Baron Barracuda

At embarkation a maitre 'd or hw is always stationed at the mdr entrance to assist with logistical issues such as yours. They have always been able to help us out swiftly and efficiently

200 Kenyan special police landed in Haiti yesterday, the vanguard of 2500 international peacekeepers. Airport workers reportedly cheered their arrival and called out to gangs that "we're coming for you". Feeling a bit more positive that my Oasis sailing July '25 will make it's scheduled visit to Labadee.

We actually brought a dozen cans with us. Thanks to onboard laundry there was no need to overpack so had room and I preferred to pay the Walmart price over whatever they were charging aboard ship or in islands. A good chunk of one of our two suitcases was taken up by sun screen and otc meds that we fortunately didn't need.

Royal is just playing wait and see. They have locked in replacement stops for most of the next year and so long as alternatives are available beyond that they have no compelling need to rush into anything.

Began with X on Zenith back in '93, moved to Royal when kids were young and then back to X. Haven't sailed with them post covid though. We don't see value in Retreat and prefer longer sailings so have moved over to Viking where we've done a River, a couple of Ocean and have Antarctica coming up. Price is a bit above an X verandah but cheaper than Retreat and they offer lots of inclusions. Love their personalized service and food. Need to factor in no kids, no casino and small time entertainment.

Correction: dw just reminded me that we did use lotion before visiting the pool on sea days. Total was still around 8 spray cans for 33 days.

I'm here !!! Thanks to senioritis can't remember exactly how many spray cans of lotion we went through in 33 days. Believe it was around 8 of the WalMart spf 30 and 50 (highly rated for quality and value by Consumer Reports). Temps were in 80's throughout. Know we didn't use any lotion during our 21 sea days. Used outdoor pool often (never more than 6 people in it) but roof was often closed. Hope this helps.

Has anyone stopped to consider that what some are calling a sophisticated AI driven pricing algorithm may in fact be just the opposite, typical X IT incompetence. For years there have been innumerable complaints on these boards of X's IT failures. Starts with their buggy web site and goes on to a booking mechanism that applies incorrect prices and modifies and cancels reservations without warning. Often after admitting to system generated errors humans in the back office are unable to make corrections.

This must be RCG level data as they don't break out operating results by brand. Given X only makes up about a quarter of total RCG berths onboard spending is mostly driven by Royal which includes a significant contribution from Coco Cay. Therefore wouldn't necessarily assume 31.2% onboard spending for both brands.

Richard held things together through covid and RCL is the only cruise stock above it's pre 2020 level. Miss his videos. He deserves every penny.

We've had cabins right by the elevators twice and found them to be pretty quiet. Low passenger load and no kids certainly helps and for those directionally challenged makes it easy to find your cabin.

Also just booked 7 nights on Symphony this fall. Absolutely awful itinerary but great price and drive to port. Wish they would skip PC and Nassau, add a couple of days and stretch the sailing further south.

My understanding is the Paradise Beach facility will be more sedate and totally extra charge which will discourage many. Not sure about the one they plan to build in Cozumel. Don't believe Laura is the decision maker on scheduling. RCG is obviously seeking to maximize passenger visits to Coco Cay so will bring in as many mega ships as possible. The smaller X ships will have a secondary priority. Really need for Haiti to calm down so they can reopen Labadee.

We did 7 day cruise + 7 days MK several times when kids were young (and prices for both much more affordable). Today doubt I'd pay for car rental and long drive from Orlando to PE or MIA for just 4 days. Not worth the unpacking / repacking. More likely to just extend MK or add Universal and include a day at one of their water parks.

That plus the change in focus from 7 day (and longer) sailings to 4 days with most stopping at Coco Cay. Now they require double the number of bookings to maintain same occupancy level. Long weekend itineraries might attract more Fl residents but others won't want to deal with hassles of flying for just a 4 day sailing. Doubt families used to doing 7 days book two 4's instead.

Bank of America was latest research outfit to warn of softer cruise pricing causing stocks to take a hit. RCL -4.37%, NCLH -7.49%, CCL -7.09% and VIK -6.46%.

Out of curiosity read through the Guest Terms and Conditions and couldn't find any mention of this. Can you please cite the relevant section and paragraph.

We weren't thrilled with recent reviews for the two San Pedro hotels (this was last fall) so opted to use miles and stay at Embassy Suites near LAX. Free airport shuttle, complementary hot breakfast and $43 Lyft to port. Departed 9am, arrived at port 9:30 and sat in terminal until embarkation at 11am.

Why tell them anything. Just say you are only checking in for yourself. Your cabinmate is traveling separately and will presumably arrive later.

Did a family cruise years ago with 23 across 3 tables in early traditional dining. Everyone switched seats nightly and it went well. Did another with 18 friends in MTD which went horribly. Group leader requested 7pm each night with same tables and waiters. Problem was there were always folks dining ahead of us at theses tables and we had to wait for all three to finish and be reset. Sometimes took 1/2 hour. Traditional works much better.

Apparently there's screwy pricing across the Royal family. DB recently booked a sailing on sister line Royal for his family of 5. Wanted a double for himself and dw and a triple for his 3 kids. Discovered triples were outrageously priced so saved hundreds by booking a quad and a solo (100% single supplement). So now his dw gets a cabin by herself (well, technically) plus double C&A points.

We only did ships tours. You can view them on the VO web site. Go to the itinerary for the cruise and click through each port to see included and optional tours.

In Nov / Dec we spent every port day and most sea days in shorts, the exceptions being the few times it was windy or rainy. Temps were in the 70's and 80's. The complimentary laundry and relaxed dress code allows you to pack less saving space for a few warmer items if you desire, DW loves to tour while I do not. She was pretty well satisfied with the included tours. I enjoyed the boat tours, especially Bora Bora where the guides jumped overboard to interact with the stingrays and sand sharks.

Funny enough given the small size and low quality of the lobsters currently being served they might actually be cheaper for Royal than other seafood and beef entrees.

When we did this itinerary last Nov/Dec they brought several troupes of native performers on board at various Hawaiian and Polynesian ports. Each displayed a different style of singing / dancing / drumming. There were feasts on deck at night (at one roasted an entire pig) as well as performances in theater. Very entertaining.