Kellie in Texas

We've cruised four in a cabin three times. The first time, Serenade, the cabin had the two upper bunks that came down from the ceiling; they had rails on the side. Another time, it was a fold-out couch which was very uncomfortable. If you look at a detailed deck plan, there are symbols that show what type of 3rd or 4th passenger sleeping arrangements there are. We had heard that sometimes two cabins were feasible but both times, it would have cost us a lot more and it wasn't worth it. The main rule about four people in one cabin is: Do not leave your shoes in the middle of the floor. 😄

We ran into the same problem in an aft JS on the Serenade in June 2022 only we had two big sons who were sleeping on it. It was basically a very thin mattress on a wooden sofa frame. They were very uncomfortable and didn't say anything until mid-week. We asked the room steward for some extra padding which helped a little.

You can get off the ship and buy aviary-only tours from a kiosk. My DH and DS and fiancee did that in January. About $10 each, as I recall.

We also did that tour on Liberty in 2017. Went to Tulum first, then back towards town and stopped at a beach area that included lunch. As I recall, the lunch was very good. On the way back, we got in a pretty big rain storm. The tour bus -- at that time, anyway -- did not let you out anywhere near the pier where the ferry is that takes you back over to Cozumel. We had to make a mad dash through the cobblestone streets following our tour guide to get to the ferry. Once we got back on Liberty, we sailed fairly quickly, so I think we may have only been saved by the fact that we were on a ship excursion. I would definitely not try to do this as an independent tour, just because of the time it takes on the ferry from Cozumel to the mainland and then back. But Tulum is stunning, so definitely worth it.

One main difference is when you board the ship, you will not be able to go directly to your cabin for a few hours. When we cruised on Princess in the past (admittedly, many years ago), you could go directly to your cabin. So, you will be lugging your bags with you for awhile. Be sure to keep your valuables in your carry-on that stays with you during that time. You can eat, explore the ship, etc. before the cabins are open. Others have said to reserve shows; that isn't required on all ships, so it depends on your particular ship.

Read the descriptions between the two; one may include only the beach, one may include the buffet plus the beach. Sometimes the price includes all of that plus alcohol or you can purchase alcohol by the drink. I disagree with the people who say the buffet is not recommended. We went to Playa Mia in January on Adventure and we found the buffet to be delicious.

@cruiseguy1016yes, I think my dad has downloaded the app. I've used the app for three cruises now, so I'll talk him through where to look for the various information. @GJusticethank you for the Compass info; I'll pass that along as well.

My parents are on Radiance in mid-April on the 6-day cruise that stops at Progresso, Cozumel and Costa Maya. They are in their mid-80's and not into beaches, long bus rides or day drinking 😄. This is their first big trip since before Covid, so even if they stay on the ship the whole time, it will be a nice break. A couple of questions: 1. What are the current shows, Broadway-type or singing and dancing type? 2. Does Radiance have afternoon tea? 3. Does anyone have a recent Compass or two to share? I know the ports may be different, but just to give them an idea of what's going on during the day. Thanks!

@freezerburnI've been to Progesso once several years ago and I don't really remember what the port area looked like. (We took a bus tour to the Uxmal ruins.) It sounds like there's a port shopping area from your description. Is it a long walk from getting off the ship? I'm asking a few questions for my parents who are in their mid-80's and will be there in mid-April on Radiance. They aren't interested in a long bus ride anywhere.

Granted this was in 2015, but my family did the Carnival excursion to Passion Island and it was beautiful. The sail there was nice, the beach was incredibly gorgeous, and it included a lunch buffet. They also had lots of water toys available, so your daughter would have fun stuff to do.

We cruised Serenade from Copenhagen in June 2016, including St. Petersburg (totally understand why SP is no longer included). One of my favorite parts was sailing through the archipelago into Stockholm. All those little islands were amazing to see.

Sorry if I missed it in these 44 pages, but why is Royal not in Copenhagen anymore?

We did this tour on Adventure this past January and it was worth every penny. They only did two of these tours and each was limited to 12 people. So out of the 4,000 passengers onboard, we were 5 people of the 24 who got to do this tour. It was two hours but it was a busy two hours. We got to see everything from the laundry room to the engine control room all the way up to the bridge. I might not do this tour again but if you've never done it, it's worth it.

Thanks, everyone. We're wanting to avoid having to fly anywhere so that means the easy drive to Galveston for us. We've done three RCCL cruises from there and thought we'd try Princess for something different. We'll continue to research.

