ptod

Does anyone know if there has been a change in how TAs are interacting with Royal regarding Lift & Shift requests? I asked my TA to L&S a cruise 3 weeks ago via email - a very specific email with more than enough information to complete the request. When I asked for an update on my request, I was told it had been submitted to Royal. Do TAs no longer have to sit on the phone in order to handle these requests? If there is a new process, does anyone know how long it is taking to get confirmation back to TAs?

Where are you coming from? Are you flying in or driving to port?

I am glad that the issue didn't ruin your holiday. Whether RC reaches out to you is anyone's guess. There has to be a bit of give and take while on a vacation along side lots of different people from different cultures, upbringings and ways of doing things - all stuck on a ship in the middle of the ocean. Being able to roll with the stuff that inevitably happens is part of travelling, but most people understand there is a limit. IMHO, disrupting at least 3 neighboring cabins on a ship went over that line. As I finish preparing for a cruise that leaves this Saturday, I am now unpacking the ball I was going to dribble and bounce off the walls of my cabin so I don't disturb my neighbors. Thanks for the reminder to be kind and considerate.

I am sorry that you had to deal with such an issue on your cruise. I would not have put up with that behavior for an entire cruise or being put on indefinite hold with Guest Services. First night of the cruise - ok - I remember my first beer too. From the 2nd night on - GS or Security better be at the neighbor's door to deal with it. I would also be noting the names of everyone who I interacted with at that point. If the neighbors are waking you up, your cruise has already been negatively affected. Standing in line at GS to discuss with Management is a small (additional) price to pay to get it resolved. I know for a fact that the line at GS in very short at 3am. If the issue wasn't resolved onboard, but you had names of everyone you spoke with - mentioning it on the survey or an email to Miami would have had more weight. Once you are off the ship there is nothing to be done. I don't know what day you spoke with the father, however, I would have mentioned to GS that you knew a father of one of the young men was onboard. From the Guest Conduct Policy: Parental and Guardian Responsibility For purposes of this Guest Conduct Policy, a minor is defined as anyone under the age of 18. A young adult is defined as anyone ages 18, 19 or 20. Parents and guardians are responsible for the behavior and appropriate supervision of their accompanying minor(s) and young adult(s) throughout their vacation. This obligation applies during transfers to and from ships, inside terminals, while onboard, at our ports of call, during shore excursions and at our private destinations. This responsibility applies at all times, regardless of whether the parents and guardians are physically in the company of their minor(s) and young adult(s). Under no circumstances should the parent or guardian of a minor debark the ship without their accompanying minor(s) or without having made arrangements for the accompanying minor(s) appropriate supervision on the ship during their absence.

We flew everywhere for cruises until trying the Anthem out of Cape Liberty. Soooo much easier. Itineraries (heading south) are not as exciting but having a 3ish hour drive home instead of a day of flying was quite nice. It is an easy port to try different ships as the fleet is moved around. I just have to remember that prices out of Cape Liberty can be the same as price of cruise/flight out of FL so we still keep FL in the rotation. We are adding Baltimore to the mix in 9 days. Guess we should try a cruise out of Boston soon too. hahaha

If I have enough time before a cruise, I spread out the cost of drink packages over 3 billing cycles. We usually sail with DH having the Refreshment package (he doesn't drink alcohol but likes the other options) and I have the Deluxe package. I have the ability to purchase both packages at the same time, but I would rather not tie up funds earlier than I have to. Here is how I make it work for us. 1st billing cycle - buy Refreshment package for DH - initial price doesn't really matter, but watch for sales 2nd billing cycle - buy Refreshment package for me - price doesn't matter as I will be switching to Deluxe package 3rd billing cycle - call Royal to switch my package from Refreshment to Deluxe when I am ok with that price. Check the Deluxe/Voom package price as that can be a good deal if you are also interested in internet access. If both adults want the Deluxe package, you switch to 2 packages at this time and can make changes online. I have to call to purchase 2 different drink packages. Things to keep in mind: The earlier you book a cruise, the easier it is to spread out the costs of packages. I am willing to wait for a lower price for the Deluxe package and fully understand the price may never come down or even down to a price that is acceptable to me. In this situation, I would stick with the Refreshment (at the lowest price I can get) and buy alcohol a la carte if I want something. If the price for the Deluxe package comes down before month 3, I will go ahead and move to calling Royal to buy the 2 different packages earlier than planned. Also remember that although the cost of packages are charged immediately, the refunds for price drops can take several business days to post back to your credit card and may not post until the next billing cycle. I can handle the wait for a refund, but not everyone can so timing a re-price can be tricky for some. hth btw - I was on the Rhapsody NYE cruise for 2019 and the Deluxe package did eventually drop below $50, but YMMV. That was one cruise where I did purchase my Deluxe package at a higher price than I wanted, but was able to step the price down to sub-$50 over a series of phone calls - I repriced twice in the same week. I wasn't expecting the price drops due to it being a holiday sailing, but I took everyone I could find.

