KJ777

Thanks for this tip! We reserved dinner for 6 on Day 4 on Anthem in March!  This will be our 1st specialty restaurant experience!

If this actually comes to pass, it will be one of the GOOD changes that Royal has made.  Fingers crossed that they follow through without any "cruise enhancement" fees.

Love Mariner.  Just got off 15 days on her.  The biggest disappointment, for me, was the entertainment.  The shows were a bit lame....but I am not a song-and-dance kind of passenger.  The rest is really good, IMO.

BYOC

I once saw balconies at lower costs than ocean view cabins. It's gotta be something in their marketing/algorithm/supply/demand thing and all I can say is - grab it now because that will almost for sure be gone tomorrow

Now unlike 10 years ago all the events/activities/menus are listed in the app.    The cruise has a Cruise director and staff which plan and run all the events.    That said they are events for any and all they do not do specific planning for you individually.   Nor do they make much in the way of announcements regarding the activities, they basically rely on you to read what is happening and show up or not.  the old days this was in the printed sheets left in your cabin each night now it is in the app.    There is also a shore excursion desk and team that can help you with what to do in the ports, although I find they really just want to sell you on the excursions they offer and have available.
I view a cruise as a floating hotel that gets me to the various ports.   This covers my food, accommodation and much of my evening entertainment (as I like the shows).  I do a bunch of research on each port and pre-book my own excursions direct with the companies in those ports (only rarely will I book an excursion through the ship).    I am someone who likes to keep busy so sea days can be tough for me but if I keep my mind open and am willing to try the various things the ship has planned I can fill my day (as long as my cruise does not have too many sea days).  My wife likes to read and sit in the sun by the pool so for her sea days are great she hangs out, I find something to do and we meet up for lunch and dinner and then spend the evening together usually taking in a show or enjoying some of the other entertainment around the ship.
 

Our “Fall Foliage” cruise on Jewel has turned into a “Winter Wonderland” trip. Not enough snow to remain on decks but plenty to greet us around Quebec this morning. A beautiful change from last week on Wonder. 

Another one? Again? Everybody at this blog knows you can't "accidently" fall overboard

Anthem of the Seas is a day out of Bayonne on their Transatlantic Voyage. If this is the same cruise, which I know many of our members are on, can you update us when you get back? And if you are the person that believes God placed you on earth solely for the rest of us to admire, adore and be in awe.....would you like to claim ownership of this?

I concur with @Ampurp85 re: Bistro dinner.  It is really (IMO) nothing more than a quieter Windjammer meal.  Back in "the day" they used to have a buffet area for things like salads, sides, desserts, etc. but they brought your main course to you from the kitchen.  Not any more....at least, in my experience.  It's ALL buffet now and as I am not a fan of buffets, in general, I found it to be disappointing.  It's better than the WJ b/c it's less hectic but there are also fewer options...  Anyway, it is what it is....

Welcome to the boards @Plasticbrain 😊
Here's my take on your plans.
I absolutely would NOT stay on the ship in Marseille. You don't need to do an excursion but it's definitely worth getting off for a couple of hours. Grab a taxi from the port and ask to be dropped off at the Vieux Port (Old Port). This is right in the centre and from here you can get the "petit train" (a little tourist train) which takes you up to Notre Dame Basilica on the top of the hill overlooking the city. It's a fun ride and the basilica is well worth a look and the view from the top is lovely. It's not a hop-on, hop-off thing. Everybody gets off at the basilica and then you get on another train when you're ready to go back down.
Here are a couple of pics; they're a bit old now, so the quality isn't great, but it'll give you an idea.


Once you come back down, you can have a look in some of the shops  around the Old Port for some soap. Marseille is famous for its soap and you can get it in liquid and solid form. It makes a great gift to take back home with you, or just treat yourself. This area of France (Provence) is also famous for its lavender fields and you should be able to get some soap that is scented with lavender.
You should be able to do all of this in a morning and be back on board in time for lunch and a relaxing afternoon by the pool.
For Naples/Capri, I recommend that you DON'T buy the Capri on Your Own excursion, firstly because it's ridiculously overpriced and secondly because there is a cut-off time to cancel if you decide you don't want to do it after all. If you cancel too late you may not get your money back. This is particularly important if the weather decides to be unccoperative because Royal will not give you your money back just because it's raining on the day.
So, I suggest you make a tentative plan to really "do it your own". This is very easy to do. The ticket office for the ferry to Capri is literally right next to the cruise terminal. Get off the ship as early as you can and get tickets for the next available ferry. Buy return tickets at the same time for early afternoon, to give you plenty of time to get back. It takes about an hour each way. By doing it this way you keep your options open. I suspect that after back-to-back Florence and Rome you may find you're just too tired to want to do anything more than have a lazy day on board but if you do want to go, it's still doable and far more cheaply than buying Royal's excursion, which is nothing more than a glorified transfer. I don't know what the current cost of the ferry is but in May of last year a round trip ticket was less than half the price of the "on your own" excursion.
I hope this helps and you have an amazing time when it comes.
 

That's really up to the individual. I found that 3 full days, and evenings throughout the sailing, was plenty of time to experience everything Oasis has to offer. Do book show reservations in advanced (will be available about 30-40 days before sailing) so you can see the shows when you'd like to see them.

And minimal staffing- one person can serve hot dogs. 

As @SpeedNoodles mentioned, the "waiting until you are onboard" only applies to dining packages and the D+/Pin BOGO.  When you purchase a specialty dining meal through the CP, you pay full price, so you are rewarded with your choice of times.  When you purchase a dining plan, you receive a discount so you are not permitted to choose your dining time until after you board (or just prior to boarding if you are in a suite, in which case, the suites concierge can make those reservations for you a couple of days before you board).

@Ampurp85, I thought about that after I posted!  Clearly, I don't keep track of things as much as the more seasoned cruises.

@KJ777 Icon won't sail until Jan 27th so there are no cruise compasses.
But early dinner around 5:30, should guarantee you can make 7:30/8pm shows and a 7pm reservation should be okay for shows after 9pm.
 

I never understood why it wasn't open longer or later. Yes,hot dogs are what this guy wants at 11pm! 

I’m not sure if I somehow missed it or if Royal is testing out a new late night option (which many feel is lacking) but when we left the 10pm aqua show last night I noticed the Dog House was open.
According to the app, it closes at 6pm & then reopens from 10:30-1:30am.
I’m not sure hot dogs are what people want but at least it’s something.

Especially if the flow is called a lava with kraken!  

I drink early and often. Easy to stay in the flow. 

We've cruise during hurricane season a couple times.  It was a little rocky but nothing of real concern.  I think the only change to itinerary we had was we weren't able to go to Coco Cay and they swapped one of the ports and we went to Cozumel.  Just relax and enjoy that you're on another cruise!!

We've cruise during hurricane season a couple times.  It was a little rocky but nothing of real concern.  I think the only change to itinerary we had was we weren't able to go to Coco Cay and they swapped one of the ports and we went to Cozumel.  Just relax and enjoy that you're on another cruise!!

I normally sail Oct/Nov and it is great imho. Other than an occasional changed/missed port it is the same as any other season of cruising. 

Ditto. Booked a couple Mason Jar Brunches on Wonder. Every little bit helps.

Thanks for the heads up. For me, it shows as a C&A Member discount at 20%, up from the usual 10%.