We've only been in a junior suite once; it was on Serenade, it was an aft, and we loved it. Looking at a possible cruise early 2024 on Regal Princess. I'm thinking their mini-suite is equivalent to RCCL's junior suite. Looks like both have the slightly larger bathrooms with a tub/shower, etc. Are they pretty much the same?

Thanks @Merion_Mom @ATC cruiser and @Cigar King. Very helpful.

I'm trying to find pictures of the aft balconies, specifically junior suites, on Voyager. In the pics I've found, it seems like a lot of these aft balconies have somewhat obscured views because of the ship's superstructure. One of the pics I saw almost looked like a cave. We've only been in one aft junior suite and that was on Serenade, which was a wide-open but deep balcony. Are there not any like that on Voyager? Or what would be the best aft junior suite balcony?

I got it too ... and we don't even have a cruise booked! 🤔

We tried to do this excursion (with the salmon bake) in June 2022 on Serenade but it was cancelled. I think maybe because the place where the salmon bake occurs wasn't fully staffed yet, but I don't know for sure. Whale watching in Juneau is great and the Mendenhall Glacier should definitely be part of your plans. Another poster mentioned being up at 5 a.m. to "see the glacier" -- Mendenhall Glacier is in town in Juneau and you'll go on a bus to see it. The "5 a.m. glacier" is when you are cruising past one of the other glaciers where you don't actually get off the ship, you just watch and take lots of pics.

@Ret MPif you didn't try the fish tacos on the ship, here's the difference: a crispy taco is what most people think about when you say tacos -- a crispy corn taco shell with seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and salsa. Fish tacos are most often made with soft corn tortillas, so they are not crispy. They are often some kind of pan-seared or grilled fish -- not breaded fish sticks or fish and chips but fish filets that may be seasoned. Fish tacos (at least in central Texas) are usually served with chopped cabbage, maybe some red onion, sometimes even chopped mango. And then there's breakfast tacos, which are soft flour tortillas with scrambled eggs, cheese, sausage or bacon, maybe some shredded potatoes, and of course, more salsa. 🙂

Here's the link to the current loyalty levels and what you get. DH and I were emerald on our Adventure cruise a couple of weeks ago; we had two bottles of water and some cookies in our cabin. And our "gold and emerald" pins. 😄 Crown and Anchor Society Benefits (royalcaribbean.com)

@HicksRAwe didn't get to see the engine room; our guide said it was very loud and too dangerous. @ace1zoe2ours was over two hours, maybe 2 hours and 15 minutes or so. They also said closed-toe shoes and long pants, no shorts or skirts. However, one lady in our group was wearing shorts.

It's under Activities, I think.

@MightyMike I did a review of our Adventure 12/31/2022 cruise (it's moved several pages back by now) and I copied below what I said in that review. It is definitely not a crowded campus tour and you get to see areas on the ship, including the bridge, that most people never get to see. The special parts are being able to take photos everywhere (just no videos), plus the fact that -- on our cruise at least -- there were only two tours limited to 12 people each. There were gifts but nothing that would change my mind about whether to take the tour -- we got to keep our lanyards with the large "All-Access Tour" badge on them, plus we got a luggage tag and a small knot-tying kit. It had a short piece of rope with instructions on how to tie all the different knots. Let me know if you have other questions. The all-access bridge tour -- Everybody should do this tour at least once. It was very exclusive and super-interesting. We had right at 4,000 passengers and they only offered this tour twice with a max of 12 persons on each tour. So we were five out of 24 people in the 4,000 that got to see this. You bring your Sea Pass card and you can bring your phone, but no purses, bags, etc. We could take pictures of anything but no videos. Before the tour, security checked our Sea Pass cards against their list and we were wanded/patted down (lightly); there was a female security guard to check the women on the tour. We started in the dining room, then the galley, the provisions store rooms (we saw the ice cream freezer and the liquor storage -- it had three locks on it! 🙂 ) Down some stairs to the engine control room, the laundry, and the long hallway known as I-95. There was quite a bit of stairs, up and down, but we were able to take the elevator to the bridge. We were checked again by security before going onto the bridge. That was amazing and a highlight of the trip.

Most likely, it will be port-intensive. Break in some good walking shoes ahead of time. If you are visiting historical or religious sites, check to see if there's a dress code (like, no shorts, head must be covered, etc.)