JLMoran

Welcome aboard, PG!

Will still have it, just waiting to see if anyone else replies to my roll call poll / post on the People Connect forum. I figure when it's a few days away from sailaway, I'll update the thread with a final place and time to see if that works for everyone.

Some Starbucks locations are just an independently-run kiosk, not owned by Starbucks the company but instead owned and run by some other person/group. They have the same logo, have the same menu, use the same payment scanners and work with the app -- but don't use whatever system Starbucks proper has in place for reward redemptions (which I would guess ties into the main company's data systems or payment systems so that the store can be correctly reimbursed or whatever is needed when a reward redemption takes place). Like @Matt's reply noted from the company's website, this is only an issue for some kiosk locations. So your grocery store that you cited is set up to work with rewards, but the kiosks I've visited on a highway rest stop or airport are not. And apparently, neither are the ones on Royal's ships.

13 - @Broons77 (Anthem of the Seas)

I asked my wife about this very option. She feels the food at the complimentary restaurants is totally fine (and she doesn't yet know I bumped us to a JS room, so we'll have access to Coastal Kitchen for dinner!), and she just want to try Wonderland since I told her they usually have discounts on the port days She's also not keen on having to eat at specialty venues nights 1 and 2, wants to save it for later. And since I've learned that the smoked tomato soup in CK is only offered night 1, I kind of have to agree!

OK, I asked in an earlier thread whether specialty dining venues like Wonderland typically offer discounts on port days, especially overnight stays like I'll have in Bermuda. The response was a pretty solid "yes", though I was cautioned it won't actually be announced until embarkation day at the earliest, maybe not even until the day we're in port. Now, I've been watching Wonderland availability this whole time, and so far every single dinner time slot is still available for our overnight day in Bermuda. But I can't help wondering if I should reserve it now anyway; if I find out that they do indeed have a special that night (and it's actually lower than the pre-sailing price) I can always ask to have the difference refunded as OBC to my SeaPass card, or just flat-out cancel the existing reservation and re-book. I'm nervous that if I don't do this before sail-away, I won't be fast enough the day they do announce the special to get a reservation at all. Especially if I have to make the reservation that day we're in port and I'm trying to get onto the island for what will be the very full day of the two there. The other concern, of course, is that any discount offered applies to the on board pricing for a reservation, which of course will be higher than the current $49 per person rate on the Cruise Planner. The discount may just match the online pricing, or it may end up being higher. Granted, Wonderland is considered a bit of a "weird" restaurant that's for the more adventurous; but if it's offered at a really good discount that night, I might find a whole bunch more people deciding they're feeling adventurous. So what do y'all think? Should I just sit tight and fight back my control freak, have all the ducks lined up way in advance self, and wait until at least embarkation day to book? Or should I give in now that I'm so close to sail away, and just book it before the Cruise Planner closes down in a week?

Ummm, I'm just getting a blank box for this.... ? Edit: Was able to view it in Chrome, not sure why Safari wouldn't show it.

Which... is... taking... forever... to... GET... HERE... ALREADY!!!! ?

Just to follow up with your specific question about the spa -- the ship's spa typically is open while in port, at least for a part of the day, and you can indeed get some good deals on spa services those days (but typically just during the morning hours, when most people have left the ship). The spa is run by a separate contractor who basically sets up shop on board, so I guess unlike Royal, that third-party provider has made the necessary arrangements for either payment of, or exemption from, any local taxes that the other venues on the ship close down to avoid dealing with.

Thanks for confirming that, @Traveler! I've got a pretty decent fear of heights that gets worse in something like a chairlift, but if there's a secure bar there to hold me in that will help stave it off. May not work up the nerve to take any photos, since that would mean letting go of the bar, but at least I could make it up to the top of the mountain and back down! ?

Very sorry for your loss, ekaiser0328.

Must be the season for these kinds of bookings. I splurged on the JS I have booked on Anthem, partly because it's just the wife and me so I could afford to bump us up a bit, partly to get a sense of the benefits on Anthem and make the short trip a little more fun in that regard, partly because I want to get to Platinum ASAP and the double points on this short 5-nighter help with that! ? If there's truly a 2020 CA/NE group cruise, I'll definitely be booking inside or OV cabin for that, unless a wave sale comes along that makes the balcony rooms same price as OV. Budget won't allow anything more expensive.

Amazing photos, @Traveler! Whenever I make it to the Mediterranean, I will definitely have to visit here with the family. Did the chairlift have any kind of safety bar or seat belts or anything? Hard to tell from your pics, but it almost looks like you're just sitting loosely in the chair.

CA/NE would be in July / August, not a fall foliage trip (due to school calendars). So definitely hotter weather, even up north!

