tdcackler

Day 1-Miami
It’s embarkation day!! We arrived at the Port of Miami at 11:30 and were sitting down and eating at the Windjammer by 12. This was by far the quickest we’ve ever made it on a ship, and I can definitely see why everyone says they love the Port of Miami so much. It was very organized which moved everyone through quickly.
The tables at the Windjammer were full like they  usually are on embarkation day, but we were lucky enough to grab one right as another family was leaving. About every 20 minutes during lunch, they played a message asking passengers to leave their table as soon as they were done eating, which although it was annoying to keep hearing, it was much appreciated because it’s always so frustrating to see people taking up tables when they’re not even eating.
At 1:05 they told us over the intercom that our staterooms were ready so my parents went to ours and I went to go help my grandmother and her friend find their’s. They’re staying in stateroom 8614 which was just a run of the mill balcony room. It was good for them though because it was right by the elevator. Then I went down to our stateroom 7688. It’s considered an “obstructed” balcony room, but our balcony is about five times the size of my grandmother’s. And honestly I wouldn’t even consider it obstructed.
There’s a panoramic picture of it, but it still doesn’t do it justice. Just to give you a better idea of the size, though there are 2 lounge chairs, 2 normals chairs with a table, another deck chair with a footrest, and even with all of that there’s still enough room for three people to lay on the ground. It’s 2:15 and we don’t have our luggage yet, so now we’re all just resting in the room.
Some other notes:
•I was pleasantly surprised to see on our sea pass that our dining time had been moved to 5:30. We decided kinda last minute to change to earlier dining, so we called Royal Caribbean and they said they would put us on the waitlist. We still thought it was a long shot, though.
•Food at the Windjammer was a lot better than it was on our last cruise on the Indy. Not that it bad on our last cruise - it was just average. The food at the Navigator Windjammer was awesome, though. The pizza was much better too
Some other pictures from today:

Great job doing some homework on the patterns

Hi all,
After booking two cruises for december 2019 I decided to do some research about Royals campaigns that happened 2018. History doesn´t maybe repeat it self, but isn´t there a good chance that Royal repeats same kind of campaigns next year? ? I guess many of you have the feeling that some kind ofsale is going on whole the time. Maybe the list below gives an idea of if the "sale" is something extraordinary or just normal.
The list is made looking a balcony cabin for a 7 day caribbean cruise. Shorter cruises have different discounts and suites normally get bigger savings. But the logic seems to be the same, so the list works for other cabins and shorter cruises as well. 
Sorry - the date is written day.mont (1.2 = 2 february). For example "cruise planner 30%" means typical cruise planner ”discounts up to 30%” campaign. "kids free" is kids for free.
Don´t take this listing too seious! ?The dates and information is from this blog and something might be missing.
 
