Island_Chica

Put me in the "bad planner" bucket. We've been so busy and our cruise snuck up on me. We're leaving on Harmony in about a week (2nd time) and will be staying in an Owners Suite. I completely neglected to book Perfect Day waterpark passes and they are showing up as "unavailable" online. Does that mean they are sold out? And, if so, can our sky concierge help us obtain passes for our kids? 

I received notification last night that our RoyalUp bid was accepted. We're 24 days from sailing as of today and booked a suite guarantee for 4 passengers (parents + 2 kids) on Harmony OTS. We were assigned a GS on Deck 7 last weekend and got our RoyalUp email a couple of days later. All 4 person suites for our sailing are showing as sold out, but I had 5 choices for RoyalUp bids - an OS, CLS, Aqua 1-bed, Aqua 2-bed and Star Loft Suite. 

I bid on only two categories - the OS and the Aqua 2-bedroom. The starting bid for Aqua 1-bed was too high, I don't care for the CLS balconies and the Star Loft Suite starting bid was very high for us. 

Anyway, I received an email last night that our RoyalUp bid was accepted for the Owner's Suite - we got one on Deck 14 port side  (just below pool deck so noise is a slight concern, but we're pretty heavy sleepers). I bid $20 above the starting bid of $400 (so $840 total for the upgrade from GS to OS for 4 people; $210 pp); as we started with a great guarantee rate we ended up in an OS for what it would have cost to put all four of us in one balcony cabin (we booked late). 

I was surprised our bid was accepted this early; seems like most ppl don't hear until shortly before sailing. Then again, I haven't read all 96 pages of this thread so I may be wrong about that. Good luck to the bidders still waiting! 

I posted just after you - we also booked a 4 pax guarantee on Harmony and were assigned a GS. I wonder if we're on the same sailing? I haven't gotten any "RoyalUp" email, but maybe I don't understand how it works?

As to whether it is "worth it" to upgrade, in my opinion that depends on how much you paid pp for your initial fare, how often you vacation and whether the extra $$ is a hardship or inconvenience. GS are very, very nice cabins, but aren't as spacious as some of the other offerings on Harmony. However, given the typical price differences, GS are a great deal. 

We are traveling with our two kids as well (7 and 9, so younger and less smelly/moody than yours - for now). We got a great rate, so I'd likely pay $400 pp more to have 2 bathrooms and the in-room dining table. For us, personally, we prefer to order room service breakfast off the MDR menu each morning and enjoy eating at our leisure and in relative peace. We've had a royal family suite before and having a dining table that accommodated all of us was amazing. 

Due to school, sports, and work obligations, we only travel as a family a couple of times a year. I prefer to be as comfortable as possible when we do so. But your initial cabin assignment is nothing to be disappointed about! 

I started the thread posted below on Wednesday. We received our cabin assignment last night; I am seeing numerous guarantee questions so I wanted to give an update.

We were assigned a Grand Suite on Deck 7.

We received a great rate on this guarantee so I'd have been pleased had we been given a JS (we had a resident rate + sale + Crown and Anchor discount), but I did have my fingers crossed for a GS so we can have access to Coastal Kitchen, the lounge, etc. I *think* the fact that we had 4 passengers may have helped with this assignment; there aren't as many JS that accommodate 4 as I'd have thought. Anyway - good luck to all of those who are waiting. As we've reserved nothing it's time to get to work (we've been on Harmony before and are pretty relaxed lol). We've had a Royal Family Suite before on Freedom and it was definitely our best cruise, in large part due to that cabin and the convenience of in-room dining. 

Lol thanks for the replies. We haven't received any email welcoming us to any class of suite yet. Message received - the only thing you can rely on is an actual cabin assignment and there don't seem to be any reliable indicators of what sort of suite one is likely to be assigned. 

Hi all - I've searched but can't find this question addressed on the boards. We booked a suite guarantee for 4 passengers (2 adults, 2 kids) on a Harmony sailing leaving June 2019 - got a great rate.

