Wineaux007

I think it is overpriced for what you get for two people.

We've never eaten in Luminae, but we have never tipped for any meal in the MDR or Blu. We usually get the same waiter, and if the service has been very good throughout the cruise, we'll envelope them the last evening. With the drink package tips already included, we'll tip the martini bartenders extra, and get nice pours, nice drinks, and sometimes a great show.

It used to be reasonable to get the 4-device plan and share it with 3 others, but post-covid, they jacked up their prices so it is no longer affordable.

Yeah, just bar food.

Great advice.

Maybe if you went there early. We rented a car and drove up North on the French side to the beaches, lunch in Marigot, and thought we would stop at Maho for a drink or two on the way back to the ship. With 6 ships in port, it was an absolute zoo getting there, then at the traffic circle turning to the Sunset Bar, it was backed up, and just not worth it getting there and then hoping to find a parking space. Glad you had better luck.

It's not in ours. I would gladly switch, though.

With several ships in port, it can be a nightmare getting to/from the Sunset Beach Bar at Maho.

Our Celebrity cruise still stops at Bar Harbor on 9 Sep 2023. It wouldn't hurt my feelings if it changed and stopped at Portland instead. We wouldn't have to mess with tenders, and Portland has some nice brew pubs.

That's not necessarily correct. It is true if the cabin is for more than 2 people, the bed will be by the bath. There are a slew of staterooms together that only hold 2 people such as AQ cabins, but they all alternate from bed by bath to bed by balcony. You just have to find a stateroom with a square or triangle (bed by bath) and count up or down to find the configuration of your stateroom.

We were in Portland 4-5 years ago, and I organized a pub crawl. Here's the itinerary. It was a football Sunday, so there was nowhere to sit at McDuff's. It worked out well, ending at the ship. 11:30 - Start at King's Head Pub 12:15 - Head to Liquid Riot Bottling Company 1:00 - Portland Lobster Company for lunch/lobster roll 1:45 - Gritty McDuff's Portland Brew Pub 2:30 - Andy's Old Port Pub 3:15 - Porthole Pub 4:15 - Head to the ship

We stayed at Doubletree. Nice, but not walking distance to the port with luggage. Take a taxi.

What about getting off the ship? Did you have to schlep your luggage over to terminal 21 parking? Isn't there parking at terminal 18? We're leaving on Vision, which I think will be at terminal 18.

On my last cruise, w/Royal, near the end I started filling up my water bottle out of the tap to take my meds. Did not care for the taste. Kudos to those who thinks it does. I can definitely taste the difference, whether it's good for me or not. 😜

We do the auto tips, but don't leave a dollar or two after each meal. We use tip envelopes at the end of the cruise on the last night to show our appreciation, especially if they went above and beyond.

We've done wifi calling and facetime using our free 24 hour D+ minutes. Streaming not so much. Lots and lots of buffering. I guess it depends on the signal at the time.

I have T-Mobile and turned my phone on airplane then made a call to Ireland. Result - $3 a minute. It works while on the cruise ship calling the U.S., but not in the U.S. calling Europe.

Royal switched from 16 oz aluminum bottles to 12 oz cans. You can get 16 oz Red Stripe or 25 oz Fosters, which is the best deal.

The first and third coming off the hump in both directions are the largest. We stayed in 1247, and it was an excellent stateroom with the largest balcony.

Here are the latest testing/vaccination requirements for Royal Caribbean: Boarding Requirements FAQ | Royal Caribbean Cruises

It's called "wifi calling." Since you will be on the ship, make sure your phone is placed in airplane mode. If you have a wifi connection, turn wifi calling on in your phone. You can also "facetime" if you have an iPhone. Make sure you are in "airplane" mode of you may get charged ship charges of $2 a minute or more.

In God We Trust!

We were just on Grandeur a couple of weeks ago. Love the smaller ships. Taking Vision later this month. The food was much better than our sailing in November on Brilliance, but with the new menus coming out, it's hard to say. We spent most of our time in the Viking Crown pre-dinner. Enjoy your cruise.

I think they would be more appreciative if you gave them a "Benjamin."

It's just the opposite for Celebrity S-Class ships. While standing in the little alcove, the stateroom on the right has bed by the bath, and the stateroom on he left has bed by the balcony. I haven't attempted to figure out the pattern on all the different Royal class ships, so I just accept what I get. 😁