Charlie92

Matt  I did look at your Travel Sponsor and have no problem doing so.  But in today's age of information most people will not enter the information for a quote, they want to see the answer now.  By requesting people enter blind information and wait for a answer I believe most will just use another site. The travel agency needs to provide some pricing information, when the customer keys in the cruise wanted. 
 
I am involved in several online business, clients want information as soon as they hit enter on the keypad.

I wonder if they are specialty items, like how the MDR gives the option to buy a Chops dish.

Here a really interesting idea..... You do whatever you want on your vacation, handle tips, staff, tours, exactly as you want.... I will respect that it is your money and your vacation.... maybe you can do the same for me....... Because does not really matter, if you get it, approve, disapprove, like, or don't like, I will keep doing exactly what I feel is best for me..... I hope it is very clear now...... Have a great next cruise.

The shows on Anthem are still the same shows from her debut last year and I'd imagine it would stay the same by next year too.

Actually surprised that RCI is still sticking with $cdn pricing that they set per cruise. Yes it pays to check to see which price is more avantageous at booking time. Royal seems to set exchange rates a few times per year, so winners and losers depending on the markets. Would be nice to be able to switch with a mouse click but they want to make it more difficult. Fair enough I guess because they are taking the currency risk with non $usd bookings. They have to hedge this risk in the FX market. I'm sure they'd love to avoid dealing with all other currencies. It's nice they do, we're buying a US product in essence.
 
Curious to know what the average nationality breakdown is for the caribbean cruises, canada has to be a strong second still.

Question about the pre-boarding done at the terminal.
 
Last year, we were noobs and had to go through the loooong line for processing.
 
Now that i am a C&A member, will I be able to go through the not-nearly-as-long line?  Or do you have to be a super-duper platinum/diamond member?
 
I want to get onboard as quickly as I can!!!

I've seen folks post how many kids are on board their cruise.....how is that information found cause I'd like to know that number on my cruise next week.
 
Brian

The normal difference between these cabins is location on the ships, location in relationship to elevators, the deck they are located on. In general Royal considers a D1 to be the best available within that stateroom group. But what Royal values and what you or I value can be completely different. My friend who introduced me to cruising with over a 1000 days at sea always stayed in a inside cabin very low middle of the ship. Because in his mind that was the best cabin for him.  
 
You will find D1 is located in the middle of the ship very near elevators on the deck that Royal believes is the better deck for that type of cabin. I would guess the D8 you booked is on a lower deck and far forward or far aft. Some people want to be forward or aft so it really is personal choice.

yep - the size of the staterooms is generally the same in each category
but the number like D3, vs D4 gives you options as to locations.  And also determines
if they hold 2, 3 or 4 people as well.   The more middle of the ship, the more the cost
generally or the more exclusive the category like Aft Balcony cabins, the more the cost
Hope that helps.

Here is a photo review of D8 on Quantum: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2014/11/17/photo-tour-of-d8-superior-ocean-view-stateroom-balcony-quantum-of-the-seas
 
Here is a photo review of D3 on Anthem: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/11/10/photo-tour-of-category-d3-balcony-stateroom-anthem-of-the-seas
 
Hopefully the photos will show you differences.

I have heard of a few things that have been done on a few of the cruises i've been on.  The one that sticks out the most and that I witnessed first hand was when several people  were not back on the ship at departure time.  Forgive me for not remembering the port but I do remember it was on Indy 8 nighter dec 2014.....
 
The ship, of course, has a list of all the passengers that have not boarded the ship as the time for departure from the port of call gets close.  In this particular case it was about thirty minutes past when we were supposed to leave and you could clearly tell by watching from the outer deck under the life boats that they were waiting for some people to see if they would make it back.  I'm always nosey and curious in weird situations like this so I started investigating of course.  There were several officers running around with walkie talkies so I inquired if we were waiting for passengers to which they confirmed.  So i pressed it a bit further and asked how long they would wait and what happens if they don't show up.  The response that I got was pretty cool..  They apparently, on this ship at least,  go into the missing people stateroom and see if the passports can be located and bring them down to the gangway...  (I know, crazy, I didn't believe it either.)
 