Anyway, no cabin assignment yet and I'm happy if we get a Jr Suite. I completed check-in and viewed our Set Sail Pass, which still say GTY for our cabin, but we have a muster station assignment of E2 and under "Suite" it says "Sky". 

It appears that Junior Suites are "Sea" class suites, and "Sky" is the next level up. Does this mean we are likely to be assigned a GS or greater, or is the "Sky" designation on our Set Sail Pass meaningless at this point? Again, we'll be happy with a JS, but I noticed this and am merely curious if I can attach any meaning to this at all (based on recent experiences, my guess is that no, this doesn't mean anything). 

Sal - you are right, only the FOUR of us. I'll correct my initial post to be less confusing.

The 2-bed RFS was available yesterday, but we passed as it was over $6K more than what we paid for two OV. There *is* a limit!

We did cruise in an aft-corner cabin on Adventure OTS last year, and shared one bathroom. It was fine.

TL;DR Summary: Have two below-average, far forward Cat G connecting OVs for 4 ppl - parents and two young kids. For $2000 more we can upgrade to a Suite Guarantee, Cat W. Since our initial rooms kind of suck, would you do it? One balcony cabin is about the same price as Suite Cat W, so that's not an option.

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Traveling on Harmony over Spring Break with 4 of us - me, husband and two boys, ages 6 and 8. Since it's a popular cruise, availability is low and there are no connecting cabins currently available (whether OV or balcony).

In October, I grabbed the last connecting OV cabins available, but they aren't the best. They are deck 7, all the way forward and overlook the helipad. They are those Cat G cabins with the slanted windows. Pros: connecting cabins giving us more privacy, two bathrooms, and we're located by the gym. Cons: I've stayed at the very front before and the motion is more noticeable, no balcony, on same level as helipad so view is non-existent.

Now that final payment has passed, a Suite Guarantee (Cat W) has become available. It will cost us $2400 more total, but we'll get free gratuities, so it's really only a $2000 difference (or $500/pp). I understand that *most* Cat W suite guarantees get Junior Suites, which is fine but obviously not as good as other suites might be! Pros: balcony, access to Coastal Kitchen (only for dinner in the JS, but still), chance to get a "real" suite. Cons: one bathroom, slightly less privacy.

It would be about the same to put us all into a D category balcony as the Suite Guarantee, so that's why it's not an option at this time. I'd rather have the connecting OVs than one standard balcony cabin. Given that our current cabins aren't the greatest, I'd like opinions on what you'd do for the $$$. We've been to all of the ports before, and we won't be spending heavily on excursions. While the extra money isn't a hardship, we generally like to spend only when there is value to be gained.

Thanks in advance!

Can a mod lock this thread, please? I'm the OP and this has gotten waaay off course.

Who let their 5-year old watch "The Hurt Locker"?

Star Wars shows some moderate violence, but it isn't gory. It's like what they see on cartoons where somebody gets bashed in the head and falls down. While I don't love that kind of mild-moderate violent content, I recognize that I have boys and there is something inherent in them that makes them more physical.

Everyone's line is somewhere else, I guess. Frankly, I don't mind if my kids hear some curse words or see minor sex scenes or nudity (the latter are normal human conditions).

I wanted to point this particular situation out because it felt like a poor choice of time and venue. That's it.

OP back here. Wow this went on more than I intended. I was just trying to give a constructive complaint about the location and time selection of a violent movie. I don't agree that I should have to check the cruise compass to make sure there is not a violent movie playing in front of the 10 and under Kid's Aquapark during the hours it is open. That doesn't make me negligent, helicopter, neurotic or any other names I've been called. A mod deleted some of this thread, but I have been called some very inappropriate and unfounded names by some members.

Regardless of what it used to be, Royal is now a family-oriented cruise line, especially on ships where they've added Splashaway Bay and waterslides. Times change, and I wanted to point out that a careless oversight (or lack of discretion) can have impacts on young kids and Royal Caribbean's customer service. How can a company improve if they aren't made aware of things their primary-target customer base may find problematic? We actually had a wonderful time of this vacation overall, and saw some amazing places and did some amazing things. This was a blip, but one that sticks with me because it seemed like such a strange and careless choice by the entertainment people.

