SPS

As long as they don't play "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", any music is fine.

In addition to what @WAAAYTOOO said, keep in mind that the 18% automatic gratuity turns out to be less per drink in the long run when you purchase a drink package. (provided you drink enough per day, no matter the drink) Keep in mind that ALL beverages purchased with the package have the 18% applied (beer, wine, cocktails, specialty coffees, etc) If you buy a drink package in advance in the cruise planner, the 18% becomes less per drink. AND if you purchase the drink package in advance ON SALE, the 18% becomes even less per drink.

You may also want to look at a waterproof phone case to use on wet excursions. We have these and they work great! They're cheap and come with a lanyard. Worked great for taking pictures during parasailing in St. Maarten. https://www.amazon.com/JOTO-Universal-Waterproof-Cellphone-Samsung/dp/B00WXFSA5W/ref=asc_df_B00WXFSA5W/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4584345016419127&psc=1

I find it easier to slide them in without cutting them and going through the motions of folding them. The clear vinyl tends to stick together and makes it harder to slide the thinner cut tags in.

You can get a pair of these at just about any Dollar Tree store for $1. We kept one in the bathroom and I was surprised that just one lasted all seven nights. They are nice to have for those night time bathroom visits so you don't have to blind yourself or disturb your spouse with sudden intense light.

As a matter of fact, Grandeur is where we first did this!

I don't think so. I think once it's gone, it's gone. Maybe your can email RCCL customer support with your additional comments or even reach out to them with a DM on Twitter. (Their social media team is very active and helpful)

As someone that drinks sparkling water regularly, I was disappointed to find that the Freestyle machines only had Dasani plain and lemon-lime (or maybe lemon?) sparkling water available. I think that maybe the other flavorings available for sodas are sweetened and, therefore, unavailable for use in sparkling water. I encountered this on Grandeur and Freedom.

We took a "Best of Nassau" tour there, but, we were not impressed. The tour was very rushed and didn't provide adequate time for anything but shopping at a location we did not care to go to. (Felt like it was planned this way) BUT, because of rough seas, our cruise had to stay there an additional day. The glass bottom semi-submersible submarine tour we took that next day was very fun. Got to see a lot of beautiful tropical fish, nurse sharks, and other sea life with a very fun tour guide.

Very true. Their social media support on twitter has helped me several times quite successfully.

Which ever ship is taking me on my next (or current, if sailing) cruise! That said, though, I REALLY enjoyed Freedom this past winter. There's a reason it's advertised on Royal's website as a "Fan Favorite". Large enough for an incredible host of amenities and activities, but, not "too" large that it just becomes overwhelming.

EIGHT cabins on one ship with 4 1/2 months notice? Good Luck!

I think most of us on this forum just like to help out where we can when it come to cruising with RCCL. I don't think this site existed when we took out first cruise (2009), but, I certainly wish I had the info you can find here before that first cruise. Because we had never been on a cruise before, we missed out on quite a bit out of just simply not knowing how much more of the activities, foods, etc. were included in our cruise fare. (i.e. We didn't know until day 3 of a 5-night that snacks in the Café Promenade were complimentary.) This forum does get the occasional Join/Rant/Leave member, but, those are fairly few and far between. You know, someone that joins the board specifically to complain about RCCL and then never returns because the problem is usually their own fault and everyone here starts to poke holes in their argument!

Michael Winkleman, a Miami-based attorney hired by Chloe’s family, said her grandfather put the girl on a ledge near a window in a children’s area, but was unaware that the window was open. "Essentially her grandfather lifts her up and puts her on a railing and where he thinks that there is glass there because it's clear, but it turns out there was no glass there," he said. "She goes to bang on the glass like she would have at one of those hockey rinks, and the next thing you know, she's gone." I just read this a few minutes ago and I don't buy it. The windows on the pool deck all have a blue tint to them and every one of the open windows has a noticeable breeze and ambient sounds coming through (even in port). Not to mention that even freshly cleaned windows are not perfectly clear. Also, putting a child that young on a railing is risking injury even if there were glass there. I'm heartbroken for the family and I can't even imagine the grandfather's feelings of guilt, but, I don't think this is Royal Caribbean's fault.

