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Considering getting the refreshment package for our upcoming cruise and trying to do a current cost comparison to paying as we go.

What are the current pay-as-you-go prices for bottled water, the fresh squeezed oj, a soda, specialty coffee, etc without the package? 

And does anyone know if the protein shakes at Vitality are included in the refreshment package? 

Does anyone know if the "5 Hour Energy Shots" are available either as part of the full drink package and/or for purchase anywere on the ship, including the duty free shops? Will be on Harmony in less than 2 weeks. 

Hi all.

Getting back on a cruise for the first time since Feb, 2020 and will have a special person in my life coming with me for their first cruise. I want to treat us to dinner at one of the specialty restaurants one night and we both love steak. However I'm reading that the filet at Chops is not as good as it used to be. We are on Harmony, so there is no Giovanni's table. Should I stick with Chops like I originally planned or go with 150 Central Park or Jaime's?

Thanks in advance!

Yes, mine are back now. Were not showing earlier.

Same issue here. My check in date for one of them is also tomorrow.

Cozumel can be choppy, depending on how windy it is. Probably the same for Roatan, but since it is much closer to shore, there would be more of a comfort level for you I think. Roatan has guys in kayaks helping people, guiding them through the reef if they wish, and just keeping an eye on people. You can also go with a guide in the water when you get there as well. I planned on going on my own, but when I got there, they told me to jump on a group going out with a guide, even though I hadn't paid for the snorkel add on. The rest of the day I went by myself. There's also two parts to that reef, a shallow part, and then a bit further out, the deeper section, the far edge of which is the deep blue drop off. I think the amount of fish and coral you can see in the shallow section will be very satisfying for you, even if you don't choose to venture further out. Cozumel, I've only snorkeled in one spot on the reef, but the water was much deeper, 25+ ft, and the guide didn't do much guiding, acted more like a lifeguard. This was a tour through Royal Caribbean. I still had fun, as I ventured out ahead of everyone by myself and saw some great things, like Eagle Rays, that the rest of the group didn't see. But I'm a strong swimmer and an experienced snorkeler. I'm planning on doing a three stop snorkel there in a few weeks.

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Roatan or Cozumel. Roatan has the best from shore snorkeling IMO. Walk into the water and the reef is right there. You can snorkel for hours on your own off West Bay Beach. Cozumel has great reefs, but requires a boat trip to get to the best spots. Still very good, but I prefer Roatan. Haven't been to the first two ports, however snorkeling the reef from Belize City port required a lengthy boat trip and it wasn't nearly as good as either Cozumel or Roatan.

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Overheard my balcony neighbors on 7 night cruise to Honduras, Belize and Cozumel out of Galveston: "You know we're just out here circlin'... It don't take no 3 days to get there.. it only takes one day to get back. They're just doing like the taxi drivers do. They gotta use up 7 days, so we just a circlin'."

It was all I could do to not fall on the floor laughing!

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A few weeks ago on Liberty. 😊 I tried to get a lounger, but they wouldn't get one for me, so this was my back up. I took C clamps, but would up not really needing them as clamps.

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Is it possible to do both of these when in port with Royal Caribbean from 7 am to 8:30 PM? I would imagine all aboard would be at 8. Glacier Point has departure times of 7:30 am and 1:30 pm. The latest train departure is 4:30 pm, while the earliest is 8:15 am. Is this doable and which order would be recommended?

Thanks everyone! I'm going with a group, and the flight and cruise are being paid for, so I didn't have much choice on the particular itinerary, but I'm not complaining! :)

I definitely want to do a whale sighting trip and it looks like Juneau is probably the best port for the that. I think I really would like to do the White Pass rail trip as well in Skagway. So, I'm now looking for companies that do combo tours in these two ports. Like glaciers and whale sightings, or the train and glaciers. I think I might go ziplining in Victoria. :D

So far, they aren't offering the Tracy Fjord small boat excursion off the ship. At least I haven't found it online. But I will keep an eye out for it.

Any recommendations on combo tours? Ships or otherwise?

