WAAAYTOOO

Just as an FYI, the last couple of times that I called Club Royale, they did ask for my Club Royale membership number. Despite it being linked to the Crown & Anchor number, and perhaps them doing away with the CR numbers for new members, they do still seem to reference them for existing members.

AndreH, welcome to the club !
 
There are several Club Royale phone numbers but I usually use 1-888-561-2234.  Alternate numbers are 866-578-3667 and 866-519-7225 but I rarely have to use anything but the first number.  I think they all go to the same call center anyway.
 
You will find that the CR rates run about 42 - 46% off full retail price (and, to be fair,  nobody pays full retail)....so you will be getting ~15% more off above whatever prevailing promo rates RCCL is usually running.  It varies depending upon what promo they are running but you will generally make out best with the CR rates.  In all my years of being a CR member, I have only had 1 occasion when the CR rate was NOT the lowest rate and that was last year when they first started running EXTREMELY good C&A rates on Empress.  Of course, in the end, the Empress mess was a complete fiasco so I cannot say that I have ever had a better rate than the CR rate on a cruise that I actually ended up taking !
 
Did you receive any Future Cruise Credit (FCC) certificates ?  If so, then there is even better news !  The FCC and CR rates are combinable, which means that you will get the ~45% discount on the cost of the cruise PLUS the value of whatever FCC you got.  That will bring your discount up to 55 - 60% off full retail, depending upon the cabin type you book.
 
We NEVER book the "free" cruises that they push with the FCC's.  Frankly, they are a bunch of crap itineraries that they cannot otherwise fill and they are generally only 60 - 90 days from the date of the cruise where we got the coupons, so  it's usually far too soon to cruise again (for us, anyway).  We find the cash value of the FCC to be far more valuable to apply to a cruise that we have already booked.  On the other hand, they ARE "free" (you will still pay taxes and port fees and the upcharge for any upgrade that you may want).  In the end, we find it more useful to use the FCC's on something we have already booked.  The value of the FCC comes right off the cost of the cruise, so it's a giant discount AND the FCCs are stackable....which means that if you BOTH get an FCC, you can use them together on one cruise.  On the Freedom that we just completed in early July, both Dan and I got FCC's so we took them both and put them towards a cruise that we are taking in Feb on Harmony.  Along with the 44% CR discount that we had already gotten when we booked this cruise, we took another 10%+ off with the 2 FCCs and ended up with a slightly more than 60% discount in the end.  We are very happy !!
 
Being a CR VIP is fairly difficult to do these days, so congratulations.  They are giving out the FCC's like candy but just b/c you get an FCC does not mean that they will give you the CR rate on a cruise.  You HAVE to be a VIP member to get that big discount.  So while anyone can join CR, to be an invited VIP member is very exclusive.
 
To answer your question, janza, you just have to throw big money around !  I don't mean to be flippant about it, but you really do have to make yourself known to the casino host and casino manager.  They are the ones that make a decision about who is invited to join and who isn't....and the ship you are on and the casino management DOES make a difference.  On some ships, the management just doesn't come around much and you have a hard time getting their attention.  The Freedom happens to have an excellent (and attentive) casino Manager (Carlos Sanchez).  He really keeps an eye open for the "big spenders" and knows who his big cash players are.
 
I will admit that Dan and I got into the Club waaaay back when it was somewhat easier.  We simply went up to the Casino Host(ess) and told her that we wanted to be "rated" and asked how many points we needed to make it. At the time, it was 2100 so we played the old video blackjack machines (they don't even have those anymore) until we got to 2100 and then we went to see her again.  She signed us both up and that was that.  Nowadays you really have to wager a lot more money than you did back then.  It has to do with your theoretical throughput which I fully admit I do not understand.  I think it's easier for slots players than it is for table players b/c with slots players, the tracking is much more quantified.  With table play you have to be making between $50 - $100/hand for an extended period of time (and on multiple days/nights) to be noticed.
 
There are 2 other bennies of being CR VIP.  One is that you basically drink for free while you are in the casino but I will warn you - whatever you drink is subtracted from the value of your FCC (if you get one).  That's why my FCC is always bigger than Dan's even though he wagers WAAAAY more money than I do.  He drinks his profits away and I do not !  I drink cokes and water and I don't think they subtract anything for those.  Dan's scotches are much more expensive.  So...just be aware of that.  The other perk is that when you are CR VIP, you do not pay the 5% (was 3% when I first got in the program !) convenience fee for taking cash against your seapass card.  This is the most important perk, for us.  We no longer have to carry a big wad of money onto the ship.  Now we just play with THEIR money and it costs us nothing.  Of course, if you lose, then you have to make it back up but we try not to do that !
 
