Biff215

If I had to guess on the way assignments are assigned, I would say it is a combination of:
Harry Potter on a Colorado "high" Keith Richards on any day that ends in "y" (I know "children" from the 60s and 70s got that one) I was going to say Timothy Leary, but man that is one wack-job ... Let's go for Spaceman Bill Lee (before, during and after any basebal game). ?
Curt from Canada
 

Not much, if anything, is refunded.  They will refund port fees for the missed port and of course, any excursions that you had booked through Royal would be fully refunded.  The only time you will likely see any of your cruise fare refunded is if the cruise itself is actually cut short due to weather or other extenuating circumstances.  We went through this recently on Anthem when the ship was stuck in Bayonne for 3 days waiting for health test results.  Most likely, if they cancel CM, they would simply add another sea day or maybe extend the stay in Cozumel.  They actually have a lot of choices in that area of the Caribbean/Gulf.  I wouldn't look for much of a rebate on price though.

There are a bunch of options, but goport.com is one of the biggest. They’ll pick you up at your resort and may stop at other resorts before taking you to the Port. It’s reasonable and gets you there fairly quickly.
My preference is to rent a car so I can make a quick stop for bottled water and wine. Depending on how many people there are in your party, the cost can be close. Alamo is on Disney property and very close to the port. 

Maybe the blue is a primer coat?

Even if we eat breakfast at WJ or the MDR, we like to order the continental breakfast from room service early, which is complimentary.  It's nice to have coffee and some fruit or a muffin while we get ready for the day. We like to think of it as "breakfast appetizers."
Happy cruising!

We also love breakfast on the balcony at least once or twice per cruise. It’s one of our kids’ favorite things to do. We were a little lost on our last cruise when we had an interior, it just wasn’t the same!

May I refer you back to your original thread on this exact topic? 
 

I don’t think you have to worry much on board and at CocoCay. Royal attempts to sell out every sailing so it’s not really any busier than normal just because it’s peak season. To me that’s the beauty of cruising compared to say Disney, where crowds will be insane. You just typically pay more for peak season cruises.
As was shared above, you can avoid crowds on board by eating at different venues or off peak times. We also find it best to experience the activities on board early in the week as everyone is trying to pack in all they missed during the last couple of days. 

It sounds like they might be, although I would keep checking back as it can change. Either way, you can also check once on board and there is always a standby line. We never had an issue getting into shows last August on Harmony, just had to get there early and understand we might not get the “best” seats sometimes. 

All  3, I like PC better then Miami, $800 is nothing to sneeze about and Oasis Class trumps Freedom class, also 7  days beats 5 days.

Thank you so much for your insight.  It sounds like the drapes remained the same in your suite ?
I read many complaints about the mattresses on Harmony and Symphony.  Thankfully, I like firm mattresses ...lol
That is a real shame, I do find the decor in the older ships is very dated ?

I'm so sorry that I had to laugh when you told me you were on Mariner recently and nothing had changed since your honeymoon ?
I was very excited to see the differences between Oasis and Harmony.  The larger sink and the separate closets are brilliant!
I still have a picture of my husband washing his hands while sitting on the toilet (make believe of course to show how small the sinks were, and how tight the area is) ?

As someone else said, this is how Disney does it.  We did one cruise last year on the Dream, and our kids (6 and 10 at the time) were not fans.  While DCL had a great interactive area, it was simply too many kids and too big an age range for them to make friends and enjoy themselves like they do at AO.  The Disney staff had very little interaction with the kids, they were mostly there to handle pickup/dropoff and general crowd control.  Shocking to us our kids were one and done with DCL and (fortunately for us) they choose Royal every time now.
I teach all grades in a K-6 elementary school so I see these age ranges on a daily basis.  The students love when they get to work together with higher or lower grades, but most of the time they are obviously separated and for good reason.  My 12 year olds are ready to be middle schoolers while my kindergartners are just learning to be students.
Would the fear of something bad happening stop me from letting my kids go?  No, as that can happen anywhere, even in age restricted groups.  Do I think this is the best way to group them?  No, and I think my kids would likely opt out like they did on Disney.  This would be a shame as AO is one of the things they look forward to most on a cruise (as do we).
This is likely in response to the many parents who won't split their kids up, as well as the kids who won't go alone without a sibling.  We were on Mariner a few weeks ago and there weren't enough 9-11 year olds so they combined with 6-8.  It worked okay but our 11 year old didn't enjoy it nearly as much as she had in the past.  There's just something special about them having their own group and counselors.
Count me as one hoping this doesn't get expanded fleet-wide.

We sailed on Indy for two 5 night cruises to Mexico before the amplification. We really enjoyed both and it worked well since we only had the six days to be away.
Sailed Harmony this past August to the Eastern Caribbean. Incredible ship unmatched by any others and the perfect amount of time. We enjoyed it so much we’re returning to her in April for the Western Caribbean.
If you can swing it I would certainly recommend Harmony over the others, but we’d also do 5 nights on Indy again if we didn’t have the 7 nights to give. Did 3 nights on Mariner last month since it was all that would work. Had fun but would stick to a minimum of 4-5 nights going forward. 

We sailed on Indy for two 5 night cruises to Mexico before the amplification. We really enjoyed both and it worked well since we only had the six days to be away.
Sailed Harmony this past August to the Eastern Caribbean. Incredible ship unmatched by any others and the perfect amount of time. We enjoyed it so much we’re returning to her in April for the Western Caribbean.
If you can swing it I would certainly recommend Harmony over the others, but we’d also do 5 nights on Indy again if we didn’t have the 7 nights to give. Did 3 nights on Mariner last month since it was all that would work. Had fun but would stick to a minimum of 4-5 nights going forward. 

