FloatMe

Bits or bytes? 
Note that the speeds are much slower outside of the Caribbean and send to be related to satellite coverage areas. I know in the Baltic, I read reports of there internet being painfully slow, so I'm not sure what it will be like in Sydney, which is why I opted against it on my Baltics cruise and instead relied on cellular data. I am looking forward to trying it on the Allure in January, though.

We have sailed Adventure twice from San Juan which had completEly different southern itineraries. I would blissfully repeat either if the cruises over and over!

I agree with Matt. $400 to $500 pp is reasonable for us on Oasis class. Of course you have to consider the hidden cost. The JS is the gateway drug to suite life and you will pay dearly down the road when you "just once" have to stay in a grand suite, then an owners suite... of a sudden you have a royal genie at your barefoot beach cabana on labadee while the consierge is coordinating a predinner party in your aqua theater suite.
 
Seriously though, we really enjoy the extra space! I'm a bit of a neatnik and it seems easier to keep up a larger area. The JS is just large enough to enjoy room service inside the cabin and the sitting area is nearest to the balcony which is important to me.

I agree with Matt. $400 to $500 pp is reasonable for us on Oasis class. Of course you have to consider the hidden cost. The JS is the gateway drug to suite life and you will pay dearly down the road when you "just once" have to stay in a grand suite, then an owners suite... of a sudden you have a royal genie at your barefoot beach cabana on labadee while the consierge is coordinating a predinner party in your aqua theater suite.
 
Seriously though, we really enjoy the extra space! I'm a bit of a neatnik and it seems easier to keep up a larger area. The JS is just large enough to enjoy room service inside the cabin and the sitting area is nearest to the balcony which is important to me.

Hello All,
 
I wanted to see if we could commence a running Cruise Director and Activities Manager list here on the Royal Caribbean Blog Boards.   As many of you know, the Cruise Director can be very influential in providing a fun and interactive experience while on a cruise and for this reason the question is often asked "who will be the cruise director on my sailing?" However, as with any position of importance, the Cruise Director also enlists the assistance of his or her Activities Manager to host a number of events throughout a sailing (e.g. trivia, bingo, karaoke, etc...).  Therefore, I would also like to keep the list updated with the current Activities Managers whom many of us develop strong relationships with based on our varying degrees of participation in ship events. 
 
While I know there are similar lists maintained elsewhere on the internet, my desire is to provide an easily accessed (thanks in part to the long-term edit function of these boards) and more user friendly document than what currently exists.  In addition to receiving regular updates from the fantastic blog community that fill these boards with Royal Caribbean knowledge everyday, I also hope to leverage Kat's evergrowing Periscope community to obtain real time and accurate updates as to who holds these very important positions throughout the Royal Caribbean fleet.   Below is my first stab at a draft of the list based on information I was able to retrieve from various social media and online content.  As you can see, there are some blanks, which I am sure many of you will be able to assist with filling in.  Please feel free to respond here with any list updates or any comments as to the format or layout of the document.
 
I would like to thank all of you in advance for any assistance you can provide with making this list a useful resource for Royal Caribbean cruisers.
 

When your wardrobe contains more anchors than the ship's souvenir shop

It can happen, but not always the case.  For obvious reasons, Customs and/or US Coast Guard does not give much advanced warning for inspections. I'd still arrive early.  Better to wait at the port than at the hotel, right?

You know that you are addicted to cruising if you visit this website more than once a day😀

You know that you are addicted to cruising if you visit this website more than once a day😀

You know that you are addicted to cruising if you visit this website more than once a day😀

Sort of guilty --- I log in first thing in the morning, and just don't close the window till I'm ready to leave.

Well, after a 7-year hiatus, I'm finally back into cruising .....
 
Here are my take-aways ...
 
1)  My wife now understands, it's not just the destination, it's the entire cruise experience.  So much so, we have another one booked (also Vision Class)  and an additional one in the wheelhouse, just working out the details....
 
2)  I LOVE GRANDEUR OF THE SEAS!!!!  I couldn't even think of a negative.... the crew, the food, the fellow passengers... all one big happy family...
 
3) The thrill (the optical illusion) of going under the Key Bridge and the Bay Bridge ..... you just need to see it to believe it.
 
4) The Calypso music ...... there's just something magical about a steel drum on the pool deck.
 
5)  Bermuda is incredible ..... especially the crazy pink buses.  Getting around the island is very easy once you understand the concept of how it's planned out.
 
6)  And here's the biggest take-away .... which you could never purchase, but is priceless --- The ability to decompress from the world, even when you don't even realize you need to decompress.  It was truly a medicinal experience ....
Plus, the removal of all the hate, politics, Clinton, Trump, Media and all the other negatives that fill the airwaves.  It wasn't until we got off the ship that we were able to grasp how important that was.... We were all one big happy family, regardless of where we all came from, for one brief moment, we were all together..... and I, for one, will be eternally grateful.
 
For a 5-day period, we were off the grid for the most part ...... and it was fantastic.
 
Mark
 
 

You know you're addicted when the wife says, well, it's going to be Ramon noodles for a while to pay for the next one..... and that is just fine.

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

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

This is from July 2016 according to the OP on a CC thread

Oops, you said gold.

If you're interested in Royal, I'd recommend the Freedom, Quantum, or Oasis class vessels based on what you've stated.  I'd also recommend booking a suite for the nicer accommodations and perks that might be of interest to you.

I totally agree with this.  I do think that some of the "magic" is lost if you look at some of the YouTube videos of, for example, the Promenade on Voyager and greater class ships.  It was so much better to walk on Oasis and be blown away by the sheer scope of the area... 

1st as mentioned before, arrive the night before your cruise.
 
2nd don't over think or over research your cruise. For me, the wonderment of our first cruise would have been ruined if I would have looked at dinner menus, cruise compasses, etc. before the cruise. Other than planning our shore excursions we had no idea what lied ahead and it was a magical experience!

No, the table limits are the same as they've been....at least, on the ships I've been on.

So just wanted to give an update on our upcoming cruise. Thankfully things have improved with my wife's father. He is home from hospital and In decent spirits despite his illness. We have made arrangements that allow us to get away next Sunday and thankfully as my wife so needs a break. So we head to Jewel of the seas out of Rome and can't wait. If anyone has any questions re Jewel let me know and I will endeavour to find out whilst aboard. Thanks again for all the kind comments above.

Royal Caribbean's casinos are cash-based. The use of a SeaPass card at the machines or tables is for player tracking only.
 
You can, however, charge money on your SeaPass account at the Casino Cashier, for which they'll tack on a 5% convenience fee.

I agree with you. This is my only objection to southern Caribbean itins. They are so port-intensive that it wears you out ! You just don't get a break. wonderful ports...just too many of them.

Thanks, everyone! We just booked Adventure for San Juan in January 2018. We plan to fly down a couple of days early to spend some time in SJ before boarding and then heading home. Thanks for confirming the decision!