JBC

Get off the boat right away and grab one of the golf cart drivers that are waiting on the other side of the buildings at the end of the pier. They are free, throw them $5 and they will drive you to the bungalows. When you get to the bungalow area to check in, if you have a drink package, throw each attendant $10 and tell them to let you know when the bar area is setup. Last time were were there 4 of us were drinking beer and they brought a cooler full beers to our bungalow without us asking. For the other two people that were with us, they kept their drinks full as well. We brought a blue tooth speaker with us to play quietly, the weather was perfect, it was a great day. The lunch area and bathrooms are right behind the bungalows, and if you have kids, the aqua park and water slide are nearby as well. For the trip back to the ship, if you can't catch a golf cart, the tram loading area is close too. I get a bungalow every time I am at Labadee, they are well worth it in my opinion.

If you have an upcoming cruise or cruises, always make your purchases for things like drink packages and internet packages on black friday or cyber monday. The odds are that those are the best the prices will get. You really have nothing to lose, if you ever see it cheaper after you have purchased it already, you can cancel and re-buy it online directly in the cruise planner, no need to call anyone to cancel. Your refund for the cancelled purchase will take a few days to show up on your card and the new purchase will be charged immediately, but that is the only "issue", if you can even call it that. $42 a day is the cheapest I have seen a drink package, but I think those days are gone for 2019 cruises. Anything in the forties is a steal, and low fifties is not bad either. It is not in Royals best interest to sell me a drink package at $42 a day, I can tell you that!

Cheapest I have ever heard of is $42/day. I would say $50 or less per day is a good deal and worth purchasing whenever you see it. You can always cancel and re-buy, right through the cruise planner, so there is no risk. I am going on a cruise over Easter this year, and I bought two weeks ago the deluxe package with voom for 1 device for $57 a day, which to me was a decent deal. I continue to monitor it periodically, and will definitely watch it on black friday and cyber monday to see if it goes lower. I am also hopeful that some sales on specialty restaurants pop up on those days as well, because so far there have been no sales on them for my cruise.

I echo the sentiment that half the battle is setting your expectations. If you go to windjammer at peak times, you will not walk right up and get a table, unless you are very lucky. So go mentally prepared to walk around and eyeball tables that look like they are almost finished. Same with the pool. If you go to the pool at 11 am on a sea day, you are not getting multiple chairs together, and likely not getting any chairs that are not in full sun. If you are looking for multiple chairs in the shade on a sea day at the pool, then you better plan to be at the pool at 8 am. Same with the popular bars at night. If you go at 9 or 10 pm after some of the shows let out, you are not getting a table, they will be packed. With the windjammer, I wish they would seat you instead of making it every man for themselves. Just form a line, tell them how many in your party, and then take you to a table. I would rather wait in a line for 10 or 15 mins instead of wandering around trying to grab a table the second someone gets up from it. The pool, well, that is a harder beast to tame. They say no chair saving but it is rampant. Not much you can do about that. I enjoy sitting by the pool on sea days, people watching and taking advantage of my drink package, so I just plan accordingly and go really early to get the spot I want. Stops that you may have been to multiple times like Nassau and Cozumel are great opportunities to stay on the ship and take advantage of no crowds.

They are so screwy with their pricing on these things. My April cruise currently is advertising the deluxe drink package as 20% off "on sale" for $65/day! I have never seen it that high ever.

It is amazing what a dollar will do when handed over with your card. I always ask for a Myers floater on a Pina Colada and what not, and that dollar will always get me it. And if it is later and I am drinking scotch or plan to sit at the bar for a while, $5 will get you generous pours all night. This doesn't work for servers as well, more so directly with the bartender. You've spend thousands already, an extra $50 over the course of a week is nothing (IMO). Cheers!

So likely when my wife is attempting to watch some nonsense video on facebook, it will buffer and be slow and I should just spend the extra $35 so I don't have to listen to her complain?

Ok, so I will start this off by saying I am a tech idiot. That said, what is the huge difference between the surf package and the surf & stream package? I need it to get online for email, and to log into some cloud based software for work. My wife will use it solely for facebook. It is $5 a day more for the surf & stream. What will I not be able to do with only the surf option? I have no desire to login to netflix while on my cruise.

