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foxrunner

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Posts posted by foxrunner

  1. We have an interior cabin, deck 10 forward on Oasis for our 2024 summer cruise from Barcelona. it is a very port intensive cruies, with only one sea day. We have only cruised in oceanview balconies, but with the increasing cost of cruising, wanted to see if we could save some money and still enjoy cruising with the interior room. Our TA let us know that for $220 total(plus we would get $50 onboard credit), we could switch to a Central Park view cabin on deck 9.  @OCSC Mike, you seem to be the king of interior cabins.  I would love anyone's opinions about choosing an interior vs. a central park view cabin on Oasis.  

    TIA

     

     

  2. On 11/4/2023 at 3:41 PM, Thom Cruise said:

    I appreciate there are equations to every decision, but I can only point out that in Britain we get fined by schools for taking our kids on holiday.  

     

     

    Very interesting, my state is struggling with chronic school absenteeism in the post Covid era. This is defined as a student missing 10% of the school year. Most schools have a chronic rate around 22% across all incomes and races.  Fines sound might help. Do you happen to know what the fines are?

  3. 4 hours ago, Xaa said:

     

    I still enjoy sailing and feel like I can manage to get the things I want at the lowest price they'll ever offer it, but it requires work and babysitting I'm relieved of with other lines.

    I have only sailed on Royal. Do you find the other lines prices higher or lower? How do internet and drink packages generally compare to Royal pricing? I'm also asking if by babysitting do you get a better price than the fixed prices.

    TIA

  4. Life long Coder, and I wouldn't advise visiting for less than a couple of days. The traffic is overstated IMHO but travel from Boston is long.  Too much to see and much of the best parts of the Cape center around relaxing or not on a beach. Come for a week in Sept. and you might not go home. 

  5. 12 hours ago, DMcrusin said:

    I’m on that Mariner sailing date.  I have no interest in this area, but I checked my planner out of curiosity for you.  $74.99 is the price for that date.

    Thanks for checking. Icon is now $74.99. So my theory holds. We are going to try Hideaway but it is likely a one and done by the description. Have a great cruise. 

  6. 17 hours ago, Jill said:

    I’m the week after you on Icon and it’s $43.99. I just don’t get this “dynamic” pricing. Maybe I’m the first week after all the spring breaks end? 

    FYI our week is school vacation week.

    I should clarify my question Icon and Mariner will be at Coco Cay on the same day. Will the Mariner pricing be the same $70.99 as Icon??

  7. I'm a father of two boys that put themselves through college without debt, because of the tipping culture in the USA. They hustled and worked a ton of hours. We live in a resort community so that helps. We are a solid middleclass family so received no financial aid.  My point is that without tipping the boys would have come out of colleges with tens of thousands $ in debt. They could have worked the back of the house for that safe hourly wage but again that would have meant student loans. Yes they did have some scholarships but they made it happen through hard work and tips.  

  8. 16 minutes ago, CanHardlyWait said:

    Maybe being extra vocal actually made a difference. 

    Being vocal works, but see below!

    2 hours ago, twangster said:

    So the next logical question is... what now will become a charged item since the Pizza charge that was imminent has been eliminated?

    They know better than to ask next time.  

    Yup, it is coming somewhere else!

    It is also fair to say that Royal's model is a pay to play one vs all inclusive. For some cruisers that works really well, for some it is nickel  & diming. 

    What I wish Royal saw was that the value in cruising vs the land option made cruising appealing. Cruising has some strengths but serious problems.

    • Crew working conditions
    • short stays in a place
    • lack of getting to know the local culture
    • crowds
    • mass produced food
    • negative impact on the local economy outside of a select few
    • a harried pace for vacation
    • huge negative environmental impact    

    I'm not down on cruising but we need to be real here about what is positive and negative. 

    Again thank you all for your positivity and hard earned knowledge!

  9. Unless you are staying in Europe for months, you are going to be dealing with jet lag on one leg or the other. We have found moving East, living on the East Coast, to be more difficult. I would also add unless you are a champion sleeper jet lag stinks. Most seasoned travelers drug themselves to combat this issue. I'm a good sleeper but don't want to take something, and don't sleep on the plane. We found the stay up method on Eastbound flights to work pretty well. You will be kind of groggy so no major life decisions but a good tourist.    

  10. Hi Frank,

    We just returned from Italy Greece and Turkey, notice not Israel. In Greece and Italy they except Euros. In Turkey they have their own currency, but in our experience want Euros. Most places take credit cards and will convert fairly for you. Interesting in Greece I tried to tip in dollars and the server refused saying he only would except Euros. I only had Dollars and he was fine with no tip. The whole tipping culture is very different. We tried to use the credit card for as much as possible which outside of a very few excursions was OK.

  11. 3 hours ago, Jayalekznder said:

     

    My fear is that since Allure of the Seas didnt have the full dry dock as it was supposed to, it may be cancelled to be put in dry dock and therefore we may not have a chance to go. 

    Dry docks are scheduled way in advance and if you can book the dates they should cruise. No one can predict emergency repairs so I wouldn't worry about that.  Royal would also refund you 100% if they don't sail. The change I would make would be to a 4 nighter. We have been on Allure twice and it is awesome. Being your first cruise you don't know what your missing with the newer ships. The short cruises on Oasis class make it hard to see and do everything, another day makes a big difference. Consider staying on the ship in Nassau or walking to the straw market and get back on board. The port isn't all that great and it will give you more time to explore the ship. These ships are massive and it takes awhile to see everything. Allure or Utopia are more like a small city block with a resort style hotel. Keep asking questions we are a friendly bunch.   

  12. 19 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

    If it’s magnets you value don’t hang them.  Too many cruises I’ve seen people post in the FB group that someone stole their magnets.  I imagine it’s more like a prank, took and moved, but I’ve never heard that they’ve been found. 

    We put the magnets above the peephole. Haven't lost it yet. Our theory the little ones can't reach. 

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