CrimsonCruiser

22 hours ago, DoomSlayer said:

I've never experienced that with my TA, but I suppose it could be issued later.  Sounds like you may have had a different experience than me at some point on this topic.

The OBC we get through our TA is available onboard only and is shown on our receipt as a note line. Anything issued from Royal or the credit card perks show up in the cruise planner right away

On 6/18/2024 at 3:17 PM, Matt said:

Nothing wrong with what you're doing.

The issue is the remainder credit leftover.  Let's assume all games require 3 credits, and you have 2 credits left over. That sort of scenario. That bugs me, but it's not a major thing by any means.  

I prefer to swipe as I go to circumvent the issue, but I'm neurotic like that LOL

oh yeah that is a good point...I didn't think of it that way...

On 6/18/2024 at 2:04 PM, SynEpona said:

I haven't seen the same type of port photos for European ports, and wasn't sure if it's just not a thing there or that there's just less people/ships in Europe, so less posts about the experience. I'll hope for some European Live Blogs in the next couple months to find out more.

I hope they're there!  I feel like the natural backdrop of the cityscape would be GORGEOUS! You definitely have to let us know!

14 hours ago, Joan Taylor Schliewenz said:

We just got back from Liberty of the Seas 4 night out of Bayonne. Hubby had the tober soda package but there were no machines on board. We were told that it was something to do with COVID. Last October we took Oasis out of Bayonne and there WERE soda machines.  Did they get rid of the machines on all the ships? We are on Odyssey next March for our 30th anniversary and wonder if they will have soda machines or not. 

Unfortunately, for reason I don't understand Liberty has never had the machines. We too found this out the hard way and were quite disappointed because Coke, diet coke and sprite get old VERY fast.

4 minutes ago, Ampurp85 said:

 this cannot be true. I thought and knew people who repriced before final payment despite being paid in full. It is only after FP that you cannot get OBC or refunds. 

I could be wrong. I admit I assume Royal is not eager to give money back so I figured it didn't matter whether it was paid in full before or on FP, if it was paid off, no money back. But it is an assumption that I made the mistake of speaking like fact...

I'm not sure what staying in a suite has to do with a photo package as I don't see any indication that any suite class includes a photo package, but maybe you're referring to the dining package in relation to photos...

well anyway - no, skipping out on dining in the MDR will not limit your photo chances on board as there will be stations set up all across the ship every night around dinner time (with more set up on formal nights), a boarding photo station, and most likely port photo stations at the dock ( I can't see why this would be limited to the Caribbean unless its a matter of space). In fact, the MDR photos are hard to plan for even if you try to get them because the photographers float around and I swear I can never nail down what times they get there or when they stop lol

1 hour ago, TallVol said:

What if you have already paid the balance for an upcoming cruise and find the same cruise and room type cheaper on the RC site?  Is it too late to call?  

No repricing (in the US) once you've paid the full balance (I just checked myself and got solid, confident "no" all across the board).

Which is why we always recommend not to pay the full balance until the final payment date.

On 6/14/2024 at 8:36 AM, smokeybandit said:

Average game price is $1.50 to $2.50

 

No guarantees any given game is functional though 

so $25 in credits could get about 10-15 rounds depending on the cost. Good to know!

On 6/14/2024 at 9:17 PM, TessFromFlorida said:

I bought my two teens $25 in arcade credits each through the cruise planner during a sale... saved maybe $10. Glad I got a bit of a discount, because they didn't spend it. Some games were broken/down, and there wasn't much selection. This was on Odyssey. I would advise against pre purchasing credits for this reason

On 6/15/2024 at 9:15 AM, Matt said:

Don't pre-buy arcade credits because you'll end up with leftover credits.  Just swipe your SeaPass card for whatever games you want to play.

As for the games, skeeball is fun for a round or two. I enjoy occasionally a racing game that I can race with my kids at same time. Otherwise, it's a lot of claw machines and generic arcade games.  It's far from a large arcade, just enough to offer the basics.

See I know you (Matt) always advise against it...but I'm stubborn and feel like over a week onboard I wouldn't be too hard pressed to play 10-15 games. Plus I could always use the credit for someone else in my party...i just swipe and they get a turn or two.....but maybe I'm lying to myself lol.

On 6/15/2024 at 7:25 PM, smokeybandit said:

Also remember for minors with higher tier C&A levels, there are arcade perks.

Alas no one in my duo is a minor haha

Completely forgot to come back after our time in Coco Cay last August - I spent quite a bit of time in the water snorkeling and just chilling and never had any interactions with jelly fish nor did anyone around me.

Also, i tried the jellyfish repellent sunscreen spray version and was quite disappointed that it clogged easily. I can't speak to if it repelled any jellies though since, again, I don't think they were there to be repelled.

8 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Yep, same for my July Wonder, I was just too lazy to screen shot the other packages. All good prices AFAIK.

I said this when I saw a Beach Club cabana for $980 last month... it almost makes me wish we actually bought any of these things, lol. I know they're good prices, we just don't buy hardly anything pre-cruise except lunch/brunch during BF or another big 40% off sale.

I actually have no idea if these are good prices We only normally get the soda package - since we don't drink much - but after last year, when we got out Diamond drinks, we realized it was actually hard for us to drink the soda, water and cocktails to make everything worthwhile lol. So this time we're skipping any drink package and taking advantage of what we can bring on board.