So I personally think the RCCL Club Royale Program is awesome.  To be completely honest, it's the main reason that we continue to cruise with RCCL.  We just can't afford to go anywhere else !  I guess we could if we were willing to go back to regular balcony rooms, but we now cruise in full suites for what we used to pay for balconies and well....we just don't want to do that anymore !
 
Good luck !  Hopefully we will see you in the casino some time !

I agree with you, klaconqueso.  I usually book it myself, make sure that I get the Club Royale discount, and then turn it over to Michelle.  This process is working VERY well.

Hey, Jill.  There are a number of posts here in the past couple of days regarding the Club Royale program so I won't expound here.  You can go and find them in the "messages" string....just know that just like the changes in the dining configuration, the casino VIP program is also undergoing significant changes.  All of these are "growing pains" relating to RCCL's success !  You are going to love the suite life.  It truly is exceptional and worth the extra money, if you have it.
 
I do have one suggestion to you, if you are interested in being a member of Club Royale - new or old.  I would suggest that you immediately go talk to the casino hostesses as soon as the casino opens the first night.  On the Oasis they are 2 absolutely lovely young women who are the best I have ever met on RCCL.  Of course, their names escape me at the moment.  We were on the Oasis in January.  I have no reason to believe that they have already changed.  Tell them that you want to be "rated" for membership in Club Royale first thing.  They will tell you what the qualifications are so that there is no misunderstanding about what minimum wagering level you must meet.  If you wait around for a couple of days then you will miss the opportunity to be rated right from the beginning.  The longer period of time they have to "watch" you - and the dealers and pit bosses WILL be watching you, if you are being rated - the better. 
 
I also have a little trick for you, if you are playing table games.  Let's say you bring $1000 to the table which will be converted into chips.  When you leave the table, they will "color you up" meaning they will take your small denominations and convert them into large denominations...this is partially for their benefit and partially for yours.  You will have fewer chips to carry away and they won't be letting all of their "change" walk away.  When you go to a new table, shove ALL of the chips (let's say you walked away from the first table with $800 of your original $1000) to the dealer for them to "color down"...give you smaller denominations.  One part of the "rating" system is how much money you bring to the table.  Another part is how much you wager per hand/roll/whatever.  So the more money you bring to the table, the better.  That does NOT mean that you have to spend it all !!!!!!!!   They are going to note how much money you bring to the table and then also how much money you leave with.  All of that is part of the rating system...along with how much you wager.  I have found, over the years, that my cash rebates have been significantly higher using  this method of cashing bigger sums onto and off of the table as opposed to bringing only a small amount of money to the table.  Of course, as with all things, you must be disciplined enough NOT to spend more than you would have with bringing smaller amounts to the table.  Just sayin' -
 
If you are a slots player, qualifying for Club Royale is WAY simpler.  You will be told by the Hostesses what the minimum "point" requirement is.  All you have to do is monitor how many points you are accumulating (the more money you wager, the more quickly your points will accumulate) and when you get to the magic number, you are in !  You can check your points either on the machine itself or at the casino cage/window.
 
So I ended up being long-winded after all.  No big surprise there...

Yes.  Welcome Michael and Andrea !

Ok, here's the skinny. Issue resolved. Unbeknownst to all involved, Royal refunded the money in 4 different amounts, to 3 separate CC's. Rather than just send the money to the CC that made largest, final payment in a lump sum, they sent the appropriate percentage for each individual item. For example, they were entitled to X percent refund on air fare, so they sent that amount to the CC they used to pay for the flights. Deposit was paid to another card. Port fees came to another card, etc. Very confusing, but it's all good now.

I have never done the Crystal Caves so I cannot give you any feedback on that.  We did the Turtle Farm once and I really enjoyed it !  It was a much bigger operation than I ever imagined and I really enjoyed the tour.  It is, unfortunately, on the opposite end of the island from where we were snorkeling so I don't know that you could do both in one port call unless you are there a very long time and have lots of energy !
 
So...if you want to do some excellent snorkeling for a VERY low cost, here are the details.
 
It is a very walkable distance from the port/compound or you can have a taxi take you (tell them you want to go to Paradise)....but we always walk.
 
You will be going to Paradise.  How nice, right  ?  Just think....you can visit both Paradise and Hell in 1 day !
 
Turn right, out of the port/compound and stay on the sea wall road.  You will pass Margaritaville, and The Hard Rock and eventually you will see the Harley Davidson distributor (these are all on the left hand side of the road across the street from the sea wall).  Start looking (ocean side of the road) for a building with a green roof.  It will be Paradise dive shop and Paradise Restaurant.
 
