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Showing content with the highest reputation on 10/25/2022 in all areas

  1. Seems the title was classic click bait so people would read the post. Strange axe to grind but everyone is entitled to their opinions. Other fun tags to get your post viewed next time "Royal Caribbean going out of Business" or "Coco Cay suffers the fate of Atlantis and sinks beneath the waves."
    12 points
  2. @Censored Well I tell ya, I am a Recovering Alcoholic. One of the ones who goes looking for the "Friends of Bill" meetings when I am on board. I have cruised both before and after I became sober and, when I was drinking, I cruised both with and without the DBP. I can assure you cost of the drink had absolutely nothing to do with how much I drank or weather or not I got "drunk and obnoxious". The only thing having the DBP did for me was allowed me to get my drunk on without the worry of what my wife would say when we got the balance sheet being charged to our card on the last night. The getting drunk part was a foregone conclusion. These days I call and get the DBP for my wife and I get the Refreshment package. You can do that if you call and tell them why. (Yes, I am in recovery and my wife drinks, it happens all the time) The DBP makes it easy and we don't worry about when or how many Margarita's she can have or how it will impact that balance sheet. We get on the ship and don't worry about anything till we pick up our luggage when we disembark. It's called "Being on vacation" you might have heard of it. Oh just a reminder..... your first post had nothing to do with the DBP..
    10 points
  3. This thread brought the laughs on a Tuesday morning! I've been on 8 or so RC cruises now (a rookie around these parts, I know), and I have never had one incident with another cruiser and drunkenness. And most nights I am out "enjoying the ship" until after midnight. Now I have definitely had a few incidents with sober people on a cruise ship (elevator etiquette, line cutting at the windjammer, pool chair hogs), but those are topics for another thread!
    9 points
  4. Okay..I'm finally gonna do it.. @Censored...I've seen you at the helm of quite a lot of topics, which, at least to me, seem like "controversial" topics and I have to ask...why? Like...are you just looking for a place to vent your opinions? Are you trying to get under people's skins? Are you after conversation/discussion/ new view points? I'm genuinely curious...
    8 points
  5. ...wait but what does all of that have to do with stopping the unlimited drink plan....?
    8 points
  6. I'm so glad to hear from someone in the same boat as me (pun intended). I am 11 months sober, will be just over a year when we cruise. My wife still drinks, I have the refreshment package. She can enjoy her few glasses of wine a day while I enjoy my sodas, energy drinks and maybe I'll try a mocktail or two! The first thing I'll be doing is looking when and where the friends of Bill meetings are, which is funny because last time I cruised was almost 15 years ago and I remember seeing that on the cruise compass and thinking "who the hell goes on a cruise to attend AA meetings" And welp, here I am! But I can tell you when I did go one that last cruise, we did not get a drink package and when we got that bill at the end of the trip...well, we could have booked two more trips!
    7 points
  7. This post makes me want to get hammered.
    7 points
  8. 100% refund of cruise fare for this type of “mess”. I have been refunded for a loft suite due to flooding (and that was not poop water). I will PM you an email contact of a corporate contact that has assisted me with that issue and others in the past. At least this gets the ball rolling for you provided you documented it with guest services which it sounds like you have.
    6 points
  9. Matt - just wanted to say thanks for all of your hard work to make RCB a reality! You are the #1 resource to keep me from going crazy when not on a cruise. Long live RCB; cheers!
    6 points
  10. I truly feel for you, @Ampurp85. I was the head cat herder on 2 big group cruises and I swore, "NEVER AGAIN". ...but having someone ELSE herding the cats while you're in the herd, is even worse ! ...especially when the other herder is a novice. You can see them making rookie mistakes but cannot fix them. UGH. I hope it all works out. I have a feeling that those who experienced Star Class the first time are going to be very disappointed. I hope that's not the case. Solo cruising can be a blessing sometimes, right ?