Just bumping this up in hopes my question from December can get some views/answers

I'm not sure how it works in Spain, but in the US, the porters are outside before security/check-in so I don't see why you couldn't drop off your bags with them early then come back later to go through security and actually get on the ship. I would still recommend keeping a backpack or something with you with important items (medicines, money, documents, keepsakes etc) and if you're planning to take advantage of the wine/soda policy, maybe grab that before you head back to the ship since these items need to be i your carry-on luggage, not what you hand to the porters.

this is what's showing for me:

On 3/1/2023 at 10:11 AM, WAAAYTOOO said:

I think this option (OBC after final payment date) went away with the end of Cruise With Confidence.  Glad you were able to take advantage of it while it was in effect

22 hours ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

Seeking good vibes my friends! I did a post-final payment look and saw a HUGE price drop on our upcoming sailing...so I requested my TA to make the change. Fingers and toes crossed there's no issue because trust you me that will be a GREAT help as OBC.

Update - alas and alack it seems @WAAAYTOOO was right and the repricing OBC after final payment has gone away. Both my TA and I got the same information from Royal (rare I know lmao) so no extra OBC for us.

Seeking good vibes my friends! I did a post-final payment look and saw a HUGE price drop on our upcoming sailing...so I requested my TA to make the change. Fingers and toes crossed there's no issue because trust you me that will be a GREAT help as OBC.

On 6/10/2024 at 9:04 PM, CruiserNewbie said:

Thank you! You were totally right! I was completely overthinking and saw all sorts of outfits! I wore pants to dinner except for formal night and it went great! Thank you!

I'm so glad you had a great time!

Pretty sure I mentioned this in a similar thread but I want Royal to steal the korean bbq idea from virgin,. I love Kbbq and I'm likely to splurge onboard even if it would be more pricey for me than getting it on land (which is already quite pricey)

That kind of outfit is a standard look all around the ship and at almost all times. The only time it might be bit too casual is on formal/dress your best night and that's because there is a (not often upheld) formal dress code in the main dining room for dinner.  I say it's not often upheld because I don't think I've ever seen anyone turned away for wearing more casual clothes but this and other online forums will let you know that some other passengers may have unsolicited opinionated looks. They are few and far between and 98% of the people don't care what you're wearing or even notice (unless you have on a tee with a funny comment or maybe pulled all the stops on formal attire).

In short, that outfit is perfectly fine to pack multiples of and I hope you enjoy your first cruise!

That definitely sounds like tight window and really hopes for everything to go right. At best, you need to be off the ship as soon as it's cleared taking all of your luggage with you - do NOT leave it in the hallway the night before (this is for people who want the porters to take the luggage off the ship). And hopefully you are all using passports for your security and not birth certificates.

I also have to imagine there can be a backup of traffic getting off the island of Galveston back onto mainland Texas especially on a turnaround day...

14 hours ago, Minuet888 said:

So wait the photos for the photo packages are all in front of fake backdrops?  The way they make it sound on the website is that they are all over the ship and it even says "ride" photos (I assuming zipline or the abyss)

Can anyone let me know so I can cancel my photo package if I need to?

Also I still can't get an answer as to whether it is just digital or if I can have any printed (on the ship) instead of digitally.

There will definitely be prom-esque backdrops and these are popped up every night around dinnertime. The most will pop up on formal night and they will also usually stake out a spot by the prettiest stairs, the promenade bridge (on freedom and Voyager class), and the car (on oasis class). Off the ship, there are guaranteed photographers at the port stops right in the debarkation area that will either be set up to get the ship in the background or the cityscape. There will also be roaming photographers in the main dining room.

But the most interesting photos are the ones roaming around the pool, coco cay beach, the carousel, or other activities on board. There is *no* schedule for them and no way to know when or where they will be which makes it like a fun game of where's waldo.

Also! photographers at port tend to get ignored and if two happen to spot you, the one that doesn't take your room number directly will often have fun candid shots in black in white!

10 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

I tried that and it said “you cannot use a previous password. Go figure. 

same to me. I just capitalized a letter so I didn't have to try to remember something new  lol

Hitting the pool as your first stop when boarding is actually a tip @Matt recommends almost all of the time.

I've never done it - something about being wet while waiting for my room to open just doesn't sit right with my brain - but it is a great time to hit the pools because most people either don't pack a swimsuit or think like me and don't want to dive in right away.

I love watching these in time lapse with funny carnival music

Also...wonder what happened on that MSC?NCL? that started to leave then went back before Oasis left.

I  had the same issue and just changed my password. Now I'm in and all is well. Hope they fix whatever it is that's not recognizing perfectly valid users though....

14 hours ago, Tyffni said:

Hello.  We’re about to take our first cruise where we have to fly to it, so laundry is a thought (luggage weight and minimizing packing).  The problem is that I’m picky about my clothes.

1. I did see one picture from someone where their clothes were destroyed.  Has that happened to many?

2. Do you have any control? For example, I would prefer they hang dry my jeans, is that an option?

Thanks!

I can't comment too much on the laundry as we've not yet had any issues but we don't really send anything too fragile out either.

BUT I can comment on being picky about clothes, flying, and having to pack wisely. Being from Chicago where the weather can 100% give me all 4 seasons in a single day AND hating to be cold I always like to have options with whatever I wear, so I generally try to pack light layers and dresses over things that require multiple components to make an outfit. That said, I do still pack some separates as well and try to have a bottom that can go with at least 2 of the tops I'm packing. And second is packing cubes. While they don't magically make things weigh less, they do help a lot in getting the best use of space in your luggage. I've attached a photo of one of my last piles in their packing cubes. Rolled and tightly nestled and for a 7-nighter lol