Atlantix2000

The mini-fridge is good for keeping pop/wine/snacks/etc cool. If you have a need to keep something at a regulated temperature (medicine, milk, etc) you need to fill out a special needs request.

Fire hazards on ships are serious business. Being surrounded by water doesn't mean the ship can't burn and sink. You also can't bring a surge protector on board because it creates a fire hazard. Electrical grounding works different on a ship so surge protectors can do WAY more harm than good. Perhaps you should rethink your formal outfits. There's plenty of good looking clothes that don't need to be ironed.

I think it would be very hard to find a commercially available fan that isn't certified (mostly UL in the USA, CE in Europe, etc). As long as you bought it from a store or reputable website, you're almost certainly getting something that will be allowed onboard.

You'll just need to get an extra room key for the parent's room for your friend. Guest services will take care of it on board.

There's plenty of taxis to paradise island but you might also check with them about catching a ferry to/from the port itself. You'll almost certainly be riding the same ferry boat that picks up Royal's excursion right at the port. I'm sure you booked something cheaper than Royal's excursion, but will it still be cheaper if you have to pay for 2 taxi rides?

While your itinerary does list local times for arrival/departure, be aware that the official time onboard the ship may or may not change time zones to match the local time. That decision is up to the captain's discretion. Ship's time is all that matters so be sure your watch/clock/phone is set appropriately or you understand how it differs from ship's time. The daily schedule (Cruise Compass) will show all activities (including the all aboard time) in ship's time.

Kids under 13 aren't allowed to use communication apps? That's probably news to most kids under 13. They are probably also the best people to ask how to get around any such rules.

A 4 device package will allow any 4 devices to be online at the same time. There is no limit on the number of different devices that can be connected over the course of the cruise, just a maximum of 4 at a time. Once you setup your VOOM account at the start of the cruise, you can give the username/password to random people on the ship if you want. When a 5th device attempts to connect, it will either automatically knock 1 of the current 4 devices offline or the user will get an error and one of the other devices will have to log off first. I've heard reports both ways. (Maybe it depends on the ship?). Depending on how often you want to be online, a family of 4 can actually share a 1 device package.

Only reaching Pinnacle (the highest level) is recognized while on board. All others are recognized on your next cruise because points only post a few days after you return. The only exception is if you are on a back to back (B2B) cruise. If you reach a new level during the first cruise of your B2B, you can talk to the Loyalty Ambassador on board to receive your new status and perks for the second cruise of your B2B.

On formal night (and any other night) you can wear whatever you want. Some ships MAY enforce a no shorts policy (on any night). It is extremely rare that anyone will be denied entry for any other reason. People on the internet are far more preoccupied with what others wear than you'll encounter in real life. The ship's staff has no interest in a confrontation with the guests that pay their salaries/tips over something as silly as a t-shirt in the dining room on formal night.

I looked at one of the dates for 3 ships and all 3 itineraries for sale on Royal's website say port schedule may vary by itinerary (which seems to mean week to week). I went through the booking process pretty far but couldn't find anything that shows the actual port schedule for a specific week. Are excursions available to book on any/all of these cruises as a way to confirm the dates?

What do you mean by open? Open for booking? Open such that others can see in from above/sides? Something else?

I can agree with this and can even understand why the parents initially wanted to sue. However, once they move past that rage phase, at some point they have to look at the reality of the situation. (I started to write "look at the evidence" but I'm not sure I could actually watch video of my child's death. But by now, someone must have told them what the video shows.) They must be hoping for a sympathetic jury so they don't have to accept the grandfather's guilt.

Honestly, you'll get better advice asking here than calling. Whoever you talk to may have never stepped foot on a ship or in a port before. They will simply read whatever information is presented on their screen. The customer support people rarely have any idea that there are differences between the ships or the ports.

It is definitely possible but it also isn't necessary. Even if you do the upload, they may take a new photo when you get there anyway. Sorry, I haven't done it personally so cannot provide any guidance on the process.

I've never heard of a "clothes optional" area on any Royal ship. I've heard you MAY find a topless area on an upper deck but only if you're sailing in Europe.

Are you sure that isn't an Iglu Cruise rule? And that they aren't simply following the outdated information still present on Royal's website as pointed out above? Also (and I'm probably being the grammar police on this one) do you really mean "you HAVE to pay the gratuities up front at the time of booking" or do you mean they have to be added to your bill at time of booking? The only thing you should HAVE to pay at booking is the deposit.

I haven't done a chartered cruise, but I've picked up a couple bits of info from various spots on the web. My understanding is that a charter cruise may or may not earn you points and may or may not recognize your existing loyalty benefits. It is up to the organization that charters the ship to decide whether to pay extra for Crown and Anchor benefits (they aren't included by default on a charter). For a full ship charter, I think that's the only difference. For a partial ship charter, the organization would also have to pay extra to close venues for private events. These costs would not be shown separately, they would just be part of the cost of your cruise. Therefore, it would not always be obvious if the charter won't have C&A benefits. You'd have to ask the organizer.

Keep checking your cruise planner every day to see if it is available again (because someone else canceled theirs). Or try calling Royal. Their website is known for glitches so it might actually be available if you talk to someone in person.

Now I'm curious which ship you were on! I thought the only JS without walk in closets were Majesty and Empress because all the cabins are smaller and on those ships the JS is basically what every other ship calls a balcony.

I feel like I heard the claim you had to prepay gratuities with MTD a couple years ago and it turned out to be out of date marketing that had somehow resurfaced. Considering Royal's IT incompetence, perhaps the same old information has been republished somewhere yet again? It would be very easy to then also confuse "have to prepay" with "cannot remove".

Royal mostly markets themselves to families. If you are looking for a Royal cruise that will have less children, you'll want to book during the school year (and away from holidays where parents might take their kids out a week before or after). Also, think about which itineraries are less kid friendly. In my opinion, families are much more likely to take their kids on cruises to the Caribbean due to the beaches and water park at Coco Cay. Cruises to Alaska, Norwegian Fjords, Canada, and maybe some of the European itineraries will probably have fewer children since those are more about sight-seeing/historical locations.

Do you have any proof that a majority of those booked on Dubai cruises are canceling? Even though most of the posts here say they are canceling or considering it, that may not reflect the current situation. That said, with Royal already having no cruises booked past March 2020, I tend to agree they don't see Dubai as profitable or safe (or some combination) enough to continue so I wouldn't be surprised to see them pull out even sooner. As others have said though, it's financially better to wait for the cruise line to make the decision to cancel.

Out of curiosity, where did you get those Passenger to Space numbers?

To be fair, those are automated payment reminders. Why would they stop sending those if they have no current plans to alter the itinerary?