PolicromaSol

Never underestimate old people on a cruise. Never.

Ah, so we've established a motive!

Think of this like Royal Caribbean's very own "Kilroy was here". It's a meme. It does what memes do.

Go to Royal's website, log in. Use your reservation number to attach the cruise to your online account if it isn't already. You can buy internet service for the trip from there, in the same place you'd buy a drink package or port excursion. It's really intended to pay per person, but you can buy service for multiple devices and just use your own login on the family members' phones.

It's big. What? What'd you want me to say?

Nah, I'm not that crazy. I'm more thinking of if you break your leg...well, I suppose there's worse places to be laid up than a cruise ship room.

Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Because if you don't have it, that boat is your only way home.

Given the sheer number of cruises that start there, I feel like it's easier to start a cruise from Cape Canaveral, then go the day before and enjoy a day at the space center. As an added bonus, it gives you a buffer day in case anything goes wrong on the way. But I figure if you're asking about excursions you've already booked, so it's probably too late to suggest this, huh? 😢 Anyway, last we went, admission was along the lines you'd expect going somewhere like Sea World. ($75 for adults, $65 for kids.) So if the excursion price seems too good to be true, it probably is just a ride over. But if it sounds like they tacked on a fee on top of the above prices, then it's likely included.

I've been wondering this myself for a cruise in March. The 5 only appeared like a week ago. Last I checked they were all various beach breaks, with the exception of a tour of a contemporary Mayan village.

One thing I've learned doing call center work myself is that if a well-meaning rep gives false information, if there's no proof it happened, it'll be "sorry, the policy was available in writing". If this was something stated over the phone, ask to have the call pulled. It's a lucky shot but it may still work in your favor if people repeatedly gave you false information. You'll probably have a 1-month window from when the call occurred, but ask anyway if it's been later than that. Beyond that, find some kind of nugget for a more helpful rep to latch onto that will allow them to argue your case to their own supervisors. Look for negotiation and haggling, not a full refund. They will likely shoot you down on any attempt to get a full refund. But if the right rep stumbles on the truth, you'll get the full refund anyway. It's all about proving your case.

Don't some of the suites on RC ships have a hot tub on the balcony?

Yes, they can. The good news is often you'll have like 5-6 different tours offering the exact same thing and the only difference is a dancing or cooking lesson at the beginning or some other minor feature that probably wouldn't make or break your day if it wasn't included. And if enough sell out they will often open up more similar tours with a different gimmick. Make sure to read them all carefully to see what they include. Others have mentioned privately booking. Advantage: Cheap. Disadvantage: If you don't know what you're getting into, you could end up back late and the ship won't guarantee they will wait for you. And then you get to be the person that gets laughed at following the big boat in a little motorized fishing boat trying to get back on. (Which from my understanding they will let you back on, but there you go.) Yeeeeaaaah, I think I'm sticking with the official tours for now. 🤣 I'm a chicken.

Elon Musk doesn't like mushrooms?

What the heck kind of conversation did I just walk into? 😳

Now that's what I call a big tip...

I have a Mexico cruise where I have not seen any sign of excursions for one of the ports, and the cruise is in March. I'd also like to know if there's something I am missing.

Any interesting conversations?

Strange. The video from above might have been showing concepts from a different ship then. My guess is some folks worry they're going to be treated like some little kid who can't stop rolling the window up and down in the back seat. Though I figure the point of giving the captain control over the windows is in case the ship ends up in a storm. If things are looking a bit dangerous, he can roll all the windows up, or make it so that only the "up" button works.

There's some videos that show some folding doors hidden behind the curtain. So yes, it can be used that way, at least in some rooms.

Yeah. I think the whole idea is that the space that would have been a balcony gives you a bigger room with a panoramic oceanview window instead. And if you want to enjoy the ocean breeze, you just lower the ginormous car-window-thingie and viola, instant balcony. And you even get a few chairs in the area to double as both a living area and patio furniture. I like the idea, personally. Though I don't quite understand the marketing behind the word "infinite", other than I think they're trying to make it sound like an infinity pool thing. The "infinity pool" I get, because it's creating a psuedo-horizon. But that doesn't quite fly in these bedrooms. Guess that's why I'm not in marketing.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/11/09/first-look-royal-caribbeans-new-galveston-cruise-terminal-opens-today For anyone who hasn't found it yet.

I think my stomach hurts just reading this thread.

Generally speaking, certain items, such as non-seafood meats, eel, crab, lobster, or shrimp, are almost always cooked unless it states otherwise. (And usually the "otherwise" would be at more adventurous restaurants directly in Japan where they ensure absolute freshness as their livelihoods and reputations are on the line.) You can always ask the waiter or sushi chef if you're not sure. The types that aren't cooked are usually certain types of fish, shellfish, and mollusks, and only those that are safe to eat raw.

Welp, that's one less thing on the to-do list next March.

I think my bank account just cried in horror.... (Yes, it does look fun...)