recogneyes

I agree with you on both fronts! I find as long as we book far out and go with group rates, then the rates are decent.

We will be getting off the ship as you are boarding - that's our March Break week here. Sailing with friends and their kids. Enjoy your planning for your various cruises!!

Ha..no doubt! That's great that you have it booked. If you change your mind before going you can always cancel. Our cruises over the next year don't stop at Cozumel but we are on Wonder March 2025 which does - I tried booking but it doesn't allow bookings that far out. May need to try to squeeze one more in before then.

So glad that @OCSC Mike pointed this out - way better than how the resort booked daybeds in the past

Fingers crossed it's not too bad - both times we were there lots of ships were in port...resort was busy but service was still amazing. They do have a cap of how many they allow. Have a great time!

Sitting in the solarium - especially when quieter as many people will be off the ship is never a bad option. Since you've got a few visits to Cozumel planned, maybe try one of the resorts and if it doesn't do it for you, then you have your answer and can just enjoy the solarium going forward. We've heard good reviews on a few other resorts in Cozumel as well. We just really like Paradise Beach and therefore are going to stick with it.

You're not nitpicking...and I agree it's fun discussing lots of things prior to upcoming cruises. I think the view is pretty much what you are envisioning - maybe better when you are standing by your day bed as opposed to when laying on it. I will say the service from this resort makes it so that you don't need to leave your day bed unless you choose to. We enjoyed walking down to the water and the pool area for parts of our visits but mostly just stayed put and enjoyed being pampered.

Well @OCSC Mike you just taught me something about the resort - I had no idea that interactive map was there. Either it's new or it wasn't there earlier this year when I booked. Both times we've gone, we had to book the resort then send a separate email requesting a daybed and then they sent a payment link. This is so much better. When we went the first time we were assigned daybed 15. We requested it the next time but it wasn't available so we took bed 14. I agree you might have a bit better line of sight to the beach from 16 or 17 but one thing to consider is people traffic - in between those loungers is access to the pool, bar and washrooms as well as the taco truck so you might find a few more people passing by. I think your wife is bang on with choosing 14 or 15!

That's a terrific video of the resort. Since you have the pleasure of palm trees in your backyard then that's one less vote for the beach day beds. The chairs and trees don't bother us at all but you might be safest booking a daybed by the pool and then walking down to the sand/beach area if you feel like doing so. The washrooms are to the right of the bar area in the direction of exiting the resort. Any of the beds are a quick walk to the washroom but might be something to consider when choosing a bed.

The daybeds around the pool are a little bit more open but we found that then you have all the pool traffic and more kids around. The ones on the beach do have have a good view of the beach and the trees that block some of the view are palm trees so we don't mind looking at those. We also like that we can have our feet in the sand when not actually laying on the bed. You truly can't go wrong with either should you decide to book - if you go, I highly recommend the coconut shrimp!

I think you will be happy if you plan to visit Paradise Beach. We've been twice and recommended to numerous friends who have all loved it. I would definitely book a daybed (we prefer the beach ones to the ones around the pool but both are great). The drinks are terrific, the food is as good or better as on the ship and the service is wonderful.

Our family can totally relate to your consideration of two flowriders. In a nutshell, my crew prefers that we sail on the Oasis class ships so that they have a dedicated stand up flowrider (except Wonder as only has one). We did just sail on a B2B on Explorer but it was a cruise of the Greek Isles so we were focussed on the itinerary more than the ship. The crew was outstanding and while the ship is older, we had no complaints in relation to how the ship looked and felt. In relation to flowrider, there were few dedicated stand up times in relation to boogie and mixed wave...most days dedicated stand up was at most 2 hours per day (and usually split between morning and afternoon). That was not ideal but we made the most of it. Of course, there's always the option to rent out the flowrider for a private hour of time to use how you like it but that does get costly. If itinerary is more important...perhaps you have more port than sea days.. and you don't feel that limited stand up times will dampen your vacation then you should go for it.

Your video has us even more excited to sail on her!!

I agree - after four Anthem sailings, Odyssey looks like a nicer ship overall. We are partial to Oasis class but looking forward to seeing you on Odyssey!!

Have you considered looking for group rates through a travel agency? I have found some much better pricing with Harr Travel and Vacations to go with their group rates. Service has been amazing and most times the rates are refundable and come with OBC. We have booked Oasis and Quantam class cruises and none are directly through Royal.

We've sailed on Anthem a few times in the past couple of years and required reservations for Spectra's Cabaret and We Will Rock You. However, when we sailed earlier this year no reservations for WWRY opened up before sailing. Once on board they advised that reservations were no longer required for this show. Just get there early and you will get seats. I believe they showed it twice in the evenings and once as a matinee. It's a fantastic show. Enjoy.

We sailed on Explorer out of Ravenna in August. I contact Royal's main number and they booked us on the airport shuttle for $45pp. We were at the airport for 1030 am and our bus left at 11. There were lots of buses there and I believe when we booked they said buses would be leaving from 11am-1pm. They did not ask for confirmation of airport arrival (we were already in Venice so took a water taxi to the airport the morning of the cruise). Enjoy your cruise!

Another option is to compare Royal's let them pick / guarantee cabin and that of a travel agency with a group rate. I've found much lower rates and amazing service with Harr Travel. Many times their group rates are much lower and also offer a refundable deposit.

My preference would be hibachi for two reasons - firstly, you can have chops on most of Royal's ships vs hibachi being only available on some. Secondly, you get the built in entertainment factor with hibachi assuming your chef puts on a good show (which has been our experience)

I'm so happy it all worked out. Have a wonderful vacation.

I just did a mock booking and there are still 4 JS's on deck 14 and 2 on dec 10 (they are category J4). One suggestion if for your BIL to contact Royal without any back story and just ask for his room to be switched to deck 14 - as of now the cabins available are 14236, 14248, 14626 and 14650. Alternatively, you could call and ask to be moved to deck 10 - either cabin 10230 or 10236. This works assuming that's the category of room you originally booked. Otherwise you would have to pay the fare difference which likely won't make it worthwhile. Good luck.

If you are staying in Venice, Royal also offers transportation from the city centre - or, you can head back to the airport the morning of the cruise and take the bus from there. That's what we did last month and it worked great.

I had no idea your family was on this sailing either. For sure we need to meet up for a drink - I will look forward to meeting you and @WannaCruise

We sailed on Explorer in August and found that booking transportation directly through Royal was the easiest Note that they only provide this on the day of the cruise. If you want to travel to Ravenna earlier the you will have to find your own way there. You phone the reservation line and they will add the $45 pp fee to your reservation. At the arrivals area, you will find reps with RCCL signs and they check your name and then you get in line to be walked out to where the buses are. It takes about 2-2.5 hours to get to the cruise port and they stop for a quick stretch and bathroom break after about 1.5 hours. I recommend putting your luggage tags on your suitcases before boarding the bus as your luggage is taken directly from the bus to the ship (you can do it when you exit the bus but much easier to do before). We did most of our tours through Royal and all were fine. In Athens we booked a half day tour through PK Travel Greece. It was fantastic so I would highly recommend looking at their website and considering booking through them. Have a great cruise.

We are looking forward to this sailing as well!!