Jerel

The ships dock on both sides, so no way to really tell. Also depending upon winds, tide, and other ships in port the same ship could change sides within the same port from trip to trip. If on a finger dock you will still see everything. If on a flat pier to the land again you will see see around the port. I believe maybe you are overthinking at this point. Just take the cruise and have fun.

Personal peeve: Royal Caribbean should call it a "daily service charge" because that's more akin to what it actually is. To increase the "gratuities" makes me think that we've seen an incremental improvement in service worthy of an increase in the "gratuities", which is rather silly to have done prior to going on the cruise.

I asked Daboyz about them on periscope today, he said he was just working the details out. I'll leave them in peace for now but bug them if I don't hear anything down the road.

I wonder if they are specialty items, like how the MDR gives the option to buy a Chops dish.

Here are some mock ups
 

 

 
And the bag

We leave today on freedom after a very cloudy and wet 24 hours in cocoa beach. La quinta was pricy but this world be a great place to overnight if the sun was shining. It is right on the beach and we had a dated but clean balcony room. The pool bar had good prices and the pool was small but fine. I wish they'd had a hot tub for the cold Illinois traveler seeking warmth lol! Anyway, i will not have any Internet access (can't wait to put my smartphone away for a week!) but will report my impressions of this "big ship to me." I really want to see if it feels more crowded than vision (my only other cruise). I also want to see if i like the eastern caribbean, or prefer the western itinerary of last trip. It looks like coco cay may be a buat due to crummy weather, but if we manage to render, i will get my first coco loco! Happy week everyone! Jane

For those who have ever vacillated over whether or not using a travel agent was in your best interest or not, let me assure you that a GOOD travel agent is priceless.
 
I have proven that to myself this week with the disaster that Royal Caribbean created with its cancellation of the Empress sailings in March and April.
 
As everyone now knows, Royal Caribbean cancelled 6 sailings on the Empress of the Seas, due to sail beginning in late March through mid-April.  Dan and I were booked on the April 11, right, smack dab in the middle of that cancellation cluster.  It was a psychological blow to us as well as a potential logistics nightmare.  All I can say is THANK GOODNESS I had Michelle Cunningham with MEI as my advocate.  I can say, without any doubt, I would have killed myself, Dan or someone on the other end of the phone line before I managed to get it all straightened out if I had had to do this by myself.  Imagine.  1800 passengers times 6 sailings.  Over 10,000 people are trying to either rebook or cancel their cruises.  No thanks.
 
Not only did Michelle manage to salvage our cruise but she saved our $1,000 OBC that Dan had earned on our Allure sailing (from Club Royale), which was in real danger of going bye-bye.  Our out-of-pocket costs, as a result of this monumental BLUNDER - that was 100% Royal Caribbean's doing - is only going to be ~$200...which will be some airline change fees that RCI is too damn cheap to reimburse us.  Thanks to Michelle's diligence and persistence, we were able to get $200 of the $400 reimbursed.  She got us rebooked on the sailing of our choice in the same room that we original had (Owner's Suite 8506) for the same price.  Actually, we got a $28.68 refund so she actually got us money BACK on the resked.
 
...and let me assure you, she did not do this without considerable interference from me !  We changed our minds, and changed them back again at least twice, not to mention the numerous emails that I sent, inquiring as to her progress over a 48 hour period.  She never complained (at least, not directly to me although she would have had every right to do so !) and came through like a trooper.
 
EVERYTHING has been rescheduled...the cruise, the hotel, the excursions, the airfare.  Everything.  We couldn't be happier, considering.  This is all the result of excellent service from Michelle and no thanks WHATEVER, to Royal Caribbean.
 
So Michelle....thank you for everything you had done for us over the past 72 hours.  You are a gem, a great friend, a consummate professional and a credit to your Agency.

In Labadee, I'd consider booking a cabana. It's expensive but it will provide a place for the infant and your mother to rest, relax, and or take a nap while the rest take turns coming and going to the beach or other activities.
 
Royal's child care is top notch, so I wouldn't hesitate using it. We've put our son in Adventure Ocean at his choosing and I'm confident that he enjoyed it more than some of the excursions we've taken.
 
