printingchick

Received an email outlining new terms in the Royal Caribbean Cruise Contact for USA passengers. New terms go into effect today, 4/12. In the section about Covid, I read this: (4) mandatory use by each Passenger (except where medically contraindicated) of face coverings in most locations outside of the Passenger’s cabin while onboard, during embarkation, disembarkation and shore excursions; (5) mandatory social distancing of Passengers at any/all times while on board and during embarkation, disembarkation, and shore excursions Do we really need to wear masks all the time on board now??? I postponed this cruise twice to get beyond this type of restriction. Has it returned?? I have no problem with the testing and would happily show my vaccine card if required. But I don't want to lay out in the sun by the pool with a mask over my face!

I'm a small ship fan who felt that Freedom Class was too large. So I'm probably not in the majority here. I booked my next cruise on Serenade. Radiance Class is my favorite, but I also love Voyager Class. I pushed my cruise out a year due to Covid concerns and - while the itinerary stayed the same - the ship changed to Brilliance. No sweat, same class. Then RCI shuffled some ships around and we were moved to Enchantment. I am a bit concerned we'll be disappointed, but I hope not. I think we'll like the size - similar to Radiance. I wish it had mini-golf. We love that on our cruises, but I guess we'll have to settle for shuffleboard this time. We're not talking about a long cruise, so not the same as your consideration. It's just a 7-day, western Caribbean out of Tampa, Florida. (We were looking for a budget-friendly option.) I'm sure we'll still have a blast. There are only 2 sea days, so we're in port most of the time.

Thanks, Lee. I have been checking every night but nothing yet. I understand they now don't start seating MyTime until 6:45 and I typically have booked at 6:15-6:30. 6:45 is fine, but I don't want to get stuck with a much later time.

I checked again. The cruise planner for my February 2024 cruise is pretty sparse. No ability to make dining reservations. I think it would allow me to purchase a beverage package. I'll keep checking. And good advice about checking in ASAP - even just after midnight - to get the boarding time you want. Last time I cruised they may have sent out suggested boarding times, but they didn't hold anyone to them.

Oh, wait! If we board the ship before cabins are ready and we DON'T have our Sea Pass cards, how do we get a celebratory drink? We won't have a drink package; we're not big enough drinkers. But we LIKE to celebrate boarding with a tropical cocktail. Are we out of luck with this new system??

Thanks for all the answers! We're doing a western Caribbean itinerary and we tender in Belize. Our shore excursion will not be booked through the ship, so we won't be taking to the tender as a group.

I haven't cruised since before the pandemic hit and my last cruise was on Celebrity. I have some questions about how things are done now and hoping you super experienced folks can assist. My cruise is in February 2024. When will the site allow me to make reservations for MyTime dining? Speaking of MTD, the website says the times are 5:30-9:00, but I've read some people saying the start time for MTD has been pushed later. Is that true, or only true for the larger ships? (We're on a small ship, Enchantment) I have downloaded the app. It says I can communicate with my travel mates through the app. How is that done? Does it still work if I put my phone in airplane mode? I understand muster drill is now something we watch on the app, then report to our station to complete the requirement. Is that accurate? Is there a specific time when this needs to be done? I think I read that we no longer get our sea pass cards when we check-in at the pier, but they are left on our cabin door. Is that true across all ships. We were planning to try to get to the ship early in hopes of boarding by 11:00-11:30. I've seen some posts about assigned check-in times. Is that fleet wide? Are they randomly assigned, or do we have to request a time we want? If the latter, how is that done? We have one tender port on our itinerary. How does that work? Is it first come/first serve, or do we need to sign up the day prior? I haven't had a tender port in years, but I think there used to be some sort of ticket system. Do they still do the 70s party? Anyone know what night that might be, or does it vary ship to ship? Thanks!

When will I be able to pre-reserve MyTime dinner reservations? How far in advance of the cruise do those options become available?

I checked this weekend and had my cabin assignment. (I went from Brilliance to Enchantment.) I had an OV room on Deck 2 on Brilliance, so not too difficult to replicate. I'm a little further forward than I'd prefer, but pretty similar to the location I had booked. Price seems right. I had opted to prepay gratuities, which was not reflected in my new reservation, but I'll fix that when things die down. It also looks like I lost a $50 OBC, but I can also address that when customer service isn't so crazed. Neither of these issues is a big concern.

