SuzD123

Or...giving your DD a bit of grace...and not really being familiar with the specific video she saw on TikTok, maybe it was a compilation of all of the different show options across RC ships? Albeit not all on the same ship.

Completely agree...if the stars align and you are the first ones off the ship and your car is sitting there ready and waiting for you it could be doable, but risky. At best, you are still 30-45 min from the airport with no traffic. There are lots of unexpected variables (delay disembarking passengers? issue with the car service? traffic accident? etc.) that could negatively impact your arrival at the airport and that is not a risk/stressor we would be willing to take after a fabulous vacation. Best rule of thumb for this port and airport is book nothing prior to 12noon. As @Ocean Boy says...if you were sailing out of Port Everglades and flying FLL...THAT would be an entirely different story since they are practically next door to one another (okay...maybe not next door, but you can practically see the ship from the airport).

Hot-diggity! Doing a happy dance for you and many many others. This is awesome news. Enjoy your cruise!!

Wishing you and everyone the best @STEVE-O. In the meantime saying lots of prayers, thinking happy/positive thoughts, and crossing fingers/toes. Our pre-cruise travels start on May 15 for our May 17 sailing.

Thank you @PIC33 for the pictures, "super sleuthing", and the walk about. Only time will tell the ultimate outcome. 🙂

I have you beat I guess. Our planned sailing is May 17…our first trip to Alaska. A little anxious maybe? Hopeful that they will get whatever is wrong resolved. I have both my checked and carry on (since it is a 2-week cruise tour) bags ready to go with only the backpack/personal item left to finalize. With all of the planning packing downsizing and repacking I’ve done, I would hate to start over from scratch. 😉

We've used Tiffany Towncar Service multiple times and have been very pleased...the most recent time being in Nov 2023. https://www.tiffanytowncar.com/wordpress/ This most recent time they picked us up at the airport (MCO), took us to our pre-cruise hotel. After the cruise, they picked us up at the port and took us back to the airport. The morning of the cruise, we pre-scheduled an Uber since our hotel was less than a mile from the port.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/driving-directions-port-fort-lauderdale-everglades-florida "Parking Information After dropping off your checked luggage at the pier terminal with the porters and cruise line representative, proceed to the appropriate parking** garage for that terminal. Rates* are $20 USD per day for the regular vehicles and $25 USD for the oversized vehicles (rates subject to change without notice by the Port Authority). For additional information or vehicle size restrictions, please contact USA Parking at (954)468-3680." According to the Port Everglades site, Symphony will be docked at Terminal 18. https://www.porteverglades.net/cruise/terminals/terminal-18/ and it indicates that "Secure Parking in 600-space Parking Lot #18 or 400-space Parking Lot #19." Here is a link to the Port Everglades parking information: https://www.porteverglades.net/cruise/parking/ Attached...Port Everglades map: PE_0494_Port_Facility_Guide_FINAL_1_August_8_2023_2_50f79cea-c62c-4336-971e-255b510fb462.pdf

You are correct. There is no written rule, no guideline, nor obligation. However, as @captainannoyed! shared...our experience has been that service tends to be quicker when staying in suites (right or wrong) and we much appreciate what they do for us. So we show our appreciation with a couple extra $$ for the person bringing our room service order...especially since they are not the ones "in line" for a share of the allocated prepaid gratuities. We use the same philosophy when tipping our servers in the suite lounge or even the other bars or lounges. Is it required? No, but it is how we like to show our gratitude for what they do. At the end of the day, is it up to the individual who, how, or even if they leave an additional gratuity? Absolutely.

Absolutely agree.

BTW...Love this thread, because for the first time in all of our cruises...we are booked in our first RS on Adventure...albeit not until Jan 2026, but we finally got her. 🙂

Beverages in the Suite Lounge are complimentary to guests staying in a GS or above...regardless of loyalty status/level. They are not charged to your SeaPass account, nor are they counted against your D/D+ drink vouchers. However, if you are getting your beverages in the Crown Lounge (formerly "Diamond Lounge") you will likely see they those drinks count against your allotted vouchers...same as if the vouchers are used at any other venue.

Agreed. Don't take the delay personally. If you haven't received confirmation, feel free to reach back out to confirm that your request/reply was received and you should get the response you're looking for...it just may not be immediate. The concierge team is balancing their schedules/workload to prepare for you and your fellow cruise passengers before you begin your sailing. In the meantime, they are also busy meeting the needs/requests of guests currently onboard.