    6 points
  11. So, I thought I had learned my lesson after the first group vacation: don't plan for anyone and just do my own thing. There were a lot of hiccups and miscommunications on our October Allure 2021 sailing. But by the end everyone was planning to take cruises with others......with the exception of my BFF who, with his newly minted passport, wanted to try more international vacations. He vowed to cruise again some time in 2025. I booked Odyssey as a solo, then my mother was like she wants to come and bring her best girlfriend and she would take over the planning. She and my BFF's mother have become good friends, so she invited her and then BFF decided to come. That planning never happened. So, the planning of this cruise vacation has been a flustercuck. I am a "book when you see a price you like" girl. I booked several things that I was forced/guilted into cancelling and now just weeks from sailing, they are all sold out or priced too high. I had a Chill island Cabana booked that I got for a nice $549. The UDP was $186pp with grats and I was able to get the DX for those who drink at $68/D and the refreshment package for $23/D for those of us who don't. I brought the multi-device surf and stream. Everything was amazingly priced. Well, they all got together and made a complete mess of things. First my mother told them we booked a suite. That suite was booked for another sailing she was taking with me, reading is fundamental. So, she went into cruise planner and cancelled the cabana because they would have rather sit on the suite deck then go to PDCC. Unfortunately, because I had gotten things on such a good sale, I didn't realize the Cabana had been cancelled until the Memorial Day sale when I reprice the DX. At that point the same Cabana was almost $900, today its $1100, so it has doubled. I couldn't care less about the cabana, they wanted it, but I didn't find out why she cancelled until 2 weeks ago. Then they decided no to the UDP..........based on the "fact" they would be going to CK. They wanted to eat at a specialty restaurant once or twice because the main restaurant and buffet would be enough. I said fine I will cancel everyone's but mine. I literally spent an hour on a 3-way call with them complaining about how since we are traveling together, we can at least eat together. So, I relented and settled on Chops+1. I kept telling them that MDR food is basic, the UDP will pay for itself in all the lunch/midnight trips to Playmakers alone. They kept saying they wanted to save money and there were enough restaurants included with our fare. They informed me they wanted the UDP probably a day after the price of the dining packages when up. At $265, it is not a good deal. That is almost a $90 price difference. As stated, most of them said after the Allure cruise they would book something themselves. My BFF's mom decided to take her other son and his family on a cruise this past September on Symphony. She was not happy. She didn't plan anything. She had a 2pm check-in, she couldn't see any shows and she thought the food in the MDR was bland and unsatisfactory. He had the time of his life as he never cruised before. They decided to invite him along and I had to scramble to get him a room and factor him into already made plans. He caught the bug and has had everyone watching YouTube videos by this blog and Harr Travel. Now they all have caviar taste on tuna budgets, wanting not just the bells and whistles but suites and Genies.
    6 points
  12. Oh but this goes beyond a schmuck at the bar. This was a disaster and a health hazard. Nobody would have blamed you for causing a scene. And screw anyone who would. The problem now is while I never had this problem, I have read plenty of people say once home it's a harder fight. I would hit them by phone, email, letter etc all at once. You deserve so much more. 50% off next cruise minimum. Might have better luck settling for discounts over refunds with RC. There actually is a time and place for being a total and complete B**** lol. I really hope you get something out of them. What happened really stinks. No pun. Best of luck. Let us know.
    6 points
  13. I would wager that 99% of people using the UDP are perfectly calm, quiet, responsible people who are just enjoying their vacation. Maybe they get a little loud and rambunctious at night, but they probably would without the UDP anyways. I can only imagine what small percentage of UDP customers are causing issues.
    6 points
  14. Not the end of the story for me. Though I give cash gifts to my room attendant, waiter and assistant, I make sure to bring little somethings for crew members I have interaction with during the cruise. Being Filipino myself, I'm excited to meet Filipino crew members. On my cruise last year the week before Christmas, I brought them traditional Filipino Christmas food items to help bring a little bit of home to them at Christmas time. For non-Filipino crew, I bring some candies, hot cocoa mixes, and socks. While I agree to a certain extent that "cash is king," I hate the notion that all the crew members think about is getting cash from guests. For some of them, even the little gifts we can bring makes them feel that we've gone out of our way to make them feel we care.
