DocLC

In my experience, it is usually the second and the second to the last night if both are sea days. However, this is based on 7 day cruises; it's possible it could be different on longer cruises, although I doubt it. I'll be on a 12 night in July and can report back. Don't expect much help when calling Royal. They usually don't know the particulars aboard any ship. If you're in a suite or know someone that is, you could check with the concierge onboard; that would be the most reliable source of information.

Sounds like a deck party. I'm guessing the Enchantment leaves pretty late, right?

Odds are this far out you'll get what you requested. Otherwise, go for my time dining and pick the earliest seating when you reserve dining. You can also attempt to make changes once onboard.

Perhaps it was part of a deck party or theme night? The only cruise lines I've been on that have done midnight buffets are Holland America and Disney and both were only once during the cruise and related to a them. Chocolate/desserts and pirates, respectively. I'll also say that the later was the only time I've ever seen smoked turkey legs served on a cruise.

There's no way to know for sure this far out, but if the second night is at sea, it will likely be formal night. The second formal night will be near the end of the cruise, likely on a sea day, unless it's the last night. We always book our specialty dining for the first and last night for this very reason. There's no competing special entrees in the MDR and it allows us to celebrate being onboard and then a farewell dinner.

I've already informed my TA to book the Oasis for January 2017 when bookings open as we already planned to hit WDW before my son became an adult (10 in Disney speak).

Solo travelers do get hit hard. Fortunately, with NCL and RCI introducing single cabins, that should help some. We do find that we don't use the cabin/balcony nearly as much as we did when my son was taking naps. Now, we tend to be out and about more. We also don't use the balcony as much on colder itineraries. The good news is that we have an ocean view cabin, so we'll know to head up on deck.

I think Royal runs some 5-night Bermuda runs out of New Jersey, but I'm not sure when those begin. JTI is correct that options become slim as summer approaches.

The independence of the Seas has some nice 5 night itineraries and she's a Freedom-class ship, so you'll have a lot to do onboard. Is there a particular port you're intersted in sailing from?

As do I, Mark. This week would have been perfect for me as it's my college's spring break and I actually have colleagues on the cruise. Unfortunately, I'm headed to DC for meetings, so I couldn't go. Perhaps next time.

What specifically are you looking for? Is the ship or itinerary most important to you? I'm a fan of Puerto Rico cruises because you get a lot of ports, so that might be an option to consider.

Well, after upgrading to a balcony,Netherlands prices for the insides and ocean view staterooms dropped dramatically, while the balcony staterooms stayed quite high. Unable to justify the now $2000 price difference for a balcony, we downgraded to an ocean view stateroom given that our Liberty cruise in January will now be paid for by the savings. I'll miss having the balcony in the fjords, but we're only in the fjords for three days and I'm guessing that I can get an excursion that will give me an even more up lose view for significantly less money.

Welcome, Jill, and congratulations on booking your first Royal Caribbean cruise. I can't answer many of your questions as I haven't traveled in a suite on Royal--only Carnival and NCL, but I'll try my best to answer what I do know. Given that you're on a back-to-back (B2B) cruise, you will need to pack, but you won't set your luggage out to be taken off the ship. You will receive a letter detailing the B2B process, but essentially you and/or your steward will arrange to have your luggage moved from your first to your second room. As for C&A benefits, you won't qualify being that this is your first cruise; however, you could contact the C&A rep and/or concierge regarding getting recognized on the second half of your B2B cruise. I'm sure others will jump in to answer you other questions.

I'm starting o think their strategy is to subsidize the drink vouchers and beverage packages wih the increased drink prices. Or perhaps this is a peace offering to servers as their tips will go up as a result of the increase in drink prices. I've heard various reports of server not being happy with the drink packages and that they weren't making as much because of them. The increased prices does make it easier to justify the beverage packages.

Sorry to hear about your experience, Ian. Unfortunately, I've heard of this happening all to often on various lines just after dry dock. I posted a similar question as I'm on the Liberty the last cruise before drydock and am concerned they may start the work mid cruise.

