Skid

To add to this from living at a tender port. Thursday was smooth as ice in the morning (around 9am). Waves were so very calm and perfect conditions. However, by 5:30pm when I walked up to the waterfront waves were extremely choppy and I saw a boat struggling never mind trying to get a bunch of people on/off safely. Wave runners were finding it troublesome to try and get back to shore (probably got stuck out there before the weather came in). It wasn't extremely breezy maybe a little but nothing more than normal. By the next morning, it was perfectly fine. So I agree wind is not always the thing to consider. They have ways to tell if there will be trouble coming that we may be unaware of. 

Sorry I did not think to document that info that day. In retrospect, it would have been helpful to others like you. Anyway, I can tell you that it wasn't very windy in the air but I could tell by looking at the water that it probably wasn't going to happen. The water was not smooth, but not bad enough that you saw the white caps either. Somewhere in between that. From what I understand, it has to be pretty ideal, all day, for tendering.
Like @twangster said, I'm sure many factors are considered. I can tell you they tried that day. We were in our room the whole time but I could hear them trying to drop anchor and manoeuvre for over 1/2 hour before the Captain came on with the announcement.
One tip here...if by some unfortunate luck you end up missing it, make sure to check you account for the refund in port charges. We got ours within a few hours but in talking to others, some were not refunded at all. 

Proverbial "It depends". 
Wind speed isn't the only factor and wind speed doesn't always dictate all aspects of wave conditions.  The Captain has to consider the weather over the whole day.  Off-loading several thousand guests and then having conditions worsen during the day so that several thousand people are now stranded on the island is a worst case scenario. 
Wave pitch plays a significant factor - the distance between the peaks.  Slow rollers tend to cause more motion in large ships even with low wave height compared to waves that are very close to each other.  Wave pitch can be influenced from water current and direction relative to wind speed and wind direction. 
They do this week after week and they know what is safe and what probably won't be as they review conditions and forecast nearing arrival.  If they make the call to abort it really is for all the right reasons but sometimes they don't know until they are approaching the island.  Predicting weather on land has become more reliable but isn't perfect in itself.  Predicting weather in the islands or on the ocean is much less exact and it usually is a game day decision for the Captain.

Great article in NY Times re the conditions in St. Martin and the differences there between the Dutch and French sides. Beautiful pictures also.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/19/travel/st-martin-after-hurricane-irma-.html
Here are the last 3 paragraphs.
Each day, progress is beginning to take hold. By the end of June, inventory on the Dutch side of the island is expected to grow by 560 rooms with properties like Divi Little Bay Beach Resort and Oyster Bay Beach Resort expected to reopen. On the French side, roughly 600 rooms will be added by year-end, according to the Kate Richardson, the director of St. Martin’s tourism office, including intimate boutique-style properties. Among them: the Hotel La Plantation on Orient Bay (April), the Mediterranean-style Le Petit Hotel (June) and the Grand Case Beach Club (October).
New tourist attractions are also welcoming visitors. In November, Rainforest Adventures opened a new zip line — the Flying Dutchman — in Emilio Wilson Park. Visitors can tour a new museum dedicated to the history of the site, a former plantation dating back to the 1700s, and dine in a refurbished stone building that was once the sugar cane boiling house. And with the island’s natural attractions still intact, tour operators continue to offer sailing trips, snorkeling excursions and hikes up to Pic Paradise, the highest spot on the island.
“There are some things that the hurricane just couldn’t take away, said Marc Petrelluzzi, whose family owns Le Petit Hotel and its beloved sister property, L’Esplanade. “It’s the view. It’s the sea. It’s the beaches. It’s the vegetation. It’s nature.”
They also did write ups on St. John and Dominica and San Juan. You can see them here. Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated islands in the Caribbean last September. Six months later, how are they recovering? To find out, writers for Travel spent time in St. John, Dominica and San Juan, P.R.

That explains your "mysterious family" label and maybe why you took hubby off the picture ? 

I'm huge on not having my name fully out there. There are some very strange people. I've been "found" online when using my full name on sites and harassed. Very long and super creepy story short - I have a physical disability (that means nothing in my daily life) and there is a fetish associated with it that took me until I was 33 to find out about THANKS INTERNETS.  Someone saw a picture and my name and him and his girlfriend found me on multiple social media sites. Plus I work in the entertainment business and my name used to be in the credits of a few shows. I go in and check every year to see what loveliness google pulls up and delete what I can.
 
While my story is a more than a little crazy and over the top I just like a little privacy. I think it's better you changed your name.

Hi all...sliding further into "bot" territory and going more incognito...No longer "sabrinaklai"...but still Sabrina 

Got an email today about a 3 day cruise planner sale. Some excellent prices, some not as low as previous sales. But if you missed the last sale, you may be able to save some money. Some examples for our May sailing are : $18.00/pp/pd (+18% gratuity) for refreshment package, $21 for soda/voom 1 device (+ grats on the soda portion) and $17.60 for Chops Grill lunch. Deluxe beverage comes to $42 (+grats) with a buy one, get one half promo.Shore excursions are also on sale, although I have seen lower pricing on some of them in the past. 
Happy sailing (and cruise planner shopping) to all!

Got an email today about a 3 day cruise planner sale. Some excellent prices, some not as low as previous sales. But if you missed the last sale, you may be able to save some money. Some examples for our May sailing are : $18.00/pp/pd (+18% gratuity) for refreshment package, $21 for soda/voom 1 device (+ grats on the soda portion) and $17.60 for Chops Grill lunch. Deluxe beverage comes to $42 (+grats) with a buy one, get one half promo.Shore excursions are also on sale, although I have seen lower pricing on some of them in the past. 
Happy sailing (and cruise planner shopping) to all!

