Cutigerlady

We were getting on the Oasis in Miami the week of Thanskgiving and the ship was delayed in disembarking the cruise that was returning. It was mass chaos because you had an oversold Oasis class ship of people arriving and a group trying to disembark. I believe they didn't start to get off until around 10 and we couldn't get on until 12:30. When we returned, we got in line about 7:00 and I was in line for the taxi at 8:00. We were also on a cruise right before New Years on a smaller ship and we had no issues getting off at 7:30. They forgot to tell the port workers and we did have to wait 10-15 minutes for cabs to start to arrive. We were sitting at the airport by 8:30 and had no issue on our 10:50 flight. We find the taxis are faster than Uber in Miami. I prefer getting dropped off using Uber to save some $$.

We found it easiest out of Port Everglades to just get in the taxi line. They had a line and someone from the port was assigning the cabs to the people in the line. I don't recall the exact cost, but I think around $25.

I was on the Oasis in November and we ate at the brunch several days and they do have lunch options. They were not as strict as the Freedom about the end time, which had breakfast end at 9:30 and they shut the doors so you can’t go inside. I was in the MDR one day in the Oasis until 1:30 finishing our lunch. They never rushed us. We found the brunch to work nicely because we had plenty of time to workout, shower and head down to eat without having to get up so early to make breakfast. we had people in our group go back and forth from both menus.

My suggestion is to reach out the special needs department before your trip and let them know you have non-dairy food requests. The email is special_needs@rccl.com and make sure to include your ship, date, and reservation number with your request. I have non-dairy kids and they were able to get almond milk most places on request. They didn't have ice cream, so I'm not sure what options were available. RCCL was very helpful with special requests I had on a recent cruise.

I was able to cancel my Izumi reservation and book it back within about 5 minutes for the lower price. It took a few minutes for it to appear after I cancelled it. I guess there is a risk someone else will grab it, but I was able to adjust mine without that happening.

I was able to save on our boarding day lunch (biggest savings here) and internet on my cruise in a few weeks. The deals on cruises farther out were not as great, but I did save a bit and bought some things for the Icon that I've been watching the prices not move in months. We'll be doing the free stuff at Coco Cay because the prices for those things have gotten crazy!

Recently, RCL has been asking for this form: https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/countries/GBR/pdf/faqs/questions/minor-traveling-without-parent-or-guardian-form.pdf It must be notarized.

I've spent many hours at the rock wall on the Harmony and I've never seen anyone with their own shoes. The line for this can get long and you get to go up once and then must wait in line again. If there is nobody waiting, then they will let you go a few times. I haven't been on this ship in 2023, but our last time in 2022 they were still making everyone wait downstairs and only allowing those climbing upstairs.

As part of the checkout process online, you enter your booking details to link the OBC to your reservation. It takes 4-5 days for it to appear in the cruise planner and you will see the credit at the top of the page.

I emailed special_needs@rccl.com to inquire about wheelchair rentals and they sent me this back: If you require the use of a wheelchair or scooter during the cruise, you can bring your mobility device, or rent one from a provider who will deliver directly to your stateroom. Listed below are two preferred providers you may contact: Scootaround (formerly Care Vacations): 1-888-441-7575 or 1-204-982-0657 Special Needs at Sea: 1-800-513-4515 Wheelchairs and scooters must be stored in your stateroom so fire doors, corridors and elevators are kept clear for emergency evacuation. I hope it helps!

I've been on a few Christmas cruises and they do have an ugly sweater contest. I think it was the night they do Christmas caroling. The big dinner is on Christmas Eve and I definitely saw more families dressed up. On Christmas morning the main dining room is PACKED and lots of matching pjs.

I was paying very close attention to this because I was considering a cabana for one of my upcoming cruises with someone that is wheelchair dependent. There is a raised step up between the cabana and seating area with sand in between. If you watch the video in the background of cabana you can kind of see what I'm talking about. I thought the some on the end had a sidewalk and were wheelchair accessible though. You probably can email the special needs department and get a definite answer though. I know the over the water cabanas are wheelchair accessible and the bathroom that is shared by both sets of cabanas is accessible. In the beach club area - restaurant, pool, and table areas they do have small steps, however they have ramps for wheelchairs there too.

Yes, I find that connecting is more expensive than those that are next to each other but don't connect. I have also booked one balcony and one interior room (my teens asked for the interior room on our upcoming trip). I find a really good travel agent helps to look at every combination for the ship/date we want and she finds the best deal. I do think the system travel agents use is easier to find where there are 2 rooms next to each other than the trial and error you have to do online.

The Icon has non-suite rooms with the split bath - Family Infinity with one room with shower/sink and other with sink/toilet. However, my family has found it is cheaper to book two staterooms. When my kids were smaller we got connecting rooms, but now that they are teens I save a little money booking rooms next to each other or across the hall. You will have to call to get them to do that or book one adult in each room online. You can get keys to access the other room at guest services.

I have purchased insurance after final payment, so it is possible. My family is healthy and frankly I just forgot to buy it. The terms of the coverage was fine, we didn't need anything special. You want to pay attention to the lookback window because if you can't go for a medical reason, they won't cover it if it was for something that came up in that lookback window. The Royal plan has a 60 day lookback from the day you buy it. We have a cruise with my parents and I didn't realize this caveat, because I normally don't add the coverage until right before final payment. In this case, my dad has medical issues that could be argued as something they exclude if he can't go for medical reasons. I bought my TA's plan that doesn't have a lookback window, just to be extra cautious.