Ray

10 hours ago, Laurie V. said:

. I was able to get one rented that will be delivered to my stateroom. I was just wondering are there any areas on board I wont be able to go to? 

On the Ice Rink

Was in San Juan last year enjoyed it that much going back in 5 months time and i cant speak Spanish in fact being Scottish it takes me all my time to talk English lol 

16 minutes ago, coneyraven said:

I've heard a lot of folks reference Orient Beach

This is a clothing optional beach 

I just hope you don't let this spoil your vacation. 

First time you walk into your friends upgraded suite and you think this should have been ours!

Also hope those that received upgrade knowing how upset you are at missing out, don't let it spoil their vacation by feeling that you are annoyed and jealous etc that they got a bonus instead of you , you are all there to celebrate a birthday not worry about cabins 

2 hours ago, Flacruiser99 said:

However try to be neat and not look like a slob.

Everyone's dress sense is different, i would never wear knee length socks with sandals or tuck a dress shirt into shorts, if i see someone dressed this way im not going to judge call them a slob or let it ruin my meal, each to their own we are all on vacation and i couldnt care what anyone wears 

 you are on vacation so dress in what you are comortable in and what YOU want to wear, dont worry about what others think, you are on vacation so just enjoy it without worrying about the fashion police. 

23 hours ago, Cez said:

who's responsible for that ? Captain or pilot ?

Apparently some lawyer in the US has said that its carnivals own fault and they should be held accountable, as both captain and pilot used to do this type of thing when they were children playing in the bathtub with rubber boats. 

14 hours ago, Atlantix2000 said:

@Ray, I was trying to describe the generic gratuity/service fee situation in other parts of the world vs the US.  I see referring to the poster's trip confused that point.

What I meant is that prices elsewhere are "all in", no extras needed but the US insists on making things complicated.  Let's say the fair price for a certain hotel room is $100.  Most parts of the world, you'd get a bill for $100.  In the US, you'd get a $70 room charge + $10 state tax + $10 resort fee + $5 city tax = $95.  But then, that US hotel doesn't pay its workers properly so you should really also leave a $5 tip for the maid.  In the end, either way your total cost is $100 for the room and service.  I know I'd prefer the first method though.

If you are talking about hotels then yes, however booking a cruise in US or UK is the same, decide your dates, pick your cabin then once you have cabin price tick the box to add on prepaid gratuities to the total. 

Unfortunately some cities in the UK are now following other countries and are adding on city tax 

On 12/17/2019 at 10:31 PM, Atlantix2000 said:

In the UK, Europe, Japan, etc, these fees would absolutely be included in the total cost of your trip.  In the US, they are a separate line item but should still be considered part of the total cost.

 

Wrong...in UK we have same system as in US, a separate line asking if we wish to prepay gratuities. If we tick yes then the daily amount is then added to the bill. 

9 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

What is wrong with this family?

Simple Answer =$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Get your cellphone unlocked so you can purchase a sim card in dublin. If you buy the data PAYG pack it will be a lot less and you can use it anywhere in Europe at no extra cost. So when you are walking about the streets of dublin or Reykjavik your cellphone can be on as normal just using the data on the pack you buy

Pan american 

https://floatingfestivals.co.uk/jane-mcdonald/festival-details/

For anyone interested  

This can only be booked on the above link, No sailings for this week are listed on RC site 

Must admit i have never been to Ireland so i cannot comment on whats best. 

All i know is coming from good Irish catholic gypsy stock, is that my Ancestors left Ireland when the local Waitrose ran out of Potatoes and none of us ever went back

2 hours ago, berkeleykel said:

The Adventure sailings are listed in the blog as going to St. Petersburg, Russia and I would assume that's the St. Petersburg that the OP wants to go since they called it a bucket list destination!

On my bucket list also

When i sailed on Freedom last Nov was onboard by 11am  drink in hand by 11: 05 lol 

If booking cruise through UK site either use Top cash back to get £££ paid back into your bank account or tell TA the amount you can get back in cash so they lower their price by the amount you would receive 

True scotsman.....its all about the £££ and tighter than 2 coats of paint lol 

7 minutes ago, YOLO said:

I for one would actually start gambling on cruise ships if the casinos were entirely smoke free.  So I wonder how many gamblers would quit and how many new ones would start...

Im a smoker and on FOTS last year there were times i had to leave the casino for fresh air! 

My clothes and what hair i have left smelt of smoke. 

You cannot smoke in bars or restaurants, even in casinos on land so why not stop it on cruiseships? 

In my opinion it would make it more enjoyable 

Is it April 1st already? 

If RC ban smoking on ships then this would apply to crew as well, so i very much doubt it would be a complete ban.

They may ban it from the casino which is in doors, which in my opinion as a smoker they should do. 

Welcome to the Boards  

As a fellow brit the only advice i can give is to remember that a Visa or Esta doesn't mean you just walk through customs, you could be unlucky and be picked out for any reason resulting in a missed flight 

https://wgntv.com/2019/10/28/northwest-indiana-grandfather-charged-in-puerto-rico-cruise-ship-death/

Link says everything needed to say 

2 hours ago, twangster said:

Cruises always increase in price over time as they book.  You can not compare the price months ago to any new promotion.  Same holds true in the US where promotions run rampant.  

Just like in the US there is the fine print "selected sailings".  If a cruise is selling well why would they discount it?  The selected sailings tend to be ones that aren't as popular and therefore have slow sales.  

Totally agree, however having watched my booking both in UK and US the best deal was when it first appeared, since then every RC deal no matter what they offer has been more expensive. 

Thats 60% off once they have added 120%   cruise  i booked way back is £800 more than it was before. 

Aliens???? I always thought it was the Loch Ness Monster sinking the ships while on a Caribbean vacation 

Decorations on freedom went up just after Thanksgiving last year, so i would imagine this was the same across all RC Ships