MattG

I think it's up to the venue on whether you can do a "10-top" or if you have to stay split up. This a great question for each restaurant after you book. From advice on this board, i've put together a chart/table to organize restaurant bookings. When we get about 2 weeks out, i'm going to sync with my other party members on venues, menus, and pitch my proposed schedule, and make adjustments. Once we get on-board, I go to a specialty host stand with this table and lock in our reservations. Semi-related: UDP vets, feel free to critique my Oasis-based UDP plan!

any specialty restaurant host stand

I have seen unique menus for 12-night cruises as well, so you should see 5 additional menus beyond the normal 7-night menus

No, I don't believe it is. I haven't seen Vintages or the English pub included on any UDP paperwork - outside of the specialty restaurants, i've only seen Playmakers, Portside BBQ (Oasis), and Johnny Rockets.

The price in the Cruise Planner will always beat the price on board. In the Cruise Planner the "on-board" price is usually struck-through, that will give you an idea of what you're saving. Nope.

I'm pretty sure admission is required, regardless of which amenities you use within the park. Your best bet is to keep an eye on the Cruise Planner and see if Thrill Waterpark tickets drop to a level you'd be comfortable paying for him. Last Black Friday, one of our party members was able to score a $40 ticket. Your mileage may vary!

iFly and North Star have "complimentary" (free) and "extended" (paid) times. The complimentary times open up each day at 8am in the app. Set an alarm and book as soon as they're available! Complimentary times are usually only available on port days. Bumper cars in SeaPlex are fun, but you only get to reserve one time per cruise. However, if you still want to try again throughout the cruise, just show up any time they're doing them - if there's no line, they'll let you walk on without a reservation. The Solarium fills up quickly, both with chair hogs and actual people. It was not a relaxing environment when we went, it was just...busy! Your mileage may vary. MDR is presented as "fine dining", but still overall can be casual. The clothes you described are what I wore each night and I felt right at home. With regards to MDR food, feel free to order as much as you like, even if you just want to try something. On the last night I ended up ordering three apps and two entrees because there were foods I didn't want to miss out on. Bonus points if you can split something with a table mate to avoid food waste, but the wait staff will happily bring you anything (and everything) that's on the menu. DBP is more than just alcohol! Make sure you get your Starbucks coffee at Cafe Promenade, milkshakes at Johnny Rockets (including alcoholic ones), fresh-squeezed OJ in the Windjammer or Cafe Two70. Also definitely use your DBP to experience new drinks you wouldn't otherwise try - this includes specialty drinks only offered in specific venues like Bolero's, Music Hall, etc. The walls of your stateroom are magnetic - get on Amazon right now and order some magnetic hooks - we got a set of 25/30lb hooks to hold masks, lanyards, shirts, etc. We also got a set of 100lb magnets to hold wet bathing suits in the bathroom, as well as a shoe organizer to hold all the small things you accumulate throughout your trip that you don't want to leave on a desk or fall on the floor. We had no plans/ideas for the shoe organizer when we brought it, but ended up using most pockets with things we accumulated. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BF3LY3W - 100lb magnet hooks https://www.amazon.com/Powerful-Refrigerator-Magnetic-Neodymium-Upgraded/dp/B07QSJ6Q72 - 25lb hooks https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-24-Pocket-Hanging-Medium-Size-Organizer/dp/B07227PWVP - shoe organizer I'll see if anything else comes to mind throughout the day

This is the smartest move - everyone goes to Windjammer (we made that mistake, too!) Go to Two70, find a good seat, get a drink and a Kummelwick, and veg out.

I understand this perspective 100%, and when i'm solo my interovert comes out in full force. However, to play the flip-side of this coin, some of the most memorable interactions i've had have been with my MDR wait staff. They were incredibly patient, kind, and playful while we were wrangling our three kids to dinner. Most people I know with multiple kids knows that eating out at dinner is a combination of wrangling, herding, bribing, coaxing, and cajoling. As I wrote in this blog, the MDR staff at our table made our meals effortless. By Day 3, our kids wanted to go to the MDR, sit nicely(!), and enjoy dinner. We could NOT have done this without the direct involvement of our MDR staff. We're doing UDP on our next cruise, and I can't wait to see how this plays out in specialty restaurants - I'm SO excited to try better food because, well, MDR food has its hits and misses.