I do seem to have better luck if I go to ships and the click on find cruises. Unfortunately, you can't view all cruises, just those on the ship you selected.

Mark, Cruises can change from week to week. While I wont discount the experience Ian has had, I have had some exceptional cruises and some duds. However, I've found that expectations play a part and have seen some reviews that concerned me only to be happily surprised. Go in with an open mind with an expectation to have fun and you'll have a great time.

About half the time, this happens to me. I'll do a search and it will show momentarily what I searched for and then revert to just showing Allure cruises. Annoying when it does happen.

I understand, Nicky. I have friends who have considered cruising, but then hesitate when I mention the cost of drinks, the addition of gratuities, etc. for a family of four, the gratuities are nearly an additional $50 per day, plus any drink prices. Thus, they usually end up going back to all-inclusives.

They will never make it all inclusive; that's reserved for the premium lines. Sadly, consumers are price conscious and book based on the advertised/quoted fare not realizing that gratuities, beverages, shore excursions, etc. will all add to the costs. Further,mid suspect that Royal makes more from onboard spending than on the actual fare in terms of profit. One of the heads at American Airlines was asked why they charge so much for extras and he said that it comes down to having a low fare and appealing to the consumer. While they could include those services in the fare,not hey would appear more expensive compared to their competitors and thus would be seen as less appealing. The only way it's going to happen is if all cruise lines do it. Otherwise, it will remain as it is.

Keep in mind that Royal is a public traded business and they're obligated to make decisions that return the most money for their investors. And while I agree that it's unfair to remove benefits and that Royal should show some loyalty, they make the suites more appealing by offering more perks, which has really helped NCL's suite business and why other cruise lines like MSC are created "ships within a ship" for their suites. In addition, to grow, Royal must target the 75-80% of the market that hasn't yet taken a cruise.

I've actually heard from others that there's more for teens to do on the newer Royal ships than even on the newest Disney ships. However, just like the Disney Magic and Fantasy differ, recognize that the various classes of ships that Royal has differ, too. For example, there's much more to do on the three newest classes than on the older ships; however, I think you'll enjoy the newer ships equally especially the ones with the a Broadway shows as they'll better compare entertainment wise. While soda is not provided in the fare like on Disney, you're not compelled to purchase a beverage package unless that's important to you. if it is important, than choose the package that best meets your needs and compare the costs once that is added in. Another plus is that you'll have more itineraries to choose from.

I've never had it happen to me, but I usually book about a year out. However, I have seen it happen when booked very far in advance as cruise lines change deployments for economic or other reasons. Once, I ended up on the same itinerary, but on a replacement ship as the original ship "sunk" while in wet dock.

Keep in mind that knowing which DCL ships you've been on and which Royal ships you're considering will be helpful. For example, I felt overall entertainment was better on Disney, but I believe Royal would compete quite well if you're looking at Freedom and Oasis class ships. I also found the food more appealing on DCL and my wife felt like there was less nickel and diming on DCL. However, Royal is still less compared to Carnival and NCL in my opinion. Whether you have kids and their ages also matter. Royal could be more appealing to teens as there are more activities for them while Disney may be more appealing for younger children.

I've been on four Disney cruises, seven with Royal, three with Carnival, three with Holland, one with Pincess, two with NCL, and another with Celebrity, so I can offer quite a few comparisons. However, before I do so, tell me what it is that you liked about Disney so that I can offer a specific comparison as everyone's cruise is a bit different depending on their likes and dislikes. Thus, what might not compare might not be important to you because it's not something you're interested in. I will say that even though my wife isn't a Disney fan, she liked Disney the best because it was a bit more inclusive and the kids clubs were less restricted in their hours. However, she also agrees that they're over priced and doesn't like the fixed dining. Prior to that, her favorite line was NCL because of the freestyle concept before the other lines went to my time dining and became less restrictive with their suggested dress policies.