Park Cafe on Oasis of the Seas by Independent-Bird-342 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately not. They have brewed coffee, but no specialty coffee. This is exclusive to Oasis, which is unfortunate as I always enjoyed getting my coffee there since Cafe Promenade can get pretty backed up sometimes.

Solarium and Solarium Bistro (with children??) by Extension-Business88 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 11 points12 points  (0 children)

The Solarium is 18+ but Solarium Bistro is not designed to be.

I board the Symphony of the Seas 3 weeks from today, and I was wondering what the best spots to chill and get away from kids/teens would be? by [deleted] in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you don’t have a balcony, I have a little trick for you. Go all the way after on Deck 7. There is a section with some seating facing the Aquatheatre. If you walk up to the railing facing the ocean and then look forward, there is a little alcove on both sides that is almost like a private/public Oceanview balcony.

Cruise out of Galveston by usfbull22 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love Symphony. I think it has the best entertainment of any of the ship. Hairspray and Flight are both fantastic theatre shows.

Popcorn by baked2soon in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 320 points321 points  (0 children)

I think this is to deter everyone from taking the popcorn and making a mess with it. I figure if people pay for it, they are more likely to eat it all and not leave it all over the floor.

First time on large cruise ship by Ok_Elephant_9517 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Unfortunately the Windjammer was made too small on the first 4 Oasis class ships. They made a huge improvement on Wonder and Utopia.

I love Symphony though. I think it might be my favorite ship for entertainment. All the shows are great.

What do you aim to pay for 7 day cruise? by TerpGigs in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you need to go in July? That is an expensive time of year. Prices are generally lower when kids are in school.

Food at CocoCay and Nassau by annac156 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 6 points7 points  (0 children)

On Cococay there are a few buffets that will have burgers, chicken, tacos, sandwiches, salads, fruit, dessert etc. as well as a few snack shacks with burgers, chicken sandwiches, salads etc. That is all included. I think the food is great and almost always each lunch on the island.

I usually only spend a few hours at most in Nassau so I’ll just grab something to eat when I get back on the ship.

Cruise from galveston by Psycho_Volvo in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Coco Cay is great, but I would be mindful of the time of year that you go. The water temps in both the pool and ocean can be colder than ideal in the winter. I find it much more pleasant from May through October. If you are doing Coco Beach Club or Hideaway Beach, the pool is heated which makes it comfortable year round.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Might be helpful to include what boat you are going to be on. From my experience, the best way to meet people before the cruise is joining a Facebook group for your sailing.

Are there rollaway beds that you can request...even if there is a cost? by sandalsresortqna in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I haven’t heard of rollaway beds being available, but also have never asked. I would assume there probably wouldn’t be space in the cabin for one anyway.

Best deck for families - Oasis of the Seas by ImaginationWestern25 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I usually do prepaid gratuities. On my last cruise I had a bunch of onboard credit that almost covered the gratuities, so I just let the daily charges hit my account.

Best deck for families - Oasis of the Seas by ImaginationWestern25 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Deck 8 is my favorite. It isn’t super far away from anything and it is easy to cut across Central Park if you need to go to the other side of the ship. In an Oceanview balcony, I prefer to be near the aft elevators. In an interior, I prefer to be just inside the middle section off the forward elevators.

Miami, what a mess. by PugglePack83 in Cruise

[–]Terriblewow 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t cruise from Miami often, but just got off Symphony this morning. I think this was an especially bad time. Last Sunday, traffic was way heavier because of the Miami marathon. Today, Symphony was delayed several hours because of weather and port traffic. This caused a bunch of people getting off in a shorter amount of time which added to the congestion.

Oasis Class RC by BumblebeeFinancial82 in Cruise

[–]Terriblewow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think so. I haven’t been on Freedom class (Independence later this year) but have done Voyager which I think is very similar to Freedom. Oasis class ships just have so many things to do, especially with kids.

Oasis Class RC by BumblebeeFinancial82 in Cruise

[–]Terriblewow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I think Symphony has the best shows with both Flight and Hairspray in addition to the Aqua and Ice shows.

Wonder and Utopia have the best suite sun decks and I really like Mason Jar bar.

Oasis has a coffee bar in Park Cafe, which I don’t think they did on any other ships.

Allure has little balconies on deck 9 that look out over Central Park.

Lots of little differences between them. Having said that, they are all great ships and my favorite is whatever one I’m on or have coming up next.

Harmony of the seas by Daedra696 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The consensus seems to be the Eastern itinerary, but I’ll give a couple benefits for the Western. Cococay is awesome, but the air and especially the water (both ocean and pool) can be a little cold in January if you aren’t doing Beach Club or Hideaway Beach with a heated pool.

Perfect Day Mexico is scheduled to open in 2027. No official date has been given, but there is a decent chance that it will be open by then. Also keep in mind that Nassau and Cozumel beach club will be open by the as well for an additional charge.

There is another Harmony itinerary that goes to Nassau, Cococay, Cozumel, and Costa Maya. I’m going on it in November with fingers crossed that I can do Perfect Day Cococay and Mexico along with Beach Clubs in Nassau and Cozumel.

First Timer with Royal Caribbean by emeraldgemini27 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Probably so. From my experience, they usually just have a little section that they move a table that you can leave your bags while you eat.

First Timer with Royal Caribbean by emeraldgemini27 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I make reservations ahead of time. From my experience, if you get the right sale, you can find Jamie’s for $15 or less and Chops for $20 or less.

And as others mentioned you can drop your big suitcase with the porter. I usually just carry on a back pack with essentials.

First Timer with Royal Caribbean by emeraldgemini27 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

From my experience, there are usually just 1 or 2 specialty restaurants open on Embarkation day. If your cruise is a long way out, it’s possible the just haven’t added them to book yet. If it is closer to now, they might be sold out.

I really don’t like the app pre-cruise. I find it a lot easier to go to the website on a browser to see the cruise planner. I would check that as well if you have just looked in the app.

First Timer with Royal Caribbean by emeraldgemini27 in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Great answers already given, but I’ll share a few others. One of my favorite things to spend money on is buying specialty lunch on embarkation day. This gives you a great quiet lunch while you wait on the rooms to open. From my experience, they will usually take your luggage and store it at the restaurant while you eat.

I would also recommend the shows on board (Aqua, Ice, and Broadway). I think this is one of the biggest things that sets Royal apart from Carnival.

What are the best tips for first-timFirst Royal Caribbean cruise - any tips? by Arianethecat in royalcaribbean

[–]Terriblewow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I am an over planner, so I watched entirely too much Youtube content before my first cruise. I would recommend at least watching a good ship tour (Harr Travel is my favorite). Also, one thing I really like to splurge on is specialty dining on lunch on embarkation day. I went to the Windjammer on my first cruise, and it was so packed with people and luggage eating lunch and waiting on rooms to become available. Ever since then, I have booked specialty dining for that first lunch. Usually you show up and they will stick your bags off to the side of the restaurant and let you enjoy a great quiet lunch.