happy cruisers 2

We want to do a Panama Canal cruise, FL to CA or vise versa. Am I correct that January through March are the best months for lower rain chances and lower temps/humidity? Any personal experience or preferences of those who have done this cruise will be appreciated. Thanks.

I don't know if this topic is appropriate for this site, but I'll give it a try. We've been very loyal to Royal since the pandemic shutdown ended. In fact, we have a few RC cruises scheduled for 2024 and we'll be getting close to Diamond+ soon. We're starting to yearn for different itineraries sailing from our nearest port though, so therefore we're thinking about other cruise lines to add to our repertoire. Wondering if any of you have suggestions for other lines that would be somewhat similar to Royal? We're two retired adults who don't need all the kid-friendly stuff, although it's something we accept. In addition to an interesting itinerary and excursions, we like the shows and lounges/bars. Pools and spas aren't important. Of course food is, but we aren't hard to please in that regard. Carnival and Disney aren't lines we'd want to try. We did do a Celebrity cruise years ago and it seemed fine. We're currently wondering if Norwegian is something to consider. Basically, we're looking for a similar experience and cost that we get with RC -- just another option. Any thoughts or suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

Have a fantastic cruise, judgen! Congratulations on reaching diamond! I know you'll enjoy the other cruises you do this year too.

Kind of sounds similar to other aspects of current life in America, doesn't it?

We always have a car, so we park at Port Parking and they shuttle us the short distance. If you won't have a car, I would check with the hotel and see if they offer shuttle service. Otherwise, taxi or Uber.

We've been purchasing the deluxe beverage package in the past, and know that the 18% tip is included. At the end of the cruise, we would give an additional tip to the people who really seemed to give us special service throughout the cruise. Most recently, we've started carrying one-dollar bills so that we can tip drink servers a little extra along the way when we feel we'd like to. Of course it isn't necessary, but I personally feel that many of these folks work very hard to give us an enjoyable experience. Some seem to go above and beyond. I feel that if I can afford the cruise, I can afford to give them something extra. For me, it's a dollar a drink usually. It's a personal thing for everyone, and I don't think you should feel obligated to give more. Do what you're comfortable with.

Others will probably have specifics, but I have never been told that a cocktail I wanted was over that limit. It's never been a concern for me.

Your cruises sound wonderful and you'll have such a great time!! We did our first B2B (7 nights each) in 2023 and it is SO nice to know that you have those 14 nights on the ship! You'll enjoy all of it. Ours was the same itinerary for each cruise, but you have the added benefit of different ports. We have found that a 7-night cruise just isn't enough. Now we want at least 9 nights minimum, and ideally more than that. You have the added excitement of your pre-cruise days too! Have a wonderful trip!

I deleted my original post, as it might be considered a personal insult to the questioner. Personally, I'd say 99.5% of the food I've had on RC ships is quite appealing and of very acceptable (or even high) quality and I have never "felt so hungry at times."

I could not agree more. This is exactly how I feel about it. Once, and that's it.

I'm confused. When we book our cruises on the RC web site and select MTD, multiple time slots show up for each day of the cruise, roughly during the times you've indicated (or something close to that), and you need to select one of them (day by day) for each day and add them to your cart. If I recall, they're every 15 minutes?

You say you selected a time. What did you choose? In our experience, if you chose 6:45, and you show up by about 6:40, you shouldn't have much of a wait.

We routinely do My Time Dining and we try to select the 6:45 option. This usually allows for adequate time to eat, with time left over, before going to an evening show. You do not need to make any other reservation for MTD beyond selecting your desired choice of time. Enjoy your cruise!

I agree with you, Jill. Something without the bells and whistles of the mega-ships.

Antarctica, for sure. Maybe something in Asia. These destinations are more important than the ship.

Schooner Bar in early evening (if the entertainer is great) and Boleros late evening (if the music and dancing are great).

I totally agree that KristiZ has given you the best advice. Better to use a competent travel agent in their home country and make sure everything is handled properly, with no mistakes. I hope your relatives are able to go on a cruise and that they have a wonderful time!

Thanks, AtlantaNole, for this tip! I was wanting to pay off a cruise today so that it would go on my current CC billing cycle. Each of our cruises for 2024 show "you don't have a balance due." It told me this each time I checked today. I KNOW we have balances due on each of them. Finding this thread, and doing as you said worked for me. Anchor icon, three "lines" symbol, manage my cruise, make a payment. Wow..... RC is making it challenging to send them money! Issue with the web site still not resolved, I guess.

Yes, true. Usually this has worked quite well for us though. We even seem to get the same table each night and often are told we can seat ourselves if we see that it's open.

Same here. We always want to pick our own. If we are on the deck beneath the pools, Windjammer, etc. we investigate the deck plans to see what's directly above us and we even see if we can find reviews of the specific cabin to know how noisy it might be. The same would apply for what's next to or beneath us.

Yay!! We were finally able to get a 6:45pm slot every night - exactly what we wanted. I decided to take a chance and cancel the 7:30 reservation for the first night of the cruise and see what was available instead. Surprisingly, the whole range of times looked open. So.... long story short, we were able to cancel every MTD reservation we had made and rebook them all for 6:45. (The reason this issue came about is that RC made a ship change for our cruise --- and because of that they cancelled ALL or our dining and excursion reservations and we had to start over.) Oh well, all seems fine now. Thanks to you all for the advice and suggestions.

Planning to stay two nights in Boston, pre-cruise, and considering the Dagny. We want a very walkable downtown area. Have any of you stayed there? If so, do you recommend it?

Splurge and have afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress. You won't regret it.

This is correct. Just making sure the deluxe beverage package (which we'll buy) can be utilized with the dining packages (which we're considering buying). Thanks to all for your replies.

We have always been content with the MDR or CK for dinner, so have not experienced any of the specialty dining restaurants. If we were to purchase a dining package, does the DBP allow for wine by the glass with the dinner (at no extra cost) or would it be necessary to purchase a bottle?