Reigert2008

Until recently we did early bird since the wife did not fly very well. She has since gotten over it, so we've not done it to save some $$$. I don't do early bird when flying by myself, so it's not a big deal to me. The problem with this trip is that we have my in-laws with us and we want to "best ensure" that they don't sit alone ? I'm probably just adding the early bird, but wanted to check to make sure i wasn't missing anything ? yesterday we had spots C06 and C07 and actually got seats together, so there's that ? Thanks!

Is there any place on the ships that would have "free internet" where you can check in for your flight the day before flying? I wasn't sure if the terminals in the library/gameroom/internet room had the ability like many hotels do to check in and print boarding passes. Not looking to print the boarding pass, but just want to check in for our Southwest flights. If there isn't then we will just add early bird to the flights coming home and be done with it. We don't want/need any VOOM package for anything other than this and our last full cruise day is a sea day. Thanks!

Here’s a tip that I think is helpful. On your calendar (Outlook, iPhone, google, even print out a paper one) put a reminder for one year out for things that expire like passports, drivers licenses, warranties, etc. then you have that buffer to figure out what you need to do. Abe you don’t need to renew on the year out, but you can start planning based on what your plans are. you can print out paper calendars from many websites for future years and then put it with your important documents.

I'd buy the package ahead of time, the onboard price is $13 to $15. You could always use the OBC to upgrade to a special menu item in the MDR or treat your self to something in the spa at a reduced out of pocket cost. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/beverage-packages

Obligatory, if it's a good TA comment ? Make sure you have a good TA and they will certainly take great care of you!

For what it’s worth, Royal, other cruise lines, and most travel agents have always recommended you have travel insurance even before covid. We have always used travel insurance and consider it a requirement that is added to the budget for the trip. While we use Royals Travel Protection Program option, we have begun the process of looking at an annual policy so that it would cover other trips. sure, it’s not been “required”, but if your get sick while at sea the price tag could easily ruin your finances.

The recommendation I've seen for any port was to never book flights home before noon on debarkation day. This allows time for any delay that may occur and you should still be at the airport 2 hours ahead of your flight, as recommended by the TSA. It may be overkill, but i'd rather be sitting at the airport relaxing before the flight and not be sprinting through the terminal like an 80's movie ?

I think it depends on the ship. From our experience on the Allure (2 cruises) the buffet was really the same each night. However, on "smaller" ships, the buffet did have some theme nights and it was pretty cool. We were able to go to the stand at the front of the Windjammer and they had a list that we snapped a picture of on the first day, so we could plan easily. We still ate in the MDR each night, but would "swing by" the buffet afterwards to try things. The mongolian night was amazing!

If you have a travel agent, they should help. If you don’t then I would recommend you call Royal to ask the questions, email may not be the best choice for this type of thing.

We do the refreshment package, since, as stated above the "included" coffee is not very good from the cafe promenade, but tends to be better in the MDR. The refreshment package includes a lot of options, including the coffee, and we do take full advantage of it. IF you can get the price right, you can typically "break even" with 4 drinks in a day. My typical day includes: Fresh squeezed orange juice at breakfast Espresso based drink after breakfast (or with breakfast) Soft drink at lunch "virgin" lava flow for the show Several bottles of sparkling water mixed in throughout the day. For us it's a good bargain. we typically pay between $20 and $25 (pppd), but have been able to get it for $18 a few times When you get off the ship, we've been able to use the package with the employee at the cooler to get a bottle of water or powerade to drink while wandering around, but not sure if that was every port or not.

I have no idea. According to this site you have to have a passport for air travel. With the state of things now, I would not travel internationally without a passport. To each their own, but we have passports so that we don’t have to worry about these types of things. https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-3618?language=en_US If everything goes as planned, then maybe you don’t “need” the passport, but i certainly wouldn’t want to take the risk. I’d personally be more worried that I would lose or damage my birth certificate, which I think may be harder to replace. It was a pain to get my birth certificate when we wanted to apply for passports. i’m still confused about getting VISAs for s9me places, so not having to deal with the passport question is one less thing to worry about.