Go up to the dive office and tell them that you want to rent snorkel gear.  It cost us $18/pp and included standard stuff - snorkel, mask and fins.  Not sure if there is a children's rate or not.  I think they gave us BC vests too but we didn't use them.  Along with the snorkel gear, your $18 gets you a very nice table in the shade from which to operate.  I think they have lockers (probably for rent) but honestly, unless you have some expensive camera equipment or something, your stuff will be fine just left near your table.  There are always people in and out of the water and I just asked a nice lady if she could keep her eye on my stuff while I went in the water and I did the same for her when she went.  I was never afraid of someone taking anything.
 
There are some steps down to the water and a very sturdy ladder to get back out of the water.  It was very accessible. 
 
There are 4 - 6 foot tarpon that just hang out right there by the restaurant (I'm sure they get fed plentifully and that's why they hang out there !).  The tarpon are BIG but harmless and make for a very interesting snorkel right there at the foot of the ladder !!!  There are thousands of little sun fish or clown fish...not sure what they are...but they're very cute and if you bring some dry cereal from the boat, they will eat it.  The tarpon are too snooty to bother with dried cereal but the little ones love it !
 
So the guy at the dive shop (I can't remember his name at the moment but very nice guy) will give you pointers on where to go...but I will tell you now that the BEST snorkeling is out towards the "white" buoy.  If you assume 180 degrees from left to right, the "white" buoy is about 90 degrees from the point where you enter the water...basically almost directly in the direction towards the cruise ships.  The swim is a couple of 100 yards or so (I'm not very good at distances... but it's an easy swim).  There was virtually no current whatsoever when we were there and we swam all over that area.  There are thousands of fish, an interesting shelf (NOT "The Wall" that you hear so much about at GC...but a nice little drop-off) and that's where Dan saw the nurse shark.  Very nice snorkeling.  AND you will find that the people that purchased the expensive snorkeling excursions will be pulling up at the same exact buoy with their boats.  You're getting the same thing they are getting for a fraction of the cost !
 
Then when you get back and want to take a break, the waitress will bring you a menu and you can enjoy some good food.  Not GREAT food, Not CHEAP food, but good enough.  It's considered good luck to eat conch when you're on GC so you should try the conch fritters.  At least you can say you had some conch !
 
Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a wonderful time !  I spent a week diving in GC more than 30 years ago and it is indeed one of the best diving and snorkeling places in the world.

great information and input not only for the Suites but also about Grand Cayman
And SO very sorry your Casino God's did not work in your favor!

I am not one to produce lengthy cruise reviews but there are a couple of things from my cruise last week on Freedom that are worth passing on.
 
My streak is in tact !  I still have never had a bad cruise !  WHEW !
 
1.  Diamond Plus members are no longer invited to the reserved section of seats at the ice shows.  We had no problem at all finding a good seat but I was surprised that the reserved seating no longer includes D+ - Gold card holders only.
 
2.  D+ were welcome in both the D Lounge and the Concierge Lounge although all of our voice messages came from the Diamond Lounge Concierge.  We did not receive any voice or written correspondence whatsoever from the Concierge Club Concierge.
 
3.  D+ are still included in the reserved seating area of the main theater.
 
4.  Even though we were only in a Junior Suite, we were allowed to go to the express disembark line for Suites.  I was very surprised at this.  It has been my experience in the past that the express line for Suites only included Gold card suites but it was a very welcome and unexpected benefit as the disembark line was endless by the time we got downstairs.  This was our own fault.  We had a disembark number of 3....but chose to wait until later to disembark since we had a later flight.  What a mistake that turned out to be - until they moved us from that endless line into the express line where NOBODY was.  We were very fortunate.
 
5.  The seas were some of the calmest we have ever experienced.  We almost NEVER cruise in the summer but since we were repeat victims of Empress Gate this was what we got.  Cruising during the summer can be very risky but we got lucky.  The seas were like glass.
 
6.  While on Grand Cayman, we heard from some locals that they are going to be building a pier next year !  Finally !  I know that they had resisted building any kind of dock or pier b/c of the unavoidable damage to the reef.  I guess finances finally overcame the environmental concerns.  While I heard that this construction had been approved, there is still significant resistance to the plan - primarily from environmentalists and those financially impacted (primarily those that operate the tenders, I am guessing).
 
7.   While snorkeling on GC, Dan saw an (approx.) 8' Nurse Shark.  He was so tickled.  Of course, rather than being afraid, he followed the thing as far as he could.  When he returned to shore, the locals (same ones who told us about the pier) said that it was a very, very rare occurrence.  This young man had lived in GC all of his life and said that he could count the number of times he had seen a Nurse shark on 1 hand.
 
8.  The casino gods were not favorable to me. 

Hey, Candie -
 
The ship is in good condition.  I did notice a slight vibration every once in a while.  I think Freedom has known propeller problems that they have been tweaking on and off.  I was afraid that it might be worse in our cabin (aft balcony JS) but it wasn't at all.  I only noticed it a couple of times during the whole cruise and always somewhere other than our room.
 
