AlohaLivin

I tried to check the price for the Nov 23, 2019 on Adventure, but in the middle of doing that the cabin disappeared! Of course it did that on a few cabins, even at a heavy load looks like they could keep the coding from blowing things up entirely. So, are there any options reducing prices when the cabin booked is one that has a small number available (or even 1 of only 2 on a ship, like the panoramic suite we have for this sailing)?? I am concerned that the answer is that I am out of luck ? But I know if there is a chance, you veteran price checkers know what and how!!! ??? Lynn

There are people here with tons of information on RCL and I know they will be happy to help you with your question (we usually cruises another/other lines and recently tried RCL and of the 3 cruises now booked 2 are RCL). ? And like you we were constrained for what felt like forever with responsibilities larger than our need to vacation frequently. ? But I have developed a pretty good packing and must take list for cruising to the Caribbean and to Alaska. Just let me know if you would like me to send the packing list to you (and the method I use to not over pack for cruises) ? Enjoy! ?

The site has been virtually impossible to reach even from land - once you arrive, it’s past impossible to actually be able to look at availability. We were trying to use the day off we had to take a look at some options and it has been insane (we have fastest available connection, of course there are a lot of people trying to reach it for the HUGE drop from the 60% off the second cruiser and 300 obc to 60% off second cruiser and 300 extra off ? Lynn

Ok, so I am clear, - can I assume that these Black Friday prices would not apply to previously booked sailing since the small print states these prices apply to cruises reseved between dates for a few day period around Thanksgiving (and thus there is no use calling to try to reduce the cost of a cruise for next year we reserved weeks ago)? Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it ?

“Just a random comment re: internet reception...his week on NAV we have had the WORST internet service of any cruise we’ve been on. It was worthless. Even slower and less reliable than pre-Voom” @WAAAYTOOO ?????

It was a dual statement, I didn’t assume either of you had any problem with HI.

I have to say the Voom has been a major player in our decision to lean more heavily RCL than NCL. We don’t like the “Royal” Suite class, to handsy and syrupy for us and so we much prefer the Haven, but the internet service on RCL is faster and given to each suite guest for one device (not some shared minutes) is a major sway factor. Being able to call and text one another on the ship is pretty crucial on these mega liners! Voom rocks. Lynn

@JLMoran And @RCVoyager I will say the native Hawaiians have a low level of trust regarding outsiders and a percentage are still fairly angry over how HI became a state and the horrible treatment levied against their last queen (justified, but I think it’s time to move on and let history be history IMHO). All that said, they are fun loving people (just quite poor as so many indigenous people have ended up and not entirely of their own doing). Not making a political statement, just adding context since most or all of the areas considered unsafe are those with large percentages of native Hawaiians. But, I am very European looking (no one will mistake me for Hawaiian LOL) and I have never felt frightened in those areas because I know Hawaiians are fun-loving, non-critical, easy-going people. They have their own ways, but they are genuinely loving people; plus, I have never been treated with more respect by nieces and nephews than when I am there and I was raised in the South US where respect for elders is highly valued. They have very little, but what they gave they will share with you I hope that you will go back some day. And hey, if you need to experience some real Aloha, just me know and I can set you up with the real deal! Just avoid the poi ????? P.S. for me Pearl Harbor was a must see..12+ uncles, my father-in-law and father served in WWII. My father was on Omaha Beach on DDay and the Battle of the Bulge. I could not help but cry some for all those young people, all that was lost, all that was saved, and all those lives effected.

Ok, no one throw tomatoes.... but DH is from HI and most of his maternal family remains there - it is my opinion is (and always has been) that Hawaii is not a place ideal for cruising. There Is far too much to see, and far too many important things to see such as Pearl Harbor, that are spread across the islands (and even a single island, like Oahu) to have any worthwhile visit over even multiple days from a cruise ship. I love cruising, but there are places that I believe don’t lend themselves well to that type of travel. The first time we went to Oahu, we were there 2 weeks and we were busy every day. Any military retiree and active duty military can use the beautiful Hale Koa property in Waikiki (there is a charge, but it is far less than you would find st the Hilton next door). We love it there! ok, back to cruising ? Lynn And welcome to the forum P.A. ?

Not that you need this now, but I wonder if they offer them in Royal gifts during the holidays?

