MikeK

Navigator of the Seas  June 16th, 2016  Baltic Sea

There are two things I always tell first time cruisers that a very important! 1...make sure you are on time. The ship will not wait on you. You need to be on board at least an hour and half before sailing time. That also goes for stops at the different ports. I can't tell you how many times standing on my balcony I have seen people running down the pier to make it before the ship leaves. 2....make sure you have the correct ID paperwork to get on the ship. You can almost never go wrong with a passport. If you are using a drivers license and birth certificate make sure its certified copy. If you have a name change ..make sure you have certified copies backing this up ...marriage certificate etc etc. Not trying to scare you but it is important. I know you will have a great time and enjoy yourself...Mike

This bothers me, charging too much is one thing, selling a fake is another.

Especially considering they are a authorised dealer, I'm assuming they are, iv seen Tissot sold on the ships.

Did you get papers with a serial number? I'm not sure if parts of the movement were replaced or if the whole watch is a fake, either way it's bad.

I'd get a hold of Tissot and say WTF, they would be furious to know that. Maybe a RC employee did a switch, not sure, but it's a very big deal.

Being a big watch nut I chuckle to myself when I see them peddle weak brands as high end, and they definitely do. Cheaply made watches marked down to high prices.

Selling Chinese watches as high end Swiss happens. The US has relaxed laws towards this, put in a small Swiss part on a Chinese watch and it's 'Swiss made'. That's one thing, pushing replicas as original is another.

Tissot is a quality brand, not top of the line but very respectable. Good choice for a affordable well made watch. Selling fakes would be a whole new low for RC, assuming it's true. I'd definitely let Tissot know of this.

Jerel ....I understand what you saying but we took several factors into account before writing letters etc etc.   The watch itself wasn't all that expensive,  the time from when we bought it and when it broke, and all the hoops one has to jump through to even be considered for a refund and I m not sure we still had the paperwork at the time. Now when I look back i m not sure which RC cruise boat it was on.  About the only thing we would buy from the cruise shops would be liquor.   Has anyone on here gone through the steps of trying to get a refund for items bought on a cruise ship?  I would like to hear your story....Thanks ...Mike

My wife and I had a similar problem with a Tissot watch we bought for her years ago in a RC jewelry store.  The watch died after about 18 months and we took it to a good jewelry store in town.   The watch maker showed us the inside of the watch and explained why it was not a real Tissot.  I realize the money lost was considerably different from you but   we learned a valuable lesson on buying expensive items on the cruise boat.

We started out cruising with oceanview rooms then moved to balcony rooms in our first RC cruise in 2000 and haven't looked back since.  Our philosophy is you only have one go around in life so enjoy it to the fullest.  After about 5 cruises we jumped to a Jr suite on a 12day Med cruise and have stayed with the Jr. suite until May of this year and tried a GS on the cruise out of Puerto Rico.  If you have the money spend it on the balcony and enjoy yourself. When you get up in the mornings order room service coffee and stand out on the balcony.  We enjoy looking at the flying fish,  other ships and the nice views arriving into ports.  I have a nice pair of binoculars I use at football games and they come in handy on the balcony.  Your on vacation.....enjoy yourselves!

Yes Mike, the area around the hotel is now called Midtown Plantation.. Very crowded and difficult to drive on University Drive without getting a lot of traffic... Sometimes the Renaissance in plantation has good deals for $100 a night.. So check them out too.

Thanks,  I will ck it out next time!

Ahh plantation my backyard... no one ever knows plantation so I just say I live in Ft. Lauderdale...

yes, I know what you mean,  I was born and raised in Fl so I'm familiar with most areas of Fl.  We enjoyed walking around that large shopping area near the hotel and even driving to Dania to do some antique shopping in their antique district.  That area is really nice but a little more crowded than I'm used to.

We have stayed at the Hampton Inn in Plantation several times before cruises.  Although we drive to the hotel, we have been able to park at hotel for free(7 day cruise) and shuttle to and from the cruise port (10-15min drive).  I would ck and make sure but my guess they would do the same for an airport/cruise shuttle.

I think the main reason RC doesn't offer these freebees is that they pretty much fill the ships without them.  And some are missing the big picture in that RC offers all the extra entertainment that are the reason most of us are RC cruisers to begin with.   Look at the Aqua Theatre, rock climbing walls, ice skating rink, boardwalk, central park, flow rider, etc etc.  Dont get wrong,  I would love some of those extras but I don't think that's going to happen any time soon on the Voyager Class or above

What a great tip ! I didn't realize that you could test silver with a magnet. So...if it isn't pure silver then it will "stick", right ?

I do know if it sticks it is not silver.  If there is some other metal used to fake silver the doesnt stick I wouldnt be sure

First time commenting here so if I'm out of line in anyway please let me know. One of the first things I learned about the sea pass card was out first cruise years ago in Cozumel.  We took a small magnet with us to check silver to make sure it was real. Getting back on the ship was delayed because the card was demagnetized.  There are many good uses for magnets on cruise ships but keep them away from your sea pass card!