whitsmom

I just got notice that the DBP is now $39.99 (50% Diamond and Above Discount).  16 nights.  I've got to say that I haven't seen that low of price in a very long time.  

I just got notice that the DBP is now $39.99 (50% Diamond and Above Discount).  16 nights.  I've got to say that I haven't seen that low of price in a very long time.  

Millennials will have the phone on live when off the ship as their phone is attached 😉 

I am not completely sure I like the paperless either.  As we all know, electronic anything can be gitchy at any given time.  I always have my phone with me; however, I know there are many people that like to take a break from electronics while on vacation.  I wonder if your phone is in airplane mode off the ship will you be able to get to the ticket from the app?  I see this causing lots of issues....

We are Diamond so having 4 drinks each is plenty for us.  I always get the refreshment package for the specialty coffees and canned soda.  However, on our March 2026 Transatlantic the soda package now has canned soda so hubby is just getting that one as he doesn't share my love for coffee 😝 

Agree, once you sail the Med it’s something you will want to see again and again. I’m done with Mexico.

For my 18 night April Transpacific on Anthem, it's $40 pp pn...50% off for Diamond and above:

...Still not worth my taking.  As D+. we get 10 free drinks between us, so it's like paying up front for drinks 11 through 16 or 18...My wife can't drink more than about three per night, so the rest are mine.  I'll save the extra $1700 (with gratuities) and cope with just the freebies...If I go over, I'll pay by the drink.

I’m worried about the risk cruising poses to my liver. 

last year RCL had a special on their gift cards and I purchased $4000 worth of them.  I was able to sign on and finish paying my cruise with them then use them to purchase internet and drink packages.  I still had some left so I called RCL and placed the balance on my onboard account.  All of it was real easy.

All Gen X and older will not like this change as we have been burned too many times by 'faulty' connections in our lives. Millennials and younger will not bat an eye at this.

I'm a million miler on Delta.  That gets me lifetime Gold status but I'm only an entry level million miler.  
95% of my first million miles was business travel paid for by someone else.
The business traveler is the cash cow of airlines and hotels.  Their loyalty programs are written for business travelers.   
There are no business travelers on cruise lines other than some few and far between corporate charters to reward top performers.  
Airline and hotel loyalty programs can't be used to compare with cruise line loyalty programs.  Despite that, there is a permanent lifetime status component of Delta's loyalty program for their most traveled fliers.

Ironically Delta upset a lot of their loyalty members with their latest update where they made it all about spend on the branded credit card.  I actually don't fly them very much now.  As I've grown up and pay for business class now Delta is my least flown airline.  Since I buy business class I don't need their loyalty perks.  Kind of ironic.  Their loyalty program doesn't create loyalty.  
 

We are planning on just walking around a bit then enjoying a less crowded ship for the day.  I can't see spending that kind of money for that (use that money for go on another vacation)!

We always enjoy the 70's night!  We have been on the Harmony before and they had it.  We are sailing on Harmony in March 2026 (Transatlantic) so I hope they have it.

I would never cruise on a cruise line just for my status "perks."  I rarely drink alcohol, never do my laundry on ships (I am picky about the soap!), and I am a small eater (4 oz. meat maximum), so all that is just lost on me.  Also,  DH and I are in very good shape, so we do not need to be first on or off--we always allow those who use walkers, wheelchairs, etc.  to go ahead of us.  
In my lifetime I have also cruised on cruise lines which have disappeared, so loyalty meant nothing in the long run.  The truth is I pay little to no attention to any of my perks on any cruise line, and often pass using most of them. 
We cruise first for the itinerary and the wonderful on-water experience, which is pretty similar across all cruise lines. 
I am actually doing MORE cruises as I age, because I have more time and more disposable income, and I truly LIKE bouncing around lines because I get a lot of different experiences and perspectives. In April I was on RC (W. Caribbean), next month we are on Celebrity (Iceland/Ireland), in November we sail Carnival (Thanksgiving Bahamas), and next Summer Princess in the British Isles.  Last Summer we cruised the West Med on Cunard, and right before that, a Viking Danube River cruise.  
And yes, we do lots of land vacations as well--husband is a skier, so we have to visit the cold, tall mountains many times during the Winter. For the past three years we have been taking the trains in Switzerland to different ski resorts. (No, I am not a millionaire, just a wise travel planner!)
As soon as he retires I will book my dream trip, a tour of India staying in the Majaraja palaces,  and visiting Nepal so I can see Mt. Everest.
Life is short, and variety is the spice of life.  As I always say, I am loyal to CRUISING. But, I do love to travel the world in all ways!
 

