Mum2Mercury

Put me in the group who prefers an employee serve the ice cream. They serve a reasonable amount in a cone, so much less is spilled on the floor. I like the idea of only that employee's hands touching the machine.

I was on Grandeur last fall, and I assure you: - Like all other Royal ships, no self-service laundry rooms. They do offer laundry service, but it's fairly expensive. - No to iron or steamers. - Two suggestions for keeping things wrinkle-free: Try the Marie Kondo folding method; it keeps things nice and tight, giving clothing less opportunity to move around in the suitcase and wrinkle. Wrap things in tissue paper (or dry cleaning plastic, though who uses that much dry cleaning these days?).

That sounds likely.

If your son is one of those super-picky autistic kids -- the ones for whom only the specific brand of bread and only the PB they're used to will do -- I'd bring it along. It's not that much trouble, and it could potentially avoid a melt-down. Make his life and yours a little easier. I'd consider packaging the bread in sets of 2-slices /in sandwich ziplocks, and I'd consider buying individual-serving tubs of peanut butter -- it'd be easy to carry to the Windjammer.

I've been fascinated by Pompeii ever since I was a child and read about it in National Geographic. If I were 2 1/2 hours away, I'd 100% make the drive. As for cheese, I already know how to make that in my own kitchen.

Yes, I always take a picture of that information. I've never needed it, but I have it. You're changing the topic. You mean once they've cranked up the engines and are ready to leave ... but can't leave yet because they're waiting for those last people? Interesting. I thought of port fees but not that.

Unkindness to the stragglers /stragglers doing right or wrong isn't my point at all. I'm saying that if the argument is KINDNESS, you have to be kind to the people who made it back as well. They clearly did the right thing, and they deserve their vacation to move on without delay.

Yeah, it's sad for them, but the ship posts the sail-away time very clearly -- it's about personal responsibility. It's easy to get the idea from these boards that every cruise has "runners". Not so. Most people are smart enough /responsible enough to get themselves back on time. Cozumel probably is the worst because they have so much shopping /drinking right by the docks ... and people get the idea "I'm only steps away from the ship". Eh, it's almost certainly their fault -- or at least their responsibility. If they'd been in an accident or been delayed in some way, they'd have been scooting to the ship as quickly as possible, knowing they were in trouble. From the description, this sounds like a family that was unaware of the time. And it sounds like sail-away was quite early for this port ... makes no sense if, indeed, their next stop were Coco Cay. I have an analog watch /carabiner, which I keep clipped on to my backpack. I wouldn't leave the ship without it. Missing the ship is NOT a big fear of mine. Oh, don't get me wrong -- I prepare. I have rules. I have a back-up plan to get back to the ship (like cab money and Google Maps). I don't allow my family to split up -- if we go into separate bathrooms, I say, we're meeting back on that bench. But I'm not AFRAID of it because I allow more than enough time, and I am prepared. Totally true. In all the years I've been reading this board, I've only read about one excursion missing the ship, and that had to do with a rock slide that blocked the road ... not poor service on the part of the tour guide at all. If private excursions weren't returning their passengers to the ship on time, they'd be out of business immediately. Consider who's operating the ship's excursions ... they don't send their own people off the ship. They contract local tour guides. Consider, too, that the ship excursions DO NOT promise to get you back to the ship. They promise to get you back to the pier. In Cozumel, as discussed above, if they get you back to the ship and you hang around shopping and drinking, they'll leave you. Setting foot on the gangplank 2 full hours before sail-away is my comfort level too. As you said, if something happens, that's enough time to regroup and get back to the ship. Kindness and sympathy are positive qualities, yes. But how about also being kind to the people who managed to follow the rules? Let them move forward with their vacation as planned. Don't add to their port fees or push the crew because of a few people who can't follow the rules.

I think you'll be fine taking it off the ship -- they don't care so much about that -- but I don't think you'll be allowed to bring it back on the ship. They'll think you bought the alcohol on shore and are trying to bypass their rules.

You weren't asking me, but the reserved seating tends to be over to the side /not the best seats.

Magnet toys are a great idea because they don't run out. Also love those Magic Ink books. Look on Amazon for Make-a-Face stickers. I bought a pack for my almost-3-year old grandson to use on our upcoming cruise -- sea animal theme -- but they're so cute I couldn't help giving him a few around the house. He absolutely loves them, and they keep him entertained longer than you'd expect. I think they were about 24 sticker sheets for $6.

