JohnK6404

We usually do the same. On Oasis class, we tend to take care of the Trellis Bar bartenders since we find ourselves passing through or hanging out often in Central Park.

I don't think there is a set timeframe at this point as it seems rather random when excursions appear in the CP. The excursions listed in the CP for both our JAN 2023 and OCT 2023 sailings on Wonder (for CocoCay) are identical. They also already released excursions for St. Thomas and St. Maarten a couple of months ago at 16-17 months out! Meanwhile, the JAN 2023 cruise is less than 5 months away and there are no excursions listed for the Dominican Republic and only Barefoot Beach cabanas listed for Labadee in the CP... no Nellie's Beach cabanas, no zipline, no rollercoaster, water park, beach beds, etc... very strange! We literally check the CP every day so we haven't missed anything.

Check the Royal app for your sailing. Click on the icon to the right of the calendar icon (head and shoulders icon) at the top of the page. Check in should be listed mid page below your stateroom and muster station info. Ours is November 23 for our January 7 sailing (45 days prior to sailing).

Hi @Midwest Cruiser! My wife and I are from NY (LI). This will be our 7th with Royal (only other was our very first cruise on Disney Wonder for our honeymoon)... Wonder to Wonder! First on Wonder OTS, but we sailed Allure and Oasis before. Oasis class is our favorite! Just a little over 5 months to go!

Congrats!!!

For our JAN 2023 cruise... $1,799... For our OCT 2023 cruise... same price...

We could not agree more! I literally get the chills when I see the larger ships! So far, we've been fortunate enough to sail on Majesty, Voyager class (Explorer), Freedom class (Liberty), Quantum class (Odyssey), and Oasis class (Allure & Oasis). Oasis class is by far our favorite! Wonder is next and hopefully we'll catch up finally with Harmony and Symphony (victims of cancellations and ship swaps)! So much to see, do and eat (or not do if that's your preference)!

Just some more clarification... I contacted Royal via FB this morning and they confirmed Barefoot Beach is still suite guests only... any purchase by a non-suite guest will be cancelled... I figured that nothing has changed, but my wife wanted me to confirm since the CP does not state suite guests only. We're still waiting for the cabanas at Nellie's Beach to become available... fingers crossed as we'll have 6 people this time (JAN 2023)!

Take a peek at this recent related post... Matt provided a link to a company that provides scooters, wheelchairs, etc... My MIL is 83 with mobility issues as well and we may need to look into this company too!

... at least (knock on wood) they didn't have a fire today (Carnival Freedom)... or some sort of chemical fume issue (Carnival Magic)...

Yes, we drop off our heavier carry-ons at the Key check-in table (usually in front of the MDR) as soon as we board the ship. We then use a smaller/lighter bag (sling bag in my case) so we have any items we may need before we can access the cabin. The carry-ons are tagged and will be delivered to your cabin and will not be accessible until the cabin is ready.

Jenna just posted this yesterday... https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/05/12/8-mocktails-try-your-next-royal-caribbean-cruise

I'm not sure if you can make specialty dining reservations in the MDR (I would love to know if you can), but you can certainly make specialty dining reservations at any specialty restaurant. Additionally, you can make all of your reservations for specialty dining at one restaurant... no need to run around to each restaurant. When we last purchased the 3-night dining package on Oasis back in OCT, we made all of our reservations at Chops Grille shortly after we boarded for Chops, Giovanni's and 150 Central Park.

We prefer to dine at "normal" dinner times regardless of dining location... 5:30-6:30 PM. It seems the ship tends to disembark most ports between 4:00-6:00 PM and we always get back an hour or so earlier giving us time to change, etc. We adjust and play it by ear when the ship is in port longer. By dining at the earlier/"normal" dining times, we tend to go to the 8:00 PM and later entertainment/activities. Just our personal preference.

Have an amazing time! Usually, there is a check-in table for the Key just outside the MDR (at least on Quantum and Oasis class). I would ask one of the crew members when you first board Indy for directions to confirm which deck the Key check-in table is located, etc. You should see many signs/banners referencing the Key as well as you navigate the ship. Once they check you in, they'll ask you for any carry-on bags that you would like tagged and delivered directly to your cabin (so you won't need to drag them around while you wait for access). Usually, the Key lunch is right there in the MDR and features selections from the Chops Grille lunch menu... delicious in our experience. Just a guess, but I believe the lunch hours are typical lunch hours (11-2 or so), but they will be able to confirm the exact lunch hours and answer your questions at the table when you check in. This was the Key lunch menu back in FEB on Odyssey... sometimes they offer the Wild Mushroom soup instead of the Butternut Squash soup...

... or if you mostly need USB charging capability for your electronic devices (4.8/5.0 stars - 16.8K reviews - $29.99)... this was recommended numerous times on this forum and we personally use this on every cruise. There may be other versions of this hub that support USB-C, etc., if you need the additional flexibility. I use this to charge all of our iPhones, iPads, GoPro, Apple Watches, device batteries... all you need is one outlet in your cabin... Amazon Link: Anker Charging Station / PowerPort

Yes, you should be able to book every evening for My Time dining through the Cruise Planner. Only issue is the offered time slots currently start at 6:45 PM on most sailings. We booked the 6:45 PM slot for our JAN 2023 sailing the moment dining opened up this week, but later in the week decided to call Royal and switch to early traditional dining at 5:30 PM which thankfully was still available. Even with My Time we generally like to book the same time on most days which allows us to request the same server team and table for at least those evenings.

That is a good price. We purchased it on our last cruise in FEB on Odyssey for $109... the lowest I've personally seen it listed on past cruises was $99. If you want that dining package, I would purchase it now... you can always cancel and repurchase at the lower cost if the price drops even further in the future (all can be done through the Cruise Planner). It's currently listed at $120 ("normal" 20% off pre-cruise rate in the CP) for our next cruise in JAN on Wonder.

Just confirming that the earliest My Time slot for our JAN 2023 Wonder sailing is also 6:45 PM. The dining just opened up in the CP for us this week and we checked immediately.

100% agree with @SpeedNoodles! We get back at least one hour early... you don't want to be this couple...

Yes, still offered for both of our sailings on Wonder in 2023 (one of the few items showing in the Cruise Planner). Just posted a week or two ago at the insane price of $41.99... If it gets to about $20, we'll purchase!

Our go-to first drink is a Lava Flow with a float of Kraken!

If you booked through Royal, I believe you can also change it on the Royal website through this link on the bottom of their main webpage… so I’ve heard… I could not get in since we have a TA… … However, I was able to access the guest info when I logged into our friend’s reservation… their reservation is with Royal and not assigned to a TA… did not attempt changes of course! https://www.royalcaribbean.com/reservation/lookup

I can't confirm if it's operating on Symphony, but we had the same experience last OCT on Oasis. The option to make a reservation did not appear until we were onboard (can be made through the app). The escape room on Oasis (Apollo 18: Mission Control) was $18.

(edit) Duh! I made the mistake of replying before my first cup of coffee! LOL! I read "What is a Book Later..." The Book Later reservations also automatically default to the TA (if app) listed on the current sailing/reservation when the reservation is made. We booked two Book Later reservations back in FEB for the first time and they automatically were "linked" to our TA. The number to call on the Book Later confirmation sheet is actually your TA's number (if app). We also booked them through the Royal app (very dangerous!) and I don't recall an option to drop/change the TA. Of course the TA is not aware of these reservations until you call and actually book a sailing through them.