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Everything posted by Biff215
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I won’t disagree that arriving early is safest, but price and work schedules often prevent that. Not much you can do other than to be prepared and hope for the best.
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We’re flying in tomorrow morning and renting a car. What’s the best and easiest place to stop along the way for some bottled water and wine to take on board? Thanks in advance! Brian
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I bid the minimum $200 ($100 pp) to upgrade from an interior to a balcony on Mariner sailing tomorrow. Did that about two weeks ago and still haven’t heard. I’m assuming it failed (which I’m fine with for a three nighter) but it was fun to try anyway.
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Why is price per person much higher when 3 guests??
Biff215 replied to eugenchivu's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
It would definitely be crazy to have to pay more for a baby as the third person in a room. Hopefully Royal or a travel agent can help you out. We have learned some lessons about pricing through the years. Last summer, we almost gave up on a Harmony cruise as it was $8,000 for the four of us in a balcony (about a month out). On a whim I checked on two balcony rooms and the total was $5,500. Extra beds, space, and bathroom for $2,500 less and only two rooms apart? Sold! So crazy, but as it was stated above, there are only so many rooms that can accommodate more than two people. From there it’s all supply, demand, and dynamic pricing. It’s why Matt always recommends booking early. Some of us just don’t have that kind of patience! -
Deluxe Beverage Package deal-want to be fair to bar staff
Biff215 replied to Fairlynew's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
RC is certainly taking the hit on the difference between the $18 and whatever the price should have been, but the question is whether they’ll also cover the difference in gratuities collected which is unlikely in my opinion. When someone gets BOGO 50% off for example, does the company cover the lost gratuity? Very unlikely. Now those fortunate enough to get the $18 package are not all on the same cruise, so hopefully the difference isn’t that dramatic to begin with. With all that said, I would also simply tip more on the drinks you get. It’s not perfect but it will help to even it out. -
I’d definitely find a way to bring those two bottles of wine on board. When we don’t have a car, I will either walk to a nearby store by the port or use a delivery service like Instacart to have it delivered. Nice to have in the room and two bottles often cost less than ordering two glasses on board!
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I have always gone to Cafe Promenade (Independence and Harmony) and used the card. Keep in mind iced drinks and larger sizes will we be charged two “punches”, although it can differ from ship to ship. I have rarely waited more than 5-10 minutes, and many times it’s even less than that. All depends on when you catch it.
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Thanks. So no reservations for lunch at Chops or Jamie’s? That’s good to know! Crazy how policies differ between ships on something like this. I wish Royal would make it consistent so you didn’t need to find out the hard way.
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I was thinking that, although I also didn’t see it anywhere in the cruise planner. Not a big deal, just glad we got it in time!
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I jumped on the $76 last night before the sale ended. Now I notice it’s no longer being offered. We’re a week out, does it disappear at that point or did it sell out?
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On Harmony in August ours never got delivered. Guest Services refunded the purchase then sent them the next day which was cool of them.
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We just purchased the package for next week on Mariner. It gave us 8:30 for the first night with no other choices, even though I can see that all times are available at each restaurant. Sounds like I should have no problem getting that changed once on board. Another question, should I make any lunch reservations at that same time? And are Johnny Rockets and Bamboo Room included in the $35 credit?
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Mariner for January 10 is currently $76. Seems hard to beat and might tempt us to try specialty dining for the first time.
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Cruise planner packages Mariner Jan 2020
Biff215 replied to Evantra's topic in Royal Caribbean Dining
Today I’m seeing $65/day and buy one get one 50% off. Looks like there is currently another sale. -
Izumi on Mariner - Unlimited Dining Package
Biff215 replied to Biff215's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
Good catch, thanks. Strange though as Izumi’s normal price is about the same as Chops or Jamie’s, so why the upcharge? Already going to pay $10 for each of my kids, so not sure it’s worth it to pay more for us as well. -
CoCo Cay Pricing Getting Ridiculous
Biff215 replied to WannaCruise's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
It’s dynamic pricing all based on supply and demand, hence why Oasis-class ships tend to have the highest prices. Think about it. If the price was more reasonable the park would be packed and perhaps sell out, making no one happy. I don’t like the pricing either, but it just makes it easier for me to say no and enjoy a free chair on the beach. That’s my perfect day! -
Mariner of the seas or navigator of the seas?
