Royal Caribbean - Spectrum of the Seas

BeniZ8

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Hi everyone,
I just came back from 3N4D sail with 2A 2C and parents. We had the Key for 6 of us and the 2A2C are in JS while parents in balcony. Some personal experiences and tips to share for consideration :))

For those who are interested in Flowrider, most important is to check in early and proceed to FR with your swim stuff in handcarry once it opens at 12pm. We managed to do 4 runs each and most importantly, they opened up the entire flowrider space. After that when the queue gets longer, they split the FR into two lanes. It is much easier to stay on the board and practice the sitting up etc when you have the whole space so you don’t washout so easily. Best decision we made.

In my view, the Key is not really very useful as long as your check in time is early. Our check in was 11am and when we reached, the cruise centre was not that crowded so minimum advantage with the Key priority check in. We had to queue to check in our luggages anyway. If not, you will have to drag them up to the Dining room onboard to deposit the luggage with the Key.

Second, there are about 130 ppl with the Key so the queues for the reserved activities are still very long since all the Key folks will congregate at the same time. The queue for the FR and rock climbing seemed to be just as long as the normal timings. The bumper car queue might be better since it was at 9pm on the 3rd day and we could go twice within the 30mins allocated to the Key.

For disembarkation, the Key folks can leave anytime between 7-9am and most leave at 9am. When we came out of the lift at Deck 5, we were directed to the same queue (not sure if everyone in the queue was with the Key but I don’t think so). I suspect there are ppl who ignored their allocated timing and just left at 9am too. But honestly the queuing wasn’t so bad so we left the ship within 20mins.

Room service was quite nice though. We ordered for suppers and the 3rd day morning. The Key Flowrider activity was at 830am so we decided to order in room service so we can have a leisurely breakfast rather than having to wait at windjammer or MDR. The last day breakfast was nice, and the minute steak was tiny but good.

Junior suite - we took the corner suite so the space was bigger with a long corridor as we entered the room. We took a peek at the suite next to ours and we felt that the interior was also more spacious in the corner JS. When choosing the stateroom you should be able to see the layout and the size. Choose wisely!

Unfortunately because we were with my parents we ended up eating at the MDR or WJ with them rather than Silver dining. We did go there for one breakfast and a supper. Agree that it is not crowded and the OJ is good. Coffee is weak though. Breakfast and lunch at Silver dining are buffet only and the menu for dinner is the same everyday. For those who liked variety, MDR or WJ are still the better bet.

Solarium is nice as it has aircon! The space reserved for suite is wide and clean with big sun beds. But the jacuzzi and dipping pool are shared with the non-suite. Still, it wasn’t crowded and was a quiet respite from the heat and crowds.

There you go, my trip report :)) Thanks to posters here who patiently answered my questions!

This is super useful thank you.
When you mention corner JS are you referring to JS with larger balcony or just normal JS in the mid ship?
 

iaurora

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Means RC will not allow you to disembark, but instead hope you spend some more $$$ onboard the ship. LOL.
My experience with star cruise Penang shore excursion wasn't exactly fun. There were a few excursion options and all were chargeable. Gotta spend on a meal on shore. Bus shuttle back to jetty wasn't frequent. Water was super choppy and we had to take a boat back to ship. Moreover for this excursion, it starts from 4-11pm.
I''ll give it a miss
 

iaurora

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So u know why some of us choose to do tele art the day prior ...
Our cruise starts on Mon. Most clinics with tele work shorter hours on Sun, such as last slot is 4.30pm (RC requires 5.30pm onwards) or 6pm. Quite challenging sia
 

viethai

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Our cruise starts on Mon. Most clinics with tele work shorter hours on Sun, such as last slot is 4.30pm (RC requires 5.30pm onwards) or 6pm. Quite challenging sia
There are some still operating from 530pm onwards on sunday
 
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therat

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Our cruise starts on Mon. Most clinics with tele work shorter hours on Sun, such as last slot is 4.30pm (RC requires 5.30pm onwards) or 6pm. Quite challenging sia
My Mar cruise on Monday.
I took Kingston. They have sun 6pm (last slot).
 

leahchong

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Hi everyone,
I just came back from 3N4D sail with 2A 2C and parents. We had the Key for 6 of us and the 2A2C are in JS while parents in balcony. Some personal experiences and tips to share for consideration :))

For those who are interested in Flowrider, most important is to check in early and proceed to FR with your swim stuff in handcarry once it opens at 12pm. We managed to do 4 runs each and most importantly, they opened up the entire flowrider space. After that when the queue gets longer, they split the FR into two lanes. It is much easier to stay on the board and practice the sitting up etc when you have the whole space so you don’t washout so easily. Best decision we made.