    5 points
  15. You have EVERY right to seek more. That's an expensive room that you didn't get to enjoy.
    5 points
  16. Did you stay in the hot tub after hearing that? More than likely Mr. 21 Drinks hasn't left it all day so....ew.
    5 points
  17. Super excited about this one! Celebrating 45th wedding anniversary (Nov 3). All I have to do now is figure out best time to tell my hubby that I did this…hmmmmaybe Nov 1, 2024!!!!
    4 points
  18. Which makes me upset because it's classic troll behavior to rile people up then never respond or answer questions.... This should be a troll free zone...
    4 points
  19. Well, for me… Chuck Heston may have said it best. “They’ll get my Deluxe Drink Package when they pry it out of my cold dead hands!” Come and take it!
    4 points
  20. Also @asquared17, if it's paid for before the cruise, the guests are on the ship with a fresh wallet which is conducive to more spending.
    4 points
  21. we also joined today!! so happy to be able to give back to such a great group + resources. you all have been so helpful and truly key in helping us plan our best vacations ever. our contribution might not be much but it's a token of our HUGE appreciation!! THANK YOU!!
    4 points
  22. Too much money involved and not going to happen. It makes for prime people watching so I personally encourage the excessive drinking! Isn’t it vacation anyway and people are entitled to do what makes them happy. I think you need to just sit in your stateroom and order room service for 7 days because the sun, fun and excessive drinking are not going away. On that note, I am very much looking forward to multiple pina coladas by the pool on Icon all day every day for vacation! If luck serves me right, I will still be drinking free Red Stripes in the casino all night while I piss away my good fortunes and kids financial future but it’s vacation!
    4 points
  23. The answer is “yes”. This screen name is also changed so frequently that it’s difficult to keep up. I think at one iteration of the screen name musical chairs this person did admit that like to vomit controversial topics so that it engages the excessive responses that are witnessed even on this thread. Clearly it works.
    4 points
  24. It will. Keep the positive vibes. I am sending peace and relaxation and pure joy for your cruise.
    4 points
  25. Ugh. Sorry…I guess our feelings can change over time ! Let me add that my fondness for Lady G had as much or more to do with the proximity of the Port of Baltimore to my [then] home as it did with the fondness for the ship, herself. We enjoyed many wonderful cruises on Grandeur b/c it was within driving distance of home. I’m sure @Momof4crazytocruise’s experience was an isolated unfortunate situation but these kinds of age-related incidents cast a long and unfavorable shadow on its target. I had a similar reaction to @twangster‘s recounting of an unfortunate incident on Enchantment. Like it or not, our favorite older ships are going to begin to deteriorate and such incidents will increase in likelihood. Royal has tried to remove Grandeur from the fleet twice, and reconsidered both times. It may be time for a third and final move to retire her. I consider @Momof4crazytocruise’s recounted experience to be extremely serious and disconcerting. The experience, as presented, was truly a health hazard. Under no circumstances should @Momof4crazytocruise’s party have been permitted to return to that suite. Period. It had become a biohazard and should have been quarantined and isolated until it was entirely renovated and the source of the hazard, remediated. I also want to welcome you back to an active member of the blog, @PG Cruiser ! You’ve been missed.