When looking at excursion, look to those rated as easy or consider something like resortsforaday. That way you're just relaxing/lounging at a beach or pool. In Cozumel, you could do something like Mr. Sancho's which is all inclusive. If you book the honeymoon package for $200, you get a table with palapa, a tented bed, two massages, some water activities, and all the food and drink that you can consume. This is for two adults, but you could add other adults for $55 and children for much less and the infant would be free. This way you'd have the bed for lounging for those needing rest and a good beach and pool day if that's of interest to you.

We returned last Sunday from a Western Caribbean Cruise on Liberty.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised.  For all my worrying about drink prices and robes....it was an awesome cruise.  I loved the ship and the service we had.  The food was the best of any cruise we've ever been on.  The ports were not all that I had hoped for but the ship and staff are awesome.

Iv never done it but heard 2 rooms is much better. It's cheaper, you get two bathrooms, and better privacy when needed.

Hello, my name is Brandon and i am a newbie to this forum and to cruising in general. I just wanted to say hello to everyone here, and that this forum seems like a pretty cool place with lots of knowledge and great people. My mother took my on my first cruise this winter and i had an absolute blast, I had the best time of my entire life. I was invited into the Club Royale VIP and also was handed a free cruise for two on my last evening, which i thought was very cool of RC. I am getting ready for my next cruise that will be leaving in late April 2016. Thanks.
Semper Fi.

Perfect time to wear a hilarious bow tie.

Our go to for Cozumel the last couple of times has been just to stroll the main drag ... as long as you can stand being asked to step into every store you can buy beers and margaritas for about $1 a pop and window shop to your hearts content. We usually give our son a few dollars and between that and the "free charms" that almost every store offers he ends up with a bunch of cheap gifts for his friends who may or may not be girls but are definitely not girlfriends (ah 12 its a fun age) and we get to have several drinks a piece.
 
Total cost including cab fare to/from downtown is usually about $20-$30 dollars ... just remember to be very clear in saying no .... I slipped up on this rule last year when my son proudly announced to the Diamonds International staff that it was our 15 year anniversary. This resulted in me being invited to enjoy the "complimentary" bar upstairs while he and my wife took an extensive tour of the store. I had actually planned on getting her a piece of jewelry at some point but that decision was made for me several drinks later.

First, follow Matt on Periscope and you'll be able to get a daily cruise fix with him as he broadcasts daily.  I only remember one day in the past year when he didn't broadcast.  He even did a scope on Christmas Day.
 
Some of the others that I listen to after Matt's are podcasts that Matt has appeared on at one time or another.  My favorite would be Cruise Radio.  You can also check out The Cruise Dudes, and sometimes Tips for Travellers (two Ls - "the UK way") covers cruise-related info.  Also, don't forget to check out YouTube as we have some posters here who have done video blogs, which can help you get your fix.  Note that none of the other podcasts focus exclusively on Royal Caribbean.

Hey everyone, we're in Lauderdale now waiting to board our ship (Indy). We noticed the Oasis was late coming in and then seen in the local paper a man fell overboard. I don't think they found him either. You can find a video of him falling on YouTube.
It's too bad it happened.
I'm surprised they never found him, seeing how they had notice, he was hanging for awhile.
 
Just thought I'd share.
 
https://youtu.be/5qvbDIZGgfs

I was also on board when this took place. The helicopter was on the scene by 12:30am. Many passengers along with the crew searched the water for hours until the Coast Guard took over and told the ship to continue on to Ft. Lauderdale. What I haven't seen is anyone saying about the dozens and dozens of lighted life preservers that Royal Caribbean tossed out in the pitch black hoping the passenger would see them. Other news articles are reporting that this passenger was arguing with the person they were traveling with. Falling is pretty much impossible unless you have help or decide to go over on your own.

The Throwing of the life preservers is standard under SOLAS (International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea). It is not only in hopes of the person seeing them but allows for the tracking of movement due to winds and currents. As the vest spread out it shows a pattern and aids with the area to search. You need to remember even if the Captain was standing on the bridge and watch it happen, the ship was moving along at cruising speed. It takes a couple of miles to stop a cruise ship underway,  to stop and to turn around even without other ship traffic takes time and distance. As soon as the bridge knew this happen the bridge would have marked the ships position and time. And throw markers overboard, which can later be used to track drift rates and current. 
 
