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I have used Cruiseline.com (aka Shipmate) but never once in a 18 months monitoring 6 sailings was it ever remotely accurate. I check what I paid against current prices on Royal Caribbean's site. Since I book through Royal it's the only price that is relevant to me.

I signed up for the shipmates app but find I see it days before they notify me. I check the Royal site daily.

Also parents responsibility to teach them right from wrong, have respect not only for others but also themselves and to understand how they behave reflects on you as a parent. I would hate to have children growing up now, this generation are set examples on how to behave by idiots on reality tv and the Internet

I agree with you @SpeedNoodles. I've tried other sites before and have found, even if they have been accurate, the info always lags the RC site.

I also use the RC site as @sk8erguy1978 said. What better place than the source. Also, as in my case, if you have a good TA, they will notify you about price reductions and do the work for you before you know there is a price reduction.

Yes. Immediately

At 15 i would have made my daughter sunbathe in nothing less than a sleeping bag ???

Which are you? hehe

@fgarvin see this thread: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/10443-fare-reduction-for-phantom-cabin/&tab=comments#comment-98112

Nope. If a cabin is sold out the the other cabin categories around it drop, more than likely, yours dropped too. I have gotten many price adjustments over the years this way. You just have to track it.

Nope! This is where your TA will be able to work their voodoo magic! They have ways.............

That's what another generation said about that disgusting Rock & Roll music. How can kids listen to that stuff?

+1

No, once it's in your CP, it is out of BOFA's hands. Like @WAAAYTOOO mentioned, it will go back on IMMEDIATELY, as in during that current logged in session.

Have just had some good news... We are booked to travel with another family on a 12 night Southern Caribbean sailing on Anthem in December 2021. For a long time the family in question were (just like me when I didn't know better - shame on me! ?) refusing to consider a cruise, saying it's just not for them. Anyway, fast forward to just before the COVID-19 bomb dropped and they finally relented and agreed to join us. Not only are they now excited about going on their very first cruise despite all that is currently going on but, with the help of Michelle at MEI, they have just bagged a $1,400 reduction on their fare by re-pricing in this weekend's sale. ? I am taking it as a good omen! ?

I periodically check Royal Caribbean's site and price compare against my spreadsheet with current price and possible upgrade options. In addition to that, I've used the Cruise Shipmate app, I'd sign up for price alerts for the cruise I want to monitor then uninstall the app (I hate clutter / apps sitting on phone I don't use), they send emails so no need to keep the app.

Yes. I recognise that this situation has been thrust upon them too and from all of the interactions I have had with them over the past couple of months (and there have been a fair few!) I do genuinely believe they are working hard to adapt to the regular changes to the process rules and smooth out the wrinkles that it is creating for guests, often seemingly with not a great deal more info to go on than we have, which is why I make a conscious effort to cut them slack even if I am fighting the urge to scream on the inside.

Oasis class Junior suites only have one bathroom. I am not a fan of Quamtum class ships, as many of you know, but one good thing about them is that the JS on them have the split bath which no other JS (in the fleet) do.

Bit embarrassing if after a few to many ???? someone gets the bottoms and the mask mixed up ???

Ask 10 people on this message board and 11 will give you the name of their MEI agent (Kathy here), there is a reason we all cherish their service, quick responses to simple email inquires is one of many. I'm not sure how FCC work with agents, whether they have control or you, however if there was a cruise / room that I wanted, I wouldn't wait for a FCC, I'd put down the cash and apply the FCC after. Not sure which agent(s) you're talking about on YouTube but Danny from Harr Travel does some awesome walk-through's / tours of ships, rooms, CocoCay, etc... However, I'm sticking with my MEI agent.

A few words on the subject of arranging a cruise and using a TA to do that. First, once you go down that road, you're stuck with the agency and agent you chose to do that. I don't need to tell posters here that the cruise lines won't talk with you about changing a reservation if you booked with a TA. Reputation is everything in the TA and agency world. This blog is a great place to learn who has earned their chops. I can't speak for MEI but I can for several others that I've used. I tend to go with whatever consolidator - and make no mistake TAs work for agencies that are just that - is offering the best cabin price and perks for the itinerary I'm considering. The differences in these two things can be mind boggling between agencies. In my experience, the bigger and more successful an agency is in selling out the cabins cruise lines have given them, the deeper the discount the lines will provide next time, the more leeway that agency has in pricing and perks they offer customers. There's obviously a relationship between top sales for an agency and the agents selling. Good agents sell cabins. You can get quotes from various agencies/TAs working for them and compare prices and perks - these are perks the agency is offering for you to book with them, not the cruise line's perks. Then go from there. For me, pricing is more important than service and that may not be the case for everyone. Accordingly, I tend to be a bit more patient with TAs although the ones I use now (Delta SkyMiles Cruises, Costco Travel and Cruises-n-More) I have relationships with TAs that work for these agencies ..... all of them recognize that I price shop and are not at all discouraged when I say a found a better deal. They'll say, I can't beat that or, if they can, they will tell me. I always get call backs or an email within 72h at the longest from all of them. Times right now are, to say the least, taxing. I'm juggling 5 cruises over the next 12 months and with different TAs/Agencies. And I'm only one guy with 5 cruises. Think about the TA's situation ..... he/she might have dozens of customers and is handling 100s of itineraries for both new bookings while dealing with the perfect storm inherent in COVID caused FCC, L&S and refunds. Patience should be your byword. OTH, the times you are experiencing for a call back from your TA seems to be an outlier. Maybe consider looking elsewhere to book your next cruise. PM me and I'll send you names of the TAs I've found to be pretty good within the agencies I've booked with.

