SemperMom

Bring a copy of the invoice showing gratuities are prepaid when you board the ship.  If the ship charges daily service fees (gratuity) then go to guest services with your invoice showing they are pre-paid.  

Thanks to @jbrinkm for posting the link. And here's a delicious memory for you missing those wonderful soft crab sandwiches with Eastern shore grown tomatoes!

Hi , do you have the link for these as cannot find them on our UK Amazon cheers
Former Resident of St,MIchaels , Chesapeake Bay  ( I miss those Blue soft shelled crabs ) 😀

This is a good warning and clever idea. To save a little space, we tend to use a piece of cardboard between them, allowing the magnets to still click together, but weaker. I was so surprised the first time we got two stuck together, how violent it was, and how hard it was to get them apart. 
These are cute and I know now that you can get these full sets (lanyard, card holders, luggage tag holders) all together. I'm not in need of any of this any more, but if I were a brand new cruiser, I'd love this set.

Here's a recent post about Amazon items our readers love: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2023/12/30/best-selling-travel-products

We also bought this based on a recommendation from this board and found it really helpful on our last cruise, usually for sending my husband to get beverages for early mornings for all four of us. We got this version:

According to my husband,  who fetches our coffee from the Crown Lounge each morning,  this 2 cup carrier gets many positive comments from others. It's made his daily trip much easier. He's happier (less grumpy) so I'm happier.

I wish I could get more C&A points for booking and paying for cruises. I am the go-to vacation planner.

January 29-Independence OTS
May 16-Symphony OTS
October 5-Liberty OTS
CANT WAIT!

Can't wait! See you all onboard! This will be my first solo cruise and I am so so so looking forward to it. My husband and I basically gave each other solo cruises for Christmas. Ive been to PDCC a few times now but not Labadee so that will be a treat.  

January 29-Independence OTS
May 16-Symphony OTS
October 5-Liberty OTS
CANT WAIT!

Or you could order a bottle of liquor for the room. Vodka, Rum or Gin with setups. All under 50 bucks each.
 
 

I just mocked a booking for Celebrity and it seems that the issue is that they aren't applying their "75% off 2nd guest" discount on the solo supplement. Easy fix - book the cabin with a phantom guest who - oh no! - missed their flight. 

There's a video on YouTube by Allison from let's go travel tips that covers this very well. I went to Celebrity and did some mock bookings. Same cruise, same cabin, I'm finding that solos are being charged anywhere from $400 more to over $1000 more.
 
Royal has been doing this for quite some time but on a much smaller scale, solos are generally charged $75-$200 more than a couple for the same cruise, same cabin. Also, sometimes when I search Royal Caribbean cruises I will be told that a cabin category is sold out when I'm searching as a solo, but if I go back and search as a couple, all of a sudden those cabin categories are open.
 
One of the questions raised on the chatter on the video I saw was, if we all start booking a phantom guest and then that guest is a no-show, is celebrity going to do some sort of penalty charge for no-shows to make up for the workaround.
 
I totally get being charged a single supplement fee and paying the same as a couple but being charged several hundred dollars more? That's just not right.

This is a waaay better problem to have !

Can't wait! See you all onboard! This will be my first solo cruise and I am so so so looking forward to it. My husband and I basically gave each other solo cruises for Christmas. Ive been to PDCC a few times now but not Labadee so that will be a treat.  

Im considering building a tool that does this for you. You would be able to select the package or excursion you want to monitor the price for, then if it drops we would notify you. Would people be interested in this? Just trying to feel out if it is worth building. 
 
Benefit would be to make sure your notified even after booking one. 

Happy to see another family joining this cruise!  Excitement is building!
135 Days to go!  
 

cant wait for this sailing. my family is booked for this ship.  will be 2ed cruise for myself, wife and 6 year old. 1st for our 4 year old. 

Her’s a fun fact about this cruise date…we will be first cruise leaving from Bayonne!  Meaning…perhaps…we will have our rooms available when we board??
166 days to go. 😜 

Just booked this cruise.  There will be 8 adults and 6 kids (ages 9, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12 [all boys except the 9yr old]).  
I will be with my daughter and her 2 boys.  The rest of the group are friends of hers and their kids…of which all four 11 yr olds are in the same class at school!  She and I are going without our hubbies 🤪!  
Super excited!

OBC offered by Royal will be available in your cruise planner for any pre-cruise purchases (drink package, shore excursion, dining etc) as soon as you're booking is made. I have also heard, though I've not tried it myself, that it can be used to pay your daily gratuities (I imagine for this, you need to not pay them ahead of time, have them on your bill and your OBC will automatically be spent first as a credit on your account).

I will always pick the earliest time slot I can find.  The sooner onboard the sooner my actual cruise vacation begins!  I want the full experience and time allowed and the only way I am going to get that is by getting myself onboard…early!

I have bought the Key many times and have learned some lessons. Here’s my take;
I would watch the price fluctuate and if it came close to the price for purchasing Voom internet, I would snag it as I would get Voom anyway. Even though the Voom price also dropped at that time…I still convinced myself that it was a good bargain.
I’m usually going on ships from Port Liberty in NJ and mileage may vary at other ports, but…in NJ, Key members are allowed to check in and board early. The Guardian of the Portal announces through his handy dandy electric megaphone that Key members may enter through the hallowed doors pretty much as soon as they open. Regardless of the time on your boarding pass. This is, of course, to ensure we get the benefit of the Key luncheon (which ends around 1:30pm) and we get to drop off our carry ons. 

As far as early entry to the shows…this usually never happened. A lot of people show up early and begin to line up. When the doors open, they just admit anyone with a reservation. Only once on the Anthem, did they open the doors and announce, “Suites, Pinnacles, Diamond Plus and Key members first!”. 

So far on the Anthem, Wonder and Oasis…the ‘reserved seating’ for Key, Suites and Pinnacles at the shows was in less-than-ideal areas of the venues. Usually way up in the balcony of the theater and Two70….or off to the side in the upper rows of Studio B. I felt more like we were being hidden away rather than given good seats. 

I never took advantage of the ‘private times’ for the Flow Rider or the Rock Wall…but the times offered were pretty slim. Usually very early on one or two days of a seven day cruise. 

Since the restart, Key priority disembarkation at the various ports was nonexistent. Just had to join the line. 
On the Anthem, on the final morning…disembarkation for Key members was usually prioritized. I always did the early walk-off with all of my luggage. Sometimes they would take Key, Suites and Pinnacles from the line and place us up front. Other times they had us wait near the Excursions desk directly across from the exit and we were the first to move off the ship. It seemed to change depending on who was the supervisor in charge at the time. It was never consistent.
Bottom line…I would get it mostly for the Voom. Plus, I usually sail solo so I only had to pay for one. Early boarding and the Chops lunch were pretty good, along with dropping off my carry on and jacket. The only other perk for me was the priority disembarkation on the final day. But, then again, I was usually one of the first in line anyway. Good luck and enjoy your cruise!

If these are the real sales, it's quite underwhelming.