alfaeric

Based on the timing, normal dry dock. She’s been amped, it appears.

On the Vision right now, and she is in great shape. We were on her last in 2017, and there have been some obvious (but minor) upgrades. Have not seen anything like what the OP posts, so…. And she is going into dry dock one more time later this year. Apparently, the HD thinks these ships will be replaced in 2029.

Do you have a cruise to pay for soon? Get double points for that.

Not the only one, again. That is the one thing that is almost impossible to replace. So we check even after leaving the house. And use them to check in at the airport. Alway on one of us. Like you, constantly checking we have it to board.

ok, if it makes you feel better. Cheaper than going to a movie, though. To me, nickel and diming is more about stuff I have to pay for, not optional ones. btw, we have been cruising since 2001, and don’t remember free popcorn. Lucky you that you did.

Yup. People post as if they are being forced to consume. You are not. Just say no.

if you want to avoid this, sail when prices are high. That way the number of Pins on the sailing are low. Or get a full suite. We were on 4 cruises in December and the most Pins sailing was just 20 on the Symphony. And it's only really a concern on a handful of ships- where CK access might be limited. Other than that, there's always the Crown Lounge. But I'm sure there will be plenty of CC people who will panic and demand a protest.

Another follow up- just got a quote from a cruise centric TA, and got the same price again, with no additional benefits or additions. As people have pointed out to me- no group rates for suites. One other addition, Delta had a sale where their price was the same as what I would get with the C&A discount. Which isn't a sale for us. The only thing we would get by using the right TA would be additional credit card points. Other than that, there's no real benefit. But that is a pretty significant benefit that would help future travel.

Quick follow up Earlier I compared RCI to Delta to others, and every search engine was the same, and the costs were the same. Just looked at the aaa, and, again, exactly the same price. Just submitted a request for quote from a small TA, we will see what we get. But so far, it's the exact same price with no actual additional benefits.

It's funny how TA questions keep coming up. Every time I look into various on line TA, the prices are exactly the same as Royal. To the penny. These places that supposedly have group rates- where are they? And do they have group rates for JS or higher? The other thing that stopped us many years ago, a group rate balcony made it really difficult to upgrade post final payment to a reasonably JS. But if anyone has tips on finding a TA, please post them. I ask that in various places, and can't seem to find them. I'll keep looking, but unless I can find a TA that actually will look out for us all the time, I'll just stick to doing it ourselves.

For some data seen this morning- looking for a cruise Jan '25, the pick your JS to guarantee cost was just $100. Which is pretty normal for us and cruises that are not at all sold out.

Given the choice, we prefer CK, as it's considerably fewer people, and the food is generally better than the MDR. There are some MDR dishes that we do prefer, but not enough to move down there. That being said, I would suggest you try both. You can do both on the cruise.

That's my concern, too- so I have pouch that I carry just in case.

Not on Liberty, they are not. We were just on her, and the casino matches the card system used on the whole ship.

a WHOLE hole.

They are the older slide in. So you can punch a whole in it without worrying about the RFID.

block a walk way, sure. But lines? No. You will get to the front of the line at the pace that people are processed, not at the walking pace of people. And the only walkway I can see that would block you is as you board the ship. Even then, I would look funny at you, given we have walked past people getting on and off with our carry on luggage.

Exactly. We book the same cabin for B2B just for ease, but separating them for cost is fine, and/or for other upgrades.... One needs to weigh what they want out of both cruises.

Because. Because we can, because it means we don't have too many things to fret about, because the same reason you don't. Just because. And for now, the "struggle" to embark and disembark is still easy, we enjoy doing that. Being totally unpacked and settled in the cabin by 2pm is a really nice feature. Also, we are never among the first to board. Did that once out of the many cruises we have been on, and don't understand the appeal. It's not that I'm trying to get people to pack light, but it's interesting how many people complain about those of us who do carry on and off. We are not in your way, the speed of the line isn't regulated by our bags, etc. Just accept people want to do that.

If you’ve ever had your bags lost for a long time, you would figure out how to pack light quickly. And/or you travel between a lot of cities via rail, making lugging checked bags around train stations are a real pain. Just takes a good reason to motivate you. There are a ton of sites telling you how to pack a week in a carryon, and then using that for as long as you need to.

Everyone has their definition of "stress". Some think that's lugging your overpacked luggage all over the ship, other it's worrying at 6pm that your luggage hasn't shown up. And we unpack our stuff 100% when we board, since we get on the ship at 1pm. And then we are free to wander the ship, plan dinner and shows, and not worry about anything. Let alone the freedom of way to many things to wear and spending an extra hour to change back and forth between things. To each, their own.

Assuming it's sunny, the Oasis pool has been warmer than the ocean to us. Then again, compared to the dead of winter here, I would swim in the ocean at Coco Cay no matter what.

Should be able to find them in the WJ. Or perhaps Cafe Promenade or Park Cafe.

I know this isn't the point of the question, but this is exactly the same for the specialty restaurant BOGO- only book on the ship.

Not really- there isn't any flavoring to add (unless you add a packet of hot chocolate), and all of the drinks available are derivatives of simple espresso shots- espresso, cappuccino, latte, etc.