ChessE4

My understanding is that you lose the FCC if it is not used. ( We have some FCC we can't use because we don't see how we can fit in another cruise we'd really enjoy.)  Now there are folks who talk about gaming the system, like booking something and trying to cancel later, but I will let them respond to your question.

16 hours ago, europecruiser said:

I am currently booked on the Voyager OTS  due out of Barcelona on the 15th of April. The current guidelines for testing don't specify whether the antigen test requires to be supervised.

Will an unsupervised antigen test be accepted at port as a proof of negative test? If not, does anybody have tips on where to book a test close to the departure port?

We were told by our travel agent that our hotel would know where to go nearby for accepted Covid tests.  As others have posted, Barcelona has multiple testing sites.

On 4/2/2022 at 7:08 PM, Ampurp85 said:

I brought some in Jan that expire in Nov. 

Ditto--November expirations

I think the bottom line is that everyone who is vaccinated should get a booster shot unless your primary care physician advises against it.  I just got my 4th shot since I am a senior.  (I want to reduce the risk that I might accidentally spread the virus to vulnerable persons.)

The cruising benefit is that I can show that I am both fully vaccinated and up-to-date.  So as cruising regulations or variants change, I am fully prepared.

8 hours ago, Thorntor said:

I agree with both comments.  Our TA has contacted Royal and was told they were going to expedite the processing but to date, we have seen no evidence of action on RCCL’s part.  Additionaly, our TA was contacting RCCL again today.  

Is 75+ days routine for FCC processing?  Can anyone please share their experiences on what “expedited processing” might really mean.  I am just trying to gauge how often I need to bug our TA who has been good over the years. 

For our Serenade cruise which Royal cancelled in January, they waited until the actual sail date before processing refunds, etc.  For us, the wait was about 2-3 weeks.  We found we couldn't use all of the FCC on our re-booked trip because it can't be applied to taxes and port fees.

Chocolate martini. Both my wife and I fell in love with it 

11 hours ago, deep1 said:

Ok I recently vented my spleen how I'm really tired of dealing with increasingly undertrained RC phone reps directly. I don't mind a little "spirited exchange" now and then but its sadly becoming the only thing I run into. In that thread, many  I read on here gave  glowing  suggestions of using a particular agency that is friendly with this site. I have always enjoyed doing my own booking and looking after my own best interests but as I am nearing retirement and lots more cruising it may be time to pass that torch.

I was looking at Alaska stuff then Europe today. The deeper I dug the more unanswered questions surfaced. I've always lived near cruise ports and with the exceptopn of one I did years ago to Alaska, no transfers , flights, hotels etc were involved. Now with the ones I'm looking at all that stuff is part of what needs to be done.  Do travel agentts have a good grip on all that side stuff? For example. Somebody in our ranks mentioned that there is transfers through RCL to a train from Anchorage to Seward. The trains website says that as well but I couldn't find details anywhere. Would the reccommended  agents I see mentioned here be versed in that? I found a way to burn some time  at the end that cruise.... Its an RCL  sanctioned excursion but details of the "transfers to airport" at the end of it are really not clear.... Would they be able to translate the unclear to clear? 

Europe set other questions into motion? Fiance' wants to check out Rome. Is there enough time  to do that from a port stop or do we need to make that our  base and spend a couple days there? Questions like that.... Can they help? Do they charge extra for all that expertise? 

Any cruise through Civitavecchia will allow you to visit Rome, although it is an all-day affair.  With Med cruises, one needs to watch out for "port fatigue" from back-to-back port visits.  We enjoyed Rome, but to see it thoroughly one needs extra days.  

We have purchased airport transfer tickets from Royal before (OK) and price varies with port    Haven't done the excursion that drives you to a tourist venue before airport drop-off.  For those you must be sure your departure time isn't too early.

12 hours ago, KDK said:

So, did you feel that Allianz is the way to go?

We use Allianz when going on a big trip abroad but may use Royal's coverage for the Caribbean, it varies.  We will look into an annual premium from Allianz for next year.

I concur with the majority of posters who don't think vaccination requirements will go away anytime soon.   Take Denmark, for example.  They are waiving covid testing for arriving tourists who are fully vaccinated within last 270 days, or something like that.  As other countries follow suit, we'll see it easier to travel if you are up-to-date in vaccinations.

Kids are inexpensive.  We prefer Allianz when we want extra medical coverage.  However Arch's policy (Royal) was improved a few months ago.  Aside from the total cost of the trip to be covered, age is the main driver of the cost of travel insurance -- due to the likelihood of medical claims when we are older.

