BrianB

Update…. I just checked in for the next cruise on this back to back. On the Liberty May 9. Because it is a b2b, I didn’t check in at midnight. But, when I checked in at 9am, the earliest arrival time was 12 noon.

Having 11:30 as the earliest arrival time is one thing. But not being able to choose an arrival time until a few days later after checking in at midnight is what I’m wondering about. Strange.

Don’t know if this is happening to others, but… I always make sure I’m up at midnight when check-in opens for my cruises. As @Matt mentioned in his story, it’s a good strategy to make sure to get an early arrival time before they’re all taken. But, when I checked in as soon as it opened for my cruise from Bayonne NJ on the Liberty of the Seas sailing May 5th…it allowed me to do everything except choose an arrival time. There was a message on top of the last page advising me to ‘check back closer to the sail date to pick an arrival time’. So, I kept checking back…several times a day…until finally the times were available to choose. This happened two and half days later…so not much closer to sailing day. Usually sailing on the Anthem out of Port Liberty…the earliest arrival time offered is 10 or 10:30am. This time, the first available time listed was 11:30am. I’m thinking this is just something regarding the Liberty coming back to Bayonne…or it’s to blunt the onslaught to the system when too many users try to check in at once. There have been times when it seemed the system crashed just after midnight…especially when it’s a popular cruise with lots of ‘in the know’ guests vying for an earlier arrival time. Curious.

I understand that some travel insurance policies do offer ‘Missed Port’ coverage for cruisers. It is an additional cost and allows a one-time set reimbursement per person covered. Usually $100. There are some restrictions and conditions…such as the missed port was not replaced with another. The missed port had to be replaced by a sea day. Even if port fees and excursions were refunded by the cruise line, and no loss occurred, the insurance would still pay out for the inconvenience of missing a planned port and not having a replacement. But, again…it is a rider to the policy and incurs an additional cost. So you have to weigh the risk versus the cost…as with all insurance policies. I never considered it so I didn’t really research it completely…but it’s always a good idea to check it out if that’s something that interests you.

Agree with everyone else. Formal and Dress Your Best are for those who look forward to having the formal onboard experience and also to have their photos taken by the ship’s professional photographers. They will be at areas throughout the ship with nice backgrounds, like marble staircases and the car on the Promenade…also they will erect photo backdrops. But they don’t just snap a photo and you move on…they will take time to take multiple photos with many different poses. The idea is to give you lots of photos to choose from…hopefully you’ll purchase more than one. Meanwhile, the line waiting for their photos can get pretty long. But the most important thing to know, in my opinion, is there are many cruisers who do not dress formal or ‘best’…they just stay resort casual like every other night. Also, that makes packing quite a bit easier. Either way, you’ll blend in!

I sail from Bayonne virtually all of the time. I always arrive a little past 10 to make sure the garage is open for incoming guests. So I’m usually at the door to the terminal before 10:30. So far, there has never been anyone checking boarding passes. I go right in and get on one of the security lines. The only time I had my boarding pass checked was right after the restart when they would announce the times over a bull horn and then allow us in. But that quickly went away…at least in the morning. I heard as it became more crowded during the afternoon, they would check for arrival times. Since then, I always made sure I was up when check in opened to get the earliest time…even though I’m Pinn. I also thought that ‘one hour before or after’ referred to the arrival time. I worry that the one time I don’t get the early arrival time…That’s when they’re going to check! **By the way…I was up last night at midnight and checked in for my May 5th cruise on the Liberty from Bayonne. It allowed me to do everything but choose a time. There was a message saying ‘check back closer to the cruise date to choose an arrival time.’ That’s new.

I understand it to mean if a non-Pinnacle is in a cabin…the same cabin…with a Pinnacle, then the non-P can be included. Provided the Pinn has enough points on any particular cruise to be included on their own. But just one. Not the whole family in the same cabin. Not family in another cabin…even if it’s connecting. Not friends onboard…unless one of the friends, just one, is in the same cabin as the Pinn. If two Pinns are in the same cabin, they can not invite one non-Pinn each…unless those non-Pinns are in the same cabin. Meaning four people in one cabin and two of them are Pinns. I'm guessing they’ll be some new considerations made pre-booking by Pinns looking to spread themselves out to accommodate others. Such as two Pinns booking into different cabins so that their listed cabin-mates could have access. But, that wouldn’t be a guarantee as their numbers may not be high enough to allow access on that particular cruise. Maybe I’m misunderstanding it…but the coffee hasn’t kicked in yet.

