S0nny

This has been the case on our cruises. I’m an early to rise person. I always try and wake up early enough to watch us come into port back home, and I always miss it (even waking up at 5 am!) I would always recommend travel insurance and flexibility when it comes to cruising. But a LARGE percentage of cruisers fly home the day of the cruise (at least in my limited anecdotal experience). To answer your original question, customs has always gone smoothly, and even though there are long lines, they are constantly moving. Anecdotally we have been off the ship and through customs in as little as 27 minutes (only slightly less than our friends thanks to our Global Entry card on Empress of the Seas returning from Cuba. But it has also taken close to 45 minutes on a partly full Oasis cruise.

Congrats! I love your vlogs on YouTube ? Thank you so much for opening up about processes that a lot of us are curious about!

I feel MORE safe and secure in an Uber or Lyft than I ever have in any cab (and I’ve traveled the world while in the Air Force). We recently just went to México City to visit with a friend who works for the embassy, and the embassy RECOMMENDS using ride sharing because they are safer!

Luggage is often included in travel insurance. I hate nothing more than lost luggage... but appropriate coverage always provides some additional peace of mind. (Also, if you have a specialty credit card, they often include some lost luggage coverage if you use your card for the purchase!)

We bring a USB fan too. I’ve heard of some people asking for a box fan and having been accommodated by their room steward.

How exciting!! You’re going to LOVE Rome! We did the hop-on-hop-off bus and got to see the whole city :)

I nagged and NAGGED my husband because he wanted to book The Key. He’s always been a bougie elitist... the quintessential champagne drinker on a beer budget ? We normally only get one internet package, so I wasn’t convinced of the added value... Our upcoming sailing on Harmony is practically sold out... and while I was savvy by pre-booking our entertainment... With the ship being so full, there are so many factors with dinner (UDP and no reservations) and whatnot... I’m happy we have a little more wiggle room! I will post a blog of our trip and put details in there about whether it ended up being worth it to us!

Something you may want to consider (as the others were eluding to), I think the value really is only based off one notion: will you be buying a refreshment drink package? That package includes fresh juice, specialty coffee/tea, soda, and bottled water. On my cruise planner, the cost of the Refreshment Package is $26. The cost of the UBP is $56. That brings your break even alcohol purchase to 2.5 alcoholic beverages per person. We woke up every morning and had a green juice from the spa, a specialty coffee or two, we were always bringing bottled water back to the room... and then of course indulging in the booze. Break down the math between the two, and let that help your decision!

I had the same question! Glad I found it here ?

Good job dude! Keep up the great work!

I was reading the terms of service and noticed this! Apparently they also use it to make identifying your onboard pictures easier too. Gone are the days of printing out thousands of pictures only to throw them away. Not a huge fan of having a company manage this, but I suppose it’s almost inevitable at this point...

This! My spouse doesn’t really use the internet all that often. I’m the one who usually going live from the ship or constantly uploading pictures. (He joined in on making fun of me for always posting, but LOVED the fact that pictures of our vacation were already uploaded to social media before we got home). Sharing wasn’t ever really an issue, if he wanted online, I would just hop off! Easily shared if you’re trying to save a few bucks ?

Lol dagnabbit! Ours is still stuck at $27.99.

Not a silly question! Just being thorough ? we’ve taken a ride share for almost every cruise! I hope your trip is amazing!!

They did this on our last sailing to two people in our party. I wonder what was wrong with their pictures?

I think a beachside dance party with fireworks, live music, included beverages would be a lot of fun! You could have all day to relax and soak up the rays, and party into the wee morning hours. Sounds like a blast to me. Having cruised most of the Caribbean destinations, we are considering cruise itineraries that include multiple stops to Cocoa Cay and Labadee. We always have a blast on those days!

If you have never experienced Cuban food ?? I highly recommend you try some while in Miami! I recommend this place we ate at last time we were there. It’s close to the port, and would make a great refresher before exploring! Try the Ropa Viela, Cuban Sandwich, and Cuban cordadito (Cuban coffee crack!). If you’re not an adventurous eater, at least try Cuban coffee (can be found almost everywhere in Miami). My favorites are cordadito (the sweet nectar from heaven ), a colada (for your afternoon perks), or just your café con leche (your inner basic white girl drink with some Cuban pizazz!) Colada Cuban Cafe 525 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33301 (954) 368-4705 https://goo.gl/maps/52y2wAwDgiiLukUh6

Nikola Tesla (for the conversations) Lady Gaga (For the entertainment) And Jake Gyllenhall (because he looks like a super fun dude)

It appears as if swim diapers are permitted on Independence of the Seas in the H2O Zone, but is only meant in the super shallow part intended for babies and toddlers. I’ve heard about swim diapers in other areas going unnoticed by crew, but it would make sense as a health code violation if there are areas built without proper mitigation of bacteria. No one wants to be that family responsible for the pool closing down on a cruise day for draining and cleaning. https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=3254 https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/07/08/what-you-need-know-about-taking-infant-royal-caribbean-cruise

Our first cruise with Royal was out of Ft. Lauderdale. We showed up when the “check in” time told us to (which had to have been around 12:30 or 1:00 pm. ) It was busy, but the line was always moving. It took about 45 minutes to an hour to get on board. This last cruise, our entire group checked in online. That means your picture is already done, your documents signed and have your set sail pass in hand. At the time we checked in, there never seemed to be more than 20-30 people in any of the different loyalty lines. The terminal seemed like a well oiled machine. Definitely check in before the terminal, and just have your passport/ID in hand with your set sail pass. The quicker you get through the line, the faster you get to the bar!

We leave in 3 weeks for our cruise out of Port Canaveral. After reviewing the costs of the hotels close to the port, we opted for staying in Orlando. It seemed like we can get a way nicer hotel for the same cost. My biggest concern was transportation to the port; the end decision was to just book an Uber/Lyft to get there. Private conveyance was going to be about the same cost for 2 people, but without having to shuttle with other guests. CruiseTipsTV Had a pretty good review of Go Port if you're looking for other other options!

One of our crew ordered a Pizza (on Empress) at 2 in the morning. It took less than 30 minutes to get to us! (nothing like the post bar crawl munchies ? )

We sailed on Empress Nov 2018 out of Miami. My husband and I were Gold level, and the other 4 in the group were NOT. There was a separate and longer line for the NON-loyalty members to check in. We told the person directing the passengers that they were with us and kindly asked if we could all check in together. They let us! There was no separate lounge, but we were able to board just in front of the non-gold members! Hope it works for you too! Happy sailing!

We got there at 12:21 (running a little behind since we had a group of 6... someone didn't print out their information like their cruise planner <me> told them to ?). Got into the ship just before 1pm (I say it wouldn't hurt to get there at 10! since we met a lot of people on board who arrived at 10am

Love the vlogs! Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us!