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currently only cruises thru April 2020 are available. Anyone willing to predict when the rest of 2020 becomes available. Interested in transatlantic and holy land cruises. Any info appreciated.

If you want to visit the Holy Land, look at Celebrity. I have not seen a Royal cruise go to Israel in a long time.

My husband and I cruise quite a bit but going on RCI for the first time (Allure Sep. 2018 B2B.

We have a dinner package. I went ahead and made my entertainment reservations but do I need to make reservations ahead of time for our specialty restaurants? Is it better to do it ahead of time or wait until we get on the ship?

Am I correct in saying we can each bring one bottle of wine onboard?

Other than the buffet, where else can we eat lunch once we get onboard?

Anything else that we should know that may be different than other ships?

So far we have cruised Carnival, Celebrity, and MSC. We have loved different things about each cruise line. We will be adding NCL next February for a Panama Canal cruise.

We enjoy cruising and meeting new people. Every cruise has been great because we do not sweat the small stuff and just enjoy all the great things that come with cruising.

We will be in a Central Park balcony for both cruises and know this may be a different experience but am sure we will enjoy it.

Thanks for any info. You can give me and feel free to add anything that might enhance our cruise.

We are also on Allure (Sept. 16 sailing) and are also in a Central Park Balcony. We could be neighbors on this cruise! :)

On boarding day you can eat lunch at the Park Cafe, Boardwalk Dog House, or Sorrento's Pizza besides the Windjammer buffet. I am not sure if the Wipeout Cafe or Solarium Bistro will open on embarkation day but they are other free venues you could consider. Do you have the Ultimate Dining Package? That would mean you also get lunch in the specialty restaurants on sea days. Not sure if any of them are open on embarkation days though.

You are allowed to bring on two bottles of wine (750 ml each) per cabin. There is a corkage fee if you bring them to the dining room to be drank. However many waiters are reluctant to charge the corkage fee. There is no corkage fee if you open the bottle in your cabin and bring your own wine in wine glasses. This is what we usually do if we bring wine with us.

I am sure you will have a great cruise on Allure.

We have been three times on two different ships and always enjoyed it. As for quantity of food, there is plenty! Don't order off the menu - just tell the waiter what kinds of food you like and dislike and he will bring you a sampling of all the dishes.

Some ships have been known to be flexible but most are not. It can't hurt to ask but don't have any expectations.

Last couple of cruises on Oasis, I bought a coffee card. Does Brilliance 5 night have anything similar?

They had it when we cruised in May. We usually get one but not on Brilliance. They charge one punch for a small, two punches for a medium and three punches for a large. Unless you always buy a small, you will pay more with the coffee card. We said no thank you.

About a year ago I had sent an email to Laly Yera-Rodriguez, who was Royal’s VP of customer relations at the time. I suggested including Pickleball as an activity on Royal ships. She actually replied and said they would look into. Hopefully this helped get the ball rolling and they are beginning to deploy this to the fleet!

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We were just on Serenade of the Seas and I was happy to see Pickleball offered in the Cruise Compass. It was played on the sports court using a portable net. Unfortunately for our sailing (Norway, Arctic Circle) the weather did not cooperate. Both days that Pickleball was offered it was not possible to play.

I spoke to the sports activity staff and he said that Pickleball was first started as an activity on the Transatlantic crossing this spring. It was popular on TA but since then had not had much participation - probably due to weather and the port intensive itineraries.

I am wondering if anyone has noticed other ships offering Pickleball. Maybe it is just a test on Serenade or maybe it is coming fleet-wide. Just interested in what other folks may have have seen.

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You can drop your bags off at around 10 AM and then wait until about 3 PM to check in, get your seapass and board. Of course you would need to carry your valuables with you in Amsterdam which can be risky and inconvenient. Asking your hotel to hold your stuff might be a better option.

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We are on Brilliance and the internet Coupons are the same. Free days are still offered.

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The internet benefits have always been considered an "on board offer" loaded on your sea pass (formerly a coupon). That way they can change them whenever they want. They keep watering down the coupons but this would be the most egregious example. Free pictures are probably next.

We spent 33 days on Ovation sailing from Barcelona to Singapore and we just loved it. We have also sailed both of her sisters.

