b_resh_uh

Very helpful. Thank you!

Oddly specific question... Does anyone know which terminal Independence of the Seas is currently going out of and if there's the option to pre-pay garage parking? Garage A is the RC Garage, but pre-paid parking isn't available for Indy there since it's servicing Allure and Icon on either side of the Aug 29 sailing.

Finally was able to talk to royal and they fixed it pretty quickly. there was an error with the room type on royal up. Still debating on paying for the upgrade or rolling the dice.

Hey all, Waiting for a call back from a RC rep, but figured I'd reach out to this community to see if anyone knows how to get this fixed. I'm on Independence of the Seas on Aug 29th with a GTY Suite. Checked in this morning and barcode shows I'm in junior suite, which is fine, but since this is an anniversary trip, would really like to get into a grand suite if possible. Went to go check Royal Up bid cost and it's showing me in an ocean view balcony. Is that normal for a GTY booking? There appear to be many suites available since the itinerary got modified with the happenings in Haiti, so I was really hoping a bid might win. I tried reaching out directly to PlusGrade, the third party that runs the RoyalUp program, but no luck. Any ideas on how to get this fixed? Thanks!

I'm with you @Jill . Smaller ports in more exotic Caribbean stops are what interest me and my family traveling from our home state of Florida. Celebrity already has that. But I'm hard-pressed to actually book unless C&A/Captains Club was one and the same.

Just got off my first cruise without kids, and can't wait to do this again in August! haha But seriously, wife and I would love to meet some fun people on board.

Oh and I forgot to add... 9. Drink Package - With the constant conversation of the drink package on these boards, I figured I'd add my two cents. I have purchased in the past, but did not purchase the drink package this time. As a Diamond member, I get four free drinks daily. With the drink package price hovering around $80/pp/day, that would mean I would need to drink 10 full priced cocktails to use my diamond drinks AND get my money's worth out of the package. I self-paid what I was drinking above my diamond drinks and was perfectly content with that.

Four hours removed from a 3-night on Allure for a guys/Father's Day weekend and wanted to share some immediate thoughts: 1. Hideaway Beach - totally worth it. We had a lot of fun and there is something for everyone there. The DJ was surprisingly good and the pool bar is pretty epic. The beach is surprisingly quiet and really enjoyable. I'm strongly considering getting a pool cabana for my August sailing as I really loved the location of them. The Hideout cabanas are another story... unless you really want to be away from everything and feel extra bougie, they are completely unnecessary. 2. Casino - We always spend considerable time in the Casino and this one was no different. They've swapped some slots which was a nice change of pace, and table games seemed to be playing alright. The bartenders in the casino are some amazing people. Santana recognized me from four months ago. If anyone will be on the ship and in the casino - find Santana. He'll take care of you. 3. Music - I don't know if just didn't notice it really before, but the musicians onboard seemed exceptionally talented. The guitar player in the pub is incredible, the jazz trio is phenomenal and the reggae band is top notch. 4. Comedy - comedy has always been hit or miss for me on cruise ships. The show we saw was absolutely incredible. Really top notch comedy. 5. Cruise Director Dennis - probably the best cruise director I've seen in a long time. Really personable. Funny. He's goldilocks - not too much, not too little, just right. 6. The Ship - they're doing their best to keep her looking good, but she's starting to show her age a bit. The soon-to-come overhaul will be good for her. 7. Nassau - we don't usually get off in Nassau, but we did this time to go to The Poop Deck. Incredible food right on the water. Decided to take a trip to Baha Mar since none of us had seen that hotel, and wow, she's a beaut. Had some fun checking it out and playing in their casino. Overall though, Nassau is still a tough place to venture as a tourist unless you know what you're doing or where you're going. The "world famous straw market" has become a joke with everyone selling the exact same made in china junk. Good thing my young sons weren't with me and forced to hear the ridiculously explicit catcalling by the shopkeepers to the women passing by on the streets. I don't plan to get off again for a while... 8. The Key - this was my first time getting the Key, and I'm not sure it's worth it. We bought it explicitly for the early boarding time and speed through security, which was a huge plus. But the welcome meal was incredibly underwhelming and it's nice it included the wifi. Not sure if I will get it again. If you're going to buy the wifi anyways, you might as well consider the Key for an early boarding time. Overall, I'm a big fan of the shorter durations out of Port Canaveral since I only live an hour from the port and it's easy to make a weekend out of it. Despite a few negatives, this sailing was really enjoyable. Now it's time to start planning for my next one!

Anyone with a good recommendation in Nassau? We usually stay on the ship, but might get off to have lunch at the Poop Deck next time we’re there. Tropical Cigars is nearby the restaurant with high ratings. Any place near port to enjoy a stick and a decently priced Kalik beer?

In my case, I used a casino offer that is no longer available. So I could cancel and rebook with something else, but I would lose that offer which I don't want to do.

Got the email 90 minutes ago. 08/29 sailing on Independence routed to Coco Cay... Really disappointed it wasn't a more interesting alternative, but I guess swapping one RCL private stop for another makes sense.

Haven't gotten anything yet for our late August sailing on Independence. Sucks to have to divert, but if we do, would prefer a port not oft visited to echo @WAYNO

The industry is incredibly cyclical. Bargains will be different as we progress through the cycle. Whenever the next correction comes, something will normalize and we'll see where we land. However, I've said this in another thread before, I do think the insane pricing going on at the Orlando theme parks has a part to play in this. If someone is flying into the market, they can easily take a three-day cruise out of Port Canaveral for a lower price than what they might pay for park tickets. I think it's becoming more a viable option for people and RCL knows this - hence their investment in the short cruise itineraries.

They've cancelled through May. Just went on to try to book a trip to Labadee and first available itinerary was June 10th on Independence. I've got a Labor Day weekend trip planned on Independence, so I'm curious to see what moves they make for this summer. I'd welcome another port like Grand Turk or Grand Cayman, but will be disappointed if we just end up on Nassau and PDCC for a four night cruise.

Get ready for a whole lot more armchair quarterbacking with regards to this...