Ticca

Do we have a one and done complaint forum?

A man finds a lamp and a genie pops out.  The genie says I will give you three wishes but what ever you wish for your mother-in-law gets twice as much!  He asks for his first wish.  I want a two week cruise in a star class suite.  He is granted a two week cruise and his mother-in-law get a back to back cruise of the same class suite. He thinks for a moment and says "I want a million $$ ship board credit."  He receives his credit and his in-law gets two million.  He thinks for a moment and says "this isn't fair, I found the lamp!"  Finally he says "I got it!  I want you to scare me half to death." 

Because it is only our second cruise, all of the itineraries look amazing.  

Because it is only our second cruise, all of the itineraries look amazing.  

High ground is easiest to defend.
Also good for looking down on people. 

Ditto Xaa... go to the photo area and ask to link.  Then you just tell the photographer your room number when you get photos taken.  

I've only sailed Royal Caribbean's Oasis Class ships: Will I be disappointed if I try other ships?

Because it is only our second cruise, all of the itineraries look amazing.  

Because it is only our second cruise, all of the itineraries look amazing.  

There are so many opinions and all are personal and none are incorrect.  We've been on every class from Radiance up.  This is my personal take on the classes
Radiance - My least favorite.  I would go on again if the itinerary was too good to turn down.  I just found it too small and I missed not having the Promenade and other entertainment options. Voyager - You can't really go wrong here, especially with an all adult group.  You get the ice rink, flow rider, promenade and plenty of places to socialize.  Many of them have been amped with added amenities. Freedom - A bigger version of Voyager.  The layouts are very similar, they are larger and will have more people, but it shouldn't feel overcrowded.  As with Voyager, you can't go wrong. Quantum - My opinion is blurred because I've only been on once and that was the first full sail of Quantum back in '14.  RC was going for the restaurant concept, more technology, very different layout and they had many kinks to work out which they have since then.  I'll be on Odyssey early next year, I'm assuming my opinion will likely be different after that sail.  But it is a very different ship from the others with the Seaplex, Northstar, Music Hall and no main dining room.  I only wish it had an ice rink, I love the ice shows. Oasis - It speaks for itself, it's a resort on the sea.  There will be lots of families if that's a consideration since you'll be adults only.  You can never be bored.  I love the additional specialty dining options and I never miss the water shows.  You'll get your exercise just traversing the ship.  But I'm entering the cranky old man phase of life and would prefer to stay away from over stimulated children.   Based on what you stated in your first post, I would suggest Voyager and Freedom classes, from there, pick the itinerary that looks the most interesting.  You'll have a great time no matter which one you choose.

Since all the itineraries call to you, maybe it should come down to price. I like Freedom, Voyager and Oasis class, but I always choose the best deal. To me ports are way down the list when it comes to Eastern or Western Caribbean. 

I think a Freedom or Voyager class would be a great choice. 
The smaller ships are still great, and usually offer more interesting itineraries.  The bigger ships are destinations by themselves,  but have limited itineraries. 
You can't go wrong on any of Royal ship, but Freedom and Voyager class are in the sweet spot between them.
On the best itinerary,  I'd choose a departure port that's a reasonable drive from your house. If that's not practical,  then choose a 7 night that goes to Coco Cay.

I pre-paid for the arcade credits for my kids before our cruise.  My kids never used any of the credits, because the arcade was closed the one time they tried to go.  The kids were so busy with everything else there was to do, they didn't get too many opportunities to even want to go.  On the last day, I went to guest services and was fortunate enough to get a full refund on the arcade credits.  Another thing to consider is the arcade is pretty small.  

All ships have dining, dancing, shows, and pool activities. The tradeoff is Centrum vs Promenade and whether you require extra specialty dining. Any cruise is special, but I agree many prefer the posted recommendations. In my experience venues change but activities don't.

We personally love the Freedom class ships.  I really wanted one more sailing on Liberty before she left Galveston but Allure will be a new adventure.  The view from the back of the WJ is absolutely amazing and I could sit there all day and take it in.  

I pre-paid for the arcade credits for my kids before our cruise.  My kids never used any of the credits, because the arcade was closed the one time they tried to go.  The kids were so busy with everything else there was to do, they didn't get too many opportunities to even want to go.  On the last day, I went to guest services and was fortunate enough to get a full refund on the arcade credits.  Another thing to consider is the arcade is pretty small.  

Because it is only our second cruise, all of the itineraries look amazing.  

If you don't have your heart set on a ship, I would look at itinerary first, then narrow that down based on ship

Depending on itineraries and cruise length, I believe you would be fine with any of the Voyager class or Freedom class ships. I personally like the Radiance Class best. The Voyagers and Freedoms have lots to do, can go into more ports and generally are significantly less expensive. 

There's plenty to do on Voyager class. You'll still get the promenade and the ice show and a flow rider but because they're older and don't have so many bells and whistles they're often a lot cheaper than the bigger girls.
We sailed on Explorer for our second cruise, way back when she was new and the biggest cruise ship out there. She seemed enormous to us then!
Have fun choosing! 😊

We did the excursion in January.  The Sky Ride ticket was included in the excursion price.  Definitely not enough time for lunch.  The views are great, but it was very crowded up there.  After taking pictures and browsing the small shops, we didn't even try to grab a drink before we got in line to ride back.  The island was very congested with traffic, so our driver warned us to get back to the bus on time for transfer back.

If you find someone with loud music on Coco Cay, then you can bet they have a chair by the ship pool saved at the same time

I booked on website.

It was a new port for me too.  I’m glad hubby & I did a “trial run” for our family cruise (7 of us) in May to check out how it would work.  Forced ourselves to take an 8 day out of Miami.  The things we do for family! 😁

Thank you!  I found a hotel with transport to the port.  Now I just need to find us a ride back to the airport!