Jump to content

JasonL

Members
  • Posts

    219
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Reputation Activity

  1. Haha
    JasonL got a reaction from VillainsGin in Genuine curiosity of your lifestyle   
    That's a big one. We are the same way, we don't have fancy things, we like vacationing. My brother calls me Jay-cation ?
  2. Haha
    JasonL reacted to twangster in Allure to Texas   
    Empress, but I'm sworn to secrecy and can't say anymore.  
  3. Like
    JasonL reacted to mpoole3 in Allure to Texas   
    Now we have to wonder, will they shape up Oasis / Harmony / Symphony?   Feel free to put one in Long Beach, CA?
  4. Like
    JasonL reacted to betatke1480 in Genuine curiosity of your lifestyle   
    I own my own business and my wife gets ~4 weeks of PTO per year.  We prioritize that time off for cruises.  We are firmly in the "experiences" vs. "stuff" camp, so we put our money towards cruising.  Part of why we opened our own business was so that we can have more time to take off and cruise.  My old job had me very limited with how and when I could take time off.  While not the only reason we started our company, it definitely played a large role.  Soon our daughter will be in school, which will somewhat limit when we can take time off.  
    Luckily for us, we live about 15 minutes from Lambert Airport in St. Louis.  With this being a large SWA hub, we can fly to cruise ports relatively inexpensively.  So while we don't have the luxury of living in FL like a lot on the boards, it's pretty easy to find cheaper non-stop flights to MCO, FLL, etc.
  5. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from VillainsGin in Genuine curiosity of your lifestyle   
    Interesting topic, I enjoyed reading everyone's background and learning about yall
    I'm in the 1-2 cruise/year category because I live in Washington state and Airfare is my biggest enemy, but there are still strategies I have used to spend only what I want. When I was younger and didn't make as much I would book cruises out of the less desirable cruise ports and cheaper sailing season. The first couple cruises I went on, I probably spent less than $100 per 7 day cruise for 2 people(not including gratuities). I was just happy to be on vacation and would  only drink the free ice tea and lemonade, walk or find cheap transport to a free beach on port days ect... We actually had just as great of a time cruising that way.
    I have a higher income now, but I also have 3 young children. Airfare is still our biggest enemy, if we lived in Florida we would easily be cruising twice as much.  I only like to take off 2 weeks a year for vacation, but I am not going to go when everyone else on earth is going. We pull our kids out of school(even though the school hates it) usually in February when we are sick of the wet winter weather and the rates are cheaper. We spend more onboard these days, but we still avoid paying a lot on booze,food and extras. We also book 1 cruise a year as far out as possible and stalk changes in pricing like a obsessed maniac even though booking so far out is usually the best deal. I'm an Electrical Forman who builds schools and my work is feast or famine so I try and keep money in the budget for a last minute cruise as well for when I finish a project. Schools are build on a fast paced schedule and I am usually super stressed out trying to get the job done. I have to keep a reward trip in my mind to keep my sanity. Also this blog keeps my eye on the prize when work gets stressful.
    92 days until Liberty 
    ?? days until Alaska?
    469 until Symphony
    Happy Cruising
     
