WAAAYTOOO

We've been on many, many snorkeling, diving or beach excursions and never once have we had any issues with personal items. I just bring a beach bag and put everything in there...never had a problem.

Hmmm....you ask all the hard questions ! LOL I dunno. I never had it happen. I guess you would just tell the porter to go ahead and take your luggage to the suite but to PLEASE take it upstairs....and I would tip them before you separated from them.

This is bot intel. I never knew this.

I have already taken advantage of 7 price reductions on our Christmas cruise on Oasis in December 2022....so the information you were given is incorrect. Keep calling back until you get someone who knows the rules !! Too late to help you, of course, but this is when a good Travel Agent is soooo valuable.

Yikes !

My thoughts on the questionnaire are fairly well known so I won't rehash that, at this point. But I agree with @CGTLH...those kinds of details (tablecloths, etc.) are something that will need to be discussed with the Genie closer to an actual meal ! I have actually had pretty poor luck with getting table cloths for meals (b/c I would fail to ask for one !). The most thorough Genie we ever had for such things was Charlie (no longer a Genie, unfortunately). He would come into the suite before we got back from the casino, lay out the table for us, make cute little hand-made place cards....a really nice table setting. He would also show back up when it was time to clean up and help room service to get it all taken away. Just be sure and ask for a table cloth when you order the meal. I have also discussed the fact that SC tend to be VERY popular...and it seems like there are constant doorbells and phones ringing. One of the things that we now do is to ask the Genie to please try and minimize the disruptions. This may not be as much of a problem now as it was BC...which would be a GOOD thing. This might be something to mention in the questionnaire as well as to discuss with the Genie once you meet in person. If you want to keep your luggage with you throughout the boarding process (something that will NOT happen unless you ask for it), the questionnaire would be a good time to mention that and then again once you begin direct comm with the Genie. If you are in a 2-level suite (sorry, I cannot recall what suite you are going to be in), you will want to have your luggage delivered upstairs. If you allow yourself to be separated from your luggage, you will most likely not arrive at the suite at the same time and trust me....no one will take it upstairs for you ! If you're in an ATS, this isn't as important. I always laugh when I see that photo of Reyno carrying that suitcase up the stairs in the RLS. HA ! No way will the Genie do that for you ! You'll be lucky to get the porter to do it. I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting but truly, the questionnaire is not important. Your direct comm with the Genie most definitely IS.

I would definitely recommend making your dinner reservations as soon as possible and then try and "fill in" the double dips around lunches. I also agree that it is wise to try them all and then decide which ones to re-visit. I am not a huge fan of 150CP but many really enjoy it so I would say to try it for yourself and see ! We found that Izumi is a great lunch option b/c you can get as little or as much as you want. We normally never eat lunch except for when we're on a cruise ! If I eat even a moderate lunch I am NOT hungry for dinner so we have to be very careful about over-grazing. We also enjoy visiting Johnny Rocket, which is also included in your UDP so if that's something that you would enjoy, make sure to leave room for that, at least once. The UDP is a lot of food. Just sayin'....but we get it b/c we want the options. Also keep in mind that you can mix it up a bit. While we have NEVER tried to visit 2 separate restaurants for main meals (although I think it is permitted if there is availability), we did enjoy a meal at either Chops or Giovanni's (can't remember which it was) and then later went over to Wonderland for The World dessert. I realize Oasis doesn't have Wonderland, but you could do the same thing with 2 different restaurants on Oasis. We normally skip dessert b/c that's a LOT of food for us but we wanted to do it just once, so we did. It was a lot of fun.

In the "old days" the casino used to have a bloody mary bar set up. I haven't seen that in quite a while. It was nice. They also served mimosas.

Good luck. So annoying that this is happening

It is ALSO a good reason not to share a plan with your husband ! LOL We don't share well and the one time we tried this, we were constantly knocking one another off. Lesson learned. Everyone gets their own plan so that the only person you knock off is yourself !

