drhall

My husband legally changed his entire name (first, middle, and last). We have updated the name change with the travel agent for our reservation, but his passport currently reads as his former name. I am trying to avoid paying the $100+ to have his name updated on his passport, since we just paid that much to have the passport issued a little over a year ago.

Would Royal Caribbean accept his passport with his old name if we brought his name change decree from the court? Or is there something else we can do to minimize any issues?

Thanks in advance.

Bump.

What they said. Having cash before you board is always the smartest, and cheapest plan.

Plan accordingly, especially if currency conversion factors into your equation!

On my sailing, Lorenzo came recommended. He was in the Schooner bar in September. There is another guy who worked the bar with him that we preferred slightly more..but majority of the bartenders everywhere onboard are great.

I sailed as a fourteen year old on Enchantment and stayed busy almost all day. I also wasn't the kind of kid to stay too far away from my parents (I preferred doing adult stuff versus "typical" 14 year old things). I could only imagine that you'd never see your kids on a ship as large and amenity-filled as the Oasis.

Was on Indy in September. The running deck is on deck 12, and 100% exposed to sun. On my nearly full adult sailing, it was a bit crowded along the sides on sea days. Otherwise, it was fine.

I could see more than enough dodging of passengers, but controlling the time of day that you run would fix that.

Happy sailing!

Calling RCI will be a one way ticket to the "you must contact your travel agent in order to make changes to your reservation" sentence. You could try, but i'm confident that's what will happen.

I believe your best bet is to do it onboard. They'll accommodate you.

Biker19 is correct.

I only recall one specific night on Indy where ballroom and other formal types of dancing occurred, but that doesn't stop you from busting a move in any bar, at any time. You'd be surprised how many people will join in once someone breaks the ice!

Very small comment, but I would not stress the size of the ship. For our Indy cruise, I told my husband "it's pretty big" and that it was once the largest ship at sea, but didn't get too specific. Seeing his face when we arrived at port was PRICELESS.

Catch the shows, try all the food, stay up late, sleep in, visit the ports, catch the belly flop contest, and most important... RELAX.

During karaoke, an otherwise inconspicuous lady decided to sing KC & The Sunshine Band's "Shake Your Booty"

Everything was normal, until she got to the chorus. Up came the rear of her dress and exposed a rubber behind. Which she proceeded to shake.

You could tell she's done this before. There was no way I could have kept a straight face through the bar and intro knowing what I was about to do..

I had the highest level (for noise concerns). Didn't find it to be an issue, at all. You may have the same experience even on lower decks.

HOWEVER, be sure to keep your curtains closed! You can plainly see into the rooms across from you and vice versa.

Nice experience, but I personally wouldn't book another.

Currently, my last cruise was the best--due to sentiment.

Honeymoon cruise, DH's first cruise (and first time being out of the country), first vacation we've taken where money wasn't an object for once, and meeting some great people on CC before boarding made the entire experience for us. We had someone to hang out with prior to boarding, dine with, catch the shows, and play trivia with.

Definitely made this one feel a lot less "lonely" than my prior cruise.

I don't know this for a fact, but I have read that newer vessels do not use salt water (corrosion costs). Might be incorrect, but I did notice that Independence didn't have salt in any water that I came in contact with on my sailing.

Ironically I have noticed the posts on THIS board have gone way down from a couple of years ago. Not sure if something happened or we are just more accepted in society and no longer need special boards or meetings to have a great time cruising.

Bingo.

That's why I stay active on it, though, the best that I can. I will always advocate and educate for LGBTQ acceptance, but that doesn't dissolve our community issues, needs, and camaraderie.

I missed the parade, unless I actually went and just missed the "title" of it.

The night club is gorgeous. Labyrinth. It's two levels (the upper overlooks the dance floor) and has a "broken glass" staircase which wow'd me the first time I saw it. One of the most beautiful I've ever seen. It was never very busy on my sailing and played a lot of techno, or EDM mixes of more mainstream songs (which I can listen to with no issues, but struggle to dance to). Two dozen more people and a bigger variety of music would have made it a do-not-miss venue for me.

Your experience may (easily) vary.

