alohayall

Not having tried too many places, I can say I enjoyed 

Juneau - Hangar in the Wharf (halibut is worth the upcharge)

Juneau - Tracy’s - King Crab (had snow crab the same meal; the King was so meaty and didn’t get cold before I could eat it.  They will give you extra melted butter.). Tried it for the first time in five cruises this past year. Should have gone sooner. 
Skagway - Skagway Brewing Co.; we had the food,  not the drinks.

We looked for salmon in Ketchikan, the Salmon Capital.  Only found it at one place - as fish and chips. No, thank you.  

Not ashamed to be a tourist.

I read all the responses and then checked out your pier. So this may be redundant. And I’ll throw in my two cents. 
 

Yes, you will be docked at Ward Cove (per the ports’ schedule).  Last year’s early cruises were a reported mess at a brand-new facility. By the time we docked in September, a lot of the kinks must have been corrected.

The ride to town on a greyhound-style bus took about 20 minutes, which went by quickly. It dropped us off right in the middle of the tourist area. And buses were waiting at the end of the day. Our ride was complimentary - but I wouldn’t be surprised if a fee is imposed at some point in the future (perhaps after ships are full again and tourism is back to normal).

Docking at Ward Cove had no negative impact on my vacation.

The tram (small shuttle bus) is easy to use; I think it’s right at the base of the Mt Roberts Tramway, right in downtown.

And it would not be an easy walk for someone recovering from knee surgery.

We docked there last year - also the only ship in port that day.  

Congratulations on your future cruise. No need to second guess your choice, either. There would be pros and cons for any cruise line, ship, itinerary.  
 

When I sailed to AK, I said that no one needs to sail to AK two years in a row. Then I ended up doing it three years in a row - and twice after that. And I am still plotting more returns. If you don’t love it enough to go back, it doesn’t matter which cruise you went on.  If you do love it, you can pick a different itinerary in the future. 
 

Have a great cruise!

I’d expect the Big Blue Bus to have a price hike this year due to gas prices. We used it in the past, when it was $20 RT. Last year, I took advantage of the cruise line’s discount on all excursions in each port. The Big Blue Bus is a converted school bus, but served our purpose of transportation.
 

I am a slow walker and was able to do the Nugget Falls trail within the allotted shore excursion time, with leftover time before the return.

I visit Mendenhall each time I have cruised to AK.  

I had a great visit (my first) to Icy Strait Point last year. I did a combo whale watch and ZipRider excursion.  This year, that excursion would include transportation to the top of the mountain (for the zip line) via gondola.

Everytime I go to Ketchikan, I work hard to find something to do.  I have done little rubber boats and a float plane flight over the Tongass Forest (with Island Wings), but I wouldn’t mind just skipping this port.  
 

I always get off the ship in AK ports, so I would recommend checking out excursions for the two cities. If staying on the boat, I think Ketchikan might be better for just viewing from the ship.

See if this helps - the cruiseweb site.  This was my quick internet search for a website.   I typed in just one port (Crete) and it listed several cruises. I went no further; I figured you could see if it meets your needs.  

I had something like that. Not for the photo; it was vax info. I checked back later and all was fine (I had changed nothing).  Give it a day or two if you are not really close to sailing.

The tricky part to this is that it is whether it meets the 95% threshold for each ship, each sailing.  Are you going to get onboard, only to be told that “this week, masks will be required?”  Especially during periods with more children (over 5 y) onboard. That’s part of the deal by opting in to the program.

41 minutes ago, poocher said:

Royal does not accept a note from a doctor based on having covid within 90 days.  You MUST have a negative test.

Thank you for the info.

34 minutes ago, tkportersat said:

My son had Covid October 2020 and again January 2022.  I wish we could take the Rapid...the not having control of the results is making me crazy.  

Is this the same son who is cruising?  Does he fall under the 90-day post-COVID program, where you get a medical professional to testament he is medically clear? - And do they do that with Royal? (Apparently, you can still test positive for about 3 months after having the viral infection.)

Hope someone can answer your question about Quest. 
 

Any other local lab that has a better turn around time?  We found one in my town that has the lab on the spot and got results back, guaranteed in one day.  

Best wishes!

31 minutes ago, crewsweeper said:

Ships the size of the Odyssey dock at he Mega Pier.

Thank you. I couldn’t distinguish our ship in the photo.  

Thanks for the submergible shore excursion photos - I’m booked on it in March.

And thank you for the review.

Where were you docked in Curaçao? 

13 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Switched from the Aniston Iced Teas to the planters punch. 
 

going to enjoy the pool deck for the afternoon. 

Glad to see you remembered to include the drink’s name.

