KJ1231

We have 3 trips planned starting the first weekend in October. Quick weekend trip (flight and rental car) to Charlotte, NC and then Columbia SC with my daughter to visit my son in school. Then the 4 of us cruising 5 nights in December/January (flights, cruise, rental car after to visit my father for a couple days). Finally, a 4-day cruise in March.

Would this be enough to warrant an annual policy versus individual policies? Anyone know the difference between the Allianz Prime and Premier plans? I get quotes for 4 of us with Prime @ $996, Basic @ $500 and Premier @ $450. "All Trips Premier" actually has the highest coverages and the lowest rate which doesn't make sense to me. I would probably "upgrade" to $5K of cancellation insurance from the base $2,000 which would cover the most expensive of the 3 trips.

Thoughts?

58 minutes ago, RBRSKI said:

Haven't  decided if we are taking Alaska Railway(not open to book yet)  as non RCCL guest which would leave early Friday morning or taking the RCCL train that leaves later in the afternoon.  

We looked at both trains 6 AM and the afternoon RCCL train and went with the afternoon RCCL train. The train ride was a great start to the cruise. You go to the convention center in Anchorage instead of the train station where they take your bags and bus you to the train station. Upon arrival at the train station you do your check-in, get picture taken, etc so that when you get to the port it's less than 10 minutes to get to the boat. The train ride itself is an excursion with food and drink and the hosts/hostesses explaining a lot of what you'll see. My wife and I had a table to ourselves in a domed car - I don't think we got anything special as the cars looked the same except the one with the bar. We saw eagles, dawl sheep, bison and moose; glaciers, waterfalls, etc. The train slowed down for many of the sites so we could get pictures. I have no idea if the morning train does the same thing.

When you arrive at Seward the train pulls up beside the ship whereas the morning train leaves you with some distance to walk.

Those bags they collected at the convention center will be waiting at your cabin when get onboard.

Others have taken the morning train so they can weigh in. The main advantage of the morning train would be you can either spend time in Seward or get on the ship earlier. We arrived in time to move our bags from the cabin into the room when it was time for muster.

When people ask about our trip we tell them that the train ride was one of the highlights of the trip...

When in Anchorage try and visit the Anchorage Museum. When we were there they had a wonderful display of the various native Alaskan people including clothing, tools, utensils, etc. It was fascinating!!  

Co-worker is headed to Alaska the first week in September and they got an email last night that their helicopter/dog sled excursion was canceled.

18 hours ago, Baked Alaska said:

We are scheduled for July 2019 Southbound Alaska on ROTS. We have the following shore excursions booked and would be interested in your experiences. DS will be 14 1/2 on this trip.

In ANC two days before embarkation Rusty's Fly-out Fly fishing.

Go to the Anchorage Museum - it was wonderful! Great exhibits detailing life and culture of native Alaskans (Tlingit, etc.). We could have spent a couple days there!! We also did Trolley tour which was informative.

Day 3 Juneau Fly-Out Fly Fishing (DH and DS), Mount Roberts Tramway (will buy tickets on shore) whole family, and Tracy's King Crab Shack (late lunch/early dinner) whole family

We did whale watching and Mendenhall Glacier before eating gimongous crab legs at Tracy's. Crab legs and soup were delicious and really enjoyed the root beer! Tram was down for awhile when we were there so did not get to ride.

Day 4 Skagway On our own: Klondike Gold Rush/National Historic Park whole family @twangster: Many thanks for the recommendation

Day 5 Icy Strait Point In Alaska's Wildest Kitchen (me), Icy Strait Point Stream Fishing (DH and DS)

My wife did the Wildest Kitchen and loved it. We got our case of canned salmon a few days after we got home and my wife is using the ideas/recipes she got to make some delicious food! She really enjoyed it and the salmon cakes she makes now are delicious. I went birdwatching and saw folks fishing in at least one stream that we passed

Day 6 Ketchikan Knudson Cove Salmon Fishing whole family

We went on the duckboat and after what happened in Missouri I would not recommend it!

We were there 6/22-6/29 so the salmon run had not started yet.

We had a FANTASTIC time in June and planning another Alaska cruise in 2020!!

