AlohaLivin

1 hour ago, xps15z said:

Curious if I booked a cruise today for June 2019, and a few days later or within next few weeks the price drops on Priceline by $50-150, will they still do a price adjustment or is it too close to the sailing date to do that? Anyone with experience?

You would be beyond the date for final payment when you  book and so would very (very) likely owe the full fare on making the reservation. Once full payment is made, they will not re-price.  On occasion they’ll offer some onboard credit beyond final payment if there is a significant price drop, but even then in my experience it’s shortly beyond the time final payment was due.  

P.S. I may be wrong, but it seems very unlikely there would be a major drop between now and a June cruise. Might as well go for it! Happy sailing.

1 hour ago, tiny260 said:

The problem I've seen with Cruise Fish, is that it is not always update to the day.

But you can find something on the page and then go look at the pricing on Royal.

 

True - and they don’t necessarily send you emails either I emailed about that, got silence in return.

I haven’t spent a ton of time with their charts, but the two time that it seemed to go down by their numbers RCL (via an independent agent) said otherwise (in one case no change and in the other actually an increase). If anyone has more experience with their data, how do you “translate” it when comparing it to numbers at RCL?

@Andrew72681 and @TheHobbys  so, I need you both to be my new best friends or low cost advisers . I cannot lie, I have been hoping that @Lovetocruise2002 would take me up on that offer for some time now (after all, there are no 2 friends more compatible than a Scorpio and a Cancer

Come on, I can make you laugh (just don’t require circus tricks, I am just past the age those are workable!)

Lynn

2 hours ago, wstephensi said:

 

Now I've got to keep my wife from finding out and spending the OBC all at the Kate Spade shop. 

Kate Spade? Where? Let’s go, whatcha waiting on?!?!

11 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I pretty much check everything daily (check to see if my booked cruises have gone down in price, check all cruise planner purchases).  But I have time to do that. Frankly, it's one of the only things that keep me awake at 4am at work  . It's good to have a hobby?

Since you enjoy this so much my twin, I want to help you and send you my list so you can add to your fun! You see how nice I am wanting to add joy to your life?! I will also forward my cell number so you can text me in the case of a sale emergency  

6 hours ago, mom2mybugs said:

Ok...so we are under 100 days til our 12 day vision trip to Italy and Greece.  I got a ton of excursions booked on Black Friday/cyber Monday.  Tonight I go on and the drink pkg is higher than a month ago, the Italy excursions are all lower, Athens isn’t available, my kenos is higher by far now and santorina was lower.  Oh yeah, and valetta was $1 more.  It’s all over the freaking map lol!  So to sum up, it pays to buy early, and check/ rebook often!   Jane

Right?! It would be great if I could find some method of auto checking pricing as every other day they claim they are having a “sale” and it is beyond tiresome to click through all that I must to check pricing yet another time (and finding it the same or higher). I can wish!

Grandeur - May 30 - June 8, 2019

Adventure - November 23-December 1, 2019

Thanks!  And I know what you mean by the pools! I grew up in area with a lot of pools (and near beaches too but I liked sea water much less because it made me feel sticky and it tasted awful every time that it got into your mouth). When my parents took us with them on a cruise the first time when I was about 9, my brother and I were so happy at first that the ship had a pool... that is, until we got in.  What the %@*&$!*?!?  It wasn’t a pool at all, but instead it was a big, square, deep, and dark hole full of salt water I may never recover!

Funny Fact - my first Disney Cruise they ship had a casino and allowed smoking.

2 hours ago, Sweety said:

We have nine cabins on Navigator in June. We have mini white erase boards for each door. We also have magnetic dry erases for each door. We give each cabin a list of everybody's cabin number.

