melski94

What a great idea!  So fun!  
For Cozumel, Nachi Cocom. Nice quiet resort that sets a daily limit to the amount of people allowed in.  
Roatan- its located on the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world and snorkeling is fantastic. We snorkeled with Roatan Eco Tours but there are lots of other options.
 

We chose to start off cruising a small ship and then work our way up.  We cruised Brilliance, then twice on Liberty as really like the size and price but with different itineraries, then finally on Harmony.  We are headed back to the slightly smaller ships with Independence and Adventure being up next.  Mostly due to price as we could sail during Thanksgiving and spring break on those ships for the cost of one spring break Oasis class cruise. 
All of our ships have had slides, that has been the must for the family. While we do try at least 1 new thing a cruise, I think we fall into the same basic routine every cruise.  There are so many things we've never done...bingo, trivia, classes, casino and more.  

We chose to start off cruising a small ship and then work our way up.  We cruised Brilliance, then twice on Liberty as really like the size and price but with different itineraries, then finally on Harmony.  We are headed back to the slightly smaller ships with Independence and Adventure being up next.  Mostly due to price as we could sail during Thanksgiving and spring break on those ships for the cost of one spring break Oasis class cruise. 
All of our ships have had slides, that has been the must for the family. While we do try at least 1 new thing a cruise, I think we fall into the same basic routine every cruise.  There are so many things we've never done...bingo, trivia, classes, casino and more.  

As @twangster mentioned, it is best to look at the sector as a whole and see if RC is different than the sector.  To me it doesn't seem any different than the sector.
What you pointed out, Jan 29th was a market high. Just about everything is down compared to that high. Look at the S&P or the Dow.
Fuel/oil is affecting many things, not just cruise lines.  Look at airline stocks which have very similar charts to the cruise lines.   Now, if you look at oil companies (which will go up with the higher oil prices), while they are on an uptrend even they haven't surpassed that Jan 29th high.  I think oil is going to be the biggest factor in stock prices for a while.  When oil is high, certain sectors are significantly lower as their operating costs are go up.  
Bottom line, IMO nothing is specific to what RC is or isn't doing.

Stock valuation is a fickle beast and variations beyond the control of the senior executives likely keep them all up at night.
One quick analysis is to compare trends against the competition.  This comparative trending can illustrate external forces impacting the whole industry.
That being said let's see how the big three are doing over 12 months:



It appears all three peaked in February and have trended lower since.  It appears they all track each other to some degree.  This suggests to me that the emotions, whims and predictions of the markets are the primary factors driving stock valuations for the industry as a whole.  They are all being painted with the same brush. 
One opinion here:
https://seekingalpha.com/news/3361660-cruise-line-stocks-lower-morgan-stanley-warning
Carnival (NYSE:CCL) and Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) trade lower in early action after Morgan Stanley warns on overcapacity in the sector and foresees a potential slowdown in the second half of the year related to hurricanes.
The investment firm also points to the negative macro mix of higher oil prices and a strong U.S. dollar as potential margin pinchers.
CCL -4.29% premarket to $60.62. RCL -2.51% to $103.84.
Last year was a bad hurricane season.  That has likely caused some jitters and has the markets being sensitive to the potential for a repeat while at the same time oil prices have caused equal concerns for airlines as it has for cruise lines.
Stock markets are very speculative so it seems that is the primary factor driving stock prices - speculation.
 

We were on Harmony that week too!  That week is prime US spring break. Our week was the busiest they had seen in a long time as the ship was had over 6500 pax. I don't think the week you are looking at will be as bad.  I believe March 10-17 is Canadian Spring Break and a bit early for US spring break (except for college spring breaks).  Even as crowded as spring break was, we still had a blast and rarely felt over crowded.

We were on Harmony that week too!  That week is prime US spring break. Our week was the busiest they had seen in a long time as the ship was had over 6500 pax. I don't think the week you are looking at will be as bad.  I believe March 10-17 is Canadian Spring Break and a bit early for US spring break (except for college spring breaks).  Even as crowded as spring break was, we still had a blast and rarely felt over crowded.

