Linda R

I usually use Travel Insured for my travel insurance.  When you put in a claim you can get forms online and then I (or my travel agent) mails them.   You need to include receipts for items you paid and show that they are not refundable.  Hotels, train tickets, museum entrance fees, etc.   

Often the comedy shows do not come up in planner to book ahead of time.  You can book once you get on ship and  if you are Diamond status the host in Diamond Lounge can also book for you.  Although she/he is not in Diamond lounge until like 4pm.  But sometimes you just cannot get reservations to comedy club.  We have experienced this before and just go stand-by.  And the later shows seemed to have less people in stand-by lines.  We go to stand by line about 30 min prior and have always been able to get in. 

Regarding the 2 dates you are looking at.  The first 2 weeks in December are about the least expensive all year.  We always go then, and airfare is less also.  If you decide to go in April, beware many schools have their spring breaks in April and cruises can be more costly.  And more kids onboard.   Just a couple things you might not have thought about. 

I am now retired, but when I did work I was self employed.  So getting the time off was not an issue and I had the control.  But if you work for a company or have children in school, etc.  it isn't as easy to know if you can get the time off.  Especially a year or 2 in advance.  Just enjoy your cruises when you have them!

I take several cruises a year, so always have one coming up fairly soon.  So booking 2 years in advance is not an issue and I have more to look forward to!

I usually use Travel Insured for my travel insurance.  When you put in a claim you can get forms online and then I (or my travel agent) mails them.   You need to include receipts for items you paid and show that they are not refundable.  Hotels, train tickets, museum entrance fees, etc.   

I book my cruises as soon as they are available, usually 2 years in advance. That is when you get the best price. 

The cruise that was cancelled 3 days before a cruise was not anything RC could do anything about.  A crane fell on Oasis in port and damaged ship.  Not the fault of the cruise line at all.  The ship could not be sailed.  But I mentioned it because I showed you what RC did with refunds, etc.  
I use private travel insurance to cover other expenses other than the monies that were paid to RC.  There are several companies to use.  I always book thru a travel agent too, and they can handle the insurance for you.  Plus putting in a claim if you need to.  I have personally had to cancel a couple cruises at last minute due to medical issues.  And was so glad I had travel insurance as they covered everything.

Welcome to the message boards!
I highly recommend booking with a travel agent instead of directly with the line.  The price is never higher with a travel agent, and often agents can get access to special rates that you couldn't book through the website (such as group discounts and agency rates).
This article should also be helpful: How to get the best cruise deals: 15 easy tips

I have been on 2 cancelled cruises.  One was cancelled about 5 years ago, about 3 days prior to cruise. RC gave us our money back for things we already paid,  The hotels and other expenses we used our trip insurance to cover.   The other cancellation was more like 20 years ago and RC booked the ship out to a private function, and was given maybe 2 months notice. That was 1 week of a back-to-back cruise so I was bummed.  I did go on just the 1 week cruise though, and was given back any monies I paid to RC.

Worst case scenario - you're on the ship and having a great time.

Believe me, these are just a few of the disappointments.  there were lots more.  The smell off sewage onboard.   Deck attendants taking bribes to keep sun loungers back for people.  Staff failing to enforce rules such as "no diving or jumping" in the pool - Infact , what happened daily was a jumping competition from 10am until around 4pm by all the kids using the pool - some even performing somersaults.  
Sorry everyone - Promise I won't moan anymore.
Long live RC     😂 

Perhaps we just got unlucky - since getting back home I have had a call from Princess apologising for what they have admitted was a sub-standard cruise. Nice to get an apology but it doesn't help when we had spent around £9k, which is a lot of money for us.
Whilst I fully understand that mid summer cruises are extremely busy and I do not have any sort of issue with that, Princess have admitted that they were extremely short on sun loungers due to a very large quantity being broken.  We are not sun worshippers but do like to sit outdoors when we can.  Most of the passengers (including us) didn't get a seat outdoors the whole 14 days.  I felt desperately sorry for some elderly people who had resorted to sitting on towels on the deck.  Princess have also confirmed that they were very short staffed!  This perhaps explains why the staff were mostly unengaging and appeared stressed and unhappy.   The ship itself definitely doesn't have enough seating areas inside either (not when it is at full capacity anyway) and a lot of guest ended up just walking from venue to venue trying to find seats the whole evening - to no avail.
Overall we found the food very disappointing.  Presentation of the meals was beautiful but most dishes were extremely bland. 
The entertainment was well below par.  No "shows" like RC, just single singers or comedians.  Their main show "rock opera" displayed good singing...but for me it wasn't a "show".   When we were on Indy the entertainment was top notch with musicals, musicians, singers etc.
As I say, perhaps we were just unlucky with the staff shortages and the severe shortage of outdoor seats, but I would have expected Princess to have their seats fixed and available for a summer vacation.  There were many guests very upset and unhappy with their cruise.  One lady I spoke to said it was her 29th cruise and the worse she had ever been on. 
For us personally we feel gutted that we saved so hard for the cruise and were left wishing we had stayed at home.
As I said.... we will just have to save like mad again and stick to RC. 

