conditions/promotions These OBC offers also include a concurrent sale the 2025 OBC kicker:

I checked the terms and this one should end tonight (unless they extend it another day like they often do) so hopefully we'll see more accurate prices in a day or two

I wish, with this new option, there was a way to view the price with prepaid gratuities without still having to go through the whole mock-booking process. *sigh*