Mum2Mercury

Yes, but they are not nearly as common as folding umbrellas. Agree -- nothing gross here. Old underwear isn't dirty underwear. With housekeeping being cut, this might become more important.

Multiple thoughts: - Keep watching the price. It may go down (or up -- yikes!). - Ignore the 20% discount; pay attention only to the final price. - Remember that you'll need to add 18% mandatory tip to whatever cost you see, and that adds up to real money. - Since you're looking at B2B cruises, I'd ask if you'd really drink heavily enough to justify the cost for two weeks in a row ... I say this because a lot of people "burn out" on drinking that much after a couple days. You might "win" by opting to buy the drink package for the first week, then paying for individual drinks for the second week.

Agree about arriving early. If you're spending the money and time to go so far, you really should spend some time in Australia! I don't know if I'd want to do a B2B or spend a week (or so) in Australia + a week on the ship. Either way you're a winner. Another good reason to fly in early /acclimate yourself to the local time.

Yes, that's true. Lands End suits -- as much as I like them -- are a little thicker than most suits; I assume that's necessary for the extra support they provide. As a result, they do take longer to dry. I totally agree that putting on a cold, damp suit is no fun, but my answer to this is to bring several suits so I can always have one that's bone dry.

Admittedly, my children are young adults -- a couple years out of college -- so it's been a while since I used the kids' clubs. If I remember correctly, back then they gave us a coaster-thing kinda like restaurants do, and they "beeped us" if the kid wanted to be checked out. I suspect the system has been updated since then, but I'm sure the club has some way to contact parents and say, "Come now." I'd think 8 is too young to check themselves out. Again, if memory serves, parents had to give permission (during club registration) for kids to check themselves out. I think all parents would like the idea of making that decision themselves.

Totally agree, but being near the entrance to the hallway does mean more foot traffic walking past the room. And it means people in the hallway calling out to one another, "Come on!" or "Go back for the backpack!"

Warning: Conflicting information ahead ... When I boarded in Orlando recently I am 110% certain they announced, "Boarding for Suites and The Key is over here ... this does not include Junior Suites". My daughter thought I was wrong, and she called to ask (as her family is in a JS for our upcoming family cruise), and they told her JSes do get priority boarding. This makes me think (like so many other things) the left hand doesn't know what the right hand's doing. Regardless, anyone can get a 10:30 boarding pass and can be onboard within 30 minutes of the suite passengers. I don't see priority boarding as a reason to book a suite.

I have an android, and I've been able to use the "barcode trick". With that attitude, you'll be fine! For what it's worth, we like using guarantees when it's just me and my husband -- we're not too picky about location. We've been very happy with our assignments. We seem to keep being placed on Deck 6 (which isn't a particularly popular deck), and now we prefer it. We also seem to land mid-ship; our theory is that it costs a little more, and people aren't willing to pay. Yes, things happen. I once had to cancel a prime aft balcony cabin a week before the cruise. I've always wondered who ended up with that cabin -- this was pre-Royal Up, so someone got it as a surprise.

Just a random observation: We took our 18 month old grandson to the science museum today. He absolutely loved the fish -- and he was wild about the sea horses. But he cried when he saw the jellyfish.

You really are splitting hairs -- these cabins are super similar, and I feel sure you'll have a great time in either one. Equal measurements: - I'm ignoring mobility since you haven't mentioned that as an issue. For someone else, those few steps could matter. - With either cabin, you're only steps from the Park Cafe and a bar, so you can easily step out for whatever you want and return to your cabin in minutes. - With either cabin you'll have residential cabins above and below you, which is likely to be quiet. Having said that, here are my super-picky thoughts: 8566 pros and cons: - You're quite near two small public rest rooms, which can be convenient, especially if more than two people are sharing the cabin. - Being near the stairs and elevators is both a pro and a con. The convenience is obvious, and the elevator itself will not be loud, and I don't believe you'll hear people gathered at the elevator talking ... but being near the entrance to the hallway does mean more foot traffic passing your door, and people can be loud. - This cabin is across the hall from the back side of a bar, but I really don't think noise will carry across. - This is a starboard cabin, but I doubt that matters to you. It'd be nice to think you'd have a view of the islands when you stop, but I don't think this is something you can predict. 8144 pros and cons: - You're a few more steps down the hallway, so it should be a more quiet cabin /less foot traffic passing by your cabin. - This cabin is across the hall from the back side of a retail store, so that should be dead quiet at night. - This is a port cabin, but again -- do you care about that? My opinion: I think I'd go with 8566, but -- honestly -- it's sooo close.

We were at Coco Cay in December and didn't see any. We spent our time at Chill Island. Rash guards are usually shirts, and I thought people usually suffered jelly fish stings on the feet or legs -- so I don't see how that'd help. Anything we could bring to be prepared?

Cool. Enjoy it.

Eh, but bean counters work for that outside company, their goal being to maximize room revenue for Royal. Exactly ... they want to create a chain in which someone moves from an inside to a balcony, that balcony moves to a Jr. Suite, the Jr. Suite moves to a full suite. Every person at every level pays something ... and Royal wins. Right ... but we, the customers, will never fully grasp the algorithm because every cruise is different in terms of how many people reserve the cheap rooms vs. the suites, and that information is hidden from our view.

