JeffT237

We had the earliest for general boarding, 10:30 I think. Now when we cruised they did somewhat enforce boarding times early, meaning they had areas set up outside of the terminal by boarding time that they physically checked and they did let us in based on our group, we checked in and once inside the terminal we sat again by boarding time and allowed to enter the ship shortly after that. I do believe it relaxed a bit with the later boarding times, it seemed at Port Canaveral for our cruise they were doing this for the initial rush. Friends of ours who had an 11:30 boarding time were allowed on before that. This was our experience, many will say show up when you want just don't be surprised if initially you are kept outside in the 12:30 group until the earlier groups are allowed in. The other tip I'd have, you may already know this but you can also go to a speciality restaurant to make your reservations for any restaurant. My wife and I split up when we board, one goes to the dining table in the Royal Promenade and one goes to a speciality restaurant and we communicate to whoever gets served first.

We were on the Wonder with the 3 night package last March, we also had a speciality dining voucher from our TA. We had an early boarding time and went right to the dining table and made all of our reservations upon boarding. We were able to get all of the restaurants we wanted close to the times we wanted as well. By the time we finished the lines were a bit longer and the speciality restaurants were all pretty full the 4 nights we dined in them.

Thanks, this was our plan as well. We usually skip the shuttles for an Uber for the same reasons.

Is this pretty common? I just figured we'd Uber or Lyft from the Harbor House to the terminal when we cruise in March on the Harmony.

Agree, I really don't understand why so many are concerned with how people spend money on their own vacation. I'm speculating, is the argument that if the majority stopped paying for extras or paying for the price increases then Royal will return to the past? I get it but I don't see it happening. 3 cruises in the last 14 months and even with the sticker shock everything was in high demand, plenty of people purchasing the extras even with the price increases.

Having done only one Alaska cruise, a round trip out of Seattle I'd opt for a one way northbound out of Vancouver for our next Alaska cruise. The Seattle round trip seemed like a lot of open ocean non-scenic sailing. In short it was a disappointment compared to what I envisioned an Alaskan cruise would be. The Victoria stop for us was shortened and we arrived at night so it was a waste for us. We'd be fine on an older smaller ship to gain more scenery and less open ocean. I've heard multiple definitions of the "inside passage" but we're specifically interested in sailing east of Vancouver Island through the Johnstone Straight for our next Alaska cruise. We sailed Princess for Glacier Bay and we really enjoyed that experience. Like others we booked the Seattle round trip due to ease and convenience, but again our next one will be itinerary based not ship or cruise line specific.

So our most recent cruises have been on both Royal and Princess so I'll give you our opinion. A big difference in the 2 lines I feel is the dynamic pricing that Royal has, prices on additional add/ons (drink packages, speciality dining packages, wi-fi etc) go up and down pre-cruise. It's best to buy them on Royal if you have in interest in them and then continually check the prices on your cruise planner in case they drop. If they do you can cancel them and rebook them at the cheaper price. Princess's prices for add ons are set, and generally cheaper than Royal's. We enjoyed the Princess plus program, one price ( I believe it's $60 pp per day now) for drinks, wi-fi and gratuity. For us they were in line with how much we drink including water, speciality coffees and a few alcoholic drinks). We have never purchased the drink package on Royal as we would never come close to the $1200-$1400 cost for the 2 of us. We have found the cruising experience between the 2 very similar and enjoyable for different reasons. We prefer the entertainment especially on an Oasis class ship over what Princess has to offer. Food is very similar, service we've found to be very good on both, for us really no complaints on either. Royal we've found to be more families with children and activities and amenities geared towards them, while our Princess cruises were a quieter and older crowd. It really depends on the itinerary. We have sailed Royal mostly to the Caribbean, and Princess to Alaska and the California Coastal. The dining package you refer to is for speciality dining only, if that's something you don't do then disregard. We have done speciality on both Royal and Princess, and will continue to do so. Crown Grill and Chops are about the same, but we felt Sabbitini's was pretty average. I feel we find hits and misses on both lines in both speciality and included. We also like having access to a self service laundry on Princess but I wouldn't make that a deal breaker for any cruise line we are considering. I do think you're making a good choice to sail on Royal to give it a try and as well as for the kids. Have a great cruise.

Agree, $160.99 was the Black Friday price for our past March sailing on the Wonder.

We sailed the Wonder in March and we had a 10:30 boarding time. They were enforcing times on our cruise and we were let into the terminal shortly after the Pinnacles, suites and Key guests. We were onboard around 10:45 and we split up, my wife went to the speciality dining table on the Royal Promenade and I went to Central Park to find the least crowded speciality restaurant to make our dining package reservations and we communicated via text. She was able to make reservations first, so I met up with her and we got all of the restaurants we wanted close to the times we wanted, we also made our lunch reservation for the Coco Cay Beach Club. Friends of ours who boarded about an hour later found a lot of the times they wanted were taken, but they did get the restaurants they wanted. Reservations go pretty quickly with most passengers who have the dining packages making them as soon as they board.

I appreciate good and thourough reviews, both in print and media, but I kept thinking how annoying it would have been to be sitting next to these 2 while they made their videos regardless if it were good or bad. Especially in the tight confines of the MDR. I understand that being a YouTuber or influencer is a job, but be respectful of others around you. To have to listen to people review every course of every meal while recording I'm sure was very distracting.

Hurricane Irma, we were there pre and post Irma, even 5 years later there is sadly still evidence of the destruction. It was interesting to hear our guides firsthand experience with being on the island at that time. Lunch consisted of sandwiches and chips on the boat as well as beer and rum. One of the stops is Pinel Island and there is a small bar & grill there to enjoy. Agree, we would do it again.

