Lovetocruise2002

If you use the Costco site you can search exact dates. At least that is how it works on Costco Canada.

I find myself in a similar position as I have stayed in the lofts but I have two aqua theater suite bookings in the near future. I personally love Deck 17 from the "Wow" factor to the exclusivity and the convenience of being so close to CK/Suite lounge. Small details that I love are that the hallways are wider and quieter. We actually booked an ATS for March 2019 and ended up going to Deck 17 for those reasons. That being said, I know for a fact that there are many out there who swear by and love the ATS and would choose them any day over the lofts. The reason why I have two booked in the future is also because we want that separation from our kids (who come with us) and the second bedroom will provide that. But I will admit that I am slightly anxious (not sure if that is the right word) about giving up the loft. Bottom line is that I think there are real advantages to both. It really comes down to personal preference. Last thing about the noise...Those who have stayed in the ATS have said that you can only hear the shows when you are on the balcony or living room area. When you are in the bedrooms, people have said that it is pretty quiet.

You can probably add a fourth person as long as: 1) Your cabin can actually hold 4 people. Not all cabins can hold 4. 2) The ship has not maxed out the lifeboat capacity. If it has, it doesn’t matter how many your cabin can hold, you won’t be able to add them.

Yes. Wonderland was an option in my cruise planner for Harmony, Anthem, and Symphony this year.

No. Each person only gets points for the cabin that they sail in. So even if you paid for 3 rooms, you only get points for the one room that your name is on.

See this review by @Matt. It’s from Harmony but same idea. We liked Hibachi. You get quite a bit of food. And the kids love the “show” part of it. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2017/09/26/review-izumi-hibachi-harmony-of-the-seas

There is no limit to how many times you re-price as long as it is prior to final payment. As far as transferring to a TA after 60 days, I have heard that MEI agents have had luck in that department.

Out of curiosity, other than you, were the rest Pinnacle?

The last time I looked in my cruise planner, it was still sitting at $49pp. But I have not looked since the beginning of July at Dining. With all the talk about Drink packages spiking, I'm not sure if dining has been affected as well. I would personally not wait till you get on board. I'm sure you could still get a reservation but why not make it now in your cruise planner? What would be the advantage of delaying? As far as I know, yes. I've done Chops twice on Harmony. My personal favourites there are: Lavender Tonic (but you can get that at Trellis Bar), Mushroom Soup, Filet, Lobster, Seafood Tower, and their Red Velvet Cake. Hubby also loves their cheesecake.

I am most interested to see where she ends up in July/August 2021.

Again, you are going to get a variety of answers here because tipping extra (on top of auto gratuities) is such a personal choice. Add to that mix is that not everyone makes the same level of requests from concierges and stateroom attendants. Some ask for more than others. And even that varies by cruise. For myself, there have been sailings where I really did not need much help of any kind whatsoever and then some where things have come up. IMO, tip what feels right to you. And if you are already paying auto gratuities, then you should be tipping for service that you feel is above and beyond. There "technically" is not a need to tip extra on top of that. The only ones that don't fall into this category are Genies and concierges (I am not sure if they are included in auto grats?).

Add to what @JLMoran and @rjac have said, getting there early allows you to avoid the port traffic congestion that always occurs as you show up later (not just at Cape Liberty). In addition, you have already paid for Day 1 so why would you not want to take advantage of it more? You didn't pay to sleep in or hang out in a hotel or sit in traffic right? Also, I have found with the last few cruises, when we show up at the terminal at 10am, our luggage is at our cabin by about 1:30pm.

Typically people tip the concierges at the end of the cruise. Some also tip a bit at the beginning and then more towards the end. It really is a personal choice and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

You most definitely have to try as I will be on Oasis in March 2020, two months after you. Hopefully in Star Class. Hubby doesn't know what cabin I booked yet...😏

Book for the adults. Add the kids once on board. That is the only way to get children pricing. It’s $10 for your 12 year old.

+1 on this train of thought.

You can list them all in one post. Ship name and sail date including the year please. We're just tracking the RCL cruises on the Master List. Thanks.

Anthem seems to be the exception...

+1 😂

Phew! Looks like full suites benefits. I was worried when you said you did not get the welcome email, which you should have... Interesting that you can see the JS on Deck 11 from your window...

I have never been to Vintages, with or without star class (well unless you count that time on Anthem when @Matt corrupted me), but I have heard from other star class cruisers that it is included. And I already “suggested” to my family that they go wait in the suite lounge, perhaps get a run down from the Genie on star class, while hubby and I got take pics. 😜

Land vacations are overated lol. That's how we ended up on our first cruise as well. For us the cost to go to St. Lucia was more than a cruise to St. Lucia. It was a no brainer for the same reasons that we would see more islands along the way. Have a great trip! Sounds like it will be a lot of fun!

Typically full ship charters are posted way in advance. I usually use this site to track it. It is fairly reliable. When I saw this thread, the first thing I did was check this site and it makes no mention of a Navigator full charter in February. https://www.cruisetimetables.com/full-cruise-ship-charters.html I have never been on a partial charter, but what @monctonguy is saying is well known. A partial charter (depending on how large the group is) can really change the whole atmosphere and experience of the cruise. I don't know if that would actually be a better situation. Like @twangster said, time will tell.

Yes, partial ship charters do exist. If for some reason they do cancel you, they will typically offer you some combination of the following: refund your total amount, cover flight changes up to approx. $200pp, and include some FCC.

I am going to take a wild guess here based on what @AGSLC5 is saying, could it be that it might be partial ship charter? So not a full ship charter (which would involve the cancellation of your reservation) but one large enough that that the group believes it could fill up the rest of the remaining space (resulting in Royal pulling back all the rest of the rooms for the general public to book).