Bob_KY

Great post!  Only 8 months, 6 days and 11 hours for Harmony OTS for me. 

+3..  no worries.

Hi Dee.  I have been on the Radiance twice (Hawaii & Alaska) without children.  She is an older ship and I would not hesitate to book her again.  Admittedly,  most of our time was off ship because of the itineraries.  Envious - we loved Alaska and consider it our favorite cruise.

In February, we stayed at JW Marriott  Marquis and loved it.  We enjoyed walking the area and ate at Farfalle Italian Restaurant.  Lobster Ravioli and the best Tiramisu ever.  

13 hours ago, GlennGlenn said:

How much did you have to bid to get a GS over a JS. I am thinking it's all plusgrade algorithms and you had the highest.  Ours was spring break and there wasn't a single upgrade to be had, regardless of bid. 

I was motivated to get the upgrade.  My approach; I did a ghost booking to find out GS price on the same ship and time of year.  I considered what I paid for the Ultimate Dining and Voom Packages.  I knew if I got the upgrade I would cancel both.  Armed with that, it was a question of how much I wanted it, but not a full price. 

@Justice. Agree.  I bid on a GS and won.  I was notified on February 15 with a set sail date of February 24, 2019.  Moving from a JS was great.  

Jersey Boys.....  

8 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

This is the same itinerary and ship for the Oct 2020 Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!

Being from Louisville, Ky, --- lobster, lobster, lobster was my mantra with the B52s' as background music during our cruise.  

What are we up to?  #151 for Michelle..

We did an October 7day  cruise on the Brilliance OTS.  We wanted to see the trees changing color.  Started in Boston stopping at Halifax, Saint John, Bar Harbor and Portland.  Beautiful...

Are floating beach mats provided when renting the Chill Island Cabanas?  (Like Labadee)

Jack and Ginger... plentiful.. 

do not know about diet.

Wow.  January is our Perfect Day @ Cococay! Great posts!

Simple for us.  Move from Sea to Sky Class at a great price. Vroom and Ultimate Dining Package cancellations paid for most of it and the CK was great.

Does anyone know if Ovation will be able to rotate like the Radiance did at Hubbard's Glacier?

29 minutes ago, Psycho and Barb said:

Sure it was called by Royal the 13 night Grand Mountain Marvels Cruisetour 7A (Post Tour)

In 2014, we did a Royal 5 day cruise tour originating out of Anchorage- Talkeetna,  Denali,  Alyeska and Seward.  I was stationed at Fort Richardson for a couple of years in 1996 - so I was familiar with the area.  You cannot go wrong.  Sitting out on the Talkeetna Lodge patio. with Denali in full sight - Awesome!  We also met/petted the Mayor. 

@SpeedNoodles provided great advice. 

Are you going to link the cruise to a land tour?  That may change the date to June - July timeframes.  We enjoyed Anchorage as our pre-cruise city.  

We will be on the HOS in a Grand Suite January 2020.  We are traveling with another couple (Diamond Level) and will purchase Ultimate Dining Packages.  Question.  Is it okay to have the Concierge make dinner arrangements for a table of 4 (Not for the CK).   Thanks in advance.

For my January 2020 HOS cruise, I paid $499 for a Chill Island Cabana.  Not sure I want to shop around and miss availability for $50.  

Taking DocLC's advice.  I view my account on my interactive TV program and thinking ultimate "drunk" package next time. 

25 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

We did this one wayyyyy back in 1999!

2014 for us.  

14 minutes ago, Sweety said:

Whale watching tour are always great. My six year old nephew wants to go back just for whales.

+1.  We did our whale watching excursion out of Icy Strait Point (we did see a whale).  However, the most impressive whale sighting was from the Champagne Bar Window on the ship, a couple of breaches.  So, when on the Radiance,  try to always sit by a window.

We did Bike and Brew in Juneau.  Loved it and would do it again.  Afterwards we went to Red Dog Saloon for late lunch and drinks.  FYI -Don't forget Mosquito repellent.  

On the Harmony OTS  in January 2020 and have already reserved a "Chill Island Cabana" through the cruise planner -- excited for our Cococay stop.  BTW, I was surprised that I could do that so early.  

Assuming Oasis Class Ship you have booked.

I have recently benefited from a RoyalUp - JS Guaranteed  to a GS on the Allure.  I looked at all JS and GS locations and would be happy with any of them.  Generally, the JS primary benefits are double cruise points and more space. 

But the RoyalUp from a Balcony to JS benefit is only space (Sea Class Perks:  Dinner at Coastal Kitchen*, Royal Caribbean Classic Bathrobes for Use Onboard, Luxury Pillow Top Mattress, and Luxury Bathroom Amenities by L’Occitane).  Big question for you,  What is the extra space worth to you?  I enjoy the extra space and would put a bid in, minimum or a bit higher.  

No matter, you are cruising and life is good.