twangster

So far other ships such as Anthem, Grandeur, Enchantment and Mariner are retaining their January and February calls on CocoCay. This appears to impact only Vision and only January and February. Vision's 1/26/19 and 3/2/19 itineraries have not dropped CocoCay. They've updated the booking engine this morning to reflect the change. Emails went out last night at midnight. Dear , We look forward to welcoming your clients' aboard their January 5th, 2019 Vision of the Seas cruise. Before they embark on an amazing adventure we wanted you to share an itinerary update with them. While we are transforming our private destination, CocoCay, into Perfect Day at CocoCay, we have experienced a minor delay. As a result, we've had to replace their visit to CocoCay with the beautiful Miami, Florida. It's important to us that every moment of their vacation is extraordinary and we're sorry for the change. However, Miami is packed full with great activities and shopping opportunities. Enjoy the Frost Museum for a thrilling educational experience. Or lounge on world-renowned beaches. Otherwise, if your clients are more into exploring nature, the Everglades offer the only subtropical preserve in North America! Whatever they do, there's an activity for everyone. For your convenience, their updated itinerary is outlined below. Day Port of Call Arrive Depart Sat New Orleans, Louisiana 4:30 PM Sun Cruising Mon Cruising Tue Miami, Florida 8:00 AM 6:00 PM Wed Nassau, Bahamas 7:00 AM 4:00 PM Thu Key West, Florida 10:00 AM 7:00 PM Fri Cruising Sat New Orleans, Louisiana 7:00 AM Any pre-paid shore excursions scheduled for CocoCay will be refunded to their original form of payment. Within the next 2 business days, they will receive an email from our Shore Excursions Department advising of their refund details. Then they will be able to book new excursions for Miami online via our Cruise Planner at http://bit.ly/RCCruisePlanner. We thank you for your understanding. We can't wait to welcome your clients' onboard the beautiful Vision of the Seas soon. Sincerely, Royal Caribbean International

I'm not a fan of seafood. I'll eat a shrimp but it's not elevated experience it is for some. Same with crab, lobster, etc. Sushi is meh. I wouldn't pay for it beyond a California Roll with friends that crave it. My son is confirmed allergic to shellfish. Maybe he got it from my dislike of such things. In my case it isn't anaphylactic like it is with him. I'm the opposite of Matt. I'll swim and dive with fishes all day but hate seafood. He will eat them any day but refuse to swim with them.

I always bring my own, much like I do when traveling for business.

Can you post the email? Thanks!

I thank you for the heads up notice!

I booked Vision departing 1/5, the sailing after yours. No email yet it appears to be altered as well but it's still being sold as if it includeds CocoCay: As offered: Once in the Cruise Planner CocoCay has been replaced by Miami:

I'm on 1/5/19. So far it still appears to include CocoCay.

You pay for our cabins and be the odd stranger walking past on the snow covered pool deck... in your swim gear. Deal? You won't have to actually apply any sunscreen, we'll just catch your response before ending the scope.

Ocean conditions vary. The engineer in me very much doubts Symphony is any different in design from a hull perspective compared to Harmony. I'm on the transatlantic in October so I'll let you know ?

I can save you the phone call. To achieve OWD you'll need to perform four check dives. Two are often accomplished in pools, two are typically performed in open water. The last two have specific steps that your instructor must complete with you. They are very different from a "Discover Scuba" session. For example during OWD training you will learn how to remove your mask underwater and put it back on then clear it it. This is a required step for OWD certification. That is not part of any Discover Scuba session.

Yes she is, but she cost me a bunch of money a few hours ago that I'll likely not regret so add that to cost of participation here in the message boards.

With 300+ days you are likely better to wait for a sale, US Thanksgiving comes to mind.

Welcome to the message boards! This is an awkward age for many things, including but not limited to cruising. I took my friend's daughter with me on Allure last year. She was 19 at that time. We've cruised together before several times but when she was younger. She is like a daughter to me and I've been in her life for it's entirety but it's been interesting. Just like my own children, things change at this age and they don't want to hang around us old folks or do the "kids" programs on board because... they aren't kids anymore. They are not kids and beside... they know more than us at this point. I get that. The challenge is one we all face as our kids grow up. When and how to let go but not let go so much. How to protect when they don't think they need protection but we know better. So, with much trepidation you let them explore more including more freedom on a cruise. Kids (ok not kids) have a way of finding each other at this age because they are all in the same boat (ship but let's not go there). That did happen and I put more than a few extra miles on my shoes keeping watch at a distance but in the end it all worked out. There were some events for this age group that I escorted her to but was not allowed to enter while keeping the requested distance away but they didn't meet the expectation so we moved on. I think it's different with girls but I shouldn't need to explain that here. Since, I have often wondered how she really felt about this experience. It came up in conversation last week and she talked about this cruise with enthusiasm. Perhaps she just wants to go on more cruises ?. I guess the point is, try to keep them engaged and involved to the extent that you know your son while not trying to be overt about it. You know him better than he does yet understand stuff is changing. Overall, follow your heart and let loose the reins a bit as you see fit, yet be prepared to be their safety net or comfort zone when required. This is a learning and growing phase for them too, even if they already know everything. Allure was a positive experience for us despite not having a structured program from the cruise line for this age group to depend on. I hope it matches that for your son.