@Lindsay, I got close, but no cigar. On the main page, instead of clicking Log In, click on Already Booked and then on Make a payment. That page will ask for your reservation number, etc. When I did that, mine came up with "paid in full" and the amount, but no payment history. The amount is technically incorrect because it did not include my prepaid gratuities (which I am not concerned about because I have the printed out proof of payment for that). However maybe it will appear differently for you, so give it a shot. Glad the FCC worked out for you.

SUCCESS!!!!!  $450 taken off the June, 2019 Cruise!!!!!  YAY!  Okay, now does anyone know how I can view payment history in the new My Cruises website so I can confirm it was deducted?

Awwww, thank you so much.  That comment made my day.  

And from your posts, it sounds like Mom raised you right! I think that the rudeness being talked about is more about arrogance, which is a horrible trait at any age.

Typically a ship undergoes refurb every 5 years but the Adventure one is intersting.....
This is why I am excited for my Oasis 2020 sailing. Not wanting to sail the shorter sailings on Mariner (and worried that it might be more of a party ship atmosphere) and it's been a long time since I sailed Oasis, I'm really interested to see how they change that ship in 2019. I booked that sailing for that very purpose because I expect some big changes for that ship and it's Oasis class (which I love). And I grabbed it now before they announce their plans in case they decide to sky rocket their prices afterwards.

I thought I'd share this here for those who may not have seen Matt's blog from March 14. Very ambitious program to say the least. What stood out to me, since we are sailing Adventure soon, is that she just completed a refurb and is now scheduled to go again in 2021.
Matt's blog: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/03/14/royal-caribbean-announces-massive-expansion-private-destinations-and-new-ship-upgrades
Complete .pdf: http://creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/RoyalAmplified/18061322_RoyalAmplified_Trade_Flyer.pdf

 
 
 

I think it is arrogance, but I'm also convinced they think the world owes them a living once you reach a certain age. I can safely say for myself, both my husband and I are "there" not quite yet but we see it all the time in grocery stores etc.  My husband (hoping it's temporary) has mobility issues due to disc and hips. He apologizes all the time to people for holding up the line, or walking through a parking lot. We don't have a handicap sticker for the car, we are thinking of renting a scooter for him on our Grandeur cruise in May, but I can assure you, that's only when he gets tired that he will be using it. Having any handicap does not make it a right to infringe on others who are not and trust me, many play it up to the hilt!   

And from your posts, it sounds like Mom raised you right! I think that the rudeness being talked about is more about arrogance, which is a horrible trait at any age.

And from your posts, it sounds like Mom raised you right! I think that the rudeness being talked about is more about arrogance, which is a horrible trait at any age.

OH WOW!  That's crazy.  I hope I don't encounter any of that.  My Mom is 75 and would never act like!!!!
But I am with you on expectations.  I always have a great time on my cruises!  Was baffled at my in-laws complaining about it.
 

What?! They put a Costco on Allure? 

As a huge Oasis class fan, and also having sailed smaller ships, I have to respectfully disagree. 
On all our Oasis class sailings we've always have stateroom attendants that we available. Some were better than others but they have all been friendly in passing and attentive if we needed anything. Keep in mind that they have their break times too and would likely not be available during those hours. 
I have never once felt crowded on an Oasis class ship, other than after a show lets out and on first/last day. I find that crowds move through those ships extremely well. I just got off Anthem which has less capacity and everywhere you went it was crowded. 
MTD dining is tricky everywhere. People who don't make reservations and just show up will have to wait like a regular land restaurant. In all my experiences with MTD, with reservations, we've had to wait a max of 5 min. 
I find the Oasis class ships have even more variety in food than other smaller ships. 
Last but not least, I have found Royal's service to be pretty consistent across the fleet. There are some outstanding ones and some not so pleasant ones. But that is daily life too. 
Here's the thing....like anything in life, you have to experience it yourself.  Sorry to hear that your family did not have a good time, but that could be a one off time or it could be that bigger ships really aren't to their liking. The thing is that you will never know until you try it out for yourself. I will say this though. Sailing Oasis does require some prior research and planning. It will make the whole experience so much better. And those ships have venues and entertainment like none other.  Wouldn't you want to see for yourself? I am a firm believer that any RC fan should give it a try at least once if possible. ?

Yes. I do a low carb/no extra sugar thing to get down a few. My first cruise was in 2007 and I had a VERY fitted and expensive dress to fit in 2 weeks after the cruise- it was the only way I could enjoy myself without worrying about looking like a stuffed sausage walking down the aisle as a bridesmaid. I also work out most days of cruise. I like to eat what I want when I'm on vacation and not worry too much.

@Vee2525 , there is a cruise planner sale going on right now---ends at midnight. Drink packages and some excursions are at some of the lowest prices I have seen. If you paid more than what it is now, you can easily cancel and rebook at the lower price. Check it out and hopefully save some money. But hurry--like I said the sales ends at midnight. Good luck and enjoy your cruise.

Now that we can actually get to the cruise planner on the new site, do check your sailing for possible savings.  For our May sailing on Adventure refreshment package is $18pp/day (+ gratuity  of course)-regular price I've seen was $26, a BOGO 50% off on deluxe drink package makes that $42pp/day instead of $52, classic soda with VOOM 1 device $21pp/day (not sure what regular price was. Not everything is a great deal though-one of the excursions we booked at $63pp is now $94pp, although some other excursions do show savings. Certainly worthwhile to check.