Stephanie

We chartered a private taxi in Barbados.  Our driver took us on a private tour all over the island, stopped wherever we wanted.  It was fantastic b/c he was very knowledgeable about the island and it's history and we got fabulous pictures all over the island. 

We had the opportunity to upload our photos for Anthem during the online check-in process.  Definitely saved time in port.  I just checked in for Brilliance last week.  No option to upload photos, so definitely must be a feature on the newer ships.

Check with your credit card that you used to booked the cruise.  Lots of credit cards have trip insurance and/or medical evacuation built in as a feature, particularly cards that have an annual fee.  No sense in paying for something you might already have.

Hands down the best thing we have ever done on any of our vacations was the whale watching in Juneau with Harv & Marv's Outback Adventure.  Not through RCCL, but it was amazing.  The boats are smaller, so you get a more up close & personal tour.  We also ate at the Hanger in Juneau at the recommendation of our whale watching captain.  The food was excellent, and we had a great view of the ship & all the planes landing & taking off on the water while we ate.  Phenomenal experience all around in Juneau.

How was your experience?  We are going to Cozumel in March and I was looking to book this.  My hubby is not a beach guy.  Thought this might be interesting, as we've seen documentaries on it on the History Channel.  Is it worth the cost?  And did you book through Royal?

Our first cruise was on Royal for our honeymoon.  It was a brand new ship, but the crew was constantly cleaning & sprucing things up.  The ship was so nice, the staff so friendly, etc.  We loved everything about it.  We were docked next to a Carnival ship, and from our deck it looked so old & run down.  So, when my Mom & I decided to do a girls' trip, I didn't think twice.  I've never used another line and can't see any reason to.  Royal has never disappointed - even their older ships are so clean & well maintained.

(Also - is it bad when I see friends post cruise pics on FB and I'm zooming in to figure out what line they're on?  My sister-in-law was on Carnival and I was pretty snobby in my thoughts about their pool deck! )

We went in September.  The farthest north we went was Skagway, and it was overcast & chilly the day we were there.  Nothing a pair of jeans and a light wind jacket couldn't handle, though.  There was definitely no sunbathing on deck, though!  Lol

We have 2 cruises scheduled for next year, and I want to get new luggage before then.  You have all provided some really great information, esp in regards to the battery pack thing.  It definitely was not what drew me to the bag, as I do carry portable quick chargers with me.  I just thought it was a neat feature, but I'm glad to know the airlines' aversion to them.

@DocLC - thanks, too, for the coupon code!

I, too, am in desperate need of new luggage.  I had been looking at the Away bags.  Their bags fit inside each other for ease of storage, and they have chargers built into them.  They also seem reasonably priced.

I'm appreciative of the other information here.  Definitely need to do more research before making a decision...

We were on Anthem in May.  You could choose either restaurant each night.  There are 2 lines.  One for passengers with a "reservation time" and one for those without a time.  The lines for both were equally long, but we never waited more than 5-10 minutes to be seated.  To me, the only difference I noticed on Anthem with MTD versus on other ships was that they seat you at a different table w/ a different wait staff every night.  In some ways, we enjoyed that b/c we got to meet and chat with so many different people. The downside is that your wait staff doesn't remember your preferences, so it's starting over every night.  One night we even asked to be seated at the same table w/ the same staff as the prior evening, but the table was already taken.

Ha!  So, don't drink the local water and never rent a scooter.

Also, the ships have medical facilities on board that can handle most emergencies.  Did you know if someone dies on a cruise, they will keep the body in the "morgue" on board until the ship gets back to the main port?  Actually had a client die on a cruise once.  They were in Europe.

I eat an extremely clean diet and have a strict training program pretty much year-round.  I exercise on the ship simply b/c I would be grouchy otherwise.  I also love that there are so many healthy options in the Windjammer and in the MDR.  I indulge on the ship with wine and cocktails, and I tend to have dessert at dinner.  I bring protein shakes and bars for in between meals, so I'm not starving and so that I don't overindulge at meals.  As someone else mentioned, between walking around the ship, taking the stairs & shore excursions, there's plenty of ways to burn off those extra calories.

The main reason for me chiming in on this topic, though is this ... traveling in general tends to make one retain water, especially flying.  No matter how well you eat or don't eat, you will tend to gain 5-10 lbs of water weight.  (I can gain 7 lbs of water overnight if my sodium intake is too high in one day or if I have a couple of glasses of wine.)  Typically, the day we get home, my weight will be down or stable & then 2-3 days later that extra "weight" shows up on the scale.  It's not fat, it's water.  And, as soon as I get my diet & exercise back to normal, that water weight slides back off.

My best advice?  Just stay off the scale for about 2 weeks after you get home.  Otherwise, you get discouraged & give up on dieting altogether.  It's an unhealthy mental game.

Check with your credit card, too.  Some cards have built in insurance as a service.  It's generally on cards that have an annual fee associated.  I have the Chase preferred card and trip insurance is automatic if I use that card to book my travel.

We always go up to the top deck for sailing out of port.  I like to listen to the live band at the pool, but that's just my preference.  We stayed at the Sheraton in Weehawken.  It's about 30 minutes by car to the port, but the ferry to NYC is literally right outside the hotel's front door.  We used uber to get to the port, and I think it cost about $15.