I've been a member of this board for a long time, and have cruised on Royal 5X without a SINGLE complaint. If some of the thread hadn't been deleted (or if posters had read my follow-up comments), they would understand that my 7-year old developed a high fever the evening this occurred and we had to take him to the infirmary. After about 36 hours, when I had time to even think about this again, we were headed into our final 3 ports and had very busy days planned. Frankly, I wasn't in a position to stand in the long lines at customer service at that point. I prefer to spend that time with my kids and husband as I work FT and life is crazy here at home.

At any rate, thank you to the posters who understood my point or questioned me without name-calling. I honestly wasn't all that upset about this incident, but I wanted to make cruisers with young children and Royal Caribbean aware of this issue. Once the name-calling started, I did feel it necessary to defend and clarify my position for those who may have misunderstood my complaint.

They can show The Magnificent Seven on every RCI cruise for the next decade for all I care. Shoot, they could run the whole Game of Thrones series and I wouldn't care, so long as it is not shown directly in front of an area specifically designed for young children while that area is open. This is about discretion, choice of time and venue. Perhaps it is time to add a movie screen to the Solarium for adult-oriented movies?

I'm the OP and have addressed many of the questions in my follow-up replies. Honestly, this isn't that big of a deal to me in the general scheme of life, but several of the posters here have compelled follow-up responses as I've been asked to clarify my account of what occurred, have been called a neurotic helicopter mom (which would be super funny if you knew me IRL), etc.

Honestly, I posted this after I sent my email to RC customer support as I wanted to make sure it was seen by the company. I think someone used incredibly bad judgment in this instance. I have a choice of where I spend my hard-earned vacation $$$, and I think it's preposterous that they showed a gory movie in front of a water playground for younger children during the day. About 3pm (two hours after the movie started, just after it ended) there were about 20 kids in Splashaway Bay, so I can surmise we weren't the only people who had to keep their kids away due to this programming choice.

I am curious to see RCI's response and to know who determines the programming. We're platinum on RCI and at this point we always book the biggest balcony or higher on any ship we sail. If RCI thinks this is appropriate programming in front of a kids playground, I'm happy to give my $$$ to a family resort or another cruise line. Likewise, if anyone has the email address for the CD on Adventure, or an email address for the appropriate crew member, I'd appreciate it.

OP here. Gently, I think some posters can't see the forest for the trees. Royal Caribbean markets itself as a FAMILY cruise line, fit for all ages. They spend tens of millions a year on advertising just this very feature, and in 2016 enhanced the facilities for young children on this specific ship, which is why we chose it over Jewel. THEY ARE MARKETING DIRECTLY TO FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN. If this film was shown midday in the theater or adults-only area or at night I wouldn't be complaining, nor would I complain if this happened when we were on Celebrity or another line that caters primarily to adults. My issue is that a violent film was shown during midday directly in front of the kids-only section on a ship that is supposed to cater to families. Whether my child is 2, 5, 8 or 10 is irrelevant.

To address a few questions:

1. Violence in General/Sheltering: I live in a major city and I used to work as an assistant district attorney. I've attended autopsies and have examined (without flinching) crime scene and autopsy photos that would cause most people to retch. My problem is not with PG-13 or R movies or the world in general. I don't shelter my children, but I do make sure they are exposed to AGE-APPROPRIATE entertainment. My 5-year old is in Pre-Kindergarten. He still likes Paw Patrol and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He plays Mario Kart, but not any shooter games or first person shooter games. They've watched a few PG-13 movies, but only after we have viewed them for overly-violent content. If you are permitting your newly 5-year old pre-K child to watch "The Magnificant Seven", or if you think this is appropriate content for a small child, we're not going to see eye-to-eye. Also, I don't give a flying fig what the rating is, or whether the rating applies in international waters or not. The RCI entertainment team has discretion regarding what they show, and someone failed to use it.