Welcome! I have never been on Carnival and won’t trash them, but all you have to do is pull up next to one of their ships in port to start seeing the differences. Royal just does it right in my opinion.
You have lots of options out of Florida. You could do a shorter 3-4 night cruise on Navigator (Miami) or Mariner (Port Canaveral) to get a taste of it. Or you could opt for a longer cruise so you don’t blink and it’s over.
I’d suggest either Harmony or Symphony for the best of what Royal has to offer. I don’t think you can go wrong there. Good luck and have fun planning!

I have been on both Carnival and RC and I would say RC has it over Carnival by a large margin.  Carnival is more the party get wild see how drunk I can get type of cruise.  Like mworkman says there is no comparison for the Oasis class ships.  If you have been on vacations that seem like they are over before they start good that is kinda what happens on cruises less than seven days so i would pick a seven day cruise to start off.  The Harmony of the Seas leaves out of Port Canaveral and would be a great ship to start.  Not sure what your budget is but you might look into a ocean view balcony room.  These rooms come in the small size right on up to large suites   Not sure how you will be getting to the port you choose but most of the experienced cruisers get to the port a day early and stay at a hotel the night before.  Not only is it more relaxing but you dont want to chance missing the ship,  they will not wait for you and you will not get any money back.  I sure you will have more questions so there are more than enough long time cruise help on this site.  Good luck

I've been on both and do prefer Royal but would still cruise Carnival if the deal was right.  I suggest you don't book a cruise to Nassau or Freeport for your first cruise.  The Bahamas other than the private RC islands are our least favorite.  I would try one that hits Mexico or other Caribbean ports. 

Yes, the Cruise Compass is referencing the MDR attire for the night. On these shorter cruises, it tends to be more casual. You can feel comfortable wearing jeans pretty much every night, just no shorts (that’s what they will say but you’ll still see them). Specialty dining is listed as smart casual. 

To my knowledge it hasn’t happened yet, so it’s tough to predict. My best advice no matter what happens is to get off the ship early and grab a spot where you want to spend most of the day. The best news is that Oasis will likely get to dock as they wouldn’t want to tender that many people. That will give you a clear advantage.
Nothing else you can control so just try not to worry and have a great cruise! 

We booked an interior guarantee on Mariner on December 14 for the January 10 sailing. Received an interior assignment on December 27, two weeks out.
Booked an ocean view balcony guarantee on Harmony for April 12, still not assigned, 80 days out today. I’ll update once we hear.
We saved hundreds on both so totally worth it to us. If it were closer in price I’d prefer to choose my room location, but as others have said, it’s fun to roll the dice and see what you get too!

I booked a GTY Ocean-View Balcony on Symphony. Received my room assignment 36 days before sailing. We were upgraded to a Grand Suite 1-Bedroom!! This was our first (hopefully of many) cruise on Royal and now I am spoiled by having the Sky Class perks.

I also sent an email to the shore excursion team. I just got an email from them too.
 
Dear Justin,


 
Thank you for contacting the Shore Excursions Inquiry Team and for choosing us as your vacation guide.


 
We are so glad to know that you have booked one of our "Coco Beach Club Overwater Cabanas A ZH05".


 
Please note that our Overwater Cabanas will be ready at the time of your cruise so that you enjoy and spend the best time with your family.


 
If you have any other question in regards to your shore excursions, feel free to write us back.


 
Kind regards,


 
Shirley Chojolan

Tour Inquiry Coordinator | Global Tour Operations Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. |1050 Caribbean Way, Miami, FL 33132

Fax: 305-539-4131| email: [email protected] Royal Caribbean International 


 
Note: In order to better serve you, please include the booking number or ship and sail date in the subject line of your email.  We appreciate if you send us your reply with the full history of our correspondence. Please note that we will reply to your inquiry in the order in which it was received. Please reply only if you need to provide additional information related to your original email. Follow-up emails regarding the status of your query may further delay your response.  Shore excursions can be purchased on-line up to 4 days prior to your sail date. If you are sailing in less than 4 days, you can purchase excursions on board the ship.

My cruise planner for April on Harmony is currently showing $35/adult, $20/child. We bought our own snorkels for less and brought them. It’s not great snorkeling there but still fun.
We get off the ship early and grab a good spot at Chill Beach. It’s a short walk to Chill Grill and Snack Shack. Then we spend our last hour or so at the pool. Might stop at the kids’ areas and shopping on the way back to the ship.
We've had two “perfect days” without spending any money outside of a couple Coco Locos which I wouldn’t miss either. 

There’s almost always someone there, but you’ll want to do this as soon as you board and before the drill. We did this on Harmony last August and had no problem getting moved to the earlier seating.
We were on Mariner the weekend before last. We booked late so MTD was the only option. We were concerned about having the same wait staff and the possibility of not being able to change our time so we opted for the Unlimited Dining Package. We had three great meals at the specialty restaurants (well Jamie’s was just okay) so now I’m thinking we made the right choice.
We also skipped the production show as the time was terrible (10:00 I think). After Harmony’s incredible entertainment we had majorly lowered our expectations for Mariner but enjoyed everything else (and even like the ice show more).

Our Harmony Western Caribbean order of ports was Cococay, Cozumel, Roatan, Costa Maya. However, I'd follow the cruise planner's schedule for planning purposes.