JimnKathy

You'll love both of them...Symphony's Solarium for the win! Happy Sailing!

Yes it is. We sailed Allure a few months ago and were amazed by how efficient the boarding and debarkation processes were. Sailing out of Galveston for the 1st time was a nice experience.

We'll probably take a trip on Icon once the "newness" wears off a bit. In the meantime, we'll just "suffer" with the commoners on Allure, Harmony, Symphony and Wonder until Icon's ready for an oil-change.

The annual plan also covers any travel you do (not just cruise vacations...think rental cars, hotels, airplane, trains, etc.). If you travel anywhere more than 2 or 3 times annually, the cost-savings works to your favor. Safe Travels!

...or you can bring insulated tumblers like we do and drink free water all cruise long.

I would totally recommend an Oasis or Quantum class ship for a 1st time cruiser. The shows, amenities and dining options are extensive and really give folks an idea of what they would prefer on future cruises. We sailed bigger ships on our first few sailings, tried a smaller ship for one and now know that we're "big ship" cruisers going forward. Happy Sailing!

A few years ago I researched the AT&T cruise plan pretty extensively and concur that the Zoom package is the best option. You can enable WIFI calling and talk, text and surf anywhere on the ship with your regular AT&T plan. In Mexican and Canadian ports, you can talk for free (at least our plan gives us the benefit) without buying the AT&T cruise package. You can often find a WIFI hotspot in a port not covered by AT&T (of course, I don't advise doing any personal banking from these hotspots for security reasons). Happy Sailing!

We would as well...too bad it's a 20-hour drive from Ft. Lauderdale / Miami ports from the Memphis, TN area.

Agreed. The Beach Club is definitely a wonderful spot that you want to spend as much time as possible.

As I mentioned in another thread earlier today, the missus and I love Central Park balconies. Central Park is so beautiful at night with amazing piano, awesome lighting and great people watching. While the pool party music is there at certain times in the afternoons, we're usually hanging out in the Solarium on sea days or on a shore excursion on the port days. Happy sailing!

Ditto on an annual travel insurance plan if you travel more than twice a year...particularly for those of us over 60. We use Allianz based on our specific needs, but there are certainly other solid plans out there as well. Just be sure to understand the coverages you need and choose based on that.

We've enjoyed Central Park balcony rooms on both Wonder and Symphony...I highly recommend them. Ditto on the amount of sun exposure for these "inside" cabins...varies on time of day and direction of sailing. You'll really love the balcony at night...Central Park is peaceful with beautiful music and lighting.

This is yet another reason to always use a good travel agent. No point wasting your vacation time on the phone when your travel agent could be handling things on your behalf.

It's really surprising that the State Department doesn't issue an approved digital copy of our passports to be able to download to either our phones and/or Microsoft One Drive / Google Drive as a backup plan to handle these sorts of issues in this thread.

I always love a nice rare cut of Prime Rib in the MDR...extremely delicious!

Yep, it's not like we're eating light meals during other parts of the day!

Using some hot sauce (Tobasco, Louisiana Hot Sauce, etc.) at a meal can help offset some stomach issues as well, but I'd probably chase it with a bit of tequila, too.

I totally agree. We had several challenging flying experiences coming to and from cruises since the restart...luckily our RCL sailings were wonderful each time! My better half and I decided to drive 11 hours from Memphis to Galveston on our most recent cruise (with 3 young grandkids and their mom) and found this trip to be a FAR better experience than risking crazy flight reschedules/cancellations common in this post-pandemic world.

Our impression (compared to Ft. Lauderdale airport) is that it's worn down, gates are cramped, food court options lacking, etc.

When crème brulee is available in the MDR, I always ask our waiter for some sliced strawberries and blueberries on the side.

Port Parking provided us reasonable covered, secured parking for our 7-night Allure sailing last month. Total cost including tax for the week was $131.53 and they provided shuttle service both to and from the terminal...easy peasy.

We've had the pleasure of enjoying the beach club on 3 occasions on various sailings within year 1 post-pandemic at some amazing prices (59, 79 & 89) and I highly recommend everyone try it at least once. We've also enjoyed the free Perfect Day experience on other sailings and will be more than satisfied to choose the free option with the Beach Club pricing in the current stratosphere. $200 bucks and up is ridiculous.

Yet another shining example of why using a good TA is so important...all of this was 100% preventable. Also curious as to the complaint regarding the 2020 cruise was cancelled, ship sold, etc. The entire cruise industry was shut down for over a year.

My wife is the shopper in my house...she laughs at the "sales" on every cruise. Short of buying a refrigerator magnet onboard, we never bother with anything else...even the liquor bottle prices are extremely high compared to what's available back home.

Totally agree with Matt's advice. We just got off of Allure this past Sunday while traveling with an 8-month-old grandson. Momma packed LOTS of extra supplies and did a quick glance at the ship's available backup just for future reference...slim to none to say the least.