Atlantix2000

I wouldn't think linking has anything to do with the amount of OBC. What would matter is when the various reservations were made (in other words, what promos were in effect at that time). If you all booked at the same time and in the same category of stateroom, then I would think the difference is strange. But if everyone did their own reservations and you linked them up later to dine together, then I would assume they booked a different deal than you did. Kind of like how the person next to you on an airplane could have paid a wildly different price.

You do realize you will be on security cameras at almost all times when you are out of your stateroom?

Dumb question time. What is the point of an arcade balance if they just charge the room when it runs out? How is that different than never having an arcade balance?

Your husband will be promoted to your Diamond level if you call C&A and tell them you're in a relationship!

Hmm, I may be confusing the Disney Cruise Line app with Royal's. I've been researching Disney for a future cruise.

The app while at home is not the same as the app while on the ship. As I understand it, once on the ship, anyone can use the app simply by entering their name and room number with no age restriction. There's probably some youtube videos to view how it behaves differently.

Generally speaking, the shows are timed to be compatible with early and late traditional dining. So if you have late traditional dining, you go to the early show (and vice-versa). Ice skating typically happens outside of dinner hours. Adult game shows will be after the late shows so also outside dinner hours.

There will be plenty of people in non-dress shorts. The only hard rule is no swimsuits.

If it changes one single outlet to one single outlet, then yes it should be allowed. (On this topic, I'm never going to state anything with 100% confidence!) Where people have issues is when their devices create more power outlets. The port employees don't care about the difference between multi-outlet adapters, power strips, surge protectors, etc. It's just easier to say more than one outlet = no.

There's two kinds of adapters for euro plugs: 1) the type that just changes the shape of the outlet - this one is potentially dangerous for your equipment because the output is still 240V which will fry anything designed only for 120V. 2) the type that changes the shape AND the voltage of the outlet - this is the type you want since the output is now 120V.

Also consider that if you are buying insurance now, it may not apply to a cruise you have previously purchased. This would fall in the same category as "Oops, I have to cancel my cruise, so I better go buy an insurance policy, so I can get all my money back." The fact that you are already aware that your cruise could be skipping Labadee makes it too late to get insurance to cover that possibility.

There's a nice museum on the island with bathrooms, running water, air conditioning, etc. I wouldn't say there's nothing on the island. Take a look at Google Maps, etc.

As I understand it, the refundable deposit option is the very last step before booking the cruise. In other words, you've already entered all passenger information and are ready to put down your deposit and somewhere on that page, you can choose to pay a bit more to make the cruise refundable. Note this option is not available for suites (and I don't remember if junior suites count for this). It's probably easy to miss in the excitement of finalizing the booking and I believe that is intentional.

You have to scroll all the way to the bottom where you'll find a group of 5 giant links. The first is deck plans.

You're forgetting my time machine! Oh OK, you got me, I did NOT think that through all the way.

I actually disagree with this point. For me, a 4 night weekday cruise means I can take a week vacation (M-F) and still have most of both weekends for yardwork, housework, and don't have to rush to pack/unpack. If the cruise is M-Th, I can fly in a day early on Sunday (cheaper than F/Sat) and fly home later Thursday (also cheaper than Friday) and I can mow my lawn both weekends. For a 7 day cruise, I'm definitely losing a full weekend (no matter what day it embarks) and going straight from work to travel and/or vice-versa. Now I may be in the minority on this, but I like having time at home between work and vacation.

With the exception of Izumi Hibachi, you should be able to get into all the restaurants you want. What you may not get is the exact day and time you want for each restaurant. If you feel strongly that eating outside of your preferred dinner hours would be a less enjoyable cruise, then the UDP may not be for you. If you are flexible, then you save money. The only recommendation I have is that if you keep the UDP, spend time right after you board taking care of all your reservations for the week.

Did the cruise planner just open for your cruise or have reservations been open awhile? Desirable dinner times do tend to get reserved quickly (just like land restaurants). You could find your cruise group (here or various other sites) and ask what others have seen.

When you move up from Gold, yes you are eligible for discounts, but it's unlikely you will save any money on the cruises you have already booked. In order to apply your new platinum discount, they would have to reprice the booking at the current rate and then apply your discount. It's much more likely those cruises have increased by more than $100 since you booked them. Sorry to say, but you will probably have to be happy with the extra on-board benefits of platinum.

Honestly, even the bar code (in any form) is just a shortcut. You don't have to do any form of check-in. You can ignore the app. All you have to do is show up at the terminal with the proper identification. Yes, it will take longer look you up and get you on board than if they could scan a bar code. And yes there's a risk your identification is somehow unacceptable which might have been caught if you did check-in. But there's definitely still some old school travelers that have no interest in technology.

Youtube is full of room tour videos and Google image search will find plenty of options. Just type in the ship name and various room numbers until you find what you need.

Good lord, I would need a calculator next to me if I were running that table!

Just go to Royal's website, and search for your cruise as if you were going to book it. When you click "view itinerary" it will show the ports, what hours you are in port, and if it is tendered. I just tried this by searching for all transpacific cruises and testing a few. The info is there.

You are probably booked under UK/European rules then (not sure if those are same/different) which are more restrictive due to better consumer protections laws. That's good for you in some ways but bad in others. I think lack of repricing is one of the bad side effects but I'm not certain.

One other consideration, once you book in a foreign currency/site, will that effect your choices in cruise planner for excursions/dining/etc? Those may also need to be purchased in the foreign currency with different rules for repricing/cancellation. Does Royal run the same type of cruise planner sales in other countries? If those currencies fluctuate, will the excursions change prices in a way that negates the savings on the cruise itself? Lots of fun questions!