RestingBird

If you're willing to drive to Orlando there are a million things to do. Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach on the other hand have very little. One new attraction is www.cocoabeachadventurepark.com. I haven't been yet, hoping to soon. There are also 2 escape rooms in Cocoa Beach. Some find the pier enjoyable. There are 2 putt-putt golf courses in town.

Here is something important for anyone considering a European cruise to remember:
 
Often a European cruise you may be considering may have a port or a city you are unfamiliar with. Or in the case of a stop in Montenegro, an entire country you never knew even existed. There is a reason why Royal stops at these places and that's because those ports and cities are unique, wonderful, and bonafide "Awesome".  The same goes for the arrival or departure times from certain ports. Venice and Malta are always on top of the list of a well traveled cruiser's "Most Beautiful Ports in the World" and that's because they are stunning when you arrive at noon and they get better when you depart at 9 pm at night!
 
I have to tip my RCL helmet to Royal Caribbean for making these choices; they do a great job year after year. I've NEVER heard a complaint that the itinerary of a European cruise didn't meet someones expectations while I've been onboard or back home online. That includes reading posts to the Crown and Anchor Facebook group and there is nothing those people won't bitch about.
 
So Dutchmanoftheseas, if your Norwegian ports of call are giving you pause because they are unfamiliar and are seemingly just words that have too many vowels; have faith that each of those ports is incredible and worthy of traveling half way around the world to see.

Like Doc and Coney said you can take as many bags as you want on the ship.  We take a small bag for documents and meds so we don't have as much to lug around for 2 or 3 hrs.  A little off the subject but when we get our bags at the room the first thing we do is unpack and put clothes in the drawers and hangers.  We found it is so much nicer to not live out of a suitcase for 7 days.  This only takes 20-30 minutes out of the day.  Bring a laundry bag for dirty clothes and put them in an empty suitcase at the end of the cruise so it takes even less time to pack up to leave.  Remember to leave out clothes to wear the last day of the cruise before you put your luggage out in the hall for pick up the last nite.  Have fun....I know you will

Trail mix? How many cruises do I need to book to get trail mix?

I am writing this not to brag but to suggest the opposite.  I simply prefer the space in a Suite as opposed to any other Room.  I have sailed on Oasis class ships all the way down to the "Song of Norway"  (which by the way seemed HUGE for my first cruise ever in 1986). I have booked every size Stateroom minus the new Loft Size Staterooms.  I can afford (Barely) the Suites but as the years go by I ask myself if I would have been Just as happy with a Balcony or below Stateroom  and have been able to afford four times as many Cruises.  This becomes the new era of sailing for me as I was unhappy with my last sailing. Not because of the service as my room attendant, Waiter Staff, and ship Maintenance were excellent.  The Room 8504 was in fair to excellent condition considering its age but it was third room from the bow on the eighth deck just below the Windjammer. Paying for an Owners Suite I received the following:  Non stop noise from the Carts and equipment being moved around in the Windlammer from 3:00am until past midnight every day. Robes to use on our cruise(not to keep unless I pay $69.00 each) A basket of Fruit on night one. A plate of Strawberries on night three. An Excellent Concierge that escorted on and off the ship for priority boarding of all excursions. Exclusive Suite Concierge lounge (No Diamond Plus or below allowed).  And finally a 528 sq.ft. room with separate shower and whirlpool bath.
     Now,  as a Diamond Plus member paying for a Promenade room I would receive the following: Robes to use on our Cruise (one new Robe as a Free Gift for being a Diamond Plus Member). A basket of Fruit, four bottles of water and a package of mixed nuts and dried fruit on night one. A plate of Strawberries on night three. A plate of Petit Fours on night five. An Excellent Concierge that escorted on and off the ship for priority boarding of all excursions. A Diamond Lounge (Separate from the Suite Lounge but much larger). A behind the scenes tour of the Bridge, Galley, and theater. And finally a 179 sq. ft. room with a shower that you can squeeze into.
 
I asked myself on this last cruise 10/22/16.  Is it worth the room size?   To which I must weigh Comfort versus Number of Cruises I can afford to take.  I have come to the conclusion that with the knowledge of several cruises under my belt that my wife and I can cruise in a smaller, less comfortable room if we utilize the entire ship as our temporary home IE...  Spend more time in the Solarium, Centrum, and all parts of the ship.  This way we can literally afford four times as many cruises and have four times as many memories.  For those that say I get Double the Crown and Anchor points for a Suite, you are correct.  But, doing the math and taking four times as many Cruises would get me twice as many points and four times as many places to sail. I will from now on consider smaller rooms and many more new destinations to sail.
 
