gumshoe958

No, and I don’t think they plan to. The strategy now seems to be to develop new in-house production shows rather than pay $$$$ to license Broadway shows so on Wonder it’s The Effectors 2 and Voices, plus the Ice and Aqua shows.

Bottom line: fewer menu choices = cheaper. Let’s not pretend there’s any other motivation behind this.

Jewel doesn’t have a Sorrento’s but your nephew should be able to find pizza in the Windjammer until 9pm and in the Solarium after 9pm. Theme nights at the moment seem to be 50s/60s, 70s and Latin. Being a smaller ship, Jewel tends to attract an older crowd than the Quantum & Oasis classes and the entertainment is targeted accordingly. Live dance music consists of the party band in the Centrum and the Latin band in the Safari Club. There’s also the usual pianist/singer in the Schooner Bar and a nightclub in the Vortex.

It’s Voom, and yes you can.

OR you’ll be allowed in whenever you show up. Royal inconsistency at its glorious best. However, to avoid the risk of spending a couple of hours queueing outside the terminal because they happen to be enforcing the rules, it’s sensible to turn up around your chosen time. The reality is it seems to vary from port to port, even sailing to sailing, and it often depends how busy it is when you arrive.

Almost certainly a med evac. Pretty common on TAs with a much older than normal clientele. We had one off the Azores on Wonder in April.

Already being discussed here:

Yes Royal provides face cloths in cabin bathrooms.

Indeed they are. But UK bookings charged in sterling aren’t eligible.

Sure. Because I understand that prices can go down as well as up, whatever it is you’re buying.

If you buy a pair of jeans for £50, only to find them on sale for half price the following week, would you expect the shop to refund you the difference?

Absolutely. You won’t get to see all the shows you’d get on a 7 nighter but you should get to see the ice show, the Aqua show and either Effectors 2 or Voices. Plus maybe a headliner in the theatre one night. On top of that there’s live music all over the ship every night in the Music Hall, Central Park, the Schooner Bar, the Mason Jar, Boleros and the pub - bound to be something to your taste. In fact there’ll be so much entertainment you won’t be able to see it all!

Why did you not book Select fare if location is important?

She’ll be the sixth Oasis class ship.

The only reason I can think of is CBP staff shortages at Bayonne. If they haven’t got enough people to staff the border at the end of the cruise, they’d have to do immigration and customs checks at Miami instead.

If the ship’s wifi reaches the terminal, you should be able to book while you’re there, although in the past I’ve found booking doesn’t open until around 11am so if you’re early you may have to wait.

Yes, or even while waiting to board if you can pick up the ship wifi in the terminal. There’ll also be a box office open on deck 5 when you board, if you prefer to book in person, plus a phone line.

See post 17 by @Host Sharon - she says she’s been offered the chance to apply for a VIP tour and lunch on board on the 20th. So yes.

Royal Caribbean offer that, albeit bundled in with an internet package and some other perks (called The Key).

It means it’s been reviewed, hasn’t been rejected yet and you’re still in with a chance. No guarantee of success though.

Pending does not guarantee you’ve won. It just means your bid hasn’t yet been rejected and has made it through to the “maybe” pile. If you are successful cabins can be allocated anytime from now until departure day - sometimes even after the ship’s set sail. If you have the RC app on an iPhone you may be able to use the Apple Wallet trick to see your new cabin number on your Setsail pass, if it’s been allocated yet.

It’s blindingly obvious to me that Royal are just following the standard practice in retail of raising prices before a sale to make the sale look better than it is, when in reality the sale price is the normal price. And it’ll work - look out for all the gleeful posts next month saying “my UDP just came down $100!” I very much doubt we’ll see any genuine bargains around Black Friday this year. Higher prices for everything are here to stay.

And that is now my favourite drink ever!

What’s Key membership? If you mean The Key (the package that includes priority embarkation, special lunch, internet etc), you can purchase it in your Cruise Planner. The cost varies and may rise or fall at any time due to Royal’s dynamic pricing. Many here would say it’s only worth it if it’s only a few dollars more than the Voom Surf & Stream package on its own.

Still done on board.