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KJ1231

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Everything posted by KJ1231

  1. There were 8 of us - lots of bags - and he was awesome - loaded all bags on 1 cart that got split between 2 cars. May have been slightly excessive but when we bypassed 100's in line at customs I felt a little generous. Large group, lots of bags and in the car and out of there in record time!
  2. We did the Radiance southbound last year (2018) and liked it so much that we recently booked the northbound for May 2020 and taking 2 youngest, 18 & 21 this time. For us it is definitely the itinerary. And we enjoy the smaller ships ? If I were to do Ovation it would only be the itinerary that includes Glacier Bay. If I'm not mistaken - Ovation only stops at Juneau and Skagway. Radiance also stops at Icy Strait. For some that's not a great port however we had a great time there and look forward to stopping again.
  3. Also helps if you know how to make it! Have friends that are bartenders who will make any drink you ask for IF you can tell them how to make it.
  4. No - we left our bags out the night before. As soon as we got to the baggage area we grabbed a porter. He loaded about 12 bags for the 8 of us and whisked us off to customs where the wait was less than 5 minutes. He then took the bags to the lower lever of the parking garage. We brought the 2 cars down and the porter them up and we were on our way. Well worth the $60 ($40 from me; $20 from my son-in-law) considering the long line to get through customs.
  5. I was set to book a 14-day Alaska cruise with HA for 2020 but when they released their itineraries they dropped the additional ports (Homer, Kodiak, Sitka in addition to Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, etc.) that made it attractive. We're doing Radiance again. 4 cruises - all with RC. My in-laws were the ones who chose RC for the 1st one, not us. To be honest, if not for this website we may have tried others. I am a firm believer in not reinventing the wheel. I take advantage of other people experimenting and providing honest feedback. If it ain't broke, don't fix it....
  6. We were on the same cruise as @rjac . There were 8 of us and lots of bags. When disembarking we grabbed a porter and bypassed everyone in customs. There was one person in line in front of us. If you disembark early it my not be a big deal. If later, I know it saved us at least 30 minutes and well worth the extra $$ I tipped the porter. He'll watch your bags while you bring the car down, too! It was less than 30 minutes from the time we swiped our sea pass card to get off the ship til we were in the car and ready to go!
  7. But do they cut off their nose to spite their face? We spent $500for 4 of us on a food and culture tour in Bermuda last week. The gent that led the tour was great and as a restaurant owner himself admitted that they don't expect to make a fortune from the folks on the cruise. They know people will tend to eat and drink alcohol on the ship since it's already paid for. Their hope is that a percentage of the cruisers like Bermuda enough that next time they would fly in and stay longer. From Philadelphia I can be in Bermuda in less than 2 hours. We will go back but probably not via cruise ship unless part of a much longer itinerary. I could fly to Bermuda on a Saturday and have 4 full days in Bermuda and come home Thursday morning. (Same schedule as the 5 night cruise we did) That said, those cities/towns need to factor in how many people return via plane, stay longer and spend much more because of the sampling they got during a cruise.
  8. Sounds like a plan. There will be at least 4 of us so we can rotate in pairs ? Recent Cruise Compass (5/17/19) says Express Departure folks could disembark around 7 so plan to line up around 6:30?
  9. We were on Anthem and they won't punch since the pass is "chipped". Older ships may punch, new ones won't.
  10. We always make a point to talk to crew and address them by name. I learned a lesson a few years ago that explains why. I was walking the streets of Dublin, Ireland with a priest and he would give the homeless on the street a few Euro's here and there and he would always ask their name. Those he'd run into again he would recall their name and say, e.g., "Good morning, Brian!" as he gave them the a few coins. I asked him how he knew their names and he explained that one time he gave a repeat customer a few coins and called him by name. The young man began to cry because no one had called him by name in a long,. long time. Ever since that trip I look at name tags, ask homeless their names and try to remember for next time. One night I had the family in the car when I went to a section of Philly I minister in regularly. As we came off the expressway one of the "regulars" was panhandling. I rolled down the window and said "Good evening, John" as I gave him a dollar. My wife and kids in unison asked how I knew his name. I told them it was John, that I spoke to him before and that he was originally from Pittsburgh. They were amazed. Our cruise last week on Anthem was made so much better by our waiter and waitress in the MDR - Francisco from the Dominican Republic who has been on Anthem for 4.5 years, and Liezly from the Philippines who is on her first contract with RC after working another line (she likes RC a lot more than the other cruise line which she would not name). They took great care of my grandkids during meals - had the high chair at the table before we arrived each night, ketchup smiley faces for the fries, prompt, courteous and always a smile on their face. They were awesome. Its the first time in 4 cruises that I gave wait staff a tip but I always try to remember names for the survey. On North Star last week, Declan from Scotland rode up with us. He is new to working cruise ships and loves it so far. He does North Star and kids stuff. He went on a cruise last year, loved it and went on a couple more to observe before deciding to apply. He filled all of us in on living situation and maybe because he is new it doesn't bother him yet but he was fun to be with for the short ride. Bottom line - I think good interaction with passengers who show a genuine interest in crew is a real pick-me-up for some. If they make a difference in your cruise it doesn't take much - and doesn't have to be $$ - to show your appreciation.