Thought 1: No excuse for that -- I'd complain and ask other families to complain. I taught in public schools for 30 years, and every 3 years the county formed a Calendar Committee. Every school sent one representative (I did it once), and that group planned 3 years of calendars. It's not a particularly difficult job, but it does require incorporating a lot of laws and details you might not expect. The public had access to those calendars literally years in advance. Thought 2: Would you be willing to reserve multiple cruises, knowing you'd cancel the one(s) that don't work for you? Obviously, you'd need to be careful about deposits /refundability. Yes. One big change that's happening in public schools is that we're getting away from Spring Break at Easter. Instead, we're plopping it down at the halfway-through spring semester mark, and we're getting just a 4-day weekend at Easter. And we now have more long weekends /no fall break -- I like that one. Yes. This. I know you're probably hesitant to question the church, but you're the consumers at this school, and you deserve some heads-up about the schedule.

Thoughts on cruising with toddlers: - Are you dead set on your dates? I ask because the kids'll be 2 for the whole cruise, and the ship isn't one bit lenient about kids' ages. They'll be able to go to the nursery, which costs per hour and is just day care, rather than the Ocean Adventure Kids' Club, which is free and includes planned activities. We chose our upcoming cruise date specifically so our grandson'd be 3 before we cruise. - Waaay back, my shy child absolutely loved Ocean Adventure -- I have the best picture of her, age 5-6, in a little blue dress dancing with a bunch of other kids in the Kids' Club. - You can "check out" toys from the nursery, but I'd expect the kids would be happy to have their own snugglies for nighttime, etc. - Choose your ship carefully -- as someone else said, some ships have splash areas for small kids. That's hours of fun right there. Look into what type of playgrounds, mini-golf, etc. are available on the ships you're considering. The kids might enjoy MUTS -- Movies Under The Stars /by the main pool. They run a family-friendly movie around 5:00-6:00. - My daughter only allows my grandson to have bright red, yellow or orange swim trunks. Harder to find, but she wants him to stand out in the pool or on the beach. Safety first. - You'll see a big rack of kid-sized life vests by the main pool. Again, safety first. - You'll find all the food the kids'll need onboard. You're allowed to bring snacks back to the room, so that could include bananas, cookies, cheese and crackers. Maybe consider bringing wrapped snacks for taking off the ship (granola bars, crackers) since hungry toddlers want to eat RIGHT NOW. - You should bring sippee cups for the girls, as they won't be provided. - Consider dinner at the buffet -- at least some nights. Long, multi-course meals aren't so much fun for kids, and the buffet is more relaxed for them. - I saw a smart family boarding just ahead of us on a recent cruise: The dad was pulling a collapsable wagon, which contained two small boys and the family's carry-on bags. The mom walked behind carrying a baby and watching to see that the two boys remained seated. Looked like a brilliant way to get the kids onboard, and I'm sure they wheeled that wagon right to the beach during island stops. With almost-3 year olds, I think I'd rather have that wagon than strollers. - With kids, bring more of everything than you think you'll need. You won't have access to a washing machine, so plenty of clothes. Extra sunscreen, etc. - To keep kids' occupied during waiting times /at meals -- we have ready crayons /small coloring books and stickers. Oh, he loves stickers; look up Make-a-Face Stickers on Amazon -- wonderful sit-still activity. I have ready for him a Search-and-Find bottle full of rice and tiny plastic toys, and I have a calm-down bottle with oil/water/glitter -- those things are magical for quieting a kid. Well, aren't you a ray of sunshine!

None of us know what ship you're considering, so we cannot answer that question. Ships vary widely in terms of size and cabin options. Google NAME OF SHIP + deck plans, and you'll get your answer, but you'll find that non-connecting rooms outnumber connecting rooms. You want to go ahead and make your reservations as soon as you know your dates ... while those rooms are still available. Better yet, go online and pretend you're booking ... the computer will show you what rooms are still available for your chosen week. Yes, but you'll pay less and get two bathrooms by choosing connecting cabins. Again, be careful to distinguish connecting cabins and adjacent cabins; I personally would want my children to have direct access to me -- adjacent cabins would mean they'd have to go out into the public hallway, then get me to open the locked door. Connecting cabins give you a direct, unlocked door between your two rooms.

That's actually the best argument "against" that I've heard, but let me ask this: If my door is damaged, are they going to charge me for the repair? People have said to me more than a few times, "I've been enjoying your goldfish -- I look for them and know I'm two doors down. I'm going to bring something for my own door next cruise." Yeah, typical of this board -- you say something, and someone else extrapolates your thoughts to an extreme. I've never personally seen a political message on a door, though I have seen a whole table of MAGA ballcaps in the MDR. I'd like to think messages that're distasteful to the general public would be removed. Every door decoration I've ever seen either commemorated an event (Happy Birthday) or included general cruise-and-island-themed items (palm trees, port holes, margarita glasses). When we cruised on Halloween, we saw loads of holiday decorations. Occasionally a sports-team theme. But I've never personally seen anything even remotely controversial.

