melski94

I would suggest My Time Dining (MTD). Everyone would need to be on the same dining and that would have been arranged through your TA or Royal when you booked. It can be changed. Once everyone is on MTD, then get everyone's reservation number and book for whatever day/time you decide and request it. You typically can only request up to 12 people but someone over the phone may be able to help if bigger party. Just verify it with the MTD desk on the first day. The other nights, each family is free to make individual reservations. If families don't want to switch to MTD, then I suggest a big Windjammer gathering. If you are in Traditional dining, this would be impossible as each family would already be assigned a table.

I will suggest you make a reservation for MTD for every night of your cruise. It is much easier to cancel it that day if you decide to go to Windjammer than waiting in line to be seated. You can make a reservation once you board the ship. Just an FYI, the first night tends to be the longest dinner time. I suggest you bring coloring sheets and crayons or something to keep her occupied. The other nights move much quicker

Typically for specialty restaurants, you can only order 1 main entree but several appetizers and sides. Personally, I couldn't even finish my Captain's platter as it was so much food!

I take my passports off the ship as that is when I could potentially need them. Minors do not need photo id in any port. However, I disagree about getting a new passport if your DD's isn't expired. Minor passports are only good for 5 years and the children never look like their passport photo. Customs agents are used to it and it isn't a big deal if they don't look like their photo. We used my DD 1 yo passport until she was 6. It is such a pain to get a new passport as it is plus expensive and really not needed.

If you don't see them on the cruise planner, the shows might not be able to reserve just yet. On my recent Symphony cruise, the shows opened at 58 days before the cruise. There is no set time for entertainment to open so keep checking back.

I wouldn't have taken my 2 year old on a Mayan tour and a scenic (ie boring) bus ride but thats me. It just seems like misery to my family but you know your family best so it might be good for you. Personally, I would suggest the Playa Mia beach break. It is offered from RC but I did in on my own for cheaper and spent more time thee. However, since you want an RC excursion I would suggest that. It has a decent beach but a great splash area for the 2 year old. You can take your 7 yo on the inflatables in the ocean which is really fun too. You can look directly on the Playa Mia website for pictures.

I agree with @MarvinS about Roatan. It was the best snorkeling we've experienced in the Caribbean. We did a 3rd party boat snorkeling tour with a few different stops but you can snorkel right off of West Bay beach. You will need some kind of taxi or transportation to get there. Nothing near the pier. IMO, Cozumel doesn't have great beach snorkeling. If you want a cheap beach day, look at Paradise Beach. It's not walking distance but an easy taxi ride.

+1. The World from Wonderland was the best thing I've ever eaten. Chocolate, peanut butter and caramel. I just dream and sigh about it. I'm thinking of getting the UDP just to have that every night.

Happy birthday! Following along as I'll be on Navigator 2 weeks after!

I agree. You don't have to arrive at the same time. We've done it where my husband and son had to arrive on the ship much later than the rest of us. No problem.

Arrive at 10. Seriously, just trust us and do it. The crowds are much worse at the times you are talking about. It literally takes 15-20 minutes from when they start boarding suites to get to the lowly gold members and people without status. We aren't talking hours but minutes. If you arrive at 10, you will be on the ship at 11. If you do that, you would be done with your reservations, kid checked into kids club, lunch, round of mini golf, explore the ship all before 1 pm when you can get to your room. At 1, you can change into a bathing suit and really let the vacation begin!

No. The kids club do not have times on any of the kids compasses. The teen compass does have times but they are not listed in the regular cruise compass so not in the app. I like the app as a guide but I still use the paper compass mostly as that will be the most accurate.

I agree with this. Go early! Get there at 10. You need to make sure you get the times you want especially if you have entertainment plans to work around. If you have a large party and want to eat around 6-7, then go early. If you don't mind eating at 8 then don't worry about rushing there. When I was on Symphony, there was a specialty reservation desk on deck 5 in the Promenade with a long line. I left my husband in that line while I went to the MDR to see if they would also take reservations. Sure enough no line and I had the week planned before he even moved. I can confirm that 12 and up do not need wristbands. The teen may or may not need to register. We've had to register as it depends on the ship but the teen club has a different registration time than the kids club. The kids club will be at 1 registration in Adventure ocean. You can register all of the kids except the teens at once. You don't need the kids set sail passes to register but she should know who is in each room. You need the child's stateroom number and anyone who signs them out stateroom number. For our family of 6, we typically arrive at 10. Board when our group is called, make any specialty reservations, then head to the Windjammer right at 11. If you go right at 11, you can get ahead of the craziness. We take our time with a leisurely lunch and go through that day's cruise compass. We register for the kids club and wander the pool deck or play mini golf until our rooms are ready. I always pack a beach bag with everyone's bathing suit and carry it onboard. We can change in our rooms and then the kids can take advantage of the pools the first day.