  6. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from DRLPP in Genuine curiosity of your lifestyle   
    Interesting topic, I enjoyed reading everyone's background and learning about yall
    I'm in the 1-2 cruise/year category because I live in Washington state and Airfare is my biggest enemy, but there are still strategies I have used to spend only what I want. When I was younger and didn't make as much I would book cruises out of the less desirable cruise ports and cheaper sailing season. The first couple cruises I went on, I probably spent less than $100 per 7 day cruise for 2 people(not including gratuities). I was just happy to be on vacation and would  only drink the free ice tea and lemonade, walk or find cheap transport to a free beach on port days ect... We actually had just as great of a time cruising that way.
    I have a higher income now, but I also have 3 young children. Airfare is still our biggest enemy, if we lived in Florida we would easily be cruising twice as much.  I only like to take off 2 weeks a year for vacation, but I am not going to go when everyone else on earth is going. We pull our kids out of school(even though the school hates it) usually in February when we are sick of the wet winter weather and the rates are cheaper. We spend more onboard these days, but we still avoid paying a lot on booze,food and extras. We also book 1 cruise a year as far out as possible and stalk changes in pricing like a obsessed maniac even though booking so far out is usually the best deal. I'm an Electrical Forman who builds schools and my work is feast or famine so I try and keep money in the budget for a last minute cruise as well for when I finish a project. Schools are build on a fast paced schedule and I am usually super stressed out trying to get the job done. I have to keep a reward trip in my mind to keep my sanity. Also this blog keeps my eye on the prize when work gets stressful.
    92 days until Liberty 
    ?? days until Alaska?
    469 until Symphony
    Happy Cruising
     
  7. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from PRebecca in Genuine curiosity of your lifestyle   
    Interesting topic, I enjoyed reading everyone's background and learning about yall
    I'm in the 1-2 cruise/year category because I live in Washington state and Airfare is my biggest enemy, but there are still strategies I have used to spend only what I want. When I was younger and didn't make as much I would book cruises out of the less desirable cruise ports and cheaper sailing season. The first couple cruises I went on, I probably spent less than $100 per 7 day cruise for 2 people(not including gratuities). I was just happy to be on vacation and would  only drink the free ice tea and lemonade, walk or find cheap transport to a free beach on port days ect... We actually had just as great of a time cruising that way.
    I have a higher income now, but I also have 3 young children. Airfare is still our biggest enemy, if we lived in Florida we would easily be cruising twice as much.  I only like to take off 2 weeks a year for vacation, but I am not going to go when everyone else on earth is going. We pull our kids out of school(even though the school hates it) usually in February when we are sick of the wet winter weather and the rates are cheaper. We spend more onboard these days, but we still avoid paying a lot on booze,food and extras. We also book 1 cruise a year as far out as possible and stalk changes in pricing like a obsessed maniac even though booking so far out is usually the best deal. I'm an Electrical Forman who builds schools and my work is feast or famine so I try and keep money in the budget for a last minute cruise as well for when I finish a project. Schools are build on a fast paced schedule and I am usually super stressed out trying to get the job done. I have to keep a reward trip in my mind to keep my sanity. Also this blog keeps my eye on the prize when work gets stressful.
    92 days until Liberty 
    ?? days until Alaska?
    469 until Symphony
    Happy Cruising
     
  8. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from rtread in Genuine curiosity of your lifestyle   
    Interesting topic, I enjoyed reading everyone's background and learning about yall
    I'm in the 1-2 cruise/year category because I live in Washington state and Airfare is my biggest enemy, but there are still strategies I have used to spend only what I want. When I was younger and didn't make as much I would book cruises out of the less desirable cruise ports and cheaper sailing season. The first couple cruises I went on, I probably spent less than $100 per 7 day cruise for 2 people(not including gratuities). I was just happy to be on vacation and would  only drink the free ice tea and lemonade, walk or find cheap transport to a free beach on port days ect... We actually had just as great of a time cruising that way.
    I have a higher income now, but I also have 3 young children. Airfare is still our biggest enemy, if we lived in Florida we would easily be cruising twice as much.  I only like to take off 2 weeks a year for vacation, but I am not going to go when everyone else on earth is going. We pull our kids out of school(even though the school hates it) usually in February when we are sick of the wet winter weather and the rates are cheaper. We spend more onboard these days, but we still avoid paying a lot on booze,food and extras. We also book 1 cruise a year as far out as possible and stalk changes in pricing like a obsessed maniac even though booking so far out is usually the best deal. I'm an Electrical Forman who builds schools and my work is feast or famine so I try and keep money in the budget for a last minute cruise as well for when I finish a project. Schools are build on a fast paced schedule and I am usually super stressed out trying to get the job done. I have to keep a reward trip in my mind to keep my sanity. Also this blog keeps my eye on the prize when work gets stressful.
    92 days until Liberty 
    ?? days until Alaska?
    469 until Symphony
    Happy Cruising
     