Maybe RCL believes that some extra tiny humans are sailing on RCL or... they large size robes bit the dust and they are using the newer looking ones (since the ones we had on Allure in the OS were frayed to a degree that was sincerely surprising!) Lynn

I have to say the robes we had we small in our suite on the Allure. Not lying, they said Medium.... now DH is 6’ snd I am 5’8”, pretty sure our skeletons wouldn’t have been comfy in those. We had others, but I thought that was so odd, I had never run across that issue on a ship before. Lynn

When we visited, the Pan Pacific started at around 350-400 per night. Pricey, but a lovely hotel that is close for sure. The Fairmont is closer to the area where we stayed that week I think - any location downtown is close, definitely another good option,

I can tell you one we loved and stayed a week - the Landis Hotel and Suites (request one renovated and high... what a view!). We wanted a 2 bedroom and 2 bath - it had a kitchen...huge, amazing price and the nicest manager form Egypt. Lovely man (ok, and seriously handsome). Centrally located too, we got a taxi only once (and of course a ferry to Bowen Island). If you are staying only 1 night, you may want something smaller and even closer. But if you decide to stay and see it, do consider this! The Fairmont Waterfront Hotel was nice years ago when we visited and is still very highly rated. Right now it’s about $200 a night, but that will be higher in summer of course (I didn’t see a date in your posting). The Hyatt Regency is now about $150 and the Blue Horizon (more boutiquish) runs about $120. Nothing very cheap in town, but get closer to the airport and you can find two good Holiday Inn’s with a free breakfast (but no sightseeing). Enjoy! Lynn

Thanks everyone! @lovetocruise2002 I unfortunately can only reprice about every 2 weeks or with a notice email (my day to day requirements make checking daily impossible, but hopefully I catch most of the biggest drops), but all yourr experience is surely informative! I wondered if re-pricing was possible after a change in status, so appreciate the suggestion about that too @melski94 ! All good information ??? Lynn UPDATE Well I booked it! We are on the Adventure of the Seas in November next year in one of the two Oceanview Pandoramic Suites. Major Beeze loves those big balcony’s, but decided he could skip having one this once for that amazing view. Worth a try for sure! And I will be checking the price @Lovetocruise2002 ?? Whoopsies - @Matt it would be wrong of me if I failed to also thank royalcaribbeanblog.com blogging for first alerting me to the fact that these two suites had been moved to Sky class as of Sept. (suites have been moving the opposite direction after all) - that played a huge role in our decision! ???????? <— my party for all of you

@mattymay Hi! I had understood about the 2nd point for suites, but one bit one information that I found is indictated that at the Platinum level on all or some cruises (again, it was unclear) there was an extra point awarded (NCL does this for some cruises, so 3 points per day, so I believed it was likely somewhat valid for RCL - although there is so much old info around on the net that it can be frustrating!). Love your user name ??? @F1guynz it’s so aggravating when that is the case, the supposed benefit to something like Monopoly money ? I appreciate you noting that since it’s the kind of thing only experience shows! DH has Maori, I so wish NZ was not across the planet from us and an insanely long plane ride as It has some of my favorite humans ? anyone know if RCL offers anything worth waiting for at Thanksgiving? Lynn

@L454S thanks for that ?. I understand the point additions and had read info suggesting that on all/some sailings (at a certain status level maybe) additional points are available for C&A.. I definitely had not seen that chart and it will help a great deal (the fact the cruise lines change around benefits doesn’t help, like NCL I believe changed the extra point for members booking 6 months out etc...grrrrr). It does seem like booking early we will lose some money, not too much, but possibly a few benefits. But it doesn’t appear there is any way around that unfortunately if we book it now. We aren’t entirely sure yet, especially if my sister wants to go with us, but I certainly thought it was wise to look at whether there were any options to *not* lose those benefits. Thanks again for that super helpful chart! @melski94 if I am reading the chart correctly, if we waited to book until after our next cruise (when we would be Platinum as long as it is an 8 day or longer ; we usually select a suite so that would bring us to 30 points) we would save $125 - $225 *plus* possibly an extra point per night (if I am reading the following correctly: “Additional cruise points when you book a suite or sail solo in a double-occupancy cabin”). I understand you are saying the gold also offers a discount and until I saw the chart above I didn’t realize that. The extra point would have been great though! I do as you do, defintely recheck prices on booked cruises to reduce if possible (although I think with many travel agents they do that on behalf of the client, yes?). We are not at all new to cruising since my parents were avid cruisers years before it was popularized, but my husband and I usually sale with Norwegian and only recently have tried Royal and so I am trying to nail down the finer details of the program ? Thanks ? Lynn

Hi all ? There may not be a work around for this problem, but it may be that I am missing information and so ask those with far more experience with Royal - We recently completed our 1st cruise with Royal and now have 14 points (Gold Status with C & A). Last night I began looking at some cruises that said next November and December (2019). However, it is somewhat likely that we will book and take another RCL cruise between now and that cruise considered for the tail end of 2019 cruise. Since points are not awarded until after a cruise, that seems to mean that we would not get any discount on the cruise taken 3rd (but booked 2nd) for which we might be otherwise have been qualified has we booked and taken the 2nd before booking and taking the 3rd. So, it seems that even booking both at the same time would not help, we would still not get the benefits of the Platinum status that would apply (only) after the 2nd cruise is completed. ? I realize with Platinum there is a discount on balcony cabins (10-25%?). I assume that could also be transferred to a suite or include suites in some way? I need clarification on those issues of course. Regardless, it seems to me that if we book the Holiday 2019 cruise now we cheat ourselves out of a decent discount that would likely translate to real money in our pockets. I’m sure that many other cruisers have dealt with a similar issue. Is there something I am missing? Is there a work around for such situations? I fear the answer is no, but I can have hope ?? Thanks! Lynn