In my view, the Key is not really very useful as long as your check in time is early. Our check in was 11am and when we reached, the cruise centre was not that crowded so minimum advantage with the Key priority check in. We had to queue to check in our luggages anyway. If not, you will have to drag them up to the Dining room onboard to deposit the luggage with the Key.

Second, there are about 130 ppl with the Key so the queues for the reserved activities are still very long since all the Key folks will congregate at the same time. The queue for the FR and rock climbing seemed to be just as long as the normal timings. The bumper car queue might be better since it was at 9pm on the 3rd day and we could go twice within the 30mins allocated to the Key.

For disembarkation, the Key folks can leave anytime between 7-9am and most leave at 9am. When we came out of the lift at Deck 5, we were directed to the same queue (not sure if everyone in the queue was with the Key but I don’t think so). I suspect there are ppl who ignored their allocated timing and just left at 9am too. But honestly the queuing wasn’t so bad so we left the ship within 20mins.

Room service was quite nice though. We ordered for suppers and the 3rd day morning. The Key Flowrider activity was at 830am so we decided to order in room service so we can have a leisurely breakfast rather than having to wait at windjammer or MDR. The last day breakfast was nice, and the minute steak was tiny but good.

Junior suite - we took the corner suite so the space was bigger with a long corridor as we entered the room. We took a peek at the suite next to ours and we felt that the interior was also more spacious in the corner JS. When choosing the stateroom you should be able to see the layout and the size. Choose wisely!

Unfortunately because we were with my parents we ended up eating at the MDR or WJ with them rather than Silver dining. We did go there for one breakfast and a supper. Agree that it is not crowded and the OJ is good. Coffee is weak though. Breakfast and lunch at Silver dining are buffet only and the menu for dinner is the same everyday. For those who liked variety, MDR or WJ are still the better bet.

Solarium is nice as it has aircon! The space reserved for suite is wide and clean with big sun beds. But the jacuzzi and dipping pool are shared with the non-suite. Still, it wasn’t crowded and was a quiet respite from the heat and crowds.

There you go, my trip report :)) Thanks to posters here who patiently answered my questions!
for the solarium part, we were told to put on masks while sun bathing... quite a bummer.. we shifted up to the sun deck shortly after..
 

hostet

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Vvv7777

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Hi, for cruiser that brought kid below 2 years old to SOTS, did you do ART test prior to boarding for the the baby? I’m bringing my 14 months old… Thanks
 

iselore

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For the royalup, i have just submitted my bid. If it is sucessful, they will charge us directly? or will ask me if want to accept first?
 

BeniZ8

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Try before at QOTS, stateroom at true aft, view good but to go for meal / activity super long walk n wifey kept complaining so hahaha
 

chesterchen

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Updates to The Key. Just received this, for early July departure. Still have complimentary room service.

Dear Guest,

We're excited to share that our Welcome Lunch, featuring Chops Grille has been brought back to The Key! We hope you look forward to enjoying your exclusive lunch which will take place in the Main Dining Room between 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM! Additionally, as we previously shared, you'll receive a 25% discount for onboard dining purchases, plus complimentary room service! And, our private debarkation á la carte breakfast is back, replacing the "grab and go" breakfast option. Now, enjoy a more relaxed breakfast experience before heading off the ship.

Here's what you can expect on your upcoming sailing:


  • Early access at the terminal.*
  • Drop off your carry-on luggage in the Main Dining Room on Deck 3 by 2:00 PM - your carry-on luggage will be hand delivered to your stateroom.
  • Exclusive welcome lunch in the Main Dining Room featuring the Chops Grille® menu (open from 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM). We recommend arriving to the terminal no later than 11:30 AM for you to have enough time to enjoy lunch with us!
  • Complimentary room service for your entire cruise, along with 25% off all onboard dining purchases!
  • Private time at some of our onboard activities such as rock climbing, FlowRider, etc.
  • Priority departure from ship-to-shore at tender ports.
  • Early access at shows in the Main Theater on Deck 4, however a reservation is needed so don't forget to book once you're onboard!
  • VOOM Surf & Stream package, now including high speed internet, for one device (1 package per guest).
  • On debarkation day, enjoy a private á la carte breakfast and choice departure.
*Please arrive at the terminal at 11:30 AM. If you are not able to make the early access window, you should arrive within your appointment time and will receive priority access into the terminal.

Lastly, when you arrive to the port for your sailing, please locate The Key signage for priority access into the terminal and make your way onto the ship.

We look forward to welcoming you aboard Spectrum of the Seas in the coming days!

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International
 
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