  9. Wow
    JasonL reacted to mpoole3 in Allure to Texas   
    Allure of the Seas is headed to Texas, bookings will opening soon!
  10. Like
    JasonL reacted to GrandmaAirplane in Genuine curiosity of your lifestyle   
    Not 100% accurate, but pretty close...
     

  11. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from ChessE4 in Booking MyTime Dining times online   
    i always book every night of the cruise ahead of time. I get an idea of the show times from a past cruise compass to help plan. If plans change or the past cruise compass is off we try and call first thing in the morning to change our time. The only night we had difficulty was formal night
  12. Thanks
    JasonL reacted to HeWhoWaits in Guacamole class question   
    I went to the guacamole "class" with my three year old granddaughter in June on Freedom. She had a blast making the guacamole and eating the chips (but still didn't eat the guac that she made).
    The "limited" menu for lunch still includes plenty of choices even though it isn't the full Sabor menu. And one beverage was included in the price (margaritas that they showed, pina coladas (full-on or virgin).
  13. Like
    JasonL reacted to YOLO in NO SMOKING SOMETIME IN 2020?   
    I for one would actually start gambling on cruise ships if the casinos were entirely smoke free.  So I wonder how many current gamblers would quit and how many new ones would start...
  14. Like
    JasonL reacted to S0nny in Royal Up - Mad at myself - So much for doing a nice thing!   
    I hate that this is happening for you on your vacation. You were just trying to do a nice thing for family. I'm always made fun of by friends and family for being a meticulous over-planner... 
    I am also a staunch negotiator. I rarely accept an answer from the first person I talk to (unless I'm happy with it). Having worked in a call center (I sold insurance at USAA), and worked front line service for Wells Fargo... I can tell you with almost 100% assurance that the first person you talk to will not (and most likely doesn't even have the authority to) provide you assistance. 
    You are off to the right track with the management, and with the descriptor on the advertisement during the Royal UP bid... I would agree... THEY are partly responsible. I'm sure there are legal disclosures and fine print which muddies the water... but the picture and descriptor ARE misleading. 
    I DO think that the whole $860 back is a stretch. (it never hurts to ask... but I would not push it if the answer is 'no'). To be fair... they are in a Junior Suite, and while a king size bed would be nice... the truth is... it really is just two twins pushed together (you can't really sleep in the middle and spread out unless you enjoy sleeping in a dip). I think about $200 would be my minimum I would accept. (That's about 20% of the total cost of upgrading + the difference in gratuities). Keep pushing the incorrectly labeled advertisement, throw in a little Better Business Bureau threat (It DOES seem a little like 'bait and switch'), and just reiterate your desired loyalty to RCCL, the fact you are frequent suite cruisers and would hate to have a circumstance like this be the reason you move onto a different cruiseline. Think of what minimum offer YOU would be willing to accept, and try to keep the fact you are leaving in a few days to have fun with family in mind; I'm confident if you focus on the positives here, you will come out on top. 
    Let us know how it goes! 
  15. Thanks
    JasonL reacted to KathyC in Alaska, Hawaii & Transpacific are up!   
    Through Sept 2021...
  16. Like
    JasonL reacted to jticarruthers in North, to Alaska! Go north, the rush is on! Bookings are open!   
    Click ... nothing .... click ... nothing ...
  17. Thanks
    JasonL reacted to twangster in Ship Deployment 2021-22 Port Booking Season Begins   
    A week delay is going to prompt you to book with someone else? LOL!
  18. Like
    JasonL reacted to rjac in COME ON ROYAL, RELEASE THE REST OF 2021!!!   