Sailing from Seattle on the Explorer OTS this coming Aug 4th, with cruising days through the Inside Passage and Tracy Arm Fjord. Stops will be in Juneau from 12 pm to 9 pm, Skagway from 7 am to 8:30 pm, and Victoria, BC from 9 am to 6 pm.

I have been reading some on here and researching a bit on TripAdvisor, but frankly, it's a ton of info to sort through!

This is a bucket list trip, so want to make the most of it! I'm mid-30s and active. Sailing with a group, but I have no problem booking excursions by myself if it's something no one else wants to do with me.

So, what are the top, can't miss things, in each of these ports? I'd be interested in whale watching, glaciers, the White Pass railway, kayaking, hiking, maybe helicopter tours, etc. Hard to figure out which place is the best to do some of these and if it's possible to do more than one thing in some of the ports with the amount of time we're docked. I have no qualms about booking non-ship tours.

Can anyone help me narrow it down?:confused:

I'll chime in since I was on the same sailing. I'm a member of the western swing band that was on board playing for our group. This is our 7th year doing a cruise for our fans, 6 have been out of Galveston and one out of New Orleans. All on RC. As far as RC is concerned, the band members are guests along with everyone else, and other than playing, I probably have similar experiences to any other guest.

I agree with all the OP positives. As for the Cruise Director, I normally don't have much interaction with one, as we are obviously bringing our own entertainment and in the past, Cruise Directors tend to just mess with our group's schedule. This one, however, was the second year we've had him on the Liberty during our group cruise. I will say, I've never seen a Cruise Director on the pier before with the hand sanitizer bottle welcoming guests back on board like he was doing in Roatan. Also, he was in the terminal when we disembarked, just doing whatever he could to facilitate things, such as making sure wheelchair assistance folks got a porter, etc.

We were sure glad for his presence there when none of our band gear was unloaded off the ship into the baggage area like it was supposed to be. He was able to help get the process started of searching for the gear on the ship and tracking down the last crew who had moved it. He kept us updated as much as he could while we waited. We were the last ones through customs besides the back-to-backers, but they did find everything about 11:30 am after we had to go through customs and were waiting outside still. So, normally the cruise director position means very little to me, but he was everywhere, doing what he could from what I saw. I was impressed.

The food in the dining room was good to me, but I only cruise once a year. The lamb shank the last night was excellent. There was maybe one night my entree was just so-so, but I didn't ask for something else, so I can't complain.

I do think they don't always understand the kind of entertainment that a ship out of Galveston could benefit from, but they have made some improvements. They were going to end Phil's contract, the schooner bar piano man, and changed their minds evidently. He's probably the most popular of the ship's musicians for the Texans.

My biggest complaint is the pretty massive increase in drink prices over the last two years while at the same time cutting the amount of alcohol in them. After the first couple drinks on board, I chose not to buy anymore as I couldn't taste any alcohol. At $10-$12 for the most basic cocktail, it wasn't worth it. I definitely think RC has cut back too much in this area and it cost them money from me for sure. I let them know in my survey as well that they lost money they would have made.

Overall though, we had a great cruise with near perfect weather and already have two more booked on RC!

I have quite a few friends boarding her today and I myself will be boarding next week. Will be my 6th cruise out of Galveston in Jan/Feb and only one has been affected by the frequent fog. I can't imagine them leaving significantly early unless all passengers are on board. I would think that would cause a major problem refunding cruisers who were left on the dock. We did leave ahead of schedule on my cruise last year, but all passengers, luggage and supplies were on board.

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Thanks y'all. Thinking I will go to Bananarama on my own as opposed to Tabyana thru the cruise line. It looks like they have shuttles in the port area you can hop on?

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I'll be visiting Roatan for the third time in a few weeks. I've been to Maya Key twice and love it for the relaxed quiet beach and great included lunch, but also for the beautiful snorkeling. I will probably have my own snorkel gear for the first time this trip and am considering Maya Key yet again or somewhere on West Bay Beach. I was wondering if anyone has snorkelled in both Maya Key and West Bay Beach and how you think they compare?