Happy Sailing to you no matter which way you choose or can afford to do so!

If you don't already know what cruise you want to book, my advice is to still spend the time agonizing at the computer before leaving for the cruise to come up with either the cruise you want to book, or at least a shortlist of two or three. For me it is frustrating to have someone else in the driver's seat while searching . But maybe that's just me.  :)

Yes, you may get drinks in Windjammer whenever it's open.
 
You may fill your travel cup, however it's standard practice not to fill your cup directly from the beverage dispensers, but instead fill a regular plastic cup and then pour that into your travel cup.
 
I know that people generally take bottled water with them when going ashore. I don't think it'd be a problem to take your travel cup.

There are always a few juices, and basic coffee, in the Windjammer (buffet), and Park Café, when they're open. That's about it for free drinks as far as I know.

Perhaps the first RCCL customer service rep you spoke to was pre-morning coffee too.  :P
 
Happy to hear things worked out.
 
D

final update spoke again to royal carribean this time was told if we book the other cruise they could transfer the first deposit to that cruise  so we did it took 2 minutes  why couldn't they do that yesterday and save a lot of angst

Luke, use the power of the force, not the dark side!

You can get it off your chest here....but I have a feeling that there isn't a single person here that has any power to help you.   YOU need to contact RCCL directly.   THEY have the power to rectify your displeasure...if you are willing to cooperate with them.  Learned a long time ago...the person yelling the loudest is most likely in the wrong.  Good Luck with your endeavors.  

I should probably stay out of this but I don't think "grammar shaming" somebody who is angry is anything except treating someone the way they said they've been treated already. If a mistake was made (and don't for a minute suggest that sometimes a large corporation and it's employees don't make mistakes--or are rude) why not just say so.
I like reading this blog because it was so nice to see everyone's positive outlook on cruising. All of you love to tout how much money you saved, and the value of the dollar, and saving up your pennies to go on cruises. It's nice to read--so when someone is upset they've lost a deposit I"m pretty sure all of you would be pissed off if you were out $500 in 24hrs for a clerical error on your part. Anger can get the best of us, as clearly at has gotten the best of you at this person with their vitriolic language. Direct them and help, don't criticize them for their opinion....it's always our behavior in bad times that is a great reflection of who we are, and admitting when we are wrong and moving on....

True. No one rationally would, not even me (not claiming I am rationale).

You say that... but I'm sure SOMEONE would.

Quantum of the Seas *lite 
 
I love that idea. The features of a large ships coupled with the window views and port-ability (ha.. get it?) of a small ship.

This is what I got on my last Gold cruise on Oasis in September:
Gold Member Benefits.pdf

You'll get 1 BOGO to be used on beer, wine, soda, or a combination (last week on Serenade I got a beer and my wife's soda was free). 1 beer, wine, or soda 10% off. And 1 premium coffee 25% off.
 
Have fun!

(Note - someone else made this joke on Periscope the other day, this reminded me of it)
 
Year 2040: 
 
"Oasis of the Seas to go to Pullmantur"

I don't know if they offer it now, but when RC stopped at Ocho Rios there was an excursion to Dunn River Falls that took us there via catamaran.  Definitely the best way to get there! :)

I thought about refueling as well, though depending on the operating range, it may not be much of a concern so long as the home port has LNG.  
 
The safety aspect is one I'm sure that's being carefully considered.  Highly compressed gasses aren't new to ships - boilers are still out there, powered by various fuels.  Outside of the compression factor LNG has a flammable range of 5-15% in air, whereas diesel is .6-7.5%.  A different concentration, but somewhat similar range.  Gasses like acetelyne for example have a LFL of 2.5% and an UFL of 81%.
 
I'd be very curious to understand the efficiency by volume when it comes to actual propulsion.  Inherently, LNG has about 75k BTUs per gallon, compared to diesel's 129.5k BTUs per gallon, but of course, this doesn't necessarily represent how well that energy is manifested.  To me, this means that if the engines were the same size, and identical in efficiency, LNG would only occupy about 60% the space the diesel does on the ship to accomplish the same range.
 
I'm gonna go back into my nerd corner now.

ohhhh...this is not "project icon", so maybe the Icon class name will stick...
maybe the ship names will be celebrity icons like:
Presley of the seas
or
Monroe of the seas
or
Astaire of the seas
:)

Ya know, that, or secure it to the 12 year old's arm with a roll of clear packing tape :-)
 
Good idea Mono! But I know her and she would probably complain like hell that the color of the sea pass card doesn't match anything she packed to wear :blink: