steverk

Yes, but only for boogie boards

They have designated times for each. There may be a few hours for "mixed wave" but that's minimal

I usually stay at Comfort Inn. Their loyalty program is generous enough to get free rooms pretty regularly, but not much more. As far as airlines are concerned, there's a recurring theme in this thread. If you live near a major hub for an airline, then that's the airline you'll usually fly. It makes sense. The flights will simply be better on that line. If you don't live near a hub, then you're probably better off chasing the lowest price. I live in Houston, so it's Southwest or United all the way for me.

Sorry you had a bad experience. On the food, I usually find Royal's food to be good, but not great. They don't consider themselves a foodie line and it shows. That said, I was on one cruise where the food wasn't very good. I spoke to the restaurant manager, and the food improved immediately.

I'd book it. It's refundable u to final payment date, so you have nothing to lose.

The biggest reason is large waves making tender operations unsafe. How often this happens depends on the port-how windy it typically gets, how sheltered is the port and wind direction.

Does anyone know if Rhapsody has a military escort for this?

Interesting question. Since the ships aren't registered in the US, I don't think they can b pressed in to service. That leaves a request by the government, a voluntary offer by royal or a charter of the ship. Either way, kudos to Royal for doing the right thing at considerable risk.

I don't agree. Freedom and Voyager classes are my favorite, but I'd rather do a radiance or vision class than an oasis. They're just easier to get around and have a more relaxed atmosphere. What's more, the big ships offer pretty limited, uninspiring itineraries.

Actually, we get an extra hour on the ship. Does that mean I have to pay extra?

I don't like short cruises either, but they do appeal to first timers and Florida residents. Carnival became "the most popular cruise line in the world" by pushing them. Therefore, I guess we would have to talk to Royal about what they consider a long term solution.

I've booked celebrity at nextcruise before. You get the same deal as you would if you booked a royal cruise. $200 deposit. Increased obc. Maybe some swag.

I sailed Allure in June. The crowds were well distributed, but always present. It's not a ship to get away from it all. The railing was normal in every way. About chest high. I don't recall any glass on most of it. The front was higher as a wind break though. The elevators are the worst. They're always full and have a frustrating algorithm that sends empty elevators passing your floor many times. The ship is too tall to avoid the elevators entirely.

Liberty Navigator Independence Explorer Adventure

I should have mentioned this earlier, so please forgive me. There is a rare opportunity on Sunday mornings in Galveston to tour a drydock while it services a large ship. To raise money for preservation, the Battleship Texas Foundation is offering guided tours through the drydock, including the under side of the ship, while the Battleship is refurbished. I don't know how long this will continue, but the Sunday morning schedules meshes well with people sailing one of the Sunday to Sunday sailings out of Galveston. You can find out more, and purchase tickets, here: Dry Dock Tours - The Battleship Texas Foundation

Maybe today is my lucky day, but I'm checking my shore excursions and about 1/3 of them are cheaper than they've ever been. YMMV!

I just repriced a couple cruises because they are cheaper than they were. That indicates at least some softening of demand and price. Granted, this is the exception. Overall, there's no question that bookings and prices are way up. However, I'm going to watch the 2025 itinerary release carefully before I panic. The last couple years I picked up some really great cruises in the first few days they were released. It's the best way to save money on a cruise.

If you're buying for obc purposes only, Carnival or NCL offer similar programs and are much cheaper. Imo Royal is much better managed and a better investment, but if you really want the obc, then those other two would be a better choice

Most shuttles pick up on the northeast side of the building. Oce you get out of the terminal, proceed across the street to the covered area with the buses. I'm pretty sure that's the location

Yes, you have been able to book both directions since before the pandemic. Back in the day, you could book Azamara too. Idk if you can book Silversea now, but I bet you can.

I've never been to Hell Grand Cayman. I've been to Hell Michigan though. Does that count?

Looking at the deck plan, I don't see a sport court on Rhapsody at all. I sailed her once, but I'm not really in to the sport court and don't have a personal recollection. Perhaps looking at some youtube videos of a ship tour would help?

I've got the exact opposite problem. I canceled 2 excursions to get a better price. The website said it canceled them, but when I went to rebook,it said I couldn't book again because I was still booked and had a time conflict. Customer service made an IT ticket. After 2 weeks, the order history shows canceled, but the shore excursions page shows it as reserved. My credit card has been refunded, but customer service says it's booked and everything is in order. Go figure...

I'm sorry you had such unfortunate luck. The first time I was in St. Maarten I met a cab driver (Ramone in cab 222) who was awesome. Very friendly and really wanted to show us the island. When I returned a few months later with my family, he gave us a custom, in depth tour of the whole island. It took 3 hours and hit all of the highlights including Maho Beach and Orient beach. It was a bargain at $300 for 6 passengers in a nice, clean spacious van. That tour is still a highlight of our cruising experience.

The hop-on hop-off bus tour in Cartegena Colombia! It included several stops and a guided walking tour of the famous walled city. Sounded great. The walking tour was fine, but traffic was so heavy that we didn't feel comfortable getting off the bus for fear of missing the ship. This proved to be a good call. We made it back to the ship with less than 30 minutes before all aboard time. What a disappointment! In St. Lucia my family took a waterfall hike and private beach excursion that turned into a disaster. So bad, I doubt it is still offered. It started off fine with a stop in a fishing village. Then we went on the hike back to a beautiful waterfall. I felt uneasy when there was a sign warning against climbing on the falls, but the guide encouraged everyone to do so. My son was one of the climbers and had an unfortunate accident ending with a broken leg. The guide was no help. My son limped back to the truck, but there was one more stop at the beach. Since the tour description said they would shuttle people back to the ship early if desired, I asked if they would do that. The answer was no. Once back at the ship, the guide simply dropped us off at the entrance to the port. Once again, my son had to limp to the ship to get proper treatment. I can't imagine that Royal Caribbean still offers this excursion, but I've never really heard anything once we were back on board. That's it for my horror stories. I've had some incredible experiences with Royal's shore excursions. But then, I've had a couple that I wish I had missed!