Biff215 replied to Sealife's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
We were making the same decision this past month for early January. Based on what has been said above, we preferred Navigator but ultimately chose Mariner based on price and airfare. Don’t think you can go wrong either way as they’re sister ships and very similar, unless Hooked/Hibachi or slides/Sky Pad are that important to you. -
Izumi on Mariner - Unlimited Dining Package
Biff215 replied to Biff215's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
Thanks! No wait list was available but we did snag My Time reservations for 5:30 each day. We’re just used to having the same servers all cruise and fear we might not enjoy this as much. Plus with three nights the price of the package is more reasonable and seemingly perfect to try out the specialty restaurants for the first time. Just trying to make sure it will work out for us. -
First Time @ Coco Cay - What should I do?
Biff215 replied to themillennialcruiser's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
I believe it’s Chill Beach. It was our first time there in August and we had a blast snorkeling along the rocks. It wasn’t the best we’ve ever seen, but we brought our own masks so it was free and fun. Saw a lot of small fish and one ray. I would also recommend just finding some chairs on the beach or at the pool and just enjoying the day. Other than drinks, we found no reason to spend extra money and truly had a perfect day. Hoping for more of the same in two weeks on Mariner! -
Hi Everyone- Thinking about getting the Unlimited Dining Package on Mariner in two weeks. It’s just three nights and we booked the cruise recently, so early traditional dining wasn’t available. Just a couple questions we’re curious about. First, is Izumi all “a la carte” or just for sushi? It appears Hibachi is a set price on cruise planner like Jamie’s or Chops. Just want to make sure we could use the package and not just the $35 credit you get elsewhere. Also, the package is only offering me an 8:30 courtesy reservation on the first night. What are the chances of changing that to earlier and eating at a more traditional time the other nights at the specialty restaurants? Our kids won’t last until 8:00 although they would enjoy these restaurants. Any help or advice would be appreciated, thanks in advance! Brian
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We'd welcome the change also, even though we rarely gamble on the ship. It never fails, we always end up walking through there trying to get someplace else on the ship. We always figure it out and avoid it the next time though. On Harmony it was fairly isolated and avoidable. On Independence I remember the smell on the Promenade where the stairs come up. We live outside Atlantic City and going smoking-free has been tried and didn't last long. There are now specific areas for smoking on each casino floor, but unfortunately they're all connected to the non-smoking areas, makes no sense. Unfortunately it causes us to avoid the resorts altogether even though there are non-gaming and family friendly experiences we could enjoy. It's just impossible to avoid.
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We booked two rooms this month on Harmony and often ran into the same issue on the cruise planner. One day it would link them perfectly while other days we would get the error. Of course the latter would always happen when there was something worth booking! kind of glad now that I didn’t bother calling, hope everything worked out!
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Is internet worth it on royal Caribbean?
Biff215 replied to Peter2's topic in Royal Caribbean Discussion
In my opinion it’s not worth it but I also don’t have a “need” for it. I enjoy the time off the grid and usually have cell coverage at some point or at least free WiFi while in port somewhere so I can check calls and emails. I can’t imagine paying the price they charge regardless of speed, but to each their own! -
Honest question...so if these sales aren’t typically worth it, when and where is the best time to book? We usually either get lucky and find a price we’re happy with or make a late decision and just live with it. Our dates usually aren’t very flexible which doesn’t help.
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We loved CocoCay last week and didn't spend a dollar other than a couple of drinks at the pool bar. I would welcome a second stop here. I'm all for showing my kids the culture of other "real" places, but it's hard to beat a private island. I agree the water park prices are ridiculous for a family. Ours hovered in the $90+ range in the cruise planner. Just can't justify that for four people and long lines, but to each their own. The balloon also looks very cool and I"m sure people are enjoying it, but we'll choose to spend our money elsewhere.