I’ve seen those ships when several singles are sharing a cabin. It always reminds me of college back back in the olden days before cell phones when there was a pay phone in the hall and people used the one on your door to let you know who had called

Oh gosh, there are so many “musts” I have now (so many that I keep a permanent list of them and it definitely includes some of those shown above {like the wrinkle spray and a mesh bag for dirty clothes to hang inside the closet}).. But here are the ones that I have added to the list in the last year::

1. small sissors (small, blunt ones such as the type for nails or the small ones used for needlework and tip cover that comes with them).  I am always shocked at the number of things that I need to cut when I’m on a cruise!

2. Moisturizing eye drops (I have spent my life near water, including the Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico, but the water in the Caribbean seems 50x saltier and my eyes really hurt after a dip!). So, I now always carry this if I am headed to the beach or snorkeling and it really makes my day much nicer.

3. 1-2 disposable food prep containers - sometimes I want a small snack at night, but the room service menu is almost solidly very greasy foods and that is the polar opposite of what I want in the evening. So when I get a chance I sometimes squirrel away a roll and a small slice of cheese or a less sugary pastry into my lidded, thin food prep container that I can toss at the end of the cruise).

Happy Sailing! 

On 5/30/2018 at 2:42 PM, toodle68 said:

Location, location, location..  we loved the panoramic rooms on Adventurer because of the location. We looked at these same rooms but they were a little too high price wise at the time. I would not pick 1100, but I would go with the JS on 11. 

We are in panoramic suite on Adventure for Thanksgiving and hubster is more excited about it than usual! I am glad to hear that you enjoyed the location as it is hard to find good videos of the surrounding areas.

Hi

MLife really needs to correct that wording, it is ridiculously confusing. There was a discussion on this very topic recently within another thread - this link is not to the original post, but takes you to what I think will be the pertinent part of the thread. As you will see, you aren’t the only one confused (I surely was...):

On 4/11/2019 at 5:49 AM, 12thman said:

Anyone know how much to rent a tuxedo onboard?

Glad Matt sent you in the right direction because it is tough to find - I ended up in a google search to find it (they clearly aren’t interested in anyone knowing about the option since we only knew about it because some friends of ours cruise almost monthly and rent a tux on every possible cruise). 

On 4/13/2019 at 8:02 PM, Flossygirl said:

 

@2Beeze Agree with all you said although we have never been able to secure a 55+ fare either.  We also love the Americans and the Canadians.  My husband and I have visited your lovely country many times and have made many friends that we enjoy seeing each time we return - friendships that I feel confident will last a lifetime.  The New Zealand people are lovely people and some of my close friends are Maori.  "Kia ora". 

I am glad that we both have such *excellent* taste Let me know if you get to Atlanta, Georgia and we will show you around!

20 minutes ago, Andrew72681 said:

I think Epic was just poorly conceived from the beginning. We’ve always avoided it because of the bathroom setup in the balconies and mini suites

True. But the Haven suites/villas are like they are on most of the ships with wonderful bathrooms (an odd thing to say about bathrooms, but watching Alaska float by as you shower is just fabulous!). Still, the conceirge staff isn’t nearly as good as in the other Havens IMHO, the ship layout is odd, and it creaks and sways endlessly (including all night long, every night). I am not sure I would do the epic again if you gave me the haven at no charge  For now I think we will go with RCL through 2020 when we should be Diamond and we might branch to some of the associated lines then. At least that is the current plan! As everything seems to note - *subject to change without notice

On 4/9/2019 at 9:23 PM, melski94 said:

I would love to know your opinion of NCL.  I've looked at the reviews of Bliss + class and priced out a few cruises.  For my cruising weeks, the price was the same if not more than Oasis class so I'm sticking with RC.  However, would also love to see a comparison of the pros and cons.

