SPS

Got a survey yesterday, too. It was focused on the MDR. Started with wanted some honest feedback on what you like/don't like about the MDR and what you expect and/or would like the MDR experience to be like. From there, a proposed theme night menu was shown. A "Mexican Night" theme with Mexican style apps, entrees, and desserts along with several of the standard dishes and premium selections. From there they wanted opinions and rankings on how appealing several of the options were for both old and new selections. Gotta admit, some of those Mexican night options sounded pretty good!

Possibly just too early. Our January 29th cruise earlier this year didn't offer Royal Up until December 8th. YMMV. (I know this because I happen to still have the offer email in my inbox)

You're doing this the hard way. You can easily view each "purchase" on the app under your Onboard Account. Trying to remember your daily drink count as the continues to rise is bound to lead to mistakes!

You can't assign me homework like that! You're not my teacher!

FOUND IT! I don't feel like I should give it away, though.

LOL!

If you booked a guarantee stateroom (you let Royal choose your room) once you have a SetSail pass, you can scan the barcode with a barcode scanner or add it to your Apple Wallet and sometimes it will show that a room has already been assigned even though the SetSail pass says GTY still. I use a QR reader app to do this. The app will read the barcode and while the barcode may come up as "invalid", it will provide a series of numbers and the last 4 or 5 digits will indicate your deck and stateroom number. For example, the last four digits of this Set Sail Pass barcode are for stateroom 6226. (Deck 6, Stateroom 226).

When we sailed Odyssey in January, iFly was only available to book once on board and connected to the ship's WiFi. Worth noting is that all available slots for the duration of the cruise may not be listed right away. Some items that require reservations have times become available as the cruise progresses. We found this out when trying to reserve the Swashbuckler VR experience. (For example, a cruise that leaves on Saturday might not have Thursday reservations available to book until Monday or Tuesday)

I saw some great "Last Minute" deals for 7-Night Southern Caribbean sailings on Explorer this week. (Oct thru Dec) Oh to have some extra PTO and a cheap way to Miami!

Sailed on Odyssey in January. Loved it! There is plenty to do in Curacao and it's a beautiful island with a great combination of Dutch architecture with Caribbean color and flair. If you would like a nice, quieter place to pick up some breakfast or lunch instead of the crowding and chaos that can happen in the Wind Jammer, go to the Café Two70. Check out the glass walkway that goes around the Sky Pad to see the ocean directly under your feet! The North Star has is free on port days, so make a reservation on the app to get amazing views of the island you're visiting.

Every time that we cruise, I know what the daily "break even" point is for the two of us. A few times I have "made up the difference" when my wife has a light day of drinking!

Welp, there's only one way to find out. FULL SPEED AHEAD!

I use the Price Alert feature on the Shipmate app. The only caveat is that sometimes the "Deal" prices are through a third party website, but I did save $401 dollars on one cruise with two price drop alerts.

At the cabin prices I just saw today? Not anytime soon! I guess I'll wait it out for a while.

I have not ever encountered people so intoxicated that they cause the most troubling of the issues you are referring to; anger and fighting. Some loudness and a bit of obnoxiousness, sure. Asking to not encounter intoxicated people on a cruise (or any other vacation destination, for that matter) is just not feasible. And I must agree with @Zacharius . I think that only a VERY small percentage of us that buy the DBP cause such issues. Even without it, those personality types would still be inclined to drink in excess because once inhibitions are lowered, spending habits also tend to loosen up. Are you counting how many drinks another guest ordered or was that just overheard? That seems like time that could be better spent doing something more enjoyable on your vacation.

If you buy a beverage package online in the Cruise Planner, an additional 18% for gratuities will be added to the total price at checkout.

Like @SpeedNoodlessaid, it's available in Café Two70 on the Quantum class ships. FYI: It's also a great place to get breakfast without dealing with the chaos that can be the Windjammer. It became our favorite breakfast and lunch spot on Odyssey and Quantum this year. Especially with having gluten-free items on hand for my wife's dietary needs. (The coffee bar with available "high-octane" adult coffees was a plus, too! )

I hear they've got just the right guy for the job.

So it wasn't just me then? I booked our Alaska cruise that same evening with about 5 hours to spare! LOL! Also, as @Ampurp85said, the rep may have been referring to receiving double points for booking a JS since the double point promotion expired on 9/30/2021. Unfortunately, the NextCruise reps either being incorrect about current promotions or not applying discounts or OBC correctly is nothing new. Thankfully, most of the time, a direct call to Royal can correct these issues. I think you may be out of luck on on getting the "double-double" points, though.

FYI: Many of the bars may also issue your cups to you. Most recently on Quantum this past August, we got ours at the Harp & Horn.

A FEW? I've never had more than one $2 bill on me, EVER. I'm also pretty sure I've only had a $2 bill no more than three times in my 51 years, and I'm certain that two of those times were in my childhood. Frankly, I'm not sure why they even get printed anymore , given their low desirability and that many people don't even know that they exist and are legal tender. When my daughter waited tables, she thought a previous customer was both pranking her and stiffing her on the tip. She didn't know it was real. Thankfully, she didn't throw the $2's away!

Nice selection! I don't ever recall seeing Angel's Envy, Old Forester, or Elijah Craig on board any of our sailings. Possibly only available in "Suite Guests Only" areas?

I wouldn't worry too much about booking via third party. You'll likely find that people on the excursion you choose are a mixture of Cruise Line Bookings and Third Party Bookings. Plus, these vendors are keenly aware that a high percentage of their patrons have a return time commitment, if that is a concern. BONUS: You're very likely to get the same experience at a considerably lower price by going third party. FYI: We just returned from Skagway and the views on the White Pass & Yukon Railroad are spectacular! Skagway Brewing Co. has a very good menu of Craft Beer, Cocktails, & Food, as well.

Your bid is PER PERSON for the first TWO people on your room reservation for the duration of the cruise. Example: If your bid is $300 and accepted, you will be charged $600 and everyone assigned to your current cabin will be upgraded. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/booked/cruise-room-upgrade