pcur

Actually, the bartenders are pretty liberal with the bottled water since RCCL started giving everyone bottles in their cabins. Go to the bar out on the pool deck and ask about the policy, and if you should use your coupon, and how many bottles can you get. I had a bartender just hand me 3 bottles, and I tipped him a few bucks for it.

Oldest: Nordic Prince in 1973 Newest: Anthem Favorite: Jewel - sailed her for our 50th anniversary Panama Canal, Transatlantic, Europe/Greece cruises in 2019.

Aren't the SOV cabins waaaaay up in the bow. I agree with Biker19: wait until jumping for that particular cabin. Also, the huge windows can be a serious heat-gain issue in the cabin, and you have to pull the curtains closed to keep the cabin cool. Kind of like a Promenade View cabin: you end up with MANY of your unknown friends getting a view of you and your cabin, so the curtains need to be closed, and, VOILA! instant inside cabin!!

RCCL has done these types of things for as long as I have sailed with them: officially 50 years now. They are huge on bringing supplies to at-risk areas they sail to, and have on many occasions helped stranded people from all over. They just don't publicize it, or want attention for it.

I was not thrilled with my March 2023 Grandeur cruise, either. It was the food. I could not get a decent dinner in the MDR. New crew in the kitchen, not adjusted to the new menus: I'm not sure what the problem was. The Windjammer was also way below normal, too.

OOPS, already explained! Post deleted.

I cruise solo, with and without friends, and I much prefer a Promenade View or Virtual Balcony cabin. Just that extra light in the room makes a big difference to me. Plus, the cabins are 167-180+ sq feet.

If you want to know what specialty restaurants are open for lunch on any cruise, go to the Cruise Planner, select dining in the dropdown menu next to "My Royal Cruise" at the top of the web page. Look for "Specialty Restaurants Lunch" and select it. Select one of the restaurants listed, then "reserve" and your name. All the dates lunch is available will be shown to choose from. Back out of the "ghost" reservation. You might have to go through more than one restaurant to get all the days, since Day 1 is usually only available in one restaurant, and that depends on the ship. But, at least you can find your options. I do this to get a count of the number of meals available to me if I buy the UDP: I know I have all the dinners on the cruise, but the number of lunches can vary quite a bit.

I just finished updating my UDP info for all my cruises that I might want to buy it for, and you are correct. The Vision 13 night on 1/6/24 that I have booked does not show the UDP. Keep checking, but the Vision is late, as I had the info for cruises out to September of 2024.

I've had the UDP on three ships: Vision, Adventure, and Freedom. Follow the pricing in the Cruise Planner online for your cruise. Buy when the price goes down, and remember you can always cancel and re-purchase if it goes even lower. As Pompey says above, use it for lunches, too. Twice I have booked and paid in advance for lunch on Day 1, once in Chops and then in Giovanni's, and had the manager credit the prepaid charge when I show up on Day 1 with the UDP. I loved the UDP, especially during the time after 1/14/23 when the dining menus changed, and also the service in the MDR was drastically affected by new, untrained staff. This seems to have calmed down, but the MDR will never come close to the food quality and service in the specialty restaurants.

This sentence is what was misleading to me. I read "or 340 points and in a balcony or lower" as a separate clause from "If you aren't in a suite". If you have 340 points or higher you DO receive the upgraded amenities in a balcony or lower: Footnote #30 of the 9/1/23 CAS Member Benefits Chart: 30_Members with 340+ cruise points receive upgraded bathroom amenities in their stateroom upon arrival. Subject to availability. This does not indicate any dependency on the level of cabin.

I do the same thing, but my little jars and bottles came from Walmart!!

I checked the CAS chart for 9/1/23, and anyone with 340+ points gets the upgraded toiletries, no matter what kind of cabin they are in. Footnote #30.