It really is the perfect ship for Alaska with the beautiful indoor pool, solarium, Two70, and Seaplex.

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My 15yo son is a basketball FREAK and can’t go a day without playing. I realize that there is a court but do they provide enough balls? Should he just bring his own?

 

 

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Balls are always provided. I would not recommend bringing your own unless he is very picky.

I'd ask the policy prior to purchase.

I agree. There is no cost benefit to purchasing in advance in the cruise planner. Just wait and buy on board once you find out if the policy on the ship is acceptable.

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Still in the bucket:

African Safari

Egypt and the Pyramids

Antarctica

China

Fiji

Japan

Morocco

Maldives

Seychelles

Thailand

Switzerland

Dalmation Coast

River Cruise on Danube

Around the World Cruise

Falling out of the bucket: (booked and upcoming)

St. Petersburg and the Baltics

Arctic Circle and Norwegian Fjords

Around the horn in South America

Ireland

Scotland

Portugal (Azores and mainland)

Removed from the bucket:

Australia by land and sea

New Zealand

Tahiti and Bora Bora

Galapagos

Peru with Machu Pichu and Lake Titicaca

Petra

Israel

Dubai

Suez Canal

Panama Canal

Greece and Greek Isles

Italy including Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Amalfi Coast and Sicily

Kotar, Montenegro

Malta

Spain

Monaco

Canary Islands

Dubai

India

Singapore

Bali

Netherlands

Germany

Paris

London

Around the World (half way by cruise, half way by air)

I am sure I missed a few. It seems we add two things to the bucket list each time we cross one off. I am sure we will never finish it off completely!

We are frequent cruisers and absolutely love the Quantum class. We have sailed all three - Quantum, Ovation and Anthem. We have also sailed Oasis and Harmony and are not super big fans. We like Transatlantic cruises on the big boys but not such a fan for Caribbean cruises. The problem with the Esplanade is when they set up tables for sails in there. That is when it gets so crowded. However the sales in the Royal Promenade also cause a lot of conjestion.

That said, any of those ships would be a great choice!

Interesting. Will someone that has actually been charged a corkage fee please post here.

Maybe they introduced and advertised the corkage fee to discourage people (especially newbies) from bringing wine on board? But if you decide to bring it anyway they look the other way to keep satisfaction ratings up?

Come join the roll call HERE

Many of us are doing a full day tour for 49 euros with Busy Bus. For more details, check HERE

We did this tour on lLiberty in Dec. and it included a trip through the food storage on deck 1 and 0. It also included a stop at the engineering control room on deck 1 in addition to the bridge

If we did those stop then we would be much more interested. Will have to ask what is included on board. I am sure it varies from ship to ship.

Because this is considered an excursion, I would believe that it is best to cancel it at guest relations and than book something else that would be more appropriate. Before the cruise, these things usually need to go back on the CC it was charged, so I wouldn't attempt it. You should have no issues once on board to exchange it.

You are confirming my thoughts exactly. Cancelling it on board would make it easier to swap for another tour or activity.

Does the all access tour also include a lunch? Interesting dilemma. I guess I would accept the gift and go on the tour even though I've done those tours many times as well. I guess it all depends on how well you know your family member and if you think he/she would be offended. I don't believe anyone should judge you without knowing you so I hope you don't receive such responses.

Thanks for the response. I don't believe it includes lunch. The entire tour is only 75 minutes long. If it included a trip to engineering I would do it in a heartbeat!

We know the gift givers very well - they are our adult children! They might be a little miffed if we turned it in but probably not offended. Will have to give it more thought.

We received a gift of an All Access Tour for an upcoming cruise from a family member. Although it is very much appreciated and a sweet gesture, we usually get a free bridge tour and a dining room tour for being D+. Maybe we should just confess to the gift giver and explain the situation?

We are not sure what we want to do but where wondering what would happen if we cancelled it on board? Would it go to our account as on board credit or would it be refunded to the gift givers credit card?

We are leaning towards doing the tour anyway. It does include the ships laundry which would be cool to see. But I am just curious what the alternatives may be. Maybe we can swap it for Chef's Table which we hardly ever do?

