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Hi Has anyone done long cruises to different parts of the world How to you pack for 87 nites on a cruise, tips on what to bring, How to manage tours, visas

Hello again, it's been a while as I last blogged probably in 2019 as a platinum and now am on the cusp of Diamond Plus. This is our first Radiance Class sailing and will try to touch on the how the sailing is going compared to the topics discussed often in the other sections of the boards. First off. Embarkation was really tough. The coast guard did a thorough inspection that delayed boarding until after noon. Leaving Tampa was a first for us and parking was right in front of the terminal but the chain link fence was closed due to the inspection. Clearly the size of the terminal with limited seating meant people were kept away. Needless to say, some people were up in arms about the start but hey, glad to know the ship was in top shape! We had the Key for the first time so we enjoyed the sit down lunch and checked bags. It was all fairly smooth. We do like big ships but the Radiance class does well for it's size. Absolutely Love the tons of outdoor seating for the Windjammer. We do stay away from indoor crowds and this is a very big plus. Also the lounges seem larger and more open. Dinner is still on the old menu and our personal experience with the food and staff is again top notch. Unfortunately, there are the biggest lines for My time dining I have seen each of the three days. I am not sure what the issue is but it's impossible to get through the fifth floor entrance without weaving through the multiple lines back past the stair cases. It took a day to figure out that the unstaffed 6th floor entrance was the work around. Still, there is much complaining in the halls. The bottom line is that staffing seems thin but everyone working is doing their very best. It may be that, as mentioned by the CD, over half the people sailing are top tier status, the most for this ship ever and that may be putting additional strain on staff. Tomorrow, day 4, is a sea day heading to Colombia. I will catch up on Grand Cayman and other details. Let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them. Oh- on Serenade, Starlink has put the zoom in Vroom. Speeds around the ship so far are averaging 25 to 40 meg down loads but right now it's at 87

Clearly the older ships are lacking in electrical plugs as well as USB charging situations. Would someone here graciously share what they use for the European outlets to maximize charging things up within the cabin? Is it two straight prongs, is it two straight and one flat? I researched but there are so many options, all types of plugs with different versions. I want to avoid boarding and finding out the power hub I purchased was wrong and does not work. Can someone point me to a specific item that would work? Thanks so much! (I watched Danny's video about the Serenade & while I know he's 6'6" and his daughter likes to take a bath in the various tubs & I don't believe for one second he fits in that shower pod comfortably; I digress..... but he does he mention the outlets shortage in the cabins) LOL I think I like the new music he uses now though.

For those who have sailed out of Tampa (we have yet to do it) we are trying to time a ship sighting from Fort Desoto Park. What time or how long after departing the Port of Tampa does the ship sail under this gorgeous bridge? I think it would make for an amazing photo! Can anyone who has sailed from here share? Thanks so much!

Serenade of the seas 2022 Did royal serenade of the seas miss Belize and costa maya Mexico ports this week January 5, 2022. If you were on this cruise please let me know how it was. I canceled last minute. But wished I went

Hi Cruise Friends- We’re sailing out on Serenade on 9/6/21 with ports of call in Sitka, Icy Straight Point, Juneau and Ketchikan. This will be our first time experiencing Alaska. We’d really like to go whale watching, but was wondering if the experience would be better in Juneau or Icy Strait Point. It appears Juneau has a greater variety of whale watching adventures compared to Icy Strait. Are the whales more plentiful in Juneau? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated! Thank you

Hi everyone, I’m hoping someone can help me out with a few questions regarding my son’s peanut allergy. We will be on the Serenade of the Seas for an 11 night southern Caribbean cruise this December and he does have his allergy on file with RC. I will definitely ask onboard, but as a starting point - Does anyone know if the desserts served are safe for those with a peanut allergy? (He is only allergy to peanuts, all other nuts are fine). And how about the ice cream? Soft serve and otherwise. Does anyone know if it’s peanut-free without the dreaded “may contain peanuts” warning that usually comes from whatever factory it’s processed in? Any other help or guidance with their menu would be much appreciated ? My son is grown now (20yrs old), always carries his Epipens, and won’t cry if he can’t have the desserts... But I still love the excitement in his eyes when he finds out certain things are safe ?

