monorailmedic

Hey Candie, As a frequent user of Uber and Lyft (for getting around town, but also when I travel/get into a car with luggage and go to the airport), I completely understand your concern. I'd think of it this way, it's the same as hiring a cab, limo, or shuttle service. Some person you don't know now knows you're out of town. Is that a concern? Sure, but it's no different than in other contexts, and should be personally weighed in the same way. I live in a condo, so it's a bit easier for me, as I set the pickup area as the parking lot, not my actual address, so any drive only knows the building, not the unit. Another trick is to in casual conversation, mention how you wish your son, spouse, parent, etc could go, but they have to stay behind this time, or mentioning a house-sitter. Nothing is fool proof, but there are simple things to help reduce the risk that's taken anytime anyone knows your travelling (my letter carrier knows I'm not home right now, as my mail is held). The risks are probably much greater with social media, as we love to tweet, Periscope, put up pics on Facebook, etc all having to do with the trip we're on. I guess my point is, there are many vulnerabilities, and we have to do risk-benefit analyses of any decision like this, and take the most reasonable steps to mitigate said risks.

Going strictly off memory, I believe age limits are as follows: 16+ Solarium 18+ casino, late comedy shows, some late-night dancing/music venues 21+ some late-night dancing/music venues The Flowrider, rock climbing, etc has more to do with size. Though, per RCCL's website, it seems children must be at least 6, or 13 if not accompanied by an adult. http://www.royalcaribbean.com/customersupport/faq/details.do?pagename=frequently_asked_questions&pnav=5&pnav=2&faqSubjectName=Onboard+Activities+Waiver&faqId=3882&faqSubjectId=386&faqType=faq

If you do, only the small single serving containers would likely fit, and I'm just not sure about the temperature. That in mind, milk is available on-board. If there is a dietary restriction or some other factor, you may want to have you travel agent follow up, or you can fill out the form at the below address and someone will contact you to work something out. https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/guestSpecialNeeds.do

To DocLC's point, Sabor Modern Mexican is the restaurant found on the Navigator and other ships. You pay the cover and pick whatever you'd like off the menu. Sabor Taqueria is found on Oasis class ships, and is a la carte.

This is common on ships of many lines, I'm not sure why. That in mind, cruise lines will all provide accommodation for medications upon request. I've seen small fridges brought in, meds stored by staff, coolers, etc.

To add to this, the cost of additional devices isn't huge. For example, it's about $11/day for surf and stream 1 device on the Sept group cruise, but about $16 for 2 devices surf and stream. The second device was about 50% less, though I didn't check to see how this scales to 3rd and 4th devices.

If the drop comes before final payment your travel agent or RCCL can take care of this quite easily. If it's after final payment date it can be a bit more hit or miss, but is a great case where having a TA on your side can help a lot.

Good find, thanks! http://www.cipd.co.uk/pm/peoplemanagement/b/weblog/archive/2016/06/29/case-study-royal-caribbean-cruises-newbuild.aspx

Shouldn't be an issue at all. Some have said that they were told on the phone that upgrading from a promotional package (one given for free) was a problem, but I'm confident it won't be any issue on board. They'll be glad to take more of your money. I've done this on Celebrity (Royal Caribbean's sister company) without issue.

While I can't answer your questions directly I can compare to my sailing 68 days out. I completed check-in and printed my Set Sail Pass and on one page it says "Status: Ready to Print" while on the page with the steps it's still on Step 4 giving me the option to print. This part is normal, as once you've printed, they a) don't know you've successfully printed and b) want you to be able to print again. As far as the vacation docs mine are set for electronic delivery, but to be honest, I don't even remember what they send. If you have your Set Sail Pass, and all of your check-in boxes are checked off, I wouldn't be concerned. Someone with more RCCL experience than I will likely chime in here, but as always, you can consult your travel agent for further information.

I'd tend to agree. I mean, they can prepare for things such as unfavorable economic conditions, but I think they'd still want to see what actually happens. Seems more likely that this was in the works for a while and unrelated to Brexit. To your point, it just didn't make sense before in many cases. Further, even within markets they'd adjust prices sailing to sailing, either by using discounts, or just pricing it differently and not acknowledging that there was a difference. I think they're just trying to make it more simple for them and customers (and obviously, in turn, more profitable).

I have no personal experience with this, but RCCL does have info about this on their website. http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithGallery.do?pagename=mgm_partnership

While I can't speak to what was being done, underwater inspections are routine while in port. I think most cruise lines now send underwater video to the Chief Engineer or other senior officers to ensure the hull and propulsion systems are ship-shape. A prop blade may have been replaced because of fatigue or debris, but what is quite common is loose fishing nets and similar things getting wrapped around the props, shafts, etc. Debris build up frequently, and as it does, affects the efficiency of the propellers and causes vibration. This means a bunch of crew members find themselves using all sorts of tools to scrape junk away.

