drjohn4

We book 2 cabins with our kids and like to just get extra key cards. That way adults can easily get into both rooms.

There are a lot of areas all along the sides of deck 15 that are shaded by deck 16 above with floor to ceiling windows that will allow you to see the ocean. If you are looking for somewhere quieter, there is also the jogging track on deck 5 that is shaded most of the day. There are chairs at the stern end of the jogging track. If you want someplace completely indoors to watch the ocean, that is a bit more limited on Alllure. There are not many public rooms with ocean views except the windjammer.

I’m on a full sailing on Allure this week and there were plenty of loungers and chairs available right next to the pool at 11:30 AM on the second sea day. It looks like there are plenty of chairs when they are only taken by the people actually using them!

You might want to check your travel insurance policy, some have cancel for work reason provisions even if there is no cancel for any reason.

This is a new program they are just starting for the 18-25 y/o age group. I would expect things to evolve in the program as it gets going and they get feedback. There is a Royal Caribbean blog that recently had an article on the program from someone who went to it. Sometimes they had a host at events sometimes not. Several events seemed to be geared more towards the 21-25 group that were able to drink alcohol.

I have used Travel Insured International for several trips over the years. Several years pre-covid I had a small claim for an urgent care visit that was paid quickly and easily. In 2020 I had a 5 figure trip cancellation claim that took several months to be paid, but all their staff was working from home due to lock downs, and I'm sure they had a huge number of claims from the early COVID chaos. I still use them without hesitation.

As people age, they are more susceptible to side effects of medications. I would advise trying non-medication ways of dealing with motion sickness and speeding up adaptation to the motion before using medications - going out on deck or looking out a window where you can see the horizon (aids your body in recognizing that the signals from the eyes and balance system agree) Because alcohol leads to a disturbed visual suppression of vestibularly evoked eye movements, it is helpful not to drink alcohol to avoid motion sickness symptoms. (skip the unlimited drink package) eating frequent snacks is often helpful (easy to do on a cruise) acupressure (SeaBands) have mixed results in large studies, but many people find them helpful and there are minimal side effects Distraction with music or conversation helps. (also easy to find on the ship)

Those robes are great for "White Night" in the Main Dining Room. 😁

Our family has kids 12-19 y/o. Looking at cruise lines bike and kayak tour. Anyone have any experience with it?

This weeks sailing had one game on in the AquaTheater (Dolphins Bills) and the others (Giants/Vikings)(Ravens/Bengals) in Boot & Bonnet. I would expect similar arrangements next week.

I have been able to have Air2Sea select seats for me at the time of booking, but it is possible that this may vary depending on airline. Often you cannot make any changes on the airline's web site until the flights are actually ticked sometime after final payment.

I for one am always glad to find an oasis where I can live in peace without all the constant government surveillance! Birds aren't real! https://birdsarentreal.com/

Went on my first cruise since 2006 this summer on Odyssey and it was fantastic! There is a lot more to do on ships now then there was then. MDR food was great. Buffet was sometimes crowded, but that is no different than before. Service was great. You will have a good time. Shows are way better than they were before, though showrooms did seem more crowded than I remember, and reservations are required for some shows.

When we were on for a Mediterranean sailing there were Key times for iFly in the morning on a sea day and North Star in the afternoon on a different sea day. Reservations were made at the embarkation lunch. Also Key times for flowrider and bumper cars. Don’t know if Caribbean is different.

Odyssey had a special Key only time for bumper cars on our June Mediterranean cruise. No reservations needed for the normal times and you could ride as many times as you wanted to wait in line. (lines weren't bad)

I think the late arrival is much better, because then you get to experience sunset in Santorini. Fantastic views. Felt sorry for those on ships that arrived earlier and sailed away before sunset.

Royal has said that since the restart onboard spending has been much higher than pre-COVID. I think part of this is that many passengers are using FCC’s so have paid much of their cruise fare a long time ago. So it may not feel like as much of a splurge to buy a dining package. Royal wants to satisfy customers, so as counterintuitive as it may seem, raising prices helps. Demand for specialty dining has increased and they can’t increase supply. So to make sure people who want specialty dining can get in, they have to reduce demand. The only tools they have for that are to raise prices or make it a terrible experience. Raising prices is the option that actually can increase satisfaction and has the side effect of also increasing revenue.

If you call Air2Sea they may be able to select seats for you even when you can’t through the airline website. This was the case for our trip.

Looking at the cruise planner, since there are so many port days and the second sea day is the last night, it only lists Day 3 as Dress to Impress.

On Odyssey gluten free pizza is available at Sorrento's and gluten free options were also available in cafe 270 as well.

The winds and storms of a hurricane are usually only a significant factor if they are near where your flight takes off or lands. Normal jet stream winds are hurricane force and planes fly in them at cruising altitude all the time. A hurricane along your route would at worse cause a minor delay if they have to fly around some particularly large thunderstorms that are a part of the hurricane. I flew over one once and didn't even notice. The captain did come out to make an announcement to all the passengers before we left to reassure everyone that it was not a problem.

If you want to stay in an ocean view, you can usually switch cabins in the same category to a non-connecting room without having them re-price your cruise. Call and ask.

On our last cruise we had the Key and at the lunch the head waiter showed me where my dinner table was and specifically told me to just go right in and sit down at the table when dinner time came. So I think the dining room staff expects and appreciates it when you just go to your table if you know where it is. This makes the line shorter for anyone who does need assistance finding their table.

I was in much of the same situation as you. We went on cruises almost yearly then stopped for about 15 years before going on one again a few months ago. While there is more that you can spend extra money on, there is also A lot more to do that is included. Things like the flow rider, Rock climbing and other free activities are on ships now that were not 15 years ago. We never ate in any of the specialty restaurants and I thought the main dining room experience was just as good as I remembered from prior cruises. Buffet restaurants now have a lot more variety than they did a decade ago. Don’t feel like you have to spend a lot over the basic cruise fare to have an enjoyable vacation. Just getting back on one of the newer ships now you will be amazed by how much more there is to do. I don’t have time now to write a comprehensive list of what is included and what cost extra these days, but I’m sure an internet search would come up with a summary. Bottom line is things that I remember being included before are still included. Some of the new experiences that they have added cost extra, some have been added for free.

The only problem with getting the same deck chairs they use on the ship is that you will have to go out at 8:15 every morning to put towels and books on them.