FionaMG

Oh, yes! We sure drew the short straw on this one!

I want $50 OBC for my two cruises too because I WOULD have booked it if it had been available... @Cactus527 Aren't you glad you didn't cancel your earlier purchases!?

Idk, I didn't do anything special other than just making sure the app has notifications switched on. Mind you, since I check the cruise planner daily anyway I usually am ahead of the app and already know there's a sail on when it tells me.

Yes, that's it. It wouldn't be there booking that close in because at that point you're inside final payment.

Even on the US site they're hard to find if you don't know where to look. You have to go all the way through the booking process, input everyone's names and eventually you get to the page where you choose your dining time and it's on there. A couple of lines saying something like if you want a refundable deposit it's this much extra and you tick the little circle to select it. You'd need to check to see if the Australian site has the same thing. Note that the extra cost is added on to your total cruise fare and not to the deposit you pay at the time of booking. And also that it's only refundable up until final payment at which point you're into the penalty phase exactly as if you'd booked non-refundable. The additional amount varies from ship to ship and sailing to sailing so sometimes it will be small and sometimes it will be astronomical!

Hi @Mr Rooney. Welcome to the boards. On the Norwegian itineraries the ship pretty much "parks" in the town centre so no excursions are necessary. Take a look at this thread below, in which some of us have been discussing precisely this subject. I've been posting some links and suggestions on it. My cruise doesn't stop in Stavangaer so I can't help you with that one, I'm afraid. And I haven't done Haugesund yet. I was going to this weekend but unfortunately my computer went on the blink and is currently at the shop getting fixed. However you will find suggestions on there for Geiranger and Olden. I hope you'll find them helpful.

No; if you purchase in the cruise planner your D+ days cannot be credited. However you would still have access to them in addition to your purchased package. So, given that you each get 2 free days (pretty sure kiddo gets them too), you would be able to connect a fourth device on six days during your cruise. The most cost-saving way would be to buy a 2-device package and have the third person use the free days. It doesn't matter who uses them once the person who owns them has redeemed them. On a 7-night cruise, if one of you can manage not being logged in on the very first night then effectively all three of you will have Internet for the whole cruise but only two will be paying for it. You will have to visit the Internet person on board to "unlock" those two days for whoever has the pre-purchased package in their name. I hope I've managed to explain it clearly.

Yes, exactly.

I saw it over on CC.

It should do. And it's normally instantaneous as soon as the item is cancelled.

I think the fact that it's the weekend is probably significant in that respect but it's kind of a dumb thing to launch a new product over a weekend without having someone in authority to monitor it.

It wasn't offered on either of my cruises or I would have snapped it up too, but I have everything crossed for those of you who got it that you will be able to keep it.

Or maybe the bean counters have been called in from their golf courses and are now trying to do some frantic damage control

You can cancel your internet package when you board by going to see the internet person. The cost posts to your onboard account as refundable OBC. If you've not used it all by the end of the cruise the remainder is refunded to your original form of payment.

You can use your D or D+ Internet on board as a discount against an internet package but not against the key because the key has to be purchased before you sail and the D/D+ credit can only be used on board.

For sure it's a mistake and not an introductory price. This sort of thing happens every once in a while. The question is whether Royal will own it and honour it for everyone who has already booked or whether they'll cancel all the bookings and refund. Given how much debt they're in after covid I'd be inclined to think they won't let this one go but you never know.

Could be.

That was strike one. Try calling back in a bit. Hang up if you get Robert again.

Note that if you buy an Internet package pre-cruise, it "hides" the free D day for each person who has a package. You need to go and see the Internet person to get it "released".

Yup. Affected us on our Canary Islands cruise back in September/October. We didn't lose any ports but they cut our time in most of them, some quite substantially. Claimed it was for "routine engine maintenance".

Great minds... I did the exact same thing. I guess we just don't have winning tickets.

I guess it could also be the cheese tray with wine...

There's a thread about it over on CC too that I've been following with vested interest since we're booked on her next month.

I get push notifications from the app.

No, because you'll lose your money. Agree it's a bummer but at this stage you'll just have to make the best of it.