bobroo

I'm wondering how they get that boat to landlocked Moscow and Milan?

Maybe they are "...in the spirit of" Royal Caribbean. For example, when Royal claims to sail from Orlando?

A couple more notes for the OP @bluebirdjad and @Dad2Cue ( or any future Galveston transfer information seeker)

--your bus will observe the speed limit, obey all traffic laws, and drive in the right hand lane. This may not be reflected in other's drive time estimates.

--there is a wealth of information about Galveston under the thread All Things Galveston. It's lengthy and some information may be dated but start at the beginning and read it through. There are lots of good tips there. https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/568-all-things-galveston/

--"this sounds like a hurry-up and wait situation" <<< This!!!  1,000%

I would expect a TA/Air2Sea to say something to the effect of  "I am selling you this bargain airfare, but in X amount of time you need to log in or call this airline and get your seat assignments. There will be an extra fee for this, it should be about $X." It should not be, we got their money on our part of the commissionable fare, we could care less what happens from here on out.

Also, I would also expect a TA to attempt to talk every full grown adult out of flying economy to Europe. It's a long time in the saddle. 

I think it's Air2Sea. They are acting as a TA selling air travel.

In my opinion they are being a very poor travel agent. This is a real Costco maneuver. 

All Royal transfers no matter the airport will have representatives in or near the baggage claim area. Often, like Orlando; they are strategically standing at the base of the escalators that nearly every baggage claim passenger descends on. They want to find you, trust me they won't be hiding. You will know who they are by the Royal Caribbean sign they are holding. As a matter of fact if you see a person holding another cruise logo, ask them where the Royal Caribbean person is. These folks all work for the same company, not the cruise lines themselves. Never have I had interaction with one that wasn't friendly and helpful.

Once you have collected your bags go to the meeting spot they will have informed you of. They will sign you in and either have you wait in a group of other bus riders or direct you to an awaiting bus. All of this happens in the baggage claim area. The buses leave only when they are full or the last passengers have arrived--meaning: you can be waiting in a bus for a while.

Royal Caribbean transfers DO NOT stop at hotels or take potty breaks. They go from the airport to the cruise terminal.

You are aware that veteran cruisers all fly in at least a day before the cruise leaves. We purposefully do this from experience. Yes, @Patticruise hack from the post above works, just do your homework before you make the transfer reservation. You can't BS'em, you need to know a valid flight number, departure city, departure time, and arrival time.

The Royal transfer to/from IAH is about $60 per person/per trip. In flying in the day of; a taxi, limousine, Uber, Lyft, or hitchhiking is your backup plan. Each and every one of these contingencies will cost you more than the Royal busload transfer, but I doubt you'll be price sensitive if you have to go this route. From IAH to the port is a solid hour and fifteen minute trip, likely longer with traffic or the never ending construction on I-45.

Once upon a time Diamonds could get free galley tours and Diamond+ could get free bridge tours. They just had to request them.

These tours, even though they were a perk, made an important connection between the ship as a workplace and your vacation. I am a better cruiser because I was on them. 

Wow! What a great find! Thank you for sharing @F1guynz!

This video, taken by a first time cruiser, is wonderfully raw. It is just like being there. I love the perspectives; like the looking at her feet when she walks. The subtitles are so honest and true, for example: I can't believe this floats. And the sights and sounds of Spectrum....very, very much like Singapore itself. This is such a good video!

Baltic cruises are well worth the premium $$$ that are paid for them.

If you are considering a far off future sailing please take into consideration the Russia/Ukraine war; reading up on the history of the Lusitania is prudent before booking. 

I would not be afraid to book but by all means with a refundable deposit and trip insurance. Angry bears are NOT cool.

I am staunchly against waking up 4am while I am on vacation! UGH!

As far as tipping room service I feel staunchly about this too. When I order room service, this is me being lazy. And I better not think for a second that when that assistant waiter who drew the short straw knocks on my cabin door to bring me what I ordered is not going to get at least a few bucks from my hand to theirs....ah......No bobroo, you'll be digging deep into your pockets to thank that person for you being so lazy. Added gratuity or not, that person is getting at least a few dollar bills unless I see a $5 first.

We are happy to have you aboard!

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Add us to the "no thanks" for PDCC.  I am not a beach or pool person.  I see no value in getting off the ship at all unless I can go to the Beach Club and with prices at the current levels, -0- chance I will go. Dan enjoys snorkeling but there really isn't anywhere on PDCC worth the effort.

We have been staying on the ship at PDCC and I don't see that changing.

Whoa!......this wouldn't be you and Dan at South Beach doing the Cleopatra's regatta thing?

I mean, it DOES have drink holders.

I have never locked my luggage. 

The decommissioning of Up, Up, and Away at Coco Cay is a big ouch. I'm not so sure the balloon ride even broke even.

Yesterday I booked Explorer for this December. I dunno if Explorer is the only ship in port that day, but I was surprised to see availability for all excursions and all cabana categories.

Has anybody noticed the same? Maybe signaling a drop off in PDCC spending??? 

Icon of the Seas is designed for families with young children. Have you considered Royals newest ship?

18 minutes ago, Allen2 said:

Have let Royal know - ignored!

