monctonguy

It was defn an error on RCI's part....cause the line they gave me yesterday was they were all "sold out" and not available. Now they are all back today...at about 50% more....

I am beginning to think I do have some bad luck following me..lol I even had the room picked out etc.....but I waited too long as I was at work and couldn't complete the booking at the time...when I finally entered my card I got the message. When I called she could see the room I had selected but confirmed it was now booked by someone else as I had timed out.. I have to think they put a block on...even with such a good deal it seems strange that ALL suites on ALL cruises for months and months are sold out...... Still looking for that "once in a lifetime deal".......or really any good deal at this point...haha

I called..ALL suites sold out on Adventure for Nov and Dec it looks like of 2017 at that priced salings....it was a good deal....snooze you lose when it comes to that kinda pricing I guess..:(

I waited too long...just got my CC out to book and its saying not available now...tried 4 different dates...it shows them until you go to chose them.....so disappointed!

Wow...those are some good prices to say the least...less then what I have a balcony booked for next April on Adventure!

I was just on her on in Nov if you have any questions. I think you will find the ship much different from the previous cruises you have taken! That being said, it was a very enjoyable 4 day cruise I did on her.

But you would have to pay for the at those shops. Expensive little treats, but that is the norm when at a resort or hotel or travelling really anywhere. Last cruise I bought a 20 pack of small chips(Doritos, Cheetos etc)..didn't take up any weight or space and were a god send after a few cold beers on the pool deck!

Well in Labadee with the drink package, plus all the free things to do and see there you wont have a problem filling that day on the island. Different beaches to visit, walking trails...lots to explore on the island compared to Cococay for example. As for Falmouth, there isn't much to do right at the port really. I mean there are LOTS of shops and some restaurants you can look around, but outside of the port area not much to do unless an excursion booked. I was just there and spent an hour or two wandering around the port and had a cpl drinks at Marguaratville but was back on the boat to enjoy it being half empty. Honestly, Independence is such a big boat with so much to see and do you could stay on all day and not be bored. Was one of my fav ships and cruises that I did.

Not much snack stuff on board at all. I am one who enjoys chips, crispers, peanuts etc when drinking or hanging out. You wont find this stuff normally. You may find a small bag of chips at the park café.....but that's about it.

I don't mind..as I see SO many ppl coming out of the bathroom from having a #2 and they don't even have the decency to wash their hands. I have seen these people walk straight to the buffet....disgusting... Not to mention parents with kids with runny noses cleaning them on the way to the buffet, or people picking their noses as they are about to go and eat. I hate people telling me what to do when its common sense or what I think is common sense anyways. But I am defn more aware of these issues when cruising and I am appalled at how dirty and unclean a lot of people tend to be. So if they have to be made to do the right thing and wash their hands before eating...then I am all for it. It shouldn't have to be done, but obviously it does.

I always make the best of a situation and rarely complain. But I could not do anything about the situation on this cruise. Tables were taken for hours on end by people not eating. I know windjammer is busy and expect that...but once you walk around 4-5 times and no tables, not much you can do. Really no choice but to come back and hope they are gone eventually. As for the bars being dead...when they have live music and there is no one in the whole bar or 1 couple cuddling in the corner, its not fun at all to sit there by yourself. Or a dance floor with no one on it etc. I was not complaining about pool chairs being taken or long waits for snacks or trying to find a seat at shows etc.....those happen every cruise. My point was that in 9 cruises and many that had groups on them I have never really been affected. It was simply due to the size of the this group and the type of group they were that negatively impacted the food service and bar experience imho. Rant done....lol.

Sorry about that...my writing skills have diminished since graduating university...but I actually blame it on texting......or maybe I am just becoming lazy......haha

Well I am guessing due to their beliefs they did not dance or drink or visit any bars. So they mostly hung out in the dinning areas. Often for hours I am sure as the tables had no food on them. Often I had to give up looking for a table and come back later or just leave my plate of food. When they did visit an event it made it hard to get a good seat or a seat at all as there were so many of them in the group. It also cut down on the amount of ppl at the bars and nightclubs when you subtract 33% of the boat right off the bat that doesn't visit those places. I made the best of it...but I have ZERO interest on ever being on a cruise like that again.

