LEMJMcC

And Red Bulls too! I drink about three or four of those each day on a cruise!

One cruise, I think it was on Oasis and perhaps Wonder as well, there was a Lavazza machine in our Junior Suite, my wife really liked it, so much so that we bought one for the house. I am not a coffee guy, but I think that's expresso, right?

Related question. What impact does rain have on the bike ride down? Do they cancel it (I hope NOT!) or just take it slower? Thanks.

Oh, I do. I have multiple reminders on my Outlook calendar with plenty of advance notice. I had heard from one of my friends going on the same cruise that he had received an email reminder from Royal, I was curious as to why I hadn't. Thanks.

What's your favorite omelet? I'd be interested to hear some new ideas for one. I usually just have ham, cheese, mushrooms, onions & peppers in mine. If other options are available, I might branch out a bit.

Perhaps we all should start maliciously, even if fallaciously, slamming RCI and other cruise lines to deter others from cruising?

I recently made the final payment on an upcoming cruise the day before it was due. I found it interesting that I never received any prompt or reminder from RCI about it. Did I miss something or do they not send out any kind of reminders? Just curious. Also, what would have happened if I had missed that final date? Would I lose my deposit and my booking? Thanks.

No, it's docking in Seattle on July 8. Thanks

Thanks much for the response. We have always carried all of our own luggage off the ship. For this trip, I have taken some steps to make that even easier by purchasing some luggage straps that allow me to attach all my bags together into one load which can be easily wheeled around. We have reserved a shuttle to pick us up at 8:00 AM, based on your information about disembarkation beginning shortly after 6:30 AM, I'm wondering if we ought to arrange for an earlier pick up, say 7:30 AM? Think that's reasonable?

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We've watched pier runners before, but just out of coincidence as we hung out on our balcony right before the ship began the process of leaving. Never saw someone miss the ship though. It was amusing seeing them run, fast walk, regular walk, jog again, then slow walk onto the gangway. We never cheered or jeered at anyone, but just sort of smirked to ourselves. I hope (confidently expect) that I never find myself in that situation. If we do a private tour, I always keep a close eye on the time and we have always returned to the dock plenty early. If a party misses the ship out of sheer arrogance, inconsideration, or by drinking themselves into oblivion, I have little sympathy.

This question was asked on another forum about Wonder of the Seas and someone responded that they would NOT get in line to disembark, but waited until about 15 minutes after the announcement was made for disembarkation and were able to walk right off the ship. Can anyone with recent experience on Quantum or similar ship in Seattle weigh in on the best way to self-service disembark? We're trying to be off and ready for a shuttle by 8:00 AM... Thanks.

I seem to remember lining up in the entrance way to the MDR on deck 5 when we self-disembarked in February, 2023.

That is an excellent idea; I've added these to my trip list for our upcoming Alaska cruise! Thanks.

A statement made to me by someone to whom I was being rather hardhearted will haunt me for the rest of my life, "be kind". Still hits me. Kindness and sympathy are noble qualities that seem to be becoming more rare..

Would it really matter if the ship was an hour or two late leaving port if the next day is a sea day? If I was onboard, I probably wouldn't even notice that the ship was late leaving...arriving? yes, but not leaving. And with the next stop being CoCo Cay, big deal! I'd much rather give up an hour or two there (or even skip it altogether) than see someone's trip ruined.

Yah, I returned the Vortex 15x56...I replaced them with a pair of Zeiss 10x42 with a nice compact frame.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. We've already booked rooms in Seattle, so we're going to make that our base and just do some days trips. We'll have part of Friday, all day Saturday, and all day Sunday in Seattle as the cruise leaves on Monday morning. We arrive early enough on Friday that we may be able to take in the Snoqualmie Falls hike that afternoon! We'll monitor the conditions at Mt. Rainier and hit it either Saturday or Sunday, and do Bainbridge and Discovery Park the other day. Thanks again and if any other hikes come to mind, please share those as well!

A small plastic cafeteria-style tray to carry a couple of hot beverages and some morning pastries up to the cabin. Too many times I've tried the balancing act of carrying two coffees and two plates full of breakfast bites to enjoy on the balcony. This will help tremendously...I think.

Hi All, I'm hoping for some local experts to weigh in on this question. What are some good day hikes within driving distance from Seattle? We're planning to rent a car for a few days and are looking closely at doing the Skyline Loop on Mt. Rainier and already have entrance reservations for a couple of days there. Are there other hikes nearby? Is Discovery Park worthwhile? We also hope to take the Bainbridge Island ferry one day, but may walk to it. Is that doable from the Mediterranean Inn? Thanks.

Thanks for the insight, we may take a look before we recommend it to the others in our party.

Thanks for the info, this is most helpful!

I'd like to know as well...we were disappointed that Wonder did not have these.

We did Wonderland on Wonder of the Seas and enjoyed it so much we went back a second time. We did have the unlimited dining plan for that cruise, though. We found the food pretty durn good and the experience a lot of fun, of course our waiter made it great both times! We are from the east coast and I'm an early riser anyway, usually at work by 5:30 AM; so what can I get around 4:00 AM after my morning workout? We're whale-watching out of Juneau and railroading and biking in Skagway. Nothing planned for Sitka, just planning to maybe do some hiking. Definitely won't want to miss this. Thanks.

Hi All- We're a group of ten taking an Alaskan cruise on Quantum this summer out of Seattle. What features of the ship should we not miss? I'm familiar with Oasis class more than any other, so I'm looking for some advice on Quantum. The others in the group have either not been on a cruise, or been on only one several years ago, so I'm trying to help them as much as I can to really enjoy this one. I have no idea what shows they will have on this July's sailing. Any ideas? I see there's a Café Promenade where I can grab some early morning pre-breakfast coffee & tea and pastries. What are its hours of operation? Looks like Cafe @ 270 is another option for breakfast, again when is it open? What other grab-n-go eateries are there? I liked the hot dog stand on Wonder & Oasis, anything like that on Quantum? I believe the walking track is up on deck 15 with lounge chairs alongside? Is there anywhere else to walk where we wouldn't have to deal with loungers and people walking around looking at their phones and not watching for other using the track? We did this on the Mariner, I think we walked around the deck where they had the lifeboats hanging. Is there such a place on Quantum? We have a Junior Suite, so we will spend most of our lounging time there, but where else may we find some quiet chairs to take in any available sun and read & relax? Anyone have an idea when the North Star may be back in service? Thanks all!