Not ignored, just unacknowledged and it makes you feel rejected.

They heard you loud and clear, I promise. <wink>

1 hour ago, RCIfan1912 said:

Well now that's a different story. If, if there was a Luigi pizza that was good like the pizza at home I would pay for that. No doubt about it, but the question being Sorrento's pizza is disconcerting. If that's the real question I would pay for real good pizza like at home. 

Better than Sorrento's...yes

Better than your all-time best favorite pizza joint back home....no, none of the RC restaurants are like that regardless of fare. Royal aims for not the best that they can do in the kitchen but rather, what is adequate.

I hope someday soon @RCIfan1912 you take a European cruise and stop at Naples. After a day in the birthplace of pizza with dudes who really, really know what they are doing.....you'll get back onboard and never look at Sorrento's the same way again. You'll never watch commercials of national pizza chains during football the same way. You'll particularly sneer at a grocery store that wants to sell you a half-baked pizza the size of a car tire. Life is too short for zero-integrity pizza.

Think of it this way. A Liberty Pizza requires a pizza chef, a couple pizza assemblers, in total a crew of 4 or 5....all first contract employees! The ingredients are all items they probably purchase anyway. Because this style of pizza is flash fired at oh! 700 degrees; from the time you order, assembly, cooking time, and table delivery...10 to 15 minutes. Also, this style of pizza is eaten off the aluminum pan they serve it to you on with some additional napkins. 

Have the girls in the design department make the space look trendy and cool however it's still casual. So... the higher ups don't have to feel guilty about taking away a free food venue away from the lowest dollar generating cruisers. But can simultaneously feel good about taking in $12, $13, $14 for each pizza made-- at a cost not a lot higher than a Sorrento's venue. Of course the marketing department will have an easy sell since this food fits all kinds of individual needs and will look great in the press package.

Lot's for those in corner offices in Miami to like.

My honest opinion? Their thought is not to charge for Sorrento's, but rather; they are asking "would passengers pay for pizza?" Meaning: on a new vessel instead of Sorrento's, they just have a venue with a different name say... Luigi's Pizza.  It will be sit down and you order a 10" personalized pizza from a bunch of ingredients. They will have a natural gas fired domed brick oven. 

I am sure there are other national large franchises, but this idea is basically your local MOD Pizza. For reference, my local MOD Pizza gets about $13 for a 10" pizza. 

Perhaps.....the name Liberty Pizza is more appropriate???

Personally, I think they should start charging for the pizza beginning this morning. It would be easy to say a buck a slice, but it's Royal Caribbean; so let's say $2 a slice.

I'm guessing the pizza receipts from any Oasis class voyage will equal the $4 bag of popcorn receipts from the popcorn sold at the Aqua shows. This will directly show exactly how passengers feel about the Costco grade pizza.

The same goes for the gas station hotdogs at the Dog House. Put a price tag on them too and there will be plenty of room for dust in the cash register.

As a passenger who has participated in many post cruise surveys, allow me to relate my experience with Royal and their internal culture relating to off board passenger opinions.

The post cruise surveys are unquestionably a one way conversation. Meaning: you can say all you want but you will never get a reaction, follow up, an investigation, or even a polite thank you. You could literally write "I saw a gaping hole in the side of the ship and it was taking on water. This requires immediate attention"  and you will receive the same reaction as if you liked the Ranger Cookies in the Windjammer--none, zero, zilch.

Does Royal actually listen? Oh, trust me, it has taken many years of being onboard to figure out that Royal has acute senses of hearing and observation, but there is some strange code of silence they all live by. Jaw dropping senses of hearing and observation.

35 minutes ago, steverk said:

Sorry to burst your bubble, but Kona can't dock cruise ships at all. It is a tender only port.

^^^Bing! Bing! Bing! WINNER!^^^

We lost one my all time favorite port stops today due to the devastating fire on Maui.

The pictures and videos are difficult to look at. The entire harbor, The Lahaina Pizza Company, the many shave ice vendors, Fleetwoods, and the remarkable 150 year old banyan tree……..tragically erased.

As a Chicagoan, this is where the grift comes in. 

Time to play hardball Royal, be as uncompromising as Rosa Parks.

4 hours ago, CruiseMsclDad said:

UPDATE! UPDATE! UPDATE! So I took Bobroo's advice, and I did a little research, found out the cost of OS, GS 1 bedroom, GS 2bedroom, RS, and then I was in the process of altering my bids, when I get a text from my TA. I found out my Suite GTY was actually a Junior Suite, long story short there were 5 Grand Suite 1 bedrooms available, and the upgrade from the Junior Suite was like $240.  So my TA told me cancel, my Key which was $299. This upgrade price was last night and they had 4 left.

Sounds like instead of making the little Royal Up speedometer redline into oblivion... you used some spreadsheet analysis and found good value. Awesome! 

Please keep in touch and share with us how your cruise went, there are many of us who'd like to find out how this story ends.

1 hour ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I got such a giggle out of this !!!  We have a neighbor who has a GIANT floating swan inflatable bobbing about in her pool.  I always laugh about it when I see it.  It is GINORMOUS; its head sticks up above the fence !

A Cruising Queen in her natural enviornment!