I've been on both. A 7 night on Harmony, 3 night on Symphony. We'll be back on Harmony in March. We really liked Symphony, probably my favorite ship and I'd love to do a 7 night cruise on her. However, due the price, we are back to Harmony in March. If you pick Harmony think about what you could spend that savings on? Would you love a specialty dining package, chef table, or beverage package? I don't think you'll regret going on Harmony. They are more similar than different.

My kids have done cruises both in the teen club and not. My oldest loved the teen club but she has now aged out of it, my 2nd can take or leave the teen club, my 3rd doesn't like it. Each cruise is different and you won't know if you like it unless you try it. I agree the key is to go the first night.

Will Navigator be at Terminal A in Miami and do you have US passports? If you don't have passports, then don't try. We were on Symphony and caught a 9:45 flight out of FLL and arrived to the Ft Lauderdale airport by 7:45. It took us 13 minutes once they opened the gangway to get off the ship, through customs and into our Uber at about 7:05. I don't know if Navigator is as efficient but customs at Terminal A is very efficient. There was no stopping and waiting like at Port Everglades. The disembarkation process did not begin until 6:48 and I was starting to get nervous but Terminal A was a walk thru. If you are comfortable with the chance that your ship could be late, the ship may be subject to a customs inspection, etc where you could miss the flight and you are ok to pay the rebooking fees then go for it. It is a risk vs reward analysis and only you can decide. For us, the 10% risk of things not working out was worth it to us. I was nervous but my husband travels for business frequently and to him this was an easy decision to go for it.

I'm looking at booking the Millennium for an Alaska 2020 cruise. We'll have 2 rooms: 1 for us and the other for my kids. My TA says I can chose 2 of these perks for each room: Classic Beverage Package for 2, Unlimited internet, $150 obc per person (1st and 2nd), free gratuities (1st and 2nd). I'm leaning towards the classic beverage package and the obc for us. Can I upgrade the classic to the premium? Are my choices the best ones? What would you chose for the kids (obc and ?).

The extra keys are blank and can only access the room. Wow bands are linked to the sea pass card so you won't be able to switch those to open the rooms. With your set up, you may want to skip the wow band as you need to carry around a room key anyways. When my kids are in the room across the hall, I get an extra key made at guest service and leave it in my room so I can access their room when I want and they have a key to my room too. You may want to get an extra key made and just use a lanyard or a cell phone pocket along with their proper sea pass card.

I would suggest you try again but a 7 night cruise. I think if you keep an open mind, you will really enjoy it and it will be closer to what you expect. If your family has a wide range of ages, I strongly suggest an Oasis class ship.

In addition to what has already been said, I also think that a 3 or 4 night Navigator cruise is very different than a 7 night cruise experience.

What is your cabin code (D2, J2)? I don't believe that RC labels any balconies as a deluxe balconies. They are labeled as Ultra spacious with large balcony, ocean view with large balcony, but not deluxe balcony. I'm wondering if you booked a Jr Suite which would be Sea Class as it really is just a larger balcony room with very few suite perks.

I see both sides of this as I'm also trying to get to diamond. I can see the pull for doing it for that price but I'd hate to skip Chef's Table for it. To me Chef's Table is an experience that could be a highlight of your cruise and something you will always remember.

I started with a lanyard but switched to these too. While I don’t always have pockets, I always have my phone.

I'm really shocked that RC won't link the reservation. Our last cruise a few weeks ago, we booked a room for us and several months later right before final payment date we booked a room for the kids that was right across from us. Our TA linked the reservation right away for us especially for dining. That may be a difference with booking with a TA vs Royal. It might be easier to change your muster station to match the kids.

The cruise planner calendar always says "at your leisure" after you make reservations. If you go into your order history, your time will be shown. You can also request an email confirmation from an RC rep over the phone. The first night is always crazy and once I had to wait 45 minutes for my reservation. That has only happened once over 6 cruises and I learned to show up 15 minutes earlier and send my husband to the bar on the first night. I also received a reminder email to make MTD reservations last week for my July 1st cruise which then had me double checking that I had made reservations. Sure enough I did make reservations several months ago! Must be a new automatic email similar to the reminder to check in after I printed my set sail pass!