firebuck

I have to say that if your main goal is a Dark and Stormy, go with the Goslings. I feel like the flavor of Goslings pairs a little better with the taste of the ginger beer. Kraken has a bit of a stronger molasses flavor that seems to pair a bit better with sweeter drinks in my opinion. That said, I really love Vanilla coke and kraken, and of course the lava flows and other fruity drinks that you'll find on the ship pair perfectly with a float of kraken (or Myers for that matter).

Oh man - is Matt Yee back onboard again? (He plays the adult show in the Schooner Bar) . He is a very polarizing dude... either you love him, or you can't stand him. I'm definitely of the latter persuasion... ? Totally ruined my Schooner Bar experience on my Anthem cruise lol.

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... ?

Always best to pre-purchase the drink package pre-cruise if you can. Prices go way up onboard even if there is a "sale" onboard, you're usually better off purchasing when there is a sale in the cruise planner. Depending on how far away your sailing is, there's a pretty decent sale going on now. Prices for the drink package vary wildly sometimes - there's really no rhyme or reason to it to the consumer, but I'm quite sure they adjust the prices based on the demand for the packages - if more people are buying the drink packages, prices go up, if less people buy, prices will drop, especially if you are closer to your sail date and not many people are buying.

They did on the Anthem - I'm crossing my fingers that it's the same on Ovation! ?

@AshleyDillo is exactly right. Harmony is part of the Oasis class of ships which have the freestanding Starbucks kiosks (there is only one, and it's on the promenade deck)- pretty much exactly like a Starbucks kiosk in a mall where they would have all the drinks as well as some of the food and cake pops, etc. These Starbucks kiosk locations aren't included in any package, unfortunately. You can get some really good stuff in the Cafe promenade that is included in the refreshment and deluxe packages. If I'm not mistaken, the only "paid" coffee places onboard Harmony are the Starbucks and Cafe Promenade (both on the same deck) and also Park Cafe in Central Park. You can also find complimentary coffee (swill lol) in other venues such as the main dining room, Windjammer buffet and at Cafe Promenade and Central Park Cafe.

You'll save a lot of money if you upgrade your package pre-cruise. Unless you're pretty high up in the crown and anchor society, you won't see any discounts onboard like you see on the cruise planner. If your cabin mate has a legitimate reason for not wanting the deluxe package, you can call Royal Caribbean and ask for an exception for them (religious reasons, sobriety, etc.) I believe they will still require your cabin mate to purchase at least the refreshment package, but again - you're much better off cost-wise purchasing it ahead of time.

So that's a little tricky on the website. If the price for the 3 device package is $22.99 per day, you only need to select ONE person when you are purchasing. The total should be closer to $160 for the cruise. If you're selecting 3 out of the 4 people, that's a total of 9 devices you're paying for. Basically, you are saying that you want 3 people to have 3 devices. When you get on board you will be given either one code that allows 3 simultaneous devices, or 3 codes... I forget which, but it doesn't matter who the code is associated with - with that package, 3 devices can be logged in at the same time. If you want to change devices, simply log out of one and log in with the new device. Hope that makes sense!

Hi there - you're spot on about the refreshment package. It does include pretty much anything that isn't alcoholic. Starbucks coffee (as long as it isn't a freestanding kiosk), soda, bottled water, fresh squeezed juices, virgin cocktails, you name it! Most ships even include Johnny Rocket's milkshakes, but there has been some discrepancy about that lately... Your refreshment packages include gratuities in the price, but if you receive really great service, the bartenders really do appreciate the extra cash.

Welcome to the boards! The gratuity is charged on the total cost of the drink package. For example, at $55 per day on a 7 night cruise, the total will be $385. The gratuity is 18% of the $385 which is $57.75 making the grand total for the package around $442.75.

That is a bummer, indeed! Now I'm thinking I should have booked a cabin on deck 6 aft so that I can run down to Cafe Two70 easier - I see a lot of Royal Delight coffees in my future on that cruise ?