tkltomp

MEI is great.  My MEI TA (Jacki) also keeps an eye of the sales, automatically.  It's great to get an email letting me know the fare went down and I picked up some OBC.
On my upcoming B2B on Oasis I had to re-book because RL got in the way and all it took was an email to Jacki.
I know most of that doesn't apply to the group cruise but a TA sure makes life easier.
She also handled a Disney World vacation for me.

You can also ask the Captain. He is usually around the ship, and might have a more precise time.

A similar thread here may help: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/4043-ship-to-shore-communications/
There's also a great post about keeping in touch here: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/07/27/how-stay-touch-someone-your-royal-caribbean-cruise
Voom won't be of any assistance off the ship, so if you're looking to stay in touch ashore it all comes down to your cellular provider. 
Depending on your AT&T rate plan international data and voice is $10/day, activated for that day as soon as you turn off airplane mode/turn on roaming in whichever country your in.  With some plans use in Mexico and Canada is included at no charge (if I recall).  If your device supports it you can use WiFi calling when in port (and you're someplace with WiFi) but obviously having cellular service is easier.  If someone in your group has TMobile their plans include roaming without the $10/day charge.
I hope this helps, we're always here to answer additional questions.
 
 

Yup, that's the one I was looking at.  I agree, there are many factors that could move that time forward or backwards.

Perhaps you can make this post sticky?
Just wondering what the preferred format is for live blogs, and if you have any rules for posts etc:  and had a few questions:
a) Is it best to create one thread and then put replies in for each day of the cruise?  Or create one thread per day of the cruise - "Anthem - 4 Night to Bermuda Day 1, Anthem - 4 Night to Bermuda Day 2" etc... 
b) Since I'll be live blogging on my website, I was thinking I'd post links to my site as each day's post on here - is that okay? 
 

I have been on 4 river cruises - 3 Viking and 1 scenic. We enjoyed all the cruises. Scenic had two special dinners, one was for people staying on the third floor which was like a Chef's table and the other is a dinner serving the local flavor in our case it was French.
Both can include air and transfers and one tour a day. Viking had some optional tours in the evening for a reasonable price. Scenic is truly all inclusive, Viking you pay for drinks outside of lunch and dinner. If you are doing Paris, Viking is not the line to use since their ships are too large to dock in Paris. Our May cruise was on Scenic and dock within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower. There were no children under 18 on either line.
The service you get is similar to the suite experience on a RCCL cruise. The linens and towel are high end and cabin service is quick and discreet.  River Cruise ship Cabins are tiny compared to Ocean Cruises. Getting a balcony is nice but often times river cruise ships are rafting  meaning you are inches away from another  ship making the balcony unusable. Sometimes the Veranda's include perks such as free or low cost airfare so you need to figure out what is important to you.
 
That being said, we enjoyed Scenic, we won the cruise so we were spoiled, I do not think it would be worth double  the cost compared to Viking. If I went on another Seine Cruise, I would not do Viking since they do not go to Paris. I would look at Scenic, AMA, Avalon, Vantage , Emerald ( the sister lower cost line of Scenic)all who were able to do the whole river and then choose the one with lower price.
 
 

My MEI TA (Jacki) also does European River cruises.  A TA could be very helpful in answering a lot of your questions.

I agree with Tiny.  The shopping compound in Falmouth is very new, large, clean and safe.
I don't say this very often but I would recommend that you stay inside the compound in Falmouth to do your souvenir shopping unless you're with an organized group.  At almost any other port I would say to get out AWAY from the compound to find the bargains but not in Falmouth.  I find the locals to be extremely aggressive and shopping immediately outside of the compound is not the best part of town.  I never felt unsafe...just uncomfortable.
Excursions are a different situation, entirely.  If you are with a group I would say you'll be fine...but I would not want my sisters or mother or any other females out by themselves in town, in Falmouth.

