sk8erguy1978

2 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

If you have ever sailed out of the suites area of the new terminal in Miami, you will most certainly be underwhelmed at the suites/SC waiting area at Bayonne.  It's small and in no way special.  One good thing about embarkation in Bayonne (Also true at the new terminal in Miami), Star Class (and perhaps the other suites as well...I cannot remember) have a special boarding ramp.

Not Miami but Bayonne several times, I agree, it's this little corner behind a wall blocking you off from the main open seating area. I believe you're correct about the ramp being for suites only. 

Besides the porter we've had staff inside the terminal shuffle us along in the wrong direction. Let each staff member assisting you know you're in a suite & keep an eye for suite signage.

31 minutes ago, Ray said:

 

BIG Simpsons fan too. Favorite Homer quote: "to alcohol, the cause of and solution to, all of life's problems.

I love the quote this much ... 

1 hour ago, Ray said:

Very true.....could fill those spaces with more drinking locations  

LOL. We would be friends on a cruise, or at least the two drunk guys at the bar. Both work for me.

2 hours ago, Ray said:

Just like having life boats

A waste of deck space

On 12/16/2020 at 8:03 PM, KWong said:

I actually started my shot glass collection based on trying to find the cheesiest landmark image I could find (at an agreeable price). But the important thing was that I didn't overthink my purchases. And I think that if you're going to dive into the collecting hobby, that might help you get started. 

44 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I used to do the shot glasses and then they became a nuisance with where to put them; they were no more than dust collectors.  They went bye-bye with the move.

34 minutes ago, KWong said:

I keep saying that I'd try a DIY display. Clearly, that has yet to happen. 

We collect shot glasses from new places, could be from a country to state to museum and anything in between. Biggest issue we sometimes get a few because we like more than one.

We bought two shot glass holders from Michael's (it's a crafty DIY kind of store) that hold 36 glasses each. It's just about time for a third. Only issue they only hold a traditional shot glass so some sit on top of both. For the third I'll keep different sizes into consideration when shopping.

Think I might add cruise ships to the shot glass list, they are a place after all.

12 hours ago, calvink669 said:

"If you've seen one women nekkid.........then you want to see the rest of them" I believe was his quote lol

Yep... Sounds about right. LOL

45 minutes ago, USCG Teacher said:

Big believer in photos always being the best souvenirs!

They really are. I scan each one to preserve a digital copy as well.

Every cruise we buy a few of our favorite photos captured by the photographers.

Depends on price and value to you. My wife loves to buy the onboard photos and has a difficult time limiting to just a few (even if some are similar). Normally (even with whatever the discount is with C&A status) we spend $80-$100 on about 5 or so photographs. For our September cruise I'm eyeing the packages because the price is in line with what we spend anyway but will get more; about $100 for 10 photos about $120 for 20 and about $135 for 100. My only decision is, spend same for a little more or a few bucks more for basically unlimited. I'll probably go for the latter and spend the extra $35 and stop for every pirate photo.

Hope my ramble helped with the first part of the question.

Welcome to the forums!

(Oh, got my wife a 75 minute swedish massage, cannot yay or nay since it'll be her first time but it was $152.22 after gratuity, although I imagine tipping more after massage, which seemed like a good price to us).

In the beginning I was less than thrilled about the idea of mask on vacation. Now, seeing as our next cruise is September, sure I'd wear a mask. I'm past all that and accept it's part of daily life. I just didn't like wearing them, that is it nothing more, again past that.

As others have said it's quarantine and where cases are for us. We cancelled a mini vacation because of quarantine rules and rising cases.

6 minutes ago, Andy B said:

I'm curious as to what others think about having to pay in full to get a shot at a full refund.

The possibility of a cruise on March 27th, 2021 getting cancelled is good. However, paying the full balance to gamble it will be isn't something I'd do knowing I'm not interested in sailing.

I made the decision to shift September before announcement and have not regretted it in the least.

Cancel and get the FCC or do a L&S. Also, if you L&S after final payment, your cancelation policy shifts with it ... IE you'll be in that 90 day or less lose some cruise fare territory. 

13 hours ago, Zygzag said:

Thanks.  Your reply is what RC said.  Unfortunately, it looks like the  comment in the 27 Oct message board was written incorrectly.  It gave the impression that you could get a refund less $100 on a non-refundable deposit without applying it to future cruises.

You're welcome. It's not incorrect, just didn't specify the money would be a FCC, but I can see where one would make the assumption (I would have too). Do remember this is a forum not related to Royal Caribbean in any way. The end of the post contains links to Royal Caribbean directly to show the source of the information. I assume, the post was more about the Cruise with Confidence program than Royal's detailed cancellation policy. 

The good news is, assuming you're still interested in sailing in the future you'll have a FCC ready to be used, you can even use it for deposits now. That's something new and will probably be undone when things start to normalize. (Just a guess).

If you're not interested in sailing again unfortunately that money is lost unless you're a gambler and want to bet the cruise will be cancelled.

