Atlantix2000

Wasn't there a recent long thread about the presidential suite on Liberty being converted to 4 junior suites and the people that had it booked having all sorts of trouble because they started selling those rooms out from under them?

My understanding is the balcony rooms alternate. So if cabin X is bed by bath then both adjacent rooms would be bed by balcony. (So long as they are still balcony rooms. If they are Junior Suites or something else, the pattern will be broken.

Your transportation is included in your excursion. Your gathering point will be a venue on the ship, an area on the pier where the ship docks, or an area in the port where the pier meets the shore. Your tickets (which will be delivered to your room before boarding or later the first day) will tell you where to go. In all cases, there will be someone from the excursion holding up a sign with the name/number of the excursion. You will check in with them and they will mark you down on their clipboard. Once everyone has checked in, this guide will escort you to your transportation. For catamarans to another island, it is usually just a short walk to a different pier. (I should add, I did the dolphin experience at Blue Lagoon a couple years ago.)

WAAYTOOO's answer is great. I'll also add this...the Cruise Planner isn't smart enough to realize you've booked the UDP so the parts advertising dining or showing you how to book dining reservations are still there. It's just what everyone sees. You can safely ignore it. There's no reason to do anything else once you've booked the UDP.

I feel like I must be missing something in the description. Wouldn't you just slide the doors to the other side to access the hanging stuff? Yeah you can only access one side at a time but that's kind of standard for sliding doors, isn't it?

I would be very surprised if there is a way to redeem the points while on board. Do some searches here and I think you'll find posts where people have described redeeming their points and it takes a few days. I would strongly recommend following the advice in the above posts to redeem for on board credit now and use it to pay for those packages before your cruise while they are cheaper.

Not booking before the cruise is certainly acceptable. In fact, everyone with a dining package has to wait until on board to book their reservations so there will be plenty of times at all restaurants available at the START of the cruise. If you wait until day 5 of a 7 day cruise, to decide to you to try specialty dining, you're probably going to need to be flexible on time or location or both.

I would say this is the fundamental point where we disagree. There's simply no need to accommodate the shrinking "I want everyone dressed up" crowd. There are literally other cruise lines (including multiple lines owned by Royal) that cater to this crowd.

There is always a "sale" going on. Even if the next "sale" sounds different, the actual price may or may not change. Most "sales" refer to the effect on the first two guests, more passengers in the same room, makes things a bit more unpredictable but in general guests 3 and up are cheaper than guests 1 & 2. So for example, "30% off", "60% off the second guest", and "buy one, get the second for 50% off" are all the same or almost the same "sale" but they also constantly update the base price depending on how well a cruise is selling so the price might go up or down on a weekly or daily basis. The only advice anyone can give you is to book when you see a price you like. Then, check back every so often and see if your room type on your cruise date is currently more or less expensive. If cheaper, call and rebook.

@Ray, I was trying to describe the generic gratuity/service fee situation in other parts of the world vs the US. I see referring to the poster's trip confused that point. What I meant is that prices elsewhere are "all in", no extras needed but the US insists on making things complicated. Let's say the fair price for a certain hotel room is $100. Most parts of the world, you'd get a bill for $100. In the US, you'd get a $70 room charge + $10 state tax + $10 resort fee + $5 city tax = $95. But then, that US hotel doesn't pay its workers properly so you should really also leave a $5 tip for the maid. In the end, either way your total cost is $100 for the room and service. I know I'd prefer the first method though.

First, please understand the difference between tipping and the gratuities. Gratuities are a service fee that will be charged per person per day to your account. You may or may not have paid these in advance depending on how you booked your trip. The gratuities cover the basics like housekeeping, waiters in the main dining room, etc. In the UK, Europe, Japan, etc, these fees would absolutely be included in the total cost of your trip. In the US, they are a separate line item but should still be considered part of the total cost. Tipping while on a cruise would be paying anything more than the standard gratuities, typically as cash directly to someone that went above and beyond to make your trip special. Tipping is definitely not required though you will probably feel some pressure to give because it is part of US culture. Tipping in general in the US is basically necessary in certain places, specifically restaurants. Waiters are paid below minimum wage and rely on tips to make a decent salary. It is certainly controversial and many would love to see it changed. However, until it does, failing to tip a waiter in a US restaurant pretty much means the waiter pays for part of your meal because they have to share a certain amount of their tips with the bartender, cook, and bus boys.

