TheInnocentAge

If you're a fan of big balconies, my choice would be the AquaTheater Suite, but only if it's one of the lower decks (preferably deck 8). That's because those ATS cabins and balconies get a bit smaller as you go up higher, with deck 8 being the largest (800+ sq. ft. of cabin, plus almost another 800 of balcony). Great views of the shows, and with the horseshoe shaped balcony there is also a private side that faces the ocean. Plus the ones on Deck 8 are Star Class, so you get the unlimited specialty dining, deluxe drink package, Genie, and all the other Star perks. The rest of the ATS (decks 9 and above) are Sky Class I believe. One downside to the ATS would be that its a longer walk to the Coastal Kitchen, which was one of the great things about being in a Crown Loft and just steps away from CK. Having stayed in all three cabin types you mentioned, I would choose the ATS #1 if you can get deck 8. If not, then I would go with the Crown Loft. For me the Owners Suite would be #3.

Related question... I'm familiar with the D+ perk of a free bag of laundry on a 7-night cruise, and the discount for a 2nd bag. We have a 15-night cruise coming up, so just wondering if they typically offer a 2nd free bag on longer cruises such as this.

We have a 15-night cruise next month with three stops in Ireland, but not Dublin this time. It also has stops in Iceland, Scotland and England.

He was our bartender too. He was happy to see us!

That's for sure. One day I was carrying two pina coladas (one for each hand) back to my lounge chair and the wind blew the extra rum floaters right off the top 🙂.

Congrats in advance! Not sure if this will help or what cabin type you have, but I made similar plans a few years back when I was ready to ask my girlfriend to marry me. We were in an AquaTheater suite on Symphony, another Oasis class ship. Part of our cruise routine has always been to have one slow dance per night on our balcony. Anyway, with that huge balcony (almost 800 sq ft) and its close proximity to the music that is often played toward the back of the ship, I arranged for the song 'Perfect Symphony' to be played at a certain time when I knew we'd be back from dinner one night (it's a variation of Ed Sheeran's song 'Perfect', but with both Ed and Andrea Bocelli in a beautiful duet, which they renamed 'Perfect Symphony'). If you have a special song, even played from your phone and even if you don't have a big balcony, a nice slow dance ending with you on one knee just might do the trick. We've been married a little over four years now.

Haa... The hamster powering their website (Rodent of the Seas) fell off the wheel...

Back to your original question, we have three upcoming cruises (May '24 - April '25) that we had booked early on when the deals were there, so we were OK with what we were paying for those. Then as you mentioned, everything seemed really expensive for a while. So when the 2026 dates for the Wonder first became available a few weeks ago, I was surprised at how reasonable the prices were. Those deals lasted just a few days, but we were fortunate enough to book on the first day and were able to get a Star Class suite and all of the perks (ultimate dining, deluxe drink packages, Royal Genie, etc.) for less than $400 per person per night (four people in the cabin). So for now we're good with those bookings, and not looking elsewhere yet.

I remember when the Skyway was hit, I was still in my teens. 35 people died when their vehicles (including a bus) went over into the water 100+ feet below. One person actually survived the fall. This pic shows the first car that DIDN'T go over. Quite a close call.

Hopefully that is the case, but this is copied and pasted from the FAQ page on their website. Fuel surcharge is referenced in the last paragraph. Note: In January 2024, The Bahamas government significantly increased the per-passenger tax rate for all cruise passengers visiting their islands. As a result, the taxes, fees and port expenses for all itineraries visiting Grand Bahamas Island increased to $109.95 for cruise-only itineraries and $100.00 for GBI Cruise and Stay vacation packages. Parking at the Port is valet only and operated by the Port of Palm Beach. Effective July 1, 2023, valet parking at the Port of Palm Beach is $19 per day, including day of arrival and departure ($57 total for 2-night cruises and $76 total for 3-night cruises). Any onboard expenses not pre-paid, like shore excursions, bar beverages, soft drinks, specialty dining, casino, phone calls, kids club fees, photographs, and any items you may choose to purchase not specifically stated are not included in your cruising price. Gratuities* of $18.00 per person, per night for Interior and Ocean View staterooms and $22.00 per person, per night for Suites, and Fuel Supplement of $15.00 per person, per night are also additional and automatically added to your stateroom account during your voyage.

If you're asking about my earlier posts, it's the Wonder of the Seas, four nights, January of 2026.

Yep, granted it's only four nights, but considering the value of four deluxe drink packages, specialty dining every night for four, free WiFi, the Genie experience plus the other Star perks, a 2BR aqua theater suite... I thought it was a good deal to get that for less than $400 per person per night.

I did a mock booking today to see if the price had dropped on a cruise that we had booked about two weeks ago (2026 dates on Wonder). We paid a little over $6K total for four people in a Star Class cabin, and the mock booking today shows the price at over $8900. I guess I just got lucky with the timing on that one, as the price went up substantially after the first two days of it being offered.

I've been watching the deluxe package price for my upcoming cruise (mid-May), and though the 'sales' keep changing from one name to another (30% off, then buy one get one half off, then back to 30%, etc.), the bottom line price has stayed the same at $62.99. Not bad compared to some other prices that have been posted lately, so we'll see.

Here's the link that was provided earlier in the thread... https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/royal-caribbean-crew-member-accused-of-installing-hidden-cameras-inside-guest-bathrooms/3249415/