Try these people.  We park there with no issues.  https://parkcruise.com/

Just read the live blog from @Scatmanjack about his family's cruise on Independence, and was intrigued by his coverage of the game room and how his family brought along some board games for family time. Made me wonder, as we're doing the cruise nerd signs / "it's been too long" signs thing. I mean, there are rainy days from time to time that keep everyone indoors. So...
What board games would you bring / have you brought on a cruise?
If nothing else, it'll give everyone a little more insight into the folks on these boards. ?
So I'll start off, with the games I think I'd bring for our upcoming family cruise on Freedom:
Carcassonne Settlers of Catan Apples to Apples (maybe, looks like this might be a standard on the ships) Cards Against Humanity (more my older daughter on this one, in case she meets any like-minded teens on board) Apart from that, if Freedom has Cribbage in their game room I'd be happy to play some other passengers. ?

Over the years, we have had people share their Royal Caribbean experiences during their cruise on these message boards and it has been a very helpful and fun way for everyone to follow along in the cruise experience.
 
I want to encourage others to do the same, so I have created a dedicated forum specifically for live blogs.  I believe live blogs are extremely helpful for those following along, and fun for the person on the cruise too.
 
My hope is that more people will share their cruise experiences while they are onboard, or shortly after returning home. I love reading live blogs, and I know many others do as well.
 
Some of you may be concerned about writing style and how interesting (or not interesting) your posts would be.  Let me be the first to say these live blogs need not be Shakespeare quality in the least bit.  It's really a summary of what you did, what you liked (and did not like) and photos always do a great job of telling the story too.
 
I cannot wait to read the next live blogs that I know many of you will be sharing!