Please no judgements about being "ungrateful". If we gave someone a gift that was a duplicate of something they already had I would hope they would exchange it!

We heard this directly from the person in charge of the talent shows while we were on the back stage tour.

Brilliance is definitely having a dry dock in The Netherlands after the April TA. We are sailing on the TA and then the Baltic cruise that departs 10 days later. We get to do a land trip while she is in dry dock.

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Hi everyone,

 

Hubby and I have cruised a fair bit with other lines, but our first time with Royal will be in May. I have a few questions that I'm certain you can all help with :

 

 

 

• We're cruising in Europe on the Brilliance - how formal do guests on those itineraries tend to dress on formal evenings?
  
• What amenities, if any, are provided in the room? i.e. shampoo, conditioner, etc.
  
• I understand there's no self-serve laundry facilities on board the Royal ships - how much does it cost to have laundry sent out for cleaning? Is it a "per item" charge, or are there any "fill a bag" specials offered on these longer cruises?
  
• And finally... we have confirmed "my time dining" for the second leg of this cruise, but we are waited listed for the "my time" option on the first leg - what is your experience with being wait-listed.. were you successfully given "my time" prior to cruising, and if not, how about success being changed upon boarding and seeing the maitre d?
  

Anything else you can think of that might be unique to Royal?

 

Thanks for the assistance folks.. and Merry Christmas! :D

 

Celine

I believe you are cruising with us! Here are some answers to your questions.

• We're cruising in Europe on the Brilliance - how formal do guests on those itineraries tend to dress on formal evenings? Fromal dress on Royal has been waning. You will see a few formal gowns and tuxes, some suits and cocktail dresses and a lot of everything else from business casual to VERY casual. I would not worry about it too much. Wear what makes you feel comfortable.
  
• What amenities, if any, are provided in the room? i.e. shampoo, conditioner, etc. Not much. Bar soap and In the shower they have a dispenser with shower gel/shampoo. Bring your own if picky. We do.
  
• I understand there's no self-serve laundry facilities on board the Royal ships - how much does it cost to have laundry sent out for cleaning? Is it a "per item" charge, or are there any "fill a bag" specials offered on these longer cruises? They have per item charges and also offer a "stuff a bag" special for $35. Only good for underwear, socks, t-shirts, shorts, maybe a polo shirt or casual blouse. Many people do laundry in their room (we don't aside from the occasional item). Google "scrubba bag" if interested.
  
• And finally... we have confirmed "my time dining" for the second leg of this cruise, but we are waited listed for the "my time" option on the first leg - what is your experience with being wait-listed.. were you successfully given "my time" prior to cruising, and if not, how about success being changed upon boarding and seeing the maitre d? We have never have been wait listed but i think most that are eventually get in. If not you can certainly try as soon as you board.
  

Anything else you can think of that might be unique to Royal?

The shows are oriented to traditional dining and usually at 7 PM for late diners and 9 PM for early. Sometimes can be difficult with My Time.

Most ships offer a coffee punch card that gives you 15 specialty coffees for $36 with gratuity. This is a good deal if you like coffee but buy it on the ship and first verify that they will give you any size per punch.

Ship sponsored excursions are pretty expensive (hint, hint, sign up for my St. Petersberg tour!).

Stay away from the buffet on embarkation day if you can. Very crowded!

They occasionally offer sales on the cruise planner for drink packages and even internet. Keep checking if interested.

I hope this helps. If you have any specific questions about the sailing(s) you are on, ask on the roll call. See you on board Brilliance.

As of right now, the only RC ships with an escape room are Anthem & Harmony.

And Ovation, although it is identical to the one on Anthem.

The escape rooms on Royal Caribbean are created by Puzzle Break. They have also created "escape room games" that are played in a lounge like trivia and are supposedly also available on Navigator, Brilliance and Serenade. We played the game on Ovation and Anthem and it is fun but not as good as the actual escape rooms.

Symphony is rumored to have a new escape room on her when she deploys.

The D+ benefit is two individual days which are valued at $19.99 each. If one of you saves your coupons you can usually buy the last 3 days for free with the two day coupon. The other person can use their free days whenever convenient (sea days for us usually).