I didn't notice any signs of age or maintenance needed. She was in pretty good shape.  I will also admit that I don't do the whole ship inspection thing anymore.  I only go to a few places on the ship and it it's not on the route from my room to the dining room to the casino I am likely NOT to see it !  The shows were as good as any.  I don't really enjoy the shows much.  The only reason we went to the one we did was b/c the comedian (Jimmy Chicken!) played poker with us the night before the show and we wanted to see his show.  Otherwise, I'm sure I would have skipped it.  He is actually quite talented and in the end, I was glad I went. I have seen the ice show twice before so it wasn't all that exciting...but we went.
 
One thing that we did this time that had never been offered to us before was a behind the scenes tour of Studio B (ice rink).  I had been on all of the bridge tours and galley tours and entertainment back stage tours before so we weren't interested in that at all but when we saw that they were offering a back stage tour of Studio B, we went.  It was very interesting and the Entertainment Manager (Wayne) did a good tour.  Needless to say, a lot of work and coordination goes into those shows and keeping the ice prepped.   One tidbit.  The skaters/performers have NO creative license whatsoever.  Every move that they make on the ice is choreographed in Miami.  They cannot improvise at all.  That goes for all of the ice shows on all of the ships.  I found that interesting.
 
The casino manager (Carlos Sanchez) is one of the best I have come across recently. He was ever-present and always smiling.  He always spoke to Dan and me.  The Casino host was Alexander (sorry...cannot recall his last name) and while he was very friendly, he was obviously new.  He ran good tournaments and was ok but nothing like Carlos.  I only saw him on the floor a couple of times the whole cruise.  On some cruises I never even know who the Casino Manager IS b/c they don't actually come out on the floor and WORK but Carlos was supervising an area nearly every night.  Don't know if they were short-handed or what....but he was always running around somewhere.
 
We both got FCC which is the first time that has happened.  Of course, we cannot take any of the "free" cruises that they are pushing so we will have to convert ours into some other form of revenue - most likely paying down cruises we already have on the books.  That's good enough for us.  I am already booked SOLID !

My overall experience was very good.  It always is.
 
Service in the MDR was a little slow the first night but after that, we were in and out in under an hour (we aren't ones to hang out and lollygag - gotsta get to the casino !  LOL).
 
Degradation of overall service is a tricky one.  Yes, over the years I have noticed a few things.  I miss the midnight buffets, beautiful ice sculptures and carved fruit tables and no, I did not get a towel animal every night.  I have definitely noticed a reduced number of servers in almost all of the venues.  For instance, for the past several cruises, there is no longer a bar service person in the MDR.  Any drinks you order (which, BTW, we NEVER do) will be attended to by your table waiters now.  The bar servers in the casino are definitely rarer than they used to be but it is very rare that I need one, so I don't really miss them like some do.  I don't lay out by the pool so I haven't personally experienced the shortage of servers that I hear so much about in the pool area.  There are definitely fewer servers scattered around the Windjammer, but I usually try and avoid the WJ anyway, so it doesn't impact me that much.
 
Have I noticed a reduction in service over the years ?  Yes.  Does it negatively impact my experience ?  Not really.  I guess the question you have to ask is, would I be willing to pay to get some of those things back ?  The answer, from me, is definitely, NO.  While the ice sculptures were beautiful, I saw them a couple of times during a cruise and I'm fairly sure that the fruit sculptures probably went to waste.  That's never a good thing.  Towel animals ?  Well....not that big a deal.  They are usually in my way and end up on the floor soon anyway.  I am an acknowledged decapitator of towel animals (never on purpose, of course).  Once the head is gone, it's pretty hard to salvage it !
 
So my experience was wonderful as it always is.  I will say (selfishly) that I missed my suite perks.  I will not be making that mistake again soon !

I am not one to produce lengthy cruise reviews but there are a couple of things from my cruise last week on Freedom that are worth passing on.
 
My streak is in tact !  I still have never had a bad cruise !  WHEW !
 
1.  Diamond Plus members are no longer invited to the reserved section of seats at the ice shows.  We had no problem at all finding a good seat but I was surprised that the reserved seating no longer includes D+ - Gold card holders only.
 
2.  D+ were welcome in both the D Lounge and the Concierge Lounge although all of our voice messages came from the Diamond Lounge Concierge.  We did not receive any voice or written correspondence whatsoever from the Concierge Club Concierge.
 
