twangster
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Posts posted by twangster
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The only thing missing I believe are the over water cabanas due in the fall or early winter this year.
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1 minute ago, tiny260 said:
This is what I'm seeing also. At some time in the future she may go someplace else, one rumor is Galveston, but I think we are all going to have to wait until Oasis 5 comes out and her home port is announced.
Galveston would be cool but the terminal hasn't even been started there. Existing waterfront use has to be moved before terminal construction can even begin. Some point in 2021 would be awesome if it happens but I'll believe it when I see it.
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Unlikely they'll change existing home ports.
When she returns from Europe in November 2019 she sails to Miami. All December sailings in 2019 through to May 2020 are based in Miami.
In May 2020 she leaves for a summer in Bayonne (close to New York city).
In October 2020 she leaves Bayonne and sails to Ft. Lauderdale where she spends the 2020/2021 winter.
The truth is Ft. Lauderdale and Miami are ~ 25 miles apart. I often fly in Ft. Lauderdale when sailing from Miami for the cheaper domestic airfare. Not that I think they would ever change her home port for booked cruises, but even if they did it would not be an issue.
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Welcome to the message boards!
Drink package pricing vary for each sailing based on how well sales are progressing. Typically close in sales do not occur but there are always exceptions. If you purchase it now and the price drops you can cancel and re-purchase at the lower price up to ~ 3 days before sailing. The price on board will be much higher.
Upgrades are not offered upon boarding, ships sail full or very close to it. If there was an upgrade available it would be sold through the RoyalUP program or offered to a member of the Crown and Anchor loyalty program for previous guests of which there will be many on your sailing.
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The concept of giving your table away applies to My Time dining. With my time dining you have 15 minutes after your reservation to present yourself at the host/hostess stand. If you don't make it your table is made available for someone without a reservation who has My Time dining but didn't make reservations.
With traditional dining (early or late seating) you are expected to be at the table at the time provided with a small grace period. If you don't show up on time your seat will be empty. If you are at a shared table with other cruisers their meal service will begin shortly after the posted time. They are not going to force everyone to sit and wait for you - those people have shows and other plans that require meal service to operate on schedule. They don't allow stragglers because then the wait staff are trying to manage different guests at different stages of their meal plus it's awkward for any table mates to be eating their meal when you have nothing in front of you because you were late and just ordered.
If you are the type (like my step daughter) who simply can never be on time no matter how much we push her, then My Time without reservations may be more suitable but you may have to wait if you try to visit My Time dining during peak times.
- Ayeloroz and hayley_bopp
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More intimate experience. Smaller ships often yield a better service experience with the crew.
Embarking and debarking can be easier.
Easy to navigate. After sailing mega ships for a number of cruises I was on Vision and was "What am I doing taking the elevator?". It's easy and quick to make it from aft to forward.
Smaller ships can visit ports that some big ships can't.
- Fuzzywuzzy, SPS and SpeedNoodles
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3 hours ago, FManke said:
Is that merchandise from another blog? Haha
Billy at CruiseHabit is a close friend to Matt and this site. No harm, no foul. Right @monorailmedic ?
I have that same adapter and some shirts from the cruisehabit.com shop.
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Start with a look at this blog post:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/12/31/symphony-of-the-seas-family-cruising-guide
You've picked a great ship, love Symphony!
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The initial Key was released at $24.99 but quickly dropped to $19.99 in the early months of the program. Sales appear to have exceeded expectations and $19.99 is rarely seen anymore on Oasis class or Quantum class.
I think what happens is they have so many in the $24.99 bucket and once those sell it goes to $29.99. Once sold out it they seem to have a plan C where in some cases the price jumps to $37.99. I guess they figure if people want it that bad, they'll happily sell it at a huge mark up.
There is greater benefit on the mega ships. More entertainment venues, more activities like flowriders, more people so priority boarding accomplishes more and there is more demand. Hence the higher prices.
6 hours ago, Yo2slick said:Does anyone know how many Key packages they are selling per sailing? I heard it was limited to 100-200 people?
Initially it was 100 simply to test the waters and gauge demand. It might vary by ship or class of ship.
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Check out this drink package calculator:
The pricing above linked by @DDaley should be pretty close while in the EU. Onboard purchases will be in $USD. VAT may be applied to on board purchases as well.
To give you about coffee products, this menu from Navigator will give you an idea of pricing:
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Enjoy your cruise!