I have been told, regarding noting a celebration in your booking, that it's up to the cruise line/ship to do something. They might do something small to recognize you two (like a card or a voucher for something), or they might not do anything. We notated our honeymoon cruise and got nothing. Our next cruise is a belated 1 year anniversary, and we've notated it again. Never hurts to try!

I have no opinion to offer on the romance packages unfortunately. I would imagine/hope that the massage therapists wouldn't create a hostile environment. Hopefully somebody replies who has experienced either, or both!

Happy sailing!

No White Party, that's an NCL thing I believe.

They do have a disco night. I don't think they are a direct comparison (more of a show than a club night, so to speak), but most bars have their own nightly event to participate in.

In March of 2015, my NCL cruise was chartered by a heavy metal concert series. This was our honeymoon cruise (so it was timed with our wedding) and the ship was chartered 6 months prior to sail-away. The cruise line didn't notify me. I happened to see it on CC and called to verify.

I had to make some big travel changes and vacation time at work to pick a different sailing. NCL didn't offer me anything--but CC informed me that they would give $50 if I asked for it.

This wasn't why I didn't rebook with them, RCI just happen to offer a better value for the timeframe I had to fill.

Moral of my story. I empathize with you... but be glad that you got a full year notice, that RCI offered OBC without being asked, and that this cruise (from my understanding) doesn't inconvenience planning a special occasion.

As far as RCI... That's fair compensation in my opinion. I would be frustrated, but satisfied with your situation. However, I'm not the one paying for your booking.

Happy sailing!

I think they follow Miami's time.

As you see here, though, we are offering conflicting information. Always check with the ship during your vacation itself. Their time is the only one that matters during it.

I have never sailed Oasis (only held a booking on it for 2 weeks before ultimately transferring it), but I was told that this ship is mostly balcony cabins--so always check to see if it's a better deal than an interior or oceanview.

IMO, I had a promenade stateroom on Independence, which is an interior room which overlooks the Royal Promenade. My room was on the absolute top level and far away from the crowds, but I found that I kept my curtains closed often. The rooms directly across from us could easily see inside--and the constant crowds below took away the privacy feel. I would think, personally, that I might almost never step foot on a Central Park balcony (or similar), except for parades.

If you want privacy, I would go with an oceanview cabin versus anything else.

That's my two cents.

Happy cruising!

My honeymoon cruise on Indy was accompanied by the World Poker Tournament group. About 500 people sailing for that cause.

They had access to a couple of specific venues at certain times...usually non peak hours. Beyond seeing their logos on various items (bags, bottles, signs, etc...), it was as if they weren't even there.

However, our ORIGINAL NCL honeymoon cruise got chartered by a heavy metal concert tour (Slayer, Pantera, etc...). My musical taste is diverse, but I think I would have much rather sailed with the poker players instead of the metal heads.

Would I sail with another group again? Very likely.

That was my experience. Your results may vary. :)

As other have said, I encourage leaving our rings on the ship.

This last cruise we didn't remove them as we had been married for 40 hours when we boarded, so we were too emotional about keeping them on. Now that the "newness" and selfishness has worn off, we will definitely take them off before going ashore. Removing them doesn't make our marriage invalid or less significant, so I take it off anytime I think I will be in a damaging situation (painting, working on my car, etc...)

In my opinion, our bands are not flashy and weren't too pricey, but theft is a crime of opportunity. What appears cheap to me--might appear expensive to someone else. Losing them or having them stolen wouldn't hurt is monetarily, just emotionally (or potentially physically), so why risk it?

...ANYWHO.

If you miss the 72 hour sale this time around, just keep your eyes posted. They come and go a few times a year. There isn't a set "pattern" yet, but typically every 3 months is what I have personally noticed.

Hopefully the vacation you all are planning is far enough out that you can wait for the next sale. You can also always book and if the prices go down--make a phone call and get the lower price (assuming the lower price doesn't void out any perks like OBC).

Good luck!

1. The drowsiness that comes with seasickness pills

2. Pirates :)

Agreed with all advice so far. Out at sea, your chances of seeing a flying bug are slim to none (too much wind for small-strength flight, not enough eco resources... unless they like salty water).

Always err on the side of caution and use the same preparations that you will use while at home, but you shouldn't have to keep a heightened sense of insect concern while on vacation.

Happy travels!