Neesa

Thanks everyone who responded, just ordered the plastic sleeves!

Good Morning~ Was going to purchase the plastic luggage tag sleeves as recommended here on the blog but then I read that Grand Suite and above have them mailed, is this still true? I have no problem printing but if they send them with this category of stateroom I will forgo ordering the plastic sleeves, thanks again everyone! 43 days to go, so excited

Are you notified about the rejection of your Royal Up offer before any acceptance? While we bumped up from our initial bids we barely moved the displayed meter. The website explains 24 hours before sailing but does it ever occur earlier then this? Since first time sailing RCCL I was tentative in choosing our cabin, when I LOVE this experience like the rest of you I am just going to book the cabin I desire from the beginning, then we will be set. (Plus next sailing I have MEI Sharla) Thanks everyone who responds, have a fantastic day!

My 13 year old is similar but she also drinks copious amounts of water. I continually watched my cruise planner and observed the pricing from 28.00 down to 20.00 per day. When I realized 20.00 per day was the best I would find (she does not drink soda at all either) I jumped on that. I don't want to stress on my cruise wondering what my final bill will be just for beverages. I felt it would be worth the cost just for the water and slushy drinks as I understand on the Harmony the slushy can run around 7 dollars and the water 3 dollars each, paid all the money for this lovely vacation, I would purchase it. If your sailing is after black Friday, I believe there are discounted prices then also. We are sailing 7 night Thanksgiving week 2019. Enjoy your sailing what ever you decide.

@ptod thanks so much for your response and positive karma

@Wendylee Thanks so very much...Royal Genie never even came to mind...so grateful

So after exhaustive research and continuous communication with family we did increase our bid on the 2 bedroom aqua suite and placed a nominal bid on the Royal Loft suite for our very special family Thanksgiving 1st time sailing on RCCL. May I ask for any thoughts regarding your experiences in either cabin (both have 2 bathrooms?) and most importantly the jump from Sky class to Star class; we did purchase the refreshment package at $20.00 pp ( 3 of us) if we win the ability to pay more for the upgrade it would be a 24 hour window, can we still have our refreshment package refunded? As always I appreciate your incredible input, and positive thoughts our way also, be well everyone. (currently booked on OS)

@CGTLH I have paid in full, would I not lose the entire amount? I actually understand this premise but sadly I don't trust this TA either. ( The TA my friends picked before I found MEI) There are 3 of us, two adults and a 13 year old. But you are correct, if I was only to lose the deposit I believe it was 250. each, hummm

@CruisinUpinLife Yes that is when it appeared at 90 days. I am a frequent cruiser but this is first time on RCCL. This booking was done with a group of others (their initial idea) so I really don't feel great about the TA they used, I spoke to her she is kind but she continues to confuse me, I don't believe RCCL is her specialty. For my next RCCL sailing I have utilized MEI & Sharla and know that one will be better/clearer as Sharla is a wealth of information. I am not bothering her (Sharla) with this booking because I don't believe it would be fair to either of the TA's. @AshleyDillo if I moved to the Crown Loft I would lose close to $3,000.00 so I can't conceive that to be an upgrade, that's a lot of money to just hand over to RCCL, I want the cabin but not that much. I would be crazy over the moon if by some dumb luck we were able to snag the 2 bedroom Aqua but I bid pretty low, just enough to see my husband's bald head start sweating lol! I do understand a bit more now though thanks to everyone here for taking the time for your input. @WAAAYTOOO not a fan of the stairs either but the 2 bathrooms with a teenage daughter, well that I would enjoy. Have a fantastic day all!

First I knew going in how expensive this sailing would be and I booked late, so the cost was substantial. I booked the last owners suite but wanted the crown loft that was unavailable. The crown loft showed up after I was paid in full for almost $3,000.00 cheaper (could I have been mistaken?) so I was told if I wanted to change I would lose the price difference, ah no thank you! So yesterday I receive my Royal Up offers and loan behold there is the crown loft I was hoping , for a minimum bid of $300.00 pp I was so confused, I thought it was a great deal less for this particular sailing. I placed a very minimal bid for the 2 bedroom aqua suite just in case but honestly I am very unsettled about this whole crown loft situation, ( I made no bid on it ) can anyone make this clearer to me then mud? Thank you in advance for your insight, you guys are fantastic! Sailing November 24, 2019 out of PC

Sending nothing but positive energy your way!

At the end of your sailing are you given gratuity envelopes or something of that nature? We may leave the auto-gratuity so even the "others" receive the monies (thanks so much for the previous breakdowns) but most likely will then recognize the superior service at the end in cash, should I bring individual envelopes? Thank you so much for your input.

Corporate decisions like these are why we left DCL! This has not even happened to me yet, I have 2 future sailings booked with RCCL and this is so disheartening. We are platinum on DCL and our last two sailings we truly felt they just stopped trying, every area was lacking and may I say boring. I communicated with my TA as well as corporate & their attitude was basically the same as you guys are experiencing here, I felt like they enjoyed with a smile our frustration with the bait & switch type tactics. We felt the monies could be better spent elsewhere but the emotions I experienced, the euphoric mindset that I loved (taking me away from the craziness of life) that was all but gone.....and they constantly smiled maybe smirked when the answer was policy, policy or just plain no. I have taken my cruise monies elsewhere (now RCCL) and I am sending crazy positive energy your way that RCCL does right by those that previously booked and reinstates the amenities. Good Luck fellow cruisers, I'm rooting for you!

