DunkelBierJay

Jay assumed James' identity from pre-school on in a grave conspiracy about the letter M on chalkboards...

Here you go...

Well written. I very much appreciate this response. I bit my lip hard on it and chose not to express what I was thinking which was best left unshared.

The tone of that article is hopeful...however with Allure being 37 meters longer than Getaway, I'm sure Royal is keeping it's options open and that we won't know for sure until May 10 if/when they try to dock.

Well written. I very much appreciate this response. I bit my lip hard on it and chose not to express what I was thinking which was best left unshared.

You get a Gold Star... for participation.

I don’t know which “middle aged entitled people” you know but this middle aged entitled person and her husband worked for 40 years, raised & educated 2 millenials and aid in the care of 4 grandchildren.  I assure you no one waits hand and foot on me!  So yes,  I deserve a little entitlement.  Maybe when you are my age, you’ll understand how “entitled” your comments sound.

I’m completely gutted over this because Roatan was a big factor in picking this itinerary. A decent consolation would be San Juan if that left turn after Nassau doesn’t mess up the timeline too much in the beginning of the itinerary. Maybe it would work at the end where Roatan was placed. I wouldn’t mind Labadee, because I’ve only scratched the surface there. Other than that, I don’t think there are any ports that can accommodate Allure unless Coco Cay’s pier is complete and unoccupied. There’s got to be a lot of dominoes that are affected by this. At any rate, the liklihood of ever booking MSC is pretty much nil now. 

I usually go to Crew Center:
http://crew-center.com/cozumel-mexico-cruise-schedule-january-june-2018
If this doesn't get you what you are looking for, you may be able to get some other links by googling "cruise port schedule" and the port(s) you're visiting

I just checked for my January 2019 cruise, 5 ships in port including SYMPHONY OF THE SEAS! Can't wait to see her up close (but not personal yet!) LOL Booking Nachi too!

Having heard Michael Bayley speak on numerous occasions, I'm pretty sure this was said in a joking manner.  
You may not find it funny and/or in poor taste, which is obviously something you can absolutely do.  
The one thing I do like about Michael Bayley is he does not regurgitate PR prepared pieces.  He's fairly open about strategies, and doesn't shy away from a joke here or there. I prefer his take to what Disney often does, which is to tote nothing but playful PR lines about what they do.  
I think ultimately, the jist of what he's saying is RC caters to many age groups, and not just one.  I don't think the comment was intended to say "we don't like millenials" or "millenials are silly" or really any slight on them.  Simply, RC attracts cruisers of all ages.

They only provide pre-booking for entertainment on Oasis and Quantum class ships. I have seen Mystery Dinner Theater available on Enchantment's Cruise Planner in the past, and it may show up closer to sailing if they run it. All ships run behind the scenes tours which you can pre-book.
As far as other entertainment, you won't have any problem at all just showing up to what is on board whether it is in the Orpheus Theater, the Centrum or any of the bars like Schooner, Boleros, etc.
The main thing is when you arrive at the terminal, there will be a pre-boarding cruise compass that will tell you everything that is open on embarkation day (Windjammer for sure, some of the bars too). When you board, if it is before your room is ready around 1:00 pm, the Day 1 Cruise Compass will be available at Guest Services in the Centrum on Deck 5. That will have the most current information. You board on Deck 5, and enter near the Centrum, so you can't miss it. If they are running MDT on your sailing, and it wasn't in your Cruise Planner, they can clarify for you. You could also check in the Main Dining Room on Deck 4 to see if they know if it is being run. You can also check out your table while you are there. I am pretty sure they have run MDT in the back of Chops on Enchantment, but I could be wrong. They could also answer your question.

We sailed on Allure over Thanksgiving last year and Giovanni's was open on embark day.  We will be on next month, again.
I would think that they would LOVE for you to use your booking perk for lunch.  I'm sure it would save them money as the lunch menu is somewhat smaller than the dinner menu.  I think it is a GOOD idea though.  I may do this myself !  I don't have the CP perk but lunch at Giovanni's on boarding day sounds really good.  The last couple of times we have gone to Sabor but I have been consistently disappointed in Sabor on the O class.  I really am NOT a fan of Jaimie's so maybe we will go and enjoy Giovanni's.  Great idea !