As someone who primarily sails for the ship in the Caribbean 99% of the time (and lounges in the Solarium most days), Alaska was the one cruise I couldn't have cared less what ship I was on or what was going on around me... I was there to see Alaska. It happened to be Radiance and I have very limited memories of the ship itself (my only time on her or that class).
Full disclosure: We also spent 10 days on land pre-cruise (not via Royal) and that experience blew the cruise itself out of the water (no pun intended). I personally wouldn't bother cruising in Alaska again without a land portion (although it can be expensive and a cruise is better than not seeing Alaska at all).
Not trying to convince you of anything, we all like what we like, just throwing out some general Alaska thoughts.

Got back on board today after a long hike and was headed to Solarium hot tub.  The Solarium, pool, and hot tub were jam packed with screaming children.  I asked the towel guy what was going on and he said Solarium Family Time was from 8-10 am and 1-3 pm.

Oh my goodness, thank you so much everyone for all of the kind messages!
I'm honestly surprised as to how my announcement has been received. Sometimes it's hard to realise just how many people are watching the vlog.
Thank you Matt and team for featuring me in the amazing blog post! You guys summarised my whole career perfectly.
I'm very excited for you all to see my upcoming videos. I'm treating everyday of my final contract as a 'farewell tour'

Agree; that's why we bought ones with detachable wheels.  Remove the wheels at check-in counter, throw 'em in my carry-on, and let the airline bang it around.  We've got some dents (these are aluminum alloy shells), but still usable and in good shape.  They're not cheap though 🫣 !
https://www.amazon.com/KANGSHILU-Removable-Wheels-Carry-Lightweight-Zipperless/dp/B0CZF1YFVC?th=1

 

They're the flashing lights they pass out at the 70s parties

This is the one I use. Just bought a few for my family: https://amzn.to/3Zlnm7P
The key is it cannot have more than 1 AC outlet. It can have as many USB outlets as you want.

I recently booked 2 GTY suites, because it was a deal.  Normally, I choose my cabin.  The cruises were both last month, one on Voyager and then on Allure.  There was a thread here where someone said they got their cabin assignments at 31 days out.  I also got each of my assignments at 31 days out, and both of them showed up around 8:15 p.m. on that day.  We got junior suites on each one, and they were both near the rear elevators.  I tried Royal Up to grand suites on each cruise after I got my cabin assignments.  We didn't get one on the Voyager.  On the Allure, we got an email from Royal Up that no grand suites were available, but would we like a crown loft suite instead.  We said OF COURSE!  It was awesome!

We use AAA also and for our Trip to Norway this past January, we missed 2 ports due to weather.  We received $400 check in the mailed around 4 weeks after we got home.  This is the first time every having to use the insurance.

We use AAA also and for our Trip to Norway this past January, we missed 2 ports due to weather.  We received $400 check in the mailed around 4 weeks after we got home.  This is the first time every having to use the insurance.

If you have linked their cruise to yours in the app then you will be able to see them when you open your reservation to do check in.  Be sure to open check in in the APP  and grab  the ARRIVAL TIME in for each person on your linked cruises.  Check in opens at midnight ( or shortly after midnight) but it’s at the ship time of where the ship is currently sailing. 
once you have gotten each person their arrival time you can go back at any time and edit check in to add the documents, contact info etc.  If you cannot get to it they can easily do this at the port during your check in there, 
sometimes the website opens earlier than the app (probably by minutes) and I select naturalization papers for check in and complete the rest of the required items and then grab check in times, I then go back later and edit my documents (can be edited in the app)

while on the Grandeur talk to guest services.  They will help you with transferring to the other ship and make sure you have expedited boarding.