    4 points
  26. Okay so details.... For the very first time I am flying Southwest. I continue to commit the cardinal sin of flying in the day of the cruise. I only do this because I fly solo and it is always the first flight of the day. FLL is so close to Port Everglades you can see it. Since I am doing 2 cruises, I will be checking a bag. I did pay for Early Bird, so I hope to do okay with picking my seat. Ship: Harmony of the Seas- Nov 7 — Nov 12, 2022 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA PUERTO COSTA MAYA, MEXICO COZUMEL, MEXICO Room: GTY Interior........not assigned. I found out around the end of Aug that I would actually have a light work month for Nov. I decided to tack on an extra cruise when I was on my Sept Nav of seas sailing. I booked this one with NextCrusie, as it was already past FP, the pickings were slim. As I stated my family is obsessed with Star class now, so I couldn't justify almost $2000 for a balcony on a 5N sailing. That meant I booked my first ever GTY interior. I have not been assigned a room, but I hope I don't get a studio as I want my double C&A points for being solo. I also have some RU bids in as I got the email about 2 days after booking back in Sept. Since I am both Diamond and Prime, I decided to forgo any beverage package. The UDP was sold out, but I did book a 3N dining package with current plans to do my favorite 150CP, then Wonderland..........yes who would have thunk that! and Jamie's. I have Izumi's booked as a specialty lunch. I got Surf and Stream for $12/d and that trumps my Prime internet discount and Diamond free day. Most of the excursions were sold out, so I might just spend my time getting prime for next year. 1 Night stay at the hotel for 7 people across 3 rooms Hotel Fairfield Inn & Suites Fort Lauderdale Airport-Cruise Port, 2081 Griffin Road Fort Lauderdale FL 33312 US I let my mother attempt some of the planning and she chose a bad one. I found this one and have heard good things. Hopefully it is and there is no bad juju. Ship: Odyssey of the Seas Nov 13 — Nov 19, 2022 FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA PERFECT DAY COCOCAY, BAHAMAS FALMOUTH, JAMAICA LABADEE, HAITI Rooms: Obstructed Balconies 6292, 6296, 6300 and Interior 8277 I let my mother choose the rooms and she chose the cheapest ones. I was fine with that as I plan to explore the ship and casino. The only thing was the rooms were originally spaced because of Covid. It would have been nice to be able to open the dividers and make one large space. But by the time most protocols were dropped, people had booked the rooms in between. I scored an 11am check-in time. We have MTD for nights 1, 3, and 6, Chops+1 for nights 2 and 4, and the Solarium Bistro booked for my mother's bff birthday which occurs on night 5 of our sailing. She turns 67 and she is proud. I booked the sip and paint for Labadee and with the other ports we plan to just get off and walk around. My brother and BFF have the DX, I got a soda package for this sailing. Everyone else decided they will bring their wine and pay as you go.
    4 points
  27. I wait for @AshleyDillo to tell me there's a better price
    4 points
  28. My mother is too... And it will all be half mine someday..yay.
    4 points
  29. Congratulations @DonR I celebrate 29 years sober next week. Hasn't really toned down my level of obnoxiousness as much as I thought it would. You're spot on though. The cost was not a concern or impediment. Bill
    4 points
  30. Definitely wasn't a Scotsman as we would have that necked by lunchtime!
    4 points
  31. Carnival has a 15 drink daily limit. Carnival has more issues with drunken buffoonery. Ergo daily drink limits don't prevent drunken buffoonery.
    4 points
  32. Why would they stop selling something that generates huge amounts of revenue?
    4 points
  33. Probably in like...5+ years from now when there's 2 more ships in the class and the flagship one isn't as shiny, new or expensive anymore Lol #notbitter #totallyokay #neveroneofthecoolkids
    4 points
  34. Seems its a common occurrence to experience intoxicated cruisers aboard . They can become loud, obnoxious, annoying, angry, and get involved in fights. Personally I think this is due to the offering of the Unlimited Drink Plan. People simply want to take liberties and drink as much as they possibly can. Then come the consequences . Time to stop this plan or change it?
    4 points
  35. KLA

    Bath Robe on Pool Deck

    I have a new goal.