Hey Cruise Family! So we are a week away from our Bermuda cruise and SO EXCITED!!!! So as my previous questions mentioned, DW has had an accident, and needed knee surgery. So her leg is in an immobilizer, and we are big folks, so between the wheelchair and clothing issues (we don't go out much) DW is a little concerned about dining room attire. I told her she would be fine with stretchy pants over her immobilizer and a nice top. she is a little unsure and we are both a little insecure. would this be ok considering her situation? I know the site still mentions tuxes and evening gowns, but I'll be honest, that is never happening for us, and I have maybe seen one person in a tux in any of our cruises! Serenade hasn't switched to "Dress your Best" as far as i can tell Finally, if we do end up just going to Windjammer on those nights, do they do a different menu for formal nights???? THanks cruise pals! ONE WEEK TO GO! ?

Hey Cruisers, I am like a ghost, i dissapear until the next cruise emergency comes along! SO SORRY! I will endeavor to be a better community member. Next cruise is in a month on Canadian Thanksgiving Last year when we cruised, a week or so before we left, my wife was diagnosed with gall bladder issues, and as such had to have a MASSIVELY restricted diet, the guest services department was a godsend This year, she decided it would be a good idea to rupture her Patellar AND Quad tendons in the same knee, a month before we cruise. We don't have cancellation insurance (on multiple hotels stays, flights and the cruise) so we are going as long as the doctor okays it. I got ahold of the RC guest services team again, but sadly, this time they kinda just said "We have no accessible rooms, maybe try calling every few days" Which I understand, but really? No wait list or anything? I am not looking for a free upgrade, but my wife will most likely spend most of her time in a wheelchair for this cruise, Having to use crutches to go in and out of the room is fine (We are renting a collapsible wheelchair) but she is worried about using washrooms. Does anyone have experience with using small cruise washrooms with mobility issues? She is tall (6 feet and very long legs) and has a full leg immobilizer. there is good chance she will not be able to bend her knee at all. any other tall folks deal with this onboard? Also, any helpful tips for dealing with mobility issues onboard in a chair? I am suspecting we should change our dining from "my time" to a set time so that we have a simple accessible spot. (my experience with non set time dining seemed a little busier and more chaotic overall, but maybe that was just on the Anthem) Thanks in advance Cruise pals! Dave & Cara

Hello all. My wife and I are taking our first cruise. Late bloomers so to speak. Both in early 60's. We are going with a few other family members. Sailing on Dec. 30th for 11 days in the Southern Caribbean aboard Serenade of the Seas. We have a large balcony room. I have read on blogs that your first cruise should be a short one to make sure it is something we like. That didn't happen. Anyone go on the New Years cruise? What can we expect? We are very active and like to have a good time in everything we do. Thank you for any advise you care to share.

We're booked on the 13-night Ultimate Scandinavia/Russia on Serenade this summer. I'm thinking about the refreshment package but it really adds up on such a long cruise and I want to make sure we'll get value from it, so I have some specific questions I'm hoping the experts can help with! We only have one sea day so I think breakfast will usually be at Park Cafe or Windjammer. Is there a convenient nearby location for fresh-squeezed juices and espresso? I'm not clear on what exactly the Park Cafe itself offers in terms of beverages. Along the same lines, is there specialty coffee anywhere besides Cafe Lattitudes? Does Serenade have milkshakes anywhere? Is canned soda included since there's no freestyle machine? Do they have bottled water stations set up where we could grab 2 bottles each before heading out into the port each day? Can we also stockpile a few in our room? How much of a savings is it to order a virgin cocktail with the package and then pay for a shot of alcohol to add to it? Are we better off getting a drink card or sticking to the drink specials when we do want alcohol? I know we won't drink enough for the unlimited package. I recently read a review that described RCL coffee as "brown water" and the Windjammer orange juice as "flavored water with food coloring" so I'm suddenly nervous about the included beverages. We're mainly into coffee and I've heard that Serenade is one of the ships that isn't good for the coffee card. I do like the thought of unlimited bottled water and being able to order virgin cocktails for shows and that kind of thing, but with so many port days, it's really hard to say whether it'll be worth it. Appreciate any thoughts you can give! This group is so friendly, I love it.

Hey everybody! Last December I went on an 11-day cruise with Royal Caribbean on 'Serenade Of The Seas'. It was so life-changing and inspiring that I decided to start a travel blog. I'm now writing about every port we stopped and the overall ship life. If you want to know about the juicy details of cruising go check it out and follow! www.incrediblewanderwoman.com Thanks! Leave me some feedback

We are a group of ten who will need to get from Four Points Sheraton to the port on March 22 and then back to the hotel (or airport) on March 29th. Can someone advise the best and most inexpensive way to do this? Thank you!