2. For anyone who feels my story is "inconsistent," this is why I detest the internet sometimes. To clarify: when we walked out, there was dialogue. It was loud, but I presume it was a conversation scene focused on dialogue. I don't know because I was talking to my kids and getting settled. I don't put all of these details in because frankly they are beside the point to this situation. We were on the side of Splashaway Bay when the fight scene erupted. It went from dialogue (which was noticeable, but not obnoxiously so) to LOUD gunfire/gore within seconds.

3. Lastly, I don't make customer complaints immediately after an event happens, unless it's about something dangerous/imminent (and honestly, I make precious few complaints). Cooler heads prevail and whatnot. My plan was to go to customer service the next day to address this issue. By the next morning, one of my children spiked a fever and I went to the infirmary instead for antibiotics. By the time he was ready to return to the pool (which took about 36 hours), a couple of days had passed and I decided to send a calm, rational email/letter once I arrived home, which I have done. For the remainder of the cruise, I checked the daily movie selections and there were no more violent daytime films, so I didn't have the need to address it again.

AND right on time come the "Royal Caribbean can do no wrong" brigade.

First, understand that this movie was LOUD. We walked out just before the final scene was beginning. It was quiet dialogue (honestly, I was tending to my children and didn't even look up at the screen), and then all of the sudden it was so loud you couldn't even speak without yelling. There was no escaping the gunshots, horses whinnying as they collapsed, and sounds of people dying on screen. In fact, once I realized what movie was playing I noticed that NO children were playing on Splashaway Bay. And this was during the middle of the day, during one of the 5.5 hours the aquapark was open that day.

As I wrote in my correspondence to RCI: "Some might argue that if I'd merely consulted my cruise compass, I would have known about the movie, but that's missing the point. I shouldn't have to verify that a "family-friendly" cruise line is showing acceptable entertainment directly in front of an attraction built specifically for younger children during the precious few hours that attraction is open."

I presume many of you who say I'm over-reacting either don't have children, or don't have an issue with young children viewing gunshots, blood and gore. Bottom line: THIS WAS INAPPROPRIATE DAYTIME ENTERTAINMENT ON A "FAMILY-FRIENDLY" CRUISE LINE, which is how Royal spends millions marketing itself.

Splashaway Bay is geared specifically for the under-13 set, so what makes you think a violent movie is appropriate to show at 1pm directly in front of this attraction? And don't tell me that RCI just "assumed" it was fine because the rating was PG-13. They have discretion in what movies they select. I realize not all PG-13's are made equal; my problem isn't with the rating system, my problem is with RCI's decision to show a movie contain death and gore in front of the primary children's "pool" area during the main hours children use that area.

Hi all! We recently returned from the Adventure of the Seas 10-day itinerary. This was our fifth cruise on Royal, which is typically our preferred line when cruising with our kids. I'll post a brief trip report later this week, but did want to post about an issue we had on this cruise, and find out if anyone else has had this problem.

We were traveling with our two children, ages 5 and 7. As some of you may know, Adventure recently received Splashaway Bay, a water playground for children. This area is directly in front of the big movie screen at the main pool.

The day we were in Barbados, my husband and I did a short excursion alone and had the kids in Adventure Ocean until about 2pm. Afterwards, the kids were begging to go to the water park.

I had not consulted the Compass (didn't think I needed to as Royal Caribbean bills itself as a family cruise line), but apparently the 1:00pm movie was the remake of "The Magnificent Seven," which is rated PG-13. HOWEVER, this movie is exceptionally violent in parts, especially the final gunfight scene.

As we go outside around 2:30 (note this all happened very quickly), the sound system is blaring loud enough that I covered my ears. As I'm trying to take stock of what's going on, my 5-year old saw a character and horse get "killed" in the movie and immediately burst in to tears. Blood and bullets everywhere on screen. Correction: not just tears, we're talking choking sobs. Needless to say we shuffled them inside immediately and soothed our children.

It takes a lot to make me complain on vacation, but why the h*ll were they playing a violent movie directly in front of the kids water park during midday? The water park is only open from 12:30pm-5:30pm. We had to coax them to return to the pool area in the following days.

