Ampurp85

I tip as I go. I did a B2B where I had the same room, though not the same room attendant as they changed her for the second leg. So had I waited, she would have not gotten a tip. I do MTD and even though I eat at the same time, I have never had the same waiter because as a solo, they often put me at whatever table is available. I also do UDP for at least one sailing. I say that to say don't assume that you will have the same anything, it could be possible for the first week to be the end of a contract.

GoPort still services PC. I have them booked for Jan cruises; it is $29.99 now instead of $24.99.

No they are strict in their 750ml specifications.

The WJ food looks meh. I would have gone to the MDR first and then the WJ after since it stays open longer.

I was on the sailing a week before you. It was insane the number of children, on top of the Jewish group who chartered. I am sailing Galveston in Oct, I am wondering about the number of children then.

In regard to the age, maybe it's the itinerary and the ship. I saw very little in the way of children on Grandeur but even in Jan, just the week before, my Oasis sailing was full of them and the younger folks.

I echo Freedom. I have done Indy and Nav as well and would do them again but not before Freedom. Mariner was the first Royal ship I sailed but her shows feel really dated and after seeing the pics and reading @Lovetocruise2002 blog, Liberty has gone into the "NO" pile for me. I am also not a fan of quantum class as you really begin to miss the features of Oasis class. The Esplanade and lack of neighborhoods/aqua shows are apparent more so than on Freedom and Voyager class.

1500 points will get you a free cruise and the higher your points the better the options are, usually at the 6500 mark they are offering JS and suites. My last cruise in April I wanted to earn a cruise and make prime for the next year. I got 3200 points on about $2300 but I originally wasn't playing for the points, and probably could have gotten it for under $1700 had I been focused. On that list it was cruises up to 12n in interiors, OV and balconies. I never play more than I would pay for the cruise.

I also want to say it has been consistent now, that a majority of the cruisers are newbies or been on 1 or 2 cruises.

Can I just say the one plate on the top left looks really overdone......did you ask for well done.... or does Liberty just burn food?????

I too enjoy the dip, but they normally give you like 6 chips. My understanding is that everything is delivered the second day because turnaround day is rough.

So, a mini fridge would have adjustable temps that can get lower than a cooler designated temp of roughly 40 degrees. Coolers can keep something consistently cool if they have the proper ambient temperature, hence why putting ice works. But they aren't designed to get cold or have proper freezing properties. A mini fridge would have these properties, it has to have compressor-based system to be considered a fridge. Coolers can keep things, and are designed to, cool for days. The problem is the definition of cool, milk and certain things have to be kept under the standard temp not normally reached by coolers. It is easier to say mini fridge, than cooler as Royal and many cruise lines don't expect for you to need to keep anything too cold.

Actually, it's considered a fridge if you can adjust the temperature, otherwise it's just a cooler. Cooler can have cords or be battery operated. But fridges have adjustable temperatures.

I was on Grandeur this year and I had cleaning cloths and supplies left in my room more than once. Then on my April Freedom the room was completely dirty. Garbage on the floor and food left in the cooler. It seems like the crew on smaller ships are stretched too thin.

I booked one way on the consumer site. But I need my TA to book the return one-way because it was a different booking number.

I normally book through the casino, so be advised that most casino comps and discounts are exempt from any other offers. The only time the casino will allow you to attach another offer is if you book using just the casino pricing.

Also keep in mind the language barrier. Crew members often play telephone as well, so they could hear something and relay it without it be accurate. I can't recall ships having min-fridges before the pandemic either, probably a different kind of cooler. I could see them replacing the older coolers with more energy efficient ones.

Lol these first-world problems are insane. OP never explained the way worse things that occurred on their cruise, but the popcorn was the proverbial straw. I am just amazed at how people complain of cruise companies' nickel and diming but see no issue with theme parks, hotels, airlines, restaurants, and grocery stores doing the same thing.

I wanted to sail Liberty, but the pictures are putting me off. I have sailed Indy and Freedom; I love Freedom but felt Indy was a smidge dated and I was solo in a JS then. Is that Evian water? I forgot because there have been so many twists and turns if you have any dining packages? Also how did the internet work out?

I have done one-way with air2sea because I was doing S2S cruises. This was a couple of years ago,so ymmv. If you have a TA, they could assist with this.

I am not a shareholder, but I do know if you have 100 shares you can get $100 OBC for every sailing. Also, for reference, there will be post already related to some of your questions. Either here or on the actual blog.

This^^ I hate the buttered corn places sell, it tastes like cardboard. But a good kettle or cheese mixture is worth it.

Glad you are onboard and that this has been a relatively drama/problem-free experience. That WJ looks dated, and I don't know.......how was the food? I mean obviously not good enough to elicit a food coma but what about selection and temps?

The suite prices now are much higher than they were during the 21/22 cruising season. There was a ton of deals back then. But also, as I said just sailing solo during the double points was a boon. 7N in an interior would net you 21points, so after 4 sailings you could be diamond. Each person has their own value, and some people can easily afford suites and justify paying those prices.

Mostly everything is covered but I want to add on to your first question. If this was booked with a "won onboard" certificate it is only valid for the date you chose. You will not be able to change the dates to any Icon sailings, only what is offered on the certificate and if you do, you will get the money off and not the room (i.e., interior, OV, etc.). I now consistently book through Club Royale. Sometimes they aren't as knowledgeable, but you can call back and get the right answer.