Royal Caribbean experiences?

[Amateur_Barbarian]

@Mr_Quatro

There are no side excursions to Niihau as it is a private island 17 miles from Kauai also referred to as the “Forbidden Island” due to no one was allowed during the 1950’s without being quarantined for two weeks first.

At the time, there was a half-day boat trip to the southernmost beaches. It was about $200 a head. The excursion had to be booked in advance and I can’t remember why I failed to do so.

[Onomatopoeia]

@FoundWaldo

I’ll go one further and say, if you can afford it, get a suite. We’ve always found it possible to get a suite for substantially less than the list price by booking (or sometimes upgrading) closer to the day of departure. Besides the extra space, which is really nice, you also typically get much better service, including the ability to skip lines, a dedicated concierge, etc. At this point I’m so sold on it, I’d probably just pay the list price if it were a choice between that and having a regular stateroom (though thankfully it has never come to that).

Yep, we booked a Grand suite for our very first RC cruise and have had either a Grand suite, Royal suite, or Owner’s suite on every cruise since. On the Oasis of the Seas, we had a Skyloft suite, which was amazing.

@FoundWaldo

We’ve gone on a lot of cruises, and Norwegian is actually our favorite. We greatly prefer the dining situation, where you can eat wherever you want whenever you want (you do end up spending extra money on the upgrade restaurants, but I think it’s worth it). But honestly, we’ve had fun on every cruise we’ve gone on, regardless of cruise line. Our friends give us a hard time about it, tell us things like we shouldn’t be going on cruises until we’re retired, and so on, but they’re the ones who are missing out

I don’t particularly care for NCL. They’ve filled their ships with restaurants and other eateries at the expense of activity space.

[Onomatopoeia]

@sevenwood

A few (maybe five) years ago, my wife and I spent a week cruising around the Hawaiian islands on the NCL “Pride of Aloha”. On that cruise we basically got on the boat just before dinner, had a nice dinner on the boat, went to bed - and woke up the next morning in another port on another island. We’d grab a bite at the boat’s buffet, then leave the boat for the day to visit the island, returning just before dinner. Rinse and repeat. It almost didn’t matter which cruise line we were on.

(Sometimes the boat would leave the dock while we were having dinner, sometimes it would leave later in the evening. Sometimes we’d wake up early and watch our boat dock at the next harbor.)

@Amateur_Barbarian

One of the best cruises on Earth, IMHO, especially if you want a look at all of the islands without multiple visits or paying for island-hopping. As you say, just wake up in a new and interesting port every day.

My wife and I took this cruise too, although the name of the ship had been changed to Pride of America by the time we cruised in September 2011.

We sailed from Oahu (Honolulu) to Maui (Kahului) for 2 days, to the Hilo side of the big island for 1 day, then to the Kona side for 1 day, then to Kauai (Nawiliwili) for 2 days, then back to Oahu. It was great, and waking up in a new port almost every day was amazing. Best way to see the islands.

[FoundWaldo]

@Onomatopoeia

I don’t particularly care for NCL. They’ve filled their ships with restaurants and other eateries at the expense of activity space.

Yeah, it definitely depends on what you want to do. When we go on a cruise, we primarily like to kick back, relax, read, eat, and sit by the pool (btw, the suites also come with a separate pool and spa area). We rarely do any of the activities on board anyway, so it’s not a big loss for us.

[Digital_is_the_new_Analog]

@Chessic_Sense

Only pay for shore excursions for transport and to save time. If you get dropped off right where the sights are, or you have all day to spend, save the cash. Tips, however, are not optional. The employees get NOTHING BUT tips. If you fail to tip your waiter or cabin attendant, you’re literally stiffing them their paycheck. It’s not a tip; it’s their wage. So pay it.

That said, count on about $24 per person per day in tips. If you’re a vacation-drunk like I am, tip a bartender a buck every time and they’ll get you smashed in two glasses. It’s cheaper in the end, and it’s some karma toward the little guy (vice the cruise line).

On Allure of the Seas, at least, there were different tiers of restaurants. The dining room was “free” - included in your fare. But the other places could cost money.

Alcoholic drinks cost extra too.
On top of that, you might want to buy souvineers, either on or off the ship.