Va4fam

So great to be cruising again and hope that everyone has a fantastic time on their latest or next cruise. We typically enjoy the ship as much as the destinations and like to try all the fun things to do. On our last cruise, we finally tried room service for the first time. It was great....sitting on the balcony and watching the world go by. One thing we haven't done yet even though it has been offered on every ship......Rock Climbing. We are not against it but never seemsto match up our schedule with when climbing sessions are available. Maybe next cruise. How about you...what's something you have not tried on a cruise ship, and will you try at some point, or never at all?

Anthem has solid choices in Jamie's and Chops. We took the kids to Wonderland and thoroughly enjoyed the experience but not necessarily the food. It was interesting, creative, and......different? Glad we did it but likely a one and done for us.

We were on Symphony end of September. Looks like the pools closed at 6:30 pm or 8 pm during that week. Picture below (on the left) We were on Oasis last week. Pools were open later (7 pm, 8 pm, and 11 pm). Picture below on the right.

We were in Cozumel a few weeks ago and went to Mr. Sancho's. And we were in Nassau last Wednesday and did the Pearl Island Snorkel/Beach Break. Both were very nice.

We got stuck in traffic and arrived about 25 minutes late for our check in at Bayonne. They ushered us right to the front.

@Matt is correct! The parking garage is just a few feet from the the entrance to the terminal. Super convenient.

Thank you Rob&Ana for your response about the ability to move the booking.......it is refundable.

BrianB's Windjammer report is accurate. We were on the same Oasis sailing. Only thing I can add is that the WJ was hoppin' every time we went. Sometimes difficult to find a table! Crew was amazing. We did not make reservations at the WJ and must have missed that memo but had no issues.

I understand the criteria for the double points but have a scenario that I'm not sure of. Booked a January 2023 cruise before the September 30th deadline. What happens if we move the cruise to 2022, would it qualify for double points?

We just had Portside BBQ last week on Oasis. Food was pretty good, I had the burnt ends and my wife had the brisket. It's a lot of food for an a la carte price (no cover) and pretty tasty desserts. They also have a live country music entertainer at various times during the afternoon/evening. Even had the staff do a line dance. I'd go back.

We left some for our room attendant and he was very appreciative!

Yes, the aqua theater is showing NFL games. We planned to watch the Ole Miss/Auburn game on Saturday at Playmakers but told that they don't carry ABC and could not show it. Definitely had FOX. Also checked the room tv but no luck there either. I'm sure if the event is big enough like a Super Bowl, they would find a way to show it.

We have been on 2 cruises (Symphony and Oasis) during the past 4 weeks. To the best of my knowledge, no drink cards were advertised or offered during our trips. Pre COVID we successfully acquired the drink card several times but always told it expired at the end of the voyage.

I got the same message a few weeks ago the first night of our Symphony cruise. Interesting that they are waiting so long.

We just got back from our Symphony cruise 2 weeks ago. It was amazing! Probably closer to 50% capacity for our sailing. Most places on the ship were open but sometimes operating on a limited schedule (Windjammer, Park Cafe, etc). Crew was fantastic. Bring your masks.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't running during our trip 2 weeks ago.

Remember that the islands and Caribbean always seem to have showers/rain in the forecast each day. We were on Symphony 2 weeks ago and there were 2 hurricanes headed our way when we boarded. The weather was stormy leaving Miami and rained when we got back. Otherwise, blue skies and smooth seas. Hopefully your weather will cooperate too.

COVID delayed our Diamond status by a year (4 cruises cancelled). But we will finally earn Diamond at the end of this month QUESTION- We booked our January '22 cruise almost 2 years ago and downsized from a JS to a balcony. Does anyone know if we switch back to a JS if we will get the double points? I miss the double points promotion already. Maybe they will bring it back for Black Friday? Or cruises to Cuba? Wishful thinking.

Our Oasis cruise next weekend was a Guarantee Junior Suite. Did not receive the room assignment until 14 days before embarkation date. Used the Apple Wallet trick and figured out my room assignment about a week before that. Not sure about RoyalUP, they may wait to notify you last minute.

We were able to secure 1 pm check in time for our Symphony sailing in Miami about 30 days in advance. Seemed like a lot of people had the same time and it took nearly an hour to get processed and on board. We were in a Junior Suite and able to use the Suite/Pinnacle line if that helps. The regular check in line was severely backed up. The cruise was last weekend in Sept. We have another cruise next weekend in Bayonne. We were given a variety of check in options from 1-4 pm and chose 3 pm because we wanted to do Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty tour. I decided that getting on the ship would be better and modified my check in time last night to 12:30 pm. It was super easy to change the time.

We are getting closer to our first. If we change our 11 nighter in January to a JS, we could earn a block on Oasis in February. If not, it will probably be on Rhapsody or Navigator (one of our sentimental favorites).

Have a couple of questions about C & A benefits. Does Royal still hand out the ship blocks after 140 points? How does it work.....do you receive the block as soon as you hit the points threshold or do they wait until your next cruise to give it to you? How do they pick the ship? Is it the one you sailed on to reach the points quota or the next ship that you sail on? Does anyone have a picture of their block they can share? Once you receive your first block, do you keep earning them after 70 additional points? 2nd question is about C & A benefits for adult children traveling with us. If we are Diamond, and they are sharing a suite with us, will they receive Diamond benefits too? What happens if they have their own room, will they be at their current levels (Platinum)? Thank you so much.

I have never received any offers from Casino Royale either? I think my wife and kids are all linked to my email with RCI. Is it necessary to remove them from my account in order to get offers?

Thanks for the updates for your Oasis cruise. Keep the pictures and the information coming. We are on the same cruise/itinerary in 2 1/2 weeks. I have lots of questions but will keep it brief: >did you do anything in Port Canaveral? >Where is Portside BBQ located on the ship? >Did you make a reservation for the Music Hall and were there a lot of people in attendance for the show?

We tried RoyalUp for our cruise last week. We bid on 1 and 2 BR Aqua Theater suites. The bid was showing as pending and I forgot about it once we boarded. During our dinner at Izumi, we received the email that our bid was not accepted. I kinda figured that was the case since we had already unpacked, but I probably would have been willing to move after dinner.