PRebecca

Welcome PRebecca !

Welcome @PRebecca !

Welcome To The RCB Boards @PRebecca 

@Angela R  Welcome to the RCB forums!
Agreed.  I see the same - lots of variety.  And passengers seem to just carry on without being bothered in any way...

Congratulations! We took Anthem to Bermuda and were married on the island. A destination wedding via cruise ship with family and friends is the best way to do it, IMO! ?
My tip: If I remember correctly, the entrance to the private sun deck (at least one of them) is aft a bit, inside, just before the bumper cars/basket ball/etc area. We walked past it a few times LOL!
What are your dinner plans, specialty restaurant or CK? The wedding dress should be obvious enough, but definitely let them know you just got married, they will make a big deal about it :). They gave us this cake to share, even though it was the DAY BEFORE we got married, the gesture was still sweet (pun?).

I agree with the other comments with one caveat: occasionally the shops actually have something unique you will never see again.   I can recall cuff links with an exotic seashell as well as purses with an unusual mosaic decoration.  My wife and I never saw these items again, and luckily, we purchased them as gifts for our dear friends.  Now we wish we had doubled up for ourselves!   You will still pay a mark up for the ship's stores, but never say never, just in case you find that one item at a reasonable price that you will treasure.  My wife totally agrees not to buy cosmetics on the ship....The other point about the stores is that there is nothing wrong for picking up a raffle ticket or guessing the real gemstone.  Someone does win!

I don't think I introduced myself.  Rebecca. My husband and I are taking our first RC Cruise September 13th, 2019 on NoTS for a quick weekender. We live in Florida so I'm scouring these threads to see how I can work cruising into our regular Vacation or Quick Getaway schedules. This is my first message board experience so I've lurked for a week or two in hopes of identifying any message board faux paux I can avoid while still trying to get all the answers I need. You've all been a fantastic source of really great info! I'm convinced I can make cruising a regular things for us ? 
I appreciate the time you all take answering newbies questions.  

DAY 3 FLORENCE
Florence was both amazing and frustrating.  I would have liked to find a tour that got us into the duomo, the duomo museum and the uffizi and ended up with a general tour of all the outside areas.  We probably should have done more research and gone private.  It was all a bit overwhelming.  Anyway, Florence was amazing and beautiful and a port I want to go back to on my own with more time.   The guide was very good, the bus was comfortable and we did enjoy our day.  We started with wandering...




I was amazed at the colors on the duomo.  Unfortunately my really good pics are on my camera and I can't believe I didn't take at least one pic for everyone of the gates of paradise...ghiberti's amazing gold doors on the baptistry next to the duomo.  There have been many moments of tears of joy on this trip and seeing those doors and bruneleschi's (so not spelled rightdome were two of them.  
We then had 3 hours of free time.  It wasn't super crowded and we probably could have gotten into the uffizi but we knew the wait for the duomo was at least 1.5 hours and here is where we dithered and it kinda broke down.  But we walked around outside for a while longer, saw the Victoria's secret and Disney store less than 2 football fields away from the duomo (weird contrast of old and new) and then found an amazing cafe with wonderful Chianti classico and lasagna that melted in your mouth.  Madison had a vegetable rigatoni.  We ended that trip with gelato.  Yum....






We got back to the ship and were tired.  Nothing looked good in the main dining room so we went to the windjammer for dinner.  We relaxed and missed the first production show so we went to the second at 1015.  It was truly pretty not great.  I love the shows usually and the talent on the ship is very very young and energetic but the choice of music and staging was kind of baffling!  Oh well!  Jane

I’m booked on the Allure for a 7 day in October and have neither received an email nor seen any change in my cruise planner. I guess the ports are close enough that speed is not an issue. I’m solo, retired and cruise frequently so this will just add a little excitement to my sailing. I feel sorry for those with families on vacation who have booked way in advance and have been eagerly anticipating their cruise...anxiety and nerves must be affected. Reservations, hotels, flights, etc. I hope the only inconvenience is the port schedule changes and that everything else goes perfectly for everyone.

We got our email from our travel agent this morning. Doesn't bother us. Still on a cruise!

