chodnett

6 minutes ago, Florz said:

How did the ship handle the seas? Was it smooth sailing?

Very smooth! 
 

A little rain on embarkation, and for the first 30 minutes after debark at CocoCay, but otherwise, beautiful weather and calm seas.

7 hours ago, Cactus527 said:

I have a reservation next month to go to Izumi Hibachi on board. Is it JUST the hibachi or is there a regular Izumi restaurant too?

Great question! On Indy, Izumi is mostly hibachi. There’s a small area for sushi, too. But mostly hibachi.

40 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

I’ll be on Indy in November.  How is the chicken at Fish ‘n Ships?  I understand the smaller snack items are now free…which is nice.

Did you check out Grease in the main theater?  Haven’t seen any recent reviews….

Thanks for answering

I’m gong to be honest about Fish n Ships… they’d be better off putting El Loco Fresh in this spot. It’s nice having another free spot, but the chicken is on par with Windjammer chicken strips.

We did not go to Grease on this sailing. Sorry!

Independence of the Seas - 4 Nights - Nassau, Perfect Day - 8/14/23-8/18/23

Hey all!

We’re just off our 4-night cruise on Independence of the Seas. Below are my Top 3 / Bottom 3, and I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.

Top 3

1) Chops Grille remains undefeated. It continues to be my favorite meal at sea.

2) Adventure Ocean is such a fantastic benefit. My kids proactively ask to go each night.

3) Really love the pool strategy on Indy. Great main pool area, plenty of hot tubs, and Splashaway Bay with a large kids pool is such a win.

Bottom 3

1) Surprisingly, I would rate this as the “least friendly” cruise I’ve been on. Most crew just seemed to be getting by. Our Stateroom attendant barely spoke to us all week, even when passing him and trying to speak to him in the hall.

2) I had inconsistent experience with Diamond Drinks on CocoCay. Each time, I would ask the bartender to use my Diamond drink. Twice, I was still charged. Both times (different bartenders), they said I could just use my remaining drinks back onboard. Pretty frustrating.

3) The food in the Windjammer on this sailing was subpar. We normally love WJ food, and will eat nearly every breakfast and lunch there. But we found ourselves going to Sorrentos or Fish & Ships just so we weren’t subjected to the disappointment.

Hey all!

We're headed out on Wonder of the Seas this September. I've currently booked Mason Jar for Brunch, and Chops for Dinner.

Am I better off going with the Chops + 1 Dining Package, or keeping it as-is? I really don't want to risk not being able to go for Brunch at Mason Jar.

UPDATE: My TA followed up with Royal Caribbean directly and discovered that not only do we not have to pay for the room change, Royal is actually allowing us to add in the infant to our existing stateroom! 
 

Thanks everyone for the responses.

18 minutes ago, Xaa said:

The baby appears to be born already so they will definitely be 6 months by September.

Correct. The baby will be 7 months by the time of sailing.

Hey everyone! I’m looking for your input on a situation I’m in.

We are booked on Wonder of the Seas this September. We originally booked two connecting interior staterooms, with myself and one child in one and my wife and other child in the other.

Well, my wife just gave birth to our third child. I contacted our TA add the newborn to one of the rooms. Her response is that no triple occupancy interior rooms are available. 

She offered to move one of our rooms to an Oceanview Balcony room (which is understandably way more expensive), but she said this would trigger the change fee of $200, and I would have to pay the new deposit. I would have assumed that since one of the rooms would be moving up a category, it wouldn’t trigger a change fee.
 

Knowing that I need to add the newborn, what is the most economical move to make it happen?

Was able to snag a KSF offer for this one over Fall Break and couldn’t pass it up!

Looking forward to this!

It will be myself, my wife, our three kids, my in-laws, and my wife’s brother and his fiancé. 9 of us total!

We chose this sailing for Wonder and the Mason Jar (snagged a Brunch reservation already!)

10 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

It's showing on my Wonder sailing in the Cruise Planner under dining as Mason Jar Brunch, completely separate from the Mason Jar option which only has the dinner times.  

Reservations are highly recommended, so if not available pre-cruise make a beeline there when you board and try to get reservations.  It's also usually open for brunch on embarkation day, so if you come hungry you may be able to snag it as your boarding meal!

Ashley!! Brilliant! Didn’t consider that brunch would be a totally separate option, but there it was.

I snagged one for our cruise!

Thank you!

Hey all! Appreciate the help.

We're sailing on Wonder in September. I've heard that reservations are a must for Mason Jar. I'm attempting to book through my Cruise Planner, but I'm only seeing dinner options (6 or 8:30 pm). These timeslots are available every night of the cruise.

Question: Are reservations available for Brunch, and I've just missed out? Or are they necessary for brunch?

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

We always use Uber/Lyft. Cheapest and less hassle than waiting for a shuttle.

Thanks! But Uber/Lyft in FL don’t have car seat options, correct?

We need an option that provides an alternative to traveling with car seats.

Does Royal offer a shuttle from Port Miami to FLL?

Open to other recommendations, as well.

We’re trying to navigate without car seats after our cruise.

Does this change still require on-site testing for unvaccinated children? Or can we simply show up with a negative test?

7 hours ago, DunkelBierJay said:

Brock does a great job for me.

Love Brock!

We're on a B2B on Freedom in June. Our check-in window for the first cruise opened today and we completed it. The next opens in 3 days. Do I still need to complete that?

Our last B2B was in 2018, and I cannot remember, so any help is appreciated!

Here you go!

Source: https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/port-canaveral-port-42?tab=schedule&month=2022-07#schedule

I’ve got some conflicting information and I’m looking for clarity.

Twice in the past, I’ve asked to book a refundable fare in the NextCruise office. Both times, the representative told me that I would not qualify for reduced deposits or the onboard credit offers if I booked refundable.

However, my TA says that I do qualify for the same NextCruise benefits regardless of refundable or nonrefundable fare.

What’s the actual policy?

As long as you have the right docs at the pier, you should be OK. My father-in-law is legally named James (as all of his documents list), but he goes by Tommy. His Vaccine card oddly lists Tommy, and our TA listed him in the Royal system as Tommy.

There were questions at the pier, but because he had his Passport with him, it didn't hold us up at all.

I highly recommend FL Tours. They'll customize to your needs - one-way, three-legged, round-trip. They'll also provide a grocery stop on your route. I've found their prices to be worth it. 

Widespread issue. I'm on the phone with Royal about it now. I'm having the same experience as you.

The Royal rep said, "everything looks good on my end," and then when I said multiple people are reporting an issue, I was placed on hold and haven't heard back.

Yes. And they will send it to you multiple times prior to your sailing, even if you complete it.

Thanks y'all! Booked our excursions through Royal!

Context: We're all vaccinated adults traveling with two unvaccinated children (under 12) to Eastern Caribbean in Sept. 2021.

Question: Will we be restricted only to Royal Caribbean Excursions, or can we book our own?