    4 points
  36. Day 14........ I am starting this about 2 weeks before I set sail. I am doing a S2S spending 5n on Harmony and then 6N on Odyssey. I originally had Odyssey booked but changed the date around due to some Covid stuff. I wanted one more double C&A points sailing, bonus was that it goes to both Labadee and PDCC. I added the Harmony sailing on my Navigator sailing this past September after realizing I had the time available. Plus, if am going to fly, might as well make it work my while. I will be solo on Harmony and joined by family and friends on Odyssey. Last year I introduced my BFF, his mother, my brother and my mother to cruising. They loved it so much they decided it should be an annual thing. It was five of us last year and this year the number has jumped to seven thanks to word of mouth. It looks like it will be closer to ten next year, with plans to sail from Galveston for the first time. My BFF brother and my mother's best friend will be joining us for this sailing. My mother's bff has only sailed Carnival and is looking forward to trying Royal. These sailings will be my first "budget" sailings. My family/friends have been watching the Royal Caribbean YouTube channel and want to try Star class. I know I might have to foot the bill for 9-10 people, so I had to make some hard decisions.
    3 points
  37. i'm sorry. i read this too fast and i thought it said: i see people wear their robes IN the flowrider all the time. and the visual that ensued.... was a lot. i was imagining drownings by heavy terrycloth, copious amounts of flashing, gratuitous wipeouts.
    3 points
  38. No gifts............... only cash..............period.......end of story
    3 points
  39. Booked a sunset corner room 8352 June 1 2024 Eastern Caribbean.
    3 points
  40. JohnK6404

    ICON CLASS UPDATE

    Woo hoo! YOLO booked it! We booked a midship OV balcony for 5/11/24 sailing (Western/PDCC) with my last Next Cruise Book Later reservation! We've actually never sailed that specific itinerary since our 2021 Symphony sailing (same itinerary) was cancelled during the Covid shutdown. This sailing will be close to our 20th wedding anniversary (excuse we used )! Unfortunately, Alaska will have to wait a little bit longer!
    3 points
  41. I was a nerd so I was the kid always ready and done on a group project. I like covering my butt, you can mess your part up, just not mine I always say I am going to fly the day before and then I make a work or personal commitment. Knock on wood I haven't had any issues but I only fly day of....solo. Harmony had weird internet pricing, only Surf and Stream for about $13/d for a while. Then it went to $12 and I knew no onboard discounts would beat that. I am crossing my fingers that everything turns out amazing and great.
    3 points
  42. the 15 drink limit is a Carnival thing with their Cheers package. Royal family has no limits posted but they can refuse to serve you if you seem too intoxicated.
    3 points
  43. Throw down a deposit on a refundable rate and make your decision later. YOLO
    3 points
  44. I don't think Oasis can do the Panama Canal because her lifeboats hang outside the profile of the lower hull of the vessel. Same with Voyager, Freedom and Quantum class. Hanging lifeboats off the ship the way Royal does increases the internal volume that counts against gross tonnage and provides more internal space for 'stuff'. The downside is the lifeboats would strike objects going through the Panama Canal. Look at Edge class - lifeboats don't overhang beyond the sides of the lower hull. Edge can do the PC. Everyone focuses on the height but that isn't the real issue.
    3 points
  45. With the health concerns of sewage exposure, really they should have refunded the rest of the cruise.
    3 points
  46. I actually think the drink limit might be WHY Carnival has this issue. One thing I've seen over and over with people who get the DBP on Royal is that they love the freedom to try a new drink (beer, wine or cocktail) and if they don't like it, they can just not finish it. BUT I'd imagine with drink limits people wouldn't want to "waste" a "slot" so they would be more likely to finish every drink they get AND maybe even feel challenged to meet that 15-drink limit every day. Just a thought.
    3 points
  47. Some people just like to get into other people's business. I have seen very few people who were drunk to the point of being a problem
    3 points
  48. I think the confusion is that your subject is about the drink package but your initial post has NOTHING to do with the drink package
    3 points
  49. KLA

    Bath Robe on Pool Deck

    Brb - removing all the swim cover ups from my Amazon cart and will be wearing my robe instead.
    3 points
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