BeatArmy2010

We sailed on a spring break cruise once. It was fine, but we like to tell people there were so many kids in the pool that when one jumped in, two were squirted out!

We sailed on a spring break cruise once. It was fine, but we like to tell people there were so many kids in the pool that when one jumped in, two were squirted out!

We sailed on a spring break cruise once. It was fine, but we like to tell people there were so many kids in the pool that when one jumped in, two were squirted out!

We sailed on a spring break cruise once. It was fine, but we like to tell people there were so many kids in the pool that when one jumped in, two were squirted out!

I have been on every class ship Royal has to offer minus the Quantum Class and that will be resolved next year.  I have even had the Pleasure of sailing my first Cruise in 1983 on the "Song of Norway."  Just a baby ship but for my first cruise I was in Awe!
I really do enjoy cruising and each class has its Favorites for my wife and I.  We sailed our first cruise as a honeymoon cruise on Sept 3, 1983.  Today is our 36th Anniversary and we will be sailing Symphony to celebrate.  We were lucky to sail Empress to Cuba while it was allowed. We sailed Vision thru the Panama Canal. Radiance, Serenade, and Mariner to Alaska(can you guess my favorite Destination).  Brilliance on a Trans Atlantic. Freedom and Liberty to the Caribbean and Bahamas. Oasis thru the Mediterranean twice.  Rhapsody from Venice. Allure and Harmony thru most Caribbean Islands.
I give this list not to brag but to give a small glimpse of my ships experience.  If you like to cruise and enjoy new experiences then take each class ship at least once if you are able.  Small ships give that "You are on the High Seas" experience.  By that I mean you can feel the Ocean fall and rise and you are not so high that you cannot hear the waves crashing. You can hear the engines rumbling as the ships dock at each port.  The Service onboard has a much more relaxed pace and I believe that the Service staff are less stressed on smaller ships.
Mid class ships in my opinion are the sweet spot for cruising.  Small enough that you don't feel overwhelmed but large enough that you can take that evening stroll on the deck or promenade.  The small and midsize ships do not draw many Families as most of the entertainment on board are more subdued.  By that I mean, a Theatre, Rock climbing wall and not much more.  I tend to call these the old folks ships (No offense to anyone, I am almost 60 myself).  I take these ships for the destinations they take me to and not to Party onboard.  Don't get me wrong,  My wife and I have a great time on board and I usually get scolded at least once per cruise because of my behavior.
I call the Oasis class ships my "Floating City."  there is so much going on all of the time.  There are times when you cannot even feel that you are moving because of their massive size they are seldom affected by the ocean waves.  You can tire yourself out trying to do everything they offer in a day.  On the other hand,  You will need to learn patience and understanding when it comes to crowds. I think many people forget to pack their manners on these Huge ships.  We buy the Unlimited dining package for these cruises because there are 6 dining choices on most if not all of these ships. I find that families (with little ones) tend not to dine in the Specialty dining rooms. I do miss not sitting at a table for 8 with my wife and son getting to know my fellow cruisers and sharing stories.  This is where I receive most of my scoldings as I mentioned above. Oh the stories I could tell,  as an example I can absolutely tell you how many people can fit in the shower of the "Royal Suite"  on Mariner.  It is 11 !!   Don't ask me how I know this.
To make a long story short (Too late I know)  I have been on most of Royals Fleet and although they were all unique experiences I have yet to say that we did not enjoy our cruises.
I hope that your adventures are happy ones as well.

I haven’t noticed any free snakes so far but the O class ships offer snacks throughout the day.  On non-Oasis Class ships the snacks are limited to a few hours in the morning and at the happy hours around dinner time.  I’ll keep my eyes open for the snakes though.  I will want to know if anyone else sees them. 
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We have thought about taking Amtrak to the Newark airport and ubering over to the cruise port. That way we aren't worrying over traffic and don't have a car to park at the cruise port. We haven't done this, but we live close to an Amtrak stop.

