CanHardlyWait

Gotta think the express lane is what should be the normal lane of the future.

 

Enjoy icon 

Express Pass made boarding Amazing!
We NEVER stopped walking. No waiting at all. Passed thousands of people.
You MUST upload a photo when you do online check in. We also scanned passports. Yesterday, after answering health question, we got confetti and and our set sail passes turned purple. Congratulations you have express pass to board. The days of wait till at dock to have them take your photo are over. It puts you in an entirely different category. We literally passed 1hr 30min of people and walked right on. 

Express Pass made boarding Amazing!
We NEVER stopped walking. No waiting at all. Passed thousands of people.
You MUST upload a photo when you do online check in. We also scanned passports. Yesterday, after answering health question, we got confetti and and our set sail passes turned purple. Congratulations you have express pass to board. The days of wait till at dock to have them take your photo are over. It puts you in an entirely different category. We literally passed 1hr 30min of people and walked right on. 

Express Pass made boarding Amazing!
We NEVER stopped walking. No waiting at all. Passed thousands of people.
You MUST upload a photo when you do online check in. We also scanned passports. Yesterday, after answering health question, we got confetti and and our set sail passes turned purple. Congratulations you have express pass to board. The days of wait till at dock to have them take your photo are over. It puts you in an entirely different category. We literally passed 1hr 30min of people and walked right on. 

Express Pass made boarding Amazing!
We NEVER stopped walking. No waiting at all. Passed thousands of people.
You MUST upload a photo when you do online check in. We also scanned passports. Yesterday, after answering health question, we got confetti and and our set sail passes turned purple. Congratulations you have express pass to board. The days of wait till at dock to have them take your photo are over. It puts you in an entirely different category. We literally passed 1hr 30min of people and walked right on. 

Express Pass made boarding Amazing!
We NEVER stopped walking. No waiting at all. Passed thousands of people.
You MUST upload a photo when you do online check in. We also scanned passports. Yesterday, after answering health question, we got confetti and and our set sail passes turned purple. Congratulations you have express pass to board. The days of wait till at dock to have them take your photo are over. It puts you in an entirely different category. We literally passed 1hr 30min of people and walked right on. 

Express Pass made boarding Amazing!
We NEVER stopped walking. No waiting at all. Passed thousands of people.
You MUST upload a photo when you do online check in. We also scanned passports. Yesterday, after answering health question, we got confetti and and our set sail passes turned purple. Congratulations you have express pass to board. The days of wait till at dock to have them take your photo are over. It puts you in an entirely different category. We literally passed 1hr 30min of people and walked right on. 

Express Pass made boarding Amazing!
We NEVER stopped walking. No waiting at all. Passed thousands of people.
You MUST upload a photo when you do online check in. We also scanned passports. Yesterday, after answering health question, we got confetti and and our set sail passes turned purple. Congratulations you have express pass to board. The days of wait till at dock to have them take your photo are over. It puts you in an entirely different category. We literally passed 1hr 30min of people and walked right on. 

Got your back jack!
Icon May 4th 2024
Booked directly with Royal Caribbean on Day 1 of bookings, October 2022 (I think it was.)
Booked inside GTY. 
At 45: days (per barcode trick) received inside plus cabin deck 10 forward.
Bid minimum bid in 5 different categories. 
(Everyone on Facebook started reporting getting there Royal Up bids with minimum bid)
At 30: days received an ocean view infinite balcony deck 10 midship for minimum bid $170 pp. Which may seem high, but we paid day 1 rate when we booked. That rate was only $1100 pp. Sadly a real steal for Icon. 
Between 45 days and 30 days there were many reports of Royal Up wins being sent to people in the Facebook group. Earlier bidding (pre 45 days seem to make winning bid almost a given)
The ship was half empty at the 30 day mark a few weeks ago. Infinite balconies seem to be the last thing still available. They don't seem to sell well. I would do mock bookings and check availability minimum 5 times per day from at 60 days out till ship no longer showed up (about 2 weeks ago)
I held out on doing Royal Up till I was able to use barcode trick to see what I was given. While very happy with GTY assignment, the amount of availability still showing at 45 days, plus the Facebook buzz about winning bids, all made us decide to splurge on some $100 to $190 pp minimum bids. 
Compared to stories I have researched it seems like this trip is an exception to the rule. Almost as if they were giving Royal Up bids away. I would say lack of initial interest in infinite balconies played a factor in a large portion of the guest ending up somewhere other than the cabin they started out with.
Trip begins on Saturday! Wish us a Bon Voyage. Off to the airport and Miami this afternoon. Hope this info helps. 

