Steppy08

We just got off Mariner on Monday. We had a GS (the RoyalUp fairy paid a visit). loved the suite, the balcony, and all the little concierge services but especially the suite lounge happy hour. It was empty most of the time. As much as l loved the GS, it would not have been worth it for the full fare difference in a JS. Although we almost drank the difference in prices in the suite lounge! id book the JS and see if a Royal Up offer comes along.

I would be very tempted to upgrade to a balcony for Alaska. We practically lived on our balcony for our Alaska cruise. Avoided the crowded public areas while sailing Glacier Bay, had breakfast lunch and dinner out there one day

Just got off Mariner yesterday and did the Tulum Ruins (and the cenotes). There were at least 3-4 variations of the Tulum tour that included a beach break, just Tulum, or the one we did. We’ve done many tours both with the cruise lines and on our own. Given the time frame we would never do this one on our own. We were the first group off the ship at 7am and the last group onboard at 4:40 (all aboard was 4:30). Royal arranged for the fast ferry to come right to the dock (as opposed to taking a bus to the other dock in Cozumel where the ferry normally goes) 45 minutes on the ferry, about 45 minutes drive to Tulum. We had about 2.5 hours in Tulum, about 1 hour was guided and the rest time to wander around. They provided snacks and a bottle of water. The ruins looked to be in the same condition they were in 2005 I guess? That’s the last time I was there. I thought it was a good tour and worth the cost. We enjoyed Tulum (my husband had never been before) and loved the cenotes as a refreshing end of the tour.

I had my known traveler number at the conclusion of the interview and the Global Entry Card within a week or two.

I got conditional approval within days (I applied February of 2022) but scheduling the interview took almost a year. I was hoping to do it at my home airport (PIT) and after months of waiting for open appointments I made one in Cleveland for January 2023 and drove 2 hours. For a 5 minute interview. 🙄 At least its done and now my husband and i both have it (and TSA pre-check!)

Remember getting loads of souvenir glasses on ships? I’ve kept only two since my mom downsized and made an Aruba Ariba today using the one from my first cruise ever.

Just got off the July 9 from FLL to Labadee, Aruba, and Curaçao (Was on Enchantment June 24 to Bermuda so I got to compare the current state of Royal from two completely different ships…) check in: Allure- Super quick for us. We had a noon time and arrived at 11:50. Were able to use the suite line for security and only waited 10 minutes for actual check in. (Do everything you can BEFORE in the app! It saves time for everyone) walked on the ship at 12:05. Enchantment: check in at Baltimore was a cluster. 15 minutes to get through security. Another 30 minutes waiting in a massive line. It took a solid hour to get on board. Cabin: Allure- was nice. Our first experience in a Jr Suite. The upgraded toiletries in the shower were actually a nice perk. Cabin attendant was excellent and friendly. Only issue was that it’s a connecting room so we could hear everything next door. They sneezed, we said “bless you.” Thank goodness for white noise apps. Enchantment- it was okay. Showing its age. We were not even sure who our cabin attendant was for about two days since he never introduced himself. He was okay, we had to ask for fresh drink glasses a couple times because he took them but didn’t replace them. Ship: Allure is starting to show some age, but still looks great. We sailed on her 9 years ago. We enjoyed the boardwalk aft view and pool decks before they pile on the slides and other “amplifications” next spring. Enchantment- I love this class ship but she needs some paint and love. staff: I was really worried about this. The Enchantment in June was seriously understaffed (both of our waiters had their contracts “extended” for two months and were supposed to be home in June). Getting a drink from the bar took a solid 15 minutes each time. The Allure was a different world. If there were staffing issues we didn’t see it. Every bar was fully staffed and the waiters were plentiful (except on Deck 4 in the comedy club and jazz club). I never waited more than a couple minutes to get served. drink package: both ships have the “new” refill neon plastic cups. Windjammer: We pretty much just eat there for breakfast and occasionally lunch. Just about everything was better at the Windjammer on Allure. Freshness, quality, taste , presentation. I noticed they only had one side of the WJ open on Allure most times. Two differences: the Enchantment had way better avocado toast AND I could NOT find the Berliner crème filled donuts ANYWHERE on Allure. The Allure was also way more staffed here- there were plenty of waiters offering to bring drinks and refills on Allure versus Enchantment. Also, Windjammer on Allure had a consistent supply of Coconut Ranger cookies (iykyk) I can’t compare the main dining rooms because we really didn’t eat in the MDR on Allure, we ate at Coastal Kitchen or the specialty restaurants. Coastal Kitchen was awesome. Our service team on Enchantment was amazing (our waiter actually told us what meals NOT to get and was spot on every time) but they were definitely overworked and short staffed. Entertainment: can’t really compare these two. There were phenomenal musicians on both ships. Allure just has so many more options. We did see Mama Mia- the cast/crew/orchestra were fantastic. The show itself… well, at least it wasn’t Cats. In conclusion- We had a great time on both cruises. Both ships were full or close to it. But I would say they are definitely staffing the “flagships” of the line fully compared to the smaller ships right now. I have several family members employed in the airlines and it is unfortunately the state of the travel industry right now- understaffed and overbooked and trying desperately to make up for the last two years. We still feel it’s a great vacation and value.