Welcome! Check out the "Getting Started" guide on this site to help you guide your way: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/getting-started https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/08/11/first-time-cruisers-what-drinks-are-included-your-royal-caribbean-cruise "Royal Caribbean provides all its guests on all its cruise ships a few different drinks throughout the day that are included in your cruise fare. These drinks include tap water milk tea coffee (regular and decaf) lemonade iced tea flavored waters juices (at breakfast and not fresh squeezed) Hot chocolate (via instant packets) Alternatively, guests may purchase other beverages for an additional cost during the cruise. This list is essentially anything else available onboard, including soda beer wine liquor cocktails premium coffee and tea, such as Starbucks bottled water (still or sparkling) fresh squeezed juice"

Yes, they show up on embarkation day once you're on the ship's WiFi.

Talk about leveling up That's almost 12 drinks a day!

We took our kids (5, 3, and 2) on their first cruise last December, and all three had a BLAST in AO. I hear that with older kids (8-9+) it's a bit more of a struggle. I would definitely make sure you have backup options available if AO doesn't pan out - bring activities, see what's available on the ship during times they would normally go to AO, etc. One the day AO was full, we pool-hopped, walked the ship, let them frolic around Two70 during non-show times, etc.

The hours @Mattposted are in alignment with what we saw on Anthem last December: 9a-12p 2p-5p 7p-10p You can sign up for any block of time within those open hours, including the entire block. During COVID times, there were limits on the number of hours you could book during the cruise. For us, it was 12 hours, like “assume you get 12 hours max throughout the whole cruise, and check back with us on Day 4 to see if you can book more”, so we booked 9a-12p for Day 2, 3, and 4. On Day 4 we were told Day 5 was fully booked in the morning, so we booked 9a-12p Day 6 and 7. YOUR EXPERIENCE MAY VARY, depending on 1) number of AO staff on board, 2) number of kids on board (holidays, spring break, summer vacation all influence number of kids), and 3) whatever COVID protocols are in place. Your best bet to help with your planning is to see if there’s someone here on the boards that’s on your ship before your cruise, and ask/beg/cajole them into checking on what (if any) AO restrictions are in place.

Right now the cabanas are $700-$1000 and the day beds are $200. I like that the cabanas have more capacity, concierge service, and snorkel gear, but unless the cabana price drops, I think we'll stick with a day bed. Thank you so much for your response!

Hello everyone! A group of us are interested in the CocoCay day beds, but want to know how strict enforcement is on capacity. We basically want a 'home base' we can come back to, and possibly give the younger kids a place to nap. There capacity on the Cruise Planner says "max 4", but there's six of us (mix of adults and kids). We don't plan on spending the entire day at the day bed, so it won't be overrun. Thanks!

@Matt and others have cruised recently with kids 5-12 who have been vaccinated, he may have a better idea of how to "flag" that your kids are vaccinated.

Agree with the other replies. If your cruise is too far out, try selecting one of the more recent cruises of the same ship. The menu is the same fleet-wide.

Might still be ship-to-ship and itinerary-to-itinerary.

When we went in early December, we could book up to 12 hours of reservation time in advance (3-hour blocks) for the whole cruise, with the understanding that starting Day 4 more hours MAY become available (they did). We booked Day 2, 3 and 4 mornings on Day 1, and Day 6 and 7 mornings on Day 4 (I think) @dancernljust got off Anthem, they may have more recent experience.

That's really shocking! I'm sorry to hear that! Our CT fillet on Anthem was a great piece of meat, and cooked well:

100% YES for my wife - she was wobbly for DAYS after we disembarked.

To piggyback on Matt's comment - The 5-year-old can either "age-up" to the 6-8 group, or the 6-year-old can "age-down" to the 3-5 group. You can ask AO staff, and if they agree, they can do a "trial run" for one session to test compatibility of the new child to the age group. If it works out, you can continue doing it throughout the cruise (at AO staff's discretion). If not, they should remain in their respective groups.

The walk through the cherry blossom hallway into the Via always made my heart skip a beat. The visual combined with the background audio they pump in makes it such a strikingly elegant experience!

If you have an iPhone, go into your Settings -> WiFi -> (onboard WiFi network name) and DISABLE “Private Wi-Fi Address”. This made my connection much more reliable with the WiFi and app.