Va4fam

@Plasticbrain.....What kind of weather should we expect in the middle of May for these ports?

Thanks @Matt for the link. Lot of good information in your blog post. Curious if the ships get the "water cannon" treatment when they depart their home port? What happens to everyone that booked the ship if it gets delayed?

Thanks @Ryan79.......it might be fun to do at least once (YOLO!). Curious if they do anything special for the first cruise....champagne, mementos, etc?

Website back up and running again. Got lunch at Jamie's for $14.99 pp. Best internet price I am seeing is $17.99 for one cruise and $20.99 for the other. 3 night dining package has not changed at all and remains at $131.99. We may do the D+ BOGO for specialty dining and skip the 3 nighter.

Royal's cruise planner is currently spinning....guess the word got out quickly.

Just checked the app. Internet is $17.99 per night and deluxe beverage package is $59.99.

It's FOMO time. Or YOLO time. Maybe both. Thinking of taking an inaugural sailing in the next couple of years and wanted to know why we should....or should not consider one. Who's done it? What did you like? Not like? Would you do it again and why?

@DoomSlayer.....hope that cough doesn't turn into a cold.

The middle pool was our favorite. Lots in water loungers and the shade from the "arm" was nice during hot/sunny Caribbean days. The bar also seemed to be very efficient.

Last year I braced for tepid Black Friday offerings and pleasantly surprised to get soda package for $6.99 , internet for $13 a day and the Labadee zip line for 50% off. Hopefully this year will bring something good.

@jefflavey...welcome to the boards and hope you have a great cruise. Not sure which itinerary you are on, but if you are headed to Cabo on Navigator, there are some decent and professional massage places that cost a fraction of what you get on the ship. If a ship massage is what you want, best to prebook or visit the spa on the first day to get best rates.

When we sailed from California earlier this year, we heard Navigator affectionately referred to as the "Weed of the Seas" Seems to be prevalent everywhere. Glad you had amazing cruise.

Thanks @USCG Teacher for sharing the info and pic. Very helpful. The train station is 5 minutes from our house and riding to NYC on the train is more enjoyable than dealing with airports these days.

Thanks everyone for your responses. Awesome that our forum is full of helpful people.

@Teddy.....thanks for your input. We are booked on the Northeast Regional.

@RCIfan1912.....I think you are correct but I can't find it anywhere. I know when we were in Italy last year we stored bags at the end of the passenger car but I don't recall seeing that on Amtrak.

thanks @smokeybandit.....checked baggage service is not available at our train station.

We are sailing on Anthem in January from Bayonne. On the day before cruise, we plan to take Amtrak from our hometown in Virginia to downtown NYC. Hotel, Dinner, maybe a show. Then a simple taxi or UBER to cruise port on embarkation day. Amtrak does not seem to have baggage services available....meaning we get to carry on everything needed for 11 day cruise and overnight in NYC. The bags need to be the correct size to fit in the open bins above the seats. Is this correct? Has anyone else taken the train pre-cruise and brought larger bags? Thank you.

We enjoyed our trip to Alaska this summer and considering going back in 2025. I didn't see the 8 night Vancouver to Seattle trip that Royal had this year and in 2024.. Is it no longer an option or did I just miss it?

Great pic of our fearless leader! What kind of drink is that?

Looks beautiful. Not too many people at the pool that day

Attending the top tier event is a good way to get the info. Asking the Loyalty Ambassador would be another.

We are D+ and with little interest in Diamond Lounge. Add a voucher, extra day of internet, soda package=problem solved. Engine room happy hour? That's something I would attend.

Oasis, Odyssey, Symphony, Navigator, Anthem

Although all excursions offer something unique and different, there are 2 that come to mind that I won't repeat: (1) HoHo bus in Vancouver-the city is beautiful, the people are friendly, the weather was perfect. The bus tour was expensive and horrible. The first guide took us to Stanley Park and narrated the entire way....he got off at the stop and the next "guide" got on and never said a word. We never knew what was coming up, what we were looking at, or when to get off. (2) Cave Tubing in Belize. What could go wrong with a hike through the jungle and a gentle tube ride in giant bat-filled caves? Let's start with the bus. We took several small buses to connect with the large bus that would take us to our destination. About 15 minutes into the trip, we heard a loud bang and smelled something burning. We asked the guides if everything was ok, they said it was just the brakes burning. As we went further from Belize City, the bus shook and rattled before the driver finally pulled to the side. Yep, definitely a tire blow out. Sat on the road with no a/c for over an hour before the little buses retrieved us and took us to the excursion. The first family stepped off the bus and into a colony of fire ants....and needed to be evacuated back to the port. Our hike and tube time were scenic but rushed, and the driver did his best Daytona 500 impression to get us back to port on time. The guides had a good sense of humor and told us no charge for the "extra adventure."