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VillainsGin

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Everything posted by VillainsGin

  1. Thank you for this valuable insight! I am flying domestically from ONT airport in California to MIA in Florida. What you're saying is to wait closer to sailing date before booking directly with airline because a lot of things can change prior to flight. What is the ideal range to book a flight prior to sailing date in your experience?
  2. I'd also like to know as well, I usually use my TAand they have been amazing. The drawback is the travel agency is not able to help me coordinate efficiently if I booked directly through casino royale comp'd cruise program.
  3. My last follow up question would be: In order to received all the coverage/benefits of Air2Sea program do I need to book cruise & flight & hotel all together? For example in my situation: I've already locked in the casino royale comp'd cruise the same day it was offered to me by paying port fees/taxes over the phone. Can I still utilize and receive coverage with the Air2Sea program just specifically for round-trip flights & hotel only, catered around my sailing date?
  4. When problems arise during your travels under the Air2Sea program how do you get it resolved? Does A2S have a direct line dedicated to that program or do we have to go through the directory phone line jungle? Have you ever had any hiccups under the program and how was their service?
  5. Could you elaborate on #1 & #2 this is definitely really good information I did not know prior. Referring to your answer for #1, how do they secure a booking for a seat on a flight without payment ahead of time? Could I just wait until much closer to my sailing date to pay for my flight fare or is there limitation to this "book today pay later" Referring to your answer for #2. If there were problems like delays or flight cancellation how would I go about making sure thr Air2Sea program guarantees my connection? Is there a direct Air2Sea support number or is it through the vague directory of Royal Caribbean. I've had a mediocre experience with their general phone support so If its something urgent like flight delays or cancellation I'd want to resolve asap to not miss sailing date. Thank you so much in advance!
  6. I've always gone through a travel agent but unfortunately my TA caN't assist much if I booked a comp'd cruise through casino royale. I was comp'd a 7 night cruise on Icon OTS in March 2024. I plan on flying in the night before and booking a hotel to give me enough buffer time in case anything happens between my journey from ONT --> MIA. I'm trying to see what the difference (if any) between booking my flights independently or using royal caribbean's Air2Sea program on their website. Questions: Are there any perks or benefits that comes with Air2Sea that I'm missing? Is there some sort of protection or coverage when booking through Air2Sea? Is it better to book round trip flights directly with airline? Any additional helpful insight/advice regarding the Air2Sea program versus booking hotels & flights independently is much appreciated!
  7. That is something I'm definitely going to be trying, thank you for this information! All the bookings also qualify for C&A points as well? I assume every booked cruise where you pay port/tax fees will qualify for C&A points, only ones that do not qualify is when you have a special promo where port/tax fess is waived or covered.
  8. So what you're saying is you can use both the casino royale website AND you can also check offers directly on royal caribbean website which is also for casino royal offer?
  9. i had no idea they had their own separate website, they never advertised or notified me of this. The entire time i thought everything had to be done by contacting them via phone! Thank you!
  10. I guess that's the most anxiety inducing fear I have. Hoping I chose a date that will not get canceled, it's a shame RC won't honor and reschedule the booking. The money on the casino was already spent but if you're unlucky and chose the wrong sailing date that feeling could be devastating. Thank you for your input as always!
  11. I've received an instant cruise certificate from casino royale after meeting whatever their threshold is for "casino points" There was an expiration of exactly 1 month of the date I was awarded the certificate. I went ahead and booked Icon OTS for 7 nights western caribbean almost immediately, no problems there and booking was locked in after I paid port/tax fees over the phone. My Questions: If my booking was cancelled (booking paid before expiration) by royal caribbean will they offer me other similar bookings with icon OTS or do just I just lose out entirely on the comp'd cruise? If I need to reschedule the booking I already paid for after expiration date will they allow me to change to a different sailing date? Any helpful insight or tips/advice much appreciate regarding casino royal program for comp'd cruised! Thanks in advance!
  12. Can you recall the exact location or have address of this place? I’m always roaming outside the tourist area but don’t remember that one!
  13. Unfortunately not retired, I have ways to go working for corporate I take any and all cruise when I can, If possible to forecast I definitely would. Nowadays the furthers I book out to is 6 months and I start lining them up from there.
  14. I personally can't fathom counting down 2 years the anticipation and anxiety would have ended me long before haha. I wish i had the discipline to book years ahead of time for cost effectiveness but society had molded me with instant gratification everywhere.
  15. It never gets old for me, I get extremely giddy and excited for every single sailing. You just can't compare or compete with the vibes and moods of sailing. Everyone is in a great mood because they're on vacation, social interactions are so much more engaging and genuine, hot tubs, buffets, casino, shows, etc. Also something about the smell of the ship cabin and ocean that triggers my nostalgia and serotonin.
  16. I'm fine with RC refunded the full amount paid for the booking but at that point its not about the money. Canceling a cruise 3 days before sailing is absolutely unprofessional if it wasn't for a valid reason. I can't imagine waiting months sometimes over a year, count the days to come and had it cancelled. Trip insurance is the shady part for me since I always opt out of travel insurance. Who do you use or how do you go about getting compensated or cost outside cruise fare like hotel/flight?
