LeeW

Had an Eastern cruise on Allure that actually hit Fort Lauderdale the day before disembarkation. We were told after boarding that the cruise was being switched to a Western. Eventually got back to port 3 days late (10 day for cost of 7).

Yup. One time we did Princess hotel/transfer in Ft Lauderdale we got Hilton North and a 1 PM bus to ship. Paid double hotel rack rate (although it included transfers). Now we book hotel on own, take a cab there. Hotel shuttles to pier work, but you tend to wait a lot for loading (around $8pp). Cab for around $15 with tip goes when you want. Check on hotel prices and if good book on your own and cancel the cruise ship hotel and transfers.

Make sure you personalize it - or kids might swipe it. Haven't had a decoration swiped since we started putting names permanently on it.

Had some issues in Norway with connecting to secure accounts. Downlink was apparently in Germany and several of my normal sites refused to connect. VPN sometimes worked although still had to do two factor authentication with phone. The free VPN that is part of the Opera browser sometimes worked by specifying a US server location.

Had 40 mph winds on bow and driving rain (couldn't see the front flag staff on ship) and we were up there on Caribbean. Fully booked but we were only customers present and crew was huddled in their service room. Finally rain got so loud we gave up. On Sky last week in Norway the Sanctuary had little use. Too chilly and rainy.

No charge, and no charge for Elite minibar changes last week on Sky. Likewise no charge for delivery of pre-ordered items like six packs of soda. And no charge for the phone call to Room Service for these.

Sky was a very busy ship sailing in Norway with a ton of kids. Not a huge amount of quiet or indoor spaces to watch scenery. Suggestion about loungers under the overhang starboard side near gym is good - seldom had many people there and pool/band noise was muted there. Jogging track is above this but not that noticable. Chairs closest to gym have large exhaust there and kind of like sitting in a wind tunnel. The Retreat pool tends to be very quiet, but no shade and often quite windy. We don't do Sanctuary any more and Sky is one reason. The only shade is in a central gazebo with none on the loungers. Or in very expensive cabanas. The $40pp charge is bad enough ($30 if you buy for whole cruise). Some ships like Caribbean have some corners near the massage tables that are shady. Second reason is this is supposed to be a quiet area. Had one cruise where several people were talking loudly with friends (and sometimes Sanctuary host) through much of the cruise. When there are no activities scheduled, the atrium area near the International Cafe was very quiet. Some seating near windows in the bar were good when Vines wasn't open. Same with area near Crown Grill on 7, although quite a bit of traffic moving through. When Vista Lounge wasn't in use you could sometimes get in. When shops are not open there are some comfortable seats in the middle and little traffic. The buffet was very quiet at night. Only aft serving locations were open so front had few people.

Normally they put your group at the smallest table that will fit. Exception would be if you wanted a larger table.

If you are caught sharing with anyone they cancel your package without refund and make you pay for all drinks obtained up to that point. A one type single drink might never get caught but going to a bar and ordering two different types of drinks close together will get noticed. Although folks with packages will often get a drink to try it, not like it, and return for another drink fairly quickly.

Sky tendered in Loen a week or so ago right next to skylift. Long lines on that. Free buses ran continuously between Olden and the lift parking lot. Olden Adventures did a pickup right at Sky Princess for the Troll Car tour. We booked mid-June for late August visit for non-car tour but once we found out they were picking up at Sky Princess we switched just by sending them an email. Very nice folks to work with. By the way, VERY steep walk up to the the glacier viewing point, with the Troll Car eliminating 90% of that. We had 11 cars booked up (7 people each). Had about an hour after the Troll Car trip back to shop or get food. People trying to get Troll Cars on the spot had two hour waits.

A bit of a mob scene for train loading but we had lots of folks with walkers and canes last week. Tour groups (like Princess) get reserved sections of train cars. Recommend you sit facing forward on right side of train, although lots of folks swap sides at the top so they can get a different view on the way back. The "Train on your own" stops a few times for photos up and back. The "waffle" takes one train up, goes to restaurant, and takes a different train down (and cost $40 more). It is also possible to book the train directly - didn't try that.

DW makes ours out of felt. Sometimes hung on magnet, sometimes magnets sewn in. Had one stolen by kids down hall that wasn't personalized, so now they all have our names on it. Last one was the "Troll Road" sign (although the real sign is so covered with stickers you can't read it).

On Sky the light would nail you when you headed for the bathroom at night. If you were hanging things up in the closet or putting items in the wardrobe it would go off after a few seconds. Painters tape disabled it, although turning off the bed lights turned it on for about 20 seconds.

Door unlocked when DW was 4 doors away from cabin. Door recognized me and would hang in "authorizing" for up to a minute, even when touched to the pad. Didn't even try ordering anything this trip - last trip it would always say it didn't recognize my location and with the new charge for ordering wasn't worth the time. Saw very few food deliveries from the grill, either.

If two people watch on app, it only credits the one logged in. Didn't seem to matter that DW never got credit for watching before we sailed. The critical part is checkin at the muster station.

If you actually are assigned a cabin early then Royal Up should open up for that new category. Might take a few days after the official assignment.

Problem I have had is that the search screen on the Royal website defaults to North American departures and Puerto Rico is Caribbean. If you switch to that region it shows up. Or use a travel agent web site to identify the cruises/timeframe you need.

Normally this is in Studio B (ice rink). Doesn't list it on Royal website but could easily be done. Kind of depends on whether they are willing/able to cover the ice. Might not show up until you are onboard.

Do you feel you need extra insurance while traveling in US? Basically the entire cruise is in US. However you might need transport home. If you had to leave the ship Princess might pay to send you to an Alaskan hospital which is likely already in your Medicare network. Check the Platinum policy to see if it repatriates you home.

Your guess is more likely - sea lice are kind of like mosquito bites so not likely to bleed unless scratched. I have pulled broken bottles out of the water in that area. Not common, though.

In addition to no big ships, Tampa has a fair problem with fog. Depends on time of year, of course. Pier is within walking distance of a couple of hotels, including Embassy.

Strapped mine to chest but angle of body during descent mostly picked up the sky. You might want to strap to helmet.

Pacific Island boards have a ton of suggestions. Unfortunately our trip got cancelled and we haven't booked another since shutdown. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/62-pacific-islands-all/

There is a large fresh water lagoon there, although they don't have any innertubes. We do use a couple of inflatable noodles although for the most part it is around 3-4' deep. Just make sure you either turn in your towel or bring it back to the ship. They charge $25 if you don't.

If you book through the cruise line it will include transfers unless you specifically request not to. Note that the cruise line charges roughly the room rack rate per person, so for two expect to pay double the rack rate. They can easily afford the costs of transfers.