Look into https://www.trinityreservations.com/ for park & cruise packages with free shuttles to/from the port. We can get to Cape Liberty in about 3 hours but have been stuck in traffic on 95 (as well as alternate roads) at all hours of the day and night and don't want to deal with that on the way to a cruise. I would rather chill at a hotel closer to the port the night before and take a shuttle at a price close to the cost of parking at the port. If you see the Ramada in Newark offered, it ticks all the boxes we look for. Nice property, secure parking, free shuttle, restaurant on site offers good food at reasonable prices. There are other properties in the area that would work as well.

Look into https://www.trinityreservations.com/ for park & cruise packages with free shuttles to/from the port. We used this site for an Anthem cruise. For the same price of parking at the port, we got a nice room for the night before and secure parking while on the cruise. As long as you are ok with taking a shuttle back and forth, it can be a good deal. Used the site again for our cruise out of Baltimore next month - park & cruise package there was less than cost of parking at the port. hth

Are you driving or flying to NJ?

Before getting to the Disney-type lines at Guest Services on Anthem, on the right hand side of the space is a counter with several tablets available where you can book stuff. Staff are waiting there to answer any questions. A few more random tidbits - If you need Shore Excursions - as you board the ship keep walking straight across the ship and you run right into that desk If anyone has purchased The Key and want to get their internet codes early, there is usually a staff person at a little podium outside Guest Services - left side when facing GS - the staff will look thru a printout and write the code down for you. hth

Next Cruise always looks so serious. I think we should talk MEI into having office hours at a bar and turn booking my next cruise into a drinking game.

I try to learn something new every day. Today I learned Coconut Martinis exist. Thank you. I wonder where I can get one on the Granduer - I only have 30 days to go!

hmmmm....if my MEI TA is on the inaugural cruise with me....and I just *have* to book another cruise *right now*, do I still send her an email or just leave a voice mail on her cabin phone? Maybe a sticky on the door? Re-gift a bottle of wine as a thank you? Thoughts?

This is not my mistake - but let's go with not having a general packing list for the basics needed on the cruise. My DH was a little irked that I wanted to review the basic clothes that we had packed for one cruise....so I just let it go. Come to find out that he completely forgot to pack any underwear - none, nada, zilch. All he had was what he wore to travel. Did I mention that this was a 15 day Panama Canal cruise? It made for a memorable cruise. We were sailing with his parents and to this day we have never told them what happened. That cruise was in 2006. Needless to say, underwear is the first thing we both pack and we try not to burst out laughing when we do so.

You could be all three....this is a judgement free zone...... Enjoy your time there at that awesome price! ?

The only snack policy should be bring enough to share! j/k but we made new friends when we had an extra mini bag of pretzels at the R bar on Rhapsody.....I wasn't nice enough to share my mini package of mixed nuts.....that would have been nutz!

There was fresh juice the last 2 times I was on Rhapsody. I just asked a crew member and it magically appeared. Sometimes if you go to WJ toward the end of breakfast hours they have already cleaned the machines up - that is the only time I had to go without.

In our house it really means "here she goes again"! ? I might be the only one glad that Freedom out of NJ is not available to book yet.....my credit card thanks RC for the cooling down period.

I just told my DH that I will be running away from home to jump on the Freedom from NJ. He just shook his head....does that mean he wants to go too?

We bought full face snorkel masks from Wildhorn Outfitter via Amazon. We have used the regular snorkel equipment many times and feel that the full face masks are easier for swimmers of any ability to use. If you can breathe and float, you can snorkel with a full face mask. hth

The best seats will vary from person to person. In my experience, the Key seats were not always the "best" seats in the venue. Some times, we decided to sit in other sections. I would suggest that on embarkation day or whenever you can, go into the venues and take a look around and figure out what looks good to you. Then when you head to the actual shows, you can compared the Key seating area to what you considered good seats earlier. Have a great trip.

How big is a small Christmas tree? I would think a small table top size tree could work. I wouldn't do anything that would get in the way of the cabin steward tidying up the cabin for you. We have brought battery operated lights to decorate before without any problem. Happy cruising!

Our data service through Sprint has worked very well at all the ports we have visited (Mexico, Belize, Honduras, Bahamas, lots of other islands). We usually call Sprint about a month before we cruise to check service levels if we are heading to a new country/port. So far, coverage has worked as explained by the rep and no extra charges have appeared before/after the trip. Keep in mind that the T-Mobile/Sprint merger is still working its way through the system, if that is a concern for you. Friends who had other major service providers had lots of difficulty using data in most ports and were charged crazy fees before and after the cruises. Some have since moved to Sprint.

I booked the final sailing as well. I feel like I am running a tab with MEI Travel lately.

We split the beds all the time. Nothing weird about it.