I got some refunds for cancelling due to COVID protocols but they were all prior to final payment. I have been reading of others who have been getting refused cash refunds so I don't know if they are still allowing cash refunds for "protocols" or if they have changed that option. It was never a really documented option to begin with....it was never anywhere in writing and was only relayed to TAs via an informational letter. This is the primary reason that I submitted ALL of my cruises through 3-31-22 for refund when I did b/c I was pretty confident that they would eventually end the cash refund option....and it [apparently] happened even sooner than I thought it would. At any rate, it is certainly worth a try for the OP to try and get a cash refund. IMO that is always preferable to an FCC but I wouldn't hold my breath for getting my money back.

Pretty much. You can always ask for a casino rate on any cruise. Sometimes they are reasonably good deals and sometimes they are not much of anything. They will almost always give you SOMEthing from the casino. For 2021, 2022 and 2023 I got a lot of 5% off casino discounts. 5% isn't that much BUT they do let you stack your Crown & Anchor discounts on top and sometimes you can even stack things like state or military discounts (but not very often). Obviously, if you can find another sailing that is offering a casino comp you can book that one, but the cost of your upgrade will be at whatever the prevailing rate is. Keep checking the clubroyaleoffers.com. I have been getting a LOT of offers lately but they are crappy little 3-4-5 night cruises. There were a couple of 7-nighters on Harmony in there for late April and early May but there were no suites available (I checked even though I knew I wouldn't book anything). The ONE and ONLY time I ever got a casino comp moved was during the shuffle a few months ago when they were moving the Indy cruises over to Odyssey....and then they cancelled the first few of those OY sailings so they cancelled my booking completely and I ended up getting money back.

Nope. They will not price protect casino rates. Even during the L&S times they weren't allowing that.

My primary objection to a less-than-JS cabin is the bathroom. I really, REALLY hate that toothpaste tube shower and beginning with the JS, you begin to increase the size of the bathroom. The extra space in the JS room and balcony is certainly a bonus, but the bathroom is the reason that we began booking bigger staterooms. There really aren't that many "perks" with the JS and with the Explorer there will be almost none...so you will have to try it once and see if it makes enough of a difference for you !! Access to the Coastal Kitchen on the ships that have a CK is on an availability-basis only so just realize that it is not a guaranteed perk. It seems as if access for JS to the CK seems to be a bit more reliable on the Quantum class ships than it does on the O class but there have been lots of mixed results for those staying in JS.

WOW ! First time I've heard this ! Very nice. Still need 2500 pts to make Prime though, yes ?

Happy belated Birthday !

We were booked on this cruise in SC also but cancelled in November. We were in the Owners Panoramic Suite (1701). So sad that we're missing this ! Have a great time !

BRAVO

See the post on the previous page

That's great news, Brian !! I have never seen an OS on a Q class ship. Please provide us with some stateroom info !! Thanks !

Hi !! This is really JUST a personal opinion and many may disagree with it. If it were me, I would not pay a dime more for a GS on Anthem UNLESS you are really into the suite perks. The GS itself, IMO, has LESS usable living space than does a JS. This is b/c there is a wall that partially separates the bed area and the living area which completely cuts the room up into 2 small spaces rather than 1 large space. The bathroom is a mess, IMO. They have disconnected, bizarrely arranged sinks and 2 exit doors (one to the bedroom and one to the entrance hallway). If the suite perks are important to you (ability to eat all meals in the Coastal Kitchen, complimentary Voom, Suite Lounge/Concierge access, etc.) then you will not get those in a JS (except possibly dinner in the CK) and you should consider the GS. If you're only looking for a bit more cabin space, I would say definitely go for the JS and leave the GS alone. I would consider ANY other full suite over the GS....but the chances of RU to any of the higher end suites is probably pretty remote. There are more GS than there are any of those other suites. Would I turn down a GS if it were offered to me at no charge ? Nope...but I will never book another Q class GS intentionally if I am paying !

Welcome to the boards, Vanessa, and to Royal Caribbean !

...and December 23 and 31 (2021...already passed).

Great to see you again ! How are things in NZ ? I hear the COVID protocols are pretty Draconian. I think we both agree that the only time the GS is not a good upgrade option (compared to a JS) is the GS on a Quantum class ship. I really, REALLY dislike the Q class GS and would never choose it again. IMO the JS is a much better choice (as far as staterooms alone, go).

Most Travel Agencies participate in RU but some of the big online agencies do not…CostCo, for example.