3.  D+ are still included in the reserved seating area of the main theater.
 
4.  Even though we were only in a Junior Suite, we were allowed to go to the express disembark line for Suites.  I was very surprised at this.  It has been my experience in the past that the express line for Suites only included Gold card suites but it was a very welcome and unexpected benefit as the disembark line was endless by the time we got downstairs.  This was our own fault.  We had a disembark number of 3....but chose to wait until later to disembark since we had a later flight.  What a mistake that turned out to be - until they moved us from that endless line into the express line where NOBODY was.  We were very fortunate.
 
5.  The seas were some of the calmest we have ever experienced.  We almost NEVER cruise in the summer but since we were repeat victims of Empress Gate this was what we got.  Cruising during the summer can be very risky but we got lucky.  The seas were like glass.
 
6.  While on Grand Cayman, we heard from some locals that they are going to be building a pier next year !  Finally !  I know that they had resisted building any kind of dock or pier b/c of the unavoidable damage to the reef.  I guess finances finally overcame the environmental concerns.  While I heard that this construction had been approved, there is still significant resistance to the plan - primarily from environmentalists and those financially impacted (primarily those that operate the tenders, I am guessing).
 
7.   While snorkeling on GC, Dan saw an (approx.) 8' Nurse Shark.  He was so tickled.  Of course, rather than being afraid, he followed the thing as far as he could.  When he returned to shore, the locals (same ones who told us about the pier) said that it was a very, very rare occurrence.  This young man had lived in GC all of his life and said that he could count the number of times he had seen a Nurse shark on 1 hand.
 
8.  The casino gods were not favorable to me. 

I am not one to produce lengthy cruise reviews but there are a couple of things from my cruise last week on Freedom that are worth passing on.
 
My streak is in tact !  I still have never had a bad cruise !  WHEW !
 
1.  Diamond Plus members are no longer invited to the reserved section of seats at the ice shows.  We had no problem at all finding a good seat but I was surprised that the reserved seating no longer includes D+ - Gold card holders only.
 
2.  D+ were welcome in both the D Lounge and the Concierge Lounge although all of our voice messages came from the Diamond Lounge Concierge.  We did not receive any voice or written correspondence whatsoever from the Concierge Club Concierge.
 
3.  D+ are still included in the reserved seating area of the main theater.
 
4.  Even though we were only in a Junior Suite, we were allowed to go to the express disembark line for Suites.  I was very surprised at this.  It has been my experience in the past that the express line for Suites only included Gold card suites but it was a very welcome and unexpected benefit as the disembark line was endless by the time we got downstairs.  This was our own fault.  We had a disembark number of 3....but chose to wait until later to disembark since we had a later flight.  What a mistake that turned out to be - until they moved us from that endless line into the express line where NOBODY was.  We were very fortunate.
 
5.  The seas were some of the calmest we have ever experienced.  We almost NEVER cruise in the summer but since we were repeat victims of Empress Gate this was what we got.  Cruising during the summer can be very risky but we got lucky.  The seas were like glass.
 
6.  While on Grand Cayman, we heard from some locals that they are going to be building a pier next year !  Finally !  I know that they had resisted building any kind of dock or pier b/c of the unavoidable damage to the reef.  I guess finances finally overcame the environmental concerns.  While I heard that this construction had been approved, there is still significant resistance to the plan - primarily from environmentalists and those financially impacted (primarily those that operate the tenders, I am guessing).
 
7.   While snorkeling on GC, Dan saw an (approx.) 8' Nurse Shark.  He was so tickled.  Of course, rather than being afraid, he followed the thing as far as he could.  When he returned to shore, the locals (same ones who told us about the pier) said that it was a very, very rare occurrence.  This young man had lived in GC all of his life and said that he could count the number of times he had seen a Nurse shark on 1 hand.
 
8.  The casino gods were not favorable to me. 

Sun screen
Bug Spray w/DDT (if you are really going to Yunque and if anyone cares about Zika)
Check to see if room prices have fallen to where you might be able to upgrade to a higher category (doubtful, but you never know !)
Collapsible laundry basket (as long as you're ordering stuff from Amazon)
Power/USB strip w/O surge protector (same rationale as above)
Water shoes for Labadee (See above and above)

My overall experience was very good.  It always is.
 
Service in the MDR was a little slow the first night but after that, we were in and out in under an hour (we aren't ones to hang out and lollygag - gotsta get to the casino !  LOL).
 
Degradation of overall service is a tricky one.  Yes, over the years I have noticed a few things.  I miss the midnight buffets, beautiful ice sculptures and carved fruit tables and no, I did not get a towel animal every night.  I have definitely noticed a reduced number of servers in almost all of the venues.  For instance, for the past several cruises, there is no longer a bar service person in the MDR.  Any drinks you order (which, BTW, we NEVER do) will be attended to by your table waiters now.  The bar servers in the casino are definitely rarer than they used to be but it is very rare that I need one, so I don't really miss them like some do.  I don't lay out by the pool so I haven't personally experienced the shortage of servers that I hear so much about in the pool area.  There are definitely fewer servers scattered around the Windjammer, but I usually try and avoid the WJ anyway, so it doesn't impact me that much.
 