We did the Harv & Marv's whale watching tour in Juneau.  HIGHLY recommend it!  It was by far the highlight of our trip.  The boats are much smaller and you get a more personalized experience.  Plus, the bus driver that takes you to the dock for whale watching gives you a nice driving tour of Juneau on the way to/from the dock.

I will say in Skagway, almost all of the tours available via the cruise line are also available for purchase (minus the cruise line's nominal fee) right in town.  Some are sold out, so it really depends on what you want to do.  My advice is do your research on TripAdvisor and decide what tours you want to take and book accordingly.

Some of our cruises have had sock hops or 70's parties, but generally the only people dressed in theme are the Activities Director's crew members. 

On ‎8‎/‎11‎/‎2017 at 6:12 PM, FManke said:

If the ship was a retail store, it would be decorated after Halloween! 

More like before Halloween!!  Anymore, it seems like the Christmas decorations are up after Labor Day...

We ate at Union Oyster House.  Very good food and a neat atmosphere.  The history of the restaurant if very cool, too.

If you do a search in the forums, there are some posts by others who have taken these cruises.  In those posts, I found recommendations for "Can't Be Missed Tours" and "Rome Private Guides".  If you google search those tour companies, you will find their websites.

As to La Spezia, I'm told it's well worth your time & money to take the bus to Florence and Pisa.  The tour companies that are in Rome also operate out of La Spezia.

That was our experience on Anthem as well.  The excursion help desk person simply showed us how to operate the ipad.  To play devil's advocate, the shore excursions are 3rd party contractors that RCCL has contracted to provide the excursions.  So, I kinda get that it's difficult for the crew to know much about the excursion itself aside from how to book it and where you meet on shore.

I'm sorry you had this experience.  We did this cruise in September of last year.  We knew the weather would be questionable & packed for cool & rainy weather in Alaska.  We really lucked out b/c the weather was fabulous (though not "warm").  We saw lots of wildlife, especially in Juneau.  Our only rainy day was in Skagway, where it was really just overcast & drizzly in the morning.  Of course, while the pools were open, no one was using them.  It was too cool for even the kids to swim.  However, we knew this going into it and specifically booked during the later part of the tourist season.

We also had a good experience with uber in Seattle.  Granted, we flew in a day early and used uber from our hotel to the port.

I totally agree with you on the sea days.  Our next Alaska cruise will be a one way trip w/ a land tour added on.

The best experience ever was on our cruise to Alaska.  I, too, had poured over Trip Advisor and other forums.  We wanted to go whale watching in Juneau.   I found amazing reviews for Harv & Marv's Outback Alaska.  The reviews did not disappoint.  We had a private boat for our group of 6.  Harv & Marv's picked us up at the port (along with 2 other groups).  The bus driver gave us a mini-tour through Juneau, providing some history and pointing out significant buildings and sites.  Our captain (Captain Liz) was fantastic!  Her love of whales came through - she was just as excited as we were to spot both humpbacks and orcas.  And, she was extremely knowledgeable.  We got a great lesson on Alaska and the whales.  She took us by the Mendenhall glacier for photo ops on the way back to shore.  (Oh, and her boat had free drinks and snacks.  Was heated and had a bathroom.  Very, very nice whale watching boat.)

Our bus driver continued our sightseeing tour on the way back into Juneau, and he also stopped for a brief photo op at the glacier.  He dropped some people in town who wanted to shop and others, he took all the way back to the ship.

For dinner, my husband & I went to The Hangar in Juneau, recommended by Captain Liz, for fresh seafood.  The service wasn't spectacular, but the food was very good.  The views were the best part of the restaurant, though.  It's called "The Hangar" because it overlooks the dock where the planes come in for water landings / take-offs.  We watched plane after plane come in, drop tourists & take off.  Spectacular!

If you're ever going to Juneau, I cannot recommend Harv & Marv's enough. Check out their facebook page, too.  Amazing photos of the whales!  It was not only the highlight of that cruise, but of every vacation we've ever taken.

Also, I believe the gym is 16 & up.  The fitness centers are extremely nice - at least on all the ships I have been on.  And, there's a running track on the top full deck.  They have a sign that will tell you how many laps per mile & km.  The only downside is dodging other cruisers who are just strolling on deck. 

@JLMoran:  thanks for the tips on max bets.   I too, have learned the "trick" with the quests.  I loathe the 7 Kingdoms game, so when that comes up, I do as you say - play another game until I'm *almost* at the loyalty points number & then switch over to that game. 

I've also started playing the other games - Kanomi slots & the Pop Slots (which is only available on mobile) b/c your rewards points accumulate across all games.

However, I feel like I've definitely been playing wrong as I'm at level 76 with only 40k rewards points.

And, I'm sure you all know if you follow the facebook page for MyVegas, you can get 15,000 free chips per day.  Pop Slots also has a FB page & their daily chips are much higher - 400k, I think?

From what I can tell (and I'm fairly new to the game), but you build loyalty points based on your spins, not on your wins.  The more you bet, the faster you accumulate rewards coins.  Obviously, though, by default, that means you have to keep winning to keep spinning ... unless you are paying for coins, which I do not do.  Also, as you advance in "levels", the number of rewards coins you win are larger.  I think I used to get around 30 coins each time I collected based on spins, and now it's 95.  You also earn rewards coins when you complete challenges or "journeys" on the strip.

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.  As I said, I'm fairly new and would love any tips & tricks if anyone has them to share. :-)