The best part? The evening movie (being played twice) that evening was The Angry Birds Movie. What genius decided to run the kids movie at night, and an adult movie during the day?

Anyway, I'm going to write RCI customer service directly, but wanted to make people aware that this occurred. At first I wondered if I was being overly sensitive, but we were on a family-friendly cruise line, and I don't feel as if I should have to check for acceptable content during the middle of the day in front of the kids' water park.

Hi all. We are going on a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruise over spring break which has 7 port stops. We are taking our children and spending most days enjoying family adventures. However, we will do one “kid free” day ashore, and we’re trying to decide whether to go adults-only in Antigua or Barbados? We’ve never been to either. Our time in port is 8am – 6pm in Antigua, and 8am – 7pm in Barbados, though we will not be ashore the entire time as we do want to get back to the children.

We’re early 40s, and fairly adventurous, having done zip-lining,waterfall rappelling, etc. in the past. However, we also enjoy a really nice stretch of beach with chairs for rent at local beach bars/restaurants.

Some favorite destinations of ours in the Caribbean are: St.John (for off-beach snorkeling and gorgeous beaches), French St. Martin (for beach bars like Waikiki along Orient Beach and Calmos Café Grand Case), Dominica(incredible waterfall rappelling and beauty), and BVI (White Bay on Jost Van Dyke in particular).

For those who’ve been to both islands, which would you rather do kid free and why? Can someone suggest a really good activity that might be specific to each island? Best beaches on both islands – calm, blue waters, soft sand, beach bars, few vendors, and not so incredibly packed you can’t move?

Suggestions welcome – Thanks!

Hi all. We are going on a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruiseover spring break which has 7 port stops. We are taking our children andspending most days enjoying family adventures. However, we will do one “kidfree” day ashore, and we’re trying to decide whether to go adults-only inAntigua or Barbados? We’ve never been to either. Our time in port is 8am – 6pmin Antigua, and 8am – 7pm in Barbados, though we will not be ashore the entiretime as we do want to get back to the children.

We’re early 40s, and fairly adventurous, having done zip-lining,waterfall rappelling, etc. in the past. However, we also enjoy a really nicestretch of beach with chairs for rent at local beach bars/restaurants.

Some favorite destinations of ours in the Caribbean are: St.John (for off-beach snorkeling and gorgeous beaches), French St. Martin (forbeach bars like Waikiki along Orient Beach and Calmos Café Grand Case), Dominica(incredible waterfall rappelling and beauty), and BVI (White Bay on Jost VanDyke in particular).

For those who’ve been to both islands, which would yourather do kid free and why? Can someone suggest a really good activity thatmight be specific to each island? Best beaches on both islands – calm, bluewaters, soft sand, beach bars, few vendors, and not so incredibly packed youcan’t move?

Suggestions welcome – Thanks!

Hi all. Please note I'm cross-posting this in the Barbados forum to reach a wider audience.

We are going on a 10 night Southern Caribbean cruiseover spring break which has 7 port stops. We are taking our children andspending most days enjoying family adventures. However, we will do one “kidfree” day ashore, and we’re trying to decide whether to go adults-only inAntigua or Barbados? We’ve never been to either. Our time in port is 8am – 6pmin Antigua, and 8am – 7pm in Barbados, though we will not be ashore the entiretime as we do want to get back to the children.

We’re early 40s, and fairly adventurous, having done zip-lining,waterfall rappelling, etc. in the past. However, we also enjoy a really nicestretch of beach with chairs for rent at local beach bars/restaurants.

Some favorite destinations of ours in the Caribbean are: St.John (for off-beach snorkeling and gorgeous beaches), French St. Martin (forbeach bars like Waikiki along Orient Beach and Calmos Café Grand Case), Dominica(incredible waterfall rappelling and beauty), and BVI (White Bay on Jost VanDyke in particular).