I hear what you're saying, but they already offer a good bit of Indian food in both the MDR and Windjammer ... so why would people go to a specialty restaurant for it? Well, it wouldn't have to be that expensive; for example, Independence of the Seas has Fish & Ships, which sells a fish meal for about $7-8. And several ships have the Mexican fast food restaurant without cost.

Sorry, can't relate -- I think I don't gain on a cruise because I walk so much during the course of the day and make sure to hit the gym every day. Wow, what a loss! You deserved some new clothes after that hard work.

Pointing out the obvious: - Someone has to lift the heavy cases of water onto the carts. - Someone has to push those heavy-heavy water carts down the hall. - Who delivers the waters isn't really germane to this discussion. My point: Whether you put your water into a suitcase or have it delivered to your room, someone is doing the heavy lifting on your behalf.

So officially juice boxes would be part of the 12. Sure, we could get juice from the Windjammer -- but I'm investigating the options. You're rambling and justifying. 1. I reserve a cabin. That cost -- whether large or small -- is now done, spent, finished. 2. I decide what drinks to bring /buy onboard. This is a separate item. Just because I spent $$$ on the cruise doesn't mean I don't want to be frugal with drinks. True, but there's the rule and there's what's actually done. Sounds like they're trying to force what actually happens to match the rule.

That place has caught my eye recently -- will you post a review after you return?

We're in the majority in that we LOVE Coco Cay. Specific thoughts: - I strongly suggest you leave the Solarium and get out to the beach. You have the Solarium all week, whereas you only have Coco Cay for a day. - One thing people like about Coco Cay is that it's easy on /easy off. So if part of the family wants to return to the ship, the others can stay ashore. - Yes, I would bring sand toys for the kids. I saw several families who brought them, and the kids seemed to be having a blast. - You didn't ask this, but the ship provides GOOD kid-sized lifejackets -- you'll find them on the pool deck. I assume your grandchildren aren't strong swimmers yet, so I'd suggest their parents get a lifejacket for them onboard /size it for them /keep it all week, which would include taking it out to Coco Cay. - Coco Cay has lifeguards at the larger beaches and a lifeguard on a jet ski who "patrols". They were proactive about safety. - We didn't spend a penny on Coco Cay and were quite happy with our day. - We prefer Chill Island because it's close to a grove full of shady hammocks -- my husband still talks about that nap. You'll find plenty of chairs (no cost). Food and drink is available nearby. - South Beach is the other big beach, and its a little more active with games. - The cabanas are vastly overpriced, in my humble opinion. I'd rather spend that money on an excursion on another island. The cabana price does include upgraded food, but I quite like the food provided at no additional cost. - You want to get up and out early to get a good seat on Coco Cay. The one reason I can see to get a cabana is that it'd be reserved for you, so you could come in at 10:00 or 11:00 and still have a good seat. Well, relatively good seat -- the cabanas at Chill Island are set over to the side /not right in front of the water. - We had "front row" seats and were a little nervous about whether people would take our stuff when we went for lunch -- no one did. - The island has a towel check-out /exchange station. - The island includes a large pirate ship playground for the kids -- looked really fun! - The island includes a large pool, which had a loud, party atmosphere. No cost, but it wasn't our kind of place. - Someone mentioned souvenirs -- not something my family does, but you'll find a bunch of little kiosks run by locals near Chill Island.

Nonsensical argument. What I paid for the cruise ticket has nothing to do with what /whether I pay for expensive drinks onboard. Each is a separate transaction, a separate choice. Clarification: Doesn't have to be soda (though it usually is) ... can be any non-alcoholic beverage: Bottled water, Snapple, etc. A question just sprang to mind: We'll be cruising with a toddler soon ... are we allowed to bring juice boxes for him? Most of you know that when a toddler wants a drink, he wants it NOW, so it'd be handy to have them in the room. Does this count against the 12-drink allowance, or is this like babies whose formula "doesn't count" towards the stateroom's drinks? Agree... when we took a 3-day in December, we commented to one another that it really wasn't fair we were allowed to bring the same amount of wine that we brought for our 8-day. Assuming you drove and had a car out in the parking deck, you could do this ... but I wouldn't: - Realistically, you're waiting in line a while to enter, and if you didn't think of your left-behind item in all that time, you probably don't need it too badly. - Leaving the ship, waiting in line again, and boarding a second time would eat up the better part of an hour. Though it would totally work, I personally wouldn't do that to bring another bottle of wine on board. The effort-to-reward ratio just doesn't seem to be in the passenger's favor.

Yes to Lands End. Things I like: - They sell separates, which (although expensive) allows me to buy a larger top and smaller bottom. - Their separates work well to mix-and-match; for example, if you buy a print top, you could choose the matching print bottom or a matching solid. You could choose a standard bottom, a skirt or boy shorts. - They sell D cup swimsuits. - Their things really last. I have Lands End swimsuits that're over a decade old. - I also really like their tee-dress type cover ups.

I've been on Explorer recently, and I don't remember seeing this option.

Good for you! I have two cruises reserved right now, and their prices are going up-up-up.

I agree no one needs to bring water onboard, as the ship's water is perfectly good. BUT I don't accept this argument. Just because I've spent X amount on the cruise doesn't meant I should spend Y amount on water. Unrelated items.

But the point is that SOMEONE is delivering these heavy cases to the rooms -- so what's the difference? Who's talking about B2Bs? Irrelevant.