monctonguy

I doubt they really read them or pay attention to the comments to be honest, if they are like most big corporations out there.

So they removed the "grat" from the base price which resulted in a slightly higher cost once it was added back on.

 

Now they raised the "grat" by 3%.....so essentially 2 rate increases on the drink packages in the past couple months?

 

Am I correct?

 

And yet in the UK, they are thowing that in for free?....so like $1000 freebie for UK cruise customers, but not North American.

 

Am i missing somthing here??

I found one for $160, plus taxes and fees....return, from airport to port and port to airport with a stop along the way if you want.....pays to do lots of reserach for sure.

 

And in my previous post, I meant I would consider a private car, not a shared shuttle for 4 people obviously.

There are lots of shuttle services, both shared and private with a wide range of prices. I have done both.

You need rides both ways I am assuming so make sure you do a good comparison of all your options.

 

While most people seem to say that renting a car is the cheapest(even after gas, tolls, insurance, parking??) I would consider a shared shuttle. I would be more worried about timing and cost of getting your rental car or a rental car for your return trip.

 

You could prob do a private SUV for $80ish each way...door to door, no waiting, no driving as an example...

Hey all!

 

. After the first day, we would leave our card out so they could charge the drinks,but most times, they never did! Even when we asked for glasses of water,they just gave us bottles instead..it rocked! So we would leave 15-20 bucks and move on. There were two bars we did this with and it worked out great! We had four stops so most of those days we didn't start drinking until 2-3 o'clock but when we did, we only paid for one, if that, and continued to tip. Our total bill came out to less than the 800 something it would have been if we both did the package...and that's including tips and excursions. So if you're comfortable making friends, it's totally worth tipping them handsomely and they will definitely take care of you :-)

I certainly wouldnt recomend this to anyone as a way to "save" on not getting the package, or as a way to try and save on the cruise.

Glad it worked out for you...but being charged for a few drinks a day, plus leaving $15-20 in tips at each bar does add up. And no guarantee that it will work every day.

 

And if after a couple days they stopped doing it, or if the bartenders got caught, would not be good for you or them.

 

So while it is a great story/experience....i wouldn't count on it or rely on it happening....count yourselves lucky....most people would end up paying for each drink or the package.

I'd like to see more promotions like Celebrity has run in the past where you could choose between prepaid gratuities, drink packages, etc.Agree

Agreed.....Celebrity seems to do this VERY often.....and I know the others do fairly often as well.

 

I have never seen this before with Royal.

 

They don't seem to offer much in the way of incentives based on what I have seen the past 3 years i have been booking with them.

Wow..thats a cheap price and going to draw alot of people to look at them for a cruise option.

 

Not to mention that their cruises are usually half the cost of most of the major players.....

 

Not a deal break for me to be honest while travelling...but for $5 I would defn sign up!

Its a double whammy for us Canadians...:(

 

I have been looking at possibly doing a Euro cruise in the late spring, early summer....rates seem to keep going up, and the dollar for us keeps going down against the USD so looks like its going to price me out of that option.

 

But for those travelling anywhere with USD, your defn going to come out ahead on your spending money once there for sure!

Moncton, I disagree. If you're a beer drinker, even at the common $4.75-5.25 for a beer, you'd have to drink 10 beers each and every day to approach the package cost. I've batted this around with Matt before. I got the premium package and will never do that again. There's no way my wife and I could go through $770 worth of drinks in 7 days. LOL. It actually sounds silly to say it.

Well get the beer package then......lol. Much cheaper.....I wouldnt recomend a "everything package" to someone who doesnt drink everything...

 

$40 is the select package.. so at about $5 beer, thats 4-5 beers along with your soda package useage that makes it worth while. Plus the conveience of not paying/tipping for every drink, plus no surpises at the end of the cruise.

 

I have yet to regret ever getting the package, and have yet to meet anyone in REAL life who got it and regretted it.

 

And maybe its just that 10 drinks for me in a day when on a cruise is before my night even starts but...lol..

I have only cruised between Nov-Feb....and its always been nice!

 

Couple of days that maybe werent "pool" weather, but lots of drinks, sun, hanging around the pools...hitting the beaches..

 

It's amazing to leave the cold and snow, and step "back into summer" for a few days or a week....

 

Comming from Atlantic Canada, I really know winter and can't stand it and would NEVER even think about taking a vacation during the winter to do "winter things"...lol

The majority of stuff to do is more than a walk away.  I'd recommend taking a cab into the downtown area.  It costs very little and you get so much more selection.  In general, taxis are pretty cheap.

 

It looks like we will be docking at the international pier...so cab ride to downtown is the best option? Will be lots of cabs for the ride there and back? Once in town, I can then wander pretty easily on my own and find bars, resturants, places to sit out and drink to enjoy the sights and sounds of the town?

 

Rough idea on pricing when it comes to drinks and food..pretty cheap or pricey for some cold ones and pub style food?

I've had great luck with CruiseFish.net. It's not perfect, as I've read about some deals at Cruise Critic before I received e-mail from CruiseFish, but I have managed to lower the price on some bookings or get free or very cheap upgrades in the days leading up to sailing. For me, it's well worth the ~$1/sailing price they charge. Plus, I like that I can look up price histories for older sailings to get an idea of how pricing might change in the future for similar sailings. That was useful for planning some last-minute bookings where we bought the airfare in advance, but waited until about three weeks ahead of sailing to book the cruise in order to catch some last-minute price drops. That's rather effective for short 3- and 4-night cruises.

