Starry Eyes

I did not want to imply the kids could not handle an embarkation meal at Chops.😉 My question was whether they’d really enjoy the long meal right then or be itching to explore. I meant take the personalities and past cruise experiences into account.😀

That was true many years ago when MTD was first introduced. The policy was changed several years ago. Royal evidently was not scrubbed the old info from the internet.

If your party was all adults, the Chops plan would sound great. With so many kids, it is less certain. So kids would enjoy a leisurely meal at Chops as soon as they board while others kids would probably be antsy. As you seem to think the kids will want to explore, I’d go to WJ before it fills and perhaps select a different day in Chops.

If you were referring to my post, I wonder if you were intentionally missing my point about logo items. I’m not going to look for them on eBay.

Yes. I assume the personnel would be very careful, both to care for people’s property and because they will be blamed if a bag does go home with the wrong person or is missing. Such diligence would make for a slow process. No wonder the poster who suggested such a system does not want to pay for it or participate in it.🤣🤣🤣

If the port hires personnel to check luggage tags as you suggest, the port will increase port fees on all passengers to pay those personnel. So even if you roll your own bags off, you would pay if your suggestion is implemented.

Yes, I remember those gifts and the snack boxes. I never complained, though at the time we had more hats than we needed, lol. I think we still have have a couple of the hats. I think those hats were a very good investment by RCI. We often wore them while doing yard work and such. Over the years at each of our homes neighbors who know we are cruise enthusiasts also likely also know that Royal Caribbean is a favorite cruiseline. They are less likely to know the cruiseline we sailed a lot back then that did not give us that wearable swag. Those hats lead to many conversations about our Royal Caribbean cruises. It was probably the cheapest, longest advertising Royal Caribbean ever purchased. I think Royal Caribbean should try to inexpensively plant it’s logo on the heads and backs and living rooms (as hats, t-shirts, collectable coasters, etc) of it’s most loyal cruisers.

Yes, it is easy to confuse those gifts, especially for those of us who have been receiving D+ gifts for years.

Times have changed. The welcome aboard beverages (which previously could have included Coke at D and beer at D+) are now all just water. If you want Coke, you either need to select a 6 pack of Coke as your one of you D+ amenities or use your D voucher at a bar for a can of Coke or carry up to 12 Cokes from home. I checked…the D+ amenity option is a 6 pack of soda. See link below. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/dam/royal/resources/pdf/cas-amenities-feb-2023.pdf

Plusgrade had no way to know if you might cancel your bid, increase your bid or just hold steady if they had waited a week or two. As you were thinking of increasing, it is just as well they are not mind readers.

For us that was not an issue, though we certainly try not to forget items in the cabin. The distance is an issue for some people. Everyone needs to make their own choices.

It was quiet. Come to think of it, that was another reason I chose 1598. An old post said 1598 was quiet and I could not find any info about my other option. Congrats on the upgrade. It sounds like you have two decent choices…an especially sweet RoyalUp win

When we had a similar choice on a sister ship, we took 1598. DH especially likes to sit in the shade, and the extended area of the balcony in 1598 tends to be shady….perfect We liked having the extra balcony space. We had no issue with the long walk to the cabin, though others might.

Not just age, I also pointed out that your circle had 10 years more travel experience…meaning 10 years more “been there, done that.” I do not know your specific circle of friends, but many people are far more excited the first (and maybe second) time they visit a destination vs the fifth or tenth time. You can say the marking does not matter, but the stuff they are putting in those Royal ships is often for younger people. Icon is built for kids and young families and young adults, not really for geezers. Not for me, either BTW. That stuff is expensive and it raises the value to the target market, but probably not to you. It might even decrease the value to you, IDK. So I’d argue that marketing does matter. It is a substantial part of the reason you don’t see the value and someone else does. (If none of you would go on a cruise on any line, even for free, it is not a matter of value. It sounds like you no longer want to go.)

People on cruise critic generally warn others away from deck 14 on Oasis class ships due to nose concerns. I have noticed that not everyone is bothered. It might be the specific location. but I think some people are more sensitive to noise (or certain noises or noises at certain times) than others. We have been reasonably content in cabins that were reportedly too noisy for other people. We have not yet been on deck 14. We book a fair number of gty cabin, so it is apt to happen sometime. If you have been unhappy under the pool deck on other ships, you might want to avoid deck 14 on Oasis Class.

I specifically cannot imagine canceling Icon cruises over the drink package price. That is a unique ship currently pulling in top price, largely because it is new and unique. If I were considering sailing Icon this year, drink prices would not be the deciding factor. (Principle…well, I could argue Icon seems overpriced in principle so it’s consistent 😉) OTOH, I could understand comparing prices of drink and internet packages if I was sailing an older ship. Then one could have a similar experience on a different cruise line

Unless it is going to mess up your credit cards or such, if you are seriously considering it I’d suggest going ahead and purchasing; with dynamic pricing one never knows when the sale price for your cruise might go “poof” do lock it in. If you decide against it, you can request a refund (you just have to know the time it takes to get that refund won’t drive you mad or cause bank card issue, etc)

Grand Geezer, to state the obvious, you and your circle of friends are now ten years older than you were then with 10 years more travel experiences satisfied and, in many cases, 10 years more health problems. It is not too surprising if they lost interest in frequent cruising. Like it or not, Royal Caribbean seems to concentrate much of its marketing attention on young cruisers.

I’m betting they will continue to pay off debt. They have a ton of debt which could be difficult to service if, heaven forbid, there were another serious downturn in the cruise business.

As you wish. As I see it I have the current price locked in if I choose to keep it. If the price drops on Black Friday, I can refund/repurchase. If we decide not to use the UDP on that cruise for the we can get a refund.

See if you or your TA can find any fine print about that rate. You may find it is a special rate for new bookings only. If so, I know it is a bummer…been there.

Well, for maybe it is more like a price roll-back for many of us. Still, if there are extras one has been thinking of purchasing, this sale is one opportunity. As the prices have risen so much, DH have not sprung for the UDP for quite a while. I purchased it during this sail for one of our Wonder cruises. It is the best price I’ve seen on that ship for a while, though admittedly the price still seems steep to me. I purchased it knowing I could ask for a refund if I wish.

When flying in, Fort Lauderdale is easier in my opinion than Port Canaveral as airport and cruise port are so close. For a pre cruise hotel, you can stay at the beach if you’d enjoy some beach time and if it makes sense with your flight times. Staying at the beach might cost a bit more in Uber/taxi fees, but waking up at the beach is worth it to some people. Or you can choose a hotel close to the airport/cruise port (they are close together. You typically can use hotel shuttle from airport to hotel. We generally choose Uber to the cruise port, but you hotels often offers shuttles (may not be much cheaper than Uber). There are tons of airport hotel reviews online and those will tell you the info you need if you just need a clean, safe place to stay overnight. After the cruise, you can get a taxi or ride share to the airport.

The price of the UDP is up substantially since the last time we had it on a Harmony cruise. Nevertheless, I did purchase it today for one of our upcoming Wonder cruises. It can be refunded if we decide against it.

For us the value of the UDP varies depending on the ship and the itinerary. We’d have more interest in the UDP on ships with more specialty restaurants. Itineraries with more sea day lunches and without evening excursions are more likely to interest us.