Welcome to Royal Shenanigans! We're the Royal Family - Cole, Panna, Reena, and Raj. We started this channel to share our adventures, big and small, with our family and friends because it's been a struggle to stay connected through the pandemic and some other tough stuff that's happened to our family over the past couple of years.
We love to cruise and travel and have been working our way through the family bucket list. Our son is on the spectrum so adventures with our Aspie usually need extra planning, a lot of flexibility, and a great sense of humor (with the occasional meltdown because we're all human...) when things don't go according to plan . :-)
One of my favourite vlogs ever. So chill and relaxed and everything in Aruba looked so amazing! Anything you visit anywhere I immediately add it to my list 😍 Like and support from Bangalore
We were there two weeks ago. Played slots every day. The machines were like vacuum cleaners but we will be back first week of September. Entertainment was great, the ship staff couldn’t do enough to make us happy. We love Royal. 4 more cruises this year
I am very appreciative of this posting. It helps me decide if I would want to see it, and I don't. For my taste, too much color stuff (the white was cool), and too much group skating and the music a bit too hokey. Awesome performance from 11:04 - 13:50, but why the funky colors and dark lighting, and a T-shirt/outfits that look like tie-dyes made at summer camp? Now if I were a performer, I'd be hurt by reading this. So let it be said these are very talented skaters who devote themselves to something they (hopefully) enjoy and don't make a ton of money for, so I wish each of them the best. My family loves ice hockey but a game in this arena might be a bit dangerous LOL. The skating prowess of these athletes is first rate and all respect is given. I just wish the show and color choices/aesthetics were different.
Hi! On this particular zip line, it was about a 5-10 minute ride up the mountain, and we did not leave the secured area. I will note, where we were dropped off, we did see a boundary gate with police-enforced security guards. Hope this helps!
I found your suggestions to be very helpful. I am going on a cruise to Alaska in August. It's my first cruise. I purchased the same Sperry Duck Boots that you showed in your video in case it rains all week. Thanks for sharing
On the Icon, Adventure Ocean is located deck 6 aft, right before the doors to exit to the Surfside Neighborhood. Once you’re there, the 8-year olds would register and be in the Hangout space at the back of that area (- 2:26 min into the video shows that area). Hope that helps!
That’s a really great and also a really hard question! We love the Quantum class ships because we think they offer a nice mix of included activities, foods, entertainment, etc. The Oasis class, as well, but the newer Oasis class ships tend to be really expensive. The oldest ships (Grandeur, Vision) offer great fares but have the fewest options for food venues and activities. The Voyager and Freedom class ships especially those that have been amplified (Navigator, Mariner, Independence, etc) probably offer the best value in terms of cost for activities, food options, etc. We LOVED the Icon but, as our son says, it’s a lot of bang but it cost a whole lotta bucks. 🤣 Our very first cruise was on the Anthem and we loved it. Our second was the Mariner and that was a wonderful experience even though it was a smaller ship. It may also depend on what is important to you - pools, slides, activities, live music, food options beyond the buffet and dining room, shows, etc. There hasn’t been a single Royal Caribbean cruise that we haven’t enjoyed. We try to book as early as possible for three prices and we also check during sales for lower prices and call them to reprice our cruises if we find there is a lower price to help save money (up until final payment date). If there’s something more specific you would like to know, please ask! 😊
Hi - we did see a couple of passengers with infants that ITA provided bassinets for during our flight. As we understand it, you can reserve a bassinet at the time of booking your flight under special requests for long haul flights or call their customer service to have them add the request for you if your booking has already been made. Hope that helps and safe travels!
Thanks for the update! We just stayed there in March of this year and again on 5/25/2024 and they were still offering the cruise port shuttle during both of those stays.
We really miss that about Adventure Ocean - the facilitated interactions. It was really wonderful for our son and helped him with socialization. Now he pretty much just hangs out with us and it makes us sad that he really struggles to relate to and talk with kids his own age. We hope your daughter has a great experience! Talk to the staff onboard. They will make exceptions to move kids up or down depending on the situation. They were strict about the 6 month swing for exceptions when we were on in January. Hopefully they can be more flexible now that Icon has been operating for a few months.
Hi! The perks with a junior suite (Sea class) aren’t nearly as great as Sky or Star class. We were able to make nightly dinner reservations at Coastal Kitchen, we got the Salt & Breeze bath products in the cabin, bathrobes in the cabin, twice a day cabin servicing, and double points.