We love the Haven on the NCL ships (with only one exception - the Epic), especially the medium sized ones going to Alaska (the perks with the Haven can make it a once in a lifetime experience). We now sail more often with RCL, but the Haven can be amazing (royal class is similar, but it for us is almost embarrassingly like have a servant rather than simply first class service as with the Haven). But we love the sky class suite experience on the larger RCL ships

On 4/9/2019 at 6:21 PM, Flossygirl said:

I understand that Canadian and US military (current and past served) receive a discount on cruises.  Why is it that Australians don't?  Isn't it time that RCCL treats all servicemen equally?  Australians stand side by side with the US and Canadian servicemen in an attempt to keep peace in the world.  My husband served 20 years in the Royal Australian Navy but that seems to be worth nothing to RCCL.  RCCL have said that "retired" Canadian and US military will receive the discount.  They quantify "retired" as enlisted personnel or officers with a minimum of 20 years of service.  If RCCL are going to offer the discounts to our friends, the Canadians and Americans, then they should be doing the same for the Aussies, the British and all the allied forces that are serving or have served.  ALL these men and women put their lives on the line when they go into combat.  Australians cruise A LOT and Royal Caribbean have enjoyed bringing their ships Down Under for many, many years to reap the financial rewards of those cruises otherwise, I'm sure, they wouldn't bring their ships here.  Double standards and favouring one over another doesn't sit well with Aussies and that's certainly the message RCCL are sending to the Aussie cruisers.  Come on, RCCL, step up and do the right thing!

If it makes you feel any better, my husband served 30 years in the US military and we have never gotten a discount of a cruise for that service. To be clear, it is only active duty and retirees that receive a discount the few times it has been offered (rather than anyone who ever served). The few times I have even seen one come up it wasn’t ever as good as the current “sale” or even the 55+ rate. Once in a while living in GA helps in terms of a tiny discount since we are so close to many of the RCL ports. I do sincerely understand how you would feel, but I promise you that in real usefulness with most cruise lines there is none. That said, I love the people of Australia and of New Zealand - some of my favorite humans come from one or the other (and it doesn’t hurt that I have a husband with a big chunk of Maori running around in his DNA). . 

@GlowTheWeird and @WAAAYTOOO yup! They are not ever useful. 

@twangster  “Since the discount often doesn't actually apply, it seems odd to proudly offer something that isn't really a thing.“ EXACTLY. Most of the time, the so-called Veteran’s discounts are not “discounts” at all set up only as a way to show the company is  “doing something” for Veterans when the truth is that most of the time it is all show and no action (although there are exceptions, including the MGM and Harrah’s groups and Disney properties). Honestly, we would much rather someone do nothing for us than to produce a fake discount so they can look good (only the latter tick me off ).

6 hours ago, JennyB said:

Nope...$84 after shipping and everything from eBay!  whoopwhoop!!!

Great deal! I think I went overboard on the dress that I wore for my step son’s wedding, but then I intended to look as fabulous as I could manage since I was going to have to spend the entire evening with my husband’s ex wife and I wasn’t about to go in looking second best no matter what it cost 

6 hours ago, JennyB said:

I've been dying to wear the dress I wore to my daughter's wedding...LOL.  but seriously, I bought that specific dress in hopes of one day wearing in to formal night on a cruise...I felt like the 2nd prettiest woman at the wedding!  LOL

Those dresses can easily be $500, no sense wearing them only once!

7 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

@2Beeze that situation has also happened to me too. It can go both ways.

I thought the chance of ours almost doubling when all others dropped was low, but I will keep my eyes opened across the summer. I have tried to use cruise fish to alert me of price drops, but I have not as yet figured out how they are calculating a fare for 1 person (e.g., one person base fare or the net fare after the funky RCL accounting like 2nd passenger 30-50% off). We also have a 3rd person added in complicating matters further.