This past February on our stop in St. Maarten, we decided to rent a car for the day and drive up to the French side of the island to Orient Beach. We did this so we could go parasailing with a third party excursion provider. It did not disappoint. It was incredibly fun. From there we drove back toward the French/Danish border and had lunch at a local American themed establishment called "McDonald's" (). From what I hear, they've become quite popular. We then drove over the mountains to visit/tour/sample Topper's Rhum. Very good! (Although, for a little bit, I didn't think the little Hyundai would make it up the hills!)

Café Latte-tudes will spike a coffee for you. Also, the bars will add a shot to the coffee for you if you like. My wife decided on the pool deck one morning that she would like some amaretto in her white chocolate mocha. One sea pass swipe later and it was done!

Royal still needs the smaller ships to Embark/Disembark and visit smaller ports. In particular, the ports of Baltimore and Tampa cannot accommodate the larger ships in which Vision class ships sail from. (Vision, Rhapsody, Grandeur, Enchantment)

Drinks? Drinks, you say? You REALLY want to know about drinks? Check out the list of drinks on the PDF listed in this post! (Starting at page 5) HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Also contains a good list of what brands are generally available on Royal ships! My wife whittled down the list to what she wanted to try in a word document to take with her on our last cruise.

Does anyone know if Royal has DIET Ginger Beer available for Ginger (Moscow) Mules? I know that the usual brand I see on Royal ships, Gosling's, makes a diet ginger beer, but, I'm not sure if it's available on board.

Mediterranean cruise heavy on Italy also with stops in Greece for good measure.

I've seen cruisers put small dry erase boards on their doors. The kind with a small dry erase marker holder built in. Not sure if they're held on by magnets or suction cups.

I would rather just drive down to Ft. Lauderdale the 3 hours than have to deal with driving to the airport> airport parking> taking luggage to baggage check> baggage fees> TSA> waiting at the gate> boarding process> flying to FLL> deplaning> baggage claim> shuttle/bus/Uber to the cruise port and then doing it all over again when you get back. But, I am also cheap and wouldn't want to pay for airfare when I don't have to!

Our first was a 5-Night on Navigator of the Seas in November 2009. (Miami>Labadee>Ocho Rios>Miami) We intended to go on another sooner, but, "life" kept getting in the way. We didn't get back into it until we got a pair of free flight vouchers for taking a voluntary bump in Vegas in 2016. While trying to decide where to go with the vouchers, we both got the simultaneous idea to take another cruise since the free flights helped absorb the cost. We took our next on Rhapsody in January 2017 and wondered why we hadn't been doing this more/sooner. We decided then that we were gonna take a cruise every winter. So that's what we've been doing ever since. A week away from the cold Michigan winters and the stresses of life. NO VOOM PACKAGE! Just be unplugged, live in the moment, and enjoy all that cruise life has to offer.

We Sailed the Southern Caribbean on Freedom just this past January and we absolutely loved it. Like @lauraodonnell86 said, it's great to start out with the warm weather and have it throughout. There are a lot of great ports available on southern Caribbean itineraries, too. Like has been said here previously, negative reviews will abound because those who are looking to complain seem to be more apt to log on and grind an axe than those who simply enjoyed themselves. Keep in mind that some personalities seem to NEED to complain. Case in point; after a 50's style revue show on Grandeur, a "gentleman" on the way out actually was complaining that one of the dancers real hair was a "faux hawk". ("Nobody in the 50's had a Mohawk!") The Freedom is a great ship and, yes, while there will be some crowding here and there, it's really only noticeable at traditional MDR times and filing in and out of shows/events. We liked sailing out of San Juan so much that our next cruise will depart from there in January 2020 (Different ship, though. Vision OTS)

This question sounds like your casing the joint. Are you gonna "Ocean's Eleven" the cruise?