Todd W

one other question in regards to TA's, not sure if anyone can answer but are perks greater if the TA originally books for you as opposed to first booking through RCI and then switching over to a TA? also do TA perks change or increase based on the frequency that a customer uses them? I've only used a couple TA's in the past and the only perk i've had was $25 OBC so far.

this will sound petty but it's how i like to do things. My biggest struggle with TA's isn't necessarily turning over control but it has to do with minimum payments they require for a payment. I love to chip chip chip away at my balance on a weekly basis and in most cases, it's 25 to 50 bucks at a time. So far i haven't had any luck finding a TA , MEI included, that will allow smaller more frequent payments to the balance. i know, it's minimal in the grand scheme of things but it's how i prefer to manage it. If anyone has had luck doing this with a particular TA from MEI or otherwise, please let me know because i'd love to be able to flip my 2020 booking over to them for peace of mind and also potentially receive some perks to boot.

Glad to hear that. i was wondering about this, thanks!

Thanks for the info everyone. much appreicated

now that i'm having to buy 2 unlimited drink packages, i'm a bit more frugal about it and we've got a 2 couples who are first timers heading out in April with us.. with that in mind, any idea how often it comes up on sale? Just want to weigh my options between now and April when we set sail. not sure at what point a discount is worth jumping in on. I see folks mentioning black friday deals as low as $43 but didn't know if that was a pipe dream or not. What is the most common promo or price seen for the package, 20% off , $48 or $45 ? We've got a couple going with us who isn't confident about buying now and canceling and repurchasing if price drops. Sadly the state of RC website has them gun shy and i'm just looking for a good number for them to jump in on. thanks!

yeh I totallyl agree about the hit-or-miss. I've got an April 19 cruise in my planner and the only thing i can access right now are excursions. As i write this after last checking yesterday, i just checked again mid-post and POOF! drink package is available at the moment at the 20% off rate of $48 still no entertainment and no dining. LOL i check daily regardless. with all the issues they've been having on their new site, i just want to make sure my cruise doesn't vanish.

Just realizing i've never introduced myself. Name is Todd and i'm from a small town just north of the Dallas metroplex (Wylie). My wife and I will be married 7 years in October. I have 2 boys from my previous marriage (14 and 16) who definitely keep us on our toes. Michelle and I both took our first cruise in 2012 for our honeymoon. We chose Mariner out of Galveston and instantly fell in love with cruising! Second cruise we took our boys on Carnival Breeze which was a blast for all of us but she and I quickly felt like we were missing something. We were in such awe of Mariner and while Breeze was a great ship, the overall feel of it just wasn't the same for us. Not to say we won't try Carnival again but we've opted to book our next 2 cruise back on Royal (Liberty in '19 and Harmony in '20). As an added bonus, through our love of cruising, we've also (re)introduced both of her sisters and husbands to cruising again. Both couples last cruised back in the early 90's. 2 of them went on our Breeze cruise and loved it so now we have all 4 of them coming with us on Liberty next year which will be great! As for me, i'm the obsessive planner and want to know everything about our trip LONG in advance. She leaves me be and doesn't want to spoil the excitement ahead of time so i have to make sure i parse out my info to everyone, keeping it minimialistic at best so as to not burn everyone out. LOL i can't figure out why none of them are as obsessed as i am HAH! anyway, happy to be here. It's a very refreshing break from all the drama over at the other site. Love getting to know everyone here and appreciate all the feedback i've received so far on my questions. Cheers!

Thanks for the feedback. I want it as trouble free as possible and sounds like that's the way to go.

set sail out of Galveston on April 28, 2019, Think we are actually there on May 3rd

@WAAAYTOOO thanks for the info. I had figured as much but wasn't positive if i was having a dumb-day and just couldn't find it in the cruise planner. I also appreciate your feedback. Sounds just like what we're looking for. Cheers!

Love the concept of the limited amount of people for Nachi so going to book it for our April cruise. Am i just missing it on Royal's planner or is it done only directly through the resort?

awesome news going into the weekend! cheers and have a great cruise!

awesome news, thanks Candie!

yeah the dang TABC stuff is goofy . seems like more people focus on that as a huge negative for Galveston. The time it effects anything is minimal in the grand scheme of things. As for me, put me on a cruise ship and as long as I can get some sort of cold drink for sail away, i'm happy.

if you can ever get your kids to figure this one out, please make sure to share your secret! LOL

As a Texan I have to chime in on this as well. While the state as a whole is deemed conservative, why the heck does that make any difference as to the opinion of the port? You can easily read multiple threads here and other sites as well when it comes to cruising out of Galveston. While the port itself has it's challenges, nearly everyone who's cruised out of there "generally" speaks very highly about the locals who are cruising on the ship as being some of the friendliest and polite people theyve ever met. I concur with others regarding your desire to be a CD. which such garish comments like the one's you've made, I would tend to question if thats the right career path for you. particularly when it comes to the melting pot of variable different cultures of the staff alone, not even mentioning the passengers.

I think my wife and I have an affinity for the club. Our first cruise on Mariner was for our honeymoon and seemed like we always ended up in there at the end of the night. Was a great wind down with a cigar and a glass of Porto for me. She never smoked herself but always enjoyed a cocktail in there chatting with everyone. and those leather loungers...you can just sink down into and easily doze off. Nothing against the current outdoor smoking areas on the ships these days, but for me it's always been the atmosphere. Whether its playing cards at my local shop, sitting out on my back porch or kicking back in the Connoisseur club on the ships.

@function12 thanks, that's great to hear. Will definitely check again as we get closer. Seem's like the Connoisseur clubs are on their last leg which is understandable. Always met some great folks in there and a very laid back place to wind down the evening.

I know it's still nearly a year off for my April cruise on LOS but i've been in full-on cruise mode for the last several weeks since we made it over the year hump and i'm ready to go! First off, does anyone know if LOS has the 70's themed party on the promenade or has that changed? Also I'm a big cigar smoker and the current deck plans i have may be outdated. Could someone confirm that the Connoisseur's club is still on LOS after the renovation? Wife and I loved hanging out in there on Mariner and was hoping Liberty still has one.

i have to agree with so many others, drop off any carry-on's and find the nearest bar for a cold drink! it's always 5 o'clock somewhere!

not one of your questions but from one parent to another... our boys loved their first cruise. they were 12 & 14 at the time and had a blast. we gave them quite a bit of responsibility to be on their own but it came with conditions that had to be followed or they lost the ability to be on their own and were going to be attached to our hip after that. We gave them watches and had set check in times every couple hours or so. We made sure they knew where they could find us or if we weren't sure where we would be, they had to pop into our room and leave a sticky note on the mirror to let us know where we could find them. I was nervous at first but they did surprisingly great!!

few weeks back i booked a 2020 trip on Harmony for my wife and I. Heard a lot of great things about floor 8 and the easy access out to Central Park and all that it has to offer. Read so many great things i booked an exterior balcony for our first Oasis class cruise. you might give deck 8 balconies a consideration if having quick access out to Central Park and the restaurants have any interest for you. Best of luck!

Last time i did an all-inclusive resort was when i married ex hah. Nothing but cruises now for myself and my new wife!

been lurking way too long and just now seeing this. can i get on this list with only 2 cruises upcoming? Wife and I haven't been able to make more than one a year like some of you other professionals. hah! April 28, 2019 - Liberty of the Seas (Western Carib) April 19, 2020 - Harmony of the Seas (Eastern Carib) first time on Oasis Class whooo hooo!

great point. i'll see if i can get everyone to agree to at least one specialty dinner and then get i'll reach out to try and reserve that. thanks!