On re-pricing:  We booked the panoramic suite on the adventure next November; there are only two and both are taken, but I noticed that the other suite’s had dropped 6-16% (16% was a JR Suite). So I called the agency to check on re-pricing and the rep said that when she checked the RCL system. Of course she  pointed out that it was sold out, but then I pulled out my mighty @Lovetocruise2002 sword and told her that it is my understanding that RCL would continue to show a pricing for a sold out cabin types and the rest of the category had dropped. She then paused a while, typing, and came back and said that she had looked at what the price would be if we booked it on “Standby” and that despite, the other prices dropping, our specific suite had almost doubled from what we paid. Clearly that made no sense! I asked her to call them anyway and she said they told her exactly the same thing. Not much I can do, but it all seemed odd to me.

Now I just have to hope that there is a drop around  one of the next 3 holidays!

6 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

I find 45-90 days out to be the sweet spot for most of the legacy airlines.  I use Google flights to track flights and monitor prices.

Southwest typically has the lowest prices early on in the booking window, but at least with them you can cancel and rebook to take advantage of the lower prices without any change fees.

Apparently the research shows 54 days is on average the lowest price so right there in your range. Of course destination and time of year matter (we got the Delta One seats on the non-stop to Honolulu nearly a year out). Luckily Atl has a lots of flights each day into every Fl location.  But I can rarely wait that long since we like that 11-1pm Atl to Florida and those seats tend to get booked (we try to use our miles to upgrade to 1st class for the 2 free bags each with a max of 70 lb ). I never claimed that I am a minimalist packer  

On 3/30/2019 at 7:23 AM, marton2 said:

This reply is for MEN ONLY. Women, DO NOT read this post! Okay, now that we men are together by ourselves.... here's where I stand on formal night. Women like to dress up. Sorry but they do. Ask the wife what she's wearing. Ask her to suggest something for you. She is thinking not just what you or she will look like, she'll be thinking what you'll look like together, standing in that line or in front of the photographer. Of course you can suggest a slight downgrade "Honey the jacket is nice but I don't think the tie is necessary" might get you out of the tie, but if the wife wants to dress to the hilt.... sorry bud, you will too. Think about it... it's all really about making them happy, and if a night or two of pinched collars, tight shoes and sweating in a jacket will do it, it's really a small price to pay. When dinner's over suggest grabbing a drink to take back to the room. Then change out of that monkey suit as fast as you can and continue on with your plans for the night. 

So @Matt,  can we consider a “slap” reaction face?!

2 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I'm really not worried about any sort of conflict or anyone not paying. It would just be more convenient for everyone to have separate accounts. It's not a very expensive cruise, so if someone has to cancel, the other two can easily absorb the other person's fare.   It's inexpensive enough that I could absorb it myself if I had to.

Oh good - we were booked for the NCL Haven so absorbing it wasn’t an option Most things allow for separation (even excursions if through the cruise line - unless it is a shareable purchase so a cabana). I am sure it will be fabulous

 It definitely has the potential to be uncomfortable, but also great fun!  We cruise with a friend  (actually a half sister of my half sister who I met 4 years ago) and hubby and I share a CC and she puts down her own. But there are a few things that are hard to split 3 ways (as you mention, a room service surcharge; excursion deposits are another). For us, the key is for everyone to be honest (moochers aren’t allowed ) and to keep up with those bundled charges so after the cruise someone sends a check to the person designated to pay. It’s easy for us since it’s really just two entities, I think possible one designated payer would make keeping up simpler. To ward off hard feelings, I find it essential to be up front about methods and expectations before hand. BUT, unexpected  problems can show up though -   before our Alaska cruise last year she found out that her debit card had been hacked and they were sending her a new one, the problem was that she was leaving early the next morning for Vancouver. She was actually able to get a duplicate in Skagway, but we did front her a great deal of money on that trip (which she paid in full).

One area of sharing with friends where there is a real potential for trouble is if one is not able to go.  The way the cruise lines are chopping up the fares, insurance is not going to cover everyone equally even though you all are splitting it equally. We ran into that problem at the first of the year; it worked out, she was able to go, but there was no way to insure her for the actual amount of her 3 way split. That could get dicey. Not trying to be a downer, but we almost learned the hard way how likely that can be. 

Have fun!