cruisegirl1

FYI - Mariner has been open for lunch on embarkation day. M

Many ships have an outdoor smoking area on one side of the pool deck. M

SO different than a Caribbean cruise. Excursions are a must, either through RCCL or private to see and experience the area. A land tour ( pre or post) of terrific. Be prepared, excursions are generally expensive. We rarely wore our coats and were comfortable in slacks/jeans and layers for the tops. We even sat buy the pool a time or two. There is so much to see on cruises that visit other ports around the world. Hope you get to go and enjoy the cruise. M

We sailed over a July 4 and I don't recall anything special except lots of decorations around the ship. Red/White/Blue banners, balloons etc. M

Good plan. How do sign up? M

When one goes solo, both do not get the points. Only the cruiser gets points. Both get the LEVEL of the highest cruiser. For years, I had a few more points than my husband. We were always the same level. M

I admire your honesty! m

Royal offered a 10 drink option YEARS ago, towards the end of the cruise. It wasn’t offered on all ships, all the time. It was 10 punches with a flat fee and shareable. Back then it came out price wise to be the cost of 8 or 9 mixed drinks. I was told it was offered on those cruises when the beverage dept, had not met their goal. Definitely saw it offered but not since 2016 or so. m

That is good to hear that for those who like to hang out on the Diamond lounge. m

I thought the reason people went to the lounges was for the conversation. At least that’s what they said. Are you telling me that now since there is no more free-flowing alcohol, people are not going to the lounges. I guess the conversation doesn’t seem to be important since everyone has to pay ( use a voucher) for alcohol. m

Last January and February on Jewel, they had the suite breakfast in Chops and the Pinnacle breakfast in Giovanni's.

No changes in CK. M

It would never be worth almost 3K for me to have the royal suite for just 3 days, especially on a ship with limited suite amenities. We had an opportunity to see the Royal Suite on a recent Marnier cruise and the Royal Suite was very nicely appointed. Given such a short cruise and time out of the cabin, will you really have time to enjoy it? With that said, it is your money not mine, so I can't make the decision for you. 3K might not be a drop in the bucket for you. Whatever you decide, have fun. M

The menus have all changed. Most of the changes are centered around dinner. There is no more Classic/everyday menu. The items that were available every day such as chicken, steak, shrimp cocktail, cheesecake etc. are no available each day. If ordering the complimentary lobster tail, only one lobster tail can be ordered. Extras are an additional change. As Biker19 suggested, look at the app for a current menu M.

Following. So many nice ports in Norway. We are taking the Jewel TA from Amsterdam to Cape Liberty. Our cruise is called Arctic Circle as well, but we visit Iceland and Greenland. Sailed Jewel in January and February. have fun M

After the first day, a new server has served hundreds of passengers and I suspect at least one asked for creamer or half and half. It is not an unusual request or one that should need additional training when a customer orders a cup of coffee. M

Yes. The spouse will be pinnacle the same time as the OP.

You will both become Pinnacle when the first person reaches the threshold. I had about 10 more points than my husband when we became Pinnacle. m

And not on every ship. m

well, that is debatable! 😀 ONLY KIDDING, I couldn't resist. Please do not attack me or Pinnacles. ONLY KIDDING M

It was answered at least 10 times on the first page. Then there are 11 pages of opinions. N

Rather than create a tiny, ill served smoke free space like they did on Oasis class ships, why not make the casino smoke free and carve out a tiny area for smokers. Or better yet, create a smoking room, so non gamblers aren't sitting at a machine that others want to play. I can understand if a smoker doesn't want to go outside especially in windy, rainy or cold conditions. so why not a smoking room? M

Those are probably the same folks who say they went to the D lounge for conversation, not the 3 hours of free drinks. M

Ther was a recent post on a FB page by someone on Freedom. I know the poster. Tables ( for the current cruise) were indeed smoke free. M

OK - I was simply trying to get away from the medical caregiver discussion. However, regardless if it is a friend, goddaughter or cabin mate, the same rules apply. M