Lastly, I hope you just wanted out of the reservation, not interested in any credits, and that was worth $100 per person to you. I'm sorry if you need the cash right now, I do understand times are tough for so many.

10 hours ago, twangster said:

The non-refundable deposit is well documented.  Where on the "October 27 Message Board" did you see this post?

1 hour ago, karl_nj said:

Looks like the OP is talking about one of Matt's website posts: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2020/10/27/here-are-your-options-if-you-want-cancel-or-defer-your-booked-cruise

100% the OP was referencing this board, at least that was my immediate take and why I wrote "Please note this forum (in fact the entire site) is a fan site of Royal Caribbean and is in no way related to the company." first and foremost in my reply. 

3 hours ago, monctonguy said:

I wouldn't book anything before that sails before the fall at this point!

Our sailing is in September and I was just telling a friend, we may be among the first. I do however have my fingers crossed for May / June. These companies can only bleed for so long. 

Welcome to the forums!

Please note this forum (in fact the entire site) is a fan site of Royal Caribbean and is in no way related to the company.

With that said, here is a link to Royal Caribbean's website that should answer your question. The $100 per person fee was to change a non-refundable cruise (pre-COVID) but you'd result in the remaining balance in a future cruise credit. To the best of my knowledge, you never received cash.

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/booking-cancellation-refund-policy

Assuming you want to cruise again, but not sure when, your best option would be to request a $500 FCC.

1 hour ago, KWong said:

I actually booked a cottage in the Bruce Peninsula for early July because I needed to have a vacation to look forward to. It's not exactly a cruise, of course, but at least it gets me out of the house.

We did two short trips this past summer. Wildwood NJ since we could drive to it & NY Adirondacks where wife & family own property in a small town (also driveable).

Probably do something over the summer if a weekend getaway to Florida or something in the Spring still looks like a bad idea.

5 minutes ago, bretts173 said:

 

This could actually go either way. If this person ends up being the only one with the virus (apart from family of course) then procedures are working. However if a small outbreak then this is bad news for all. The message that needs to get out though is this person had the virus before getting on board and caught it in the generalwalking around petri dish of life.

I have nothing but confidence in the procedures and that minimal exposure will be a result. I'm just a bit negative of how this will make the industry look, no matter how well they do. The message will get out there but it'll still result in negative press. 

These are discussions with friends and family that never go quite so well, if you know what I mean.

First and foremost I hope the sick passenger has mild symptoms, if any, and recovers quickly.

This is a bit of a blow. Hopefully the new procedures keep the case count to this one individual, proving they can limit an outbreak ... BUT ... this is a big win for the naysayers and those who believe ships are floating petri dishes.  

11 minutes ago, Zacharius said:

Wow, I can't really think of too many. Sometimes I forget to pack until the last minute, if that's a tradition. I listen to reggae all year round, so there's no music that gets me psyched (and I can't stand Jimmy Buffet). No movies. I guess I am just boring. Perhaps dropping my dog off at my mother-in-laws house the night before? Oh, and if we're cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale, we always hit up The Field Irish pub right off the plane for onion rings and Guinness, followed by a walk out the jetty next to Halmos College to watch any ships leaving if there are. That's about it. 

I just pack last minute. I'll "prep" the week of but getting suitcases and stuff but otherwise, order pizza, poor a Guinness and start randomly tossing stuff in my bag. I do it so quick that I triple check I didn't forget an essential, like underwear. 

That's cool you have an Irish Pub you get to look forward too! I will have to remember that pub next time I fly into FLL!

20 hours ago, rjac said:

Well, you know the question that begs for an answer, why were you looking? 

If you're a fan of Ron White, he answered this question LOL.

6 hours ago, kadmgs said:

Christmas pajama onesies all cruise long, day and night

At first I thought it was the same PJs each day and thought -- well, they pack light. Although, how much space would 28 (7 nights, 2 outfits a day, 2 people) onesies take up.

1 hour ago, KWong said:

and it's probably bad since I have the travel bug again. 

Same! I just read @Matt's latest blog post about double points being extended into Q1 of 2022 if we book by January 31st, 2021. Now I am looking at March 2022 cruises even though I wanted to wait until ships were sailing before making a new booking. I hope Royal Caribbean pays him a monthly stipend for all the blogs  tempting us to book more LOL! 

50 minutes ago, Matt said:

LOL! Don't worry, we all love yours best!

4 minutes ago, nhilding10 said:

The safe in your room probably isn't quite large enough for a laptop, however! 

Not if you're in a Grand Suite or above. LOL

13 minutes ago, Andy & Sheryl Unwin said:

We watch as many youtube videos (not just Matt's) about the ship we will be embarking on, for months ahead of time

 

Hopefully I'm not breaking any rules. Danny from Harr travel does some detailed walkthroughs. If you want to know where every outlet is in your stateroom or every bathroom on the pool deck, see if he's done the ship you're sailing.