DDemuth

Shouldn't be a problem disembarking for the 9AM shuttle. With your group of 7, get a porter for the luggage and you'll get through customs much quicker.

Do a search for Cortrans Shuttle service. They can accommodate your party and have several morning departure times to MCO, latest being either 10AM or 10:30AM. Can't remember exactly. You sign up for your preferred departure time and meet them at the terminal. $20 per person when we last booked, comfortable transportation. We have been happy with their service.

It's the 18% gratuity that is added to the $31 coffee card purchase.

Don't know about the sister ships but on Oasis, it has been held in the Coastal Kitchen.

On Oasis, I believe that Chef's Table is set up in Coastal Kitchen on Deck 17.

Great! I'll bring my own foil...

There must be an international shortage of red velvet... ? You must recall when the snail population was decimated years ago, leading to the dropping of escargot from the MDR menu. But with quick and decisive actions (and believe me, snails are anything but quick and decisive), the snail population recovered and the little buggers, sans shell, are now back on the menu. And what about the world wide shortage of banana daquiri mix the occurred about 2 years ago? Once RCI found out the Amazon.Com had tons of the stuff for only $8.95 per barrel (and like crude oil, there is about 55 gallons per barrel), then banana daquiris were back on the bar menu. So maybe the world wide shortage of red velvet is just temporary...

... and calamari was offered as an appetizer in the MDR that night.. ?

Will do; we're looking forward to the excursion. Our first time to St Maarten. Hey! That will be me at the Trellis bar just after boarding...

Oh my, racking my memory now... We also visited Santorini on Splendour in 2015 and had a great day on Santorini with Kostas as our guide (do a search on TripAdvisor for more info). He took us to Oia before the crowds arrived and we had a great time. Be forewarned, the line for the tram back down to the tenders in Fira at the end of your excursion can get extremely long. We chose to walk down the path dodging donkeys and donkey poop. Consider it a part of the adventure.

Hey, we're on Oasis the week after you! We've booked Soualiga Destinations for St Maarten. For St Thomas, we decided on a third party foodie walking tour of Charlotte Amalie, a part history/part eating tour that lasts about 3 - 4 hours. A close 2nd choice was the ferry to St. Johns. Not a fan of Nassau, so our plans are to visit the spa on that day. Are you traveling with a group or just a couple? With a group, one option in Nassau is a private charter for snorkeling etc. We have chartered Capt Carl Blades with Bahamas Boat tours and had good snorkeling, one site with Hawksbill turtles. Expensive for just 2, but with a group of 4 - 6, is certainly doable at reasonable cost per person.

We just returned from a 4 day cruise on Enchantment and encountered the same glitch months ago when we booked CocoCay excursions. Called RCI and explained, and within a few days received an email receipt notifying us of the cancellation and rebooking. Only took another 3 weeks for them to correct the webpage to reflect the actual excursion sites. If you're interested in a bungalow or cabana, check often for sales. We saw prices for cabanas as high as $329 but bought during a Cruise Planner sale for $230.

Thank you. That is what I thought, but then my wife asked if we needed a letter and got me to thinking... (always a dangerous thing...). Yes Twangster, it was a bit of a struggle to have her get a passport. Strangely, it was the parents that objected. But all is good as long as she remembers to bring it.

In August, we will be cruising with our daughter and a friend of hers from college, age 21. Given that the friend is not a minor, is it necessary or advisable to ask the friend's parents for a letter stating that we can make medical decisions during the trip in the event of an emergency? How is this usually handled?

Hmmm. Wonder if it's no charge when pre-purchased, but a $9.95 charge once on board? That would be in line with their charging an additional 18% gratuity for onboard reservations at specialty restaurants, but including gratuity for pre-purchase. Without a cover charge, it's an interesting option over the MDR; quiet and more private than MDR, but IMO the doesn't rise to the level of the other specialty venues such as Chops or 150C. That said, the wait staff were very attentive, so overall for us it was an enjoyable meal.

Was complimentary for dinner on our cruise last November and is still listed as no charge for dinner in the Cruise Planner for our cruise later this year. It used to charge a cover but that changed maybe a year ago.

Great photos! Which one is you?...

That's because the person you spoke with probably worked in the IT Dept.

Go here: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/ At the top of the page on the right, there is a link for "already booked". That will give you options to access cruise planner etc.

I think that I just tripped on a seam...

You can still access the Cruise Planner and Cruise documents by clicking on the "already booked" menu. You will need your cruise confirmation number to identify a specific reservedd cruise. Still a bit roundabout but at least better than no access.

KLAcQ, Thanks for the blog. Followed along even if I didn't contribute to the discussion. Loved the grainy photo of you and hubby abusing the drink package. Maybe conveyed how you two were viewing your surroundings at that time...

Maybe ask about availability of the cabanas. Just a bit more expensive than the bungalows, but they are water front and close to the upgraded lunch buffet that is made available to those in the cabanas and those in suites.

Regardless of the San Juan cancellation, enjoy the rest of your cruise. Although San Juan was a port that was cancelled on our cruise, and one that I was really looking forward to exploring.

Just a heads up regarding changes in cruise itinerary. Nationwide Choice plan travel insurance, and possible other plans, cover changes in itinerary, whether the changes were made pre-departure or during the actual cruise. Our cruise last November that was altered from Eastern to Western Caribbean due to hurricane damage was eligible for a $750 per person reimbursement, even though the cruise wasn't cancelled. Changes in itinerary made during the actual cruise were covered for a lessor amount (I don't recall exactly), but still a significant sum. With the insurance claim, our cost for the cruise was about $500 for the two of us. That said, the ethics of making such a claim was discussed a length on another board last year. But you buy a policy and hold the insurer to the coverages that they offer. Maybe by now, Nationwide has changed their coverage and has eliminated this option or raised the price, but it's worth a look when purchasing trip insurance from any company. Finally, I don't intend this to come across as an endorsement of Nationwide, but rather as information that some policies cover itinerary changes that result from unforeseen circumstances such as this Nor'Easter.