AshleyDillo

They won't be doing that. The strong winds are really only in a super small area. This is a relatively small and compact storm. The ship can navigate around it when they are in the open ocean. You can't get your money back if you cancel or don't show because the weather was bad. However if the cruise line delays or cancels the sailing due to weather you should be able to get some money back.

Yes..that YouTuber sure got everyone in a tizzy for my sailing! I am on the Allure sailing that's scheduled to leave Sunday. If it gets shortened I will come back here and report how Royal handles it in my situation. I have it easier than most because I'm within driving distance if things change on me.

Yes..they use the SeaPass card for the arcade credits instead of doing a separate card system for it.

Trip insurance does help soften the blow..but it's a pain to deal with and you have to be able to front the money to make your alternative arrangements. It also helps to be savvy when it comes to traveling and also familiar with where you are going. Not everyone even knows what they can do if something happens with a flight delay or cancellation that would cause them to miss out on their cruise. When we had to face a trip interruption situation last minute flights were $2000 where the original ones had only been $400. Insurance ended up covering it all, but we still had to front the money. We were on a cruise in the northeast and saw a hurricane heading to Florida and started looking at flights and gathering information so we could jump as soon as we heard of airport closures. We alternatively could have taken the earliest available flight after the storm passed and the airport reopened and travel insurance would have covered our extended stay in NJ which would have been even more out of pocket expenses. You technically don't have a claim until something gets canceled or delayed, so you can't make any non-refundable alternative arrangements for a backup plan until you have proof of the delay or cancellation. The domino effect of all the cancellations and short notice, limited supply and high demand, makes it stressful. And then even when you do have a loss, you have to exhaust every avenue to be able to recoup from insurance. Just ask @twangster about his experience with that. A position that many people are in now is that they have to wait for a flight cancellation or delay or airport closure (which could them to miss the cruise) to have a claim. At that point they have to find the next available flight to get to the embarkation port and if they can't find one that will get them there timely then insurance would cover them getting to the first port of call of the cruise. So they'd have to pay out of pocket and get reimbursed for all of that and miss out on some or most of the cruise as well. If they change their flight ahead of a cancellation to ensure they are there before the storm could affect their travel, that would all be on them with zero chance of insurance reimbursement because there was no official triggering event in the eyes of the insurance company. There's really nothing that the cruise line or airlines can really do in this situation unfortunately. They're in to make a profit and outside of making all travel refundable for any reason, this is going to happen.

What a shame..you will just have to take another discounted cruise. ?

Be aware that when you purchase the arcade credits they have to turn on the SeaPass card for charging privileges. This means if you're getting it for a kiddo that you had set up to not have the ability to charge things, the arcade credits will change that. So the kids don't monitor their play in the arcade they can easily keep spending after the credit is used.

This is my worry..my flight is set to arrive in Ft. Lauderdale the day before the cruise, Saturday afternoon. It's only a 7-hour drive but with no direct flights from Tallahassee we have to go via Atlanta..so I'm worried ATL-FLL will be scrapped and I'll be stuck 4 hours further north! If they end up waiving the change fees I'm going to push for an earlier flight.

In no way, shape, or form did they jeopardize their passengers' safety to sail. They will keep their ships (which are huge investments) far away from the storm. How you get to the cruise is not the cruise line's responsibility. Any changes you have to make to travel arrangements or accommodations is on you. It's not on the cruise line to make you "whole" for your trip. That is what travel insurance is for. That's when you invoke the travel insurance. If your flight home on Monday is canceled, then you will file with your travel insurance company to recoup the extra costs incurred to get home.

Yuck all around. But good on Royal for giving the CocoCay staff the break to get out of harm's way and take care of their personal situations.

Good luck! I'm the day before out of Ft. Lauderdale on Allure..so I'm in a wait-and-see holding pattern, too.

I'm not sure they have regular coffee at the specialty coffee places. The specialty coffee is all espresso-based drinks, frappes, and chai. They don't have drip coffee on the menus that I have seen. The Refreshment package will cover all of the specialty coffee drinks as well as cappuccinos and espresso offerings in the main dining room and specialty dining restaurants. The espresso brand will either be Seattle's Best, Illy, or Starbucks depending on which ship. Cafe Bustelo is the brand on Empress.

@Matt's situation will definitely be interesting to follow here. If there's a big chance that the cruise may be extended by a day or two because the storm will prevent the ship from getting back into port, will that make a difference in whether you chose to go at all?

I'm on the 9/1 sailing..it was super cheap. Heard there was going to be tons of Pinnacles on the sailing and sure enough they are limiting access. Made our decision to not pursue a suite this sailing easier.