  11. We got diverted from Coco Cay to Freeport back in February/March and did RC's "Family Beach Escape". It is run by Bahama Adventures. Here's a link on Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductDetail-g147420-d12939450-Family_Beach_Escape-Freeport_Grand_Bahama_Island_Bahamas.html It was fine - sand, water, chairs, umbrellas - food and drink included but not sure about alcohol as we don't partake.
  12. We will probably do carry off. Now to figure out what time to plan on leaving the cabin to be in the terminal by 7:00. I would imagine there will be an early rush since the RC train from Seward to Anchorage leaves at 6:45 AM. Is it possible that they will have all the luggage off and sorted in the terminal by 7:00 with a 5:00 arrival? We did Radiance last year but Southbound so no Seward debarkation experience....
  13. Wish I knew this last week. The bed we had on Anthem last week (obstructed balcony - 6170) was awful. 4th cruise and it was the worst bed of the 4. Radiance, Brilliance and Enchantment were all better!
  14. Some may recall that I booked 3 cruises shortly after our inaugural cruise last June. My wife then said "no more cruises". Then we went to the Bahamas in February (the 3rd of the 4) and next thing I know my wife wants to go to "NextCruise" to book the same Bahamas cruise in 2020, partly because they replaced Coco Cay with Freeport. So my philosophy is, if she wants to book a cruise at NextCruise - go for it! We booked our Alaska cruise a week before we sailed to Bermuda. In hindsight we probably should have waited til NextCruise on the Bermuda trip to book. We would have gotten $150 OBC (one balcony, one inside). Note that you can also use MyVegas coupons/certificates after you book with NextCruise. We added $100 OBC to the NextCruise booking mentioned above.
  15. For our Radiance cruise next May we arrive at Seward at 5:00 AM on Friday 5/22. We booked an excursion from 8 AM to 2 PM. We need to be at the boat for the excursion at the dock around 7:30. Unfortunately they don't hold luggage. We will book the train from Seward to Anchorage at 6 PM. We found an outfit that will handle the luggage for us (The Alaskan Bag Lady). With a 5:00 AM arrival, will we be able to disembark and retrieve our bags by 7 AM? OR should we plan to carry our bags off? That will be a pain since we have to pack winter/rain/some summer for this trip. Is there a way to get your luggage in an early time slot? On Anthem last week we had 7 AM arrival and our bag tags were for 10:10 departure. At 9:10 they announced that all passengers could disembark and bags were ready for pickup.
  16. I "purchased" the 10% off certificate on myVegas and received an email with the certificate code. Forwarded email to @michelle at MEI. She sent to RC and Casino Royale deducted the 10% off the total cost of the cruise. Since the cruise is next year we owe $538 less toward final payment.
  17. We just came off Anthem and very few dressed for formal night. Many in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops in the MDR. I wore slacks and and polo on formal night and was better dressed than 90%. Saw one tux and a handful of jackets. I grew up wearing a jacket and tie to school for 12 years and it still doesn’t bother me to get dressed up. That said, I’d be willing to bet that half the men in this country don’t own a suit that fits them and only buy a new one for a wedding or funeral of a close loved one. For a friend or “distant” relative it seems almost anything goes these days. We used to use the line, “well if you got invited to the White House you’d wear a suit”. Well that doesn’t fly anymore, regardless of political affiliation. My pet peeve - ball caps - or any hat - being worn during dinner in the MDR but it would never ruin a meal for my family and I.
  18. Apple is the same. While the coins you have are not shared across apps/devices, if all the apps are logged into with the FB account they will share LP’S.
  19. Was on Anthem last week and had my first JR milkshake. I had seen folks on here rave about them but, honestly, I’ve had far better shakes than that. Maybe it was just the one I had but I would never pay for one. I had the refreshment package and was not charged for the shake.
  20. I think the general rule is never buy coins. Gather the free coins offered via email and notifications and when you have time play them down using auto spin. I use all 3 apps - myVEGAS slots, myVEGAS blackjack and myKONAMI slots. As mentioned on another thread, I just cashed 200,000 points for a 10% off certificate for our Alaska cruise which netted $569 in savings. I’ve used it twice in the past for the $100 OBC. As mentioned, you need to apply discounts/OBC within 14 days of making a reservation so you need to play now for future cruises. I’m not 100% certain what happens if you re-book to save $$. Since this activity falls under Casino Royale you may lose it on a re-book. We should start a “sticky” thread for people that play so we can send each other coins ?
  21. Well we found a 6-hour tour with Seward Ocean Excursions so will be looking to get the 6:00 PM train to Anchorage. Will RC take care of getting luggage to the train for us? Or will we have to figure out another plan. We'll stay in Anchorage Friday night and Talkeetna Saturday night. Thanks for all the help!!
  22. After I cut the tags I slip the scissors into the tag holder and then slide the tag along the scissors. The vinyl clings together so having something solid to slide the tag along makes it much easier.
  23. We were on Deck 6 with an obstructed view balcony on Anthem. We had 3 adjoining (not connecting) rooms (6168, 6170, 6172). The stateroom attendant has a special key/device to open a "piece" of the partition (about 1/4 of it) between the balconies. While you can easily move between the balconies it does not make for one big balcony. You can only see the other folks if they are leaning on the handrail near the partition. If you are thinking you'll have gatherings on the balcony you'll be disappointed. On the other hand it was great for having the little grandkids come over for a visit. I'm not sure if balconies on different decks have a different setup but it looked to me like most were the same.
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