Im a teen going next week on the Icon Of The Seas. I have two questions 1 is there a way to get a schedule of the teen club events in the lounge like for example a orientation? 2 Can i just go staight to the teen club after checking in and boarding the ship?
Hi! On the Icon they didn’t have a printed schedule of events available like they have on other Royal ships. They told us what was happening and had a board where they wrote down the different daily group activities and times. You can go to the teen club after boarding the ship, but it is only open for sign ups during the open house. They’ll check you in, mark your seapass card and let you explore the club area. You can play with the games or chill out, but they close when the open house ends. They don’t officially open until 8pm that first night. They’ll explain the rules and then you can come and go after that. I hope you have fun. The Icon is my second favorite ship and it has the best elevators. Sincerely, Raj
@@royalshenanigansusa From what I've read elsewhere, the teen group meets up in Social 020 at specific times and then heads out as a group from there. Was that your experience? Could you please provide some examples of the organized activities they offered for the teens?
Yes. On the first night, they have the teens meet in the club at 8pm for a meet and greet and to go over the rules and explain how it runs. They do have meet up times for group activities like soccer, basketball, and activities like karaoke, different kinds of trivia and games like Name that Tune or Celebrity Heads and scavenger hunts during the week, but you don't have to do the group activities. They'll tell you where to meet for the group activities, like the Sports Court for soccer or basketball or Social 020 for karaoke or games. You can also go in there on your own or with your own friends when it's open to read, play video games, foosball, or just hang out. I tried the group soccer but I'm not very good and didn't feel like I fit in with the other kids so I didn't do any of the other group activities, but the teen club was nice and I did go in there by myself to play video games and the digital game tables. Sincerely, Raj
Thanks for this vid! How much time did it take from getting off the ship to getting to your gate in LAX? Have a cruise in September on Nav of the Seas but wondering if I should book the noon flight. Thanks in advance!
Thank you! It was about a 30-min drive on a Monday morning. There was one little traffic jam that our driver seemed concerned about, but it cleared up pretty quickly. You would probably want to plan for a 30-60 min drive to LAX, just in case. Arrived at the airport by 11am for our 1:45pm flight. We had the Key for the Navigator sailing and were really lazy getting off the ship (~ 9:30am) because we took our time at the Key breakfast and were one of the last ones getting off the ship. It was 10-15 min to go through the terminal to collect our luggage and go through passport/customs and probably another 20 waiting for our Lyft to the airport. Our car/driver changed about 5 times in the span of 20 min, though they did have shared shuttles offering rides and taxis at port that we could have taken advantage of if timing was getting tight. We have TSA pre-check. It was about 11:45am before we found our gate from the time we were dropped off. Don't specifically recall how much time we spent for bag drop-off or going through security, but that whole process at the airport was about 45 min. If you're trying to book a noon flight, you could probably do it. We'd just recommend requesting one of the earlier departure times from the ship or doing the self-assist walk off before 8am if you don't have too much luggage. Hope that helps! 😊
How did he do? My 13 yo is on the spectrum. She masks really well but she self isolates and struggles with starting and keeping conversation going. We are going on our 1st cruise in November and I really want her to have a good time with other kids.
Hi! Our son is much the same way - masks well, but really struggles with starting conversations and keeping them going. We try to practice at home, but when he's in a social situation with other kids his anxiety is so high, he just can't focus.😕 He didn't go back after the 3rd try because most of the kids had already formed groups so he would just play video games by himself. The teen club staff on Icon were very nice, but weren't really involved in the group activities and really expected the teens to manage their interactions. On some of the smaller ships (with fewer bells and whistles), we've noticed there's a bit more involvement and interaction from teen club staff and they tend to help more with the social interactions. We think the kids on each ship and sailing also make a difference. On Mariner, Grandeur, and Anthem, there were kids that noticed him hanging back and approached him, Raj blurted out that he has autism, and they just rolled with it and continued to try and engage with him throughout the week. On other ships, he was either ignored or made fun of by other kids because he was different. We loved Adventure Ocean (AO) because they helped facilitate interactions and he made a couple of connections on our earlier sailings. He unfortunately aged out and they will no longer make exceptions (they'll only move kids up or down within 6-12 months of the age limits for the groups) so he spends most of his time with us or reading by himself these days, which he's perfectly content with, but we worry for him. If your daughter is only 13, you may want to speak to staff in both AO and the teen club about your concerns. She can try teen club and if it's not the right fit, they may make an exception for her to move to the older kids group in AO. Hope that helps and if you have any other questions, let us know. He had a great time on the Icon and we hope you all do, too! 😊
Hi! Yes, we did get off the bus a couple of times during the excursion. First when you arrive at Oia (you’ll exit in a parking lot and walk all the way up to where the views are for your selfies) and then when they return you to Fira you’ll exit the bus and do a little walking tour to the church before the tour officially ends and you have free time to explore. Just be sure to give yourself enough time to wait in line to get back down by cable car. Took us almost 3 hours between standing in line, the ride down, and waiting for the tender back to the ship. If you’re in port later at night, they also set off fireworks over Oia when we were there, which was beautiful to watch from the ship. We hope you have an amazing time!