I’d also confirm with Royal that passport cards are still accepted with covid protocols. With the chance of being flown home, I’d think only the book would be accepted. i’ve never understood the card option. I get that it would be accepted in some instances,but the book is always accepted. When we got ours we got the bookmark this reason. No need to keep track of two different things. our state (KY) is doing the same confusion thing with licenses. You have the option of getting a regular license or a “voluntary travel I’d” (RealID). It’s a $5 price difference and so many people are not getting the RealID without thinking through where you may need it.

That's why we switched. We were on a Disney cruise and booked another one with the onboard deal and got an inside cabin. It seemed expensive, but we had time to cancel before we were locked in. Went to AAA after our cruise and learned that we could get a Junior Suite on the Allure for nearly the same itinerary during the same week of the next year and still save over $1000. We did opt for a Central Park Balcony on this one. while on our first Royal cruise, we ate lunch one day in the Windjammer while looking over at the Disney ship we were supposed to be on ? We will still do multiple trips to Disney World each year (not 2020 of course) and will become Annual Passholders again on our next trip.

Back in 2017 we did our first RCI cruise after 4 Disney crusies. We are huge Disney fans, and people freaked out when we switched. I was asked so many questions that this document was the easiest result. Hope it helps. DisRCIComp.docx

One time, pre-covid, I was able to get all the menus from the Allure to show my in-laws. I can’t remember if it was an email or Twitter, but the employee hooked me up!

Thanks! It’s starting to populate now, but is clearly not correct. For example, it says that the MDR is closed on the last night of our sailing.I’ll keep checking as we get closer. I suspect it won’t be reliable until she sets sail on the first sailing occurs.

Heard a rumor that @Mattwill be on the Freedom of the Seas in the near future and I’m hoping he can post the menus from the main dining room here! actually, anyone on the Freedom could post it : Here’s the link to podcast episode 411, and the included rumor! https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-411-adventure-of-the-seas-2021-cruise-review

Curious question: Why do people care who the captain is? I see a lot of posts on it and I'm always confused since I've not seen the captain on the large ships. I totally get tracking the Cruise Director since they can be very interactive, but I've never understood caring who the captain is.

Thanks for the information! I really figured we would have to wait and see what Royal sends out. I suspect that the emails will start arriving the first week of July to get the August cruisers on it. It seems like a straight forward process and we plan to apply for the visit about 3 weeks before our cruise, assuming we've received the relevant information.

I know it's not a popular opinion, but booking through external private parties and not the cruise line is a risky take since ports are never guaranteed. The advice I've received on here is to make sure that it is refundable and if possible that they know the ship schedule where they may be able to shift if the cruise docks on a different day. We've only ever done one excursion and it was the train in Skagway. Doing our research, i did not feel that the price was out of line with what the train company was offering, but of course other options may exist.

Looks like she is back in Port Miami.

I don't think the FL lawsuit matters at this point. at least for the "early restarting cruises". I think the lines have a plan in place and they will work that plan. Maybe they increase capacity some, but they have already canceled so many cruises that if they suddenly start those same ones it would be a PR nightmare. Our 7N Allure from Canaveral was canceled and we moved to a 4N Freedom from MIami, so i know we would be pretty upset if they re-offered the 7N we were on. Not sure we can change the flights again, unless Royal was able to offer some real incentive to offset the additional costs.

According to MarineTraffic.com, the Freedom left Coco Cay and will return to Coco Cay. That’s a great test cruise!

You’re only allowed to bring 12 standard cans per stateroom, so not sure if that makes it worth the trouble, depends on your consumption rate. There’s probably a store or something close where you could purchase, but wanted to make you aware of the limits. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/food-drink-onboard-policy if you’re only wanting soda, the soda package can be a great deal in the cruise planner. I’d recommend the Refreshment Package that gets you a lot more options and at the right price can be “break even” with as little as 4 drinks in a day.

My understanding is that it could be ANY type of room that shows up on the "balcony" option page.