Just returned from a 5 night Bermuda cruise on Grandeur.  This was a "free" cruise for us courtesy of Club Royale so we only paid taxes, port fees and gratuities.  While certainly not free, the price was greatly reduced.
Grandeur has the Coca Cola Dispenser machines (sorry....can't remember what they are called.  We never use them) I noticed the 10 drink punch card on day 3.  It was $79 + 18% grat.  It may have been offered earlier.  I didn't see it in the Compass until day 3. Confirmed that Diamond Plus receive 30% discount on premium drink package onboard.  It was noted on the D+ amenities page in our stateroom plus got a printout from Guest Services that showed it Stayed at the Best Western Hotel & Conference Center on O'Donnell street the night before the cruise.  While not the greatest hotel or location, it was clean, the room was very large and the price included RT transport to the port, a nice breakfast and parking for the duration of the cruise.  Total cost for 1 night around $220.  I cannot recall the exact amount (this includes all the MANY taxes that are on top of the advertised $179.99 price).  Completely acceptable.  We drove to Fell's Point for dinner; lovely. Grandeur is still using the "old" dinner menus. Out of character for us, we purchased the 3 night dining package for $75 each (total of $150).  We had to eat at one of the specialty restaurants on either night #1 or night #2.  We chose to eat at Izumi on night 1.  The Izumi package proved to be very cost effective.  We each got $50 credit each time we ate there, meaning that we could spend $200 total on food at Izumi with this package (2 nights. $100 total each night).  We ate there twice (nights 1 and 4).  So, essentially, we ate more than the equivalent total cost of the complete package,  just at our 2 visits to Izumi. I think we spent $96 on our first visit and $97 on the second. Bill each time ?  $-0-.  Basically, Chops (night #3) was free !  Drinks are not covered with this package. While eating at Izumi on night #1, Dan was convinced that we needed to purchase a special lunch deal on Day #3 at 11:30 AM.  It was advertised as a buffet - the receipt we got even said "buffet".  Dan's greedy eyes were aglow with the idea of a smorgasbord of endless sushi options.  The price was $30 PP.  I am not the sushi lover that he is but he was convinced that this was going to be an epic WIN, so we purchased it.  Needless to say, whenever anyone gets that much anticipation rolling, it is bound to be a disappointment.  There was NO buffet.  It was a sit-down, 5 course meal, which may have been ok for a considerably LOWER price but the very idea that we could not choose our own menu was absolutely devastating.  We certainly voiced our disappointment and the server made us each a nice plate of nigiri and sashimi (especially after I flashed the receipt which indicated that this would be a buffet) but it was overall a very big disappointment.  I would NOT recommend it to anyone at the price they charged.  The 3 night package.  Absolutely.  This Izumi special lunch option - no way ! To my great surprise, they did offer the Fisherman's Platter (lobster, etc.) on formal night - night #2. I thought that they did not serve lobster on less than a 7 night cruise so it was a surprise.  We did not eat in the MDR that night b/c we had intentionally left our formal type duds at home.  We ate dinner that night in the WJ (as most of you know, I am not a huge fan of the WJ) as I had been convinced (from the postings on this site !) that the evening fare would be much improved over what they serve during the day.  To my great chagrin, I did not find this to be the case.  It was just more of the same - certainly no lobster !  That will, most likely, be my last trip to the WJ for dinner.  I was very disappointed. Chops on night #3 was good.  It was Chops. Nothing spectacular.  Food was good, not great.  Completely worth the $-0- that we paid !   Of course, we left a nice tip so it wasn't completely free, but basically, it was free. We did not eat at Giovanni's this trip. The only evening meal we ate in the MDR was the last night.  This was the night for the lamb shank, which is Dan's absolute favorite.  It was as good as it always is (I don't eat lamb so I will just have to take his word for it).  I was glad he got to have it. For the first time, we did the self assist walk-off early disembark.  The return transportation was exactly where they said it would be and we were back at the Best Western to retrieve the car right about 8AM.  I dropped Dan off at work on the way home and our trip was successfully completed. This was the first time we have been in an inside room in over 10 years.  I was dreading it since I have been living the suite life so fully, lately.  It was not nearly as horrible as I thought it would be.  Certainly, the room was small and we didn't spend much time there for that reason.  I find, the bigger and nicer the cabin, the MORE time I want to be there.  It was on deck 4, which is WAAAY lower down than I have ever been. It was probably the most convenient location I have ever had.  It was absolutely central to every activity we were interested in. It had been a while since I had sailed on a Vision class ship and I was afraid I would be bored with no Promenade or Boardwalk or Central Park.  I was pleased to find that I was NOT.  It is absolutely amazing how small the Vision class ships are, compared to the O class....but that was a GOOD thing on this trip.  You can literally stand in the Centrum and SEE the dining rooms and almost see the theater from there !  You are never more than a few steps away from either end of the ship which is NOT true on the O class ships.  I did not miss the bigger casino.  The casino on the Grandeur had everything I wanted with the possible exception of a full sized poker table. Table minimums for 3 card poker and Ultimate Texas Hold 'Em were $5.  I didn't play blackjack but I think the minimum was $10 at the regular BJ tables.  Not sure about craps, either.  The blinds for no limit hold 'em were $2 and $5 b/c I didn't get to the dealers the first night and get the blinds lowered to $1/$3.  I have done that successfully on many cruises but once they start at $2/$5 they will stay there for the rest of the cruise.  I will have to be faster next time !  It's just a way for the house rake to be more profitable for them. They had 1 UTH table, 2, 3 card poker tables, 1 craps table, 1 roulette table a number of variations of BJ, no Caribbean Stud or Mississippi Mud or any other poker variety table.  While I don't play slots, the slot machines seemed old to me.  There were a few newer ones but basically, I think they need to refresh some of those old machines. The water system did shut down twice that I know of.  The first night it was out when I got up around 2AM to visit the washroom.  Then, on day 4 it was out for about an hour in the middle of the day.  No explanation, really.  Not sure what the problem was, but it was apparently resolved quickly both times. There were only 3 Pinnacle Club members on this cruise !  I'm sure the PC's prefer the longer cruises.  I believe there were only 12 D+ on this one, too.  Dan and I received our 280 crystal block and got our pix taken with the crew that were present for the Top Tier event.  Normally we skip that event (we refer to it as the cattle call) but since we were getting a block, we attended. Both the Diamond Lounge and Concierge Lounge are very small on the Grandeur but both have nice views which is unusual.  Most of the CLs these days have no windows at all.  The CL on Grandeur is located on the port side of the rear of the Viking Crown Room and the DL is in a corner of the South Pacific room in the aft.  We were happy to see that we knew the DL Concierge (Rahul) as we had sailed with him numerous times before.  It was his first day on the job on Grandeur !  The CL Concierge was Carlington, whom we did not know.  He was very nice as well. The Cruise Director was Paul - can't remember his last name.  Good, I'm sure.  We didn't have much interaction with him.  The Hotel Director was Keith Murphy (Ireland).  The man was EVERYwhere.  Every time we turned around we ran into him.  Dan even ran into him off the ship !  What a great guy.  He was our "celebrity" dealer in the Casino one night.  Really, really nice and biiiiizzy. The best HD I have sailed with.  He had some interesting stories (told privately, of course) of his epic journeys on both the Quantum and Ovation during their 56-whatever day global odyssey cruises to  Asia.   While we were in Bermuda, they were holding the America's Cup races.  I am not a yachting fan so I really don't know much about them but it was, apparently a VERY big deal.  We could see the yachts out in the harbor practicing.  Dan went out and watched 2 races on Tuesday.  Sweden vs New Zealand (NZ won) and US vs France (US won).  I barely got off the ship as Bermuda is not my favorite port of call but the weather was nice and I got out for a few hours on Tuesday before we left.  I rode the tram around for a bit just to say I got off. Very nice cruise.  We enjoyed it very much and were happy to re-discover the virtues of the small ships.  Glad we decided to do this one.