My experience with the bungalows was that attendants do have several bungalows to attend to but that never stopped good service.  In the morning, they give you bracelets and they spend time shooing away the non-bungalow crowd off the beach.  That was a very thankless job.  When brought our lunch back to our bungalow, our attendant was right there taking drink orders and brought them very quickly. He came around several times that afternoon and cleared plates, etc. We aren't heavy daytime drinkers especially with kids but had no problem getting drinks in the afternoon.   

Never thought to ask about a JS and a rollaway.  Will have to ask as I have all 4 kids in a JS in Nov and I haven't told the youngest 2 that they may have to share a bed.  This would save my ears from all the complaining! 

Thats the same price as a 2 bedroom ATS over spring break that I priced out for 6.  If I could ever get over my cheap side, I'd have to choose this suite.  I just can't justify the price of any suite!

I've been keeping my mouth shut, but I really feel like I need to chime in. You say you want to be a CD and that you'd do such a great job of it, and then you make a comment like this.
I'll be the first to admit I know nothing about what goes into being a "great" CD, but I would imagine that having an incredible sense of tact and knowing at a near-instinctive level what topics to avoid talking about so as not to piss off your audience and sour their experience have to be two of the qualifications. As a citizen of the US, I was flat-out insulted and offended by that comment, and no amount of subsequent backtracking or clarifying from you is going to change that.

If you want MTD then don't worry about it. The 5:30 is way too early for us to eat as we feel we miss too much in the afternoon to get ready so I always make 6:15 reservations. Just be there at least 15 minutes early the first night! I think you will be fine with MTD with 8.  There are quite a few large round tables but they will join two 4 top tables together too.  If you can link the reservation in the cruise planner and then make one reservation for everyone.
We normally travel with 6 but last cruise on Harmony we had 7.  I made MTD reservations and verified everything upon boarding.  They told me when I checked in for the evening to go to another desk that dealt with seating large parties.  We were in an dining area where we were the smallest dining party for the week....many parties of 12+.  Never had a problem. 

Don't judge MTD based on the first night as it is a bit chaotic.  The first night I am always there 15 minutes before my reservation as there are long lines (unless you have a 5:30-5:45 reservation then it isn't too bad).  Have one person wait in the line and the other go get a few glasses of wine to bring into dinner.  After that first night, MTD will be smooth with no lines and your wait staff will know your preferences. I think our first night was 90 minutes and that was the longest dinner of the week.

I've only cruise during school holidays so we pay a premium for each cruise.  I book about 14-15 months in advance as that is when the school calendar comes out for our spring break cruise.  I think in general you pay more for Oasis class ships plus on top that you are traveling on the school break so there is a sticker shock for you.  I've never been able to take advantage of a huge price drop (maybe $25 savings) but have always seen prices go up. 
I don't know if there are any UK holidays coming up as they tend to have decent sales around there but I personally wouldn't wait very long. Also, take a look at the inventory of balcony room left.  If there aren't many left, you may never see a good sale and actually could see a price increase! 

What a great idea!  So fun!  
For Cozumel, Nachi Cocom. Nice quiet resort that sets a daily limit to the amount of people allowed in.  
Roatan- its located on the 2nd largest barrier reef in the world and snorkeling is fantastic. We snorkeled with Roatan Eco Tours but there are lots of other options.
 

I've been to Playa Mia and I'll agree that you should look into Mr. Sanchos.  The biggest advantage of Playa Mia is if you have young kids and want a zero depth kids splash area or have child who is a bit to small to ride the waterslides on the ship.  Neither which applies to you. The food at Playa Mia is just ok but the inflatables are lots of fun.

