Beer Belly

We are somewhat newbies to cruising, only cruised NCL (3x), each cruise seemed worse than the last (Escape, Getaway, then Prima). Booked RCCL in April, then right back to NCL to Alaska (Encore).....doing a little comparison shopping, but not giving up totally on NCL.

Is a Passport needed should they need to fly back home ?

Other than having info on the phone, we always have paper copies in our backpack just in case something happens to the phone.

"Beautiful Noise" Neil Diamond story, I'd book a cruise just for that show

Journey....another one right up our alley😊

Thank you all for the input. We do plan on seeing WWRY, as we do like Queen, and look forward to The Music Hall as well.

Boss Lady and I are hoping for a Rock & Roll venue on Anthem, heard there was a show called "We will rock you", and thought a tribute to the band Queen, you tubed it and thought "what the heck is this ?". So, now hoping we can find somewhere to go listen to a rock band, been on NCL and enjoyed Syd Normans, for those of you who know Syd's know what it is we seek, do we have a chance of finding something similar on Anthem ?.

We had a less than satisfactory experience on the Getaway in 2022, even worse on the Prima in 2023, this year we're giving Royal a go in April, do have NCL to Alaska later this year, unless Royal truly impresses.

We sailed Prima May 2023, IIRC the charge for a can of soda was $3.50, we previously heavy tipped the bartender (one of my downfalls), so she passed it to us at no charge, which was unexpected, we were ready to pay whatever the charge was.

Our experience on the Prima in May of 2023 was pretty bad, many problems with the ship, shows and entertainment cancelled or substituted with entertainment that did not suit our taste. This does not mean everyone will have the same experience (NCL would not survive....no pool for till day 5, sewage smell on pool deck, broken elevator, only one Hot Tub, Cracks in the Hull), I'm thinking ours was the perfect storm, although I will say "Never again on any Prima class", the interior of the ship was way too crowded during inclement weather, jusy our opinion. Go on the cruise, enjoy all the ports that checks those boxes, life is too short.

Never booked this type of cabin, as a matter of fact, this April will be our first RCCL Cruise. I would imagine that they would take some steps to sound proof the cabin of that type, still, you will likely have a lot of traffic below and may hear some noise, not sure about any noise from crew maintenance in the area overnight, just my thoughts, would also be interested in hearing from one who has booked this type.

Still have another year to go till that comes around 🙏

We pulled the trigger on our April sailing at $69.99 pppd (30% off), now watching the 3 day dining at 20% , waiting for it to go 25-30%.

We were at the Ocean Villas at NCL Great Stirrup Cay, had a Stingray swim by us while on the swing

For dinner, you'll find myself in jeans or slacks (likely jeans) and a nice shirt, Boss Lady in a dress.....lunch is a whole different ballgame.

We were considering taking advantage of the Specialty Dining sale for our April sailing (first RCCL cruise) and decided to wing it being the MDR menu seems to be to our liking, and if Boss Lady wants Filet Mignon, it's an upcharge if she'd like. We also agreed that if we do decide to hit a Specialty spot, just pay the price.

Dress up night ?....is this mandatory?

We booked 10580, wanted to be near to elevators and stairs, prefer more mid-ship, at the time, best we could get.

63 y/o kid here, love the Water Slides.....Boss Lady, let's say, younger, also loves the slides.

We cruised Bahamas 2 years ago, wanted to hit the nearest beach but never did because a time change to our shore excursion to Blue Lagoon screwed up our plans. If I remember, Junkanoo beach was a 15 minute walk, make a right from the Port and keep going. Tell me about Junkanoo.....is it safe ?....can we hit the water, leave our stuff at the beach towel ?.....someone mentioned there are restrictions on local vendors, stopping them from bothering people on the beach to buy thier wares, once off the beach, it's game on.

We pulled the trigger on Hideaway Beach, willing to gamble $38 (Black Friday sale). We booked an Ocean Villa on Great Stirrup Cay (NCL) and was jealous of the party atmosphere we heard at the other beach. At Hideaway, we are hoping to shake our booty, drink in hand, sand in our toes.....just no kids running around screaming.

So, it's all or nothing once onboard ?, this may not end well for some who deserve some compensation. I surprised you cannot raise or lower depending on level of service.

My understanding is that the increase is on the daily service gratuities, which is discretionary and can be raised or lowered depending on how you feel the level of service was. Also, my understanding is, if prepaid, that option goes away.....am I wrong ?. We always prepay grats on drink and dining package, and also tip all that serve on top of the grats, as far as the increase on the daily, we are on the fence, likely accept the increase, maybe lower it onboard to the original amount.

First time on RCL, usually cruise NCL. We do intend on tipping an additional 15-20% at restaurants as always....and throw the chef at the Hibachi restaurant a 20. Those serving / delivering drinks get a 5 every two or three servings.

I'd be careful on Coco Cay with the wording of this offer stating "Onboard"