I just returned from a cruise on Brilliance of the Seas and have to say it was hands down the worst cruise I have ever experienced. Now let me say that I still had a good time, but out of 9 cruises this was the worst overall experience. There was large church group on board, just under 800 out of about 2100 cruisers. As a result the overall vibe of the ship was defn affected. The short and sweet was that the restaurants/buffets were very very busy and the bars and clubs were very very dead. It felt like the whole ship was affected by this group. Just little things here and there but overall something that many people I spoke with commented on. I have nothing against a church group or any group that wants to cruise...they paid their money so they can do what they want. But I have to say that if it had been my first experience cruising or with Royal, I probably would have had no interest in ever doing a cruise again. Anyone else run into this type of thing on a cruise before?

That's half the fun...all the planning, research etc for me at least. I am active on a cpl message boards...I am constantly checking for deals and better pricing. I like to take a look at a few youtube videos as well as find recent Cruise Compass to get an idea of what to expect. Look for any tips about the ships or ports we will be visiting. Not having another cruise booked to look forward to and chat about and research kills me......

Just because its simpler to understand defn doesn't make it better. It means as customers we have to pay earlier....and less options to cancel if something changes and get money back... But what I think what Royal is doing, is by moving the cancellation date and final payment date further back, it allows them to then drop some cabin pricing to fill the boat if needed, but not violate their new "no last minute price drop promise"..... Very tricky but smart on their part....... Thoughts..or am I way off on this?

I checked for my April cruise that I just had to cancel....no change..interesting. I had it booked solo...so I guess no matter what the sale is...the price stays the same for some...lol. I have saved money and been able to rebook on previous cruises I have booked..but not as a result of a sale...just a result of them lowering prices. These "sales" as most know are smoke and mirrors....if you saved on your room..its because RCI adjusted the price...not a direct result of the particular sale at the time...imho.

I only did AI's for about 10 years..all over the Caribbean.....Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican......resorts Like RIU, Bahia etc.... Always stayed at 4star or higher...most resorts were very very nice.....and on average about $1000 USD including all airfare, drinks, food etc for a week. NO way to beat that with cruising prices now.... For the past 3 years I have done just cruising basically(9cruises in 3 years) but now with the CAD dollar so low it hurts too much to keep it up. The drink package in CAD with Royal is almost $700 for a week....I can almost pay for a whole week away at an AI for not much more than that. I could justify the high cost of drinks when the cruises were cheaper and the dollar closer to par....but no longer able to. Just had to cancel a 7 day cruise in April on AOS.....was going to cost me almost $4000 for the total package....

Yes..I have never bought the picture package or any pictures from Royal....way too expensive. Lower the prices and I would. So they would sell more on volume that way I would think. That being said, the drink package is a good deal, based on the current cost of drinks and how much I drink each day on a cruise. But overall the drinks prices are way too high imho.

While Royal's drink prices maybe comparable to a concert or a theme park, which we all readily admit are overpriced, for a vacation drinks are expensive on Royal. Yes, if you eat out on vacation or hit a high end bar you may pay comparable, but you have lots of options to find places whey they are half the price or less when vacationing. Once on a cruise, you have no option except what they offer. Across cruise ships as well, I get the impression they are some of the more expensive not to mention that they NEVER include the drink package in your cruise fare or give you any breaks on drink packages like many other cruise lines do. SO overall, among the more common/popular cruise lines Royal probably is one of the priciest.

I have noticed my past few cruises they have signs up saying the ship is full so no room upgrades available. Plus I am C&A member and have chosen my upgrade preferences and never been contacted either. SO, I would never count or expect or even hope to upgrade with Royal.

Rain wont stop them from going there, but winds and waves will. It's hit or miss..I am 4/6 there.... For me they ended up staying over night in Nassau both times but not sure if that's the norm or not.

Drinks defn do NOT average $5.75! Beers would be around the $6 mark.....mixed drinks, cocktails and frozen special drinks would all be around $10-12 with tip.....give or take. Drink package works on the ship and their private islands...not once off the ship in port anywhere. But of course on the ship while in port.

I don't think a few tips results in a month of free drinking for you and your friends..... Really? Come on now....

$100 for great service??......I can't think of anything they could do extra that they don't already do that is worth that!