    You're killing me, my wife has a major birthday (39) and want to book the Anthem. 
  19. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from labdogs42 in Which Cabana?   
    This is why I just booked a Thrill cabana for my Feb 2021 cruise(yes they are available for booking already, crazy right). I got it for $499 for up to 6 guests and includes waterpark tickets. Well I have a family of 5 and the park tickets are being sold for $79/person which would put us at $395. $104 to have a cabana for the day sounds like a great deal to me. If you wanna be exact with the deal, you get 6 free waters included too and we aren't drink package people.  Can't remember what bottled water costs, but lets call that a bonus of $20 ?
  20. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from ChrisK2793 in Which Cabana?   
    This is why I just booked a Thrill cabana for my Feb 2021 cruise(yes they are available for booking already, crazy right). I got it for $499 for up to 6 guests and includes waterpark tickets. Well I have a family of 5 and the park tickets are being sold for $79/person which would put us at $395. $104 to have a cabana for the day sounds like a great deal to me. If you wanna be exact with the deal, you get 6 free waters included too and we aren't drink package people.  Can't remember what bottled water costs, but lets call that a bonus of $20 ?
  21. Wow
    JasonL got a reaction from WAAAYTOOO in Which Cabana?   
    This is why I just booked a Thrill cabana for my Feb 2021 cruise(yes they are available for booking already, crazy right). I got it for $499 for up to 6 guests and includes waterpark tickets. Well I have a family of 5 and the park tickets are being sold for $79/person which would put us at $395. $104 to have a cabana for the day sounds like a great deal to me. If you wanna be exact with the deal, you get 6 free waters included too and we aren't drink package people.  Can't remember what bottled water costs, but lets call that a bonus of $20 ?
  22. Like
    JasonL reacted to Matt in Which Cabana?   
    It's hard to overlook the Thrill waterpark cabana for one reason: it includes water park admission. That makes it a significantly better value than the other cabana options.
  23. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from devbak150 in KEY REVIEW on Mariner   
    Since the never ending question of whether or not the Key is worth it, I thought I'd add to the discussion with my review of the program.
    This was a weekday 4 night sailing that my beautiful wife and I did without kids. So just 2 of us and we got a good price of $19.99 per person/per night(total of $159.92).
    We were going to get a 2 device internet package already so this played a major role in trying out the program. If we weren't getting the Key we would have paid $23.99/night (total of $95.96) for the 2 device package, so that would have put us at the Key being an additional $63.96
    Embarkation day - we got to the port at 10am so we got a private seating area to wait for the ship to be ready. We were 2nd group to board the ship after the Pinnacle and Suite section. Pretty nice to beat the big groups of everyone else. This ended up being a really relaxing start to vacation which is nice because embarkation day can tend to be kinda hectic.
    Once on the ship we stopped at the dining room for a Key luggage drop off, also super nice to counter the busy first day. After dropping off our extra luggage we sat down for a "Chops lunch by the MDR". This was a big disappointment as they set expectations too high calling it a Chops lunch. While the steak was good, it was not the same as a Chops steak. The biggest disappointment was from the much different atmosphere and lacking service. I don't blame the staff for the lacking service though, it's gotta be so tough to try and turn over the ship all in a few hours and also try to provide yet another service. Lunch was very slow and I feel like I wasted the early arrival waiting around for a lackluster lunch that went on for almost 2 hours. While this was much less hectic than the windjammer, it's advertised as something that it's not. I wish I'd of just grabbed windjammer food and jumped on the flowrider and took advantage of the small crowds. Key "Chops" lunch was a major dud.
