KLA

6 minutes ago, Lexster said:

Maybe not an esport thing, but I think it'd be cool to have a gaming area. I know some ships have an arcade, but I think a Dave & Buster's inspired place with food and a bunch of games would be pretty cool, maybe where a cover charge means you can play all the games you want (or maybe given a certain number of tokens).

That's honestly exactly what the Playmakers/SeaPlex area on Odyssey reminded me of. Broad assortment of games and easy access to bar/food at Playmakers with some pretty great ocean views. 

Hollywood Beach Marriott - great amenities, and right on the boardwalk with beach access as well as lots of restaurants and shops. Always our favorite if we have a couple days or so ahead of a cruise, but it is on the more expensive side.

23 minutes ago, Spang1974 said:

I would totally attend nautical(or any) themed campaign taking place over several sessions and days! I would put a mighty hurting on the drinks package at the same time. 

A one shot at sea would actually be a blast.

27 minutes ago, Jolly Ogre said:

You young punks call yourself gamers... you know not of gaming with your electronic gadgets. 

All you need is paper pencil and dice.

 

I'm playing a Rogue in my current campaign... 

11 hours ago, MuttMutt said:

Nope and who knows if they ever will to be honest.  Plus I can see a bunch of 30 to 40 year old's with a drink package and a bad attitude when they lose end up throwing a controller through a screen or starting a brawl... Yep, I think I will stick with my Raspberry Pi 4 in my room for my gaming fix while on the ship.  And I am sure some people pack their consoles to take on the ship as well.

As somebody who considers themselves part of the gaming community - this is exactly why I wouldn't participate. As much as I enjoy games, I'm happy to unplug and get away from some of the toxic aspects that comes with the gaming community and sit quietly with my Switch if I really want to play something. 

I've bought things like hot sauce, cheese, or spices without issue and brought them back on board with me. 

On 2/18/2022 at 10:41 AM, SPS said:

We liked getting breakfast at the Two70 Cafe on Odyssey on our last morning. (and most other mornings)

Not crowded, good selections, and the staff were able to cater to my wife's need to eat gluten free.

It also allowed us to use our beverage package one last time for a specialty coffee. 

I went there for a coconut latte every day of our Odyssey cruise (sometimes more than once!) 

On 2/18/2022 at 11:16 PM, kittysoul said:

 So, if we want to just skip booking an excursion, we could easily just get off the ship and take a short walk to go to a beach, the restaurants and shops, then walk back to ship at our leisure? 

Yes! While there's lots to see and do elsewhere on the island, it's also definitely a walkable port with options.

Yes, book under one person's name and you both show up.

MDR for us - I avoid the Windjammer as much as possible for both embarkation and debarkation. 

14 hours ago, rjac said:

Hello KLA,

Glad you're back. We have been to St. Thomas a number of times. We like the "Secret Sands Beach Getaway", been there three times. I think the name of the beach is Smith Beach and it is a national park. Very good toilet and shower facility. Great beach with loungers and shade. For me, the best part was the grass covered shoal about 50' offshore. No current, easy swim, less than 10' deep and loaded with tropical fish and an occasional green sea turtle munching on the sea grass. Th swim from the shore drops down to about 20' and comes back up to the shoal. Don't be surprised if there are some Southern sting rays swimming through that deeper part. Enjoy! 

Thanks, rjac! Was this something you booked through Royal or through a third party?

Just to add on - definitely make sure you reserve the Book. It is by far my favorite show I've seen on a Royal ship besides the Aqua Theater shows.

Hi All, 

We'll be making our first stop to St. Thomas in early May, and I was curious what some favorite ways to see the island might be?

Discover Scuba looked cool, but since it's our first time there I was curious what options we might have to explore the island a bit more and get familiar. Does anyone have a recommended island tour they've done? 

A slice of chocolate cake on the balcony with a latte for breakfast is my recommend! 

Just to add on further - my husband and I really enjoyed the walk from the port to the downtown beach area when we were last there. It's only about a 10 minute walk with a neat little Gouda shop along the way. 

24 minutes ago, Shay said:

Do you know the price range of the water taxi? We planned to book through RC. Thanks so much for your help

I can't provide the latest updates since it's been a few years, but I believe it's $5 one way or $7 all day (per person) and the entrance is nearby the cruise port. 

You can get deals with beach chairs, drinks, and wifi all along the restaurants at the beach for anywhere from $15-$24.

