PhillyLady

We pre-ordered Euros from our bank and used credit cards when possible.  Our CC company did not charge foreign exchange fees. 

Have deposit on next May. However, debating. Literally using "One and done" as our catch phrase.
It's hard because it's an amazing ship. Aqua Dome/Overlook etc is a wow factor. 
It's the pool deck and handling of rules regarding children. It's non existent.
More kids in the swim and tonic the past 2 hour's then adults. And they keep diving under the water and swimming around concrete barstools. Lifeguard says nothing. How a kid hasn't cracked his head open yet is beyond me. It's a bar. Nobody under 21 needs to be in it. I don't drink, so it doesn't effect me as much. Spent 10 minutes with a dIet coke and a splash of pool water. Disney Cruises is super mega strict on adult only areas. Children only too. Royal needs to draw a few lines in the sand, when it comes to the pool deck. It's a (you know what) show. Literally. LOL.

Ok, Update!
It was 2 pools today.
The kids pool and the swim and tonic bar pool. 
Why they even allow kids in a pool that's a bar is beyond me. 
Royal Caribbean needs to rethink age policies on pools on this ship. It's really getting ridiculous. Lots of paying customers are MAD!

MDR Food was exceptionally good night one. Beef quality has improved. No tough as nails steak. 
Aqua show was awesome. 
Aqua dome at night. Nice place to just sit and relax. Very Star Trek / Star Ship kinda feel. 
That's 3. LOL. 
(It's a beautiful ship)
Oh, one more major plus. Natural light from windows behind Pearl Cafe opens up the promenade. Not everything faces inward anymore. 

I love to cruise, but I never try to be the first one on board the ship--I am not sure why.  I am always trying to squeeze in one last sightseeing experience on land.  Usually if you board later in the day it is also quite easy to walk on board and avoid lines as well.  Sometimes we have been so late we even missed the muster call, and had to do it the next day.  Of course, it is no longer required to put on the lifejackets all together on most cruise lines anymore, which was always a hassle and interrupted the flow of the first day.
The best thing about early arrivals is possibly getting to eat in a nicer dining area, rather than the always overcrowded Windjammer/Lido cafeteria style line-up that everybody swarms.  Of course, it is nice to get a good deck chair and relax a bit the first day, but usually I am in a nice hotel the night before anyway, so I am not in too much of a hurry to leave.
One thing I can proudly say is I have never missed my ship for either boarding or at a port call!

I love to cruise, but I never try to be the first one on board the ship--I am not sure why.  I am always trying to squeeze in one last sightseeing experience on land.  Usually if you board later in the day it is also quite easy to walk on board and avoid lines as well.  Sometimes we have been so late we even missed the muster call, and had to do it the next day.  Of course, it is no longer required to put on the lifejackets all together on most cruise lines anymore, which was always a hassle and interrupted the flow of the first day.
The best thing about early arrivals is possibly getting to eat in a nicer dining area, rather than the always overcrowded Windjammer/Lido cafeteria style line-up that everybody swarms.  Of course, it is nice to get a good deck chair and relax a bit the first day, but usually I am in a nice hotel the night before anyway, so I am not in too much of a hurry to leave.
One thing I can proudly say is I have never missed my ship for either boarding or at a port call!

I have to send a shout out to the #1 Mei TA in my book. Ashley Bittenbender.  Sometimes I think I drive her crazy with all my changes or indecisiveness. She keeps up with all my changes and gets back to me in a timely manner. She lets me know if she is unable to work on my bookings, because she is unavailable, on vacation or have limited internet access.  Wouldn’t trade her.  She is patient and kind. 

So happy to see so many shout outs to our incredible MEI-Travel agents!! 🤩

Well huge shout out to @Sharla. Lightening fast communication, knowing our cruising style can anticipate our needs. When she was on cruise and we needed something she sent Kelley mentioned above to the rescue. I always feel we are in secure hands with her! 

We would be LOST without our MEI TA Kelley...  Cannot recommend her enough!! (she says she's our Pinnacle-Enabler 😉 )

Thank you so much for the kind words! I was happy to help you. 