Sorry you had a bad time on Princess, but glad to have you back in the fold!

Hi all, I used this forum/message board 4 years ago when I took my first ever cruise.  It was so incredibly helpful and we had a fantastic family cruise on Indy.   Unfortunately we do not have the finances to cruise often, but we saved up and went on another family cruise this summer.  Unfortunately the date of the Royal Caribbean sailings didn't fit in with the dates we had free (sailing from Southampton UK) and we therefore chose a Princess Cruises sailing.    What a horrible experience!   If Royal Caribbean was a 10 out of 10 on our last cruise then this had to be a 2 out of 10.
I know you are all dedicated RC cruisers and I just wanted to say......I can see why now!  Unfortunately it is going to be a couple of years before we will be able to afford to cruise again but when we do then I won't consider any other Company.
Stick with Royal Caribbean.

The Aqua Theater shows are very entertaining....especially the diving and the slack line performers.  As far as the rest of the show, it's a bunch of stomping, splashing and jumping about.  I could do without most of that, TBH.  I guess they have to make a 50 minute show out of something.
The Aqua 80s show, however, I find extremely enjoyable b/c the music is so well done.  It is one of the best musical arrangements I have ever heard.  They really do an excellent job with the music on that one.  The others, not so much.....

I've been a shareholder for several years now. I bought it for the shareholder benefit. Lately, it has performed very well, although I'm still underwater from where I bought it earlier.
I've used the shareholder benefit many times.  I've had issues with the on line submission. Sometimes, I'd submit and never see or hear anything again.
Since then, I've submitted via email and found it much more reliable. Occasionally, I receive a response that they can't verify my ownership. A follow up email has always resolved this promptly.
Send the email to [email protected]. Attach a copy of your brokerage statement to prove ownership. (You can use a marker to redact your account number and any other holdings, then scan it in, if you want to keep that information private.)
In the body of the email I use the following text:
Please process the shareholder benefit for my upcoming cruise as follows:
 
Guest Name: XXX XXX
Ship: XXX of the Seas
Sail date: November 26, 2023
Booking number XXXXXXX
 
My brokerage statement is attached.
 
Thanks!

This is for non-suite cabins:   I am a guy's guy with old man hair, and I take my own shampoo and conditioner on all RCL Ships.  With a week of their combo products my hair is all over the place.

When you cancel an excursion, It automatically refunds the original form of payment.  I'm pretty sure you'd be best off just going on the excursion, or wait to cancel when you get onboard and can talk to someone at guest services.

You have to cancel 48 hours prior to the excursion to get your money back.  

Bingo is a giant ripoff now.  In 2014 I remember it feeling like OK value to play.  Played in June on NOS  and it was like $59 a package and 3 short games... def not worth it.

It's been like that for a few years. Some are definitely cooler than others.

We are currently on Wonder in an OVB on deck 8. It’s the perfect location (outside of the Suites neighborhood).  If you need to go forward or aft, just walk out to CP.  So easy.  No need to get into the elevator twice.  I absolutely hate going down the cabin hallways to go forward or aft.  Central Park is such an enjoyable way to move around the ship.  If you “live” on 8, you are already there (CP).

To be clear, the state of TX does not limit the brands, they only require that the alcohol has had TX tax paid on it. 
Royal limits the brands they wish to pay the tax on. 
 
But as you said, the selection is fine until dinner time, when you hit the 12 mile mark 

The only port I know has an issue with selection of drinks on embarkation day is in Galveston. Not Cape Liberty.