djm619

My daughter loves strawberries and was able to get a bowl of strawberries at each dinner, the fruit salad she got had 1 strawberry cut in half. We mentioned it to our waiter and he made sure, she got a bowl of 10 or so strawberries at each dinner + 2 plates of chocolate dipped strawberries on formal nights without asking. Her eyes lighted up.

On our recent Adventure cruise, one of our tablemates had certain dietary requirements that included one evening asking for a plate of boiled green vegetables topped with sautéed mushrooms. She also told them about a fruit and soy milk dessert that she makes at home and they made it for her without her even asking. Each evening they would bring her the next night's menu so she could choose what she wanted and tell them about any adjustments. They were always very accommodating.

I think I might have over kill with the magnets.  I bought the 100 pound from Amazon.  Oh well. I can always hang the wife on the wall.

Alright friends, time to fess up to the worst rookie mistake you made on a cruise, even if you aren't a first time cruiser!
Please share the single mistake/slip up/fail you made on a cruise, so that we can all learn from these mistakes!

Not checking the calendar or should I say not knowing when the super bowl was, cruised out of Miami on super bowl weekend, starting calling motels a month or so in advance for a pre cruise stay, the Holiday in we had stayed before and paid around 160 bucks was 400 bucks for one night, called other motels, either no vacancy or outrages prices, final ask one motel and said super bowl weekend, we even paid double for the cab ride to port, finally found the dumb for 250 a night and regretted that after we arrived, rookie mistake for sure.

Our biggest mistake was not looking at the holiday calendar before we booked a cruise.  In other words, we booked Brilliance over the Easter holiday this past April.  Way too many young kids for our liking.  Our kids are older so when we like to cruise, we like it a little more settled down, a little more mature.  Had we known it was going to be Easter, we would not have booked that date.  We tend to gravitate more towards holiday's that are more "adult oriented", as opposed to "Family Oriented", like Halloween and New Years Eve.  Now, you may ask, why didn't we just move the date..... one word answer...non-refundable.
At the end of the day, we still had a GREAT time, met some awesome folks and were able to cruise with old friends,  what's not to love about being on a cruise, but, it just wasn't what we tend to go towards in having a fantastic cruise experience for the two of us.

Key or not, I would not bother with dragging large luggage onboard. I'd still check the larger bags curbside, and then use the carry-on luggage storage area for my backpack and other junk my kids insist on bringing onboard.

My husband wears a tie to work everyday, so he doesn't want to wear one on vacation.  He'll be in a button down shirt and dress pants. 

We saw one earlier  this year on the Anthem ... the dog was being wheeled around in a baby carriage ??

Not at all.  There is so much going on that it really spreads out the crowds.  Lots of meal options.  Lots of different timings for shows (make sure to book so you have a spot...but DD and I went to Flight a second time in stand by with no issue), lots of bars, lots of activities.  You can always find a quiet spot if that's what you prefer. 
P.S. -We even went on our March break and had no issue.

There is no official number shared with guests. Plenty of guesses out there, but no definitive number has been divulged by Royal Caribbean.

I believe this is still one of those mysteries of Royal Caribbean.  

This is the time that you learn that you often have to go UP in order to go DOWN.

Trying to use the elevators on disembarkation day is a nightmare. Going up is not a problem. But unless you're on Deck 16 (where Windjammer is), good luck finding an elevator going down that isn't full.

Only thing I can think of is they don't want a room too far from that deck so they don't have issues debarking due to stairs/elevators and perhaps needing to escape the ship early to catch a flight.  I've seen the debarkation lines wrap around the ship and on ships that use cabin decks for debarkation, the lines would sometimes creep down the cabin hallways.

Honestly, this blog is fantastic, I only wish I knew about it before my first 2 cruises.  Now going on our 3rd, I've learned so much from reading all these different posts.  I guess the only negative is the resentment my wife has towards it because I won't shut up about our trip or all the new things I've learned about cruising ?.
One question I have, as many people here have recommended the use of a TA, (I have never used one and always booked vacations, whether it's cruises or flights/hotels etc. myself), is does it matter where you live and where the TA is located?  I guess what I mean is that I live in Massachusetts, and many people have recommended MEI TA's, but I have no idea where they are located.  Do you just do everything over the phone or through email?  The idea of using a TA for future travel is tempting but having never used one, just unsure of how it works.

Of course! They have a set number of options that are there every night (including steak (yum)).
Always talk to your waiter/waitress, they'll always be happy to bring you all the steak you'd like! 

I'm always curious why this question gets asked.  Is it just a serious need to plan ahead or is there something else people are looking for that isn't obvious to me?

Usually they use deck 5, the promenade deck at Port Canaveral.

There is usually a variation of steak every night that is included on the menu.  Or at least, a "cooked beef" entree. Beef tenderloin, prime rib, etc.
There is an optional up-charge steak from Chops Grille available every night.

You're going to get a lot of different answers here.  It's a very subjective question.  I think you have to think about what's best for you.  Are you prone to motion sickness?  Then you want mid-ship.  Do you want to be closer to the dining rooms, theaters and evening activities?  Then look at the lower decks.  Are you a pool nut or love the buffet?  Then you may want to be closer to the higher decks.  Do you have mobility issues?  Then you want to look near an elevator.  If you look at pricing, the cabins within each category that have higher prices, tend to be the more sought after thus deemed "better" locations. 

The best seats will vary from person to person.
In my experience, the Key seats were not always the "best" seats in the venue.  Some times, we decided to sit in other sections.  I would suggest that on embarkation day or whenever you can, go into the venues and take a look around and figure out what looks good to you.  Then when you head to the actual shows, you can compared the Key seating area to what you considered good seats earlier.
Have a great trip.

Royal WiFi is very different from Carnival WiFi.  Royal actually works. 
I've streamed football games on Allure.  Carnival always disappointed even with the highest tier package.   I understand exactly what you mean.  

I’m a picky eater too, steak is my fav too.  They have numerous options every night that are beef and the upcharge for chops in the MDR every night.  You could try something new in the MDR and if you don’t like it that much you could always go to the Windjammer or for pizza after.