Andy & Sheryl Unwin

Our last cruise on Allure (6 night in JS) was a result of a FCC from a cancelled trip (5 nights balcony) on Independance. We love the JS, but werent able to justify it again until we received that FCC. So to go from an expected 5 points, to the 24 we received (6x2 for JS, x2 for promotion) was simply wonderful.

I think we have been incredibly fortunate with the Double Points offers. It was an incredibly astute move by Royal to offer it. I wish more had been as fortunate.

My own feeling is it will remain that much of a jump too. If Royal were to (say) make the gap 50 points, it would I think be unfair to those who already made it to Diamond+

Very similar yes. We did our last cruise as Platinum, the next one as Emerald, and the one I havent booked yet as Diamonds. In and of itself, its not the most important thing in the world. But we really do want to feel we have achieved something out of the debacle that was the last 2 years. Besides, its a bit of harmless fun. I doubt we will make Diamond + till I am well into my dotage though.

For sure Diamond status will come in useful when I book our 25th anniversary cruise. The official date is 12/10/2023, but likely we will celebrate any time between 12/01/23 and 03/31/2024. It will be first cruise for example where we dont have the DBP. There will be plenty of other opportunites for booze.

Easiest way is simply to specify the choice. eg: A lava flow with "Kraken Rum" or a "Pussers" Painkiller Bonus Question 1: Rum, specifically Pussers Rum, with Kraken as a second alternative. Bonus Question 2: Grog ! 1 oz Lime Juice 2 oz Pussers Rum 1/2 oz Brown sugar 3 oz Water

Another option here is to take only screw top bottles. Shock, horror, the purists will be irked. However, it does mean you dont need a corkscrew and that you can re-seal the bottle without an issue. A fun thing about discovering wine with screw top bottles, is doing the research to find which you prefer to take with you.

Ahhh, thats pretty good news for us then, it means another double helping from Serenade in October. 14 points not the meager 7 we had anticipated.

After what seems like an eternity as Platinum, Sheryl and I really made out like bandits on our latest voyage on Allure. We were already going to profit from having a Junior Suite, with double points our 6 night cruise was to net us 12 points. However, because we satisfied the terms of the (sadly no longer happening) double points offer. (book by end september 2021, sail by end of march 2022 I think) that was doubled up to 24 points. The result was to pole vault us high into the Emerald level. We now have 73 points. We have a 7 nighter in October on Serenade, and that I believe will take us to Diamond at long last. So, has anyone else managed to benefit from the double points promotion ? It would be interesting to see some positive outcomes

I did exactly that on Allure recently, 5 weeks post op. I was really grateful to be able to lay down in a hot bath too. I should have taken my cooling machine with me, but opted for gel packs instead. Cabin attendant went above and beyond keeping me supplied with ice to chill the gel packs. A life saver.

Given the freeboard (distance from waterline to deck) of Anthem is over 18 decks tall, and she is over 1100ft long it acts very much like a gigantic sail. That being said, much depends on wind direction and berth. The wind could for example assist in berthing. However, I doubt anything under 25knots would be an issue either way. The ultimate decision of course, rests with one man. The Captain. He is responsible for the ship in its entirity so it is his call yay or nay.

Some years ago, we had a last minute panic when we could not find our passports. We were 24 hours from leaving and had no way to get replacements. So we did use the althernatives. For me, naturalization certificate, and birth certificate for Sheryl. Getting on and off the ship, was not an issue as we had the appropriate legal documentation. However, we did feel very uncomfortable the whole time we were outside the USA, and breathed a big sigh of relief when we were allowed back in. Had we needed to disembark, missed the ship, or had any other reason for needing alternative travel, we would have had to jump through hoops to get home. So my thought would be passport, passport and passport. (we eventually replaced ours)

Yes, we do this all the time. Non-Streaming is fine for social media applications, just dont expect to be able to watch any shared videos withouth mahoosive interuptions. Textual content is fine.

The first RC cruise Sheryl and I took was on Brilliance out of Tampa. Since then, we have sailed on Serenade and are due to do so again towards the end of this year. Everything about these ships is incredible and although we have a preference for the Voyager/Freedom vessels, there does seem to be a certain something about the smaller ships. As has been said, its unlikely they will be replaced when they reach end of life, thats just the unfortunate effect of economics. I say enjoy them while you can.

As we do with excursions, we usually follow the sage like wisdom provided by Matt and purchase the DBP (with Voom) about the same time as we book the cruise. Then keep an eye on it. Invariably there are fluctuations based on discounts and if its significant, we cancel and repurchase. I wont go through the process to save $2 if you get my drift. Certaily, with excursions (and specifically the Coco Beach Club), it can save a whole bunch of money.

Interesting. I dont drink the stuff myself, I much prefer Pussers Rum. However, there was a goodly supply of CR in the Schooner Bar and pool bar when we were on Allure 3/13 - 3/19. Murphys law always states that someone who doesnt drink it, will spot it.

A word of caution about the new coffee machines. We didnt notice on Allure a couple of weeks back, but we didnt get larger cups, just the demitasse size for espresso. While thats usually fine for espresso size, if you hit the full cup version, get ready to fun and games.... That stuff goes everywhere lol

I found the answer to the CBD oil in the FAQs. It seems CBD products are prohibited https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/prohibited-items-onboard-policy

Almost always Schooners, (exceptions are Solarium and pool bar). Pussers Painkiller Lava Flow with Kraken Rum

I am curious why you would need an air mattress? There should be sufficient bed space for all the room occupants as is.

Best I can suggest is your companion talks to their medical professional and gets an assessment on what will work for them

Any ship, no matter the size is subject to the prevailing winds and swell. Designers can mitigate ship movement with stabilisers and such, but it can never be eliminated. That being said, I know for sure Royal are really good at routing their ships to avoid the really bad weather. We have had one cruise (Serenade) which was a tad lumpy using the seaward passage around the Bahamas. Personally, I loved it but then again I spent 10 years bobbing across the worlds oceans in the Royal Navy. There were other passengers, my wife Shery chief among them, for whom I had the deepest sympathy. On the plus side, the pub was virtually empty for 2 days

The DBP and Voom will be applied to both room occupants. Each can connect their own device. This has been our go-to since day one and it works pretty well. I would say go ahead and book it, but remember to check back for price drops. Its easy to cancel and redo if there is a sale

Europlug and UK plugs are quite different. We always carry an international power converter which has both. In addition with regards to power, the suggestion to have a USB hub was one we picked up from the live blog on youtube a few years ago. This is a huge one and I cant recommend it enough

Thanks tis much appreciated. Another idiot move of mine was not taking my ice machine. Electing instead for cold gel packs as a substitute. Our cabin attendant was amazing in keeping me supplied with ice buckets to chill them down. Not as good as the ice chiller, but took the edge off. Honestly, I cannot praise Royal enough for the help I had. Incidentally, my surgery was delayed by 2 weeks, so I should have been much further along in the recovery process. If I were to go this week it would be a completely different experience, although I would still gladly accept the Pier Assist again.