I've run into this in some land-based Starbucks locations as well. My understanding is that it's because while it has the SBUX logo and full menu, that location is not actually a "true" Starbucks but rather something like a franchise location under independent ownership from the main company or the like. As such, they can accept the reward cards for purchases and give you the stars for the purchases, but they can't do reward redemptions because they're literally not set up to process them.

Man, I’d have sworn there was at least one other person from here on this cruise, maybe even 2 or 3 more. But still only have myself and @ellcee on the poll responses, plus @Broons77 in comments. ?

Yup, I’m all caught up on all three episodes available so far. And if you listen to the end of eps 2 and 3, you’ll get to hear our own @KLA and @Jerel (who has an amazingly deep voice!) give a shout-out to @monorailmedic and @CruiseLifeRick, who run the show!

Not poor at all! Many here book interior rooms, not because of a lack of funds, but simply because that means more cruises that can be booked! ? Youre just getting an early exposure to our “Suite Snob” contingent, which definitely skews things a bit. ? Also, several here who regularly book suites are doing so as members of the Club Royale casino loyalty program that Royal has. You have to gamble a lot more than I’d ever be comfortable with, but at the same time you can gamble way short of what I’d consider “high roller” levels and manage to score really good discounts on high-end suites. Especially if you have a travel agent like the legendary Michelle!

Well, technically both would be correct. It depends on where you consume your bottle. Drink in the MDR or other dining venue -- corkage fee will be assessed Just drink in your stateroom, or at least pour into a glass while in your stateroom and then go wander around the ship -- no corkage fee The confusion might be because one of those articles was originally written after Royal had gotten rid of their corkage fee some years ago (unique among cruise lines), and the other was written after the fee was restored last year. Also note that you can request a corkscrew and wine glasses for your room, and you still will not be assessed the corkage fee as long as you open and pour from the bottle while in your room. They can't really know if you poured a glass in your room and then took it with you to wander around the ship (e.g., you could just as likely have stopped at Vintages, brought it to your room, then gone back out), so as long you don't have the bottle in your hand then there's no risk of being charged. Long-winded way of saying if you bring wine, and want to have a single glass with dinner, but don't want to get hit with the fee, then just pour a glass in your cabin right before you head out to eat.

@Broons77, I missed the part about Flow Rider. There are no reservations for that, ever. Just get in line with everyone when it's open, on any day, and wait your turn. On the port days it will probably be open for limited hours, most likely later in the day. There is a Cruise Planner option to book a private Flow Rider session, but it's not cheap by any definition. Should still be listed since we're still more than 3 days ahead of embarkation day.

North Star should definitely be in service while in port. I'm on the same sailing, and while I have a reservation for North Star it's during a sea day; never once saw it available for advance reservations on the port days. I don't know if it's just a matter of not allowing it so everyone has a chance while in port, or if I just discovered the availability a little too late (even though I made my reservation the same morning it showed up in my Cruise Planner), but I'm also going to see about getting in line at 8:30 on the second port day and hoping they have a couple open spots. I imagine seeing Bermuda from the North Star would be pretty impressive. iFly should be open while in port as well; I saw reservations for that as well the same day I booked North Star, but availability was pretty limited for all days. It's possible they're booked solid now, but you can check with one of the staff and see if they had any cancellations or have any unbooked slots left. Do be aware with the iFly that you only get one minute in the thing; the rest of the time is suiting up, getting prepped / hearing the safety speech, waiting your turn, etc. If you want someone to take video, they have to do it from outside the main area where everyone is waiting their turn. If that someone happens to also be doing the iFly with you, they'll have to wait outside while you take your turn, and then you'll switch places so the other person gets their turn.

We've been bugging the heck out of Matt for a CA/NE 2020 as the next one, with the exception of a few rogues like @mworkman pushing for Europe. Those of us on the CA/NE side of the argument are thinking Matt's... distaste... for long flights over large bodies of water will, um, gently persuade him that our proposal really is the better option, at least for summer 2020. ?

This is a tough call. The 12-night Baltic cruise includes a stop in St. Petersburg, Russia; given the current political climate, ongoing protests in Russia, etc., you may want to take that into consideration when deciding. Probably a port where taking an official tour offered by Royal would be a safer bet, rather than exploring on your own. Rest of the itinerary looks great, lot of interesting ports with lots of history and culture. The Southern Caribbean option, assuming you mean the one that visits the ABC islands, is always a good choice. But in June / July it's going to be HOT down there! And of course it's a shorter cruise at only 7 nights; I'm honestly surprised they don't have a 10-night option, I always thought that was the standard duration for Southern Caribbean. Even with the (probably small) risk with St. Petersburg, I'd probably lean more towards that Baltic option. Your vacation is almost a week longer, it's definitely a bunch of more interesting ports, and if you haven't yet done a northern European itinerary then June/July is a good time of year to grab it.