FloatMe

So last night, at about 2 a.m., my wife was woken up by a sound coming from downstairs. So of course she woke me. It freaked us out bad. It sounded like someone was downstairs watching TV. I get to our bedroom doorway and tell the Mrs. to get the gun!! As I stand there waiting for her return, I'm listening intently and recognize a voice! It was Michael Poole talking!!!!!!!
 
Turns out my tablet was charging in the kitchen and somehow the Periscope app opened and played the pool party Michael attended the previous night!! Unbelievably bazaar!!
 
Be cafeful Mr. Poole you almost got shot in Texas. Jk ;)

If you cancel a cruise, an excursion booked with RC should be cancelled too.  I would suggest not booking excursions until you are certain you are cruising (final payment date).  Excursions rarely sell out in the Caribbean.

Nope. Totally normal. 
 
Source: What I do. I caught a price drop on my Allure sailing yesterday! 

So checking daily would be considered a bit excessive, eh?  :)

I check royal's site once a week or so. Mostly because it gives me a reason to :)

Voom, smartphone, Bluetooth speaker. Or do what I do and sit out on the balcony and listen to the sea against the ship. That is music to these ears.

Thus was my reply to a similar thread http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php/topic/2584-cash-on-board/
 
This is what I generally spend in cash once we leave our pre-cruise hotel. I welcome comments; cheapskate, reasonable or overboard?
 
Porters at the pier $2.50/bag ×4 bags twice = $20
Excursion guide $5.00/person × 3excursions = $30
Excursion bus driver $2.50/person × 3excursions = $15
Cab driver to and from pier $2.50/bag ×4 bags twice = $10
Cab driver at port of call $5.00 × ? To and from = $10
Room service $5.00 twice per cruise = $10
Extra for room attendant assuming fabulous friendly service $20
 
Total $115
 
Casino $yikes

I can spend a lot of time talking about this, but I'm about to head to the airport, so to Matt's delight everyone get's the short version:
 
The RC branded Visa isn't an inherently bad card, but if you like to travel, and you spend money on travel, there are *far* better cards to get.  Chase Sapphire Reserve (CSR) or Preferred, AmEx Platinum or Gold, CapOne Venture, etc.
 
I use largely Chase products for this (though I have others).  For travel and dining I get 3 points to the dollar on CSR, for rotating bonus categories I get 5 points to the dollar om Freedom, for all else I can get 1.5 points to the dollar on Freedom Unlimited.  But, in addition to lounge access, many trip and purchase protection items, primary rental coverage, hotel perks, etc - I also use the CSR to make all the mentioned points worth 1.5x as much (if spent on travel).  In that way I get 4.5% on travel and dining, 7.5% on various bonus categories, and a minimum of 2.25% on everything else.  Yes, the CSR has a hefty fee, but they do many things to quickly offset it ($300 auomatic travel credit, GE/PreCheck reimbursement, the other mentioned benefits, and more).
 
That in mind, everyone finds their own stride in the points game.  Do a search on "churning" and you'll see the possibilities here (many people take it to an extreme, I tend to keep it simple).

Voom, smartphone, Bluetooth speaker. Or do what I do and sit out on the balcony and listen to the sea against the ship. That is music to these ears.

Thanks FloatMe I knew there had to be somewhere to showing details of purchases I'd just completely missed it.

If you go to your cruise planner, the very top right corner is "order history" which does show details of what you have purchased.

If you go to your cruise planner, the very top right corner is "order history" which does show details of what you have purchased.

I tend to agree that a Bluetooth speaker will be a far simpler and arguably better solution.

The only argument that has ever made any sense to me for reducing standard gratuities is for those who eat in specialty restaurants every night of the cruise, however even at that, these same crew members serve us in the windjammer and other areas for lunch and breakfast. I agree with Billy, no reason to adjust the income of a crew member.

The only argument that has ever made any sense to me for reducing standard gratuities is for those who eat in specialty restaurants every night of the cruise, however even at that, these same crew members serve us in the windjammer and other areas for lunch and breakfast. I agree with Billy, no reason to adjust the income of a crew member.

The only argument that has ever made any sense to me for reducing standard gratuities is for those who eat in specialty restaurants every night of the cruise, however even at that, these same crew members serve us in the windjammer and other areas for lunch and breakfast. I agree with Billy, no reason to adjust the income of a crew member.

You're able to adjust gratuities at guest services.  I'm not sure if it would be any easier or more difficult at any given point during your cruise.
 
That in mind, I must editorialize for a moment and point out (to anyone reading), that regardless of the name (gratuities, services, charges, etc) or one's opinion on the way gratuities are handled, these gratuities represent the lion's share of the income of the hard-working people that receive them and work hard to make your trip enjoyable.  As such, I see them as the "price of admission" for a cruise.  If there is anything during a sailing that is not up to snuff, speak with guest services or the appropriate supervisor to see if it can be worked out before reducing gratuities.  
 
If you care to tip on top of the amount automatically charged to your onboard account, you can opt to do that with guest services, or simply provide cash to those who make your trip more enjoyable.

My brain says 270, but heart says CP
 
 
North Star
 
 
Wonderland

I won $1100 in seven nights playing craps on Adventure & I lost $800 on Allure playing craps. No better & no worse than in Vegas!

A real & traditional out door promenade on which you don't get run over by joggers. But since that wasn't your question, & since I've never been on Q-class, I will go with
 
Central park (we loved it on allure in November )
North Star (never been but yawn on the zip line)
Matt says Wonderland so I go with Giovani'Giovani's table.

If you get a chance go to the dog house on the board walk.  Its free and they have some good hotdogs.

I agree with Matt. We were recently on Allure & I found the included food options to be fair to good (leaning towards good). We particularly enjoyed breakfast at Johnny Rockets. Wipe out cafe and the main dining room also had good breakfasts, both of which do cook to order omelets. Because we enjoy the "tradition" of traditional dining in the MDR, we only choose to eat dinner in a specialty restaurant once per cruise.

I wonder how well they did given that HAL is considered 'God's Waiting Room'. ;)

First clue is always salt and pepper shakers on tables in the windjammer. If they disappear there are a handful of confirmed cases.

1. Royal will open up sailings to North Korea.
 
2. I don't think they would ever allow dogs on board, but cats yes.
 
3. Maybe Oasis 4 will reveal some sort of slingshot or catapult ride that flings you into the ocean, imagine how fun that would be! Only in port of course, let's be sensible.
Plus it could be a good way to get rid of rotten food when a carnival ship is in sight.
 
4. Water ski or inner tube rides at sea.
 
5. This last one may sound a little nuts but... I'd like to see some volunteering excursions. ShoreTrips offers some, animal hospitals, seniors complexes, kids at schools. They seem like a good way to help locals and get a real feal for the community. They tend to also ask for donations of clothes as well as your time, I can see both helping. The ones I've looked at (haven't tried any yet) also give you some beach time at the end of the day.
Royal should be all over that.