Interesting. Thanks for the update. I was curious as I couldn't see it on the deck plans. Did they put anything in that real estate? I wish the ship had mini-golf. It's such a laugh trying to play on a moving ship, especially when it's windy.

Brilliance has shower curtains rather than the tube doors on her sister ships. Other than that, she's identical to Jewel or Serenade. Enchantment also has shower curtains, so equivalent. Enchantment seems to have a much larger main pool area resulting from the stretch. Cabins are said to be smaller than Radiance Class. Both have the cover adults-only solarium pool. Brilliance has mini-golf and the self-leveling pool tables. Enchantment has the trampoline/bungie thing instead. Radiance has doors to the after outside eating area where Enchantment's outdoor seating is not integrated into the restaurant, it's just near the pool area/ice cream machines (or so I understand - this will be my first Enchantment sailing so I've been asking a lot of questions!)

I had this swap in the other direction. Booked Brilliance, it's being switched for Enchantment. I called to say I would "stay the course." They told me to expect a new invoice by August 27 - if not, to call back. At that time I should call to request my cabin assignment. Yes, it will obviously be different because they are differing classes of ships. Enchantment is smaller. I believe Brilliance has more balcony cabins.

Super helpful information! One of the things we like most about Radiance Class ships is the outdoor dining! We love eating breakfast outside and watching the ship pull into port! I'd hugely miss that. Thanks to all for their comments. Feeling better about this ship change. In fact, feeling kind of excited about trying out a new ship! Wish it wasn't so far away. We were originally booked for February 2023, but as the pandemic dragged on, we decided it would be better to push back a year. So now, we impatiently wait!!

HicksRA: A downgrade from Brilliance? Can you be more specific? I know it's older and smaller. I'm asking because I'm sure some folks think Radiance Class is a definite downgrade from Freedom Class, but I prefer Radiance to Freedom. It's subjective. I'd like to know what about the ship you consider a downgrade to better inform my decision. All things being equal, I'd prefer to be on a southern Caribbean itinerary out of San Juan, but this western Caribbean was such a great deal and it was on a Radiance Class ship. I'm pinching pennies these days and not sure I can shell out another $400 per person for a more expensive cruise and more expensive air fare. In my price range, this is by far the best itinerary. Leaning toward keeping it unless a really good southern Caribbean deal materializes.

Thanks. I'm excited to watch your videos. I hear the cabins are smaller on Enchantment compared to Radiance Class. Did you feel cramped? (We have an OV, so some cramping comes with the territory!) You said the solarium pool isn't as pretty as on Radiance. Is it still covered, as it is on the Radiance ships? Is there as much glass? Elevators that view the ocean? Outside dining at the Windjammer? We have two sea days and won't use the trampoline, so I think we'll miss the mini golf. It's a favorite sea day activity. But certainly not the end of the world. You were on Enchantment just this past March? I know she's an older ship. How was her condition? Any complaints about out-of-service issues, smells, etc. that sometimes come with the older ships? I like that the stretch gave the ship such a large main pool area. We actually prefer the smaller ships. Radiance Class, Celebrity Summit represent my sweet-spot in terms of size. We won't be comparing this to a mega ship, which will probably help us to form a positive opinion. Thanks for your help!

We have a 2024 western Caribbean cruise booked on Brilliance. The ship is being changed to Enchantment, which is a ship I've never been on. (Haven't been on Brilliance either, but have cruised on other Radiance Class ships a few times, so I'm familiar.) Royal is allowing impacted guests to switch to another cruise without penalty if they wish. Thing is, I love the itinerary, which includes Roatan and Belize. I nearly jumped to switch to the ONLY posted southern Caribbean cruise out of San Juan (my preferred Caribbean region), but it stops at Trinidad and Tobago and have read those places are scary dangerous. (Explains why the itinerary is being offered at such a bargain price.) I am pretty sure switching for any other itinerary out of San Juan will be pricey, especially with the added air fare costs, but I can't even compare right now because no other itineraries will be posted for a few more months. Pretty sure we're better off sticking with our current itinerary, but would love to hear comparisons of Enchantment to Radiance Class from those who have cruised on both. Thanks in advance.