I don't know about the CP perks but I believe the seapass cards are issued at check in still on Allure.

Seapass cards show up in the staterooms around 1pm.  You can pre-print a paper set-sail pass at home to use before you get to your room, or they'll print you one at the port before you board.  I didn't try to use a free lunch perk (had an ocean balcony, not CP), but the drink package worked fine on the temporary pass and I set up all my specialty bookings with just my name and room number.  I highly doubt you'll have a problem using your lunch credit before getting your physical cards.  They should be able to see it in the system when they look you up.

^^^love this! Not worth it!

It looks like the death grip issue is cured...now for all those meteors pelting the back of the case...

This is an area where a good travel agent can help a lot. They may simply be booked up by now. From time to time things open up, and a travel agent can help with that.
What they said on the phone is strange...One strategy is to take them to the Windjammer for their dinner and do a late seating with your spouse while your kids are in Adventure Ocean. You may be able to get it nailed down as you get closer, and you can always request it when you board. Just see the head waiter in the dining room.
I have found the food and service in the MDR on my sailings to be really good. Don't believe everything you read -- the comparison may not be apples to apples. There may be some nights when the menu isn't exactly what you like... Feel free to try more than one entree, for example. It's really a matter of what you like. Royal is in the process of changing their menu fleetwide. I recommend going to the home page of this site and searching "menu" to see recent posts about it. You can make a Royal Caribbean cruise "all inclusive" and not buy anything on board and have a great experience.
The dining package is a great deal compared to on board prices.
 If you are an early riser, I wouldn't worry about it. On embarkation day check out Park Cafe or the Solarium Bistro for your first meal instead of the Windjammer...the majority of people are just finding their way around, and it can be a little flustering especially herding little ones around. My plan is to go to Giovanni's for lunch when we board in June. It will cost a little, but it will be less crowded than the Windjammer. By the time we are done eating, our cabins will be ready. We have adjoining Central Park balconies with a max of 2 in one and 4 in the other (there may be something to what you wrote earlier about what's available on your sailing).
1. Check with the staff at one of the beverage stations in the Windjammer or Cafe Promenade. They can hook you up.
2. Absolutely! There are lots of complimentary options!
3. If you booked less than 60 days ago, you can transfer to a travel agent. There is an online form on this site's main page to a travel agency that sponsors it, MEI Travel. Pretty much all of us who have been on a group cruise have used them and they are courteous, professional and quick to respond. I have used them for other sailings as well. My agent pulled a rabbit out of a hat a couple times when I didn't expect it. His name is Brock, but I have heard good things about the others too!

There's lots of REALLY good advice here, and I totally get that's overwhelming. I am a relatively new cruiser myself, and have five under my belt with RC. I will be taking my family on Allure for the first time in June and can't wait. I expect to be doing a live blog in the live blog section of this message board. Despite this...I can't help but wonder if you are experiencing any frustration with where to start specifically in the Cruise Planner. With the cruises I have been on and the hundreds of dummy bookings I have done, I remember how non-intuitive the Cruise Planner can be until you get used to navigating it.
So, my first question is...have you associated your reservation ID to your sailing in the Cruise Planner? My second is have you set up a Crown and Anchor membership number yet (so you can get credit after your sailing)? My third is, do you have a good travel agent (not necessary, but it may affect how some responses come your way)?
If you have done those things, that is half the battle. The rest is figuring out what you want to do and when, as well as where to click in the Cruise Planner. It is NOT intuitive, but you found the right place for help! This site and the message boards have been priceless resources to me in figuring out how to plan things out, especially when it comes to making reservations on Oasis class ships.
As soon as it was available for my sailing, I made my reservations for the things I absolutely wanted to do...like the comedy shows and the aqua shows. I also did Izumi Hibatchi, 150 Central Park, Mama Mia and a few other things which now show up in my Calendar in the Cruise Planner. I learned a few things doing it because we are in two staterooms, so if any of this fits your situation, I or a whole bunch of people in this community can give a few tips. You could also do some searches on key words that interest you and Matt's posts may have the answers you are looking for. If you like podcasts, his are the best about cruising I have heard...hands down.

