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Our Greek Isles cruise is booked and we are counting down the days until embarkation. We booked 2 cabins, one a Junior Suite (for the parents), and one Ocean View Balcony (for the adult kids). I put in a Royal Up request for another JS, but in case that doesn't work out, I've got a couple of logistics to figure out. Right now we are on different decks and have different muster stations. Not worried about the different decks, but the different muster stations is a little more concerning. Is there anything I can do to request both cabins have same muster stations? When we board, will the "kids" be allowed to board with us in the Suites/Pinnacle line or do they have to go to a separate line for boarding? Thank you!

Wasn't the murder mystery dinner a big part of cruising in the 70s? Way before my time. My ship would have more creative food and music outlets. I already like the neighborhoods they have but maybe they could use a little character. A dive bar, a music joint, a tattoo parlor, etc. We are big into music so maybe a "Song of the Seas" type ship with more live music venues......a dinner show with Sinatra or Opera music and everyone gets dressed up, a honkytonk/country bar with live music, and maybe use of the Aqua Theater for an afternoon or evening concert...even add a beach bar to CocoCay with someone singing Buffet and Chesney songs. Maybe a less formal Chef's Table experience where you make and eat the food but in half the time than the 3-4 hours it takes now. I'm thinking an open kitchen concept. An Amazing Race day or weeklong event for those that want to participate for the active sport minded (flow rider, zip line, rock climbing, ice skating, food challenges) Dodgeball tournament!!!

The JS on Quantum class ships are pretty nice. The answer to your question really depends on what you are looking for.....extra space to relax, bigger bathroom, more C & A points, embarkation line with other suite guests, access to Coastal Kitchen? We like the extra space and points but only if the $$ to book a JS over a balcony are not enormous.

The promotion has worked out well for us even though we would be Diamond even without it. We were the "one cruise a year" people but decided to start booking Junior Suites twice per year with the hopes of attaining Diamond by early 2021. Then COVID happened and 4 of our 5 cruises got postponed. Thanks to the double-double promotion we achieved Diamond last October, have sailed once in 2022 and have one more double-double cruise coming up end of May that will get us to 150 points (and our first glass block). Never thought we would come close to D+ but thanks to the promotion, we should get there at the end of 2023. Not a chance we will see Pinnacle.

Agreed.....I'm sure they have a complex formula to extract as much money as possible. Not enough people buying a package, the amount goes down. Too much demand and the price goes up. The dollar amount is what you should pay attention to, the percentages are just a way to get your attention. Check the cruise planner often and you may be able to snag a good deal and save money.

Everyone has a different experience. Some get over it quickly, others it may linger longer. My wife tested positive the middle of January and we had to cancel our cruise. But we made our next cruise last week of February.

You have to cancel your package before buying another one. Your scenario happened to me once when I cancelled Coco Cay Beach Club for a better price. When I tried to rebook it seconds later, it showed as Sold Out.

@Patty123.....this happened to us in January. We contacted our travel agent and sent proof of positive test. Cruise was canceled and refund issued. We also had the option to move our cruise to a later date. You can also contact Royal directly (Matt supplied the info in the post above).

They definitely went down earlier this year when the new variant caused a lot of cancellations. Some of the minimums went down significantly.

I also recall going to WJ later in the evening about 5 years ago on a smaller nonamplified Royal ship. Maybe 9 or 10 pm "ish". As far as Symphony being closed for lunch, on the Oasis ships they have 2 entrances and frequently one side may be closed at times. We made that mistake thinking the WJ was closed before realizing we could walk to the other side.

Just experienced this with flights from DC to West Coast Thursday on JetBlue. Delays, labor shortages, and other reasons had them asking me to come back Friday. I begged my way on another flight, connected in Boston to another lengthy delay and issues and arrived to Vegas at midnight. Coming back last night (different airline/no issues) I saw more people with cancelled flights and delays on JetBlue. I mostly flew on Southwest last year and out of 30 flights, 80 % of my flights delayed by more than 2 hours or cancelled. The struggle for them is real. I am driving 9 hours to TN later this month to avoid the hassles and costs of flying. American and Delta seem to be doing better.

We have a JS booked on Odyssey for 2023 and it has the split bathroom layout. Should be nice.

