JennaRCB

Glad you enjoyed them! Hope you have a nice cruise!

Going on it today, so the live blog will be on the RCB homepage throughout the week so you can read about my experience!

Antarctica! Currently 5/7 continents done, so once I visit Australia I will definitely be planning my Antartica trip! I'll probably do a small vessel with a company like Gadventures or Intrepid. Just about $8,000!

When I was on Oasis last month, Portside BBQ was open from 12-5PM every day but not dinner. It might be due to staffing shortages.

I would recommend a Royal Caribbean excursion in Civitavecchia (Rome) due to how far away the city is from the cruise port. I love visiting the Colosseum anytime I'm in Rome, so I would say that is a must-do! If possible, be sure to plan some time for a delicious Italian lunch while in Rome (just stray a few streets away from the tourist areas for the better, cheaper food). Cacio e pepe and spaghetti alla carbonara are from Rome and are extremely good! If it's your first time in Naples, I would venture to the Amalfi Coast or Capri. If there is an "On your own" style tour where the excursion provides solely transportation and you are free to explore however you wish while there, I would probably choose that. That way you can wander around the streets, eat a nice Italian lunch, and explore at your own pace. The Amalfi Coast is beautiful! Pompeii is another great option for Naples. I have not been to Pisa, Mallorca or Marseille. If you have the option to visit Florence instead of Pisa though I would definitely do that.

I've had connecting rooms several times and have actually never heard my neighbors!

I would walk around South Pointe Park in South Beach! Do it around ~5PM (or whenever ships are scheduled to leave that day) for some nice views of cruise ships leaving Miami. The park is really nice too and it connects with a long walking path up the beach.

Hi everyone! We are looking to share some Alaska cruise tips on RoyalCaribbeanBlog and are looking for any binocular recommendations. I used a nice $30 pair from Amazon last year and thought they were great, but if anyone has any other binocular recommendations feel free to share the brand and why you liked them! Thanks!

I would personally choose the ones with the most "explore on your own" time, as I prefer having flexibility and moving at my own pace. Sometimes guided tours can feel too slow, and most Italian towns are extremely walkable and easy to get around so it will be nice to have time to explore on your own.

Yes! It was one of the best things I've done in port so far. I wanted to test it out before I get certified. We did a review on it here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/01/21/excursion-focus-discover-scuba-diving-st-thomas

The inaugural sailing of Icon might be a bit different than Wonder because it is supposed to debut in the UK first before coming to the US. I could be wrong, but there may be fewer bloggers/vloggers onboard on the 1st sailing because it would require flying to the UK. The first sailing leaving from the US might have more of that "vlogger" atmosphere, lol. I really enjoyed being on the inaugural Wonder sailing, although some entertainment was not fully ready. If this is important to you, you might want to wait a few weeks in case the same thing happens on Icon.

The USS Iowa Battleship is located right next to the terminal where you will board Navigator (it's the same parking lot so you can walk to it). It is a museum and looked really interesting! I didn't have time to visit, but if I go on Navigator again I would like to stop by and see the museum/ship. https://www.visitlongbeach.com/directory/the-battleship-iowa-museum/

I agree with the others in that it ultimately depends on whether you would like to dine with just the two of you or with 6-8 other guests. Hibachi tables are for 8-10 people, so you won't sit alone. However, I would vote hibachi personally as it would be a fun birthday atmosphere!

I love Solarium Bistro for dinner! Hummus, pita, soup, salmon... so good! And the desserts are Mediterranean too. The baklava is amazing.

I'm also doing this exact itinerary but a month before you! From what I've read, the ports are walkable enough in the city centers that an excursion is not totally necessary if you just want to wander around the historic city center. There are also beaches nearby which can be accessed through a taxi (or walking I think). I plan on spending most days exploring the towns, walking along the waterfront, eating a nice Mediterranean lunch, and maybe heading to a beach. In Kotor, for example, I plan to walk around the historic town and then do a short hike to the Castle of San Giovanni for amazing views of the town/fjord. However, if you want to do something specific or go to a particular part of the island, a tour might be a good idea. In Zakynthos there is a popular beach with a shipwreck on it that many tours go to. I saw some reasonable prices on RC's website for some of the ports, but you can also look at Viator or Tripadvisor for more ideas/tour options! I will be writing a live blog of this exact itinerary on the Royal Caribbean Blog website during my trip, so you can always gather ideas there too.

I cycle a lot at home and have rented bikes in a few cruise ports, but I'm not sure I would recommend renting a bike in Nassau... the streets are not really designed for safe cycling, at least near the cruise port. Lots of traffic, narrow lanes, no bike lanes, small shoulders, etc. It might be different on other parts of the island, but near where cruise ships dock is very busy and congested! I recently rented a bike in St. Maarten and Puerto Costa Maya, however, and it was AMAZING. So it's an awesome excursion option, but I am not comfortable riding in Nassau myself.

Regarding pickpocketing... I always wear a backpack with a "hidden pocket" that is against my bag so that no one can access my important documents (passport, license, etc.) whenever traveling in the US or abroad! I would recommend getting a daypack like this. Just search "backpack hidden pocket" on Amazon and you'll find a bunch!

Yes, the crew beach area was there last year but when I visited on Sunday the area had been converted into beach beds.

I am on this cruise too and at the airport now! Should be a fun week.

I agree... I think it makes much more sense to put "Bologna" than Venice, as Bologna is another excellent Italian city with an international airport but is closer to Ravenna than Venice!

I've had no problem booking train tickets while at the train station in Italy the day of, BUT since many people will likely be taking a train to Venice I would book ahead of time if you can. The Trenitalia website is where you would want to look: https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html

I agree, the Indian food is so good in the Windjammer! I also really like the omelettes at breakfast and when they have a stir-fry noodle/rice station for dinner.

If you're flying from LAX, I would probably try to see if you can switch it to a later flight, at least 12PM or later. Getting to LAX in the morning from the ship is going to be busy and security could be pretty long. Maybe check if you could switch your flight time at no extra cost to ensure you don't miss the flight.

There are some Egypt cruises offered in 2023 on Rhapsody of the Seas: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-to/alexandria-egypt?&country=USA The itinerary looks awesome!

Yeah I would definitely recommend a tour! I visited Egypt for two weeks last summer and was traveling with my friend and her family. They are Egyptian and live in Cairo so it was super easy traveling for me, but I think I would be totally lost on my own! I felt safe everywhere I went, though. Vendors can be super pushy at tourist sites for sure. However, outside of pushy vendors at tourist sites, the locals are all very friendly. Honestly at the tourist sites, it's less of a hassle to just give a few Egyptian pounds in tips rather than deal with the haggling. But remember this phrase: "La, shukran" (No thank you!). I probably said this about 40 times a day in tourist areas!! I loved Alexandria so if your cruise has two port days (1 in Alexandria and 1 in Port Said), I would recommend doing the Pyramids excursion when in Port Said. Alexandria has a nice waterfront area to walk around.