Brand New Royal Caribbean Cruiser Here, about to embark on Wonder of the Seas!

[TravelBluebird]

I just wanted to introduce myself.  I’ve been on Cruise Critic a long time, I LOVE to cruise and have been cruising for 30 years, and somehow have NEVER cruised on Royal Caribbean!

 

For my first Royal trip I’ve chosen Wonder of the Seas. I wanted to try the biggest and the newest out there, since I’m very fond of the Excel class of ships on Carnival. Next week a couple days before my Wonder cruise, I’ll be starting my LIVE! thread—I’ve done LIVES here on Cruise Critic on The Carnival Mardi Gras (2x), a Carnival Spirit Panama Canal Trip (which turned into a medical evacuation), the maiden voyage of the Carnival Venezia, and the Celebrity Equinox.  My LIVE! threads tend to be blog-like, so prose along with the photos. I put my videos from the trip on my YouTube Channel, Cruising With Dee. 

 

Please let me know what you all are most interested in seeing on my LIVE Blog!  Also, would LOVE to know, as a most frequent Carnival Cruiser, what you think I  especially might like//shouldn’t miss. 

 

One thing that has been a SHOCK to me about Royal vs. Carnival is how much pre-planning needs to be done for a Royal Caribbean cruise, and how far in advance you need to do some of those things. I’ve done my first Royal Caribbean video on my channel about that, which includes some of the mistakes I’ve made: 

 

 

Sorry that shows up so darn big in the post—I have no control over that! I’m excited to be embarking on this journey with y’all (I”m from Tennessee, can you tell?). Also I have a wary eye looking at the tropical forcast for the area—I’m well aware that I’m cruising during hurricane season, but I’ve rolled those dice before and won.

 

Hope to see you all on my LIVE! Blog, and I’m excited to be here!

[TravelBluebird]

Also, I have one big question—I purchased the Unlimited Dining Plan for my cruise. BUT, because I didn’t know check-in was so far in advance of the cruise, I’m not boarding till 1:30pm.

 

Will I be able to get reservations for all the restaurants I want (Chooped, Izumi, 150 Central Park, Hooked, etc) boarding so late? I really hate that I can’t make any reservations for the UDP until I board.

[Tapi]

Have a great time! Oasis class ships and preparing for them (coordinating and pre-reserving the mind boggling selection of activities, dining etc) can definitely feel a bit overwhelming, and in my humble opinion, takes away from the true essence of going on a cruise. But after it’s all said and done, it’s a wonderful experience.

 

About dining, we didn’t do UDP, and opted instead to pre-book a la carte at a discounted rate for 2 restaurants (Chops Grill and Sabor). We also booked lunch instead of dinner at Chops (which was wonderful) and it turned out to be more advantageous to do it that way.

 

I did check other restaurant availability throughout the week using the app in case we were interested in booking something else and it seemed like, even though some of the best times were rightfully taken, we could’ve booked any restaurant last minute with some flexibility. 

 

 

Edited September 21, 2023 by Tapi

[TravelBluebird]

38 minutes ago, Tapi said:

I did check other restaurant availability throughout the week using the app in case we were interested in booking something else and it seemed like, even though some of the best times were rightfully taken, we could’ve booked any restaurant last minute with some flexibility.

 

That is good to know!  We are going out with a very full ship, BUT I actually like late dining times, so I should be OK (I’m perfectly happy to eat at 8pm—I’m a total night owl).

[motheroftwocats814]

1 hour ago, TravelBluebird said:

Also, I have one big question—I purchased the Unlimited Dining Plan for my cruise. BUT, because I didn’t know check-in was so far in advance of the cruise, I’m not boarding till 1:30pm.

 

Will I be able to get reservations for all the restaurants I want (Chooped, Izumi, 150 Central Park, Hooked, etc) boarding so late? I really hate that I can’t make any reservations for the UDP until I board.

Your boarding time is okay. Just head over and make your reservations when you board. 

 

[TravelBluebird]

4 minutes ago, motheroftwocats814 said:

Your boarding time is okay. Just head over and make your reservations when you board. 

Thanks! I’m so used to boarding early with Carnival that I saw 1:30 and got unduly stressed out about it!  

[motheroftwocats814]

Just now, TravelBluebird said:

Thanks! I’m so used to boarding early with Carnival that I saw 1:30 and got unduly stressed out about it!  

Yeah. We like to board early too. But our pick up for our pre-night hotel isn't until 10:30am and with the 50 min or so ride to Canaveral from our hotel..I picked 12:30 boarding and that is late for us. I was stressing. But I am okay now. Have a great cruise.

[TravelBluebird]

3 minutes ago, motheroftwocats814 said:

Yeah. We like to board early too. But our pick up for our pre-night hotel isn't until 10:30am and with the 50 min or so ride to Canaveral from our hotel..I picked 12:30 boarding and that is late for us. I was stressing. But I am okay now. Have a great cruise.

 

I’m trying to look at it like this:  Leisurely breakfast at the hotel. Hopefully less crowded at the port at that boarding time. Maybe can drop my carry on right off at my room if the rooms are ready. So, only downside to me was perhaps being late for the UDP reservations, but this thread is making me feel a little better about that.

 

You have a GREAT cruise too!  

[motheroftwocats814]

2 minutes ago, TravelBluebird said:

 

I’m trying to look at it like this:  Leisurely breakfast at the hotel. Hopefully less crowded at the port at that boarding time. Maybe can drop my carry on right off at my room if the rooms are ready. So, only downside to me was perhaps being late for the UDP reservations, but this thread is making me feel a little better about that.

 

You have a GREAT cruise too!  

They also hold space open for guests who have the UDP.