Here's a post from this board discussing this: 

5 minutes ago, Shay said:

Do you all have a preference of the two: Maho Beach vs Great Bay Beach? I'm looking for a low cost beach excursion that included a complimentary beach chair and access to purchase local foods 

Thanks

I think Great Bay Beach would be the way to go then - it's along a strip of shops downtown and it's easily walkable from the port or accessible via Water Taxi. 

While Maho Beach is a unique experience, I found it to be touristy. 

On 1/11/2022 at 7:37 PM, cruisellama said:

Anyone visit the "Yoda Guy" in St. Maarten?

Yes! Very neat for Star Wars (or movie fans in general!) He's collected a lot of memorabilia over the years so there's a neat little museum that you can walk through (I think it's $12 that you'll get back as a discount on shop purchases?) 

I'm looking forward to returning because I absolutely regret not buying one of the framed script pages from one of my favorite scenes in Return of the Jedi. Big regret, hope to go back in May! 

I also recommend taking the walk there on foot from the port to the downtown area (rather than a water taxi) and stopping by the cheese shop on your way for some gouda! 

Yes - there have been lots of Royal Up bid win stories with the reduced capacity here. I went from a GTY Balcony to a Junior Suite for a bit over the minimum bid, but there are even some stories here of people winning Star Class bids and getting all of the benefits of that experience. 

15 hours ago, PY_Mpls said:

Odyssey of the Sea for the 23rd and 2 of 3 of my bids have switched to expired, Junior Suite still showing pending!  Hopefully that is a good sign!  

Definitely a good sign! We LOVED the JS on Odyssey - lots of great little touches like the automatic curtain open/close modes, a huge amount of space, espresso machine, and very nice padded lounge chairs on the balcony. 

20 hours ago, not easy being green said:

Has this happened to anyone at anytime, I placed a bid and I cannot modify and or cancel the bid and I am still about 20 days out from cruising?  I was going to change the bid (up the amount), and now I can't so I am hoping this might be good news!  Also will your money get refunded if RC cancels the cruise back to the CC or is it FFC?

Thanks!

7 hours ago, Lsebastian7704 said:

Same here mine is in 14 days, 2 of the bids are expired and the 3rd is still pending but I can't change the amount.  Fingers crossed and good luck on yours !! 

One bid showing as pending but removing the option to modify the bid is usually a really strong indicator that you are likely to win the bid, but not a guarantee. Best of luck to both of you! 

4 minutes ago, TeresaMc said:

I too am going with the soda only package in March, I don't drink much, other than my diet coke addiction, so with my 4 diamond drinks a day I may spend a few $$$$ but not the cost of the refreshment or deluxe package.

Yeah, I keep going back and forth. I don't drink at all so a Deluxe definitely wouldn't be worth it - but still worried I'll be tallying drinks in my mind if I go with soda only or will be making frequent hikes back to the Freestyle machines. Might just splurge on the Refresh anyway - it'll be my birthday cruise after all! 

1 hour ago, Ampurp85 said:

Yes to 1, 3 and 4.

YMMV on 2. Some bars that have bottled soda might have tonic and no club soda. If they have the nozzle, then a maybe. Some bars said that club soda isn't included with the soda package, others will give to you no problem. 

This really helps, then - we'll figure out what bartenders will work with us on the club soda bit and determine how we best want to use each of our diamond vouchers each day + utilize the diamond lounge on Symphony. Even if we pay a couple bucks extra for a couple drinks, a Starbucks trip or two, or a bottle of Pellegrino at dinner, I think that the value on this will work out for us wayyyyy better for what the refresh package is actually going for right now (like, $400 difference for the Soda + Surf and Stream package vs. the Refresh and Surf and Stream packages). 

Thank you!! 

Hi, all! Considering a soda package over the refresh package for the first time. A couple questions: 

1) Can you ask for soda at any bar and does it have to be in the Freestyle cup?

2) Is there a club soda I could ask for if at a bar and not the freestyle machine? I tend to drink a lot of sparkling water and missing out on the Pellegrino option would be the main thing.

3) Would options like San Pellegrino be covered by the Diamond drink vouchers? What about specialty coffee? 

4) Can Diamond drink vouchers be used in the MDR or specialty dining venues? 
 

Thanks, all! 

Already rescheduled the cancelled sailing to Symphony over my birthday. Here’s hoping this variant is as short lived as speculated!