  17. I was afraid of the looming facts that supports Los Angeles from being interested at all for expanding the ports. You bring up a good point of the itinerary and ports of visit being limited, even for 7 night sailing I can only imagine us either going up north more or down south more along the coast. I think we represent the minority with the opportunity to sail the same itinerary more than once. This could also be a great option to leverage reduced revenue from logistics/container shipping when it under performs by filling it in with cruising. Regardless of the limited ports of call Los Angeles accommodating for larger ports definitely will bring in more traffic from neighboring states as well. I personally prioritize the amenities and features of a cruise ship over the ports of call, the bigger the ship the more entertainment. Helps when they dock in the various ports of Mexico the new guest gets off the explore and I can take advantage of the empty hot tubs/pools Click bait articles got me all riled up and was hoping for some truth in there.
  18. I'm a bit behind on the news for Los Angeles since I'm already accustomed to flying out towards MIA if i want to sail the larger ships on royal. (symphony/icon/odyssey/etc.) It looks like they're resuming a decade old plan of expanded the ports to accommodate larger cruise ships, if I'm reading it correctly. There's a lot of fluff in between the articles but keywords I was mainly focused on was expanding ports for larger ships. This would be absolutely HUGE news for all the residents of California (myself included) and states neighboring us! I always dread flying to MIA to sail the much larger ships so if these news articles are true does that mean we'll have oasis/quantum/icon class ships eventually calling Los Angeles port!?!? I'm extremely giddy finding out about this, although the news was dated earlier of this year. I've been complaining for about a decade now wishing there was a larger cruise port to accommodate larger royal ships. It helps tremendously with time & money. •Pros to having larger cruise ports • Saves time from coordinating flights to MIA and back. Saves money from all the related cost/fees/taxes that comes with flying/hotels. ( I always book a hotel the night before to give myself enough time before embarkation) Caters to the west coast guest and helps generate more traffic for the state. ~~~Can anyone confirm if they're actually in the works of building larger ports for larger cruise ships?~~~ New sources below: https://maritime-executive.com/article/los-angeles-seeks-input-to-double-cruise-terminals-with-outer-harbor https://www.cruisehive.com/los-angeles-new-cruise-terminal-plan-underway-again/94634 https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west/travel/2023/02/16/port-of-la-expands-cruise-services
  19. My attention were in other stocks when everything went on discount during the shutdown but i regret not checking up on RCL during that time. what a steal for $31/share with a 100 shares only costing $3,100!?!? My holding avg is beyond doubled that position nonetheless i'm planning on just leaving 100 shares and forgetting about it as I book more cruise with RCL
  20. PREACH IT! I'm fortunate enough to not prone to any motion sickness and was introduce to cruising at an early age from family vacations. Since then I have not stopped cruising and it has honestly been the ONLY way I vacation now. Cruises gives so much value for your dollar compared to any other way of vacationing it is too hard for me to pass up! Also helps to be an "enthusiast" of casinos with the comp'd cruises!
  21. RIGHT!? I still remembered paying $15/day like it was yesterday! Makes a huge difference when your cruise is 4+ days
  22. Got off Navigator OTS last week and noticed a few guests exiting the parking lot having a verbal scuffle with ticket attendants regarding self-parking prices. Noticed an increased volume of guest doing self-parking since Navigator OTS has been sailing out of Los Angeles so it might be helpful to know. Personally I was not surprised because I remembered (back in the days) when it was at $15/day and I've seen it gradually increase throughout the years up to currently $20/day. Below is some information so you'll know what to expect when paying at the ticket booth towards the end of your trip. (They have ticket attendants standing outside to assist you with paying which is much better than me leaning out the window and fidgeting with the payment panel) (Examples: Navigator OTS 3-Nights $60.00 for parking / Navigator OTS 4-Nights $80.00 for parking) / $20 is charged per overnight your vehicle is parked at their lot. •For Your Information• If you're doing self-parking at: World Cruise Center at the Port of Los Angeles (US LAX) 100 Swinford Street San Pedro, CA 90731 (Harbor Blvd. and Swinford Streets) Self-parking rates have increased to $20.00 per day.
  23. I think that's where we should direct our pitchforks and torches. This is unacceptable! APES TOGETHER STRONG!
  24. I ENVY YOU SO MUCH, i'm over here in Los Angeles so I would have to fly over to MIA to get to enjoy coco cay which can sometimes be excruciating. Although as of recent, navigator of the seas is calling LA its home port which I immediately booked twice lol. Drives me nuts we can't build a larger port here in california for larger ships, we can only accommodate the smaller ones!
  25. For me personally if there was a budget involved the first thing I would determine is not the ship but my current location. Checking to see if you're near or within driving distance of an RCL ship port can save you money. Rules out having to pay additional for flight cost and all the fees/charges that comes with flying. (especially flight coordinating with embarkation & debarkation) Then I would go to RCL's website to look at departure ports and hope they have some options sailing out from there. I love all cruise ships although I leaned towards the ultra mega ships with all their insane features. I'd do some research on the smaller ships departing from ports closest to me and mentally start planning if that's something I can honestly enjoy. As long as the cruise ship has a buffet, hot tub, pool and casino it's a party!
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