It looks like the death grip issue is cured...now for all those meteors pelting the back of the case...

There's lots of REALLY good advice here, and I totally get that's overwhelming. I am a relatively new cruiser myself, and have five under my belt with RC. I will be taking my family on Allure for the first time in June and can't wait. I expect to be doing a live blog in the live blog section of this message board. Despite this...I can't help but wonder if you are experiencing any frustration with where to start specifically in the Cruise Planner. With the cruises I have been on and the hundreds of dummy bookings I have done, I remember how non-intuitive the Cruise Planner can be until you get used to navigating it.
So, my first question is...have you associated your reservation ID to your sailing in the Cruise Planner? My second is have you set up a Crown and Anchor membership number yet (so you can get credit after your sailing)? My third is, do you have a good travel agent (not necessary, but it may affect how some responses come your way)?
If you have done those things, that is half the battle. The rest is figuring out what you want to do and when, as well as where to click in the Cruise Planner. It is NOT intuitive, but you found the right place for help! This site and the message boards have been priceless resources to me in figuring out how to plan things out, especially when it comes to making reservations on Oasis class ships.
As soon as it was available for my sailing, I made my reservations for the things I absolutely wanted to do...like the comedy shows and the aqua shows. I also did Izumi Hibatchi, 150 Central Park, Mama Mia and a few other things which now show up in my Calendar in the Cruise Planner. I learned a few things doing it because we are in two staterooms, so if any of this fits your situation, I or a whole bunch of people in this community can give a few tips. You could also do some searches on key words that interest you and Matt's posts may have the answers you are looking for. If you like podcasts, his are the best about cruising I have heard...hands down.

Good luck with that! I tried that yesterday, I felt sorry for the young man I spoke with. He was absolutely clueless. It's a shame that Royal is subjecting their customer service personnel to this kind of abuse!

What a great blog!
 
I'm sure that each of us who love to cruise are interested in the lives and experiences of those who make our voyages so wonderful.
Thank you, Chris, for your insight; please keep posting!
 

There's lots of REALLY good advice here, and I totally get that's overwhelming. I am a relatively new cruiser myself, and have five under my belt with RC. I will be taking my family on Allure for the first time in June and can't wait. I expect to be doing a live blog in the live blog section of this message board. Despite this...I can't help but wonder if you are experiencing any frustration with where to start specifically in the Cruise Planner. With the cruises I have been on and the hundreds of dummy bookings I have done, I remember how non-intuitive the Cruise Planner can be until you get used to navigating it.
So, my first question is...have you associated your reservation ID to your sailing in the Cruise Planner? My second is have you set up a Crown and Anchor membership number yet (so you can get credit after your sailing)? My third is, do you have a good travel agent (not necessary, but it may affect how some responses come your way)?
If you have done those things, that is half the battle. The rest is figuring out what you want to do and when, as well as where to click in the Cruise Planner. It is NOT intuitive, but you found the right place for help! This site and the message boards have been priceless resources to me in figuring out how to plan things out, especially when it comes to making reservations on Oasis class ships.
As soon as it was available for my sailing, I made my reservations for the things I absolutely wanted to do...like the comedy shows and the aqua shows. I also did Izumi Hibatchi, 150 Central Park, Mama Mia and a few other things which now show up in my Calendar in the Cruise Planner. I learned a few things doing it because we are in two staterooms, so if any of this fits your situation, I or a whole bunch of people in this community can give a few tips. You could also do some searches on key words that interest you and Matt's posts may have the answers you are looking for. If you like podcasts, his are the best about cruising I have heard...hands down.

They may send you back home since you didn't follow their directions.....