This was years ago when we did a cruise in Europe that started in Barcelona. 
We met a couple who had seen people being denied boarding because their luggage had been stolen in the lobby of the hotel as they were checking in. The passports were in their luggage. 
The cruise compass said to carry nothing valuable in Rome. I'm glad I followed the instructions, the backpack I was wearing had every single compartment opened as I was walking. They didn't take my water or spare car key that I had forgotten was in the pack.
our table companions, almost fell victim to the "baby" ploy at the next port. Some women distracted the parents with a doll while someone else lifted the wallet out of the mom's pocketbook. The daughter saw it and started yelling. 
I loved Barcelona and the other ports, have a great fun and secure time.

We've taken a few cruises out of San Juan. The mix has always been different, but fun. I prefer to go the southern Caribbean . The worst part is the over weight guys in their skimpy Speedos!

We've taken a few cruises out of San Juan. The mix has always been different, but fun. I prefer to go the southern Caribbean . The worst part is the over weight guys in their skimpy Speedos!

This is what i typically use:  
 
 

I love you all. I constantly check and double check, especially after I did something like this.
Years ago, when my girls were little we flew into Florida to go to Disney and visit relatives. I had booked the car for the day before! Luckily, there was another car available.
i can't even blame it on a Muscato!

I love you all. I constantly check and double check, especially after I did something like this.
Years ago, when my girls were little we flew into Florida to go to Disney and visit relatives. I had booked the car for the day before! Luckily, there was another car available.
i can't even blame it on a Muscato!

I love you all. I constantly check and double check, especially after I did something like this.
Years ago, when my girls were little we flew into Florida to go to Disney and visit relatives. I had booked the car for the day before! Luckily, there was another car available.
i can't even blame it on a Muscato!

In the Bahamas, you can get your passport stamped. Whenever we travel internationally, I almost always ask where we can get our passports stamped. I just saw people doing it last month on ouB2B, and was wishing I had asked for our cruises.

You promised to keep that "In house".?

We just got off the Jewel of the Seas. I don't have the receipt available but we found a place called the House that had a decent selection 

San Juan is one of our favorite ports to leave from. You are already in the warmth. The old town is great...
the only complaint I've ever had is one the taxi driver left us at the Celebrity ship when we were going on Royal Caribbean or maybe it was vice versa...
plus if you sail out of San Juan, you're helping that island recover from the hurricane.
we will be there in less than a month!

San Juan is one of our favorite ports to leave from. You are already in the warmth. The old town is great...
the only complaint I've ever had is one the taxi driver left us at the Celebrity ship when we were going on Royal Caribbean or maybe it was vice versa...
plus if you sail out of San Juan, you're helping that island recover from the hurricane.
we will be there in less than a month!

We gifted cruises to different family members one year. We left cards under their trees with a map of the itinerary, flight information, etc...

We did the Coast Starlight from LA to Seattle several years ago before a cruise. Both parts were great and I would do it again. We met people who said they do the train ride in every season because it changes so much. 
I also want to take the train between Seattle and Vancouver sometime. It is supposed to be a beautiful ride.
one word of caution though. Make sure there is plenty of time built into your itinerary between the train ride and the cruise. Just as things can go wrong with flights so can they on train rides. On our trip, there was an onboard emergency. This delayed our train so the window for the track use had to be changed. I had built in 36 hours between the cruise and the end of the train ride and was glad I had.
 
there are some trains I have been looking at in Africa and in Asia...
so big a world, so little time!

We usually have scissors in the toiletry bag and have never had any issues. We have been called to the naughty room for a pocket knife.

Fewer people do the dressing up for formal nights, but we still do. When I see an evening gown on sale that I like, I've been known to buy it. It's also a lot of fun to get different ties and cummerbunds for the longer cruises....tropical fish when in the Carribean, a deep burgundy for Christmas....they don't take up that much space either in his suitcase.
Have a great time 

Thanks for sharing. That was very interesting