The JS in Oasis and Anthem class are very nice. We made the decision to switch from Balconies to JS a couple of years ago. I try to pick cruises where the JS price is not significantly above the Balcony price. Part of the strategy was to take 2 or 3 cruises each year instead of just one with the goal of hitting Diamond in 2020. Then COVID hit and we had to reschedule all 5 or our cruises but eventually made it to Diamond last Fall. Now we no longer purchase the drink package and enjoy our Diamond drinks each day. The savings helps to offset the extra money we paid for the JS. 4 drinks per day x two people = $100+ each day. Multiple that by the number of days for your cruise and the savings add up quick. ( If you are a dedicated drink package purchaser, the math may not work in all cases.)

For the drink package, we have had good luck with sending one person to a bar with BOTH seapass cards to get two drinks. Never had an issue.

You can bring a wine opener or better yet, get the bottles with twist off caps. We fill up glasses and take them to dinner or shows. On Oasis earlier this month, our room attendant saw the bottles of wine and left us 2 wine glasses each day. That was unexpected but much appreciated.

Our next cruise is in 66 days on Brilliance. I (we) are excited because our young adult children will be joining us for a trip to Venice, the Greek Islands, and Croatia. Since the kids are older now, time spent with them is very special.

#1-we were in Belize City having a drink at the bar right outside of the dock when a man on a stretcher was rushed past us by 4 Royal Employees wearing hazmat suits. We asked that night if anyone heard anything about the man or his condition. Nobody knew. This happened during the last week of February 2020.......... #2-our very first cruise was on NCL, on our 2 day voyage back from Bermuda, the ship engines were cut off in the middle of the ocean for nearly 3 hours. We watched two divers go overboard and under the ship. It was very quiet, and somewhat eerie.

I live in the Mid Atlantic so it's soda and Coke here. The "tonic" description in Cape Cod area was very confusing during our summer vacations. Just so there is no debate, that thing you plug into the wall to clean your carpets/floors is called a vacuum, not a sweeper.

We are having similar issues getting to Ravenna from Venice, and leaving from Ravenna. Not a lot of information available. Google searches show that you can take a bus, a train, or hire private transportation. Some have posted on this forum they secured a shuttle from Venice airport and downtown Venice to Ravenna but I can't confirm that info. We are leaning towards private transportation to get to and from the port unless a better option materializes.

We have been asked on all of 3 of our recent cruises. One crew member even took the time to explain that 5 is the best score and 1 was the lowest score and explained some people get confused. Nearly all of our interactions with Royal crew have been outstanding and we are happy to give positive reviews to support them.

Mine is pretty simple: People that are rude to the crew. Just stop already.

Anything after midnight (East coast time) will work. Even if you are in the Midwest and it's only 11 pm, I'm pretty sure the test time is registered as midnight.

#1-yes, you can get rideshare (Uber/Lyft) from the cruise port to FLL and back. We typically book as soon as we get our bags at the airport, or clear customs at the cruise port. Taxis are another option. #2-most ships are not fully booked....yet. Passenger counts are increasing each week plus you have Easter, Spring Breaks, and a new ship like Wonder to add to the mix. We've been to CocoCay 3 times post pandemic with multiple ships in port and it's never felt overcrowded. #3-COVID definitely made dining alone or with your companion a lot easier. Still shouldn't be an issue to have a table just for you and your wife. #4-No checking in early, nothing to see or eat at the cruise port in Miami. You can stay at the airport to get food or perhaps get a taxi/uber to take you to the outside marketplace near the Miami Heat basketball arena (think it's called American Airlines arena?) for food and shopping. Very close to the port. We typically have our uber driver take us to a grocery store or Walgreens to pick up 2 bottles of wine, soda and water to carry on the ship. That's a good way to use up at least 30-45 minutes. If you are sailing from Port Everglades, I'm not sure. #5-Not sure when your cruise takes place. Right now, crew is wearing masks. Vaccinated passengers do not have to mask up except at the cruise port, and possibly at some of the port stops you might make (we had to wear them in the port area in St. Thomas). #6-I'm not sure about the temperature screening. We had it done a few months ago, but not 2 weeks ago in Miami, unless they were doing it with sensors or something we didn't see.

Our Greek Isles cruise from Ravenna is departing May 29th. We are flying into Venice on May 27th and will need to figure out how to get to Ravenna the morning of the 29th and how to get COVID tested on the 27th or 28th. We may take the train or hire a driver unless we can figure out the RCCL shuttle from Venice city center. Do I just call RCCL directly to inquire? After the cruise, we are trying to get to Bologna to fly to Munich. I know I can get a taxi/driver to get us to the Bolgna airport but worried about getting off ship, with bags, clearing customs, checking in at airport, getting through security (and customs?), and checking bags again. Would a 9:50 am flight from Bologna be too unrealistic?

We saved $70 with a Cruise Planner sale today. I'll take it!