I know they made an announcement about letting kids use the Solarium on other ships…but it was for a short period in the late afternoon/early evening. I don’t think that’s going to work on Odyssey sailing out of Bayonne in the winter. It will be difficult keeping kids out on the first two and last two days of a seven night cruise. I can also understand the parent’s frustration of paying for the cruise and not being allowed to bring their kids when there is no other similar option. Seems like we’re headed for some exceptionally crowded Solarium sea days…more so than usual, which is almost like the Hunger Games trying to find a lounger now.

I’ve had a cabin that was in a sold-out category so there was no way to check for a price drop. Certainly didn’t think the price would drop as there were none available in the category. But, I called to apply an Instant Cash Certificate from the Casino and was surprised when the agent told me the price had dropped a bit and would I like the new price. Very unexpected and appreciated. I went back and checked up to the final payment date in case some opened up (sometimes group bookings and TAs have them on hold) but the category remained sold out. You can always call and check. Couldn’t hurt.

I don’t think you can switch a current booking to a new Prime Casino booking…but you can apply the value of the certificate to the current booking. That’s what I usually do. I think the certificate is for a free 7 night Caribbean cruise for two. There are no 7 night Caribbean cruises from Bayonne. I’m pretty sure they don’t consider the Bahamas as ‘Caribbean’ even though it’s sometimes referred to as such. The Bahamas are in the Atlantic. The best bang for the buck would be to use it for the 7 night Caribbean. It usually covers everything except port fees and taxes. But, I’m not flying to Florida for that. I’ll just take the value.

Chargers for phone and iPad…check Book for beach and pool reading…check Sunscreen…check Antibacterial wipes…check Check under bed for pervert…check Shampoo and body wash…check Toothbrush…check Check entire cabin for pervert camera…check *Ready to cruise!

I don’t know if it’s a cruise line process…or if the CBP (in the U.S.) automatically does it when they get the manifest. I’m presuming that’s why they want the manifest early. I’m thinking it would be pretty difficult to screen each and every passenger with a complete background check. Not only entering the info, but then someone screening the results. More likely CBP will scan the manifest and respond to flags. Wanted people, watch list names, those on court restricted travel, passport irregularities, etc…

I use the plastic covers also…I put one on the top handle and one on the side. I also mark my bag with color reflective tape on all sides so I can see it from far away…distinguishing it from others. Also helps prevent someone with a similar bag from accidentally taking mine.

Today I tried checking some of the prices for my bookings made over a year ago. Usually the price automatically includes the solo supplement so I can compare them easily with today’s prices. Now…for me, even those booked so long ago no longer have that option. The only difference is for those bookings, it will allow me to apply the DP340 promo code…but…it will not show the discounted price. It accepts the code but says ‘discount will be applied at check out’. I went through the booking process adding all of the info and preferences (dining time, insurance…etc) and got to the payment page. It still would not reflect the solo price. I even tried placing a Courtesy Hold on the reservation and still…no discounted price. Why hide it? It won’t stop me from comparing pricing. All I have to do is keep a list of the new prices and when I see a drop, I’ll call for a reprice. If it’s less, my discounted price should be less. Hopefully. I guess I’ll find out eventually. The really frustrating part would be…if the non-discounted reprice results in a huge jump, and then having to wait for someone, somewhere down the line to eventually apply the solo discount manually. And hope that it doesn’t fall through one of the many cracks in the system. I wonder if Travel Agents are having the same difficulty. If so…that would really take up lots of time and effort. Oh well…I hope this is not the new ‘norm’ and they can get back to the old, consumer-friendly, transparent and easily navigable system.

This has been a new issue for me. Even onboard while booking at Next Cruise, they can not apply the single cruiser supplement discount. They found it very frustrating because they were unable to quote the discounted price. They contacted shoreside and were advised that the discount can now only be manually applied by them…after the booking has been completed and submitted. Eventually, I did get the new cruise confirmations emailed to me…two weeks later…with the discounted price. ***I tried adding the code DP340 into the promo code box, but it keeps saying ‘Invalid code’….am I doing something wrong?

Update…GOOD NEWS! On the Anthem now. I checked in this afternoon with Next Cruise about the missing solo cruiser discount on the cruises I booked two weeks ago. Danning said she had not received a response from the email she sent at that time. She told me she would contact shoreside and get me an answer. At 8pm I saw that Royal had emailed me fifteen new cruise confirmation receipts. All fifteen cruises had the discount applied…to the original lower price! Very happy!

Update…GOOD NEWS! On the Anthem now. I checked in this afternoon with Next Cruise about the missing solo cruiser discount on the cruises I booked two weeks ago. Danning said she had not received a response from the email she sent at that time. She told me she would contact shoreside and get me an answer. At 8pm I saw that Royal had emailed me fifteen new cruise confirmation receipts. All fifteen cruises had the discount applied…to the original lower price! No need to worry about crossing bridges when I get to them anymore. Very happy!

