steverk

I had a CP balcony once. For me, never again. I felt like the there was no privacy. We had some noise bleed from above, but it was tolerable. The privacy was my big irritation. On the other hand, my kids love a CP balcony. They especially like hearing the music in the evening.

I think it's incredibly generous that you're doing this for your niece. I've never been that generous and I don't think you should feel bad at all. As far as excursions, both Cozumel and Costa Maya have large shopping areas at the head of the pier. Costa Maya even has a couple free pools and a flowrider (I don't know the cost). In Cozumel you can take a taxi in to town and explore on the cheap or go to a beach. I'm not a beach person, so maybe someone can give more specific advice. I wouldn't worry about a drink package. As many people have said, a lot is included. If your niece really wants a Coke, you can carry on 12 cans or 16.9 Oz. Bottles on your first day. A more important issue is paperwork. Make sure you have everything you need. Since your niece is a minor, you'll need documentation that you have permission from her parents. I also recommend passports for both of you.

In a somewhat related question, if deep1 wanted to get off the ship between the sailings and tour the town, how would he/she do that?

I always use an agent. If you have a good one, it's not only easier, but larger ones, like Cruise Planners or MEI, create corporate groups. If you can get in one, they're a good deal.

I think it depends on what you want and, of course, budget. Harmony has more going on. More shows. More venues. More dining options. More people. More. More. More. If you're looking for a vacation with constant activity, this is the ship for you. Mariner is smaller but very similar to Freedom. It's basically the same layout with very similar venues and experiences. With that being the case, you should be able to draw on your Freedom experience for an idea of what it will be like. Personally, I find a ship of this size to be a perfect blend of relaxation and activity. I'm sure you'll enjoy either ship.

I haven't found any. I've found some good deals on the Cruise Planner, but not on the cruises themselves.

I just checked and it appears 2025 Caribbean itineraries have been released.

Yes. I absolutely have seen this on more than one item.

Solarium has steps. As I recall, main pool had Ladders only.

We would prefer to have it all rolled in, but nobody expects to happen any time soon.

Definitely check with a travel agent. All of the advice in this thread is correct for sailings booked in the United States, but I'm not sure about Europe. I've heard repricing isn't possible in Europe.

Brilliance and Radiance are nearly identical. The big difference is the itinerary. Radiance does one way sailings between Seward and Vancouver. Brilliance does round trip Vancouver. I really prefer the one way sailings as you see more of Alaska.

All of the Radiance Class vessels have the soft serve in the Windjammer. Since those are the only ones I've ever found on the ship, you can only access them when the Windjammer is open.

I was one of the biggest critics of the new terminal's boarding process at the end of last year. However, they have vastly improved! It's quite good now. Some areas of improvement remain though. Depending on how many people arrive at the terminal, they will hold people (especially those that arrive before their assigned boarding time) outside. There's very little shade or shelter. So it can be very uncomfortable when it rains or during the hot summer months.

I've been on one Princess cruise and a bunch of Royal cruises. While I prefer Royal, I would Saul Princess again. I had a great time. As mentioned, the atmosphere is different on Princess. Regardless of the size, it's much more like sailing a Vision or radiance class vessel. The crowd is older. They have more enrichment type events. My advice is to try Princess. You might really enjoy it. I doubt you'll hate it.

Hard to say as it depends on the weather. As a general rule, smaller ships have more motion than large.

Royal still prints the daily paper. You can ask your stateroom attendant or guest services. There's no telling how much longer this will be true, but it's true now. Shuffleboard has never been my thing, but I can't think of a royal ship that doesn't have it.

Here's my source for saying Roatan is a fairly dangerous port. https://www.aronfeld.com/the-most-dangerous-cruise-ship-ports-in-the-world/ Tldr: the US State Department lists Roatan as a high risk port.

As mentioned before, Belize is a tender port. I would definitely go with a Royal excursion for that port. Honduras is a fairly dangerous port. I've been told that cruise line excursions are statistically safer than 3rd party excursions. For that reason, I'd stick with a Royal excursion there as well. As far as specific recommendations, there's a float trip through a cave in Belize. I don't specifically remember the name of the excursion, but there's more than one way to do it. One of them, that looked really fun, was a zip line through a cave followed by the float trip and lunch. I did the hike, float and lunch. It was great, but the zip line looks even better. In Roatan, the President's Cruise did an excursion to Turquoise bay resort. I really enjoyed it.

I've sailed on Allure and found it really isn't my cup of tea. On the good side, the play, aqua show and ice show were all spectacular. There was always activity and the ship did a great job of keeping the crowds spread out. On the other hand, it was a long hike to wherever I wanted to go. The shows repeated several times to allow everyone to see them. However, this limited the total number of shows to see. The Windjammer and elevators were always crowded. My adult children liked Allure, so it's just a matter of taste. Overall, I prefer a Freedom or Voyager class vessel.

I agree with everything above. Just don't forget to tip.

I talked to a local that grew up there. She recommends the antebellum mansions. The food is also very good. I've been to the French Quarter and was very disappointed. Every major city has a red light district. NO is the only one I can think of that calls it a family friendly tourist destination.

I was recently on Jewel and sailed Grandeur about a year ago. I consider Jewel an upgrade. It has a nicer Crown Lounge and a few more features such as a mini golf. That said, both are fine ships that I wouldn't hesitate to sail again. On cabin selection, I'd avoid balconies on decks 7 and deck 10 as they both have rather obstructed views. If you're looking at a window cabin, I normally like 4016 on Radiance class. But Jewel has a defective deck plate just outside that cabin's door. When someone walks down the hall and steps on it, it gives a little bit and sounds like a huge bass drum. Therefore I'd suggest 4516 instead. Enjoy your cruise! It should be a great trip!

I understand royal has said no. However, freedom and oasis aren't cold weather capable. So, if Royal wants to continue sailing northern Europe and Alaska, they'll have to do more quantum class ships or a new class entirely

We can continue to grouse about prices if that's what everyone wants to do. Or we can try to find sailings that are still reasonable and work together to enjoy those. The latter option seems much more productive.