Don't you have to take them off when you purchase drinks and stuff, and hand them to the server or bartender? I thought I read that somewhere and that to me sounds like a pain to take it off and on all the time. If that is the case I might as well just have a sea pass card in a laminate around my neck.

Officially they are going to tell you that they have to stay within their age groups. Unofficially, they combine age groups all the time, dependent on a few things, the biggest being how many kids are in Ocean Adventure at any given time. My kids are in the same boat, and on their first cruise it was a concern, however it was quickly forgotten about. They both made friends within their respective groups almost immediately, and at least half the time the groups were combined anyway. There will be other kids there in the same situation, and the people working in Ocean Adventure deal with this on every cruise. So I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. I have heard of very few kids that didn't like spending some time in Ocean Adventure.

I was on Freedom two years ago and can confirm the Connoisseur Club was there as I spent some time in it. Very nice inside, nicely air conditioned, the ventilation system was great, it was not smoky at all. The attendant working was great as well, helped us out with cigars, got us drinks, etc. I too find it is a shame that they are removing these spaces from the ships, and I would bet that when Freedom goes in for her next dry dock, the CC will be removed. There were always people in there, but it was never packed at all. Last year on Harmony, which doesn't have a CC, we went to the smoking area by the pool bar later in the evening one night to have a cigar, and the entire area was packed with people smoking. To me it wasn't nearly as nice as being in a CC. These ships are so massive, you would think they could spare the minimal space required for a CC. It sort of takes me back to the old days of cruising, relaxing in a nice lounge with some scotch and a cigar. Call me old fashioned I guess.

On my last cruise on Harmony, I was at the pool at around 8 am on a sea day and planned on staying at the pool most of the day. I had my laptop to get some work done, my headphones, a book, and my drink package. So I was set for the long haul. I found a decent spot for my wife and I, although there were not many available at 8 am. The two chairs next to us had towels and sandals on them, much like the pictures above. Other than a few trips to the bathroom, I never left my area (I skipped lunch). At around 3 pm two older people finally showed up to those chairs, picked up their towels and shoes, and left. They didn't even sit in the chairs. These were in a shaded area, so pretty prime real estate. I wanted to say something to them, but I was so stunned that by the time I got over my shock they were gone. I do not understand how people can be that rude. I pray that karma comes around on people like that.

We went on Harmony in February, had a group of 10. When you exit through customs to the outside, the first people there are RC employees that arrange group transportation, it's like $20 per person to go to the airport if I remember, which is high. Instead of that, after you get outside from customs, hang a left and walk to the corner of the building. There is private group transportation there, I believe the workers were wearing red vests. It is $9 per person to go to the airport, you tell them how many you have and they flag you an appropriate vehicle. It was super easy. RC sets up shop on the prime real estate right outside customs, but a 1 min walk farther away and the same transportation is half price.

Does anyone know more of this guy's back story? From that piece he is obviously not married and does not have any children, but what about other family? Siblings, nieces, nephews? Sounds like he never gets off a ship. Also, is this just his retirement or does he work or own a business? Seems to spend a lot of time on a laptop, I would think even someone who "works from home" at some point has to be on land for various reasons. Does he have any permanent mailing address or abode, or does he have a PO box in Fort Lauderdale or something like that? When does he go to a doctor or a dentist? You normally can't do that stuff on Saturdays between 8 am and 2 pm when in port I wouldn't think. I don't know, I can't say I am really envious of the guy. I mean, to each their own, I am sure he does get a lot of attention for his celebrity, but I would miss a little bit of land, family, friends, etc. I love cruises as much as the next guy, but after a week of that lifestyle, I am usually ok with going home, and then after a few months I look forward to the next trip. Too much of anything usually loses it's luster. But the guy does seem genuinely happy, so I guess good for him.