@Matt & whomever else would be so kind to input please? I am interested in the automatic gratuity breakdown. I will pay 17.50 per day per person, how is that broken down? Head Server, Server, Assistant Server, Stateroom Host? I also surmise this is collected and shared with the "back of the ship" but this is a Thanksgiving (Holiday) sailing & believe cash would be a nicer option. When I dine landside even when using a credit card I always leave a cash gratuity and have been told time and time again the servers prefer this. I have no problem adding cash at the end to the automatic charge like other posters have offered, but I like to know the specifics. I appreciate your knowledge, thank you!

Looking at this another way, I have basically "interviewed" by phone my Travel Agents. In this age of the internet I always did things myself and felt very comfortable with it. Then I heard someone on the Disney blog speaking to "always using a TA" and the reasons why. I spoke to numerous ones over the phone and have cultivated an amazing relationship with my DCL TA over the years, so many previous cruises. I always felt comfortable knowing she was on my side keeping my family and our reservation at the best price possible, I sailed with DCL 10 X and actually felt a loss when I realized she ONLY booked Disney properties/cruises/vacations. I found this blog because of Scott Sanders at the DCL blog (he gave me the info and website & spoke highly of Matt) and once again "interviewed" for the position. Sharla of MEI was my cruise professional, when I speak to her or email her I feel like I am her top priority. My comfort in knowing I am receiving the best deal (while really nice, OBC is not the be all end all) lies solely in the fact of my relationship with her. I trust her with my family's vacation and believe finding a TA that you can TRUST is priceless!

Coastal Kitchen ~ @WAAAYTOOO & @Lovetocruise2002 and anyone else who would kindly weigh in. I will be making my Coastal Kitchen reservations for my 7 night sailing (OS on the Harmony) & was wondering about the gratuity situation. I know the MDR gratuity will be charged to my account but am I correct in assuming those monies do not cover CK? Do we tip for breakfast & lunch as well? Do I hand over cash every evening, does the MDR gratuity transfer to CK servers? We purchased the refreshment package for beverages but I am unsure of the proper protocol pertaining to rewarding the service in CK. To confirm, I can also order from the MDR menu (just in case) there is something there that isn't on the CK menu? Can we order room service dinner since we have a dining room table in OS then tip the delivery person? Thanks so much!

I reached out to MEI having never sailed Royal before. Sharla was assigned to me & she has put me at total ease as well as saved me money after I booked as a promotion was introduced. Can't say enough about the TA-MEI experience. Once you do it I'm sure you will love it. My experience was an A+

We used Jaital.com & booked Divi Little Beach Resort. The water was amazing, the beach was beautiful & they had lots to do if you were so inclined. The price was about $40.00 pp and included beach chairs, towels & umbrella. There was a nice bar and restaurant also. We would go back as it was a very nice day. Located a taxi right outside the pier and it wasn't a great deal of money. Divi Beach has cabs lines up outside waiting to take you back to the ship as well. Enjoy!

Is the cabana worth the extra money is so subjective. My first time doing anything new is filled with trepidation. We are on the Harmony with so many people and an unfamiliar experience, so having a cabana the first time out will be relaxing to me. Knowing my family who are all very fair skin will definitely have protection as well as somewhere to lock valuables is comforting to me. This purchase will allow me to have a home base and then explore to get familiar, once I feel comfort I doubt I will ever need one again. We did this at DCL Castaway, now we sit back and watch as people stress & fight in order to pay an exorbitant amount of money for a wood shack on the puddle part of the beach. Loved having it the first time out, really loved never having it again. Smile, your going on a cruise!!

The same thing happened to me! I thought why not speak to someone at Royal & when I did she had availability. It wasn't in the original area I was looking but also being a first time cruiser I took it. The price at that time was not crazy either, I changed cabins this way also. It showed the pic but zero availability, I called and it was in fact available. I think maybe the computers don't keep up with frequent changes, it's worth a try right? Good Luck and enjoy!

Does the RC Harmony have something like a "magicband" wristband or something of this nature to serve as a Sea Pass Card? If so would you recommend? Where and when would you purchase them, I can't find anything like this on my cruise planner. I am not a fan of pockets or lanyards. Just curious for any input you can afford us, thanks again!

Visiting Cococay last week of November. Seems like water temps in Bahamas are in the low 70's can anyone venture a guess as to the water temperature in the waterpark? I don't want to purchase the water park passes if the water is not comfortable, thanks so much!

May I ask, does Coastal Kitchen serve an embarkation lunch? We are sailing in Sky class and prefer a more relaxed light lunch, any suggestions? I didn't purchase the key or specialty dining, figured we would make due with included offerings this first time out. Thanks so much for your input!

Clarification , please? My family has the refreshment package and we would like to eat at JR (on Harmony) there is an upcharge for the food may I ask what is that price per person? At that point we can request the shakes and they would be covered under the refreshment package or the food upcharge? Sorry I'm super a confused newbie.

Does this Royal Up option only happen by invitation or is there a link or place to go before your sailing to participate? Thank you! Sailing on Harmony November 2019.