steverk

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.

I think you might have missed my point. Regardless of how you feel about the specific sailing, it was a very recent example of a price drop. Since I was responding to your post that such things weren't happening, I was simply putting forward a counter example.

I had a Caribbean cruise out of San Juan get a price adjustment just last week. They mat be rare but they do still happen.

I just looked. Seems like a complete load to me. They aren't cheap. I just priced an ocean view on Radiance southbound for early June. Total for 2 people including taxes was just under $3K.

I'd work on developing new ports and destinations. That could include private islands but also new markets. South America and India are notably underdeveloped. I'd also look for more destinations in the Caribbean, but aside from Campeche Mexico, I think it's pretty well tapped out.

I have recently retired, so I have plenty of time. I've been told there are 3 phases of retirement. Go-go years. Slow-go years. No-go years. I'm determined to enjoy my go-go years. My father managed a credit union and taught me to save for retirement from day one. Therefore, I can afford to enjoy these years and plan to see as much as possible. I choose cruising because it offers great value in travel. Yes, it is expensive. On the other hand, taking a road trip to a national park is surprisingly expensive too. Hotels are routinely $200 per night-or close to it. Tours, food, entertainment...it's all expensive and adds up in a hurry. I'm sure we can all find cheaper travel, but I'm not looking to be miserable just to leave a large inheritance. With luck, my last check (written to the undertaker) will bounce.

It's a ways back there. Follow the shops around just past the chocolate shop. There's a hallway that leads to another shopping area. Inside that area is a new pool and the new Flowrider.

Btw. Last time I was in Costa Maya they were building a flowrider on shore. It appeared to be complete, but wasn't open. I have no idea what it will cost or what tricks will be allowed.