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+1 to Bob. Ask your attendant. You can usually get one!

Ah. Thanks guys! I didn't realize that was a request that they could fulfill. Will definitely try it. May still pack a hammock, just in case. :)

I know, first world problems. :) My first couple cruises were in an Outside cabin and then after reading about the aft balcony cabins on here, I've enjoyed the rest of them since in an aft balcony. Have been very spoiled enjoying these!

Unfortunately, I was unable to get one for my upcoming Liberty cruise, so we are booked in a regular side D2. Changing dates is not an option.

A big part of my enjoyment of every cruise is lounging for hours on the balcony and reading. Since I know there won't be loungers on my standard balcony, I'm debating about whether to bring my own lounger or trying a hammock, or not worrying about it and making do with the chairs provided. Any thoughts on how to best enjoy reading on the balcony for hours the way I normally do an aft?

#1 Rule make sure all suitcases and bags are collapsible enough to fit under the beds. No hard sided bags allowed. Common sense, but I've seen it get overlooked.

I'll try to answer these in the same order. New mattress in our room, a GS. I know it's new because it doesn't fit the bed frame. I'm waiting to bang my leg on it, lol. It it very firm but I wouldn't call it hard as a rock.

No voom, which means I won't able to send pics right now. No freestyle machines.

The suite lounge is very nice but about the same amenities as before. They did have a super bowl buffet in an area on 3 for gold cards, very nice and a great place to watch the game. It was where they do karaoke but I can't remember the name of the venue. Pinnacles can go in suite lounge. I don't know if D+ will always be able to go in suite lounge or not. The letter from the concierge was so confusing that even if they didn't intend for them to be there, they wouldn't be able to keep them from going there. Maybe that will change when they get card readers for the door, but the suite lounge is bigger than the diamond lounge so maybe that's why. I'll ask Carlos next time I see him.

Splash away Bay is not open yet although I think it was supposed to be. Perfect storm supposed to open tomorrow. Several areas roped off and there appears to be a good amount of contract workers still onboard.

We ate at Sabor last night and it was excellent. Erika, who opened Sabor on Navigator is there and she is a perfectionist so I was not surprised. I think I answered most questions but let me know if I didn't.

Thanks so much for answering our questions! Can't wait to board in two weeks!

Hey, I'm on board in two weeks. Are the mattresses the same comfy ones they've had, or did they get "upgraded" to the "hard as a concrete slab" ones that have showed up on some other ships?

Going on Liberty to Jamaica/Cayman in a few weeks and was wondering if anyone has done one of the Dolphin Swims through the ship in either of these ports? I've never done a Dolphin swim and I would like to cross that off the bucket list this trip! I've been to all of these ports before and have other plans for Cozumel. There's little to no reviews of these excursion though, so was wondering if anyone here has done one? Was it worth it? :)

It's enough difference to turn the beds against the wall, if you have separate beds. Couldn't do that in an E category. Pic of D category, 9660 on Serenade after we rearranged the beds.

Makes a big difference and more liveable layout IMO.

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I actually work out more on a cruise than I do at home! Many times at home, my schedule is too crazy to work out as consistently as I would like, so on a cruise, I love having time for a 3-5 mile run every morning, in addition to taking the stairs everywhere. I get into more of an exercise routine on vacation than I'm able to at home!

I'm a professional musician (fiddle player/violinist) and have cruised 4 times with my band on Royal Caribbean, playing for our fans for the week (not as a ship's musician). Bringing the instrument on board isn't a problem, just carry it on of course! I have practiced in my cabin in the middle or late afternoon numerous times with no complaints. However, what you might do is go to a violin shop and purchase a mute that fits on the bridge. This will dampen the sound enough, especially on a smaller violin, that it shouldn't carry through the cabin walls. You can also clip a clothes pin onto the bridge for a similar effect. Good luck to your son! I started begging my parents for a violin when I was six, but didn't get one until I was almost 9. Your son is lucky to get an early start and you never know where it might take him if he loves it and continues with it.

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