As i'm standing there continuing to watch as the time goes by literally 20 feet above the only gangway left on the pier, they had finally waited long enough and the ships horn sounded.  I then see the ropes being removed and pretty soon the gangway is being slowly pulled away.  At the very last possible moment, sure enough, a ship officer hopped off the ship handed about 4 passports to the port police, or whomever they were, and away we went!!
 
I was amazed that they went through all of the trouble for the passengers who were late, but would sure be appreciative if it were me for some reason.  I would never miss the ship unless laying dead somewhere but yeah haha... It was interesting needless to say.

So if you go in the water where is your passport? I read that folks are always watching you for a chance to steal from the tourists or am I over worrying that part?

I did that same cruise last year. No one took our passports we kept them in the safe all week. All you need to get off in coco cay is your sea pass card because royal owns the port. At st Thomas and st marten you are required to bring some sort of government ID we used Ontario drivers license. I'm not sure what would happen if we missed the boat and didn't have our passports... Maybe I will bring copies next time ?

I see it as a valuable reminder, and am grateful that there is this constant reminder to those who are less attentive to hygiene. It is reassuring to know that RC is doing what it can. If it seems obtrusive, I hope people acknowledge how many outbreaks are averted by such measures, even though it really can't be measured. 

I don't have any problem washing my hands or using sanitizer. I wash my hand in the bathroom, I use the hand towel to open doors, I sanitize into a dining area, leaving a dining area, and sometimes when moving into a new location. It does not feel like an inconvenience to me at all, it's about keeping the ship and it's passengers as healthy as possible.
 
If you think about it, in the buffet everyone is handling the same serving utensils. Wait staff are picking up glasses, cleaning dishes, bringing you drinks. It's general health and welfare. We all get shots and inoculations to ensure a healthier populace, same goes for washing hands.
 
But the song gets stuck in my head!!!!!!!

Matt:
 
You have really built a great community here at RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com!  Rich Triplett was on Navigator of the Seas this weekend and was kind enough to get some photos (and a video which I cannot load here) of our room.  It confirmed a lot of what I had read about these rooms online (including the pole in the room) but a picture is, indeed, worth a thousand words!   
 

I tend to use the hand sanitizers before dining, although it's a bit tricky to use them when you're carrying a glass of wine into the restaurant. #firstworldproblem

I don't mind..as I see SO many ppl coming out of the bathroom from having a #2 and they don't even have the decency to wash their hands. I have seen these people walk straight to the buffet....disgusting...
 
Not to mention parents with kids with runny noses cleaning them on the way to the buffet, or people picking their noses as they are about to go and eat.
 
I hate people telling me what to do when its common sense or what I think is common sense anyways. But I am defn more aware of these issues when cruising and I am appalled at how dirty and unclean a lot of people tend to be.
 
So if they have to be made to do the right thing and wash their hands before eating...then I am all for it.
 
It shouldn't have to be done, but obviously it does.

This stems from guests not washing their hands, either out of ignorance or laziness.  Outbreaks of norovirus are directly tied to guests not taking precautions to prevent the spread of such easily communicable viruses.
 
This isn't about someone telling you how to vacation, as much as it is mitigating the spread of these nasty bugs.  It's a small price to pay to ensure a healthy cruise.

Do you mean to buy a bottled water package? If so, that you can share however you wish because it's not unlimited.
 
If you mean bottled water from an unlimited package, then that's frowned upon and is against their rules. I don't know how strict they are about it though.

Typically it starts getting warm on the second afternoon/evening.
 
Sea conditions can vary from sailing to sailing. You can have rough seas anywhere and calm seas anywhere. All depends on what's happening with the weather.

We sailed on the New England Canada cruise Sept 2015.  We had rough seas coming back from Canada.  We actually slid around in the bed the one night.  Like Matt said it varies.  Loved sailing from there, easy in and out!  ENJOY!