    No tenders on this sailing, but if there was I bet this is where I would be raving about my favorite part of the Key.
    Special Key only activities:
    Rock climbing wall - Not necessary since the lines are never very much
    Ice skating - We didn't feel like iceskating so we didn't utilize this, but if you like ice skating this is a very nice perk. We have done the Open skate before and it's crazy! It's overcrowded and super hectic. Having this private skate time is the way to go!
    Water-slides - Love the waterslides and during our 1 hour key time we went over and and over and over until I couldn't handle the stairs anymore. A nice perk to avoid lines for sure.
    Skypad - I was very excited for this as I thought it looked very cool. Turns out you can always go with no lines because the Skypad is a complete fail by Royal. I only did it once and once again I wish I'd of just done another ride on the Flowrider. Sad to say the Skypad is a huge dud, it's not every worth doing once. You aren't missing anything
    Flowrider - Yes please, love love love the Flowrider! Only problem here is you only get 1 hour of Key only and it seems every Key member took this opportunity to try it out. The line ended up being just as long as the open ride times. Still, anytime I can go on more of this, sign me up.
    Special Seating at shows - This is especially awesome for the Ice Show. The Ice show is so A MAZ ING. We waited in line early for the first showing because even though we got private seating my wife wanted her first pick of front row seats. We loved the Ice show so much though that we went last minute to the second showing and sat in the Key/suite section. Nice seats, totally a great perk of the Key, but the show is so fun and interactive that I do recommend trying to go early and get front row seats at least once. If you don't know, the Ice show is super popular for good reason and you need to make it a priority on your cruise! We also used the Key/Suite seating for a couple of the headliner shows, center stage on balcony level. My wife prefers front row seating, but I was perfectly content with these seats as I won't get scowled at if I fall asleep. Still if you don't want to show up early for prime seating it's very nice to have the option. Only problem is other people used this seating as it isn't labeled very well and no one regulates it.
    Disembarkation day we got a private breakfast in the MDR. The wife and I both got NY steak and eggs. This steak was better than the lunch steak, as was the whole experience. This was by far the best breakfast we had all cruise. They also hold your luggage while you are eating, if you kept your luggage for a self assist disembarkation as we did. The Key does offer a special luggage checkout system, but we like to self assist if we don't have the kids. After breakfast we met up with a Key disembarkation staff that lead us to the front of the line to exit the ship. Pretty cool, but we definitely got some dirty looks from the other guests.
    Overall the Key was very much worth it for just the 2 of us. $63.96 was a steal for all the extra perks we got. $19.99/person is a steal of a deal though as we've seen it as high as $35/person. What's the highest I would go for the wife and I??  Well that depends on the ports and ship. Tender port on an Oasis I might go as high as $29.99, but a simpler ship I wouldn't go over $19.99. I'm not sure if we'll try it on our upcoming sailing with the 3 kids as this is a lot of extra money. I would probably have to find another $19.99 deal to keep the total cost down. I hope this review finds you well and my rambling didn't get too confusing. Nevertheless I am ready for another cruise, February can't come soon enough!
     
