WAAAYTOOO

When we were on AL in Feb they still had the Samba Grill. The only other ship (that I am aware of) with the Samba Grill is Radiance.

I agree with both @Woody14 and @loki007. If you have never seen Chichen Itza, it is worth the effort. It’s a long drive and a long day….but it is one of the 7 Wonders of the World ! Do it once. …but if you don’t want a super long day, you will probably want to skip it. We visited cruise ports in Mexico, probably 50 times before we finally made it to Chichen Itza on a cruise that called at Progresso. I highly recommend this. It’s still a long drive but you get to skip the ferry ride from COZ to Playa del Carmen, which is a big plus..

We dove YEARS ago in St Maarten and it was among the worst dives I’ve ever done. No visibility at all. Maybe it was the time of year. Conversely, dove in Grand Cayman and thoroughly enjoyed it. We’re too old now and they won’t let us dive anymore

So far, every B2B that we’ve been on has had a consecutive cruiser lunch. In the distant past I think there were occasions when they did not have the luncheons, presumably due to there being too few B2B’ers, but I think with the onset of the Key program, they have simply combined the B2B’ers with the Key folks if the B2B numbers were low. I have been to one such combined event recently. Frankly, you would not even know the difference as the menus and seating/arrangements are very similar. So I would definitely expect a consecutive cruiser luncheon of some kind. They will give you a paper with B2B information as to when/where to meet for the consecutive cruiser parade and then also info on when and where to go for your lunch. It’s a great perk, IMO since embarkation day lunch is such a PITA without some kind of organized event.

Yes !

I think @twangster's most important point was that you need to make sure that the ship you are booking will meet your needs BEFORE you get onboard. Thank GOODness Royal provides lost of options for lots of different situations. If you are looking for lots of activities involving water apparatuses (yes, I checked....the plural of apparatus is not apparati), then Q class is not what you're looking for. If you insist on a covered pool for cooler weather, don't book Odyssey.

This !! You absolutely MUST address this kind of issue while still onboard. Once you disembark, there is virtually -0- chance you will get any assistance. If your room attendant is no help, and you speak with the floor supervisor and get no help, then next step is the Hotel Director. You must escalate these things yourself and do not cease until you get some kind of resolution. I'm not saying that there is anything they could have done....if they don't have any spare mattresses, they just don't....but if there is any kind of compensation looming, this is where it would come from. Once you're off the ship, you are pretty much SoL.

WOOHOO ! I need to make a list ! We'll have a party !!!!!

That'll be easy. Let's just pick a time and place to meet ! Last year I had a great meet-up with @fireclan. I wish I had included you in that one so I apologize for forgetting that you would be there !!! We won't let that happen again.... ...and OBTW, that photo is nearly 20 years old. I really MUST replace it.

UGH. Us too. All I could think of while I was watching it the first time was, "...are they really SO cheap now that they won't even have live music anymore...". We liked Effectors II but once was enough. I made reservations but doubt that we will go.

Sorry to hear that you’ve been sick.

Agree. We tried it too and it was surprisingly good.

You're welcome !

If you are going to be purchasing individual specialty dining reservations without a package, I strongly recommend that you pre-purchase from the Cruise Planner. At that time you will be able to select a day and time of your choosing. If you wait until you board, you will not only pay more for the meals but you run the risk of having limited availability. If you pre-purchase the meals prior to boarding and then want to change them in some way (different day, time or restaurant) you can always do that but you are waaay better off purchasing before you board.

Fantastic news !

Today when I check my upcoming EX sailing, the menu was there. No idea why it was missing the past few days. Is it correct ? Who knows. I’ll find out in 5 days…but at least I have a shot at solving my MDR/3 night package/BOGO puzzle before boarding.

Don't take the stories of major shrinkage and clothes being "ruined" too seriously. We have been using the W&F service for many years and I have never EVER had anything ruined....and I send virtually EVERYthing to the laundry.

Have a great time. Sorry we will miss you.

I noticed the same thing when I was on Radiance last month

I love those Fruity Pebbles rice krispy treats !

It's not just the UDP. The 3 night plan has suddenly jumped up as well. I noticed yesterday that on the cruises where I have previously booked the 3 night package (we almost never buy the UDP anymore as it's just too much food for us), it no longer had the blue "Reserved" banner. At first I was alarmed but it's still showing as having been purchased in "Order History" so I'm still good BUT the price has jumped substantially over what I paid for this package. I noticed that all of the dining packages have gone way up. So much so, that I have decided NOT to buy any dining packages for the Oasis class ships that we are booked on where I had not already purchased a dining package. The price works out to over $100 per meal for the 3 night package and I'm sorry, but no Royal Caribbean dining - even specialty dining - is worth $100 per meal. On those cruises where I had not already previously purchased the 3 night package, I will just suffer through with the Coastal Kitchen. I am not a huge fan of the CK but I won't starve ! I may regret that decision if they suddenly ban us newbie Pinnacles...but it's a chance I will take for now. Back to the UDP....the last UDP I purchased was on Oasis in Dec 2023 sailing (can't recall when I actually bought the package). The price was $199/pp plus grats so $234.82, total. The price of an Oasis UDP (for our upcoming Jan 11, 2025 sailing) is $471.99, total. That's more than DOUBLE ! Sorry. NOPE.

I know exactly how you feel. After many years of wrestling with the whole tipping minefield, I have decided to treat it just like any other of life's mysteries - The only control I have is over what I do....I cannot control what happens beyond that. We tip-as-we-go ALWAYS. That is the only thing that really works for us. You NEVER know if you will see the person again who has served you so tip while you can and forget about it. I canNOT control what happens to the money once I leave it on the table or, in some cases, give it directly to a server. That is beyond my control. I do what I should do - I tip - what happens after that is none of my business. I trust that they have an equitable process worked out where those who need to get tipped, will. If they do not, frankly, it's not my problem.

You can always consider pre-purchasing lunch at a specialty restaurant. This is what we do. Yes, it's additional $$ but it is so worth it for a calm, enjoyable boarding day reward. Prices have gone up but lunch is still one of the few bargains left on Royal Caribbean.

Thank you ! I thought I was losing my mind. I have been searching to see what the 9 night menu rotation is for our upcoming EX cruises and I couldn't find any menus. I thought I was doing something wrong. At least I know it's not just me. I really hate having to wait until we board to decide where we're going to be eating but I guess that's the way it's going to be ! Even more confusion on boarding day for the MDR and specialty dining. They keep shooting themselves in the foot !

At least you're getting some offers ! Ours have dried up completely. We are both Prime