firebuck

Happy Anniversary, you two! Can't wait to follow along on your Alaskan adventure! Just a short 91 more days 'til we're on her. 😓

Ahh got it. I know you could do this on the Anthem, but I guess the rules aren't the same for her sister. Up the steps it is!

Thanks so much for this blog, @twangster! Even though my itinerary is different, I feel so much more prepared for our turn on Ovation this September! We're on Deck 13, so it'll be a quick jaunt in the morning out to the wings on the side of the Solarium... looks like one of many great spots for viewing. I absolutely cannot wait! Thanks again.

Oh gosh... Portofinos was the best! Loved eating there on our first cruise on Explorer.

We actually had two comedians on our 7 night Port Canaveral/Nassau/Coco Cay sailing. I think one guy's stint was up and he got off in PC, and then other guy took over. The shows were usually later at night (10 or 11ish?) and adults only. Both comedians performed in the Royal Theater.

Story from the BBC I haven't read anywhere that this will affect the Jamie's on the ships, (this is mostly his land-based chains in the UK) but if they are eventually affected, hopefully they still keep the cheesecake with meringue recipe handy! 😖

Welcome to the boards! It's really hard to say - this really all depends on how well the excursions are selling - if people are snapping them up, the prices will likely remain higher, if not many people are purchasing, they may discount them more. Your best bet is to watch for marketing emails/posts on this blog about upcoming cruise planner sales. These sales are pretty frequent, but are sometimes limited to sailings only a few months out. My strategy, along with a lot of others here is to find a price that you are comfortable with paying and go ahead and book it. If the price drops, you can cancel the excursion right on the cruise planner site and rebook at the lower price. Just keep in mind that the refund on the original purchase isn't immediate - it can take about a week to come back to your card, so you'll need to keep that in mind if you cancel/rebook.

I've only seen this as an option to select when booking the cruise. If you booked through a travel agent, give them a call. Otherwise, call Royal's customer service line, they should be able to accept prepayment for the gratuities.

Howdy! If you haven't prepaid them before boarding, you'll see a daily charge for each cruiser on your folio (visible on the tv). If you've supplied them with a credit card, the charges (including daily gratuities) will all go through on disembarkation day. Now... there may be a certain threshold where they charge your card at some point after you've accumulated so many charges, but I"m not sure of what that is if there is such a threshold... maybe others can answer.

Looking forward to reading your blog @twangster! You're on the first official Ovation Alaskan cruise, and I'm on the last one of the season.... They should have all the bugs worked out by then 🤞123 days to go!

Plus one on this! 🤞

You're pretty safe to order any mixed drink/shot at the bar as long as they have it in stock. As mentioned above, the only overage I've seen is with certain wines by the glass. Many bars no longer carry the expensive stuff like Johnny Walker Blue label. If you are unsure and think there may be an overage, the bartenders will know and be able to tell you if you ask before ordering. One exception to the cocktail rule of thumb that I've seen lately is if your ship has a bamboo room - you will be charged the overage for their signature drinks on the menu. These drinks are a bit fancier and more involved to make. I think it's like a dollar and change that you will get charged.

Welcome to the message boards! I think booking a smaller ship is a great first intro into cruising! The experience is just so new and different from any other type of vacation that I could see some of the larger ships being overwhelming for a first timer. Enchantment is one of the oldest ships in Royal Caribbean's fleet, so it doesn't have all the bells and whistles that the newer ships do - but some folks prefer that. Just relax and enjoy your vacation, soon enough you'll be like all of us here - hooked, and wanting to try all of the ships!

3343 - reminds me of texting on my old Nokia 3390 😄

I find the lack of Macallan 25 disturbing... 🤑