Have I noticed a reduction in service over the years ?  Yes.  Does it negatively impact my experience ?  Not really.  I guess the question you have to ask is, would I be willing to pay to get some of those things back ?  The answer, from me, is definitely, NO.  While the ice sculptures were beautiful, I saw them a couple of times during a cruise and I'm fairly sure that the fruit sculptures probably went to waste.  That's never a good thing.  Towel animals ?  Well....not that big a deal.  They are usually in my way and end up on the floor soon anyway.  I am an acknowledged decapitator of towel animals (never on purpose, of course).  Once the head is gone, it's pretty hard to salvage it !
 
So my experience was wonderful as it always is.  I will say (selfishly) that I missed my suite perks.  I will not be making that mistake again soon !

Nicole, you are truly an angel for taking on that kind of responsibility.  I know it's out of pure love.  That love will all come back to you, no doubt.
 
Some of those who have small children (Matt ??) can probably help you with the Adventure Ocean questions.  That is a perfect age to be able to fully enjoy the programs at Adventure Ocean.  They will never want to go home !
 
...and your niece will be the perfect companion for you for the more "adult" adventures.
 
I'm excited for you !

I am not one to produce lengthy cruise reviews but there are a couple of things from my cruise last week on Freedom that are worth passing on.
 
My streak is in tact !  I still have never had a bad cruise !  WHEW !
 
1.  Diamond Plus members are no longer invited to the reserved section of seats at the ice shows.  We had no problem at all finding a good seat but I was surprised that the reserved seating no longer includes D+ - Gold card holders only.
 
2.  D+ were welcome in both the D Lounge and the Concierge Lounge although all of our voice messages came from the Diamond Lounge Concierge.  We did not receive any voice or written correspondence whatsoever from the Concierge Club Concierge.
 
3.  D+ are still included in the reserved seating area of the main theater.
 
4.  Even though we were only in a Junior Suite, we were allowed to go to the express disembark line for Suites.  I was very surprised at this.  It has been my experience in the past that the express line for Suites only included Gold card suites but it was a very welcome and unexpected benefit as the disembark line was endless by the time we got downstairs.  This was our own fault.  We had a disembark number of 3....but chose to wait until later to disembark since we had a later flight.  What a mistake that turned out to be - until they moved us from that endless line into the express line where NOBODY was.  We were very fortunate.
 
5.  The seas were some of the calmest we have ever experienced.  We almost NEVER cruise in the summer but since we were repeat victims of Empress Gate this was what we got.  Cruising during the summer can be very risky but we got lucky.  The seas were like glass.
 
6.  While on Grand Cayman, we heard from some locals that they are going to be building a pier next year !  Finally !  I know that they had resisted building any kind of dock or pier b/c of the unavoidable damage to the reef.  I guess finances finally overcame the environmental concerns.  While I heard that this construction had been approved, there is still significant resistance to the plan - primarily from environmentalists and those financially impacted (primarily those that operate the tenders, I am guessing).
 
7.   While snorkeling on GC, Dan saw an (approx.) 8' Nurse Shark.  He was so tickled.  Of course, rather than being afraid, he followed the thing as far as he could.  When he returned to shore, the locals (same ones who told us about the pier) said that it was a very, very rare occurrence.  This young man had lived in GC all of his life and said that he could count the number of times he had seen a Nurse shark on 1 hand.
 
8.  The casino gods were not favorable to me. 

VOOM worked fine. We had very good reception right in our suite. Now granted, we did not do any live streaming but we updated a couple of apps and had no problems. We didn't pay for anything...we just took our 2 free days each and we're happy with the service.

I am not one to produce lengthy cruise reviews but there are a couple of things from my cruise last week on Freedom that are worth passing on.
 
My streak is in tact !  I still have never had a bad cruise !  WHEW !
 
1.  Diamond Plus members are no longer invited to the reserved section of seats at the ice shows.  We had no problem at all finding a good seat but I was surprised that the reserved seating no longer includes D+ - Gold card holders only.
 
2.  D+ were welcome in both the D Lounge and the Concierge Lounge although all of our voice messages came from the Diamond Lounge Concierge.  We did not receive any voice or written correspondence whatsoever from the Concierge Club Concierge.
 