19 hours ago, SRF said:

 

This is not across the fleet. Only the newer larger ships have the Sea/Sky/Star classes.

 

The older ships have cabins, JR Suites and Full Suites (Grand/Owner/Royal).  What you get for being a suite is less.  There is no Coastal Kitchen, no free internet, no Genies.

Thanks for the heads up.  Would the Sea/ Sky/ Star classes info be applicable to the Harmony or Odyssey ships, in which the OP is interested.  (But people are known to start looking and end up somewhere else).  Disney only has four ships, so most of attributes are similar across the fleet - or else applicable to one of two sister- ship pairs.

I hope this entire experience - the loss of the OBV, confusion about what you are being sold, and the reactions you have received here - don’t sour your vacation experience.

You may have been dumped on because people come on the forum and then disappear after stirring up a hornets’ nest. An inflammatory statement instead of a question is a red flag.
 

It would have been nice if someone could have given you a tidbit of help to correct your scenario.  But there really didn’t seem anything you could do to fix the loss of OBC, it seems - there was nothing they could share.

However, you are really just a victim of inexperience and booking rules.
 

People use travel agents to avoid these (costly) annoyances, as they are more versed in snafus. In the US, the traveler does not pay for their services - their payment comes from the cruise line.

If you sail again and wish to do your own booking, you are less like to have a room assignment surprise if you do a bunch of research ahead. Deck plans and cabin reviews (including videos) can let you know what you are actually booking. I book for myself online, with a bunch of notes - especially if I end up having to call.

Hope you can shake it off and enjoy your family vacation.

The menus probably haven’t changed significantly (if at all) in the MDRs. Have you looked at the menus and figured out what you would eat?  On my upcoming cruise, there are a few nights where nothing on the nightly offerings interests me. And that’s not from too many repeat cruises.

I thought the MDRs in NCL Encore were actually pretty good, and the Specialty Restaurants even better (best cruise food for me, other than pizza).  
 

I’m trying to keep expenses down, but better food sounds enticing - I think it even includes pub food. And lunches.

Good luck decision making. And happy cruising.

1 hour ago, Deb1953 said:

So last night I got a notice from my Credit Card company of a charge and it appeared to be my bidup amount.  I had NO email, yet when i went to my cruise it now said I had a GSsuite and a cabin number.  Then I got an email from my travel agent.  As of now, still NO email from Royal about the upgrade.  All of our online info has been updated so we are happy for the upgrade..... That was on Tuesday for this Sunday sailing.

I don’t know what is normal for RoyalUp when going through a travel agent - but so many aspects of the cruise booking have to go through the Travel Agent if you use one.  Do you get any emails directly from Royal?

Per RC website, it’s included - except on China cruises.

The way it’s been for years:  If she’s sailing in this hemisphere, the birth certificate + photo ID is still fine for cruising. Having the passport is really only necessary if she needs to fly home.  
 

On my last cruise, I found they didn’t want you switching ID mid-cruise (this was at a port excursion).

Bon Voyage!

8 hours ago, Maitaivegas said:

Love your title and your report so far.
On your ship is it Giovanni’s table or kitchen? On the Oasis we don’t have the giant meatball, and I am struggling to find something to eat other than the fillet.

It’s Giovanni’s Italian Kitchen.  There is also Giovanni’s Wine Bar, which offers some food - meat & cheese platter, meatballs (not giant), pizza, Stromboli…

Ever tried Osso Bucco?  I dared step out of the comfort of filet and found this to be a nice tender meat in Italian restaurants.

Now, a corollary question.  Can you order any drink off the RC drink menu in any of the bars - or do some only make a selection?  (The latter was the case on NCL.)

2 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Well, technically Sprite is a soda.😊

Depends on where you live.  A lot of Southerners call it a Coke - and ask you which flavor.  I was taught it is a soft drink. Ahh, the fine nuances of the English language.  Just playing with you 😉

If your trip includes Perfect Day at CocoCay, food on the island, loungers and umbrellas are included. As is the big swimming pool. The water park area is add-on. For my cruise, it is offered for $109 ($92 if bought pre-Cruise) per person.  The price is not static; it is tied to the specific sailing.

And reservations for activities are charged to your credit card when booked, not once you do them, as on Disney.

The pier at CocoCay can handle two ships; it looks like the island can have a lot of people.

I’m also a mostly-Disney cruiser.  I did find this page that shows some of the amenities of the suites (this applies is across the fleet). A JS will be in the Sea Class.  VOOM is their internet.  Coastal Kitchen is an exclusive dining room for suite guests - and at times, very-high loyalty guests.

(I am sailing Odyssey in a few weeks, let me know if there’s anything you would like to have researched).