Stephanie

Capri was AMAZING and the highlight of our trip. We loved it so much, we want to go back and spend a few days there. We also had the best meal of our trip in Capri. But, it's all dependent on what you like. It has that picturesque small Italian villa vibe vs. the hustle & bustle of Rome and Florence. ...That said, we skipped Naples and Pompeii to do Capri, so I really can't speak to those cities.

I am sailing on Spectrum out of Shanghai in September. The cruise planner is only showing 5 shore excursions total for the entire 7-day (3 port days) cruise. I'm wondering if it's because it's still 6 months out and Spectrum isn't scheduled to return to Shanghai until this summer? But you'd still think they'd have shore excursions by now...?? I know I can always book 3rd party, but I'm "one of those" who would've missed the ship one time had I not been on a Royal-booked excursion. The ship waited over an hour for us. It also just has me a bit nervous ... will the ship really return to China? Plus, I heard Spectrum is or is headed to dry dock due to engine issues...

It's ultimately a personal decision. I've done both when flying - checked vs. not, and I much prefer checking my bag rather than lugging it through the airport. Especially if your flight is not direct and you're changing terminals on your connecting flight. Running to catch a flight while lugging excess bags is no fun! At the cruise terminal, I'd definitely advise checking everything you won't need prior to dinner. It's generally a couple of hours minimum before you can get into your room, which means the ship is super crowded with everyone lugging around their suitcases.

We were on Anthem for Christmas 2019 and it was wonderful! (Aside from the fact that my husband had covid before we knew what covid was.) As others have said, the ship was beautifully decorated. There was an ugly sweater-themed event one night and the cruise director's staff were all decked out - along with lots of passengers. There were even some passengers dressed as the Grinch and Cindy Lou Who! There were multiple opportunities to have pictures with Santa, and Santa was there on Christmas morning. I took small decorations to put on our door & in our room - cheapy things that I could throw away at the end of the week, but it made it feel more festive. Definitely lots of large family groups & lots of kids. But, I think a cruise is what you make of it. We expected it to be kid-filled given it was the holidays, so we didn't let it get in the way of our fun. Personally, I think it is the absolute best way to spend Christmas and would do it every year if I could.

Except I've never used a travel agent ...

I got a FedEX package this morning filled with cruise brochures. It looks like a travel agent kit. I have no idea how or why it was sent to me and there was no letter or explanation included. I am not complaining - it has a full guide to all the ships, deck plans & cruises for the 2024-2025 season. I am, however, taking it as a sign that I should be doing more cruising...

I've never used Turo in Juneau, but I've used it many times in other cities. It's exactly what you described - an Airbnb but with cars. In my experience, the host will leave the car parked wherever I've asked (sometimes there are additional fees for this). Some have the option of unlocking the vehicle via an app when I arrive, others just leave the vehicle unlocked with the key hidden in the car. I then return the car to either the same location or a different, pre-arranged location. My only suggestion would just be to read the reviews of your host & inspect the pictures of the vehicle very closely before reserving a vehicle. I've always had good luck and been very pleased so far. And, it's almost always cheaper than a rental car.

I don't have personal experience with this, but it is a goal of mine. On our latest cruise on Navigator, we met a handful of older, single ladies who were all Pinnacle members. One of the ladies - we'll call her Sharon for anonymity - was greeted by name everywhere she went on the ship, so naturally, we couldn't resist asking them a similar question - not how they afford the multiple cruises, but how they became Pinnacle. Sharon said she takes at least 1 cruise every month. Another lady said she was going on 24 cruises this year!! Now, obviously I didn't ask them how they could afford it, but they did say they all live in California. Sharon almost exclusively sails on Navigator and just does the B2B cruises. They also said RC gives them good rates for being single cruisers (vs the other cruise lines). And, of course, at Pinnacle status, there's comps & perks there - like booking an interior room, but still having all the perks of a suite guest.

Our Christmas week cruise out of Bayonne hit stormy weather on the way to Florida. They sailed around the majority of it, and we missed a port day due to it. And, as others have mentioned, Alaska. We went to Alaska in mid-August. Cooler weather, somewhat overcast and bonus - cheaper being later in the season!

In my opinion, a whale watching excursion with Harv & Marv's Outback Alaska https://www.harvandmarvs-juneau-whale-watching.com/ in Juneau is an absolute MUST. It was by far the highlight of our trip. We rented a private boat and had Captain Liz. It is a bit pricey, but I promise you, it is worth every penny. Captain Liz was phenomenal! So passionate & knowledgeable about the whales - she was taking pictures right along side of us, even though she does these yearround - she literally follows the whales to Hawaii & does Hawaiian whale watching tours in the winter months. The private tour was so much nicer than one booked thru the cruise b/c our group of 6 were the only ones on the boat, which meant we weren't fighting with strangers to get a better view. (We actually saw another tour on the water that had probably 50 people on the boat and that's exactly what they were doing - no thanks!) The highlights from our tour popped up on my Facebook feed just yesterday & I sat and watched & re-watched the videos.

Just wanted to say this is AMAZING!!! Thank you for putting this together.

Just juice, water & coffee during the day. No bottled water.