 

We did Radiance this summer. We got off in Vancouver and rented a card which was really convenient with the rentals (we used Alamo) being right at the dock when we disembarked. We went to Seattle for two nights (Space Needle, Chiluly Gardens was great! and Pike's), Whidbey Island - great B&B on a horse farm! - for one night and then back to Vancouver for the day and flew from Vancouver that night. In Vancouver we did Granville Public Market. Crowded but lots of shops and food! My wife was the one who wanted to do Seattle over Vancouver. Whidbey Island was beautiful!

Looks like they got it straightened out and I switched from bungalow to deluxe cabana at CocoCay. Hopefully price drops a bit from the current $309

On ‎8‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 10:26 AM, twangster said:

Occasionally Sitka appears on limited itineraries.  Sailing out of Seattle generally will call on Victoria which typically isn't offered on the one-way North/South cruises.

Don't discount the Seattle round trip Alaska cruises.  I've done both and enjoyed both very much.  My pattern is Southbound, Seattle round trip, Southbound, Seattle roundtrip.

2020 is unknown.  With more and bigger ships doing Alaska it is possible more ports or lesser used ports may become more common.  

 

Thanks - another line offers a 14-day (all cruise - no land) that includes most of the Radiance ports and adds Anchorage, Homer, Kodiak,  Sitka and Victoria on a r/t from Seattle. Would love to do something similar on RCCL....

Thanks for all the great info. My son and I are doing the Discover Scuba Diving excursion in Grand Cayman on 12/31.

We are going next March and just signed up for the Tru Bahamian Tour. We like to try new foods and this looks like it gives a short tour so we can see some places we want to revisit when the tour is over.

https://www.trubahamianfoodtours.com/

Any chance RCCL will add additional ports in Alaska? We loved our cruise on Radiance and want to go again but hoping there are other ports we can visit.

3 hours ago, DDemuth said:

If you're interested in a bungalow or cabana, check often for sales.  We saw prices for cabanas as high as $329 but bought during a Cruise Planner sale for $230.

$279 for a bungalow today so grabbed one and will continue to watch.

So I booked surprise cruise for my wife and I on Enchantment next March (8th-11th). When I look at the cruise planner it has a number of CocoCay excursions listed under Nassau. For example, bungalows are listed for CocoCay on 3/10 when we are actually there. Deluxe cabanas for CocoCay are listed under Nassau on 3/9. Having never been to the Bahamas I looked at the map and while not real close, is it possible to go from Nassau to CocoCay by tender? Or is there a mixup in the planner?

Nassau: https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/cruiseplanner/category/1002/booking/product/100000002632983094

CocoCay: https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/cruiseplanner/category/1002/booking/product/100000003092977260

UPDATE: Downloaded excursion brochure and cabanas (deluxe or regular) are nowhere to be found.

19 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

It's an addiction....a very, very bad addiction. Welcome to Cruiseaholics anonymous And congrats on 30 years!

Thanks! Already involved in one 12-step program. Not ready for another 

So - my wife and her sister decided last year that we would do a cruise this year and we had a great cruise in Alaska. I have never hear anyone say that had a bad time in Alaska and many I talk to have an Alaskan cruise on their bucket list. Guess we started at the top....

Anyway - we had a blast and realized the benefits of cruise vacations versus our usual rent a house at the beach (New Jersey or Isle of Palms, SC). So we told our kids (20 and 17) that there won't be much under the Christmas tree this year because we're taking them to the Caribbean (5-night, Brilliance, 12/29, Grand Cayman, Cozumel).

And then my wife and I will be married 30 years on 2/25/19 and my wife' turns 60 on 3/11/19. What shoud we do? I know - quick cruise! At the same time I get an email from Casino Royale offering a discount and then learn about myVegas to earn even more OBC or discounts on here. On top of that, MEI was including gratuities (on the 12/29 cruise, too!). Who  can resist. My wife wasn't keen on the idea but that's too bad! We sail on Enchantment (3-night, 3/8/19, Nassau, Coco Cay). Woot! She saw the $200 charge on her RCCL credit card and I told her it was for excursions on the 12/29 cruise. Wonder how long I can keep the surprise from her!

I'm blaming you guys if she gets mad at me!! Once she realizes we can spend 2 days on the beach, just the two of us, I think she'll get over it!  Need recommendations for best beach experiences on this one - I don't drink alcohol, she has occasional beer or wine so alcoholic beverages aren't a factor.

Ahem - MEI is offering pre-paid gratuities as a perk for balcony and above. Deal ends today

On ‎7‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 3:06 PM, jurrjurr said:

go to the rewards tab in MyVegas and look for the Royal Caribbean thumbnail.  Redeem the $100 obc voucher.  You will receive a code in the email/mobile app. 