I can see the argument for not tipping additional if you don't have a drink package, since you are paying the gratuity already and you likely are not looking for a lot of repeat service, otherwise you would have a drink package. I always buy one though, and I always bring $100 in ones on a week long cruise. Throw them in the safe, and take as needed throughout the week. Heading to sit by the pool for a few hours on a sea day, I will grab some ones and go. $2 on the first drink and a buck on the rest and you will never wait for a drink server to come by. After dinner and heading out to the shows and bars for the night, I will grab more and do the same. Bartenders pick up on the cash tippers real fast. Give them your card with the cash right when you are ordering, your drinks will be on point! Rented a bungalow at Labadee, the group of us pooled and gave the two attendants $10 each as soon as we arrived, as soon as the bar opened they brought us a cooler full of beer, and it was never empty. Took care of them both on the way out as well, and they couldn't have thanked us enough. To each their own, but if you have a drink package, I don't see how after spending thousands on a cruise, why an extra hundred makes any difference, especially when it will make your experience so much better.

Pina Colada with a Myers floater!

Our first cruise ever was a Disney cruise. We loved it. I believe we took that one shortly before the prices of Disney cruises skyrocketed. When we went to book another one, I got massive sticker shock and looked elsewhere. Ended up doing Royal on Freedom and loved it too. Just got back from cruise #3, which was on Harmony. Freedom seemed a little bigger than Disney, but not crazy big. Harmony was crazy big. Going from Disney to Allure (which is the same size as Harmony), you are going to feel like Allure is twice as big as a Disney ship, and that can be overwhelming. It is going to take you 4 days or so to figure out where everything is and how to get around, so don't freak about it on day one. Just go with it. My best advice to you is to plan ahead as much as you can, don't just wing it. I would say make reservations for all the shows in the cruise planner, and then arrive about 20 mins early and wait for them to start letting people in. This way you will get decent seats. Stop back in your room after dinner to grab the next days cruise planner and read it over while you are sitting in your seat waiting for the show to start. Do all of the shows, including any comedy shows, they are always good. Transfer your reservation to a travel agent. Like others here we use MEI, it is free and they know Royal well. Don't worry about the dining wait list. They tell everyone this far out that the early dinner session is on a waitlist. Tell the travel agent you want the early seating and you will get it. They will be able to help you with room assignment too. I could have sworn Royal has rooms with pull down beds to sleep 3 people. Regarding the food, I am not a hard core foodie, but I have eaten in my fair share of fine dining restaurants, and I will tell you the MDR on Royal is just fine, probably just a small step down from a fine dining restaurant. Royal's specialty restaurants are great too, but they are not a requirement, especially if you don't want to spend the money. One big difference on Royal compared to Disney is that Royal does not have the restaurants around the pools serving burgers and chicken fingers and what not during the day. So if you want to eat lunch you will have to go to the Windjammer or to the various free restaurants on the ship (they have a hot dog place, a pizza place, etc - just not by the pools). We normally do breakfast in the Windjammer early (before 8) and if it's a sea day then head to the pool to secure chairs (they go really fast on sea days) and we skip lunch, but with young kids I know they can't wait until dinner to eat. Royal does have the ice cream machines near the pools like Disney though. If you do eat in the MDR, sign up for family dining. They will serve your kids first and then the Adventure Ocean staff will come and pick your kids up from the MDR and take them to the kids clubs. You can then finish your meal in peace! My kids didn't love the kids clubs on Disney, but I can't get them to leave the ones on Royal. That is subjective and every kid is different though. Unlike Disney, you don't rotate dining restaurants, you will be at the same table in the same MDR every night. The menu will have several staple items that you can get every night, and then several new items each night. I usually have a hard time picking what to eat, there are a lot of good options. I have several friends that are Disney fanatics, and if that is you that is fine, but get it in your head going in that this is not Disney. Royal has tons of stuff for kids, but it is not quite Disney level for kids. In my opinion, while Disney excels in kids entertainment, they lack a little in adult entertainment. Once the shows are over, I found the night life on a Disney ship to be kind of dull. Royal's bars and clubs will be hopping every night until well after midnight. Adventure Ocean is open until 2 am, and I know it sounds crazy, but most nights I go to get my kids around midnight and there are a ton of kids in there still, and my kids are mad that I am coming for them "so early". I just find that for the money, Royal is a much better value for it's mix of kid and adult stuff - more of a vacation for everyone. Royal is usually about half the cost of Disney, give or take. Those ice cream Mickey bars are good, but they are not that good! This blog is the only place you need to go for information on Royal. If you can't find the answer here, then the answer doesn't exist! So just post away, everyone here is super friendly. Good luck, and enjoy your planning.