We usually stay at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Elizabeth, NJ. They offer a free shuttle to and from Newark airport and a paid shuttle to the cruise port. We like the location because there’s a mall across the street, plenty of food options, breakfast in the morning, and it’s usually just a 15 min drive to port. Did a quick tour video available here: Cape Liberty Pre-Cruise Hotel WITH Shuttle Option to Cruise Port! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nbt2pvXVewE.html
We missed looking out at the ocean from CK and suite lounge on the Icon. Love that about Oasis and Quantum class. It was interesting to people watch in the aquadome and watch them rehearse for the aqua show, though!
Thanks for watching! They can set up the sofa bed in a trundle configuration. Instead of a full-size bed as pictured, it would essentially be two twins (they wouldn't raise the trundle off the floor to have it match the height of the sofa).
If you enter the casino from the Music Hall side, that side of the casino is designated non-smoking (and you'll see signs posted), but it's one big room and the smoke and odor are everywhere.
We were just on the Anthem a couple weeks ago and they did install some new machines since we were last on in September. We have an updated casino tour we'll hopefully be posting soon. No Huff 'n Puff or Lock It Link games. They did add a couple Dragon Link machines.
This ship not for us. The lounge was very dark- no light . Not used by many . We enjoy the suite lounge on Oasis class it is light and bring. Not this ship. Concierges were greatas were the waiters and bar staff. We enjoyed breakfast only in costal kitchen. Suite sun deck was great.
We really enjoyed the suite sundeck on Icon - it never felt crowded and loved having food options, pool and hot tub right there. The concierges and all the crew in the suite neighborhood were wonderful! 😊
We had a surfside family suite also and were very disappointed. The storage is horrible- not good closet. The 1/2 bathroom toilet side 11705 was terrible- toilet paper holder too far back. Not comfortable legroom. No space for a towel- kept falling off of hooks- no storage Tiny sink. The 1/2 room for children is tiny. If your guest is tall, forget it. The space between the foot of the bed and balcony is tiny. Never again. Not a true suite.
It was a good concept, just not very well executed in our opinion. The Surfside "suite" is smaller than a junior suite that doesn't have any Sky class perks, but we would have rather had the cabin space and ocean-facing balcony. We're sorry you had a similar experience. 😕
Call TSA Cares and report the TSA at Boston! I have low vision and reqques the Wheelchair Assitance or Cart Assistance. You need to report the agent as an ADA complaint with the Department of Transportation.
Hi! Our time in Oia where the blue domed buildings are was very short. We had a lot of time in Fira after the tour ended to walk around and explore. There were many shops and restaurants to sit and relax in Fira and look out over the caldera. There was a different tour they offered which included a wine tasting if you’re interested in an organized tour that includes wine. Enjoy your trip - it’s a beautiful island!
Hi! Thanks for watching. Everything in the suite neighborhood, including all daybeds, was first come first served. The only exception we saw was a couple of days later when one of the beds had a star class “reserved” sign on it, but there were others that were still open and available for use. We loved how spacious the area felt. Never really felt crowded while we were on.
@@royalshenanigansusa thank you so much !! yes i was nervous because before boarding it looked like a lot of suite class passengers so i was afraid the lounge would be crowded but once you did the tour i realized in the suite neighborhood the grove there’s tons of space and seats for everyone !!
