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Larry Muster

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Posts posted by Larry Muster

  1. Windjammer is just not an option for me.  My love for the MDR is so strong that I’d put up with just about any sort of seating situation in the MDR.  Would love to hear about anyone else that has done this to see what seating configuration they encountered.

  2. I saw this topic discussed once before but now I can’t find it.  I booked a solo cruise on Serenade in October for a steal!  I am signed up for the 530 dining in MDR but am wondering how they will handle this.  My preference would be to be seated with others but a solo table is fine as well.  Any idea what I can expect?

  3. There is a cruise planner promotion going on.  Is there a banner or something that should appear that indicates if my sailing has a discount?  I didn’t note prices previously so I can’t really tell if there is a discount.  I’m booked on Adventure in August and Serenade in October and the Delux Package seems to be $45 for Adventure and $42 for Serenade.

  4. Booked my first cruise through John Hancock Vitality program.  I’m at the Gold level with JH that gets me 40% off.  I showed it to my MEI Travel contact who agreed it was a pretty amazing deal and way better than what he could offer.

    The website I had to submit payment on felt a little sketchy but all of the other John Hancock rewards have worked out fine so I went forward and made it happen.  

  5.  I’m wondering about the communication package that they advertise for certain ships.   If we get that for the kids, and I already have the Internet package do I also need to purchase the communications package to communicate with them, or can I do the same thing through my Internet package?   I’m also curious about how it works. The advertisement says that you communicate with anybody else that has the package on the ship.   Do you build an address book of people or is it pre-populated with everybody on the ship? 

     

  6.  I am traveling with friends next week on anthem. They have decided not to do the online check-in. Anyone have any insight into what the boarding experience is like if you did not do the online check-in? 

     I’m assuming that other than not having luggage tags it’s not too big of a deal but I’m not sure. 

     

  7. All of the other rewards with John Hancock Vitality have been exactly as advertised and any fine-print was up front.  For example, I got a free iWatch, but they were totally up front about how many steps per month I needed to get to avoid having to pay. 

    For the cruise benefit, I am at the 30% off tier and I submitted an inquiry through the agent required in the John Hancock program.

    I plugged in two of my upcoming cruises to compare what JH says I will spend compared to what I actually booked it for.  On my ’19 Symphony cruise, JH showed me only about a $500 savings on my balcony room.  On my ’18 Adventure cruise, JH shows about $1000 on my balcony room. 

    Based on the caps built into the program, I may use it on the Adventure cruise but not the Symphony.  Saving only $500 is not worth it, especially when the JH program requires me to pay in full up front.

    -Larry

  8. Has anyone ever heard of John Hancock Vitality?  This is not a sales pitch but is going to sound like one. 

    I was making some changes to my life insurance and my agent asked me about Vitality because he knew I liked to cruise.  Vitality is a savings/life insurance plan that encourages healthy living through various challenges and activities that earn you points.  As you earn points you unlock certain benefits.  One of the benefits is discounted Royal Caribbean cruises.  To use the benefit I have to book the cruise through a specific website.  I’m nearing the tier where the discount jumps to a level that I’d consider using it.

    At the top tier the benefit claims 50% off and is capped at X nights per year and Y nights lifetime.  It just sounds too good to be true and I feel like there is some other fine print that is going to make it less than what it appears at face value.  Anyone else heard of Vitality and tried this? 

     

    Larry

  9. What does it mean when someone from Royal Caribbean contacts you to introduce themselves as your "Cruise Consultant?"  

    I received the call Saturday evening, and the person inquired about my recent cruise and introduce themselves as my Cruise Consultant.  They asked if there was anything I needed help with on any of my future reservations or any new reservations I might want to make. She was able to help me with one item related to dining times on my next cruise as well as one other thing that I needed assistance on. 

    My question is what exactly is a Cruise consultant? Do they make commission off of any bookings I make with them like a travel agent?  Also, does everyone get a Cruise consultant? 

    Thank you in advance for any answers. 

     

    -Larry Muster

  10. 12 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

    Sure.  All you have to do is tell the maitre'd that you want to share a table.  They will make sure you find someone to sit with !!

    So pre-cruise I don't need to do anything other than sign up for the dining time I want.  Then when I get onboard I need to talk to them at that point?  Thanks for the help.

  11. One of my favorite parts of cruising is ending the day in the main dining room with friends and the wonderful servers who are simply amazing.  I normally travel with friends and my girlfriend (who is a teacher).  However because she is a teacher, time off can be difficult so sometimes I travel solo.  Traveling solo is AMAZING, but I miss out on the MDR dining experience as it can be uncomfortable to eat alone in that setting.

    Is there a way to be seated with other couples/singles looking to dine together?  I’m not looking for the singles scene, just dining companions and maybe friends to be a Schooner trivia team!  I’d appreciate any thoughts / suggestions you may have.

    By the way – my tip is that if the price is right, cruising as a single is a fast way to earn loyalty points because paying double occupancy gets you 2X.

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