Pot, meet kettle

How bot like.  :) 

Hey everyone!  This site is such a wealth of knowledge, thank you all for taking the time to share your experiences and expertise.
My name is Jerry, and my wife Andrea & I are taking our two boys (age 5 & 8 ) on their first cruise on Oasis of the Seas out of Bayonne on 8/16/20.  The wife and I used to go on a RCCL cruise every year when we were young (I proposed to her on stage on Enchantment back in '99!), but we've not been on one for 14 long years now.  We couldn't be more excited to be cruising again!  Until then, I'll be digging through these boards, watching some live feeds and probably asking LOTS of questions.  Looking forward to getting to know you!  ? 

I've been a lurker to the site/forums for quite a while now.  However, recently I have been trying to push myself outside my comfort zone and become an active participant.   My husband and I go on a cruise once a year in May.  This is the only time my husband can travel because of work schedules.  After our last cruise, we earned RC Emerald Status.  Our next cruise in May 21, 2020 on Adventure of the Seas.

@Biggiojr  Hi and Welcome to the RCB forums!
Thanks for the info.  Falmouth has never been my favorite stop.  But I must say it was where we had one of the most memorable excursions ever.  We rode horseback (no saddle) while our horses swam in the water.  It was incredible.  It was where I learned how strong a horse really was.  Also, the term horsepower will forever mean something different to me now.
I just checked to see if I had been sent a survey, but did not find any.

I am a long time follower on here and this is my first time posting but I thought this was interesting, I just received an email saying 
 
Dear Valued Guest,
We are inviting a select group of guests to participate in a survey from Royal Caribbean!
We deeply value your feedback and would love to learn more about you and hear your thoughts on cruising. It's our goal to continue to exceed the expectations of guests just like you, so we hope you'll make your opinion count.
This survey will take no more than 5 minutes to complete and we thank you for your time.
 
It went on to talk about cruise history and what ports I have been to, which ports I liked better and for what reason. One of the ports that they started going into more detailed questions was about Falmouth Jamaica. I had been there one time and I had no excursions I just kind of walked around the port and then went back on the ship. The questions were, would you be interested in visiting a beach club that was for Royal Caribbean guests only? what would your top 5 things be available at the beach club, and it gave a list of about 15-20 items. With many more questions relating to that. One of the Final questions was very specific in asking. What would you expect to get for a Royal Caribbean guest only beach club in Falmouth Jamaica for $39.99? and again it asked you to pick 5 things from a list of 15-20.
 
I am not as experienced in cruising as a lot of people on here, like I said earlier this is only my first ever post. I just thought this was interesting and it very well may have nothing to do with anything but it was very specific that maybe Royal is thinking about adding a beach club to Falmouth Jamaica and was wondering how many people would book it.
Did anyone else get this email as well?
 
Thank you,
Neil
 

Going back in October. We are sure it will still be great, but we'll surely miss the bungalow we had on South Beach in May. 

I could go on and on about what I loved and why I loved it, and post all kinds of pics, but I don’t want to drive people crazy.   But I will say this, there is a relaxation option for every style.  There are activities for every level.   I love that I don’t have to spend any additional money for food or drink.  It is immaculate.  There is no one begging for you to buy their goods, use their taxi, take their tour, etc.  And frankly, it’s just beautiful.    
 
If you like more details or photos, let me know.

Is it possible to purchase a water park admission same day? Some trepidation on my teens part as the Island is so big with so much to do. We have a cabana at the Oasis (we were lucky & purchased before the huge price increase) and really wanted to settle in and see if this is something she would participate in. The pictures are beautiful, looking forward to this "Perfect Day"
Corny? NO WAY, pure joy is what I feel when reading this blog's posts!! Thanks everyone.

I don't think it's corny at all. It's incredible how universally well-received Perfect Day at CocoCay has been. 

I LOVE it and can not wait to go back.   I travelled with several others in a very large group, and we are discussing going together again with a main requirement being visiting Coco Cay.  It truly was our perfect day.  

I have yet to be to  Perfect Day at CocoCay but this pic is my desktop background.  I have high hopes of the time we get to spend on the island.  I invite others who have been there to share their favorite memories there here.  I hope this doesn't sound too corny.  

That's exactly why I'd never wear one, no matter how great my body looks. However, whether you have the everyday gym bod, dad bod, or even a bit more 'fluffy' there is nothing wrong with owning it. 