Yipes! Those are not good response times. Give MEI a try!

I check the RC site about once a week or so. Pretty sure I already know the answer, but if a room type is sold out, the price will never drop, and even if it did, there's no real way to check as it will never show as an available room type...correct? In my case, it's the Apr 4th, 2021 sailing of the Oasis in a Jr Suite.

And don't forget those heathen kids with their Jitterbugging!

Weeks, well, at least a week, but more often, more than that. it's never days and certainly never hours

Kids are going to be kids, but it's the parents responsibility to protect them from themselves.

One thing to note is that no one at this point knows exactly how the JS on Odyssey will be laid out. Will it have the half bath like quantum class? Nobody knows yet... Photos on cruise deck plans show that it will follow suit, but like all things Royal, I would not believe it until I see it. ?

If you are booked under the CWC program, there is language that allows for price drops up to 48 hours prior to embarkation.

Quick change. We were able to move Quantum to a better week next year. Please adjust quantum to July 26th, 2021.

Thank you for catching that...It saved me alot of time. ?

Here's my timeline FWIW and may differ for your Odyssey cancellation... Our 5/31/20 Oasis sailing was cancelled by Royal on 4/16/20. We received the e-mail from Royal with our FCC certificate numbers on 5/22/20. We called our TA on 6/10/20 to have Royal apply the FCC to our upcoming (hopefully ) 4/24/21 Symphony sailing. As the TA was handling that FCC transaction with Royal, they (Royal) mentioned that we also have our 125% OBC from the Cruise Planner purchases available which we also applied to that same cruise. The OBC will not show in the Cruise Planner until you instruct Royal to apply it to a specific booking. Once we applied it to the booking we wanted, it showed up in the CP a couple of hours later (they tell you up to 72 hours). I initially thought we were supposed to receive a second e-mail from Royal when the OBC was ready, but we did not receive one. It will appear in the CP as credit...

I have looked at Junior Suites and from what I recall, just the one bath... here is what Royal lists for a "J4" cabin:

Working on it, now that we are in indefinite dry dock. ?

Wait....you don't get your own personal Solarium? Egads ?

Only thing we found not so good about the Anthem's solarium was the fact that you can not open any windows and they do not retract portions of the roof. We were on the Anthem last June going to Bermuda and it So got pretty warm in there. Why you may ask? Well the Anthem was the Royal ship in 2016, if my memory serves me right, that was headed for a hurricane, changed its course and ran into another storm at sea. The roof and many windows were open in the solarium and she took on massive amounts of water with serious damage. So now it's SOP (standard operating procedure) for the Anthem to keep her solarium buttoned up.

Radiance Class has the best Solariums. While I do think Quantum Class solariums are nice, the Radiance Class is perfect. Lots of glass, beautiful backdrop and good mix of space (plus it has Park Cafe inside!)

https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/fabulous/4431089/glasgow-swimsuit-fail-vagina-upside-down-viral/ Even more embarrassing if you write a complaint to swimsuit manufacturer

I for one think you could pull this off, @twangster.

I honestly bought a bright yellow mask specifically to match my best bathing suit! Covid vacay here I come

After watching a little of the senate hearings today with Fauci.......one of the big discussions was how important it is for kids to get back to school. If schools open in August in Florida and it goes well, we will be cruising by October. Always the optimist! ?

I was at Coco Cay when it wasn't windy, until it suddenly was and it took a while (and a flock of staff RUNNING to it) to help bring it down. Good times, good times.

We have cruised over Christmas and New Years many times. I completely agree with @twangster. Everyone always seems happy. More kids ? Yes, but it is not overwhelming. I highly recommend holiday cruising. It especially takes the stress out of the Holidays, whether you celebrate Christmas or not.

You'd just have to keep checking back. There's never any saying when you'll get the best deal. If it's something you know you want to do, just book it and check back for price drops frequently. The best deals I've gotten on shore excursions have occurred when there weren't any advertised cruise planner sales going on - they just randomly dropped and I snagged them (at a price I never saw go that low again). It can really pay to check frequently.

I sure did, Jr. Suite to Grand Suite on Oasis next September, just under $4500... Cannot beat that!

Mamie, I just got back from a back to back cruise in January and we did not have to disembark and embark again. You could either go off in the port and board again like a regular port or you could stay on the boat. I personally enjoy back to back cruises. I recommend staying in the same stateroom for both segments, otherwise you will have to pack and unpack, which is no fun. I have a personal blog where I covered this topic in depth here if you would like to check it out. I also have done a lot of research into various back to back itineraries offered in 2021 and have laid them out here because I know how hard it can be to find these specific cruises. I hope these tips help!

Omg I thought the same thing....

Okay, I'm just relieved that this is direction this thread is headed in...

Seriously??? All this is the cause of the Coronavirus. There is no retaliation. This is about surviving, helping those who need help, protecting our kids and loved ones AND getting back to cruising!!

Well @Suzie Q , as we told our friend who is also missing her 40th birthday celebration this year, you get to be 39 for another year. Covvid canceled your birthday.

Good Morning! It’s cruise day! ”Symphony starts when you walk together, feel the heartbeats, and understand the unspoken words.” — Amit Ray 17 years ago today we started this journey, after 17 years, we’re getting there