From my understanding it's a US Customs Border Protection issue that keeps it from being offered on US sailings. It is considered a Shore Excursion, so if it's available on a sailing that is where it will appear. Copy pasta from the excursion description: Not quite ready to say goodbye? Neither are we. With our new Stay Awhile program, you can extend the last day of your cruise – remain onboard and continue to enjoy everything the ship has to offer before your later departure. We’ll handle your luggage while you enjoy a late breakfast or lunch at Windjammer café; pamper yourself at the spa; relax on the pool deck – the ship is yours. So relax, kick back, and stay awhile.Highlights:• Stay Awhile program: Relax, get a bite to eat and take your time on departure day.What to Bring:• Small bag with personal belongings• Medication• Credit CardsWhat to Wear:• Comfortable Clothing• Swimsuit (if planning to use pool)Important Notes:• Guests cannot remain in their staterooms after 8:30 a.m. • Guests will have access to all public lounges and the pool deck. • Guests who have previously purchased a beverage package will have the Royal Refreshment soda package on departure day. • Guests who have previously purchased an internet package will continue to have access on departure day.• Please note that no exit and re-entry to the ship will be permitted on departure day.• For your convenience, personal credit cards will be accepted for onboard purchases throughout the day.• Luggage will be given a special tag and will be handled by the staff onboard; guests should only keep small bag with personal belongings.• Private and group transportation is available.• Guests who have booked transfers through Royal Caribbean will have the option to request a later transfer upon signing-up for the Stay Awhile Program.

No. Your drink package is coded onto your SeaPass card. If you want to order a soda at dinner you will give them your SeaPass and they will bring you a glass of soda.

Yes, you will get it back once they see it is wine. However, you won't have access until any of the other items in your suitcase until you go down to security to retrieve your bag.

I'm guessing it's really all timing and it looks like your sailing is ahead of the storm..but where do they send it once you leave Friday? Perhaps weather exempted PVSA cruise to nowhere? If they close the port due to predicted TS winds they get all the ships out according to these guidelines: https://homeport.uscg.mil/Lists/Content/Attachments/48258/MSIB 19-007 Hurricane Port Readiness Conditions Requirements 2019.pdf

Who are you?!?!?! ?

I'm sailing from Ft. Lauderdale on Sunday and flying there on Saturday..so this could be an interesting weekend! ?

Are you staying in Fort Lauderdale before the cruise? If so, shouldn't be much of a problem. The Superbowl is in Miami which is still a good 25 miles away from Ft. Lauderdale.

The soda cups only work at the Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. Soda cups are intended for use by the person who purchased the package. Royal's policy is that packages can't be shared. Can you go fill up her soda cup for her at a Coca-Cola Freestyle machine? Yes, there's really no way to prevent that.

You do not have to leave at 6:30 if you take your luggage off yourself. But remember you have to be out of your cabin by 8-8:30 so the room steward can turn around your cabin for the next passengers. That means if you don't leave the ship when you leave your cabin you will be taking your luggage to wherever you are going to wait to leave the ship. Public areas can get crowded as other passengers will have their carry-ons and luggage with them as well. You make the choice on the the last night when you decide to leave your bags out. You do not need to tell anyone ahead of time. When you leave the ship they have no idea what group you are in as the group numbers are tied to the luggage tags they will give you. When they leave the luggage tags they usually leave an estimated schedule of when they will call each number. They only really ask that if you DID leave your luggage out that you don't leave before your number is called. Your luggage may not be there if you leave before your number is called and then you will be in the way waiting around in the luggage collection area.

My feelings on this is to look at your casino time as entertainment and the cost of that entertainment. What price are you comfortable putting on an hour of casino time? Then you just allocate yourself that amount of money to spend. You can't really say spending X amount of dollars will get you to a certain level because you don't have an exact idea of how much you are going to win or lose. It's easiest to track the points on the slots. It will show you how many points you've accumulated. It's 1 point for every $5 played. You insert $100 into the machine and play through it all and you will have 20 points at a minimum. But you can't calculate how many points you are going to earn as you play on your winnings from that initial $100. The only sure thing is that if you don't put your SeaPass into the machine you won't get any credit for playing.

Paradise Beach is great if you aren't looking for an all inclusive. It will cost $3 per person to get in and they expect you to spend $10 per person on food and drinks. You don't have to pay for your chair and umbrella at the beach and you will have a waiter that takes care of you. I didn't find the drink and food prices to be extremely outrageous. They have showers and changing rooms and and a nice pool on site as well. I have visited Cozumel in January and was able to handle being in the water, even being from Florida where 70 degrees feels chilly.

If the question simply asked if you were told about the survey, the answer is YES. This is a common question asked on customer service surveys as for some businesses soliciting feedback from customers is made a priority and the employees are trained to ask for it. I know I've had cashiers at the supermarket circle a survey at the bottom of a receipt and Kohl's always points it out to me. Begging for high remarks isn't the intention of pointing out the survey, but if the question is simply asking if you were told about it you will not be getting anyone in trouble by answering truthfully.