3.  D+ are still included in the reserved seating area of the main theater.
 
4.  Even though we were only in a Junior Suite, we were allowed to go to the express disembark line for Suites.  I was very surprised at this.  It has been my experience in the past that the express line for Suites only included Gold card suites but it was a very welcome and unexpected benefit as the disembark line was endless by the time we got downstairs.  This was our own fault.  We had a disembark number of 3....but chose to wait until later to disembark since we had a later flight.  What a mistake that turned out to be - until they moved us from that endless line into the express line where NOBODY was.  We were very fortunate.
 
5.  The seas were some of the calmest we have ever experienced.  We almost NEVER cruise in the summer but since we were repeat victims of Empress Gate this was what we got.  Cruising during the summer can be very risky but we got lucky.  The seas were like glass.
 
6.  While on Grand Cayman, we heard from some locals that they are going to be building a pier next year !  Finally !  I know that they had resisted building any kind of dock or pier b/c of the unavoidable damage to the reef.  I guess finances finally overcame the environmental concerns.  While I heard that this construction had been approved, there is still significant resistance to the plan - primarily from environmentalists and those financially impacted (primarily those that operate the tenders, I am guessing).
 
7.   While snorkeling on GC, Dan saw an (approx.) 8' Nurse Shark.  He was so tickled.  Of course, rather than being afraid, he followed the thing as far as he could.  When he returned to shore, the locals (same ones who told us about the pier) said that it was a very, very rare occurrence.  This young man had lived in GC all of his life and said that he could count the number of times he had seen a Nurse shark on 1 hand.
 
8.  The casino gods were not favorable to me. 

I'm very envious !  Have a wonderful time !

I am not one to produce lengthy cruise reviews but there are a couple of things from my cruise last week on Freedom that are worth passing on.
 
My streak is in tact !  I still have never had a bad cruise !  WHEW !
 
1.  Diamond Plus members are no longer invited to the reserved section of seats at the ice shows.  We had no problem at all finding a good seat but I was surprised that the reserved seating no longer includes D+ - Gold card holders only.
 
2.  D+ were welcome in both the D Lounge and the Concierge Lounge although all of our voice messages came from the Diamond Lounge Concierge.  We did not receive any voice or written correspondence whatsoever from the Concierge Club Concierge.
 
3.  D+ are still included in the reserved seating area of the main theater.
 
4.  Even though we were only in a Junior Suite, we were allowed to go to the express disembark line for Suites.  I was very surprised at this.  It has been my experience in the past that the express line for Suites only included Gold card suites but it was a very welcome and unexpected benefit as the disembark line was endless by the time we got downstairs.  This was our own fault.  We had a disembark number of 3....but chose to wait until later to disembark since we had a later flight.  What a mistake that turned out to be - until they moved us from that endless line into the express line where NOBODY was.  We were very fortunate.
 
5.  The seas were some of the calmest we have ever experienced.  We almost NEVER cruise in the summer but since we were repeat victims of Empress Gate this was what we got.  Cruising during the summer can be very risky but we got lucky.  The seas were like glass.
 
6.  While on Grand Cayman, we heard from some locals that they are going to be building a pier next year !  Finally !  I know that they had resisted building any kind of dock or pier b/c of the unavoidable damage to the reef.  I guess finances finally overcame the environmental concerns.  While I heard that this construction had been approved, there is still significant resistance to the plan - primarily from environmentalists and those financially impacted (primarily those that operate the tenders, I am guessing).
 
7.   While snorkeling on GC, Dan saw an (approx.) 8' Nurse Shark.  He was so tickled.  Of course, rather than being afraid, he followed the thing as far as he could.  When he returned to shore, the locals (same ones who told us about the pier) said that it was a very, very rare occurrence.  This young man had lived in GC all of his life and said that he could count the number of times he had seen a Nurse shark on 1 hand.
 
8.  The casino gods were not favorable to me. 

I am not one to produce lengthy cruise reviews but there are a couple of things from my cruise last week on Freedom that are worth passing on.
 
My streak is in tact !  I still have never had a bad cruise !  WHEW !
 
1.  Diamond Plus members are no longer invited to the reserved section of seats at the ice shows.  We had no problem at all finding a good seat but I was surprised that the reserved seating no longer includes D+ - Gold card holders only.
 
2.  D+ were welcome in both the D Lounge and the Concierge Lounge although all of our voice messages came from the Diamond Lounge Concierge.  We did not receive any voice or written correspondence whatsoever from the Concierge Club Concierge.
 
3.  D+ are still included in the reserved seating area of the main theater.
 
4.  Even though we were only in a Junior Suite, we were allowed to go to the express disembark line for Suites.  I was very surprised at this.  It has been my experience in the past that the express line for Suites only included Gold card suites but it was a very welcome and unexpected benefit as the disembark line was endless by the time we got downstairs.  This was our own fault.  We had a disembark number of 3....but chose to wait until later to disembark since we had a later flight.  What a mistake that turned out to be - until they moved us from that endless line into the express line where NOBODY was.  We were very fortunate.
 
