DaGunny

Our experience with Enchantment and IRMA - To the one that did the report above, you should have stayed on. It was awesome! http://www.cimorelli.com/cruises/2017-evacuation-cruise/2017-evacuation-cruise.html

They won't know anything until Thursday afternoon. We fly Friday to same cruise - maybe. Link to RCCL Itinerary updates https://www.royalcaribbean.com/content/royal/US/en_US/cruise-ships/itinerary-updates

Unless, of course, you have a suite. That trumps all. Your Concierge will come off the boat, get you, and take you on first. Usually. Also, you avoid any line except suites. On the big ships, GS and above get "free" Internet ( a special number to input ). Also, there is a Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen on Oasis class plus a separate sun deck. Special seating and no reservations required in the theaters. Wine and beer 11am - 11pm as well as happy hour 5-8:30 or 4:30 - 8:00. Smaller ships just have the Concierge Lounge and happy hour. Also quick debarkation being escorted off. Different place for breakfast avoiding the masses. Different world. Oh yeah - Pinnacle gets the same. Royal Suites get genies that will bend over backwards to take care of you. Put nice red reserved seat covers on your chairs in theaters wherever you want to sit. You get what you pay for.....

Even with T-Mobile, we get 2 days of Wi-Fi as D+. We use them for sea days and if you get the voyage package with 2 days left after using your first day, the last 2 are $5.99 total with coupon. Login, leave your cell phone on but turn roaming data off. You can text and your phone calls come over Wi-Fi so there is no additional charge. That's another nice thing about T-Mobile. If only they would do the same with the ships....

I'll add this to RCCL's responsiveness. We were on the Enchantment Evacuation Cruise. You can read about it here. They overcame many obstacles and took care of those of us that had no power at home or way to get back. Well done! Evacuation Cruise Synopsis

They already now charge full deposit for suites. We usually get suites and were able to book them for $100x2. Now it's $450x2 and non-refundable. Sure, you can move it for a $100x2 cancellation fee but it's a loss. We have one now that we will have to move and will suck up the loss. We usually book 15-25 cruises a year and 2 years in advance. That being said, the difference for deposits on 20 cruises would be $18,000 vice $4,000. I rather have my funds in investments working for me so I could go on more cruises. Perhaps it is a way to stop travel agencies from sucking up blocks of rooms and then returning unsold rooms at the last minute. However, as a stock holder it provides great dividends and RCL is booming. $117 a share vice the 30ish be bought at. Two edged sword.

We do 30 - 40 days with a small carry-on roller bag and a backpack - no checking bags. We fly business or first so we get on first and the bags will always have a home in the overhead. We also roll on and off the ship. That way we know what we take arrives with us and doesn't get wet. If, on the longer fly to trips, we need containers more than 3 oz, we will check a toiletries/meds bag if we cannot buy in-country prior to boarding. While we can lose the toiletries, we can't lose the clothes. I will not show up in the on-board shops clothing. We try NOT to pack any cotton. Bulky and heavy. Everything for cruises is synthetics. Haggar Pro poly non-wrinkle trousers, polyester knit collar shirts, and synthetic skivvies for me and my wife gets synthetic dresses, tops, and everything else. Packets of Tide will wash anything in the sink and there is a dry line on the shower. Shirts can go into the laundry. Even on the Europe trips, where it gets cold, we layer synthetics. Occasionally, we may throw some jeans in but they weigh a lot and take up precious space. We usually wear those on. Rather take old Haggars. We have taken shoes that were nearing their end and left these on the ship - probably some of the crew are wearing a lot of our left items. Once in a blue moon I'll take a Tux but it's a hassle and we cruise to have fun and explore new places, not provide runway models for fashionistas. A lot of my bag weight is for the pins and buttons I create for the cruise. In the earlier days of our cruising, we used to take a large suitcase and a small roller each. No mas. Life is short. Go and have fun and pack lightly for it.

Isn't it wonderful that Empress of the Seas has a non-smoking casino? We can actually walk through it vice circumventing it. Fortunately, in America smoking is a generational thing. As soon as the WWII, Korea, and now the Vietnam generation dies off, so will the number of people that smoke. The younger crowd realizes the perils of smoking and don't want anything to do with it as they want to live longer. Nothing good comes from it (other than increased dividends from companies that foster it) yet many problems incur. The way to curb this is by taxing tobacco so it becomes un-affordable. I've lost two parents due to smoking, as well as many uncles, aunts, and cousins. One due exclusively to second hand smoke. Yeah, it's my pet peeve. We all have them. I would welcome a non smoking ship(s) in RCCL and pray they do realize the harm smoking causes and prototypes the concept. They also need to enforce this on the crew. My $.02.

Thanks! Designed a pin to celebrate. I'll have these available on the Rhapsody TA and two B2B prior as well as the Mariner from Singapore to Miami. They will showcase in two weeks on the Allure.

We're on track to get Pinnacle in January 2018 on the Allure. Any scuttlebutt on point or tier changes where we should push it to December of 2017? Thx!