They vary, we were recently on the Wonder and most of the shows we saw were between 8:00-9:00. There will be later performances as well. The most important thing for shows is to reserve them pre-cruise on your cruise planner when they become available which is usually on the first of the month the month before your saling. So with an August sail date your show reservations should open on July 1st. Most of the performances will "sell out" before your cruise, many of ours became unavailable within a week or two once they became available to book. They do take some limited reservations on board or they have a stand by line for those without a reservation, but no guarantees. In St. Martin we did Captain Bob's speed boat, snorkeling and beach tour. We enjoyed it, small group of 14 including lunch & drinks and it's easy to get to on your own. We have done Maho Beach on our own before to see the planes land and take off and that's fun as well. Would definitely recommend Captain Bob's. https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g147346-d15646838-Captain_Bob_Speed_Boat_Snorkeling_Beach_Tour_Including_Lunch_in_St_Maarten-St_Mart.html

We always get the internet package for one of us, but we purchase for 2 devices and share. We had it a few weeks ago on the Wonder and paid around $195 on Black Friday. Worked well enough for our use, we don't have social media but we do like to stay in touch back home especially with our aging parents. Text, Wi-Fi calling and FaceTime is what we mostly use it for.

I don't think anyone thinks your "nutty", you had a horrible experience which shapes your future behavior. That's perfectly reasonable. You also have experience in the industry. But you also seem to convey that cruise hot tubs are unsafe and should not be used, at least indirectly you're saying that. I can Google or YouTube lot's of things about cruise safety and health, I could link to them and go on and on page after page to make my point. Lookup cruise ship illnesses from the buffet, assaults on ships, Noro, excursion accidents, theft on ships etc. Go to the "cruise lawyer's" website and see how unsafe cruising is according to him....not just hot tub use. I sympathize with you for your experience, that must have been tough. But many feel differently and use the hot tubs regularly without incident. They will have a "Happy soaking!!!!" Just watch human behavior on a cruise ship and you'll see many unsanitary practices by passengers. Travel related illness and accidents happen regularly, but common sense tells me that millions cruise every year without incident. Doesn't mean something bad can't happen. The major travel industries aren't in the business of wanting to see its customers get sick and face lawsuits. Again sorry for your past experience. I'm presuming you're going to test them yourself, and if like you say they fail the test you bring on board what will your next action be? Alert all of the passengers? The staff?

Even bot's know not to engage in tipping posts!

That was such an entertaining post

I totally understand that, we all modify our behaviors due to our past experiences.

So to the original question you would say hot tubs are unsafe? What would your solution be? Take the hot tubs out of service as they're too dangerous or maintain them in a different way to make them safer?

It's basic economics, the prices are not too high. They may be higher than what I want to pay or afford to pay, but to your point the ships are full and the upsell items are being purchased and in many times sold out.

We've had the princess Plus on our 2 Princess cruises last year, the first was last May when it was only $40pp, our next Princess cruise in October it was $50pp. Even at the new price of $60pp I think for everything you get it is worth it for us. When we sail Royal we pay for WiFi, pre-pay gratuities and pay for drinks individually.

We've sailed both the Oasis and Allure prior to the Wonder and the reservation system was about the same. Most all of the shows we've seen on the Oasis class ships have been well attended and sold out prior to the cruise.

This is normal, show reservations open up the month before your sailing, so yours more than likely have been open since March 1st. We were just on the Wonder and each show had a stand by line that some were able to get in, how many? I have no idea but I'd guess the earlier you line up the better. Also on embarkation day in front of the theater there was a table set up for the shows and they were taking reservations and requests, I have heard sometimes they hold some reservations for guests to make on embarkation day but I don't know the validity of that.

Wow, I feel like I just got lectured by my mom with the "Jeffrey" comment. I have experienced this 1 entree policy firsthand, and there was no "clean your plate" policy before your second entree. That was what I was pointing out, many of these titles are embellished or exaggerated. Often without any first hand experience to back them up. If there have been multiple first hand reports that the plate must be entirely cleaned before a second entree is given, then please accept my apologies. There is a new one entree rule, I experienced it being enforced, some passengers report no changes on other sailings and I have seen no evidence nor experienced from my one Royal cruise since the new policy that the plate needs to be cleaned before a second entree is brought out. As far as being a "LoyalRoyal", try again to post without speculating. Our last 2 cruises prior to our Wonder cruise were with Princess, whose message boards are filled with complaints and embellishments as well. We actually sail 3 lines and are considering others. As far as staying out of a posted message what kind of responses are you looking for? Real world experiences or just to stir the pot with a comment like "patronizing clean your plate" policy that doesn't exist?

If you took every post on CC seriously you would probably never cruise again. I have used the ship's hot tubs and pools on every cruise and never had an issue. Could I suffer an issue in the future? Of course but I'm pretty sure the cruise lines don't want to have any issues with the hot tubs making people sick. I shower pre and post hot tub/pool use and if they are overly crowded I don't go in.

Our last 3 cruises we have taken were all ocean view balcony and I have not seen that big of a price increase. Our next cruise on the Harmony in March of 2024 we pain with taxes and port fees about $2000 for both of us. Plus we're receiving perks from Royal and our TA. We paid a little more than that for our past Wonder cruise. Both were booked at least a year in advance. I completely agree the price of the upsell items, which we do chose to purchase, has made our cruising more expensive than in the past and I don't see those things coming down. Vacations are expensive, we will be in Hawaii in August and our condo for the week is more than our whole cruise fare. Throw in food, flights, rental car etc and that trip will be much more costly than our recent and future cruises.