Agree. Turnaround day is hectic enough as it is, but to have to keep track of (even paying) passengers debarking late, is just a huge headache. They offered a package with pool privileges and lunch many years ago. You could stay on until 2-3pm. That want away pretty fast. If one has a late flight, then rent a hotel room for the day, go back to sleep, and have a great late lunch, or dinner before your flight.

I just got off the Adventure 2 days ago. The Suite Lounge is large, lots of seating, and good bar service. Appetizers were great, also. It reminded me of the Allure and Oasis Suite lounges without the Coastal Kitchen. On our day at Coco Cay the temperature was 90 with 79% humidity: SUPER HOT!! That lounge was the coolest temperature on the ship, because the doors were wide open on the lower deck with people coming and going, and the heat just crawled up the elevator shafts and out on the floors. I was blissful up there with the fantastic views in the Suite Lounge. Maria, the Concierge, is a sweetheart.

Well, I guess I'll keep a copy of my Senior Advantage and GeoBlue travel insurance coverage certificates on my phone if I have to prove that I am over-insured to go bird watching!!

Actually, back in the way back days, the MDR had a toga night. They gave us extra bedsheets, and we had to make our own toga. I still can't believe my husband actually did that...........................

Coastal Kitchen gratuities are only included if you are booked as a Star Class Suite passenger on ships that have Coastal kitchen. The amenities list specifically states that all other Suite classes no gratuities are included. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-are-the-benefits-of-royal-suite-class

Which end of the passenger drop-off area at Terminal A/Freedom of the Seas is the Suite/Pinnacle entrance? I want to keep my sister from having to walk very far when we arrive. Thanks!

I just IM'd with a friend who will be on the Jewel tomorrow. She said their FB page has a whole lot of whiners wanting a refund for missing Halifax. To each his own, but I'd go to the MET Museum of Art over Halifax any day. HA!! RCCL should give them the refund, BUT deduct the additional port fees for Manhattan vs Halifax!! Guess what port is #1 on the World's Most Expensive Ports?

I don't believe at all that it needs to be awkward, as 15-ish years ago I would ask nicely, very nicely, with no expectations. I got "no problem", "let's see how many are in the lounge already when you come", to "we have too many eligible for the lounge on this sailing, so no". Any of those answers were fine with me. Now, however, the ships are very crowded and I don't ask anymore. I'm Pinnacle going with my Gold Member sister on the Freedom, and I just share my drink coupons with her wherever we decide to have our evening drinks. (Well, she also gets my amenity bottle of white wine, too.)

I have a question about the entrances. I remember a long drive in the middle between the two buildings of Terminal A, with luggage drop-off points. But, I get Port Everglades and Port of Miami mixed up about where the Suite and Pinnacle entrance is. Is it at the beginning of that drive through, or at the end? We are leaving on the 18th, and it's going to be very hot, so I want to avoid a lot of walking. Plus, I have found that most Uber drivers have a hard time navigating in cruise ports generally. So, knowing ahead of time where we want to be dropped off is important. Thanks!

I've been sailing in and out of Jamaica since the 1970's. It's always been a little dicey. I've never had a problem, but I always stayed with ship excursions. They have vetted the tour operators, and you don't have to worry about getting reviews from possible "shills" for the tour operator. In my mind, if they aren't associated with RCCL, then I'm not sure of their reliability. However, I do love Tripadvisor reviews, because you can use their search function. I always go for the most recent reviews, up to about 6 months. I search the entire body of reviews for my specifics, like "shore excursion" or "drop off point" would work in this case. My main point is if people are STILL not feeling good about Jamaica ports after 50 years, then err on the side of caution. I would advise against picking up a tour off the dock, unless you like to play craps in casinos......😁

All I can think of after reading this is I'm glad I carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer on my tote bag. I can't stop these people, but thank you for the reminder that I need to sanitize my hands after I return to my table in the Windjammer. That is, if I even go to the Windjammer at all. The OP's description is what I experienced on the Vision right after the menu changes and cutbacks started in mid-January this year.

That is one winding road to get to Ocho: