Gears

I am a pizza snob, and Sorrentos is awful.  It is what it is: mass produced quickly produced pizza.  My kids generally like it.
That being said, the pizza on Independence was inedible in my opinion.  Not sure why Indy's version of Sorrentos was different from the rest of the fleet.

I completely agree @Orange Crush. It reminds me of the pizza they used to serve at Chuck E Cheese. The last time I had the cheese pizza, it was kind of soggy and if folded over treated more like a cheese quesadilla than pizza. And once you've tried the pizza on some of the other lines, you realize how bad the pizza is on Royal. Sadly, though, it doesn't stop me from eating it when hungry late at night. 
For what it's worth, the pizza has been terrible since the 1990s, so at least they've been consistent. :)

As I complete the "live" blog of my recent Christmas cruise on the Majesty at a glacial pace, there's something I really need to talk with other cruisers about.
Let me start by saying that I am FAR from a pizza snob.  While I've enjoyed some excellent pizza in my time, and I frequently make my own cast iron pan pizzas from scratch, I still appreciate a slice from a national chain, the mall, Cici's or even Digiorno's and Red Barron.  I was a firm believer that there's no such thing as bad pizza.  Just good pizza and better pizza. 
I was wrong.  Sorrento's is bad pizza.  What in gods name do they DO to it?  They appear to be using pre-made crusts with a normal-looking sauce and shredded mozzarella.  The toppings are kinda skimpy, but that's not a big deal.  The problem is that it's got a texture I can only describe as gluey as all hell.  Like Elmer's school glue.  The crust crisps up reasonably well on the bottom and edges, the cheese browns on the top, but there's something going terribly wrong at the crust-sauce-cheese interface.  The entire mass stuck to the roofs of our mouths and left an unpleasant film on our teeth and tongues.  I tried multiple different kinds across different days to see if it was just a particular variety to rule out a bad batch, strange customized recipe or something that's been sitting out too long.  It was consistently gluey and terrible.  An especially well-done pie, fresh out of the oven was only marginally better.  It was still noticeably gluey.  Soggy elementary school cafeteria pizza is superior to this.  I'm just baffled how the pizza can miss the mark so much.  Are they using artificial cheese or some peculiar ingredient?  Pizza isn't a complex food and doesn't require any ingredients they don't already carry for their otherwise excellent bakery and galley operations.  How can it possibly be this bad?

Freedom has a area where it is posted that topless sunbathing is allowed. This was right after she came back from Europe while sailing out Florida.

I didn't see similar sign on Indy.  
Generally the answer is going to be no.
On this trip in Antigua the new MSC Seaside was across the pier from us.  An older woman on the large side was on her balcony right across from us in plain view as she was people watching on the pier between us.  She was completely naked.  Some things can't be unseen. 

Do the calculation :
leave the ship around 7 am (maybe early but lets say there was delays) 
Custom - 15 minutes.
Load you car and start driven - 5 minutes.
Driving time to the airport 45 Minutes.
Gas station (for rental car) 5 M
Car drop and get to the check in - 15 m
Drop suitcase if needed in the counters - 15 m 
Security 30 - 40 m (maybe less)
Last call for boarding - 20 - 25 m 
So the best case with allot of luck -  around 09:45 , but you are not letting yourself any contingency (for example if the ship is not cleared as fast as usual) .
11 might be doable  but best from 12 PM 

Yes. Completely agree with @Traveler above. That is pretty much the breakdown I do in my own head. And to add to that, always expect the unexpected. A few weeks ago on our way back from port canaveral there was an accident so the 45min ride back to MCO turned more into an hour plus ride. Nothing prior to noon is safest.

I hope this is just sarcasm?

Absurd!!  Hand my iphone to a fellow passenger...take the photo....buy them a drink....$12 done!!
 

Suite gratuities unfortunately. 

Hi Everyone,
Thanks for making my first cruise on Royal go well with all the tips and reviews on the board plus the blog post.  Just a quick story time.
The wife and I flew out of MSP on Friday, Dec 8th, 2017 to Fort lauderdale thru Atlanta.  The same day a massive unheard of soul crushing blizzard fell on Atlanta. Our flight to ATL landed 45 mins late but our flight to FLL was a nightmare.  We got on the plane at 3pm and then over the next 8 hours got on and off the plane twice, pushed back and then the flight got canceled because the crew timed out.  ATL only has 8 deicing trucks and they apparently breakdown easily.  MSP has 40 for a comparison.  All the flights the next day were past the set sail time so we had to improvise.  We stood in line for 2 hours trying to get our checked luggage back and Delta said no go at 1AM.  I started the search for a rental car and all the one way, one day rentals were gone and was told there is no way we can rent you a car.  Here is the trick:  If you reserve a one way car but for a weekly rate it will come up and you can get out of there.  It cost more but when in need its totally worth it.  Most programs have an early return policy so you will get a little money back.   In the end we got a car from Hertz for $360 and drove from 2AM-noon to fort lauderdale without bags.  Did a quick Walmart fashion stock up and got on the boat.   During the drive down talk to Delta and got our bags rerouted to Jamaica our 4th day stop and we picked them up there and enjoyed the rest of our cruise.  So we were the casual people on formal night :)
 

I just want to say my prayers for those who were on the bus in Mexico with the Equinox and Serenade passengers. My heart is going out to everyone who may have lost a loved one or injured. Many prayers going out to those families.

Consider the way they act until now I will not be surprise that they will have multiple version for the program and each representative will have a different answer .
Seems to be that the compartmentalization in the Royal Casino  organization is better than any intelligence agencies   , no one have really the full picture.

I'd book Nachi - if there are that many people in port, other places will be even more overrun than Nachi. 

Sorry guys, I can't get past the guy's ear lobe thingies in the youtube video. It all sounds good, may be true/medically accurate, but, put someone in a lab coat that looks like a medical professional and I would say ok, sounds good. My apologies if I have offended anyone here by what I just said. 

And remember the most important thing to preventing Noro: The Drink Package!

From this video: https://youtu.be/JcOHClVQpTc
The studies may not be conclusive, but it's good enough for me!

It is always the kids! 
Hubby and I say that we are in kid jail lol.  Parole in about 10 years hopefully....

The cost of the deluxe beverage package went up for every cruise that I have booked (for which the beverage package price was available).  No savings whatsoever.  Obviously they increased the cost of the package before the sale started.  So slimy.
Has anyone seen the combo deluxe beverage + ultimate dining package anywhere ?  It seems to have disappeared completely.  Are they no longer offering this combination package ?

Royal's site seems to be much more picky than most.  Being a Chrome user, I just use incognito mode to go there and thus no issues.
 

We don't, nor have we had any reason to try another cruise line. We like RCL for many reasons. There is no such thing as perfect, but all things considered they are excellent.
There are pluses and minuses to everything and trying to find greener grass for the purposes of a couple of free things on a vacation...or any other trivial, petty, non-life threatening, doesn't mean didily squat to us enjoying our vacation reason...is energy best spent elsewhere...like booking your next cruise.
We have a much better time on our vacation because...we know the ships, what to expect from everything from picking a stateroom to disembarking. End-to-end, top-to-bottom we haven't found a better vacation option.

Hair dryer, yes (not in the bathroom). Shower cap...sometimes. Shampoo & conditioner, no. Coffee maker...hit & miss.
Toidie po po, yes. Tissues, yes.

We don't, nor have we had any reason to try another cruise line. We like RCL for many reasons. There is no such thing as perfect, but all things considered they are excellent.
There are pluses and minuses to everything and trying to find greener grass for the purposes of a couple of free things on a vacation...or any other trivial, petty, non-life threatening, doesn't mean didily squat to us enjoying our vacation reason...is energy best spent elsewhere...like booking your next cruise.
We have a much better time on our vacation because...we know the ships, what to expect from everything from picking a stateroom to disembarking. End-to-end, top-to-bottom we haven't found a better vacation option.

MEN....for the love of cruising.......Stay away from X.....they bring Jewelry makers on their ships...it will cost you dearly...run!!! don't walk...RUN AWAY!!!!! The only status you will attain is BROKE!!!!!!!!!

From Celebrity:


Your point balances remain separate between Royal and Celebrity.  If you're Emerald or Platinum on Royal you get the Captain's Club Select benefits (Elite if you're Diamond or higher) from the start on Celebrity, but you're still starting with zero points.  If you never sail Royal again, you'll need 300 points on Celebrity to get to Elite status.
 

You know you're loyal when you use words like cheating.
 

We don't, nor have we had any reason to try another cruise line. We like RCL for many reasons. There is no such thing as perfect, but all things considered they are excellent.
There are pluses and minuses to everything and trying to find greener grass for the purposes of a couple of free things on a vacation...or any other trivial, petty, non-life threatening, doesn't mean didily squat to us enjoying our vacation reason...is energy best spent elsewhere...like booking your next cruise.
We have a much better time on our vacation because...we know the ships, what to expect from everything from picking a stateroom to disembarking. End-to-end, top-to-bottom we haven't found a better vacation option.