Jerel

jlwrinkle,
 
Sorry about your cruise, I have never had a Royal cancelled but I had two NCL cruises cancelled, one in January of 2016 and one in February of 2016. I was furious but I tried to remain calm, and realize, as WAAAY TOOO said this is NCL's fault. I ended up, after many telephone and email conversations, with a totally free cruise for 14 days to the Panama Canal and $300 OBC. I originally had a 7 day California Coastal. The other cruise was a 7 day Mexican cruise and I ended up just getting my money back from them.
 
Before I book any cruise I always look at the theme cruise finder website to see if my ship is booked with a large group and about 50% of the time, it is.
 
Just keep calling and emailing until Royal comes up with a solution. I really tried to remember that the people I was talking to on the phone didn't cancel my cruise, they were trying to help me.
 
Candie

They have my money from right after Matt's scope the other night and MEI is taking it over once Brock gets back tomorrow....I'm skeered...taking my kids who are getting an OV with balcony and my wife and I are getting a CP balcony....that's a lot of money even though I've seen the price go up and staterooms get gobbled up.
 
I will have to re-price it often to feel like I got a deal...

We had a great cruise director one time had the day plate on the elevator floors changed to disembarkation day...

Unfortunately not. Well kinda, we are doing Alaska on the Radiance that month.

Ugh. You're right, Jerel. I was looking at Nov 2017. I'm such a dolt !

I thought the November 17th sailing was over your Thanksgiving. I believe that is a Saturday. Of course I'm using a Canadian callender, may be some conversion needed, lol.

I thought the November 17th sailing was over your Thanksgiving. I believe that is a Saturday. Of course I'm using a Canadian callender, may be some conversion needed, lol.

My wife and I just booked the Symphony of the Seas cruise for December 8, 2018 going to St. Kitts, St. Thomas, and Nassau on an Ocean View Balcony Room. I really wanted the Thanksgiving weekend, but Uncle Sam needs me to come in for duty. But nevertheless, I'm way too excited!

It's all about the merchandise!

I think your just trying to sell some blog hoodies ;)

I also play MyVegas Slots on Facebook and on mobile devices.  
 
I visit http://www.myvegasfreechips.com/ daily to collect free chips that were posted by MyVegas.  It's a few thousand extra chips a day.  I usually collect throughout the week and then spend it all during the weekend when I have free time.  
 
I am waiting for them to release the next set of sailings.  Must act fast as the free cruises are redeemed pretty quickly.

I think your just trying to sell some blog hoodies ;)

We did something similar without the trans Atlantic part, and the itinerary was awesome. I absolutely loved Norway and Iceland. Why would someone would want to go to Halifax, though? ;)
 
 
 
FYI, the Halifax comment is a joke, so don't assume I was being literal. I've been a couple of times by cruise ship and loved it each time. The lobster and the poutine were also quite good.

Yes, it's done once a year. We were on it this past August. Not to be missed. Avatar is from that trip.
 
They changed it a bit for this coming trip. We had16 days, 4 days in Iceland, 3 ports. Overnight in Reykjavik. This year they dropped one Iceland port and shortened the trip to 15 days.

Jerel,
We did this cruise in 2015, and it was amazing. You have to go to Iceland at least once in your life. We really enjoyed Oslo, Halifax, and the Faroes as well.
I love the Radiance class ships too.
I definitely would recommend booking it now, and figuring everything out later!

As many of you know, Royal Caribbean will begin releasing its 2018-2019 itineraries on the week of March 6: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/01/24/royal-caribbean-announces-2018-2019-deployment-opening-schedule-dates
 
Please use this thread to discuss changes you see of interest, as well as any particularly good deals.  Personally, I'm always interested in odd-ball sailings, like a weekend sailing on a ship that does not offer it usually.

Kudos to you for trying it out!
 
I love sushi, but freely admit it took a while to try rolls I now enjoy a lot.
 
I would make a few recommendations...
 