While it's good to be prudent (check any fine print and such), overall I'd say that's RC's logistic problem to work out if anything, and honestly, I wouldn't think the payment method would do much to change the process, T&Cs, etc. I'd find it unlikely you could book a cruise with a gift cert and then be told that there is no changing or cancelling. Edit: Upon further review, it doesn't seem the terms change much at all. Point 5 makes it seem as if they're saying that other promotional restrictions will still apply, but that's it. https://www.royalcaribbeancertificates.com/terms-rccl.html

I meant to say Navy when I was thinking Jacksonville - not sure why my fingers typed Air Force. NAS Jax.

Privately Owned Vehicle Kat is clearly in a world associated with law enforcement, the fire service, or military. Being that she's in Jacksonville, I'm voting Air Force.

I have used www.parkncruise.com at least 8 times. They're cheap, friendly, their shuttles run with great frequency - I have no complains. I already reserved my spot for Sept in fact. Reserve/pay online and you get a buck or two off each day.

Like many issues, I'd expect this to be something where if you ask multiple people at RCCL you'll get multiple answers. What I would certainly expect is that upgrading it ahead of time will be challenging. That in mind, once on-board, you may have better luck...or maybe not. I can tell you that I've upgraded promotional/free beverage packages once on-board on Celebrity (which is also a Royal Caribbean brand) without any issue at all.

Obviously this type of question is particularly subjective, so I'd keep in mind that any answer could be wrong for one person though right for another. This disclaimer in mind, I'd say that yes, if something isn't market *adult* you'll likely be just fine with your daughter being there. RCCL knows their audience, and knows, just as other cruise lines, that they are very frequently family vacation destinations.

The Premium Beverage Package includes cocktails, beer, and wine, up to $13/each drink. Some beers are in cans, some in bottles, some on tap - just like anywhere else. Everyone should be content :-) The one part I'm a bit confused about is the mention of juice as that juices are usually only in the Ultimate package. Write up explaining the bev packages: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/unlimited-alcohol-packages Details from RCCL: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/shared_assets/pdf/menus/beverage-flyer-general-v4.pdf

Welcome, Bogeypro. That's a broad question, and I'm not too sure where to start. Perhaps let us know you're family's makeup (ages and such), what you want to/plan to do on-board, in port, etc so we have a bit more to go on. This site and it's members have lots of great info, but I'll start you off w/ a few links below. This link takes you to all the posts specifically about/for first timers, but note this may mean first time on a given ship, first time in a certain area, or first cruise ever. Browse and enjoy! http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/category/category/first-time-cruisers These links are for mistakes to avoid your first time. The first is a blog post, the second is a podcast that you can listen to right on the page if you want. I'm actually the goof on that episode of the podcast with Matt (the gentleman who runs this site), so if you think any of my advice is terrible, you know where to give feedback :-) http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2014/07/17/first-time-cruisers-ten-mistakes-avoid http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/podcast/episode-146-top-ten-mistakes-first-time-royal-caribbean-cruisers

I agree as far as Disney Springs with regard to an Orlando meetup. That in mind, let's make sure we have a good understanding of where people will be before the cruise, and how many are interested. Take 10 seconds and let me know on the FB group by completing the one question survey. https://www.facebook.com/events/1142839675736002/permalink/1240922445927724/

As others has mentioned this is hard to bank on. Even when in Port Everglades it can vary. Most of the time I'm there Oasis class vessels have been starboard side to port, but it has varied at least twice in the last 2 months. We just can't know. What we do know is that the sun rises in the E and sets in the W, so, look at where you'll be sailing when, the approximate location/path of your sea days, and see if this influences your decision (sunsets vs sunrises on sea days). BH

I tend to travel even for a few hours with a well thought out and honed down collection of all my belongings (chargers, meds, etc). That in mind, I'll mention 3 big ones outside of that. 1 - A good piece of luggage (especially true if travelling to the port). I'm partial to the Timbuk2 Co-Pilots http://amzn.to/1tjdnyA 2 - A day bag for hats, glasses, camera, phone, battery, meds, etc while in port. Again, my pref is Timbuk2 http://amzn.to/1YaPTGV 3 - My preferred toiletries. We have some degree of medical need here, but it's also preference. You like the shampoos, bar soaps, toothpaste, etc that you're used to

Stock up on some small neodymium magnets (such as below). They're tiny but incredibly strong, so you can pin up fabric, paper, etc w/o using tape. http://amzn.to/1XEe2aF