I needed to cancel and rebook a cruise for a week later.  I realized in on Saturday AM, emailed my MEI TA at 10:30am.  By 12:30 I was rebooked on the new cruise.  All communication through easy emails.
This would have required a long phone call to Royal if I had booked myself, and I can't even imagine if I had used Costco or one of the big online TA's.
Great Job MEI !

Hi Everyone! 
My name is Sara and I am the Client Relationship Manager for MEI-Travel. I am sorry to hear some of you were not happy with your MEI agents! If you are experiencing issues with an agent, please feel free to reach out to me at [email protected]. 
As Beci said, we cannot solve a problem if we don't know that it exists! 
Thanks!

And especially so when the person responding is travelling herself.

I don't know how anyone else feels or thinks, but personally I think a response within 2 hours on a blog forum complaint is fantastic.  Yes thanks to @Xaa for highlighting.
I would give this company another chance, if it was me. 
BTW I am happy with my Agent

Express Pass made boarding Amazing!
We NEVER stopped walking. No waiting at all. Passed thousands of people.
You MUST upload a photo when you do online check in. We also scanned passports. Yesterday, after answering health question, we got confetti and and our set sail passes turned purple. Congratulations you have express pass to board. The days of wait till at dock to have them take your photo are over. It puts you in an entirely different category. We literally passed 1hr 30min of people and walked right on. 

The pool being closed constantly would annoy the shit out of me...pun intended.

Keep in mind that if you did have a TA, that person probably couldn’t match your company’s special rate either.  The person who said it could be done was not correct  which was the “glitch” that didn’t allow it to work.  
In the future, do a mock booking for the exact cabin, date, ship, etc you want to get a price but do not actually book.  Instead, call to compare to the special rate offered through your employer.  You’ll likely find the two are not equal at all (as has been pointed out by TJCruisers - the deals are not “apples to apples.”)   Once you have those details, actually decide whether to go through with an actual booking with Royal or through the work offer. 
Chances are the deal you booked really was the best after all.  For now, believe that is the case and enjoy your cruise.

Welcome to the message boards.
We're not privy to the details here, but keep in mind when comparing prices in the future to include all the taxes and fees. A lot of times there are advertised rates cheaper, until you factor those in.
Also, you need to ensure you're comparing the exact same room category. Not just "balcony", I mean the room code.  There can be major price differences between a category 1D and 3D balcony cabin.
It's not quite that. More often an agency creates a group space, and that locks in the price of the room at the time.  Later, the conventional price goes up, while the group space remains at the original price. So depending on when you book, the price can fluctuate.
 

Most people on this blog are fairly experienced cruisers who know that Royal (and all cruise lines) are always running "sales". The earlier you book the better price you get is the general rule. Good travel agents like the one you will find mentioned thoughout this blog will sometimes be able to offer Group discounts and perks. If I ever think there is a possibility my plans will change I book refundable deposits. Sorry you found a better deal after you booked with Royal but thats really not their fault and you will still have a great time on your cruise. 

My advice is get a travel agent who can work through these details.

Okay, there has certainly been a lot of hype about this ship, and a colleague (adult) is doing a back-to-back with her mother (senior) this Fall, so I was somewhat interested in learning more about the huge new Icon.  I have to say, I skimmed through your video just to hear at the end that in your opinion the ship is not too adult friendly.  We, as a mature couple, have always had a good time on our previous RC cruises, but there were a nice mix of ages.  We are not really into adult-only cruises, but we do not necessarily want to be on a cruise which is completely child-centered.  Did you do any grown-up things, like go dancing, listen to a band, or attend a comedy show, or anything that was not focused on the young one? Is there good shopping variety, or are there decent spa services? 
Anyway, it was a very nicely constructed video, and I cannot believe you even did pricing--very helpful to those interested in a future booking! Your shots were clear and interesting, your pace was great, the narration was smooth, and you covered a nice variety of topics. 
Yes, I agree the ship is probably way overpriced--that is what happens when there is a lot of demand.  
Sorry I cannot subscribe--your video is actually one of the few cruise videos I have ever watched on Youtube! After fifty years of cruising I rarely have a need to look at those types of resources.  But, I do like chatting a bit on this forum, so thanks for sharing.
I know your son will look back on these experiences and treasure them all, along with his father's excellent documentation.  Best wishes!
 
