AshleyDillo

That's what kept us in limbo for so long for our airline claim..we saw on the news that the airport was going to be closed but I wanted to make sure we had the cancellation notice from Southwest in writing. I didn't want to book the over $2K worth of plane tickets for the new flight until I knew we had the piece that would "prove our covered loss" occurred. We were going to be booking on a different airline and I was worried the availability of flights was going to dry up due to all the cancellations. If we wouldn't have found a flight, we would have ended up having to file for all the costs associated being stuck in New Jersey..not to mention we'd be..stuck in New Jersey.

That's when they charge you the $25!

Cruising is sort of the only vacationing I have ever done. Most of my other trips have been to visit friends or family or for concerts. I grew up living near Disney World. I was fortunate to have a job out of college that put me on the road to see the US, so I haven't really done any dedicated sightseeing trips. I live close to a lot of places in the southeast that I've done extended weekends. I had family in New Orleans and visit there often, so probably my favorite place to visit in the US. I'm do have Hawaii on my bucket list..and in my road tripping I have managed to miss South Dakota and Vermont, so I need to find a reason to hit those to take care of the 50 states. And I'm eager to start on international travel, but it's a bit intimidating..so I always figured a cruise would be a good way to sample that..so back to cruising again ?

Symphony does have outside dining at Jamie's but it's more like patio dining to Central Park.

But do all the room control features work? That's how you know they have a different IT department than Royal.

Yessss..they always had Indian for breakfast in WJ! Soooo good.

I wonder if the pub food will count under this a la carte..I found it pretty tasty on Anthem.

Understandable...I will be making reservations when I get on board, so that will help. Also being solo and asking if they would be willing to make something and put a cover on it and give it to me to take to my room might work too..who knows. That way I'm not taking up an entire table for a single person. Windjammer is usually my go to but I like the idea of being able to sample all of the offerings. I just can't do the 3 course meals..entirely too long for me to be sitting with food and way, way, way too much food to eat. I don't need the atmosphere of the dining experience..just the food. Even so..if I have to sit at a table at Giovannis for my meat platter at my scheduled reservation time, I am fine with that. My table will be turned over quickly and perhaps they can sneak another walk-up party in right after me.

This was posted on a Cruise Critic post looking for the same thing...some folks stated they had Udi's, though. It may depend on who is their supplier.

Meanwhile I'm over here emailing my poor MEI agent about a $3 price drop in cruise fare ?

This is my situation as well. I'm much more inclined to pop in and out of wherever and order a single entree or appetizer. I don't do well with sitting through an entire 3 course meal. I'm also solo on my sailing, so hopefully they may be more inclined just give me a plate to go (I'm looking at you Izumi sushi...) when I want. I like the ability to be able to pop into Johnny Rockets and grab a burger too.

Glad to hear that Alina was good to you and your kiddos and that you had a great time!

@Baked Alaska Just checked my cruise planner and my Ultimate dining package now says it is Unlimited! Looks like they switched it over. Terms & Conditions: Prices are per person for the full sailing. All selections are subject to change. Royal Caribbean International reserves the right to verify eligibility upon arrival to the activity. Specialty Dining Packages must be booked at least two days prior to boarding and may not be available for every sail date. One reservation will be automatically created for the first night of the sailing. All other reservations must be made onboard and are subject to availability. Packages include service charge and food portion only for dinner and, when available, lunch service. For restaurants with a la carte pricing, you’ll receive a $35 food credit. Beverages not included. For Dining Packages, It is not required that children 12 and under purchase this product. Children ages 0-5 dine for free and children ages 6-12 will be charged a $10 cover at the restaurant. Not available on holiday sailings. Not valid for Chef's Table, or Culinary Experiences/Activities. Purchase of dining packages provides 40% discount off bottles of wine priced at $100 or less; 20% discount off bottles of wine priced over $100 while dining in Specialty Restaurants. Wine discount valid only with the purchase of 3-night, 4-night, 5-night, or Unlimited Dining Packages; other Dining Packages excluded. Terms of Royal Caribbean’s Alcohol Policy apply, including a minimum drinking age, which varies by itinerary. Offer is not transferable, not redeemable for cash, and expires on the final night of the cruise. VAT will be added to the price where applicable. Terms of Dining Packages apply.

I prefer doing it myself but I hate, hate, HATE making phone calls. Making any changes to a Royal reservation always requires a phone call, so I am more than glad to let a TA handle that. If I could easily go into my reservation after booking online and make changes, adjustments, etc. then giving up control would be a little more difficult for me.

That's what I did too..although I nabbed the dining package a few days before they announced the unlimited was coming. With it being on "sale" and the fact that I had more sea days than usual it was a no brainer for me as I would take advantage of the lunch. I hope if they do roll it into the unlimited that the lunch benefit doesn't go away.

That wasn't true when I went on NCL. If you purchased the drink package everyone in the room had to get it and they didn't even give you the option to get out of it for medical reasons. It was all or nothing. Funny thing was the "free" drink package was only offered for guests 1 and 2 in a room and they didn't require you to purchase it for passengers 3 or 4.

My "funniest cruise story" was when my brother almost got prevented from boarding Anthem of the Seas over a $1 3 way outlet wall plug adapter ?

I noticed them lined up under a pop-up tent on the pier and there was an attendant there. Not sure if it's something you would have to arrange ahead of time or if it was something they offered when they saw someone in a chair as the sand started immediately at the end of the pier (this will change once all the construction is complete). You can reach out to your TA and see if they can inquire how it can be requested. If you haven't come across any answers by the time you sail, ask at the shore excursion desk. Also put in a request through: https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/allaboutcruising/guestSpecialNeeds.do to cover all bases for other needs for your trip!

Lock it down now. If you like what's offered better later just cancel and repurchase!

I'm waiting for the BBC World News version now.

And if security flags your surge-protectorless multi-way outlet, just let it go...even your Star Class genie can't help you there, right @CGTLH?

On NCL if you get the package "free" it is a good deal. When you don't get it free and it's $70ish a day after grats it just isn't worth it. NCL doesn't include specialty coffee or bottled water in their drink packages and I found I missed both of those options.

It was open in March 2019. They are going to be doing construction to that area that won't be completed until December 2019, but I don't believe it has begun yet. They might be waiting until the waterpark is open to begin that part of it since they will have to close a portion of the beach area to build the new South Beach amenities. I would like to think Royal accounted for their construction timeline when offering the South Beach bungalow in your cruise planner, but you can't be 100% sure with them.

When I click on the FL Residents Specials box to search for cruises with that discount, it defaults my search to the dates May '19 - Sep '19. Every single one of the 35 cruises that shows up in the results leaves from somewhere other than Florida..deals on last minute cruises in the Mediterranean and Alaska.

From what I've read others say when faced with these cancellations they sometimes will offer to put them in a lower cabin category if their price-protected category isn't available. There's no way to waitlist..and they certainly don't upgrade you without charging the price difference.