Dec 2017
28.12 Sail Into 2018 -> -30% + 75 $ savings
Jan 2018
4.1 Wave Seasons offer -> -30% + 50 OBC or Sart wandering 175 $ OBC if no right to cancel
5.1. Sip, Tpur amd Cruise -> Cruise planner -30 %
18.1 Seeker Sale -> -30 % + 75 $ savings + 75 OBC
19.1 Epic sale -> -30 % Cruise planner
26.1 Cyber Sale -> -30% + 75 $ savings + 75 $ OBC
Feb 2018
2.2 Score More Savings -> -30% + 100 $ savings
2.2 Cruise planner sale -> 30 %
7.2 WOW sale -> -30 % + 75 $ Savings + 125 $ OBC
16.2 Countdown to cruise -> Cruise planner -30%
23.2 Winter escape sale -> -30% + 100 $ Savings
March 2018
1.3 Tour & explore sale -> 25 % shore excursions
1.3 Kids sail free -> -30 % + kids free + 50 $ Savings 
8.3 Double Up Sale -> 75 $ instant + 75 $ OBC + -30 % + kids free
16.3 Lucky Saver Sale -> -30 % + kids free + 75 $ savings
16.3 Sip, tour and save -> Cruise planner -30 %
30.3 50 % off second guest + kids free + 75 $ savings
April 2018
6.4 Cruise planner -30 %
20.4 Dive & discover -> 50 % off second guest + kids free + 75 $ savings
25.4 Cruise planner sale -> -25% shore excursions
26.4 Deals & Thrills sale -> 50 % off second guest, kids free, 100 $ instant  savings
May 2018
1.5 Wow sale -> -50 % second guest + 125 $ OBC + Kids free
9.5 Sip, tour and stream -> cruise planner -30 %
17.5 Maycation deals -> second guest -50 % + 75 $ savings + kids sail free
24.5 Memorial day sale -> second guest -50 %+ 75$ savings + kids free
25.5 Memorial day sale -> cruise planner -30 %
Jun 2018
1.6 June offer -> second guest -50 % + 75 $ savings
6.6 Double up sale -> second guest -50 % + 75 $ OBC +  100 $ savings
8.6 Summer countdown -> cruise planner -30 %
22.6 Cruise planner -30 %
July 218
3.7 4th of july -> cruise planner -30 %
2.7 4th of july -> second guest -50 % + 75 $ savings + kids free +fall bonus 100 $ savings
20.7 Explore More sale -> second guest -50 % + kids free + 75 $ OBC
25.7 Wow sale -> second guest -50 % + 125 $ OBC + Kids free
27.7 Set sail & save -> -30% cruise planner
Aug 2018
1.8 second guest -50 % + 50 $ savings
9.8 Savings back in session -> cruises -30%, beverage packages -30%, shore excursions -25%, speciality lunch -20 %
9.8 Back to cruise -> second guest -50 % + 100 $ savings
17.8 Adventure sale -> second guest -50 % + 100 $ savings
24.8 Endless summer sale -> Cruise planner sale (-30%/-25%)
24.8 Dash deals -> second guest -50 %, 75 $ savings
30.8 Labor day weekend -> second guest -50 %, kids free, 75 $ savings
Sep 2018
7.9 Tours, drinks & internet -> -30% cruise planner
14.9 Rush into adventure -> second guest -50 % + 75 $ savings + kids free
Fall into savings -> -30% cruise planner
Oct 2018
2.10 Wave october sale -> second guest -60 % + 75 $ savings
10.10 Countdown to cruise -> -30% cruise planner
11.10 Fall savings -> second guest -60 % + 75 $ savings
18.10 Double up sale -> second guest -60 % + kids for less -30 % + 75 $ savings + 75 OBC
26.10 Daring deals -> second guest -60 % + 75 $ OBC
26.10 Sale before you sail -> 30 % Cruise planner sale
Nov 2018
1.11 second guest -60 % + kids free + 75 $ savings
9.11 Ready, set, sail -> - 30 % cruide planner
9.11 Fall adventure sail -> second guest -60 % + kids free + 75 $ savings
22.11 Cyber weekend -> second guest -60 % + 200 $ savings + kids free
23.11 Cyber monday -> Cruise planner - 40 %
Dec 2018
6.12 Wave offer -> - 30 % 
11.12 Dec the deals -> Cruise planner -30 %
14.12 Seasons savings -> -30 %, 100 $ savings
... So are we seeing next a ”Sail into 2019 sale"? ? Maybe a wave seasons offer in cruise planner after that? Let´s see!  

I'm I3 And I'm Diamond LOL.       

Glad I could help! ?

They had those on my recent Serenade cruise, along with chicken and turkey sausages at breakfast.   Now, to me, a chicken 'sausage' is an abomination and perhaps a crime against humanity, but it's there for those that want to partake in such lunacy. ?

To be on the safe side I would have a notarized letter from the parents stating you have permission to take the 15 yr old out of the country.  I would have his certified birth certificate and a picture ID if you can get your hands on one where he is from.  A government issued picture ID would be a big plus.  Good luck.....Mike

I just came on here and was going to ask the same question, we just checked in for our March cruise on Nav and was surprised to not see the picture option after all i have heard about how easy it makes check in. Thanks everyone!

The front line staff are top notch. They are what makes the company so great.  
Corporate... That's a different story. 

Thanks everyone! As a newcomer to RC, I'm trying to catch up on what's a feature and what's not on the different class of ships. I just didn't want to miss something. Very much looking forward to our sail on the new Navigator. ?
 

Anthem does have the picture upload option.  

We were on NAV over Thanksgiving and they did not have the early photo scan option then...my guess is they still don't have that feature for NAV.  I think that option is just getting started on the largest ships.  It may or may not ever make it down to the Voyager Class.
Royal Caribbean does not pre-scan passports anywhere, that I am aware of.  They will scan you PP when you get to the port.
Enjoy Navigator.  She's a great ship !

Pictures weren't an option for our sailing in late Nov.  this year.

As someone who is anticipating his first, RC cruise in a couple of months, thanks for writing these up! Helped me to see the differences between some of the lines.