1. Start with hand rolls (Nigiri).  These are the pieces of sushi wrapped in a roll, and I believe those new to sushi will like the fact there is less fish because it is wrapped in rice.
2. Try some great starting rolls: California roll, tuna roll and Philly roll are really good choices to begin with.  Yellowtail (which is just a different kind of tuna), Salmon and spicy tuna rolls are also good choices.
3. Go easy on wasabi (the green stuff) and ginger (the orange slivers).  They are optional and something to consider down the road.  If used incorrectly, they can overwhelm the sushi.
4. Dip the sushi lightly in soy sauce.  A little splash will do just fine.

I have to admit, I have never had sushi in my life.  I am a "corn fed countryboy from the midwest that would rather have rare steak, strong whiskey, and cold beer". Ok I am not as bad as the stereotype I just depicted, but I do need plenty of guidance.  I will be on the Allure in 16 days and have decided to try things I haven't tried in the past.  We have dined at Izumi before but for the hibachi experience.  This time I plan to try sushi for the first time ever.  My problem is I have new clue where to start, so I need some of you experts to give me a guide of do's and don'ts and make sense of the menu.  Flavor is important to me, texture doesn't bother me, and if I can eat a steak rare I can eat a raw fish.  I look forward to your advice!

dear fellow RCI fans/ cruisers:
attached my review of our group cruise
would love to hear from others re what liked best / worse on the cruise?
best to all,
 
ron morton
louisville KY
 
 
 
Review of Navigator of Seas cruise 17-26 Feb 2017
1.       Service: Outstanding dining room and room stewards
2.       Main dining room: pro lobster night con: new York strip steak unenven cooked/ extra  fatty
3.       Specialty dining: pro chef’s table last night, excellent chef/host  , ziumi/Giovanni/sabor excellent
4.       Shore excursions: pro “double dip†snorkel adventure Bonaire, con: beach at Labadee crowded
5.       Onboard activities: pro new friends, water color class, ballroom dance class ;
con: too late for 70s party
6.       Bars/shops: pro new RCL gear (backpack/cooler), first for coffee package , con: none
7.       Onboard RCL singer/dancers shows: pro Ballroom dancing show, ice skating show
8.        Diamond club: pro backstage theater tour, con: cutoff at 805pm for free drinks in one venue and l;ittle bit more flexibility in another venue
9.       Embarkation/disembarkation: pro: getting on ship, con: disembarkation chaotic, need priority diamond lounge

Not too silly. A lot of folks do just that. Grab a couple of beach towels and snore to their hearts content, especially after an evening of trying every drink the bars have to offer! Congrats to you son on his Eagle Scout achievement. If he decides to sleep under the stars, please caution him from carving is initials in the deck floor or hand rails, the staff frowns on that kind off stuff. Have fun on your cruise!

Makes sence to me, in order to make the packages worth wile.
As it stands right now I can't even justify the soda package. Im not a pop drinker but i enjoyed the options, i probably never got my moneys worth but i didnt mind.
My cruise in december I'm going with no package and seeing how it goes. I'll just bring a refillable bottle to fill with water, lemonade and such. I'll live.
 
I wouldn't be suprised if more people go cold turkey, this cold be the shove they need.

I'm leaning towards voyager class ships. They have most of the amenities that a large class has (including promenade) but has less people and the feel of a small ship. I think of them as 'medium class', with the pros of both large and small classes.
 
I haven't tried radiance class (will in sept) but it may be a contender aswell with it famous multiple views of the ocean.
 
That said the ship I'm most sentimental about is the Enchantment, she's in a class of her own after being stretched. First ship and fell in love with cruising on her.

Jerel,
 
I read approximately 4 books on a 7 day cruise. I only bring one with me for the airport, plane and terminal waiting. The rest of the books I get from the library. As soon as my feet hit the deck of the ship I am off to the library to pick up several books. My last cruise, not Royal but begins with a P, the library had only 150 to 200 books, what a let down. The first morning I went to the library to see if any more had been added and James Patterson, about 10 different novels were added and I grabbed 4 of them and read them all. I find it calming, relaxing and if I am not going to port I can spend hours reading. I don't like ereaders, for some reason I want the hard cover novel in my hands when I read.
 
Candie

I can see why people travel with a kindle instead of books, makes sense. I still like my books though, it is more to pack but I tend to pack lite so it's not that big of a deal for me.
 
Thanks for the book ideas, I'll look them up :)

Jerel is an awesome Tour guide!!