CruiseRoyalDad

My experience with Poker is on the Allure, Anthem, and the Symphony. All of those ships have dedicated, live dealer, poker tables that are usually packed nightly starting at around dinner time. Don't expect to walk up 9pm and have a seat open. Anthem, I believe, had one table, the Oasis class ships run two, when busy, or at least they do at night. Same experience with astronomical rakes and cash game blinds. But hey it's quite literally the only game in town, so they do what they want. I don't think one important point was mentioned and that is they will put you on a list so that you can go gamble away your money elsewhere in the casino and they will call your name when a seat opens up. That was my experience on the Symphony and the Allure. As for tournaments they are usually too time consuming for me, even though I agree they are structured very much like turbo. They will run the POKER tournaments, at the available poker tables AND blackjack tables where you are playing poker tournament but sitting at blackjack table and the dealer faces the players. The semi and final tables are of course moved to the "real" poker tables. The opening rounds of the poker tournaments are run at odd times in the afternoons and I'm thinking that's just the casino's way of getting the gamblers into the casino during off hours.

There! Family of six. Kids ages 10,8,5,2. Plus sister's family of 3 and two other families from the neighborhood. Looking forward to it!

Looking at our first cruise this summer in a few years. We've been sucked into the suite life and this one is no different. Question, do sky class suite guests still get to walk into reserved seats at show (15 minutes prior to start) without having the concierge make an actual reservation to the show. We did this for the aqua and ice shows on Allure and Symphony before the great cruise pause. It seems when I look at perks now for sky class "reservations required" denotes shipboard entertainment.

So you're saying people were routinely boarding with four bottles per stateroom!? No way!

Has anybody experienced any changes with the new wine bottle per adult policy, replacing 2 bottles per stateroom, to 1 bottle per adult? Honestly, seems like silly semantics to me. However, do my wife and I have to carry our own individual bottles onboard? We often run the drop off, people, bags at curb and park the car drill, leading half our party to board slightly ahead of the other. Do we really need to ensure that each one of us carry the bottle in our carryon? Or can she or I just carry the allotted amount for each adult in one of our carryon bags.

Is it me or has the Wonder of the Seas new suite layout limit families of 6 from entering the sky suite class by removing the Grand Suite 2 bedroom option. This feels like a double whammy. We basically need to move up to Star Class, for one of the awesomely beautiful but ridiculously costly cabins that can fit 5+, OR we have to drop out of suite class to 5+ family cabin. The next question is "are you willing to drop out of suite class?". Answer: Not Really. While Matt's connecting stateroom advice on the surface works, I often find that two staterooms are within a stones throw of what one Grand Suite 2 bedroom would have cost, with ZERO of the very attractive, vacation making, suite perks. Let me know if I'm missing any options on the Wonder of the Seas.

Ha! We have derailed. No wives people, no wives. And trust me wives are definitely NOT free.

Somewhat and respectfully disagree. Let's do some quick math here. If you are interested in drinks you can probably forgo a drink package with suite lounge being open for beer and wife from11-11 and cocktails from 5-8 as per another poster on thread. So let's say that' $68 for two people over 7 days. $952 total. VROOM internet. Usually $17.99 per device but if you get a family plan or some sort of deal let's say it's $24 for two people over 7 days that's another $168. We are down to maybe a $1,880 saving which if you get it just right MIGHT be a balcony on an Oasis class cruise but usually not and DEFINITELY not during the summer or holidays, if we want to compare apples to apples. Then the perks for showing up to shows merely minutes before they start and getting premium seating, concierge escort on embark, debark, and port days as well as coastal kitchen for 3 meals a day which really reduces the need for specialty dining. If finances allow it's worth it. Honestly, the Junior Suite, is usually not worth it. Very few perks and much more expensive than balcony for minimal extra space. UPGRADE or DOWNGRADE don't stay in the JS.

Stayed in one of these on the Symphony in 2019. We will do you one better, we had 3 children with us in the room for a total of five people in room. They were 7,5, almost 17 months at the time. The baby we had upstairs in the loft with us, in the changing area right in front of the bed. The room worked perfectly. Though nervous at first it proved many times more convenient than the Grand Suite we had done with the same size family on Allure the summer before. In contrast to the Grand Suite it feels open and roomy. The curtains of the loft close providing separation between us and the older children. The TWO bathrooms are key with four or more people in a room. The deep, large, balcony is basically the best view and highest perch on the ship! The location of the suite was absolutely perfect even though at first I thought it would be a hassle. We were steps from the suite lounge/Coastal Kitchen and all of the amenities that brings with it, we were a few floors above the windjammer, and the pool deck was also conveniently located. With our children being the age that they were it was easy access for quick dips or night swimming which they made a nightly ritual. Finally, right outside the suite floor doors you have an elevator bank that provides quick access to the main entertainment decks of the ship. Don't worry about being too high and about long elevator waits on port days, as you know from having stayed in the Royal Loft Suite, the concierges provide express elevator rides to exit on port days! Fear not! Book it! Don't even think about the Grand Suite!! Now that the vaccine reqs were thankfully (mostly) rescinded we booked a 2BR GS on Harmony August 2023. While we'd love the crown loft again we can't fit it now that we are SIX!!!