The crew can get the ship back to the same spot were the passenger went over (or where it was when notified).  But the current winds and tide will have moved the lost soul to another location. I have tied to recover a baseball cap that went overboard on a small pleasure boat during the day. Even in a small boat that can turn around in less than a minute if you lose sight of that cap when you get back to the spot you will not be able to find it most of the time. Now change it to a supersized cruise ship, at night, in traffic, and with weather, etc, under these circumstances the result is almost always the same.

Me and my better half were wondering the same thing. Id rather do the Radiance ship wise but that would mean a one way trip, either Vancouver to Alaska or vise versa. Unfortunately flights in and out of Alaska are expensive and take many connecting flights.
So although the itinerary and ship is preferred with the Radiance route, we will probably pick the Explorer route based on flights. Plus I'm a sucker for visiting baseball stadiums and this would give me that opertunity in Seattle.

This is our plan, though I wouldn't live on an RCCL ship.  Nothing against Royal at all, but I'd want to be on a ship doing constantly changing itineraries to a wider variety of places.  This becomes somewhat limiting to smaller luxury lines (Crystal, Silversea, Regent, Oceania, etc) but it's hard for me to imagine the constant turnaround days, deck parties, etc, while spending time running the same handful of itineraries. 

Its something I have considered, don't think I could ever afford it though and my wife probably wouldn't go for it .... so maybe that's worth considering strongly ;)

What are you wanting out of an Alaska cruise? You really can't compare the two as they are completely different itineraries. If you want to minimize travel expenses and just see some of the inside passage, the Explorer is the ship for you. If you want to see the most of Alaska, then Radiance is the only choice.

Hi there Lizk! and welcome.  My husband and I recently booked our Alaskan trip for August 2017.  We chose Radiance and based it on the itinerary. We are doing 4 days land first then going from Alaska to Vancouver for a total of 11 nights.  I have found that when reading different threads on which ship to go on it is usually divided about 50/50 on an answer. We went on one ship that a lot of individuals recommended and we ended up liking a different one in the same class better. So we just find an Itinerary, find a date and see what ship goes on the date we want the book!
Good luck! :rolleyes:    

Avoid these stakes, they tend to be wooden, metal or plastic. If you appreciate your digestive tract or spell checker stay clear.

I think the point Marc is making is that these arnt accidents. He must of been messing around or met foul play.
These media reports tend to leave people thinking cruising is unsafe, which isn't fair IMO.

It not that they prohibited cruises to nowhere, it is because of the Jones Act. Put into simple terms the Jones Act was put into place to protect American interest and business. It says that it you want to use a ship for business within the Untied States it must be built and registered within the United States. In the early 1900's Maine ship builders making Lobster boats had a issue with issue with Lobstermen  purchasing boats from Canada. This was one of the driving forces behind the Jones Act.
 
So since the ships of Royal and most other cruise lines are built and flagged outside the United States they cannot operate within the United States without leaving first. So a ship can leave Florida and make a port stop in the Bahamas and return and the Jones Act is followed. But the same ship leaves Florida sails out and does not go into another country then they have not followed the law. This is a very simple explanation the acts has many part so if interest just look it up.  
 
So changes and special exceptions have been done within the act. Like a foreign built ship can get flagged in the US and meet the Jones Act. But it needs to be done through a act of Congress granting that ship the ability to be Flagged in the United States. It is done more often than you would think. Many people with yachts have this done so they can charter and rent them.
 
The MV Maersk Alabama was re flagged to be a US Ship, the ship privates took several years ago and the US Navy Seals rescued the captain and killed the privates.  The negative side of re flagging to United States is the Ship must meet all US Safety Standards, must pass very hard Coast Guard Inspections, and must follow all US laws. So the ships crew must all be paid and will worked under the US laws. It greatly increases the cost to operate and only a few small coastal lines and the Cruise ships that stay in Hawaii  get US Flagged.
 
If interest in the Jones Act here is a good link:
 
http://www.maritimelawcenter.com/html/the_jones_act.html