     
     
     
  24. Love
    JasonL got a reaction from KaydenDeen in KEY REVIEW on Mariner   
    Since the never ending question of whether or not the Key is worth it, I thought I'd add to the discussion with my review of the program.
    This was a weekday 4 night sailing that my beautiful wife and I did without kids. So just 2 of us and we got a good price of $19.99 per person/per night(total of $159.92).
    We were going to get a 2 device internet package already so this played a major role in trying out the program. If we weren't getting the Key we would have paid $23.99/night (total of $95.96) for the 2 device package, so that would have put us at the Key being an additional $63.96
    Embarkation day - we got to the port at 10am so we got a private seating area to wait for the ship to be ready. We were 2nd group to board the ship after the Pinnacle and Suite section. Pretty nice to beat the big groups of everyone else. This ended up being a really relaxing start to vacation which is nice because embarkation day can tend to be kinda hectic.
    Once on the ship we stopped at the dining room for a Key luggage drop off, also super nice to counter the busy first day. After dropping off our extra luggage we sat down for a "Chops lunch by the MDR". This was a big disappointment as they set expectations too high calling it a Chops lunch. While the steak was good, it was not the same as a Chops steak. The biggest disappointment was from the much different atmosphere and lacking service. I don't blame the staff for the lacking service though, it's gotta be so tough to try and turn over the ship all in a few hours and also try to provide yet another service. Lunch was very slow and I feel like I wasted the early arrival waiting around for a lackluster lunch that went on for almost 2 hours. While this was much less hectic than the windjammer, it's advertised as something that it's not. I wish I'd of just grabbed windjammer food and jumped on the flowrider and took advantage of the small crowds. Key "Chops" lunch was a major dud.
    No tenders on this sailing, but if there was I bet this is where I would be raving about my favorite part of the Key.
    Special Key only activities:
    Rock climbing wall - Not necessary since the lines are never very much
    Ice skating - We didn't feel like iceskating so we didn't utilize this, but if you like ice skating this is a very nice perk. We have done the Open skate before and it's crazy! It's overcrowded and super hectic. Having this private skate time is the way to go!
    Water-slides - Love the waterslides and during our 1 hour key time we went over and and over and over until I couldn't handle the stairs anymore. A nice perk to avoid lines for sure.
    Skypad - I was very excited for this as I thought it looked very cool. Turns out you can always go with no lines because the Skypad is a complete fail by Royal. I only did it once and once again I wish I'd of just done another ride on the Flowrider. Sad to say the Skypad is a huge dud, it's not every worth doing once. You aren't missing anything
    Flowrider - Yes please, love love love the Flowrider! Only problem here is you only get 1 hour of Key only and it seems every Key member took this opportunity to try it out. The line ended up being just as long as the open ride times. Still, anytime I can go on more of this, sign me up.
    Special Seating at shows - This is especially awesome for the Ice Show. The Ice show is so A MAZ ING. We waited in line early for the first showing because even though we got private seating my wife wanted her first pick of front row seats. We loved the Ice show so much though that we went last minute to the second showing and sat in the Key/suite section. Nice seats, totally a great perk of the Key, but the show is so fun and interactive that I do recommend trying to go early and get front row seats at least once. If you don't know, the Ice show is super popular for good reason and you need to make it a priority on your cruise! We also used the Key/Suite seating for a couple of the headliner shows, center stage on balcony level. My wife prefers front row seating, but I was perfectly content with these seats as I won't get scowled at if I fall asleep. Still if you don't want to show up early for prime seating it's very nice to have the option. Only problem is other people used this seating as it isn't labeled very well and no one regulates it.
    Disembarkation day we got a private breakfast in the MDR. The wife and I both got NY steak and eggs. This steak was better than the lunch steak, as was the whole experience. This was by far the best breakfast we had all cruise. They also hold your luggage while you are eating, if you kept your luggage for a self assist disembarkation as we did. The Key does offer a special luggage checkout system, but we like to self assist if we don't have the kids. After breakfast we met up with a Key disembarkation staff that lead us to the front of the line to exit the ship. Pretty cool, but we definitely got some dirty looks from the other guests.
    Overall the Key was very much worth it for just the 2 of us. $63.96 was a steal for all the extra perks we got. $19.99/person is a steal of a deal though as we've seen it as high as $35/person. What's the highest I would go for the wife and I??  Well that depends on the ports and ship. Tender port on an Oasis I might go as high as $29.99, but a simpler ship I wouldn't go over $19.99. I'm not sure if we'll try it on our upcoming sailing with the 3 kids as this is a lot of extra money. I would probably have to find another $19.99 deal to keep the total cost down. I hope this review finds you well and my rambling didn't get too confusing. Nevertheless I am ready for another cruise, February can't come soon enough!
     
     
     
     
  25. Like
    JasonL got a reaction from KaydenDeen in KEY REVIEW on Mariner   
    Not very many, maybe 50
×
×
  • Create New...