mikelan6

Castaway Cay weather is very similar to South Florida weather as it's quite close.  We were at the island last year in late February and the weather was delightful.  Sunny and warm to wear shorts and t-shirts.  I did not get into the water as it was probably cold, but others in my party did go into the water at the adult beach.

Has anyone done a back to back sailing out of Southampton England? Can you please let me know the process of checking out and checking in. At the moment, we will be in the same cabin for both sailings. Also, will we be able to get off the ship during the time in Southampton?

Thanks!

We did an excursion to Ronda. It was amazing.

Can someone please explain the tipping procedure on the Diamond Voucher drinks?  Is 18% gratuity automatically charged?  What about for sodas and water?

When we returned on Symphony to Port Miami, passports were not necessary.  You now line up in front of some iPad looking devices, you line up so the machine can recognize your face and as soon as you get a green light, you're good to go.

I was able to get an onboard credit using the "Royal Caribbean Best Price Guarantee Program."  Will this credit be able to be used to pay for the onboard gratuities, or do they need to be used for tours, drinks, etc?

Great trip report! Thanks for all the information.

Are you able to see the Chet's Table Menu restaurant prior to entering? It seems like there's only one choice per menu. My boyfriend doesn't like seafood, so we may have an issue with this.

I'd like to know if you encountered rough seas on the Bay of Biscay.

If you will be leaving the UK within 2 days, you do not need to take the test, but you must still purchase it.

"f you will be in England for less than 2 days you still need to book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test. You only need to take the test if you are still in England on day 2."

Here is the link ... https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england

If you have experienced rough seas around early January, specifically sailing from Barcelona to the UK, can you please post your recommendations?  How long did the rough seas last? 

Thanks for any info you can provide.

I use GoogleFi as my home cell phone service. It works in over 120 countries around the world.  I used it in Jamaica, Mexico and Grand Cayman on my recent cruise.  I've also used it in China, Japan, etc. It's $20 per month for unlimited calls and texts.  Data is $10.00 per gigabyte, which is prorated - so if I only use half a gigabyte, I only pay $5.00.  Here's a link if you want to see if you can get it ... https://g.co/fi/r/6T763H

My boyfriend and I will be on this sailing. Very much looking forward to it.

I have a feeling the show I saw was oversold, thus adding the terrible chairs in the back behind the dining tables. The whole thing was a let down for me.  Starting with being herded in like cattle into the theater, then being told to just grab a drink for yourself. The wooden chairs were not comfortable and then the show was not to my liking.

We saw Viaggio on the December 29th sailing. We were given awful $18 seats on wooden chairs in the back. No one in my group enjoyed the show. 

Great review so far ... thank you.

Can you please mention if tissues provided in the stateroom? I've read about issues with the tissues. 😉

I apologize for asking again, but can you please tell me if any of the MDRs have a table that seats ten?  If you could get me a map of the MDR, it would be awesome.  Thanks.

1 hour ago, smile145 said:

Hi do you know which dining room of the 3 you are interested in?  It’s very hard to find anyone to answer questions during the day but I could take photos.

Any of the dining rooms that you can get information on would be fine. Thank you.

Can you please let me know if in the regular dining rooms there are tables for 10 or more? If you can get me a plan of the dining room tables (the maitre-d would have one) I would greatly appreciate it.  Thanks.

We are on the same sailing @jacobichka

I have a group of 18 and decided to request  three tables of six.

It is quite frustrating.  I also sent them an e-mail a few weeks back with no response at all.

I called MSC. The agent said that my booking already had another promotion applied, so we were not getting the drinks package.

My Northern European sailing on the Magnifica had this too, but I think it's a glitch in their system.

Does anyone have any information about the "Discover the Work Behind the Magic" tour? What is the cost? Duration? Details? How does it compare to other behind the scenes tours like on Princess or Royal Caribbean.

I believe you may cancel up to 48 hours before the excursion.

I have friends sailing on the Regal PrincessApril 15th - 21 day cruise from Ft Lauderdale to St Petersburg Russia (They booked a few months ago). When I look to book this sailing, it shows Sold Out. However, the same ship departing from FLL is available on the 17 day ending in Germany AND the 25 day ending in Copenhagen it’s the same sailing! Does anyone have any idea why they are not allowing disembarkation in St Petersburg?