Welcome to many of our worlds. It's easy when they are young, but gets more complex when they are older. Once they all leave the nest? Well, that's a story for another day...

Exactly. Plus the steamship lines, brothels, bars. etc. They probably made more than 99% than the gold rushers did.

Just realized @tdiazfarmer that we will be on the same Ovation sailing as you. See you next year!

I've booked Ovation for June 2019. If @Matt comes through on those beers he owes me, I might even live blog my cruise.

Like @Boston Babe offered, there is where a good travel agent can be invaluable. The good ones can navigate through the fog of rules, policies and conditions and get things done.

Can I ask for my other cruise credit back as well? The one I applied to the cruise balance? So essentially, receiving $900 in Cruise Credits back from Royal? When you booked and they accepted the $450 FCC and applied it to this cruise, did they also require and charge an additional $450 deposit? If the FCC satisfied the deposit requirement I wouldn't think you could double dip on it. If you had to pay a separate deposit then you *might* have a shot but in doing so they will likely see the original 2/3/19 date for the 1st FCC and reinstate them with that requirement, if they allow it to be re-issued at all. I have an upcoming cruise in 60 days (that I am NOT canceling). Can I use my Cruise Credit toward that cruise even if we've paid the cruise in full already? Would they give me my cruise credit as On-Board Credit? P.S. I realize I can only use my Cruise Credit, not the entire $900 Unlikely with only 60 days remaining. It's past final payment due date so I going out on a limb and guessing you won't be able to do this. Prior to final payment due date (90 days) you might have be able to do so. OOOOOOOOOOOOOR...should I wait to cancel the cruise so my Future Credit lasts longer? Final payment on the July, 2019 cruise isn't due until April 1, 2019. Should I cancel in March so I have a year to use all the Cruise Credit received? Interesting question. Was the 1st FCC expiring date 2/3/19 based on cruise date or date you cancelled the 1st cruise? The websites references the "issue" date: Non-refundable deposit: Non-refundable deposit booking (“NRDB”) cancelled prior to final payment due date will receive a future cruise credit in the amount of the deposit minus a $100 per person service fee. FCC is non-transferable and expires after 12-months from issue date.

I'd move. Most call center agents haven't been on the ships. Typically the RCI website shows stock dimensions for a cabin class not individual dimensions for each cabin. I haven't stayed in those exact cabins though. And welcome to the message boards!

That would be funny. Sit on their towel. Put on their flip flops. Read their magazine. Wait for them to return. That might be scope worthy.

Spa services on board are handled by a 3rd party, Steiner. They do a lot of cruise lines and very possibly were behind any Disney Spa services you enjoyed. For this reason the services offered tend to be somewhat consistent across the fleet. I recall doing a live blog here where someone asked about any spa teen age restrictions so I called the spa while on board and asked them. No problems. I don't recall a specific Teen Spa program but at the end of the day the spa is a profit center and often looking for business. I'd be surprised if your 17 yo had a problem getting spa services with you there by his side.

Always be careful reading reviews from regular guests. You never know what their expectation was or what their travel resume looks like. Some people don't travel well. Even long time friends have sometimes turned into not so good travel mates at times. Traveling around the world and expecting it be American everywhere is going to lead to disappointment yet some people do exactly that. Other people embrace the cultural differences. For me those differences are why I want to travel abroad. If it will be very close to a home experience why bother sitting on airplane for a day to get there?

Don't ever spend money on something that isn't right for you. Wait until it will meet your desires.

In general I think that any cruise is going to be a cultural experience that reflects where the majority of the guest population comes from. Sometimes Europeans dislike cruising in North America on American cruise lines for this exact reason. That was a major reason why MSC first brought ships here so that their customer base could have the same experience they get on MSC cruises in Europe. In that case they marketed the ship to Europeans who would fly over and cruise the Caribbean. The guest population had few Americans on board, only those that found the ship somehow and booked it. With 4,500 Chinese guests and a handful of other nationalities on Quantum out of Shanghai I would expect it to be anything but an American experience. One cultural difference is the personal sense of space. I think it is more of a cultural norm in China, at least in the large cities, to find crowded elevators and transit systems. I don't think it is a matter of them not letting you on the elevator so much as it is normal for them to jam pack an elevator to the point where Americans wouldn't feel comfortable getting on but it just how they live their lives at home everyday. They are more aggressive in crowds because they have to be at home. Royal isn't trying to provide an American experience rather they are trying to provide a cultural experience that Chinese guests will feel comfortable with in their own country. That is how they will create return guests who want to cruise more. Spectrum for example was built for the Chinese market. It was designed to suit this culture and reflect Chinese consumers with the goal of creating a loyal, local customer base. With this awareness I booked Spectrum and Quantum out of Singapore. I'm not expecting a normal American experience but looking forward to more of an Asian experience without the full Chinese experience if I sailed out of Shanghai.