AMarieKC

I'm sorry about your family member's diagnosis. Royal isn't in the habit of giving refunds.  If you didn't book refundable you will be on the hook for whatever fees and penalties. I never book anything for substantial amounts unless I am fine with the risk. Your only recourse if you booked non-refundable is to eat the fees and get the remainder back. There's no way to get a 100% refund.
 

I am so sorry to hear about your family member. I pray for their ease and comfort. Unfortunately, Royal does not really do refunds like that unless it was a  refundable rate. You can change it, but there will be a change fee of $100 for it, much better than losing everything, though. I totally understand why this would leave a bad taste in your mouth. Try to chalk it up to the business end of Royal. Once on board, you will see a whole new light and typically, they have great guest services. Even beforehand, you will get excited looking at all the possibilities that await you. I would imagine that with what you are going through, a positive adventure in the future may be helpful. Most cruise lines are like this, just business, annoying, I get it, but as a whole, you probably will have a wonderful time! 

Hi Everyone,
I'm new here and this is my first post.  I have half a mind to delete this because it might be a little strong for a first post- LOL!  The last time I cruised was on Explorer back in 2006.  I recently booked my family on Allure going to Roatan and Mexico in March.  It's a surprise and I'm excited to see my kids faces when we get dropped off at the cruise port and they see the ship for the first time.  "Yep WE are going on THAT!" 
One thing I've noticed since 2006 is that things seem much more complicated with the add ons and tack on fees and complex reservations etc. It's kind of made me half crazy and anything, but relaxed.   "Manage your cruise" What?  Isn't that sort of what I'm paying you a whole lot of money for, Royal Carribean?  
When I last cruised my wife and I did one night at Portofinos which was a restaurant that used to be on the Explorer.  The food was good I'm sure of that, but I don't even remember how it tasted these years later or what I ate.  Here is what I do remember: the fun we had with our dinning room waiter and tablemates. We still laugh about them to this day!  The cabin attendents making towel animals and the bartenders, and looking out at the ocean, the sailaway party and the New Yorkers saying "Heyyyy! it's the Verrazzano!!!" as we glided underneath the bridge on the start of our carribean adventure. 
As soon as I booked Allure, I was introduced the the Key program and dining packages which are not cheap!  Forgive me for saying this but it seems like a rude bait and switch.  A cruise should be about hospitality and abundance and the Key program introduces scarcity...that little fear that you know "they really are short on Flowrider time and show tickets and if you want your kids to be able to try it you need to give us $160 a day for 7 days..."  

Honestly, I'm not trying to be cynical, perhaps this is the way it is and I'm making a "rookie" mistake in this day and age, but I'm taking a different approach so tell me if you think this could still work.
1.  We're going to eat in the MDR and have fun at dinner.  We're going to eat at the Windjammer and try to find a nice table near a window and try food from around the world.
2. We're going to eat soft serve ice cream at 2 o'clock every single day!
3. We'll eat Sorrentos and the Park Deli.
4. We're going to look up at the stars at night and go for walks around the ship.  Maybe watch a movie!
5. We're going to get up early and watch the sun come up over the ocean and whisper a quick prayer or two.
6. We're going go to the pools and shoot hoops in the middle of the carribean sea and play ping pong and do the flowrider and have mini golf
tournaments everyday with prizes I'll be giving out.
7. We'll book some shows and hope we get seats.  It'll be great if even one of my kids begins to love theather.
8. We're going to enjoy time together and walk up to the bow of the ship and stand on the helicopter pad.  We're NOT going to have internet.
9. I'll buy my daughter some candy-- Ok there's 7 bucks, I can't say no!
10. We'll spend money doing excursions and see some Mayan ruins and enjoy being in another country and play on the beaches.
 
I just want to be together with my family on an already great ship. Let me know if I've got this wrong.  Thanks, T.

Here’s a couple of photos onboard the Anthem during the Christmas season…
The officers and entertainment cast members led us in singing holiday carols in the Esplanade…Santa and his elves made an appearance…there were several gingerbread villages…lots of holiday decorations all around the ship…a large Christmas tree by the pub…and there was an additional Christmas show in the theater which was pretty amazing, with great costumes, songs and choreography put on by the entertainment cast. It was a very good production.

The one thing to keep in mind is you will have 4 devices.  If one of your groups connects to their phone, then their computer that will be using 2 devices.  The account is under the name you setup then it just knows there are 4 devices, it does not care who, what and where.  This week me and my son are using 1 device and sharing it between 2 phones and one computer.  Just tell everyone to remember to sign out of their device if they are not using it.

Welcome to the boards!
The Main Dining Room (MDR) is one location where complementary breakfast, lunch, and dinner is offered. The dress code varies each evening, with at least one night being “formal” or “dress your best”. In the MDR, you can have either Traditional Seating (early or late), or My Time Dining (MTD) where your time can be different each night. Dress code applies to both Traditional and MTD.
The Windjammer is also complementary and also open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Dress is always casual and your dining time is completely flexible — seats are first come first served.
Depending on the ship, there may be other complementary, casual spots for food. There will also be various specialty restaurants that are mostly open only for dinners (lunch also on sea days, usually). Lastly, there will be a few “dining experiences” that are additional cost, like Chef’s Table, Taste of Royal, Sushi and Sake, etc.
Hope that helps!