USCG Teacher

2 hours ago, VoidoftheSeas said:

Not going to lie, took me a hot minute to figure out what this was all about.

45 minutes ago, melmar02 said:

Dogs are dropped off, and we're headed to Houston. We should be at the hotel around 7pm. 

Godspeed and safe travels. Looking forward to following along!

1 hour ago, OCSC Mike said:

Kids' vouchers cannot be used for anything alcoholic. My young nieces enjoy going to the bar for virgin daiquiris (tbh, the older one developed a problem last family cruise).

I can relate.  My youngest developed a concerning affinity for Shirley Temples on Oasis. 

Welcome to the boards, @Alonelymom!  Many members here have successfully used MEI as our travel agency (they are also sponsors of this site!).  Fill out the information request form on the main landing page on www.royalcaribbeanblog.com and someone will reach out to you!  Good luck!

Thanks for this, @Rackham, it is very cool!  ChatGPT is such an interesting development in AI.  I'm willing to accept the inevitable rise of Skynet in exchange for services like this.

This reply should honestly be copied, pasted and locked in on the top of the message board.

-Don't do any of these things

By @Matt

-Can I Bring (Insert Prohibited Item)?

By @twangster

15 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I agree.  The Italian-themed restaurants have gotten progressively worse since they got rid of Portofinos.

Couldn't agree more.  We loved Portofinos.

13 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Portofino’s

Historically I've not been a spend big on luggage kind of guy.  I would just buy reasonably priced checked luggage and beat it until it died, then rinse and repeat.  I had heard all the hype about Away bags, and during the pandemic they had a pretty big sale, so I bit the bullet and got a large and and bigger carry on with pocket.  I absolutely love them both, and they've held up amazing well to my family's best attempts to destroy them.  The warranty and service is unbelievable as well.  In the realm of really expensive luggage, these still don't qualify, but they are more than I traditionally paid for bags in the past, and I would not hesitate to buy them again even at full price.

https://www.awaytravel.com/suitcases/large?color=green

https://www.awaytravel.com/suitcases/bigger-carry-on-pocket?color=black_nylon_pocket

1 hour ago, teddy said:

On top of knowing you were most likely going to invade the Europe before you could go back west.

Worst shore excursion EVER!

18 minutes ago, KDK said:

If you pre-purchase some thing, using the onboard credit, and then decide to cancel it, do you get reimbursed with onboard credit or do you just lose the credit totally?

You are reimbursed.  The OBC is usually back in your Cruise Planner immediately after cancellation.

5 hours ago, Potato10 said:

So i just got an email from RC saying the engine on anthem is having issues and has to be run at reduced speed during my 7 day bahamas cruise from Bayonne leaving tomorrow.  They are canceling the port canaveral stop which leaves us with only 2 port days on a 7 night sailing. I know RC is allowed to  change anything, but 5 sea days seems nuts. 
 

Should i cancel?

Personally, I'd consider this a win.  The PC stop is late and short, which limits possible activities in a fairly lame port stop (in my opinion at least!) anyway.  You'll end up with more time to enjoy the ship and you should get you port fees and taxes refunded, so all positives in my book!

1 hour ago, melmar02 said:

I don't even think you can purchase the excursion if the person is not in the age range. I remember we were going to purchase a snorkeling excursion a couple years ago, and I didn't even look at the age limits because we had done a similar excursion in another port. My youngest's name was grayed out, so I couldn't select him at all.

Exactly what I was going to say, and if you call in, the reservation agent will see the same information.

1 hour ago, letscruise said:

We are staying at the Westin Jersey City for an upcoming Cape Liberty cruise.  Hopefully there is somewhere walkable for dinner nearby. 

LOTS of options in the area!  You're literally across the street from a mall with a number of options in one direction and the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway on the other.  Everything from Cheesecake Factory and Ruth's Chris to local Chinese, Mexican and Indian all in under two blocks.  You won't go hungry!

Perhaps a helpful reminder:

On 1/22/2023 at 3:43 PM, asquared17 said:

i have always wanted to try the baby powder trick!!

It is both remarkably easy and effective!

30 minutes ago, Rackham said:

Looking over the Deluxe description in my cruise planner for a sailing next week, the answer is no. It includes their lunch buffet and admission to Blue Lagoon with transportation. The video header is highly misleading as it's showing one of the dolphin encounters. You'll be able to observe from afar, but you don't get to sit next to the dolphins without a dolphin encounter package.

 

^^This is correct.  You can add on things like the AquaPark (which wasn't terribly impressive, tbh) on the island, but it is not included in the Deluxe Beach Break.  There are also versions of the excursion offered through Royal that include dolphin encounter, a Segway tour, etc., etc.

16 minutes ago, FoxboroCruiser said:

I lastly, while I am the opposite of a conspiracy theorist, something about the number of these random cruising issues that get raised by one-and-done posters makes me think there are motives beyond the face value of at least some of these posts. Just my opinion.

 

I agree with 100% of this.

1 hour ago, smokeybandit said:

The Smoker Theater Suite?  Hmm...

I was thinking the Crestor Suite, but yours sounds easier to market.

14 hours ago, Rackham said:

There's nothing notifying that the cabin's view is obstructed in a manner for someone who's not thinking about what they're seeing is going to investigate. 

They list if the cabin has an obstructed view in the very first section of your booking confirmation & invoice, too.  Sorry to blunt, but I can neither fathom nor excuse spending thousands of dollars on a vacation and then not even glance over my invoice.

Hi @RDCruise!  I actually did this excursion and wrote about it in my trip report here:

I did not mention the ferries/water taxis, but yes, they were a very smooth and comfortable ride. They were of varying sizes and the seas were pretty calm the day we went, so that may be a pretty big variable, but certainly had no complaints on that front!

12 hours ago, Rackham said:

Seeing in the app for a sailing at the end of the month, out of Cape Liberty, that every evening at the 'Jammer now has a specialty burger listed.

Sounds like Bob may have upgraded his digs!

43 minutes ago, Bowen said:

Do you have to choose A2S when you book, or can you go in and book A2S at a later point after you have booked the cruise? 

Often times you have to book Air2Sea after booking.  If you book your cruise far enough out that airline itineraries aren't published yet, they won't be able to book you.

On 1/5/2022 at 7:08 PM, Matt said:

What are your best tricks for getting the absolute cheapest price for a suite?

Book early, reprice....any other good tricks?

1. Figure out what parameters I'm looking for.

2. Email Kathy G. at MEI with the information from step #1.

3. Enjoy the rest of my afternoon.

4. Provide CC# for the deposit the next day.

12 hours ago, TimeRacer said:

I'm hoping that MTD works better for my family than traditional dining times. We're a late dinner family (8ish on weeknights, later on weekends). I did MTD so we wouldn't have to eat at 5pm, because that is just way too early for any of us to want a big meal. MTD seemed like the only way to get main dining room dinner after 7pm. 

You sound like an ideal candidate  for traditional dining's second seating (8:00 PM).

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-is-my-time-dining#:~:text=When making a reservation you,%26 8%3A00 pm).