Va4fam

Hoping the Utopia Bathrooms have a little more "wow." Love the Solarium Suite bathroom but don't think I can get 6 people in there!

My unsolicited comment. This forum continues to be a great resource for me when planning and researching cruises and excursions. Many people have been here a long time and patiently answer the same types of questions over and over without judgment or criticism. Stay on here long enough and you wil see how the cycle repeats. I don't pay much attention to post count unless someone writes a negative review with their first or second post. If you are comfortable commenting, liking, or sharing info on other posts, by all means do so. One way for you to "connect" with others (and increase your posts) is to share knowledge about a ship or itinerary when someone posts questions, and follow along with trip reports and blogs. Better yet, start your own blog/trip report to share with everybody. I never knew I wanted to go to Norway or Grand Turk until I read about other cruiser experiences.

Thank you everyone for your helpful responses. I was happy when I got the nicer JS split bathroom on Odyssey last year. Villa might be "more" than we or my checkbook needs! What is the bed/bathroom configuration for 2 BR ATS....and difference between the "large" and regular 2 BR ATS?

Sailed numerous times in Junior Suites but never a real suite or Star Class. A Big Birthday and Retirement are coming up soon, and think it's time for a YOLO Star Class booking. What is the largest cabin you can book in Star Class and which ship(s)? Think a 2 BR ATS would be my preference. How many people? We would like to have 6 people but mock booking on Royal's site only allows me to book 4 people. How do you properly thank your Genie even if it's a 3 or 4 day cruise?

Interesting change. We have been stalking the Feb 3rd sailing for months to pair it up with a Feb Wonder cruise and a Universal Studios weekend sandwiched in the middle. Maybe this is a sign to go ahead and book it...............???

Uber/Lyft are solid choices and probably the most convenient.

We have never tried the flow rider or rock climbing wall for any of our cruises. Asked my wife today if she would like to do a group lesson......and she said "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO". Should I surprise her anyway?

We booked an AirBNB in Venice for 3 nights before taking private transportation to Ravenna morning of cruise. Glad we spent the extra time in Venice, what a beautiful and fascinating city. Our cruise was June 2021 and seemed to be one of the first cruises Royal sailed from Ravenna, so not a lot of info or options at that time to get from Venice to Ravenna.

@OCSC Mike....the horror!! Indy has really stepped up with food options if I have my ships right. We have a 12 nighter on Vision in 2026......not a lot of food options....might have to pack a lunchbox.

Fantastic news. Wish every ship had El Loco Fresh and they would keep it open later in evening.

Interesting idea.....I would take Playmakers, ELF with a Sabor-like bar, and Portside BBQ for my dream ship.

I'm not really a "foodie" either but looking forward to our first voyage on Wonder and brunch at Mason Jar. Are the adult beverages included at MJ or is it a good place to use Diamond drinks? What is the one item at Sabor that we should get? We ate at Sabor about 7 years ago on Freedom and seem to remember the margaritas and chips were good.

Keep the blog going.................... In other news, we booked brunch at Mason Jar for our Wonder cruise NEXT February thanks to @OCSC Mike's description and pics. Starting to "wonder" if our Harmony cruise in 4 months will be a foodie letdown?

Great idea linking reservations. Can someone please tell me how to do that?

We have not tried this strategy yet. Do you purchase the last 4 days in advance or a few days into the cruise? Did you say there are no more BOGO dining options for D+? We always get the fruit plate, how do we let Royal know we want the toiletry bag? Which free pics did you choose? I understand posting/blogging can be a chore but I enjoyed reading about your adventures on Wonder. Our first sailing with her will be February '25 so your info was very helpful to us. Even if the "shenanigan meter" was low this time.

Don't you both get 2 free days as D+ members? then there are only 2 days to cover at $29.99. We also skip day one and usually have cell signal until dinner/sailaway.

After port day, we have walked on with unopened individual sized bottles of soda. We also bring a 12 pack of plastic soda bottles (16.9 oz) and typically share or put top back on to use later. It does make them last longer than a can.

............and the midnight buffet! Maybe just once per cruise. More ideas........ >No smoking in the casino. That's a real attraction for us! >Game show night >Amazing race type scavenger hunt >Swim spa? >Beach/dive bar with live music (still would like to see this at Coco Cay) >One day each cruise convert pool/neighborhoods into a "WipeOut" course.....televise on the big screen and have goofy commentators >Bring back Tribute Bands!! >And just for fun, how about a "retro cruise"......dress up for dining, traditional music and entertainment, slower pace and quiet.

Only been to thermal suite on Anthem and Oasis. Steam room, sauna, rain showers, thermal beds were all that we saw.

Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the perks we do get. Royal and Celebrity are upfront about perks and they are relatively easy to use. Moving to a unified platform would be great (drink vouchers, internet, etc). Moving to an earn-and-burn approach would eradicate my desire to remain loyal to one cruise line/family.

The entire announcement is somewhat of a "head scratcher." They have some amazing, smart, and creative people assembled together to improve the brand and wow their loyal customers.............but instead chose to nudge a few perks our way but mostly stand pat?!! Where's the free drinks? Free internet? Free pictures? BOGO speciality dining? Points earned across all brands?

Just got the email too. We are D+ which makes us Elite Plus on Celebrity. 2 complimentary bags of laundry and 240 streaming minutes seem to be the best perks?

Agree with @twangster....if we do a Transatlantic, our preference is to fly to Europe, look around for a day or two, sail back to the States. Heading eastbound with shorter days and a long end of voyage does not sound like fun.

Also want to do a Transatlantic...preferably from Europe back to the States. Just waiting for Fall 2026 release dates.

It might be helpful to have everyone share the date of their successful Royal Up cruise. Pricing has changed a lot in the last 2.5 years.