JimnKathy

We do the same for both Specialty and Main Dining Room meals. The level of "above and beyond" service we receive is amazing because of this strategy.

Did it on our Symphony B2B last fall. If you're a cheese fan, I'd recommend doing it if you don't have the Deluxe Beverage Package.

We do the annual deal with Allianz as well...it covers ALL travel and has benefits for folks like us who are more "mature" in age.

Cruising during hurricane season is mostly a non-issue other than possible changes to the itinerary. The ships simply sail away from developing storm systems to adjust.

The Beach Club is an amazing experience I suggest everyone try at least once. The trick is to snag a good price for the venue. We always purchase it right after booking a cruise to save our spot, with the intention to cancel and rebook at a lower price during the sales...the Black Friday sale around Thanksgiving seems to offer the best deals.

We enjoy all of the food on Coco Cay...it's all about relishing each moment and making the best of this amazing private island with incredible amenities. We've enjoyed the Beach Club lunch the 3 times we chose that option and we also loved the Snack Shack and buffet food found on the island on a non-Beach Club visit. Happy Sailing to all!

My personal experience is that the Black Friday sales around Thanksgiving seem to offer some of the best discounts as opposed to other sales offered throughout the rest of the year...I've saved a lot of money buying/rebooking packages during that week pretty consistently. For the above reason, I always attempt to book a sailing in a timeframe that allows the Thanksgiving sale to occur before the cruise departs. Happy sailing everyone...and don't let the goofy RCCL "math" make you crazy, just use the sales to your advantage.

We've used the coffee card on our last two cruises on Symphony and Wonder. Double shots cost us 2 punches on the few occasions we did a highly-caffeinated option.

Video is better with the upgraded option if that's important to you, but we've found the Surf option works fine for texts, FB, Signal, etc. If you're really looking to watch video while on your cruise, then the Surf & Stream is the way to go.

Unless you're planning on using both devices simultaneously and you're the only person using the devices, get the 1 device option.

As every other experienced cruiser on this site will tell you, book the package you want to lock in the price. You can always cancel and rebook if the price falls.

The proctored eMed tests that RCL links to on their website is the way to go in my book. Easy peasy, quick and painless.

For anyone expecting amazing, high-grade liquor selections, cruise ships are not the place to to find them.

My better half and I agree. On our Wonder sailing this past March, we noticed a big drop-off in the meat quality. It could also be a result of cooking the meat at too high of a temperature too quickly instead of low and slow. What seemed to make it a little better was to ask for double gravy.

We're from Memphis, TN and have struggled with air travel our last two cruise vacations. After our next cruise sailing out of Boston in October, we're sticking to driving 11 hours for Galveston, TX cruises only until the airlines can clearly demonstrate they'll honor their commitments to air travelers. It's getting truly ridiculous at this point. I told my wife I'll just pump up with 5-hour energy shots coming and going and we'll be fine...definitely a LOT less stressful than dealing with connecting flight hassles.

Emed at-home proctored tests are fast, reliable and easy. I remember attempting to make an appointment last year at several pharmacies in the Memphis area prior to the first cruise post-pandemic only to run into glitches in the online reservation systems. The Emed testing process is a game-changer for our family.

It's the combination of great service, tasty food, fun cocktails, amazing shows and fun port visits all packaged together at a reasonable cost that makes RC so much fun every single time we sail.

In all seriousness, the OP might consider having a family member or close friend make a call to RC in their presence to see what options they have regarding the sailing. RC's been known to help out folks who suffer from aging issues to smooth things over out of sheer kindness...I mean, it's worth a shot.

I booked the Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston Seaport with free cancellation if I decide to change it to one of the Blog's better suggestions.

Hello cruising friends! Anyone have good hotel reservations for the Port of Boston area they wish to share? We would love a place near the Port that has cool local restaurants nearby. Thanks!

The Oasis class ships are amazing, but we give the nod to Wonder for having an air-conditioned Solarium deck.

This is exactly the type of random headache a good TA takes care of for you behind the scenes.

The entire travel industry is one big mess right now. After we sail on our October Maine/Nova Scotia cruise on Voyager that ports out of Boston, we're gonna do our best to avoid commercial air travel and stick to driving to our vacation destinations until the crew shortage issues are resolved. We'd rather drive 11 hours to Galveston for a cruise (we live in Memphis, TN) than risk the hassles of commercial air travel. While we immensely enjoyed our last two cruises on Symphony and Wonder, flying home post-cruise was a disaster for each trip. Our first trip we finally made it home 11 hours later than scheduled flying Southwest, and the 2nd trip coming home on Delta left us stranded in Atlanta...we barely booked one of the last rental cars available for the 6-hour car drive home to Memphis...what a joke.

Peach Cobbler of the Seas Fixin' To Get Ready of the Seas

We bring insulated water glasses with no-spill lids and get free ice water everywhere we go on the ship and at Coco Cay. It's environmentally friendly and keeps the water chilled for hours.