I got to the 25K point which can get a 10% discount but it says it CAN'T be combined with other Casino Royale offers. Have you ever tried using the 10%? or just OBC?

10-4....have a little ways to go to ge ther. THANKS!!

18 minutes ago, jurrjurr said:

go to the rewards tab in MyVegas and look for the Royal Caribbean thumbnail.  Redeem the $100 obc voucher.  You will receive a code in the email/mobile app.

2 hours ago, jurrjurr said:

If your spouse also has a MyVegas acct, try redeeming the $100obc voucher for each of you.  Basing off the website, should be $1045 + $75 promo obc + $200 MyVegas obc

Where do I get the voucher?

Following now - was looking at 3-day cruises in February. Enchantment  out of Orlando/Canaveral on 2/22 still has Coco Cay on the itinerary. I was also looking at the Mariner sailing on 2/22 from Miami. Yesterday it was a 3-day with Coco Cay. Today it is a 2-day to Nassau and back.

I called the number and it was Club Royale. I had been looking a ta 3-nighter in February 2019 for our 30th anniversary. No balconies were left. Ocean View when I used the website came up with $1,045 with $75 OBC. The gent from CR gave me a price of $980 with same OBC - so $65 discount. I gave the code to my MEI person and she was going to call to see what she gets. I called after I gave her the code so waiting to hear back.

I'm on Level 26 of MyVegas already 

Here's screen shots of the email:

On our recent Radiance cruise in Alaska I stopped in the casino twice. First night played blackjack for a couple hours and lost $100. Came back on our last day, played in the blackjack tourney ($25) and after getting knocked out in first round put up another $100 and walked away with about $300. So definitely not a high roller.

Today I got an email with my "unique offer code" but seems it can only be redeemed/used by calling my "casino cruise consultant" or pass it on to a travel agent. I passed along the info to MEI but curious as to what it's really worth. Any ideas? 

Should have asked this before but curious as to how people travel with "adult: children?

We have 4 kids - 2 (34yo and 28yo) have left the coop, 20yo son in college and 17yo daughter is a senior in high school.

The two younger ones are going with my wife and I on Brilliance in December. We booked adjoining balcony rooms. In looking at the boards I see threads with talk of suites with Pullmans, etc. We get along great so 4 of us in 1 room would not be bad but wondering what the pros and cons would be.

PROS:

• lower price per person - 4 in a suite cheaper than 2 balcony rooms?
• benefits of staying in a suite (C&A, etc.)

CONS:

• 4 people, 1 bathroom
• kids are a boy and a girl and double sofa bed won't work. Extra bed needed

I know there is probably a few more pros & cons so please add to the list

Info will come in handy if/when I can convince the older ones to join us, too!

So when we booked out latest cruise through MEI I logged onto my RC account and another cruise showed up on my account (in addition to my cruise). I called RC and they said they would straighten it out. My wife logged onto the account and much to her surprise saw my cruise with Jacob and she called them, too, hoping I had not booked a cruise with another guy for next week!

I logged on today and it says I'm cruising in 9 days:

• Your 5 Night Havana Overnight & Cozumel
• Sailing On Majesty Of The Seas
• From 01 Aug 2018 - 06 Aug 2018

Apparently there's another Kenneth Johnston out there who has no idea that I could cancel his excursions, etc. Actually I wish I was going on the cruise.....

If anyone is on Majesty next week, please say hello to Ken and Jacob for me......

I had sent a message through the RC website on this topic and the response from shorex@rccl.com was:

"Kindly note that it is generally recommended that guests allow at least 45 minutes between tours.

Shore Excursion times are established according to information received from the local tour operators, and may be subject to change should the vessel's arrival time at the port be delayed, or should circumstances arise whereby the itinerary for a particular Shore Excursion must be altered".

Now that I think about it, my birdwatching excursion in Hoonah/Icy Strait was moved up from 8:30 to 7:30.

Thinking we'll stick with the early excursion and then if it's possible to still do a second when we get back then we can book it at the pier.

THANKS AGAIN! 

Explore More Bonus is showing up on the RC website. So it looks like the price remained the same for our 12/29 cruise on Brilliance but the "Explore More Bonus" OBC is available. We booked a balcony less than 6 months in advance so maybe $25 each OBC... every little bit helps