Bob_KY

If you are taking wine in your checked bags, recommend a bottle bag.

Helicopter excursion in Kauai, awesome and it was right after a light rain - hundreds of beautiful waterfalls.  Must eat at Sam's Ocean View Restaurant- live music, good food, and the view - postcard type.

I think Matt nailed it.  Ovation looks great and round trip from Seattle & junior suite are big benefits.    We did the South bound Radiance with a land tour at the beginning (July).  This maximized the experience.  When I do it again, I would book a similar itinerary. 

Stealing your joy...   jealous and makes them feel better.

7 hours ago, fonemanbob said:

We are 23 days away from  sailing on Anthem and we don`t have time to barely think about the cruise.  We are putting our house on the market this Thursday  and have been working on the house everyday and then some.  We are SOOOOOOOOOOO looking forward  to this cruise.   Wife now fears a quick sale which we dearly want,  but that means when we get back from the cruise we will  have less than two weeks to pack.    Oh yes and by the way we will be at future cruise desk for sure.  And enjoying libations. 

Wow. Intense.  Good luck and hopefully the cruise will be your ultimate pressure release valve.

I am 134 days out for my next cruise (169 days since Allure cruise) and we've started the "cruise fever."

 Flights- done.  Hotel before cruise- done.  Royal gifts for family for their stateroom- done.  Excursion- done.  Waiting on entertainment to be posted.  Then spreadsheet time.  ?

On 8/19/2019 at 2:53 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Steph, Dan and I will be on the following week (1 Dec) and I do believe that there is a not-to-be-mentioned BOT on that same cruise with us.  When I booked this cruise I had absolutely no idea that it was the second cruise after dry dock.  I think if I were you and had the very FIRST cruise after dry dock I would be a bit nervous.  LOL

We are doing a S2S for this one.  Brilliance out of Tampa from Nov 25 - 30 (for Thanksgiving).  Then the next day we board Oasis (1-8 December).  We'll be Star Class on Oasis so I'm not EVEN going to try and figure out dining options at this point. That will be a job for the Genie !   I am certainly not holding my breath that they are going to replace Cats.  It's far too late for that at this point unless they've been holding that intel in TOP SECRET and nothing has leaked out yet....highly, highly unlikely.  I believe there is a complication with the license agreement and Royal was forced to hold it over...at least that's what I have read.

This was a casino comp for us too.  I upgraded to SC back before they changed the "rules" and upgrading became not-so-awesome.

Anyway, I'm glad you will be on ahead of us.  You can let us know what is finished and what they're still working on !!

Is your next Oasis cruise your Grand Panoramic Suite?  Anxious to hear your opinion.  -Bob

For hubby.  I am a fan of light weight convertible pants.  Can make them shorts in a few seconds.

This blog has a Cruise Compass section that allows you to sort by ship.  For Symphony -Western , it was the third one down.

11 minutes ago, dodgestang said:

Genie will bring you one every morning at your cabin door if you ask for it.

This is a keeper to remember - writing it down.. 558 days to go....

I used to be a DIY cruise planner before MEI.  I recall that not being the "primary" meant the cruise payment option was not associated with my log in.  May have changed...  ???

BTW welcome to the boards.

2 s for Michelle..  

We always get a case of water.  Totally agree with BTE.  And if I need an energy drink, I add mio energy.  

9 minutes ago, BTE said:

True but if your sitting around the pool or just lounging around on sea days it's well worth having in my opinion

Ref.  Escape Room.  Agree with AshleyDillo.  We want to book it also.  Always depends on ship, but it appears it may become visible in "activities" about 45 days out.  Also, it sells out really quick.

Interested in doing an Escape Room?

We always have at least one cruise and most of the time 2 on the horizon.  We finished a cruise in February 2019 with our next cruise January 2020 on the Harmony (Oasis in 2021).  

I took about a 45 day  "vacation " from cruise planning/day dreaming.   Part of the reason is having a MEI TA - no worries about analyzing RC deals and whether or not it is a better bargain.  I wondered if there were others that took a break.

I gradually start thinking about any lessons learned from last cruise and new experiences to plan for next cruise.  Cococay hooked me early and with greater interest.  I went for a Chill Island Cabana immediately and followed all the reviews.  

Does everyone take a cruise vacation planning break after a cruise?  If so, how long?  Is there a trigger?  Is time based?  Is it a stress reliever?  Is it a new experience (people, ship, itinerary)?  Tracking sales/deals?

With a grand suite, we down graded from the UDP to a 3 Specialty Dining package because of the Coastal Kitchen. And we did not go to the WJ at all.

2 hours ago, RG306 said:

I really like the JW Marriott Marquis. We’re staying there again in November. The Intercontinental and the kimpton Epic are also very good. 

+1 for JW Marriott Marquis (used reward points, but it can be expensive).  Farfalle - Fine Italian Restaurant is within walking distance.  BEST TIRAMISU I have ever had.  

Awesome review!  So looking forward to Chill Island!  Countdown_2_Cococay

Envious.  Even after living in Alaska for 3 yrs, this is my favorite RC cruise.  In summer, Fairbanks is actually warmer than Anchorage .  So Denali being warm is true.    Viewing Hubbard's Glacier was very cold when we were there on 4 July a couple of years ago.  Get to a good spot for viewing before the Radiance comes in view of Hubbards Glacier.  It gets very crowded. The Captain typically rotates the ship, so either side is fine. 

Mosquitoes.. mosquitoes... the worse time is mid June thru July.  We went to the top of Alyeska,  Seven Glaciers Restaurant, and we still got swarmed.  But as Baked Alaska said, bug spray is key.  While on the Radiance,  no worries.  Be prepared to wear sunglasses at "night." 

Welcome to the Boards!  Yes, prices do fluctuate.   But, it does not hurt to buy and if a sale comes along (say 4th of July), just cancel your order and then reorder at the lower price. 

I purchased the chill island cabana early what looks like a great deal.  However, now it looks extremely crowded -- was it?  So what amenities were included for your cabana?

38 minutes ago, RTripp said:

Hi no, sorry. Wish I did, we just did not have enough time and I concentrated on the Chill Island Cabana since I could get NOTHING from RC on pictures, sizes anything about the Chill Island Cabana I paid a HUGE amount for, only to discover that RC miss-represented what was supposed to be included. Within the week when I got back(June 17th on CocoCay), I read that the Clamshell loungers were moved since they are where #29 on the map SouthBeach is. What I've read (...did NOT happen to me) is that RC MIGHT try to lower the price, to get you to go for it & then NOT let you re-purchase.. so careful. If your price lowers, get CS to re-purchase for you so you dont loose the one you got? 

I liked following this post, but is there anyone else that feels this needs a new start?

If there was a MVP Blog section (MOST VALUABLE POSTER), this would be in the hall of fame.  

My wife hit 2,000 credits on the ... penny slots.    true....