Last2Know

Thanks. We're sailing Explorer from Miami to Barcelona and then staying on for another cruise. I am hoping someone can share the protocols for the B2B.

Does anyone have experience with back to back overseas that is will to share the do's and don'ts? We are in planning mode for our first transatlantic with a follow-on 7 day Med cruise. We have done several B2B in the States but never overseas. We are planning an excursion for the turnover day but are concerned about scheduling too early and not being allowed off or having delays at the port. Any help is appreciated. Thanks and Happy New Year!

Brunch and a spicy Bloody Mary on a cruise sounds pretty good right now.

Our family did several Christmas cruises over the years. It was the easiest way to enjoy the season with high school and collage-aged family members. Nobody has to cook, clean, or worry about being the designated driver. My wife is the planner and enjoyed working with everyone to decide what theme we would do. We've done funky Christmas ties, ugly sweaters, Santa/Elf hats, and matching flannel pj's, all captured in pictures by RCL's photography team. Doors decorations and magnetic hooks for hanging stockings in the stateroom are must have items.

I held. Let see if the price holds today. Looks to be down a little bit in the pre-market trading.

Our last cruise was on Adventure and we had the stateroom attendant bring us a medical cooler (basically a car mini-fridge) to store items that needed to be at a lower temp. The room had a placard that said the fridge was just a "cooler". It does not stay cold enough for some medicines.

I don't have any worries at all. Carriers don't have stabilizers like the cruise ships. Plus, I sleep better at sea with a little movement. I was on USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), USS George Washington (CVN-73), and USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7). I guarantee that the accommodations, food, and availability of adult beverages are better than on Uncle Sam's big grey boats.

Great advice. 35+ years together and every cruise is another honeymoon for us.

Also sailing to Europe on Explorer in April. I've crossed the Atlantic and Pacific several times on aircraft carriers and don't think the time change is a big issue. First time doing this on RCL and looking forward to it.

I have some rhetorical questions: Can you gamble when the casino is closed? No Can you get your free drinks at the bar as Prime and above when the casino is closed? No Can you smoke in the casino when the tables and slots are closed? Yes I would say then that most of the Royal Caribbean ships have a smokers' lounge with limited gambling and bar service.

Thanks. We have a cruise in last Jan '24. Hoping it will be open by then.

I've never seen a line at Ben & Jerry's on the Promenade like I do for the free soft serve line on the pool deck. Can't get much cheaper than free.

Nope!

We love Giovanni's, especially when we cruise with the whole family. The menu selections have something for everyone and many options for our vegetarian daughter-in-law. We order the bigger portions and go "family-style" with the appetizers and pastas.

Tough call. The MDR usually does a special meal for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays that is different from their standard menu. Unfortunately, you probably won't know what the special meal is until you're onboard.

Dollar for dollar, I would eat at Playmakers or Izumi over Jaimie's on the Mariner.

We will be there! We're doing the crossing then B2B on the May 11th and May 18th cruises.

We're staying B2B after the crossing. See you onboard.

Leaving from Miami and heading to the Med. First crossing for us.

Just seeing who’s going

@steverk good eye. We are a D+ couple that used both our free laundry benefits, especially if we were B2B. That's how we were able to pack lighter. Certainly seems like a reduction in benefit if we're restricted to only using is on the day of the wash & fold promotion.

I cruised last month on Liberty and did not have the paper form to fill out about the crystal block for reaching 420 nights in the room when we arrived. I asked the Diamond Concierge and he very discretely pulled one from his desk, place it into a plain business envelope, and handed it to me. I find it interesting that some ship have the block readily available and others don't. I just received the block from my Indy cruise in Sept 2022. It's the newer style with the blue case and block font. The older crystal blocks, like I just received from Liberty, had the cursive font and black box.

There are definitely some curious expressions in the DL from longtime cruisers that "earned it the hard way" when my 20-somethings show up. It's good to have parents that were loyal to Royal. No one has ever been as confrontational as OP's situation. A quick conversation with the Concierge would have cleared that right up too. We also have acquaintances that took full advantage of the double point promotion that RCL was running during the restart. They were able to reach Diamond status in just four cruises in JS and above staterooms. 5 nights x 4 points x 4 cruises = 80 points & Diamond status. They took full advantage of the opportunity to cruise in spite of the vax and mask mandates. Fortes fortuna iuvat.

We're also doing the ABC's again in Sept on the Serenade. It's a 12 night repositioning from Tampa to Boston. Just in case I miss anything in May...