Patchy

Hey everyone, when I go to Roatan on an upcoming sailing on Enchantment, I want to go snorkeling in West Bay. I have my own mask / snorkel, inflatable life jacket, and fins. But all else being equal, I’d rather not pack my fins because they take up so much space. Are they helpful and / or necessary to get out to the dropoff and see the best stuff? Thanks in advance!

Thanks @Pooch, I thought that the MDR on Grandeur was only two decks (maybe I am mistaken). So is deck 3 for MTD and deck 4 (or 5?) for the normal early + late seatings? Thanks again!

Hi all! I am sailing on Grandeur this coming spring, and would really like to sit on the upper level of the MDR because it looks quite cool and, frankly, less crowded. Does anyone know whether the upper level is only used for My Time Dining? Thanks in advance!

Freedom is one of my favorite ships! Enjoy all that El Loco Fresh and the Viking Crown Lounge and the Lime and Coconut….

Hi all, I booked cabin 8012 on Enchantment which is the UltraSpacious Oceanview category 1K. Interestingly, on the cruiser planner website where I see my sailings, when I view more details it says “Suite” 8012. Did I miss something and they have re-categorized this cabin as a suite instead of an ocean view? Or is it a quirk on the website (which I know is a thing)? Probably wishful thinking….

Hi all, wanted to share a quick update on this. I looked at the cost / benefit and it would have been about $1,300 incremental cost (increased cruise fare for the suite, incremental $2.50 daily per person gratuity, concierge gratuity, change fee for the second room, etc). For me personally, that wasn’t low enough to be a fair trade for the suite benefits. So I “YOLO booked it” and put the money towards another cruise in 2024! All goes to show that in the end it’s about the personal cost / benefit tradeoff and there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Really appreciate all the input from this group!

@AspiringCruisePlanner, I’m on Voyager. My reference to the Star class was just a comment on @Crazycruiser50’s situation where he/she had a chance to move to a Star Loft suite.

Thanks! No Air2Sea involved, and I booked after the Cruise with Confidence program ended so I don’t think I’d be eligible to get FCC for a cancelled room. @AspiringCruisePlanner, I do have Cruise Planner purchases, so that’s a good point that I would want to cancel before changing the reservation to get my money back faster and run the risk of paying more to rebook the items. @Crazycruiser50, you make a good point about having separate spaces for the kids. But in my case I’m eyeing up an Oceanview panoramic suite so that’s not an issue. For your situation, it sounded compelling to only pay a couple of hundred dollars more to get a Genie!

Hi all, looking for this group’s initial thoughts and expertise before I drag my travel agent into a 4 hour call with Royal. Figuring that if anyone knows the answers off the top of their head or have been in this situation before, it would be this group! I have two connecting balconies booked through Next Cruise for my family of four people (two adults, two kids… with one adult and one kid in each cabin), but I am now seeing a very compelling price for a suite that would work for all four of us. We haven’t yet made final payment. I have a number of questions about the best way to possibly do this: - Can I modify one of the two balcony reservations by upgrading to the suite AND adding two passengers? I fully understand this would trigger a full reprice. - Would I lose my $100 OBC from Next Cruise, or would that stay with the reservation? - For the other room, would I just outright cancel the reservation because the two passengers would now be in the suite? (And I’m assuming that would cause me to forgo the non-refundable deposit and Next Cruise OBC.) Or could I do the equivalent of “transferring” that reservation to a brand new booking in another cruise to preserve the Next Cruise OBC and reduced deposit? Anything else I should be thinking about? Thank you!!!

I think the Viking Lounge on Freedom is such an underutilized space! Great views up there. I agree with finding a bartender that you like.

Not trying to start a debate here about vaccinations …. But I think this would / should be an opportunity for Royal to tweak their guidance on vaccination status in conjunction with lifting the testing requirement. Eg, testing is only required for those who are unvaccinated (except ineligible children) or not up to date with their boosters. Just looking out for Royal because they don’t want to be in a situation where they have someone vaccinated two years ago, not boosted, and gets very sick or worse on the ship.

If you have sufficient Crown & Anchor status, you might be invited to the Top Tier event where there is free sparkling wine.

On Mariner, the Bamboo Room should be open and not too busy. It will give you a chance to try out which cocktails you like. The Gold Rush is a winner!

Wondering if it’s just their sour mix, lime juice, tequila of course, and watermelon Monin syrup.

Bill Withers, Lovely Day.

Lavender Vodka Martini: 2 generous oz. Vodka (I personally like Tito’s) 1 oz. Monin lavender syrup (buy it on Amazon) 1 oz. Sour mix (some brands call it whiskey sour mix). If you have “sweet and sour” mix just do 1/2 oz. Shake over ice and try not to drink too many of these! Some people garnish with a lime wedge or a mint leaf, but I don’t think either detract from or enhance the flavor. Feel free to tweak the proportions to your liking! This version is sweet but not super sweet.

Another option instead of a Bloody Mary is a mimosa made with fresh squeezed orange juice. Can’t be beat!

I have heard that the staff on Radiance class ships form a tight knit bond with each other because its a smaller ship, so it makes for an even more welcoming vibe!

I stayed with my family (two boys, age 10 and 7) at El Paseo in South Beach. We asked for a quiet room and did not hear a peep from the lively nightlife on Espanola Way right outside the hotel. We all stepped outside for a late dinner and it was a wonderful vibe. The next morning before the cruise, we had a nice breakfast at an outdoor place on Ocean Drive and it was a wonderful atmosphere. I don’t know if El Paseo had an airport shuttle, but it was not very expensive to take Uber / Lyft there.

Jeepers: $98 per person per day (plus 18% gratuity) on Oasis June 16, 2023. Do they think people will really buy it at that price? interestingly, you can get DBP + Voom for only $96. Go figure!

Giovanni’s (At least the Italian Kitchen; not sure about Giovanni’s Table) has a complimentary limoncello at the end of the meal. If the terrific food alone didn’t seal the deal for me, the limoncello would!

Can you and your mother go together?

If you go on Mariner and Pavlo is working at the Bamboo Room, you will have a great time! My twin sister and I taught him a better way to make a chocolate cake shot, so ask for it!

Are there “small wonders” on Harmony and if so, is there a list at guest services that you can use to check them off when you find them?

Schooner has both… the lavender daiquiri is rum based and is one of their signature cocktails. They also make a lavender martini (vodka based) for Chops. The martini is personally my favorite cocktail onboard and I learned the proportions last August on Odyssey and have been making them at home ever since!