Mrs. Thomas

I booked a cruise onboard my last cruise using the Next Cruise desk.  I felt like I got a decent deal for what I got. Just saw that my exact cruise is about $500 bucks less if I booked it today and since I am inside 75 days, I cannot rebook. I did not use a travel agent.  I have another cruise booked for next year and this one will be my first using a TA.  So in the future if I book with Next Cruise I will hand it off to my TA as soon as I get home and hopefully will get that savings.  I'll just chalk it up to a learning experience and do better next time. 

Same! We just had this snow here in NC and I'm wanting palm trees. I can't book but one cruise every few years and this will be the first time for my kids. The fact that it's a surprise for them is making it worse. My poor mom (who is going too) has to hear me talk about it all the time. 178 days to go.

You ever reach that point where you feel like youve researched all you can, youve set up all your excursions, youve filled out all there is to fill out.....and youre just WAITING. Its agony, and I just want my embarkation day to GET HERE. What do yall do to deal with the agony, the torture, the slow death of WAITING? 

The safest place is to park at Terminal A. Miami has a terrible reputation for off-site parking. I'd be wary of risking my car elsewhere for a week. 

The convenience and security of Terminal A are well worth the extra cost.

This is where we parked when we went on Navigator last May. It was well worth the cost. Our friend recently got off of a cruise in Miami and he decided to park elsewhere: his car was broken into the first night after they sailed away-... park at the Terminal.!!!

Off site parking in Miami has a terrible reputation for safety.
Do yourself a favor and park at the port.

Unless you're a light packer you'll be lugging around your luggage until rooms open up (2pm or so). Porter service is technically free but a tip is STRONGLY recommended.
I tip about $5 for both of us. 2 large rollers & 1 thin cheap garment bag.

Not very light packers so we usually have a large roller and a folding garment suitcase and sometimes a mid size roller that I leave the the porters, we always have a small carry on and electronics/camera backpack that stays with us.  Boarding the ship I hand them off to the porters and give them $1-2 per bag; once I used a porter help me thru customs and out to the rental car shuttle so I gave him $20.  As Matt said that $20 was the best money I've spent. 

Your luggage may be too big to fit through the scanner to carry it on yourself.  Think of the x-ray machine at the airport.

I recommend using the porters for two reasons:
1. They cost just a few dollars and make things SO much easier on you
2. In many ports, they get a shorter line. I cant tell you how much time they've saved me over the years.

$30?! I pay $1-2 per bag. So unless you are travelling with the Brady Bunch, you should be paying $5-$10 on embarkation day and then again on disembarkation day.
I'm telling you, best money I spend!

Went on the Allure for my honeymoon. It is Oasis class as well. They are wonderful ships with lots to do. The shows are wonderful! My #1 thing I would say to do is find some time to just sit on the beach and relax and do nothing for a few hours. Take it all in. Don't get preoccupied with trying to do too much. The best day we had was when we just sat on the beach under an umbrella holding hands. I wish you the best and smooth sailing!

Went on the Allure for my honeymoon. It is Oasis class as well. They are wonderful ships with lots to do. The shows are wonderful! My #1 thing I would say to do is find some time to just sit on the beach and relax and do nothing for a few hours. Take it all in. Don't get preoccupied with trying to do too much. The best day we had was when we just sat on the beach under an umbrella holding hands. I wish you the best and smooth sailing!

Went on the Allure for my honeymoon. It is Oasis class as well. They are wonderful ships with lots to do. The shows are wonderful! My #1 thing I would say to do is find some time to just sit on the beach and relax and do nothing for a few hours. Take it all in. Don't get preoccupied with trying to do too much. The best day we had was when we just sat on the beach under an umbrella holding hands. I wish you the best and smooth sailing!

Make sure they push the beds together to make a king!???
Happy cruising and congratulations on your future nuptials!
I hope you are celebrating your 30th on a RC cruise like my wife and I will be this Oct.

Quick question, can you use the Royal Caribbean App on the ship without purchasing the WiFi package? 

Yes! I use it every time I cruise even though I never purchase the WiFi package- great way to stay informed about the ship and unplug at the same time !
Safe cruising,

Yes you can...a fewships also have a free group chat feature as well. They are working on adding the chat feature to more ships once the tech folks debug the app a bit.

It's your SeaPass card on your wrist. Like a Disney MagicBand.
This explains more.
What are Royal Caribbean WOW Bands?
 
 
In addition to Royal Caribbean’s traditional SeaPass cards, select Royal Caribbean ships* also feature WOW Bands. These ready‑to‑wear, water-resistant wristbands require just one tap, so you can quickly and efficiently navigate the ship.
WOW Bands come equipped with RFID chips that enable guests to:
Unlock stateroom doors Make purchases at bars, onboard shops, and lounges Access lounges (Suite guests and Crown & Anchor members) Guests who wish to use a WOW Band in place of their SeaPass card may purchase one onboard for $4.99**. Guests in Grand Suites and above (Golden Suites & Royal Premiere for Spectrum of the Seas and Quantum of the Seas) will continue to receive the WOW Bands in their staterooms at no charge. WOW Bands are not reusable and are unique to each sailing.
For departure and boarding the ship in ports, guests will need a SeaPass card.
* Wow Bands are only available on Symphony of the Seas®, Harmony of the Seas®, Ovation of the Seas®, Anthem of the Seas®, Quantum of the Seas®, and Spectrum of the Seas®.
** Port taxes will be applied. Purchase price is subject to change without notice.

Call up RC and tell them what your situation is. They can accommodate most special needs. There is an email address, but I can't remember what it is. I know Matt has mentioned it on a few of the videos on YouTube. I know you will have a great time!

My husband and I went snuba at St. Thomas on our honeymoon. We booked through RC and a great time. St. Thomas was a great place for trinket shopping too. We didn't go to Grand Bahama.

We found the 8:00PM TD not to be too late. We asked for a four top for our family and were given one no problem. We also witnessed plenty of 2 tops as well as blended tables. @Mrs. Thomas if you worried about your son ask for an outside table. Some of the tables even have these really high backed chairs that envelop you, sorry no picture.  We never did MTD but I feel like the tables are a little bit more spread out at Traditional dining. 

I would never go anytime apart from MTD. I dislike traditional dining seating especially when traveling with a small group when you are forced to share a table with strangers, which makes us very uncomfortable. MTD is great because you can select what time for each day and be flexible. And you can get a table for whatever size you need and you aren’t forced to eat with strangers.