You can try the same remedies recommended for feeling dizzy at sea...dramamine, bonine, green apples, ginger, etc. They are guaranteed to work just as well on land as at sea. (By which I mean, they may or may not work for you but they do for some people.)

People in shorts and t shirts paid just as much for that MDR meal as you did. Possibly much more if they are staying in a suite and you aren't. If their attire ruins your dinner, that's your problem.

You can try on board but remember others will also be trying to change (or even make) reservations so the best time is as early as you can. I don't think it matters what floor of the MDR you visit. As long as there is someone stationed at the entrance, they should be able to help you.

You may also need a notarized letter from the father unless terms of the divorce mean he has given up certain parental rights and his permission isn't needed for travel out of the country. And in that case, you may need to bring proof of that.

I'd say the biggest reason people would be discouraged from contacting you is the high probability of getting scammed by someone whose first post is trying to sell something. I won't say WAAAYTOOO has never been wrong, but I put way more faith in their answers because they are an established contributor to this forum.

Or, you could rebook directly with the tour company that would have taken you. You can still choose the excursion, just not through Royal.

I can answer this one. By purchasing the package you have to wait until you are on board to make your reservations. As long as you make all your reservations on the first day you should be able to dine where and when you want. If you wait until later in the cruise to make your reservations, you will have to be flexible as times and locations do fill up. To absolutely guarantee dining at a specific restaurant at a specific time, you have to pay full price. That's the trade off for the cheaper price of the package.

I expect this is the direction they will go. The tour operators aren't going to shut down, we will just have to book with them directly so Royal can say they have nothing to do with it.

I would advise seeking out the on-board wedding coordinator to confirm your plans as soon as possible after you board the ship. My sister-in-law attended a cruise wedding where most of the information didn't get transferred from the shore to the ship. Venues for the service and reception weren't actually reserved and she basically said anything that could go wrong, did. The on-board coordinator did her best but was essentially working without plans. I highly doubt this will happen to you, but it never hurts to double check! (Also, I don't think this was on Royal but I'm not positive.)

You know you don't have to wear a coat and tie to the MDR either, right? Formal nights are only as formal as you make them. There will still be people in shorts and t-shirts in the MDR.

I really enjoyed the Bottomless Galley Brunch on Adventure of the Seas but I've never even been in a restaurant kitchen before so I saw lots of stuff that was new to me. (That bread machine shown above was seriously cool.) The brunch is a plated meal with selections ranging from eggs benedict to steak. It's a slight step up from MDR food mostly because the MDR is pretty idle at the time so the cooks aren't in the middle of preparing hundreds of meals. But it's not the same as specialty dining. Yes, the Bottomless part of the name only refers to the champagne and mimosas and no they won't be constantly topping up your glass unless you actually ask. Overall, it was worth doing once (maybe once per class of ship) but it's not something I would really seek out on future cruises.

Of course, the "Take your passport with you" crowd will point out that if you miss the ship (you get sick, injured, lose track of time, whatever), you will need a passport to get on a flight to the next port or home. The ship's crew will attempt to deliver your passport to the port before they leave but if they can't find it, they'll still be leaving. Then, you may need to visit your country's embassy/consul to obtain a new passport before you can continue your travels. Fun fact, not every port has an embassy from every country which means another side trip just to do that. (And if the closest embassy is on a different island...well, you've got an interesting situation!)

Downtown is used while visiting San Juan Pan Am is used for embarking/debarking.

When we sailed Adventure of the Seas out of San Juan, they did one muster around 4 or 4:30PM for the early arrivals and one around 7:30 or 8 for the late arrivals. You only have to attend one.