I had never understood this until our last cruise. The weather in Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta was swelteringly hot & humid, so we decided to stay onboard. We were on Navigator - a smaller ship, so definitely not a lot of activities. But, we played putt-putt all alone, and I got a spa treatment (less expensive on port days). The only downside, aside from the casino not being open, was that the only bars that were open before 3:00 pm were the pool bars. But, otherwise it was fantastic - the ship was practically empty. We absolutely loved it! Now, I want to do more cruises for the sake of cruising vs the destination. However, I will pick an Oasis or Quantum class ship if I'm not planning to get off the ship.

Thanks so much! Just read through your blog and it was very enlightening and helpful. My husband's main concern was the food, so seeing the menus and pictures of the food selections helped ease those fears tremendously. The ship looks amazing, too. Can't wait!

After much debate & research, we have booked a 7-night sailing on Spectrum out of Shanghai next September. I'm curious to hear first-hand experience from anyone who has sailed out of Shanghai. It's a "culturally enriching" cruise, so I know that means announcements & such will be in both Mandarin and English. I also know the menus are more geared toward the Asian market. I'm more curious as to the daytime activities and the shows - English? Mandarin? Both? I'd also love to get insight on airlines, hotels, transportation, etc. Any and all advice / experience / opinions are welcome. Thanks!

How are you traveling to the port? If by air, do you have your airport transfers figured out? Be sure to check in online when you get your email. Make sure you have the RC mobile app b/c it will have your daily cruise planner right in the app w/ all the days' activities. Otherwise, it's little things like packing tips (as in definitely purchase the luggage tags linked above). Or knowing the only place to grab food when you board the ship is Windjammer & it will be packed... So many insider tips you learn from this blog - or from just cruising multiple times. Like the others said, just soak it in & enjoy.

It's not so much a comfort level as not wanting to do all the research myself. I've booked both independently and through RC before. What I'm asking about, specifically, is the "travel made personal" where you book independent tours via RC. For example, in Alaska, I booked a whale watching tour thru an independent company so that I could have a small, private tour. Whereas, the tours through RC have 50+ people on the boats. I was just curious if anyone had used the RC service to book those smaller, private tours. *Also, I've experienced a tour getting caught in traffic & being late getting back to the ship. In that scenario, we were in Rome. Fortunately, the tour was booked thru RC, so the ship waited for us. Otherwise, we'd have been on our own getting to the next port.

I'd rather have priority on disembarking. Another thread on here said people were lining up at 10:00 am for 12:30 disembarkation in Cabo san Lucas. The ship is only in port from 12:30 - 8:00, so waiting in line for 2 hours to get off the ship does not sound pleasant. Although, I know it seems the lines are generally the longest first thing and then closer to sail away times.

Oh awesome! We do have a tender port, and I had read the wait times could be up to 2 hours.

My husband and I booked our first suite for our upcoming cruise on Navigator next month. (Super excited ... it's our 20 year anniversary. We sailed in an interior stateroom on Deck 2 for our honeymoon, so we've definitely moved up a bit!) Anyway ... was curious what I should know about being in a suite. I've read various FAQs on Royal's site and I found a blog that describes the benefits on the older ships vs the newer, larger ships. I'm assuming no free wifi for the suites on Navigator?

We used Uber in Seattle & had no issue. Chihuly's is worth it if that's your sort of thing. Otherwise, I would pass. Ivar's on Pier 54 is delicious! https://www.ivars.com/acres

We did a cruise out of Bayonne for Christmas. It's a little strange having to pack for winter & summer ... Like the others said, the 1st day / day & a half are cold and you don't want to be outside, but then it warms up. We were in the Bahamas on Christmas Day in shorts & a t-shirt. Made me wish I could always have a tropical Christmas. I haven't done a NYE cruise, but I will say Royal knows how to celebrate the holidays. The Christmas cruise was tons of fun, so I can only imagine how fun a NYE sailing would be.

Has anyone ever used Royal's service to book private shore excursions? Curious if it's worth the price vs researching and booking my own tours outside of RC. I do kind of like that it's still a "RC" excursion, so if something came up & you're late getting back to the ship or you miss a port, you're still covered.

I agree. I have the same Chase Reserve card. I also have the Chase Ink card for business, so I can combine points. I'll move my Ink points to reserve b/c using them for travel gives you more bang for your buck. Yes, the $550 annual fee is steep, but then you get $300 in travel credits per year (that's from memory - it may be more). Plus, you get discounts on things like Lyft, DoorDash, etc.

Forgive me if this has been answered before, but I've done a search of the forums and haven't found it... We are sailing Navigator Aug 25 - Sept 1. The only non-stop flight available for our return flight out of LAX on Friday, Sept 1st is at 10:30 am. I'm curious of opinions for those of you who have sailed Navigator & flown out of LAX ... is this doable or crazy town? We generally carry our own luggage of the ship, so that's not an issue. I believe the ship docks at 7:00 am, so I know disembarkation won't start until at least 8:00 am. The 2 other factors that have me a little nervous is that it's the beginning of Labor Day weekend, and I have no idea what traffic is like between the cruise terminal and the airport.