Not super recent, but DD and I were on Allure a few months ago (Nov 2023) and no mask requirements. It was purely personal preference based on individual comfort level. We had a couple masks packed in our suitcases just in case something popped up...but again they were not required. This was our first sailing since we stepped off Allure days before the COVID lockdown of March 2020. She is sailing on Symphony in a few days and I will be on Radiance in a few weeks...and there has been no indication of a mask mandate for those upcoming sailings.

So sorry for what you and your family are currently going through. I found the following on the RCCL site. While I'm not sure the non-refundable deposit fare applies, I am guessing that due to the close proximity of the sailing date it may. Hope that it helps. Q Should I choose to cancel a reservation confirmed under a non-refundable deposit fare, what refunds will apply? A Outside of final payment, when a non-refundable deposit cancellation occurs, the full deposit amount will be held in penalty. Any additional payments made will be refunded. Should you choose to change your original ship and/or sail date, if you booked directly with us, please contact our Consumer Outreach team at (866) 562-7625 where a representative will assist in making the desired changes, while also applying the qualifying change fee(s) and collecting payment, if not already done so. If you booked via a travel advisor, please contact them for any booking changes.

May 17 will be our 1st Alaska sailing as well. We've been looking forward to this and planning for more than a year. Sorry for the folks currently onboard. Thinking LOTS of happy thoughts and crossing fingers/toes that everything gets resolved. The couple of articles I have read this afternoon seem to indicate that the repairs are best made while docked and should be completed by April 26.🙏

Crossing my fingers and saying prayers for all of us. 🙂

Yep...thinking happy positive thoughts...

Agreed. 10 is the largest table size we've ever been a part of or have seen. However, we have seen 2 tables (8-person/each) to accommodate larger parties near or next to one another...just not connected.

Ditto...we are supposed to board her on May 17 in Vancouver for a 13-night northbound cruisetour (7-night sailing/6-night land)

Thank you everyone for your responses. This is exactly what we needed.

Ditto...what everyone described occurred for me...last week. Change the password that has worked forever...all good. Then magically things changed within the past 12 hours. Updated/changed password yet again. ugh

Thank you...that's what we have been starting to wonder. I'll be interested to hear of others' experiences too. Obviously we'll be paying attention and following whatever instruction we get from the crew, but it is always nice to be a little prepared and aware ahead of time. Thank you again. 🙂

This is something that I have been wondering about in the background, but as we have been preparing for other things related to our first Alaska sailing/cruise tour...it has kind of fallen by the wayside. Fast forward to this week when I saw a slightly related question in a separate thread. With several Caribbean sailings under our belts, we're well aware of the concept of "ship's time" and the need to know which time/time zone to follow so as to not miss all aboard. As we have been watching several YouTube videos and reading CC threads...there have been a number of mentions about time, but as we are now days away from stepping onboard...we are finally thinking more about it. Specifically on a RCCL Alaska itinerary...is the time zone followed solely at the Captain's discretion? Is how it is followed different between Alaska and Caribbean sailings? Do we follow the original departure time zone (in our case Pacific Time) or does it shift to local times as we move through time zones (into Alaska Time)? The alternative is to pay close attention to ship announcements and the daily Cruise Compass too. I guess through our past experience, we believed that the time/time zone question was pretty standard...sticking to ship time at the departure port...but maybe not? As much as I love my smartwatch, I'm wondering if I need to dig out my old analog watch and make sure it has a new battery? Any thoughts or guidance regarding time changes/time zones from others who have previously sailed Alaska itineraries?

While we haven't been on Icon...we've been on our fair share of 7-night RCCL sailings. For a 7 night sailing there are typically 2 "formal" nights. Generally, those are scheduled on the 2nd and 5th or 6th night. Longer itineraries (10-15 night) will have a 3rd. Note that I put formal in quotes...reason being, the trends seems to be moving away from truly formal attire. You may even see it referred to in the Cruise Compass as "Dress Your Best"...not even suggesting formal attire. While you may still see the occasional tuxedo or formal gown...it is not the norm. You are more likely to see a sport jacket, a nice dress, khakis with a golf shirt, or just about anything. That all said...if you enjoy the opportunity to really dress up...no one will say a word. At the end of the day fun!!