Cabin pics.
Interior with Virtual Balcony, deck 9 midship.
Cabin 9597.

The Virtual Balcony is down at the moment but the same occurred on Explorer on boarding day so not too worried about it just yet.
New cabin TV's with the newer menu system like Symphony has.

Incredible bathroom update for an interior cabin:

Just kidding, that was my hotel last night.  Here is the untouched bathroom:

Status Update:
It's been a while since I updated the thread and it's been an interesting journey.  I've been on a cruise recently with limited communication so that delayed working through this process.
It took numerous attempts to escalate.  Escalation and appeal is by email only - they don't let you talk to a person in this process.
This is going to get lengthy but I want to you to see how this unfolded and how their claims process works.
A couple weeks ago I received a voicemail from someone at Allianz in response to my email appeal.  They left an extension number and "direct" phone number. I've made numerous attempts to call that number prior to cruising. 
One occasion the contact center that answered informed me that their computers were down and they can't transfer calls when computers are down.  On another occasion the contact center repeated past information about my claim being denied and refused to transfer me.  On another occasion they stated they need more information and had sent me an email (didn't get it but got have received other emails from them with my denial status).  I checked spam filters and junk mail and made sure their domain was whitelisted.  They couldn't tell me what additional information was required.  "I'm sorry we can't tell you that on the phone, it has to be sent to you in an email".  Three attempts to have the email sent and resent were unsuccessful despite numerous emails about being denied.  
On my eighth attempt to return the phone call from the voicemail, I convinced the contact center agent to transfer me to the extension provided.  Phew.  A human answered.
My claim of trip cancellation was changed to trip interruption because they could find no proof that my airline had incurred "24 hours of cessation of services".  I informed her I was documenting this for an internet forum and asked very specifically what does "cessation of services" mean?  Basically the airline has to stop flying.  All flights, anywhere.  I asked her to clarify specifically with Southwest Airlines.  Do you mean that every single flight that Southwest flies anywhere has to be grounded for 24 hours for cessation of services to be satisfied?  Her response, correct.  The Airline has to cease operations.  If one Southwest plane takes off anywhere completely unrelated to me getting to Houston then cessation of services has not been satisfied.  They use FlightStats are a data source and had documented in my claim that Southwest did not cease operations.  
But wait.  I checked my policy and no where is cessation of services mentioned for this coverage.   It's because of the date of the incident she said, side stepping my comment.  Had I got sick on April 5th and cancelled then it would be Trip Cancelation but because it occurred on April 7th it's Trip Interruption.  My policy doesn't state anything related to date of cancellation.  No where does it state a number of hours or days before a cruise or trip for a claim to be cancellation versus interruption. We went down this rabbit hole several times until I asked her to read to me where in my policy is a date qualification noted.
She stated I would have been covered if I flew to Cozumel and boarded the ship side stepping my request.  Coverage would have been up to $250.  I told her Southwest doesn't fly to Cozumel.  My airline couldn't get me there.  She then went back to cessation of services.  I repeated that's not in my policy as a qualifying condition (it is for car rental coverage in a different section, but not for trip cancellation or trip interruption).  Then she went back to trip interruption however since I didn't try to fly to Cozumel, I'm not covered.  I repeated I couldn't fly to Cozumel because Southwest doesn't fly there and asked her why isn't this trip cancellation?
I pointed out that as soon as Southwest cancelled my flight on that day I called their claims department and was informed I am covered and was advised to file trip cancellation.  She stated she didn't know why I was given this incorrect information.  
Then she stated: Oh look, here is something in your policy that I overlooked.  "Non-refundable payments and deposits.  Payments and deposits you made before your trip was canceled, less any published refunds you’re entitled to receive."
At this point she started looking at my receipts and confirming I paid an additional amount for transportation services (Houston to Galveston shuttle).  "This is my fault, I missed that section of your policy".
The words I had been waiting to hear...   "Okay, I am going to process the full amount of the cruise fare and shuttle less the port fees and taxes as indicated by Royal Caribbean".
Success.  
I have some thoughts on this experience but I'll leave it up to you to decide if you think they were hoping with enough road blocks, unrelated terminology and verbiage that isn't in my policy that I might just give up and go away.