For us, the most common claim (twice) has been luggage-related -- either delayed by airlines or lost by Royal.

We prefer the fixed-price shop for souvenir purchases, and we found the vendors on the roadway "normal".  One needed to barter or just say "no" and walk away.  We saw the same behavior in other locations

But back to the issue of getting around the island, and I agree that tipping can go a long way in getting good service.

My perception is that prices have increased for drinks, internet, excursions, and cruise fares, except that through careful planning one can avoid the most dramatic fare increases.  I periodically compare average stateroom price per night on old cruises and new.  What I discover is that Matt's recommendation to book early makes a big difference.

We once attempted to volunteer to donate blood on a cruise.  It turned out they had a lot of volunteers, and we weren't needed.  So it does happen, albeit rarely.

4 hours ago, Lexster said:

So, I'm already looking toward a cruise after my upcoming one and was looking into European trips. To me, I just don't see this ever being financially feasible unless you have a ton of money. Am I wrong? There don't seem to be any cruises which start in a US port, go to Europe, and come back which means I'd have to fly internationally, take the cruise, and fly back. That's already nearly $3000 for two people to fly round trip on top of the cruise cost. Do people usually get packages for this sort of thing or what?

To fly to Europe and cruise, figure up to $1,000 per day.  So a 7N trip is about $7K, a 12N trip $12K, etc.  That includes planning ahead for a reasonable price for ocean view room or cheap balcony.  But the issue is that you'll want to fly early, stay in a hotel a couple of nights (jet lag and sightseeing), plus you will have a lot of ports and perhaps many excursions.  I prefer to spend 2 weeks in Europe if I must pay $2500-$3k to fly there.   

However, It is still expensive to cruise in the US if you go the wrong time of year.  After Royal cancelled our cheap cruise (planned 2 years in advance), we got stuck paying for air fare to Texas in December for just a 5N cruise.  Before we are done our cost per night for two in a balcony room, etc., will be $700-$800 per night for a 7N trip (two in hotel, five on cruise).  So Europe, for us, is $200-$300 per day more after paying everything (including parking, transfers, cat sitter, etc.)  Now given a choice between Texas and Europe, I'll pick Europe.  Bottom line:  Save your pennies as long as you need to, but go somewhere you really want to go.  Looking back, I wish I spent more money when I was younger.....Nothing beats a good Med cruise, but I'd opt for a 12N trip, if possible.

In less than 3 months we will be in Aruba, which I've never visited.  I am looking forward to experiencing the videos I've seen online, but mostly dancing and dining with my wife.  Having been locked up for two years (by COVID), it will be great to have fun safely!  Also, I love the gentle rolling of ship as I walk along the deck.

18 hours ago, jonesjillian said:

Hi! Does anyone know the current cost of specialty coffee drinks onboard? I'm sailing on Adventure next week. With tax, the card is $37. If I get 15 drinks (not likely) the cost per drink is $2.50. If I get large drinks or double-shots it would increase the price closer to $5.00 per drink, since those would cost two punches, right? 

It might be a wash - on a 7N cruise you can get seven 2-shot drinks for about the same price that you would pay with Seapass, but you are protected a little against inflation.  And some baristas may only charge you one "punch" for a nice drink.   Or you might choose to try a 1-shot drink.  My wife likes an occasional Chai Tea, which I pick up for her with my coffee card.  In the end, the coffee card isn't as good a deal as it used to be, but I don't think you would lose money.  The only question is whether you would prefer another drink package.  We don't drink enough to warrant another beverage package.  Have a great cruise!

On 3/23/2022 at 5:13 AM, sammy79 said:

Can you check out pool towels to take on a beach excursion?  How early does the pool towel station open?  Thanks!

Tip:  When returning your towels, it is advised that you go to a station that actually swipes your Seapass and gives you immediate credit for the returned towels.  Hand-written receipts don't always get input correctly....

17 hours ago, WesKinetic said:

Extremely random question: I just got off a cruise and have a question about the post-cruise survey. If memory serves, the last time I did one, there was a question that was something to the effect of "did any crew members tell you about this survey or ask for a positive review?" So here's my question--is a crew member mentioning the survey a positive or a negative thing in Royal Caribbean's eyes? 

For context: we had a fantastic crew member interaction and, in the course of our conversation, this person mentioned the survey and how good results help in their future careers. I certainly want to recognize this person and don't want to cause them problems if they're not supposed to talk about the survey. But some companies want their employees to mention similar surveys so customers know to be on the look out for it. I definitely want to help out this crew member, so didn't know the best response to that question (if it's still on there).