Interestingly, Balcony Guarantees are slightly cheaper than Insides. I priced it out including airfare from my location, insurance and tips, it'd total $2745 for two people in a Balcony Guarantee ... or $152/pp/night.

You can get connecting rooms in pretty much any category: Interior, Promenade, Oceanview, Balcony or Junior Suite. Go online and look at the deck plans -- you'll see double-sided arrows indicating the connecting rooms. DO book as early as possible because the connecting rooms are limited. I agree that two connecting rooms are the best choice for your family: connecting rooms'll give you two bathrooms and ample space. Be SURE though that you're getting CONNECTING rooms, not just ADJACENT rooms. I wouldn't want to leave children -- especially the 5-year old -- in a room not connected to mine.

Saves on lifeguard salaries. Many pictures are cleverly arranged to insinuate "more than is real". One example that comes to mind right away is Royal Caribbean's casitas ... they show pictures that imply they're right by the pools, when -- in reality -- they're a deck above on the jogging track. Another example is fish eye lenses that make cabins look more spacious than they actually are. Beaches are wonderful, of course, but many of us enjoy the pools on Sea Days or evenings. Well, being 4'11", many pools are too deep for me to stand with a drink.

We fill bottles bottles from one of these sources: - cups in the Windjammer. - cups in Promenade Cafe. - cups in Park Cafe. I recommend bringing a wide-mouth bottle to make this easier.

We're always happy when we see Deck 6 pop up on our boarding passes. We enjoy being one staircase up from the Promenade /drinks and pizza. We enjoy being close to the MDR. Really, it's become our favorite deck. That's enough to make a difference. As the above poster said, it's enough to pay for some important extras.

Yeah, I know, but it was the only article that popped up about Royal not visiting Nassau -- and it was dated about three weeks ago. Seems reasonable that that huge incident isn't yet resolved.

Would you buy internet anyway? If so The Key'd cost you an extra $7 x 2 adults or about $14/day or $112/week. Do they charge 18% gratuity on The Key? Think about the perks: - You'll have priority embarkation, but -- in reality -- you're only talking about saving minutes. Typically they have a door over to the side for The Key and Suite Guests. They let those people in, then the earliest time slot people follow right on their heels. Once you're through the check-in, you'll sit down and wait for them to begin boarding. Again, they'll allow The Key, Suite Guests and people with a lot of loyalty points to board first, but the people with the earliest time slots will be right on their heels -- you'd save no more than 15 minutes. - No one waits for hours to embark. Here's the process: Pull up to the terminal, drop your luggage with the porters, join the line -- most people want the earliest boarding time. When the line starts moving, you'll go through the x-ray check, then move on to have your documents verified. You'll sit down in the terminal until it's time to start boarding. No matter what you do, embarkation isn't a lot of fun, and you will have to wait; it'd be smart to bring something your kids really like -- like maybe stickers? -- for that time. - The Key only gets you priority disembarkation only for islands that require tenders (boats to the island). That's a real benefit, but the islands that require tenders are few and far between -- the majority of the islands have walk-off docks. - As for disembarkation, we try to leave quickly because we have a long drive. My husband, the task master, makes us get up early. I insist up on having a good breakfast, then we get in line about 7:00. Once the line starts moving, it moves fast. We're always in the car, suitcases stowed, heading North by 7:30. - The Key's priority seating isn't enforced. I went to a show by myself and chose to sit in the balcony. After I sat down, I realized I was in The Key seating -- I looked around and saw a couple people I know didn't have The Key. No one was paying any attention. They also weren't prime seats. - If you plan to use specialty dining, that 20% could be worthwhile.

I Googled, and this is what I found -- doesn't mean something isn't also going on with weather: Royal Caribbean International has reached out to guests who have pre-booked certain shore tours while visiting Nassau in the Bahamas to alert them that their selected tours have been cancelled. The impacted tours involve the Blue Lagoon, as the cruise line has not yet completed its investigation into an incident from November 2023.

The terms Guarantee and RC Picks the Room are interchangeable. With either one you'll probably find out your room number about three weeks before the cruise.

We almost always book Inside Guarantees, and we've always been satisfied. Specifics: - We don't really care where we are, and the savings are real. - We seem to land on Deck 6 most of the time. It's not a particularly popular deck, but it's become our favorite. We also seem to land mid-ship most of the time. - Several times we've scored a small bump up: Paid for an Inside /got an Obstructed Ocean View. Paid for an Inside /got a Promenade Room. Paid for an Inside /got a Handicapped Room. - What drives me nuts is waiting to know my room number! As the date draws nearer, I start checking multiple times each day. It's worth it for the savings.