I'm not following? Why is this outlandish? We see exactly this happening before our eyes? Did you ever think you'd need a negative test or vaccination papers to board a cruise? Yet this is happening in real time right now. Forget the Doctor's note we need cards with dates, vaccination lot numbers, and signatures. The burden of proof for every passenger as left the doctor's note far behind. Show your papers please! While I agree that the OP is fishy at best I don't see why everybody is having such a hard time believing this can happen or revealing all medical records before a cruise vacation isn't in the future. As pointed out by multiple responses the language, at least, was once very much written in RCCL policy. For those saying "NO WAY", it can't happen, well it can, and it is. Right now. It's precisely what the majority of posters here are asking for in thread after thread in terms of forcing their fellow royal Caribbean blog community members/family to be vaccinated, and show proof there of, to have as "normal" of a cruise as possible these days. This is just the start, which is why the lines including our beloved RCCL should not have dealt with attempting to appease the impossible standards placed on them by big pharma tainted bureaucracies.

This would all be great if the CDC were still a credible organization.

Awesome! Is it too early to ask if unvaccinated Royal Caribbean blog family members can participate in all group cruise activities!?!?

I feel horrible for people that don't accept anything but one form of action as responsible and insist on forcing their informed decision that is best for them, on all others. The truth is there are multiple forms of success against covid and herd immunity that only considers those vaccinated part of the herd and disregards natural immunity is disingenuous. I feel worse when I see posts that completely disregard the fact that the vaccinated population are coming down with both symptomatic and asymptomatic covid. Yet the posts read as if 90% vaccinated ship is the answer and we quickly found out and will continue to see that it's very unfortunately not.

Chris stop, just stop. By this point we can't expect there to be logic in the policies, that expectation is enough to drive one mad. ?

I'm beginning to think it might be better just to have 100% vaccinated cruises. RCCL has already shown their hand as far as what they think of unvaccinated people who'd rather assess their own risk, beat the virus naturally, and avoid putting emergency authorization use drugs in their system. It will then be disappointing to watch outbreaks, large and small, on the 100% vaccinated cruises. The CDC statistics and anecdotal experiences (yes you and I reading this both know of more than a few of our own friends that have become symptomatic with covid despite vaccination) have unequivocally demonstrated that the vaccinated populations are ALSO unfortunately being very much infected by Covid-19. But at least RCCL alienated and pushed a large portion of very loyal cruise fanatics off the ships to claim "hey we did every thing we could, we eliminated those that wouldn't toe the line with acceptable societal medical decisions". Maybe RCCL will then decide that if 100% vaccinated cruises are still suffering from outbreaks anyway, we might just as well have ALL people back and stop dividing and pitting against each other a segment of the population that once shared a real love for a very special pastime together.

You know that's an interesting question. Will Royal begin testing ALL passengers for covid considering the rise of the virus among the vaccinated? In the name of responsibility to the public. And if it comes to this will Royal still charge only those that were not willing to show proof of vaccination for the test and provide the return test free for those that have been vaccinated? If media reports on the variant are true we'll know the answer soon and Royal's true intention behind charging tests for unvaccinated passengers.

So do we just not talk about how the method of segregating the unvaccinated from vaccinated is becoming yet another ineffective safety measure? Just another virtue signal, if you will, considering the amount of covid cases that are popping up in the vaccinated population? It seems we have to do deny a lot of actual scientific statistics (per CDC) to make sense of a good portion of RCCL's covid protocols and dare I say it, CDC's own recommendations. I guess we can take solace in the fact that the policy is continually evolving. Patience is a virtue.

Did they say how much longer Freedom would be sailing at reduced capacity?

Exactly.

You are an incredible wealth of knowledge assuming things go back to the way they were we are very excited to for a Harmony ATS experience July of 2022. As Sky class veterans but Star Class newbies this info is invaluable. From what you told us I think the general idea is to ask as needs arise and to not be shy about being denied. Other than not covering accompanying non-star class passengers IN specialty restaurants (which makes sense) do you any examples of a denied request? Or what they can't do? For example will a normally expensive behind the scenes ship tour be covered within the auspices of asking the genie to set it up?

If I had a nickel for every Royal Caribbean cruise and every class of cabin that this is true for. Honestly, the service is as good and sometimes better. Don't get me wrong I love Disney. A lot. But I can't justify another Disney cruise...plus how can you put me on a Casino less cruise!?!

Shh...don't talk about the side effects for the younger population. This could get you in hot water. A demographic, as per CDC data (for whatever that is worth), which is largely unaffected by Covid-19.

Hopefully the only perks that come with the vax are those that relegate others who you should not be afraid of to a different level of service.

This is true basically on a month-to-month basis. If you have a cruise booked for July 2022 as I do, they will not refund based on their new policy of making the unvaccinated cruise customers 2nd class. I was given the "policy is fluid" explanation and told to "wait and see" that it may change and was assured that at this time there are no full refunds available for any cruises other than freedom of the seas July 2021. 10 days after the call that might have expanded to include other near term cruises. I think you should call to check if the same refund is now available for unvaccinated passengers sailing out of Florida. Good luck.

Make the reservation for it as early as possible, it is a very popular activity!