Day 8
Disembarkation day
The day everyone dreads. Not as much this time for me as I was ready to get home and get back to my own bed. Having a departure tag of 33 we knew we’d be called around 8:40, so we got up at 6:45 and got everyone dressed. 
Addie and I walked down to Park Cafe to pick up a quick breakfast. As I mentioned yesterday, this is normally the day we order in breakfast as it’s nice to have to head down to a packed buffet for breakfast. Luckily, Park Cafe is nearby, but it was busier than we had seen it any point in the week. As the tables were full we walked it back to the room and ate there while Nikki got ready. 
 
 
Shortly thereafter we were ready too early as always and just sat out on the balcony. One of the features I like on RC is that you can see which groups have been called on the internal TV stations rather than running into the hallway to try and hear the muffled numbers. 

Once again I checked out the map from our journey which gets really just looks like we’re patrolling Cuba for 7 days. 

At about 8:25 they called the few numbers before us so we walked down to 5 for disembarkation. No wait to speak of getting off the boat, but once we got to luggage claim the terminal mess began. People were backed up all over and groups that hadn’t been called were allowed in line and groups that had were being herded off to the side. Given that we were in a suite and had been told we had Priority Disembarkation this certainly didn’t feel it. 

 
Per Matt Hochberg’s advice, once down the escalator grabbed the first porter and grabbed our luggage. Even though we had global entry he said it wasn’t necessary and he cut through the lines and found a line seemingly for portered customers that only had one person. 
After a very cursory glance at our passports and quick question about buying jewelry we were on our way. 
The Uber we called only took about two minutes to get there and another 10-15 to get to FLL. 
The B gates at FLL are always a mess with twice as many people as seats and only lackluster dining options to choose from. We ended up finding three seats a few gates away and setup shop till our flight. 
We boarded right on time but didn’t even close the door until 30 minutes after our departure time and then with much confusion left by less than communicative crew we sat for another 90 minutes. Finally two hours after scheduled time we took off back for BWI on our completely full flight and this vacation was officially over.

I had one for our October cruise. Thanks to this site I knew to only book one "person". 
Royal still put a mailer in my room on the first day letting me know if I had accidently booked more than one I could go to guest service to get a refund. 
 

Finally arrived back at the room, first towel animal of the cruise! 
Goodnight!

Took the stairs up to explore parts of ship which I missed yesterday and apparently woke up one of the ladies staying in an interior on Deck Seven (sorry! I just wanted to see your room ?). I also found Henry ? 


Stretched on a couch in Blue Moon, waiting for our Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle to start at 10:30. It is extremely relaxing being at sea ? 
 

Good morning! 
Woke up early and have just finished breakfast consisting of fruit, omelet, and toast in the MDR. They gave me a buffet option, but truly I would prefer to be waited on while on vacation. 

Just left at 9 am and a long line has formed outside, so it pays to wake up early ?

I then spent the rest of the evening at the Schooner Bar singing along with the very talented, very funny pianist named Keith and participating in the If You Know It, Sing It game show in the Imperial Lounge. 

Our current position

FYI: 
- I had to inquire at Guest Services for my Gold letter of benefits and Cruise Critic Meet & Mingle as neither were provided in my stateroom. 
- clocks will advance one hour ahead starting tonight, ship will remain on local time. 
Until tomorrow! 

Afterward, I checked out the Welcome Aboard Show featuring a very funny comedian named Dan Wilson and popped into the Royal Logo shop. Debating on either an Adventure mug, small purse or Adventure ship ornament. Decisions, decisions..




I stopped by the casino and deposited $10 into two machines. Hooray for not losing money! 

 

My most excellent dinner consisted of escargot, salmon, and hazelnut chocolate cake in the Main Dining Room. 

I’m back! 
Well, when I left you guys, I had just finished lunch and decided to explore the ship until the staterooms were ready. 


Staterooms were ready around 1 pm and I went down to dump my bag and check out my new home for the next nine days. Overall, I really like it; has adequate space, amenities for the solo passenger. ? (I barely spend time in my room anyway, so it’s not worth it to spend a ton of money in that arena.)  
Now to explore the rest of the ship until muster drill! 




I then stopped at Giovanni's to inquire about the sea day lunch and a crew member ended up making a reservation for me. 

I spent some time outside on Deck 11 watching the Caribbean band play before heading inside. 





Back inside, I decided to stick around for the $500 spa raffle, but sadly no winner winner chicken dinner ?
 













After freaking about the location of my muster station lol, I managed to locate it using the maps posted and arrived earlier (4:15) than requested in the Compass. 
It was time for sailaway under a brilliant sunset ? 