Not only are prices not going down…but it seems like some of the regular discounts are not being applied. When I check bookings without my C&A number and then re-check with my number, the price either doesn’t change, or it drops by $50. I cruise solo and with my C&A number entered, I should be getting the 150% solo cruiser discount. These are cruises that are not during the blackout periods…no summer, holiday, spring break, new ship…nada. Even the Next Cruise people couldn’t understand why the discount isn’t being applied. I know it has that loophole ‘where applicable’ and they control the definition of ‘applicable’…but I didn’t think it would mean as long as we can get more, then the discount is not applicable. Oh, well….decided to take a risk and booked a bunch anyway at Next Cruise with $100 deposits each to lock them in and will monitor. Hopefully the discount eventually gets applied but I’m suspecting that when it does, it will be on a new, higher price and not the price when I booked it. If the price doesn’t drop by final payment, then I’ll have to consider cancellation and forfeit the $100. Bridges to cross when I get to them….

@WAAAYTOOO I hope it’s an IT shortfall and not a bean counter decision. ‘Based on availability’ could mean almost anything. Oh, well…I’ll keep checking. Thanks for responding!

I booked a bunch of cruises sailing out of Bayonne as soon as the Northeast Sailing Schedule opened this past week. I booked them at NextCruise onboard the Anthem. The person assisting me was a bit confused because the solo cruiser discount wasn’t automatically being applied as it usually was. She tried pricing without my C&A number and it was the same as with it. Two of them were $50 less. None of the cruises were during blackout periods, holidays-new ship-summer, and she couldn’t figure out why the discount wasn’t applying. I know it’s also ‘based on availability’, but I’m booking the day the cruises were being offered. I booked anyway because I wanted to lock in cabins on back to backs. She sent an email to shoreside and told me it would take about two weeks for a response. A few days later she said she heard from a colleague that the C&A solo cruiser discount had not yet been activated for the new schedule, but that was not confirmed from shoreside. Does anyone have a similar experience…or any information about this?

@twangster Could be… - But the ship is always sailing at or above capacity. I’m not really sure the company would be that responsive to customer preferences if they are not directly related to a drop in demand. Maybe just a timely shuffling of the deck.

@RCIfan1912 The forecast for CocoCay next Wednesday looks good…so far. Southeast winds at 17mph…

Dynamic pricing. When demand is high, prices go high. If demand falls, prices will fall. I’m booked on the Odyssey next year Feb 8, 2025…8 night…the price is pretty close to the 8 night Anthem cruise this past week. But I book my cruises pretty much as soon as they are available. Back when I booked, they were still worried about the post-Covid comeback and priced accordingly. Now that demand has skyrocketed…prices have risen. Glad I got in when I did. **I'm also a bit curious as to why they took the Anthem, with her indoor family pool, away from the Northeast and replaced her with the Odyssey. I know Anthem is scheduled for an extensive dry dock period in Singapore. But without that climate controlled indoor pool area…the first and last two days will be pretty crowded in the Solarium…more than usual. It’s already like the Hunger Games trying to find a lounge chair on sea days.

Not only wind speed…also wind direction, usually in combination with the size and direction of the swells can make it very difficult to maneuver to the pier…and to stay safely alongside. Remember, the pier is not in a protected harbor but open to the sea. Even on a beautiful sunny day…if significant swells from a distant storm are too much to safely approach the pier, then the attempt to dock will likely be cancelled. Also, even if the weather is fine for docking in the morning, if the forecast calls for seriously worsening conditions during the day…the decision to not dock at all would likely result. The primary focus is safety…number one is the passengers, crew and the ship. Next comes the safety of the pier itself. Damaging the pier can result in losing CocoCay as a destination until repairs could be made.

I booked a bunch of solo cruises yesterday morning at Next Cruise here onboard the Anthem. All sailing from my home port of Bayonne NJ. The prices are very high, but I figured I wanted to lock in back to back balcony cabins and hope the price declines as time goes on. Plus, it’s only $100 deposit each and I get at least $100 back OBC. Even the Next Cruise agent was confused because the C&A 150% solo occupant supplement wouldn’t apply automatically as it normally does. None of the cruises are in the black out periods (No summers, no holidays, no new ship, only one during spring break). But I booked anyway to lock them in. My worst case scenario…if the price doesn’t drop for a few of them as final payment looms, then I’ll cancel. It’s a $100 risk for each one. Or I’ll try a lift and shift. A bridge to cross once I get to it. But to your point….as I sit here less than 24hrs later…all of the cruises I booked have gone up in price by several hundred dollars. All fifteen of them! Between $200-$400. The average is $300. Also, one cruise already has an entire category of balconies as ‘Sold Out’. I'm hoping this is just an automated reaction to a sudden demand for a newly released, highly anticipated cruise schedule…and eventually demand will falter.