Hagar

If there is no rush, I'd wait a bit. Submitted 5 for my customers using new automation tool and only 2 were done correctly. They are "working on" the others so the infamous Royal "glitch" monster lives on.

Hopefully other agents are having better luck though!

The inaugural t/a on Epic in an "Owner's suite" was one of the nicest runs we have ever had. But I am one of those that will take any Royal ship in the fleet compared to any other line now..... "C&A" 1600 points and counting  so let's sail  soon

Yes, everything except "T&F" are protected during "lift & shift." Application of an FCC shouldn't have any impact on "T&F" but the original date the cruise was booked does.

Hagar the (not so) Horrible 

On 1/22/2021 at 7:29 AM, emmef said:

Canned water is HORRIBLE! no way to get rid of that tinny taste. Yuck. I will bring my own bottles then for sure.

Canned and "Dasani"? Double yuck

When the pods are working hard to maneuver (like docking) the aft does notice more rumbling or shuddering in most cases. Aft balconies always worth it for my 2 cents. Even the notorious soot on some of the aft Vision class balconies couldn't scare me off

The only customer I have that qualifies for the free casino rate usually upgrades but the rep requests FULL payment right away. This keeps them from requesting the transfer to me ;

"Bookings may only be transferred to a Travel Advisor up until 60 days from creation if the request is made outside of Final Payment period and the booking is not paid in full."

I don't mind since there isn't much meat left on the bone at that point (more importantly, they are friends and I want them to get all of the best deals they can)

cap it off with the old "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop .....oops

Ditto on Viking Serenade from LA during that time frame. Have also Vision on the left coast but I think that was from San Diego

Hagar (the very) Horrible

Ah nostalgia! 

Admittedly I delight in the adventure each new class of ship brings but so much fun to look back too . My final honeymoon was on "Viking Serenade" while favorite cruise remains a whirlwind tour of Northern Europe on the "Sun Viking"

1600 points and counting 

I've seen some fantastic Diamond lounge concierges over the years. They usually deal with a larger crowd so maybe part of that is out of necessity (thinking of "trial by fire" ;>)

FCC's that are submitted electronically are added by "back of house" workers which may take a couple of days. With the "holly-daze" I'd give it even more than that 

As a travel agent I want this question answered as a top priority.  B2B cruising piggbacks on this same issue and I was just speaking with regional manager from Royal about this yesterday. I think they get the mounting frustration but the CDC owns the shoe that contains the cards we are dealt. I don't think the CDC is going to respond very soon since the sailing cancellation period extended until the end of February. Naturally this has delayed the test sailings from US ports but I do think Royal could be more flexible on final payment due dates on cruises they know may be a "no-go." 

Just throwin' my 2 pennies "out there,"

Hagar the Horrible

Just got a chuckle earlier this month while talking to a Loyalty rep who was moving our 1400 point "freeJS cruise" due to this last cancellation salvo. My point count is about triple that of my DW since she asked me to "stop dragging her along" several years ago. As much as I love it, she never got onboard with it (pun intended ;>)

Hope you enjoy the climb up the "C&A" ladder but I wholeheartedly agree that is should an integral part of strategizing rather than a primary focus.

15 hours ago, rjac said:

Well, you know the question that begs for an answer, why were you looking? 

er, um .....

actually "that incident" was just a daytime stroll with my DW

mature lady topless sunbathing that should not have been 

"Squirrel!" would be my got to response also.

But when I do have my 5-cent shingle out (laymen, not pro ;>), I suggest quid pro quo.....something like "I won't annoy you with how I feel about the cruise industry if you don't embellish the facts"  might be a good trade-off.

Hi, I'm Rob and i am an "aft junkie"

But seriously, I have done this in Alaska and loved it!  We adjusted quite easily to looking at where you have been instead of where you are going. The break from the wind chill is a big plus too. The negative for this class of ship will be that you are on deck ten which is under the outdoor dining area. 

Waving a big me too for the "woulda beens" on both runs on "OY"

I was on the Serenade repo from BOS-FLL exactly one year ago.

Returned to have torn retina surgery that same month, a minor stroke this past March and cataract surgery in June. No pity party, though!

Losing weight, exercising and ready to meet more new friends in February on the Empress and Allure

Royal is probably hectic again but the length and type of stateroom should stay the same (category might change due to class of ship).  And you have a large window, 4 weeks prior to, and 4 weeks after your original sail date (except for the holiday issue in Decmber).  

So don't just throw it at the wall once since you have probably read that Royal is infamous for "glitches" and calling to get a completely different answer. 

I have wrestled with this on my Pinnacle journey and two cruises usually won out. Hard to regret going on two adventures instead of one 

Interjecting logic now are we  ?

Just double checked and mine are still intact

Even still have boarding pass from Viking Serenade 09/01/90 from our honeymoon!

Only used it about 8-10 times (my own and a few customers) but ALL of them ended up being a "JS." 

The brass ring must have been grabbed by someone "out there."

Delta really set the bar high for SEA-TAC, including a check-in counter right in the bus bay when you arrive. I could always do an early flight post-cruise, but as has been mentioned, those just might be the "good old days."