5.  The seas were some of the calmest we have ever experienced.  We almost NEVER cruise in the summer but since we were repeat victims of Empress Gate this was what we got.  Cruising during the summer can be very risky but we got lucky.  The seas were like glass.
 
6.  While on Grand Cayman, we heard from some locals that they are going to be building a pier next year !  Finally !  I know that they had resisted building any kind of dock or pier b/c of the unavoidable damage to the reef.  I guess finances finally overcame the environmental concerns.  While I heard that this construction had been approved, there is still significant resistance to the plan - primarily from environmentalists and those financially impacted (primarily those that operate the tenders, I am guessing).
 
7.   While snorkeling on GC, Dan saw an (approx.) 8' Nurse Shark.  He was so tickled.  Of course, rather than being afraid, he followed the thing as far as he could.  When he returned to shore, the locals (same ones who told us about the pier) said that it was a very, very rare occurrence.  This young man had lived in GC all of his life and said that he could count the number of times he had seen a Nurse shark on 1 hand.
 
8.  The casino gods were not favorable to me. 

I am not one to produce lengthy cruise reviews but there are a couple of things from my cruise last week on Freedom that are worth passing on.
 
My streak is in tact !  I still have never had a bad cruise !  WHEW !
 
1.  Diamond Plus members are no longer invited to the reserved section of seats at the ice shows.  We had no problem at all finding a good seat but I was surprised that the reserved seating no longer includes D+ - Gold card holders only.
 
2.  D+ were welcome in both the D Lounge and the Concierge Lounge although all of our voice messages came from the Diamond Lounge Concierge.  We did not receive any voice or written correspondence whatsoever from the Concierge Club Concierge.
 
3.  D+ are still included in the reserved seating area of the main theater.
 
4.  Even though we were only in a Junior Suite, we were allowed to go to the express disembark line for Suites.  I was very surprised at this.  It has been my experience in the past that the express line for Suites only included Gold card suites but it was a very welcome and unexpected benefit as the disembark line was endless by the time we got downstairs.  This was our own fault.  We had a disembark number of 3....but chose to wait until later to disembark since we had a later flight.  What a mistake that turned out to be - until they moved us from that endless line into the express line where NOBODY was.  We were very fortunate.
 
5.  The seas were some of the calmest we have ever experienced.  We almost NEVER cruise in the summer but since we were repeat victims of Empress Gate this was what we got.  Cruising during the summer can be very risky but we got lucky.  The seas were like glass.
 
6.  While on Grand Cayman, we heard from some locals that they are going to be building a pier next year !  Finally !  I know that they had resisted building any kind of dock or pier b/c of the unavoidable damage to the reef.  I guess finances finally overcame the environmental concerns.  While I heard that this construction had been approved, there is still significant resistance to the plan - primarily from environmentalists and those financially impacted (primarily those that operate the tenders, I am guessing).
 
7.   While snorkeling on GC, Dan saw an (approx.) 8' Nurse Shark.  He was so tickled.  Of course, rather than being afraid, he followed the thing as far as he could.  When he returned to shore, the locals (same ones who told us about the pier) said that it was a very, very rare occurrence.  This young man had lived in GC all of his life and said that he could count the number of times he had seen a Nurse shark on 1 hand.
 
8.  The casino gods were not favorable to me. 

Labadee is very safe.  The only word of caution that I would pass to you is regarding the "crafts and marketplace" area.  I have heard some unfortunate stories of young people getting coerced into buying something that they didn't want so I would suggest that they steer clear of the marketplace, which is VERY easy to avoid.  It is on the far end of Labadee and easily avoided.  The vendors there are pretty aggressive.  I, personally, avoid that area myself, and I am no pushover !  I just don't want the hassle.
 
But other parts of Labadee - beaches and recreational areas - are all very safe.  They will have a blast !
 
The cabana area at Nellie's Beach is easy to find and it will be easy to find your cabana.  The cabanas are not spread out all over the compound...but are confined to 2 areas - Nellie's and Barefoot Beaches.   You won't have any trouble finding yours.
 
Personal recommendation - the side of the peninsula that you will be on (Nellies and Barefoot areas) are better beaches, IMO than the other side (Adrenaline Beach).  Adrenaline tends to be rockier and shallower.  I personally think you will find you are in the perfect place at Nellie's !  I love Columbus Cove, too, which is a little further down, but if you already have the cabana at Nellie's, you will be in a great area.

There may be (shuttle service from the airport to Cocoa Beach) but I am not aware of it.  I have only either driven from the airport or taken the RCI shuttle.
 
Enjoy the Residence Inn.   I think you made a good choice.