When we departed Harmony in March, there was no longer a porter line. I asked our porter and he said they didn't have a dedicated line anymore. Even so, the porter was worth the tip.  He managed to get way ahead of us in line (no idea how). Customs was easy and the porter completely arranged a taxi van for the 7 of us and all our luggage (it was a squeeze).
Most airlines allow you to drop off bags 4 hours before your flight.  There were a ton of people waiting for the 4 hour point.  We had a 2:15 flight but one of our party had a 2:45 flight. Once all the bags were taken, we took a taxi to the beach for lunch and took an uber back to the airport. 

One problem is that there is no consistency with RC.  On Harmony in March, the belly flop competition was in the Sports pool so there was no easy way to watch and I really didn't want to deal with the crowds.
While I loved Harmony, I do feel that there is a sweet spot for mid-sized ships.  For me, there is a huge value for mid-sized ships when I compare what I paid per person per night on Harmony balcony  vs Liberty Jr suite (similar spring break weeks). For 2 people that difference isn't much but it really adds up when you have a larger family. 
The only thing I am happy to see added for these mid size ships are the slides as we are mostly pool people. To me the biggest advantage to Harmony was the evening entertainment as I just felt the talent level was so much better than Liberty. I really wish they would invest more in the entertainment on some of the mid sized and smaller ships.

If you don't have a set time, you may have to wait. While it is called My Time Dining that doesn't mean you show up and immediately get a table. The dining room typically gets full with the first seating by 6:15, then you have to wait until those tables clear out before they will sit you which could be as late a 7 -7:30.  You can make reservations from 5:30- 6:15 and 7:30 and later. Online you can't make them between 6:15 and 7:30.  We are a party of 6 and have always done MTD on 4 cruises and except for the first night on the last cruise we never had a wait for our 6:15 reservation. The first night is crazy but since you are doing the FNDR you should be ok. 
I like having a reservation and I like getting the same table and wait staff every night. They tend to know our drink orders and what my kids like a few days into the cruise. It is really easy to change our reservation if our plans change. I just called and told them so they don't hold the table. I suggest you make a reservation and can change that day if your family wants to do something different. 

I always reserve a dining time on the cruise planner.  I reserved our Nov cruise in March..so that was about 8 months in advance.  I normally check around the 6 month point but was checking it for something else and saw it was available.

Hope that works out for you!  Both of my next 2 cruises are considered black out dates for KSF. It looks like black out dates are during spring breaks in late March, Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I was on Harmony in March and also thought it was the most casual cruise we've been on...especially the couple in a Phillies shirt and shorts on Formal nights. As this is the most expensive cruise we've ever taken, I was a bit surprised. I think it is the way RC labels the dress code. There were 2 formal nights and the other nights were labeled as "Casual". 
If you were off a ship and someone said the dress for dinner was "Casual" wouldn't you think it was nice shorts or jeans, polo shirt or button down shirt for men, etc. We routinely go to expensive restaurants where people dress like this on land so why wouldn't they on a cruise ship. Even RC doesn't suggest Smart Casual any nights so I can't blame the people for not dressing up to a smart casual look.  
To me, I think the way of the world is changing. As a society we have become more casual whether at work, church or on a cruise ship. Now do people take it too far...absolutely... take the baseball shirts on formal nights.

I would start with MEI, who is a sponsor of this site. You can fill out the form on the home page. There are quite a few of us who use them and have been happy with their service.
There are TAs who offer additional OBC, paid gratuities, etc.  I've recently tried one like this but I feel like the service I've received has been lacking...one thing I asked hasn't been done and my email ignored. So I'm back with MEI and my TA is very responsive and checks my price vs the current sale automatically.    

I would start with MEI, who is a sponsor of this site. You can fill out the form on the home page. There are quite a few of us who use them and have been happy with their service.
There are TAs who offer additional OBC, paid gratuities, etc.  I've recently tried one like this but I feel like the service I've received has been lacking...one thing I asked hasn't been done and my email ignored. So I'm back with MEI and my TA is very responsive and checks my price vs the current sale automatically.    

If you want to use them for extra tips then yes use them.  If you want more you can go to guest services or ask your stateroom attendant for more.