For those who’ve been to both islands, which would yourather do kid free and why? Can someone suggest a really good activity thatmight be specific to each island? Best beaches on both islands – calm, bluewaters, soft sand, beach bars, few vendors, and not so incredibly packed youcan’t move?

Suggestions welcome – Thanks!

Well it is (almost) unanimous. Adventure it is. For those asking, this itinerary leaves March 29, 2017 from San Juan.

Hoopster thank you for the catamaran recommendation for Bonaire. I'll definitely look into it!

Thanks! I feel better about this decision. I think we'll stick with Adventure.

I don't know that I'll ever fly to Bonaire or Curacao, and the port days there are looong, as in 8am-7pm and 8am-10pm. Nice, long port days at all stops, actually.

Glad we got a kid's sail free on that booking, because the excursions are gonna cost us a fortune! So much we want to do.

Hello everyone.

We have two cruises booked for spring break:

1. 7-night Harmony OTS (Eastern, been to all ports several time, including land-based trips); and

2. 10-night Adventure OTS (Southern, 7 ports, 5 new to us).

Cabins booked: On Harmony, a D1 balcony. On Adventure, we have one of the aft corner D1's.

I was well-settled on the Adventure for the ports, but then I found out some of the dry dock updates were impacted by Hurricane Matthew. Our party is two parents, and two sons, ages five and seven.

It appears Splashaway Bay (the kid's aqua park) was still implemented on Adventure. Is that accurate?

Any votes for Harmony? We must decide before the end of the month, to avoid being charged for both. Thanks!

Thanks - I think I've settled on the 10 night. It covers a ton of places I've always wanted to see, and my husband has already researched a few non-beach activities to do with the kids.

We've got our 15th anniversary a few months after the cruise, so this sampler will definitely help us decide which island to return to for our anniversary trip!

We have two kids, and we have the same decision every single time. Personally, I wouldn't pay a 50% premium for a JS. I'd pay it for a Grand Suite, where I can get a full menu room service, larger bathroom and the suite lounge benefits. But with the JS you're only buying yourself a tad more square footage and the bathtub.

We have found that our kids do fine with the shower, the showerhead is adjustable/removable. That extra $$ will go a long way towards the spa, drinks, flights, excursions, etc.

My 2 cents. If $$ is not a huge factor, then go for it.

Hello everyone! We currently have two cruises booked for next spring break and I'm trying to decide which one to let go.

Party is two adults and two kids (boys), ages 5.5 and 7.

Harmony of the Seas, 7-nt Eastern: We are booked in a D1 near the kids club. We've been to the stops many times, but we've never been on an Oasis class (largest we've done is Freedom and the largest NCL ship)

Adventure of the Seas, 10-nt Southern: Booked in 1688 CORNER aft. This cruise is $2000 less than the Harmony, plus we get 3 more days. We will sail after the refurb, so I expect ship will have waterslides and a kids aquapark. Itinerary is awesome, takes us to 5 islands we've never been to.

I'm definitely leaning towards the 10 day, but I'm concerned that there might be very few kids on board. It might be boring for my kids (or better, if the waterslide lines are shorter).

Any thoughts?

I'll try to answer some of the questions out there:

projectorguy - no worries, I don't think you left us with noro in the cabin! Honestly I am 100% sure my son picked it up from Splash Academy. So far, no one else has it (fingers crossed). It's been about 60 hours.

4suzyQ - Yes, I think my mom thought the studio was fine. She said she went crazy after about 2 hours in her cabin (unless she was sleeping) so she stayed out of it most of the time. I thought it was a neat little cabin and was perfect for one. The lounge was nice and pretty large.

cheapboxer - I agree the seas were pretty nasty during our cruise. I am lucky because I don't get sea sick but I spoke to several people who were ill. I think the ship handled it fine, but conditions were against us. As far as doing Jost on your own, we're all comfortable with different amounts of risk. The stop in Tortola is short (too short, I think) but TRC runs 1/2 day charters from 9am - 1pm. The dock you leave from is literally a 5 minute walk from the ship (maybe less). We were back on the ship before 2pm, so it worked great for us.