DocLC

They're complimentary through room service; it's just the delivery that costs money. ;) I'll spare everyone my rant about the service fee being added.

Correct. I should have specified that. I believe Lysol had a line that does, too.

Great advice. When it comes to the buffet, I always wash my hands before entering and then again after serving but before eating for the reasons you've started. I also carry disposable gloves with me, but I will only wear them while serving at the buffet if there isn't an easy way to wash my hands after serving myself.

Only once. While I don't think it's necessary to clean on the ship as they're super concerned about Noro, I simply do it as a safety precaution. On airplanes, I think it's necessary as their cleaning is abysmal.

We've cruised more after the kid than before. I have 27 cruises under my belt; my 10 year old has 18. Cruising is one of the most convenient ways to travel with a kid. We went to the Bahamas once when he was a toddler and that was fine, too. We just had to be creative with the flights in order to have time for him to get the wiggles out. As a result, we picked a route with two connecting flights so that he'd have time in the airport to run around.

I do it and do the same in hotel rooms, too, with Chlorox wipes. I also do the same on airplanes with the tray table, seat belt, arm rests, etc.

The novelty of the ship does wear off some, but that's where the itinerary plays a role. There's also a plus about knowing where everything is onboard. The guest performers will be different, too, which will add to the experience.

The bigger one, but I think the size of the steaks and what not are the same and I'm a pretty big guy myself.

I'm not aware of any, but it would be awesome if they did so. Your best bet would be to do a pre- or post-cruise on a ship that sails from there.

Great advice as the State Department is processing a record number of renewals as it was 2007 when the passport rules were extended to include North American travel/border crossings.

I've had aft cabins a couple of times. They're nice for a few reasons: less wind, often larger balconies, and a peaceful view of the wake. For Alaska, though, you won't have a direct view, face on, of the coast, but the benefit is that you'll be able to see things on both sides of the ship. Regarding Northern Lights, I doubt there's much of a chance given that you're not going far enough north, but I could be wrong. I've also only sailed in late May and early June. However, I have been to Anchorage in early November and there were no Northern Lights when I was there, although that's a little bit later than the normal viewing season.

None of the Caribbean islands adhere to the three month or six month rules that some countries adhere to and you also have the option on Caribbean closed-loop cruising of using a birth certificate. We also ran into this same issue in January as my son's passport expired in February, about six weeks after our cruise. Knowing that we'd be travelling to Europe in June and knowing that the passports for children are only good for five years, we opted to wait until after our January cruise to renew his passport, which wasn't a problem. I did notice that a supervisor had to come over to the check-in agent's computer to clear something, which I assume was a flag or warning about the passport's expiration date. However, nothing was said and we had no troubles either checking in or when going through Customs at the end.

@JLMoran I have sailed both Princess and half few times. What I've personally learned is that the cruise lines are more similar to me than they are different. I can find something I like better on each of the lines as well as something I like better on each of the lines. It's all a give and take in the end.

The deposit is also lower. My deposit for each room was $500, when it ordinarily would have been $750 and $1250.

Husbands . . .

Not if you're @Matt. It's not even a question for him. ;) Enjoy your cruise!

I might need to reconsider and cancel my booking. ;) Seriously, I'd consider booking now as the price will likely go up between now and February.

I was on the Caribbean Princess in July, and I had very much he same experience that you had on Royal with inconsistencies in food and service. And some nights with anytime dining, we had to wait as long as 45 minutes to be seated. What I have discovered, is that this is very ship and sailing specific and can change from sailing to sailing and from ship to ship, so please don't let one experience taint your view of the entire line. From personal experience, I will say that I thought the food was better in the MDR on Princess for dinner, but breakfasts and lunches were much better in the MDR on Royal. I also found the Windjammer to be far superior to the Market Place Buffet on Princess.

There are more outbreaks of Noro on land than at sea; it's just that land outbreaks don't need to be reported. We actually had a couple of schools closed locally last year because of a Noro outbreak. Perhaps people will now have a new respect for Royal's hand washing song. What annoys me most, though, is how the media covers such instances. I've been following the stories and you'd think that an Ebola outbreak had occurred.

@murphmatic You make a very good point and I agree that nothing is "free" on a cruise; it is simply included in the fare paid. What does annoy me, though, is the removing of things that were previously included in the fare. It's simply a way to increase profits (or cover increased costs) without actually raising the fare, but in the end it is the same. I have noticed that other lines are much more reasonable when it comes to the non-alcoholic drink packages (e.g., it's $8 on Princess). The specialty dining is also much cheaper on Princess, much like it is on Holland America. However, the entry price point is also higher. Thus, you either pay upfront for reduced costs onboard or you pay onboard. For those who don't dine in specialty restaurants or buy the drink packages, then it's even a better value to sail Royal as you're not subsidizing the back end costs.

For those who might be interested in the Timbuk2 luggage that @monorailmedic recommended, they're having a one day sail today with 50% off and free shipping on most items. Use the code T2GIFT, which is mentioned on their page.

While Royal does acknowledge that space is limited to maintain staff-to-kid ratios, I've never seen them turn anyone away. This is mainly because they know how many children will be on the ship and they bring in extra staff on sailings where there are a lot of children onboard. For example, during a holiday sailing, they brought back many of their former staff for three week contracts as there were more kids onboard. Most of these staff had or were pursuing Master's degrees in education, social work, etc. While I would encourage you to sign your kids up on the first day, to attend the open house on the first afternoon, and to send your kids the first night to make friends, I don't think you need to worry about space limitations. The only limitations are for Royal Babies and Tots (kids under 3), which is paid babysitting.

I don't have another--well, actually two--Royal cruise booked until 2019 mainly because of itinerary interests. However, the more I sail other lines, the more I come to realize the Royal fits my family best. I also find the passengers on Royal ships to be much more friendly and easier to start a conversation with. Also, the more I'm away from Royal, the more I appreciate some of the things that they do and how they match our lifestyle.

This is what I use in port: Outlander Packable Handy Lightweight Travel Backpack https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00TEIVQ4I?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf I like that it's water proof and collapses for travel. More importantly it's light weight and the company stands behind their product. While I used to simply use my travel backpack, it was a pain unloading it to use on shore.

You're welcome. It's a win-win. I get $20 and you get $20 if you use it. :) @monorailmedic great article and I completely agree with you. I primarily bought the Away bag for it's lifetime guarantee and durability. It also has a built in laundry bag, storage bag, etc. I consider the battery pack a plus, but it would not be the reason I would buy it again as I have several (4) external battery packs already as they're useful when camping. That said, the Away bag's battery is both removable and replaceable, whereas some bags to not have removable or replaceable batteries.