Our last cruise we rented a bungalow in Labadee and loved it. As soon as you get off the pier and through the building, there should be a couple of large golf carts sitting there. They work for tips, so give the driver $5 and he will take you directly to the bungalows. Once at the Bungalows, the attendants will assign one for you, I believe they are assigned on a first come basis. I would recommend getting off the ship first thing so that you can grab a golf cart. Directly behind the bungalows are bathrooms, a bar, and the area where they serve lunch, so it is convenient. The ride from the pier was longer than I thought it would be, so walking it would take a while. We are going again in 2 weeks and rented a bungalow again. I was able to catch one on sale for $200, and to me it is well worth it. They are pretty big, you don't have to worry about chairs, the attendants bring you drinks, the previously mentioned amenities are right there, etc. Very nice setup.

Sorrentos to me is like a bad frozen pizza, and honestly I am surprised RC has not upgraded it yet, since it is a pretty universal complaint. Even my 10 and 8 year old don't like it, so that is saying something. Outside of eating it after your very last drink of the night, it is not good for much else. They should partner with DiGiorno or something, because that is 10 times better than Sorrentos.

I brought the two bottles of wine on board with me last time, and I don't recall anyone even looking at them during a security check. Do they just run through a machine and as long as they only see two bottles they don't bother? What if they were 2 bottles of liquor instead? Is it luck of the draw on the security check?

I flew Spirit from Niagara Falls, NY to Fort Lauderdale one time. Same reason, direct flight, cheap. The flight was supposed to leave at 2 am and arrive at 5 am. It is late well over half of the time, which I found out after I booked it. Long story short, it departed at 5 am, the seats seem smaller than most airlines, and they do not recline at all. I am a bigger guy, 6'2", and I could not have been more miserable. Everyone on the flight was miserable, they charge extra for anything and everything, luggage, carry ons, picking your seat assignment, breathing the air on the plane, etc. I vowed afterwards that I don't care how much more another airline is, I won't fly Spirit again. I am a Southwest fan, and fly them 80% of the time. Not saying they won't get you there, but with Spirit, you definitely get what you pay for. And flying Spirit anywhere on the same day as departure would be comparable to Russian roulette.

This is all just supply and demand. More and more people need to be connected, so of course they are going to raise the prices. And they will keep raising them until the total number of purchases tops out and starts going the other way. With technology now a days, they can tinker with these things and instantly see the effects and adjust it accordingly. And every one of us has a different breaking point at which we say, nah, it is not worth it to me now. Raising the price of voom by just one dollar a day likely adds hundreds of thousands of dollars of pure profit per week to their bottom line. And probably most everyone who wants to pay for voom will still pay an extra $7 per cruise for it.

I love how places like Atlanta get some snow and all hell breaks loose. In Buffalo we call a day like that "damn, I have to wear a coat today". I know they got more than a little, especially for them, but what an unlucky break for you. Flying in a day early and still came so close to missing your cruise. Glad you made it though. I would have gotten the majority of the value out of my drink package on that first day on board!

There was a dedicated cigar lounge on Freedom when I was on board a year ago. It was very nice, and I went in there for a cigar twice during the cruise. Both times though there were never more than 2 or 3 people in there. With a dedicated employee working in there for only a few people, some of which probably brought their own cigars, I could see them re-purposing that space with something else in the future, if they haven't already. It was nice to sit in there and have a drink with a cigar. It had an old time feel to it, and I enjoyed it. I think it is something that should be on every cruise ship, but it seems to be heading to the history books.

I imagine if this is new that they will get a lot of complaints about blocking VPNs. A lot of people need them for work (myself included). Matt, you seem to do a lot of work while on board, is this something that you can comment on?