Going to stop here and post the remainder in a separate post.

Hello from Adventure! 
So, I started my morning bright and early and went to breakfast at the Floridian, located within walking distance of the AirBnB, with those two ladies booked on the same cruise as me. Thoroughly enjoyed my eggs benedict, recommend this restaurant to all! 

 

We then hailed an Uber to terminal 29 at Port Everglades and managed to locate a porter to drop off our bags (tipped him as recommended by @Matt). The entire boarding process was very quick and efficient: 24 minutes from curb to ship! Thankfully I printed off my SetSail Pass as they needed to stamp it at check-in. I was so incredibly excited that, at one point, one of the ladies in our company turned to another guest and said “don’t mind her, it’s her first cruise” ??? (Technically not my first cruise, but it sure feels like my first one on Royal after 10 years lol.)

Next to the main dining room on Deck Four to change dining reservations; ladies have graciously allowed me to join their table. ? Then we split up to explore the ship, rejoined them on the pool deck for a drink, and went to Windjammer for lunch where I am writing this day’s recap. Had no issue btw ordering a Diet Coke with my SetSail Pass (SeaPass is waiting in stateroom). 

 











(They have since gone back up to the pool deck for more sun and drinking lol. I need a few minutes with my second Diet Coke to digest lunch and review the Compass.) 
I will post again a little later with pics of my prison cell..er stateroom, sailaway, dinner, and other fun ? 
Why, thank you, Royal Caribbean crew member for the Drink of the Day! 

Good morning everyone!
After following a ton of great live blogs, reviews on this site, I have decided to document my time aboard Adventure of the Seas commencing tomorrow ? I had intended to write a pre-cruise post yesterday, but, as it turns out, my day was completely crazy (thankfully booked a day off of work to complete my tasks and finish packing!). Currently writing this from Toronto Pearson airport with much needed coffee, flight to Fort Lauderdale has been delayed, so I have some time to start this after all ? 
A little bit about me:
I’m in my early 40s, single, and cruising solo (actually love to travel on my own). My last cruise with Royal Caribbean was back in February 2008 aboard Sovereign of the Seas, but my family has actually taken quite a few cruises since then with other lines (most recently DCL aboard the Magic in March 2017). As I recalled having a blast on my first cruise, there was no doubt in my mind which cruise line I would take my next vacation with! 
Pre-cruise thoughts:
I booked this cruise, an eight night Eastern Caribbean itinerary on Adventure, last August, a little over 16 months ago, and am booked in a studio interior stateroom in the basement on Deck Two. Why so far ahead in advance do you ask? Well, I actually scored a great price and the few remaining rooms sold out quickly. (Let’s hear it for listening to @Matt!)
Anything else? I prepurchased the sofa plus Voom (physically cannot drink as much booze as you guys can lmao) as well as gratuities. My objectives for this cruise are a) not losing money to the casino (???this will NOT happen, trust me, but a girl can only dream) and b) to leave the ship with as minimal balance as possible. 
Anyway, I’m really looking forward to the itinerary, all new ports for me, which leads me to my next topic...
Itinerary:
Friday, December 7th: arrive at Fort Lauderdale, stay overnight at AirBnB off Las Olas (scored great deal on both). Meeting up with a mod of one of the subreddits we moderate together for dinner at Rocco’s on Las Olas. Will pick up wine (let me know if you have any wine or store recs) and any last minute incidentals tonight before retiring to bed. 
Saturday, December 8th: embarkation day! 
Sunday, December 9th: sea day
Monday, December 10th: Labadee - nothing planned
Tuesday, December 11th: San Juan - self-guided walking tour
Wednesday, December 12th: St. Maarten - SXM Island Tour I through Bernards Tours
Thursday, December 13th: St. Kitts - Grand Tour of St. Kitts through Thenford Grey
Friday, December 14th: sea day
Saturday, December 15th: sea day (dining at Giovanni’s for lunch on one of these two sea days)
Sunday, December 16th: in which Christine is kicked off the ship disembarkation day. Late flight home (9 pm), planning to store luggage at FLL airport until 5:30 pm cut-off. Guess whatever I didn’t get a chance to see today, I’ll be able to do that on my last day.
As I wrap this up for now, just wanted to add that there are quite a few firsts for me on this trip:

First cruise on Royal since 2008 (feel like a newbie again LOL)
First cruise SOLO
First visit to all of the port of calls mentioned

Let me know if you have any questions! 
Christine