EDIT: Just to be clear, this person wasn't actively saying "give us high scores." It was more of a "Hey, if there's any reason you wouldn't give high scores for the food or service, please let us know so we can try to make things better." The comment about it impacting a career was only in response when someone at our table asked if Royal Caribbean really put stock in those surveys and how they used them. 

it's a positive to mention the survey, and it's a positive to ask for feedback about the service.  It's a negative to ask for a high rating.

As others have stated, we have been reminded of the survey on virtually every cruise.  We have been asked for feedback to improve MDR service. I don't remember ever being asked to give a high rating.   Our best MDR service has been when we've had a fixed table and dining staff.  It was hard to bond with the staff during My Time dining when we floated from table to table...

23 minutes ago, RWDW1204 said:

Personally experienced? 

I do believe that staterooms should be more or less quiet, since one has many venues for partying.  Thus, being drunk and noisy in the wee hours isn't very cruise-friendly.  And shouting at the top of your lungs from your balcony is a definite no-no.

On 3/15/2022 at 7:51 AM, Woody283 said:

Is the vest available without a snorkeling package?

We bought ours at Amazon.  The issue is when there is a strong current.  I had difficulty on day at Coco Cay when the outgoing current was strong.  Divers and kayaks had to be towed back to shore.  My son returned to beach safely, but at 60+ I could only manage to get to the rocks at the edge of the cove.  On a calm day you won't need a vest or flippers, but on other days you will.  Hence my advice...

12 hours ago, Livtocruise said:

I know about onboard credit and you can spend that in the cruise planner ahead of time, but I booked a cruise through Costco Travel and I have $50 worth of Shipboard credit and $50 worth of dining credit. Doesn’t look like I can use it ahead of time, which is a bummer because we want to do Wonderland and it looks like you get a discount from booking in the cruise planner ahead of time. Does anyone know if you can use the shipboard credit towards dining as well or if there is a way to get this added to your cruise planner?

I don't know how Costco works, but on the ship all charges to the room are, well, charges to the room.  So OBC is applied to those charges and you are billed for the balance at the end of the cruise.  Now we used to get a "dining certificate" from our TA -- not OBC -- and that could only be used per its instructions (like go on a port day, etc.)   Not sure whether you are going to get certificates with your cruise documents as we did or just OBC assigned to your stateroom.  Recommend you look for comments from other Costco customers.

We book our refundable deposit cruises early, so we seldom benefit from repricing.  Our AAA agent checks for us when we ask, but the "then current" price for our preferred room is usually about the same price or even more expensive.  Thus, unless you book expensive suites that could vary in price dramatically, I wouldn't expect a TA to get you a better deal.  It might happen, just don't plan on it.  We have found that because of Covid-19 cancellations, our TA isn't as prompt in replying to us anymore.  i would suggest that is a better criterion when you consider getting/changing TAs.  We book at least a year in advance, often 18-24 months.  We have found our TA invaluable when we have problems and great at getting competitive air fares.

14 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

We’re you able to pick a day? If not it should be boarding day. 

regardless, I’ve had it where things were in the room , and I had ordered a birthday cake once for boarding day…that’s when it was the big birthday and it never showed, then they decided it could be at dinner….I’ll never order cake again!

 

 

We also had a cake problem....can't remember when the champagne and strawberries were delivered.  

On 3/15/2022 at 6:17 PM, EmptyNestTravels said:

Will be going to Labadee for the first time in a few weeks on Mariner.  Have been looking for a good review of the island and experience, and didn't find anything on Labadee in @MattYouTube vlogs (maybe I am just missing it).   From what I did locate from other content creators, I believe Labadee is going to be a big disappointment in comparison to Perfect Day. Maybe I will start calling it Blah-badee afterwards?  Does anyone have thoughts/reviews/suggestions to share about the Labadee experience?   @Matt please consider doing a full-island tour and review video on Labadee in the future if you haven't already done one (sorry if I missed it).   Thanks everyone!

What we like best at Labadee is the fixed price souvenir shop.  Not sure if it is still there, but it has good variety and isn't made in China....

Back in the day Labadee was the best spot to find dead coral washed ashore.  Now taking back broken coral or seashells is actively discouraged--buy what you can at gift shops in the US or its territories and save the receipt.

Chill Island, near snorkel rental, is where we always go. Swim out to rocks at edge. I think there is also a rope line and platform. Wear vest so current doesn't threaten you. Main thing is to get away from swimmers at beach.