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Just now, JennyB said:
What specifically do you use/recommend? And Why?
I don't like to recommend specific products rather find one that works for you given your goals.
When I dive I wear a full body rash guard so I'm mostly covered up on the dive boat. I try to stay in the shade on the dive boat so my face doesn't get direct sun between dives. I snorkel wearing a long sleeve rash guard. I use a reef friendly sunscreen on my ears and legs when snorkeling. It's not super nice to apply. It's kind of chalky but it's the right thing to do. Once on land when I know I am done in the ocean, the regular sunscreen comes out.
Here is what PADI has to say:
https://www2.padi.com/blog/2017/09/07/best-natural-sunscreen-scuba-diving-snorkeling/
Sunscreen best practices
Choose to cover up rather than slather on. A long-sleeved rashguard with UV protection is a better environmental choice than any sunscreen.
Read the label: avoid sunscreens containing oxybenzone, butylparaben, octinoxate or 4-methylbenzylidine camphor. Even a small amount can cause coral bleaching.
Apply sunscreen at least 15 minutes before going in the water so the product can absorb into your skin. This also improves its effectiveness.
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29 minutes ago, StayFrosty said:
@twangster When are you going to CocoCay? I am looking forward to you pictures.
August.
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Puerto Rico is a US territory. No immigration when arriving from the US mainland.
Taxi is probably the best way. It should be flat rate but they do charge a small amount for every piece of luggage. Make sure the taxi driver knows you are going to the international pier for Royal Caribbean since there are two cruise piers in San Juan. The bus transfer through Royal is another option.
At the end of the cruise when you go to the airport to fly home all luggage in San Juan has to go through agriculture inspection. Do this before checking in with your airline.
Old San Juan is a beautiful city full of history. Hopefully you have time to explore it. One of the benefits of starting a cruise in San Juan is you get an extra port to start with.
- Clear Laker and Baked Alaska
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Like the TSA at airports, gov't issued ID is not required for minors.
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Take a look in the live blogs section of the message boards.
If I recall correctly, @Traveler had some luck in the casino on Rhapsody.
@Auto has a trip report from Rhapsody as well:
Finally, @Matt who owns and operates this site has blogged from Rhapsody departing from Tampa:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2018/03/18/rhapsody-of-the-seas-live-blog-day-1-embarkation-day
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If you ask @Matt who runs this site he'll tell you Harmony remains his favorite ship even after sailing Symphony.
They are very close to each other. Entertainment is different plus a few restaurants are different. Other than that they are pretty much the same. Symphony carries a premium because she is new.
Both are great ships and 400€ is a lot of money.
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I'm waiting to see how a similar situation works out for me since the sailing I remained on dropped in price significantly. I was told I will get 50% off the new lower price, not be stuck at 50% off the original higher price. The latter, 50% off original price is still a good deal but 50% off the new lower price is even better. My reservation number remains the same but my total shows the new rate anyone can book online. I was told within 24-48 hours the 50% off will be applied.
My original booking was fully refundable by choice. New Majesty bookings are fully refundable by default. I booked the cruise before mine to create a B2B and now both are fully refundable.
In your case the 50% may be occurring because the reservation didn't change.
I don't think paying it off matters. Even if your balance is zero if they figure out the 50% was incorrectly applied it will be removed and you will have a balance. By wording of the offer you shouldn't be eligible for 50% off since you changed ships. In that sense if it ends up you get it that's great but if they come back and deny the 50% I wouldn't be upset.
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21 minutes ago, gMint said:
Cheers.
And the fact I’ve used a future cruise cert doesn’t make a difference?
No. I use FCC more often then I'd care for and it doesn't factor into price or cabin changes. In fact I've cancelled cruises that had FCC applied to them and have been able to get the FCC re-issued.
The 90 day rule is the one to watch out for unless it's a 3 or 4 night sailing than it's 75 days. This is the final payment due date. Once past final payment due date no one is eligible for price adjustments. In the distant past they might have sometimes offered OBC for price drops after the final payment due date but that stopped in late 2017. Past final payment due date they will usually allow you to upgrade to a better cabin if the new cabin costs more.
Question about Perfect Day waterpark
in Royal Caribbean Discussion
Posted
Can you post the source? That is a requirement I've never heard and I'd be surprised if that were the case.
"The Key" requires everyone in a cabin to purchase it, but that is not associated with Perfect Day.