 

Thats the site I use, and I have yet to figure it out, or find any price that matches from the fish site, to when I actually go to RCI to confirm the pricing....maybe I am just not grasping it.....it obviously works for others...but I have been checking it for months with no sucess.

 

I actually got myself a deal by checking the RCI website, doing mock bookings, and then had to call to get them to change my reservation for the better deal...

I havent had any luck using those sites. I have never been able to use them to find a better deal, I find them hard to follow and  make no sense. At least the one I was recomened to use anyways.

 

I personally just check the site every day, check the different sales and promo's etc they have.

 

When I see what I think is a deal I book it. Untill final payment you can always call and get a cheaper deal if it goes down. After final pyt date, you cannont, but you can upgrade if you wanted to if for example the price of a balcony cabin came down and you wanted to pay the little extra to upgrade from your inside/outside room.

 

It's a big game it seems, compared to my experience in booking and travelling at All Inclusive resorts all around the Caribbean!

Was my very first cruise ever, Monarch of the Seas in 2013...and am going on my 5th cruise in 16 days.

 

Loved it from the minute I walked on the ship.  Not sure if I will ever try another cruise line as RC has given me everything I could have asked for and had no issues at all.

 

Never say never, but I tend to be pretty loyal once I find something I like and enjoy.....

I don't see it as a big deal. Those pools are so small, lots of people in them and I don't think a parent should leave a 4yr old alone swimming either way to be honest...and when u see how small the pool is on the Brilliance you will see what I mean.

 

Some of the bigger ships have many different pools and some just geared towards childern. If they want to charge childern an extra fee on their booking price to cover the extra help required sure.

 

It's rare if ever that u hear of ppl drowing on cruise ships pools..way more drown at parks and oceans and quite often where there are lifeguards on duty.

 

No more costs to be added on please and thank you!

I am surprised that they dont have these machines on all the boats. If they don't want to use them when sailing outside of the USA, just don't turn them on?!

 

It' so much conveinent to use these machines than waiting in line for bartenders to fill cups which are also smaller. Plus it free's up time for the bartenders I am sure as well.

 

For all the cost that RCI has for each sailing, I can't imagine cost is the reason why they don't have these on all the ships?!

Good review....in my opinion its always worth it unless you dont drink alcohol, or plan on having 1-2 drinks a day and never exceeding that at any point. Which doesnt sound like fun to me!..lol

 

But to each their own!

I am headed there in 29 days......I am looking for some recomendations for bars/pubs/resturants close to the pier where the boat docks...

 

Would like something within walking distance, with a nice place to sit, drink, take in the sights and sounds.

 

Are there any free/public beach areas to use? I am thinking something like Junkanoo beach in Nassau for example.

 

Thanks!

I have done it every time since the first cruise I did when I was stuck waiting with a large group of people and it felt like forever to get off.

 

Its quick, easy, beat the rush.....I wouldn't do it any other way from now on!

At least the 90 mins, sometimes more based on my experiences.

 

I have seen it take 2 hours from being seated, till I left the table when not MTD. This maybe more the case with the traditional seating times though.

 

On my last cruise, I was in and out in less than 60 mins, but there was only 2 of us , and we knew what we wanted prior to sitting down.

 

I would suggest the buffet when trying to time it with a show/event after that you want to attend if the times are close.

Yes, I was very lucky this year to say the least.....especially considering how far I have to travel to get there and the cost.

 

I love the boat, I like the itenary, prices are usually good...and the crew is alot of fun. Not to mention the people I meet on board.

 

I am a little worried that my next cruise maynot be as enjoyable on the Brillance of the Seas to Cozumel, but going with an open mind!

I think this question maybe in the wrong section?

 

But to answer your question based on my experiences, although not in Falmouth, its usually about 30 mins after it docks that you can leave the ship. Keep in mind of course there could be hundreds, maybe thousands trying to get off the ship through one exit point at the same time as you.

 

My best guess is you will not be thereat 930 excactly to meet your friend. Someone who has done this port maybe able to confirm exactly.

Just look a few responses up for your answer about Starbucks.

I book everything on my own. I find that I know more about the deals/prices/details from my own research than the TA's do. I have booked directly with RCI, but have booked with 3rd party sites as well when they had promotions or incentives and have had no issues so far!

 

Before the internet, i could see the value of a TA. Now, i really dont. Maybe I just have'nt been lucky enough to get a better deal cause I used a TA, or had a need to make major changes or had a problem while on vacation and needed a TA.

Great to hear you had such a great time!! And interesting to hear your kids preferred it over Disney!!

 

Thanks everyone!  I've finally recovered from the long 16 hour drive home and wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time!!  Royal Caribbean far exceeded any expectations I had!!  The service was amazing!  We had the best waiter and assistant waiter I've ever had on any cruise!  The kids loved adventure ocean and the teen clubs.  All three kids said they preferred this RC cruise over our Disney cruises.

 

Our first Royal Caribbean cruise was definitely not our last!