No specific liquors, you just have every drink covered up to $12 in value, and you pay any difference. So if you don't like the "low brow" tequila they normally use in their margaritas and want a premium reposado instead, you're free to ask for it and just pay whatever "overage" they charge for the change of liquor.
"Premium coffee" more or less means any espresso beverage or "name brand" coffee like Illy on non-Oasis ships, even if the coffee is a Starbucks-branded blend. On Oasis class ships, IIRC, the actual Starbucks stores aren't covered at all, but you can go to any other coffee place on the ship that serves a cappuccino or Illy-type coffee and be covered.

Yes, I'm with Matt, transfer to a TA.
My MEI TA always checks my reservations when the new sales are released.  I love those emails letting me know she got a cheaper price and/or some OBC. 
 

Yes. The only thing you cannot do is change or cancel the original reservation. But anything in the Cruise Planner is still available to you.

Yes, I'm with Matt, transfer to a TA.
My MEI TA always checks my reservations when the new sales are released.  I love those emails letting me know she got a cheaper price and/or some OBC. 
 

We would love to do an Oasis Class ship, but as mentioned the itineraries aren't that exciting.  Being in the Midwest, we pretty much have to fly to a cruise.  If we're going to fly, we might as well head to San Juan.  We love Old San Juan and there is more variety of islands in the South.  We are looking at the Symphony in Europe next year.

Yes, I'm with Matt, transfer to a TA.
My MEI TA always checks my reservations when the new sales are released.  I love those emails letting me know she got a cheaper price and/or some OBC. 
 

I always use a travel agent.  Here's a good overview why you should too: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/06/15/why-first-time-cruisers-should-use-royal-caribbean-travel-agent

A quick scan seems to show a gap between Nov 27 and Dec 14.

I have not seen any details, but if you really want to figure it out, you could look at her 2017 schedule and try to find the 2 week gap in sailings.

First of all, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to those members who helped me complete my collection (special mention to Jerel and Steve L).
I now have the entire RCI fleet in model form. I think I need a bigger display cabinet!! 
Pics are below...

When I was talking to the concierge about this on Radiance he said the problem is that a ship the size of Radiance on a 14+ cruise will make the same money as an Oasis class will make in 7 days.. From a purely financial point of view the bigger ships make more money and they don't seem to have trouble filling them so why would you build something smaller as the payback over the lifetime of a large ship would be much greater.
I guess in the future small ships will be the domain of more specialised luxury cruise lines.
The flip side of that is that RCI keeps complaining that in Australia and NZ that our current cruise terminals cannot support the size of the large ships and are now demanding that new cruise terminals be built to accommodate the ships or they will go somewhere else.
Catch 22 really as if you build bigger facilities then they will probably build even bigger ships.
 

In the latest public announcements from RCCL, Bayley mentioned that while Empress is the largest they can take to Cuba now, soon Majesty would be able to dock there.  To me that shows an intent to keep her around for a bit rather than move her to their smaller brands like her sisters were.
 

I can see the Majesty being retired, I'll be on her Monday for a 4 day.  Not sure it would be cost effective to run the Oasis on 3 and 4 day Bahamas runs.. I would think they would bring a different class to Port Canaveral for those.