 
 

I had the same thing happen last week for a cruise that had been paid off for months.  I asked Michelle to look into it for me and Royal had boggled the gratuities.  It is a Star Class Cruise and the grats are included in the price so she had to work with them to get it squared away.  It took a couple of days which sort of surprised me. Seems like that should be something easy to fix. Whatever.  My advice is to get it fixed. You don’t want to give Royal any excuse to cancel your cruise due to nonpayment....especially if you got a good deal on the fare.

I received and completed the RCL survey this morning... but wanted to add my review comments here as well. Your thoughts are welcome
Let’s start at the end… We just booked out 2024 cruise with Royal Caribbean for February  – that’s how much my wife and I enjoyed our trip.
With that out of the way, let’s look at some of the components that made our trip this year so enjoyable. Elana and I haven’t cruised in about 15 years and the difference is astounding.
Entertainment – 10/10
I never expected such quality and quantity as we had on our cruise. A different show almost every night. A couple of the shows were just amazing (Hiro and Hairspray) while others were amazing well executed nonsense (1977 and Flight: Dare to Dream).
Staff and Service – 11/10
From our cabin steward, to the people at the various dining venues, to the island staff at Coco Cay, everyone was so nice and so friendly. RCL has done a great job sourcing and training their team.
Featured Dining - 9/10 
We ate at a number of places on board during the cruise (Chop House, Izumi – for dinner and the sushi class/brunch, as well as Jamie’s Italian). In each case the quality of the food (ingredients and preparation) was excellent. The service level superb, but I have to give a point off due to the value – it’s just a bit too expensive.
Main Dining Room – 5/10
I’ve heard and viewed a ton of stories about the new menu in the Main Dining Room. Sorry, the food just does not cut it. The first night of the cruise, we ate at the main dining room. The New York Strip steak and baked potato reminded me of Sizzler (a chain of low-priced steak houses that went bankrupt a few years back). Just basic and cheap. 
To be totally honest, I think the MDR is an idea whose time has come and gone. I would like to see smaller, specialty venues integrated with the Featured Dining program so that cruisers have more choice and more price points.
Other Dining 8/10
The two buffets were very good (Windjammer Marketplace and Solana Bistro). The only thing was that they were very crowded. I think many diners there were refugees from the Main Dining Room. 
Cabin – 9/10
We got an ocean view balcony and I wouldn’t have it any other way… We watched several sail aways from out balcony, and my wife love them. It also was a great escape from sea days when the pools were overcrowded. 
Activities – 9/10
Just a lot of stuff to do. On my last cruise, Sea Days were boring… not on this cruise. I even did the Zip line, what a rush!
Tech – Too new to rate
RCL is investing in technology throughout the ship. But a number of the improvements are new and will still take time to shake out the bugs… 
•    WoW bands – NFC tags in a plastic watchband. Royal Caribbean needs to go all in on this tech. Our cruise was the first to make them available to all passengers. But it was still hard to use them at bars and to get on or off the ship. 
•    RCL app – There’s a ton of stuff going on within the app. But I’d like to see the NFC capabilities of the WoW bands integrated into the App. A number of hotels already use NFC and Bluetooth to add your hotel key to your phone. RCL should as well. The physical bands should be used for those whose phones don’t have NFC chips (which most phones have).
•    Starlink – YES, YES, YES! Real internet on board. RCL continues to roll this service out to their fleet and I’m very happy about it. Still some bugs and $500 for a week is expensive, but it’s real progress. 
That’s it… looking forward to next year and my next cruise.
 
 
 

We’re on Freedom now and the main pool was shut down before we even got out of port due to a child “throwing up” in the pool.  I know this isn’t the same as potty issues but the result is the same.