Ship: Anthem of the Seas
Sail date: July 7th 2023
Original stateroom: OV GTY (3546 as per barcode trick)
Upgraded to: Ocean View with Large Balcony (7260)
Bid amount: $50 pp (minimum bid)
Anectdotal notes: I did not submit a bid until the barcode trick revealed that my assigned stateroom was as far forward as you could go on deck 3 and still actually be on the ship. At that time, the minimum bid for a standard balcony cabin was $65 pp, so $15 pp more than the large balcony stateroom. A mock booking suggested there was more inventory in the large balcony category so I bypassed the standard balcony entirely and bid only the large balcony. The e-mail acceptance came in a few days later, on June 1st, so more than a month before the sail date.

Multiple (bordering on endless) Facebook posts week after week, that at least one pool on Icon has been closed every single day of every cruise. This is due to parents allowing children who are not potty trained to go in the pools. Apparently many times it's the main large pool. Once it happens it's closed for the entire day to clean. People please don't be selfish. If your child is not potty trained, stick to splash pads. It literally takes a pool for 7000 people out of commission for the entire day. Selfish and ridiculous. 

May 2024
4 - CanHardlyWait (Icon)
5 - cedricmr (Odyssey)
9 - FJ28 (Liberty)
10 -Snotarni (Allure)
11 - JohnK6404 (Icon)
16 - PPPJJ-GCVAB (Symphony)
16 - SemperMom (Symphony)
17 - TimeRacer (Ovation)
18 - Zenra (Mariner)
26 - Hoppy2BHere (Wonder)
26 - CruzOnBye (Wonder)

Sure....why not. it would be one way to prevent pools from closing as often and being overcrowded. Why bother having  a kids pool area that is hardly used as they all hang out in the main pools.
But I don't know why 2 year olds needs to be in a deep pool to "swim"...seems to me that the kids area would be the place for kids to be

We are currently on Adventure of the Seas. For formal night, I wore a nice top and capris and my husband wore a polo shirt and golf shorts. I saw others dressed more casually than us. As long as you're not wearing pool attire, you'll be fine.

For some of us it's our only chance to swim all year long. Folks can be selfish and irresponsible. There childs needs don't come ahead of thousands of people's. 

Multiple (bordering on endless) Facebook posts week after week, that at least one pool on Icon has been closed every single day of every cruise. This is due to parents allowing children who are not potty trained to go in the pools. Apparently many times it's the main large pool. Once it happens it's closed for the entire day to clean. People please don't be selfish. If your child is not potty trained, stick to splash pads. It literally takes a pool for 7000 people out of commission for the entire day. Selfish and ridiculous. 

Kids should have to swim and play in kids pools.....pretty simple and easy solution.
 
We wonder every cruise, and we have done a few, why the cruise lines don't enforce pool rules and/or make kids stat in the kids pool areas.  Often  the kids  area was dead and empty on our Freedom cruise..they were all in the main pools and hotubs., I joked we should have taken over that area, but I am sure Royal would be quick to kick us out if that happened.

For some of us it's our only chance to swim all year long. Folks can be selfish and irresponsible. There childs needs don't come ahead of thousands of people's. 

Multiple (bordering on endless) Facebook posts week after week, that at least one pool on Icon has been closed every single day of every cruise. This is due to parents allowing children who are not potty trained to go in the pools. Apparently many times it's the main large pool. Once it happens it's closed for the entire day to clean. People please don't be selfish. If your child is not potty trained, stick to splash pads. It literally takes a pool for 7000 people out of commission for the entire day. Selfish and ridiculous. 

Multiple (bordering on endless) Facebook posts week after week, that at least one pool on Icon has been closed every single day of every cruise. This is due to parents allowing children who are not potty trained to go in the pools. Apparently many times it's the main large pool. Once it happens it's closed for the entire day to clean. People please don't be selfish. If your child is not potty trained, stick to splash pads. It literally takes a pool for 7000 people out of commission for the entire day. Selfish and ridiculous. 

I also just got off Saturday and everyday at least one pool closed. The last sea day it was the main pool. They did reopen it later in the day and I swear there were at least 60 kids in there. 
 
We never use the pools as it’s like bathing in sweat and sunscreen. The fact Icon pools were closed everyday due to vomit or poop proves my point. 
 
Even better: people were urinating in the showers by the pool. 
 
No desire to sail this class again. Royal has finally reached “too big, too busy.” Going back to oasis class. 

This happened to us on the Wonder last year,quite frustrating

Multiple (bordering on endless) Facebook posts week after week, that at least one pool on Icon has been closed every single day of every cruise. This is due to parents allowing children who are not potty trained to go in the pools. Apparently many times it's the main large pool. Once it happens it's closed for the entire day to clean. People please don't be selfish. If your child is not potty trained, stick to splash pads. It literally takes a pool for 7000 people out of commission for the entire day. Selfish and ridiculous. 

For some of us it's our only chance to swim all year long. Folks can be selfish and irresponsible. There childs needs don't come ahead of thousands of people's.