bajathree

Oh...as far as the beach stay post....if you are looking at Clearwater Beach I would suggest looking at The Sandpearl..not sure budget wise if it fits in but it's a very nice hotel in a great spot right on Clearwater beach.

I haven't ever stayed at these hotels...however I have lived in the downtown Tampa area in close proximity to these hotels. The Barrymore would be at the bottom of the list out of the 3 due to it's location. The Hyatt House will put you right in central downtown and in close proximity to the Riverwalk...better downtown location than the Barrymore. The Haya Hotel is probably going to the be the nicest out of the 3 as it's a more niche hotel. However with that being said the Hyatt House is located in the historic Ybor district. While Ybor offers many great restaurants and bars it may not always be the area for everyone to stay in. With all the bars it can get pretty busy late night especially if it's a weekend evening and the crowd can get a bit sketchy in the evening. If you choose the Haya there is also a free trolley that you can jump on to easily get to the port and downtown Tampa.

Yes....the original part of the hotel is only 3 stories.

You do realize when you leave your car at one of these hotels there is no security or anything....little different than just picking any random parking lot and just leaving your car and hoping for the best that it will still be there when you get back and not broken into.

I just recently did the same with a Symphony sailing for March 2025....was able to do the same upgrade for $12 total.

Just a note on this. I recently booked a Utopia sailing on a prime offer but wanted to upgrade to an ocean balcony. I looked on-line at the pricing for the interior 4V (that was the prime offer) and the 2D ocean balcony I wanted to upgrade to and did my own math to work what the upgrade should cost. When I called Club Royale there price was showing almost $200 more than what I came up with. I told them that isn't right as I am looking right at pricing online. They told me their current pricing of the 4V and then of the 2D...both were different than I was seeing currently online. While they were on the line with me I went ahead and did a mock booking for both and told they Royal's website pricing. They said that wasn't the pricing they had on their system....which BTW they were in India. They said their pricing could vary but I stuck to my guns and said thats non-sense...pricing should be pricing...not showing the same product at 2 different prices on 2 different systems. After a brief hold a couple times they came back and apologized to me and gave me the pricing for the upgrade I was seeing and explained to me that their systems hadn't updated to the most recent pricing. So if you are getting a different price from Club Royal than what you are seeing online I would challenge them to it like I did. Also should be noted that as long as it's prior to final payment due date you can get adjustments for your upgrades if current pricing shows...so also price check on upgrades...I just recently got 2 price drops honored for that same upcoming Utopia sailing.

Just off Wonder a few weeks ago. There was 70's, 80's, Caribbean and White nights.

I have given up checking in on the app...full of bugs like u r seeing. I check in via laptop on Royals site under my cruises.

It's hard to go backwards once you experinced and liked Oasis class ships. Freedom class is going to seem dated to you. If you wanted to try something else I would recomend Odyssey but I don't believe it going to sail from the debarkation ports you are looking at. As for Christmas....maybe as they usually use Thanksgiving week to just start decorating the ships or the transition between the Thanksgiving sailing and the sailing after.

The answer is yes...they can assist you. As to how close to the times you want will depend upon availability...remember they have a lot of other people to assist also. If you are concerned about getting the times you want I would probably go to one of the specialty dining restaurants immediately upon boarding and try to just take care of it myself.

And you don't see the issues and inconvenience that causes to the main dining room staff as well as your fellow passengers?!?!

Does anyone know what is the purpose of the funnel that comes out of the Wipeout Bar. I asked on Wonder and couldn't find a staff member that had any idea. I have viewed overhead pix of it and it is hollow with a grate on top of it. I know they have some navigational equipment in use attached to it but there has to be some main purpose of that funnel.

At $500/night those suite benefits aren't near worth it. Better value getting 2 connecting ocean view balconies and still having money left over.

Stay on the ship;)

It doesn't matter if he is the primary passenger as long as 1 of you stay on the reservation you can substitute the other passenger. As for the handicap cabin....see if they have a non-handicap in the same category you can switch to...or else just stay in the cabin you have.

That price difference is CRAZY even for a 7 night sailing....never mind a 4 night sailing.....defiantly not worth it. Take another cruise with the savings downgrading back to your original cabin.

It's right on Royals own website: Due to public health regulations, children that are in diapers or not 100% toilet trained may only use Baby Splash facilities on board. These are only available on the following ships: Adventure, Allure, Anthem, Freedom, Harmony, Independence, Liberty, Oasis, Ovation, Odyssey, Quantum, Spectrum, Symphony and Wonder. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/are-children-in-diapers-allowed-in-the-onboard-pools

I am just giving my honest opinion of being booked in a JS and wanting to dine at CK. While I have stayed in JS's and haven't had issue with dining in CK...sometimes for even the entire sailing, it does come at a bit of a price IMHO. First off your room key doesn't have access to the suite lounge of CK....both are located together....so you will have to stand there outside the door knocking waiting for someone to open it up for you. You will have to do this every time including if you have to go to the bathroom while dining. Some of the concierge's are welcoming for you to dine in CK, others have a bit of an attitude if you aren't in a full suite. Some will let you reserve the nights you want others will tell you stop by each evening and they will see if they can accommodate you. In all honesty I'm not overly impressed with CK...it's just a smaller main dining room venue with food being very similar to main dining quality. As much as some might want to pretend...it certainly isn't comparable to one of the specialty dining venues. With the all being said I sometimes find that seem to feel you are competing with the suite guests and the not haven't door access to Ck is very annoying and standing knocking on the doors feels awkward.

I never book hotels through a third party....hotels give all priority to people that have booked direct.

On a side note...Utopia did away with Wonderland all together and replaced its location on 11/12 with Giovanni's....think that may be telling for the future of Wonderland.

Why???....because I think spending $5000 for an interior cabin on Icon is Crazy!?!?!

I understand ...what I'm saying if it was they still wouldn't book.

I have to agree with the doing nothing. After 53 sailings mostly all with Royal I have seen much change over the years. Years ago if a child or adult walked through the ship in a bikini without a coverup they were asked to put something on....now nothing...I see women with G-stings in Windjammer. My daughter wouldn't be allowed to walk on the ship at a port stop without a coverup or t-shirt. Men couldn't walk on without a shirt....now it all goes...they wouldn't say a word to these people. With this new entitled society companies are afraid to say anything anymore.

No one would ever book one of those refundable rates with suites anyways.

I couldn't imagine paying $5000 with the pools open.