@monctonguy yep, true. You can quickly look at the suite price start, but they mean Jr suite... plus, their site has too many snags and errors ..past frustrating, I never have booked directly through RCL, but we have been with NCL a while and this recent one was our first. I would rather be with the kind of travel agent my parents used for decades, but the larger sites offer some extremely tempting benefits that are hard to pass up (covering gratituties, onboard spending, etc). A conundrum ? @craig403 indeed, I like that one in terms of search, easy to see the discounts too. I have been frustrated by the fact their suites category includes jr suite and also they require you to call for info - that alone makes me insane. I don’t want to call them to get basic price info since at that point I am looking around (and I work for a living like most people and don’t have the time to call them for my fishing expeditions!) and I would think they would get tired of me calling.But they do allow for far more options than most for sure. But I think I have fallen in love with CruisePlum- when I took a look last night I wanted to find the people who started it and kiss each and every one! I know, strange ?? It lets you search, purely, and offers that data we nerdy types like (even those of us in the nerd “closet”). I don’t know how I didn’t find it, but presumably with the large sites fighting for cruise bucks this search site was so far back in search results it was invisible ? Lynn

@Matt sure, deals or finds, either ? I like to do some initial leg work, look around for ships, itineraries, etc. before actually looking at booking in whatever manner. But I cannot find sites that have great search options for what I tend to search and how. I thought maybe there was one I hadn’t seen yet! But not so much about buying there as searching there... FYI - we loved the OS 1BR on the Allure (friends were in a crown loft and I was surprised and disappointed at how small that actually felt - we had those on our list, but they definitely aren’t as high now). So on RCL it would be maybe GS, but prefer Os (1-2), GS 2 br, maybe crown loft, the large 1 br theater suite or 2 br if my sister is with us). I wish there were some place to search that allowed me to search those cabins as the price of an inside cabin etc May or may not be correlated with the true suite prices. Same when we sale NCL (although their site does allow you to look st “suites” as a separate category to a degree). @L454S thanks very much! I will check it out ?? EDIT - went and checked- that’s fantastic! If not perfect then nearly! It at least let’s me search variables that make my searches more useful! Great find! Lynn

Is there a place wheee people post good “finds” on cruises? I spend so much time searching, is there a place we can share info? Also, I have yet to find an ideal searching venue, where I can search for suites (ideally everything except Jr. Suites) from X to X date (vs. per single month). Any thoughts, ideas?

I found a great bag on sale at travesmith or ebags (yes, I buy too much LOL) that was super cute for a travel ready bag. It was med-dark blue and could work as everything from a handbag to a fanny pack to cross body bag. It wasn’t large, but definitely not tiny - basic lip stuff, iPhone 7 Plus, passport, this and that included!. It was great for our last cruise (those expensive bags tend to be big and I don’t want to haul one wherever I go, it’s as bad as when I use to haul a huge camera bag with me... ugh). She can be cute without the pricey purse (and the travel ones can be pricey enough FYI...). have fun ? Lynn

This will seem as if I am not being serious, but I am - did I miss something or is this a site with a political leaning? @monctonguy made some commentary above that seems to be pretty strongly political with no comment anywhere of it being any problem (and the comment leaves precious little doubt of the “side’ given the ‘fake news’ lingo...). After all, I am quite sure the 24 hour news discussing politics would not be Haiti based (and the one some of us consider fake seems unlikely the target). The ironic part is that his complaint is that politics would somehow get in the way when as far as I can tell he was the one who inserted it squarely into a topic in which it isn’t relevant. I honestly would just like to understand - if this is a site that is cruise info only for right wing folks or at least there is s high tolerance for the insertion of political views, I would like to know. I only came in the night before we leave to see if there was new information (I didn’t expect to be irritated by unrelated rants). ?

@JLMoran absolutely! I research everything to death ? but it pays off usually! @Pooch you can never assume, because that could be the very time things are atypical! The upgrade would not have been worth it in your case for sure.

Hmmmmm... so one of us is incorrect or delusional (I sure hope it’s you, nothing personal ?). So Allure of the Seas Grand Suites (category GS) are 371 square feet with a 105 square foot balcony. The Owner’s Suite, a significantly higher priced cabin partly due to it’s much greater size, has 556 square feet and a 243 square feet balcony. I don’t know anything snout Majesty, is it very different from the rest of the fleet? Lynn EDIT- Ok, so I checked - my info shows Grand Suite on Majesty of the Seas has 382 sq. ft., balcony 128 sq. ft and the Owner’s Suite has 446 sq. ft., balcony 102 sq. ft. I assume this must be because it is a much older ship (23/24 years old I think), because I have never seen an OS like that, with a bigger cabin and slightly smaller balcony (but 16 sq ft. is close to equal in balcony world from what I’ve seen). In my experience most RCL ships are more in line with the difference in size of the two on Allure with the OS being much larger in both categories. In the photo the Majesty OS looks like just a bigger GS.