twangster

PSST. Here's a secret. When new deployments first open, as in the first 24 hours, sometimes they haven't fully loaded all options. My Navigator 7 night March cruise had $0 more for refundable in a full suite. Duh! YOLO! Booked it!

It's a good way to snag a cabin and lock in a rate if you are not 100% on going. At any point you can call and convert refundable to NRD but it uses the price difference on the day you call to reprice the cruise. You can never convert an NRD booking to refundable. It's a form of insurance. During this pandemic having refundable bookings made life a lot easier for me. Studio balcony cabins can have insane charges for refundable, like $2k more for a $1,300 cruise. In those cases I often roll the dice and hope for a good outcome.

Refundable JS on same sail date I used above: Grand Suite doesn't have refundable rates, so it's missing: The VP Suite is one of the few "full suites" that offers refundable rates, but even more for that option.

Be aware refundable is not a fixed amount or the same for all cabins. Refundable interior is often a lower extra cost, sometimes zero. Refundable JS will almost always be a lot more. Same cabin on another date could be very different.

Very last step just before entering credit card there should be a checkbox for refundable when it's available. Guarantee cabins sometimes don't qualify for refundable.

I have never had an issue with onboard water.

When does a joke turn into a dad joke? When it becomes apparent.

Bad dad jokes with Michael Bayley

Maybe cancelling on a weekend induces a day penalty so give it a few days, they'll get to it.

When I cancel a CP purchase it's recently been 6-7 days for Visa, 5-6 days using Amex. Unless I leave my CP purchases as is when a cruise is cancelled by Royal. In that case CP purchases take longer for them to process.

Have to agree. In so long as the bottled water craze has been around Dasani has always tasted terrible to me. How do you mess up water? What nasty river are they using? SMH.

Lastly, JS cabins are available on a refundable basis while GS or above typically are not.

Also, JS gratuity is same as balcony cabin while a "proper" or full suite daily gratuity is slightly higher.

I know an enterprising couple that put the wife in a suite solo and the husband in the cheapest interior available. Wife gets triple points for solo in a suite, currently 6 x points with the double points promo. Once on board they get an extra key at guest services and use the interior cabin for luggage storage. Wife still gets extra points for technically being solo in a suite. They climb the CAS ladder as a couple faster this way.

On a ship like Navigator from LA there is no CK so the gap between JS and GS or above is not that much. In a JS compared to a GS there is no breakfast in Chops, no suite lounge access or suite concierge services, no suite seating near the pool or in shows. It's basically a slightly bigger balcony cabin with a tub and walk in closet (most ships), but you do get priority embarkation and double points which is one of the biggest draws for CAS members.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/how-many-cruise-points-will-i-earn Standard Cruise Points Double Cruise Points Total Number of Cruise Points Awarded Cruise 1 point per night 1 additional point per night 2 points per night Single Cruiser 2 point per night 2 additional point per night 4 points per night Suite 2 point per night 2 additional point per night 4 points per night Single Cruiser & Suite 3 point per night 3 additional point per night 6 points per night

FWIW - The UDP has this note: For ships with these venues, Teppanyaki/Izumi Hibachi is included, with a $10 surcharge, which will be charged onboard.*

Yes it does! Assuming two in a JS, each guest normally gets 4 x 2 then another x 2 thanks to the double points promo. 4 x 2 x 2 = 16 points each. You need to book it before the end of June 2021 though and sail before the end of September 2022.

Welcome to the message boards. Basically nothing has changed. At this time the CDC conditional sail order remains in place which is preventing the cruise lines from marketing or offering these cruises to new guests.

There are shipping channels that all ships tend to follow but that doesn't mean they will use a predetermined path between two ports. Try looking over at marinetraffic.com to see what some ships do in those areas to get an idea where the ships could travel.

I believe they are using the new name on Spectrum and Odyssey so expect or look out for Teppanyaki.

Transfers are not included with A2S. Transfer options appear to be: ARRIVAL ONLY $60.00 pp DEPARTURE ONLY $60.00 pp R/T - $120.00 pp KNOW BEFORE YOU GO WE’LL SHUTTLE YOU TO YOUR SHIP Royal Caribbean offers easy-to-purchase ground transfers to and from the cruise ship — just leave the details to us. Ease into your cruise adventure by letting Royal Caribbean safely get you to and from the ship with one of our easy-to-purchase ground transfers. If you choose to make your own air arrangements or book air through our online ChoiceAir Travel Program you may wish to purchase ground transportation to the ship. Transfers are available for pre-purchase from the arrival airport to the pier on day of sailing and from the pier to the departure airport on debarkation day only. It is recommended that transfers are purchased two weeks prior to sailing. Please remember we require your flight information in order to promptly meet all guests. To purchase your Royal Caribbean Guest Transfer or for additional information consult your travel agent or our Reservations Department at 1-800-327-6700.

I think the 60d estimate was from the days of no vaccines. Just as we know a lot more now and there are many different thoughts on virus tactics, the cruise lines have been learning and changing. They have experience now operating cruises. We saw them load material months ago now. It appears Navigator at a minimum is getting batches of crew every few days. I guess what I'm trying to say is the clock doesn't start upon the big announcement we are all waiting for. The clock has already started and they are already spinning up the machine, 60 days isn't the time needed anymore, at least for some ships.

Welcome to the message boards! Any cabin with 5 guests can't be done on the website so engaging a travel agent can help you with options. Five in one room is going to be tight but the Ultra Spacious Ocean View category 1K and the Spacious Interior category 1R are larger than regular cabins and can take 5 in one cabin. The Ultra Spacious Ocean View category 1K can accommodate 5 guests but the bunk beds may be more suited to kids and not full grown adults so if you are all basketball players that could be interesting. The main bed separates into two single beds, then the sofa pulls out and the two bunks gets you to five. There is a junior suite that can take 5 guests but it has a balcony and will be several thousand more (~$4-5k more) The next choice would be two cabins, one triple and a double. Travel agents have tools to find cabins close to each other or connecting. The benefit of two cabins is two bathrooms. If you are considering the drink package if all 5 are in one cabin you all have to get the drink package if anyone buys it. By going with two cabins if you have any non-drinkers you could put them in one cabin and the drinkers in another cabin so this can save a bunch if not everyone wants the drink package. There aren't a lot of 1R or 1K cabins so availability isn't great and some dates are already sold out in June 2022. There may be group rates available to travel agents to help with the cost a bit compared to direct from Royal. There is only one 1R spacious interior cabin for all of June and that's on June 11,2022. There are five 1k spacious ocean view cabins but only on June 4, 2022. Any other dates and you will need two cabins. I'd highly recommend using a travel agent.

For me all cruises through December 2022 have internet options including Voom + DX. 2023 cruises do not have anything for purchase including Voom.