Castle Cruiser

Thanks for these questions. Yes, I have discussed these with the agent, and I feel confident in using her. She has been very responsive and is quite knowledgeable. She is the one who suggested we consider booking through the airline’s vacation division as they offer a bundle of cruise + air at a lower rate than booking each part separately with RCCL and Air Canada directly.

We are from Canada so either way, we would be booking it with Canadian pricing, etc. My understanding is that we can choose our staterooms just like if we booked directly with RCCL. I assume we would not be able to reprice, however, if fares dropped, but I will ask that specifically.

I am working with a new travel agent as our previous one retired at the beginning of the pandemic. The new one has been recommended by a couple of friends, and has been a travel agent in our community for many, many years. In looking to book our next family cruise, she suggested that we consider booking as a package deal through Air Canada Vacations. The advantages she shared were lower deposits, not having to pay for the flight at booking though locked in right away, and both the cruise rate and flight rate were a couple hundred dollars less per person. (We are a family of 6, so that adds up.) She told me that ACV has contracts which allow them to book as a bundle at a lower rate. I imagine I will not be able to do any repricing if rates drop, but I also think that flights are unlikely to get any cheaper the closer we get. Any thoughts or questions I should ask? Of course, it would be great to save money with the package but not if it comes at a cost in other ways. Thank you!

Thanks … from your user name, I suspect we are flying out of the same airport. I can’t believe how much the cost of flights to Miami have gone up since our last flights to Florida in 2018 and 2019.

Oops, posted without the quote. Reposted below.

Our travel agent was pricing it through Air Canada Vacations so that the air and cruise are packaged together. I’m thinking in this case, if they have packaged this flight with the cruise and we didn’t have enough time, they would have to help with rebooking. I have not booked this way before but it seems the pricing is advantageous.

No, we are flying back to western Canada and are trying to avoid connecting in Toronto.

None of your qualifiers apply to us in this instance. We would not be able to spend another night so would have to take a later flight out and connect at an airport I would prefer to avoid. Still, maybe that will have to be the case. Yes, we would definitely carry off our own luggage as soon as we could.

After our previous cruise out of Miami, we had a flight late in the evening so didn’t go straight to the airport after disembarking. This time, we have the choice of two flights. The earlier flight has the advantage of a much easier connecting airport for the second leg of the journey home. It leaves at 11:45 am on a Saturday in March. If we self disembark early and head straight to the airport, is it likely we will be ok? I generally see flights recommended from noon on, and this is only slightly earlier, but is it too tight? The other option is later, and connects through a much busier airport which is notoriously unpleasant to connect through.

Hello! We have previously stayed in Boardwalk balconies on Harmony and Symphony, so are familiar with the pros and cons of these cabins. We are looking at a cruise on Oasis and are wondering if you have any specific feedback on cabins 10715, 10717 and 10719? Thanks!

Thanks … lots of helpful things to consider. We are currently strongly considering trying a cruise on the west coast on the Navigator. With the recent amplification, there still seems to be many of the things we enjoyed on the Oasis class, and the ease of a relatively short and direct flight vs flying for most of a day with a connecting flight is very appealing. That being said, I’m coming to understand that I will need to temper my expectations, and that the cruise experience will differ from the Caribbean cruises we have enjoyed.

Thanks for your thoughts so far. The kids enjoyed the water slides, sports court, laser tag, etc. as well as just exploring, getting pizza or snacks and drinks at their leisure, etc. Some enjoyed the shows but not everyone was keen on all of them. I’m realizing that smaller ships like Voyager still have many of these attractions and offer new itineraries such as the Southern Caribbean. This is opening some other possibilities. *Adding that I just noticed that Navigator is doing sailings on the Pacific coast which is ideal for us, and so I’m now thinking this is a good option for both a new (and fun) ship that the family will enjoy, as well as a new cruise destination.

Hello, follow up question about planning our first cruise in 3 years. We have previously cruised on two of the Oasis class ships, at the time, each was the newest of the class. Had a third planned on of the original Oasis ships, which was cancelled early in the pandemic. We have done both a Western and an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Sailed once from Fort Lauderdale and once from Miami. The kids really enjoyed Miami but we also had a little more time there to do things. We would like to do another Caribbean cruise, and know how much we have enjoyed the Oasis class. It really seemed to offer something for everyone in our group of 6, and the ship is a destination in itself. Now I’m considering what to prioritize in choosing our next cruise … there are now options out of Galveston and Orlando, as well as Miami, but the best fit for timing would mean either a repeat of ship or some of the same ports as previous trips. We haven’t been to Coco Cay … is this a must do? A couple of the itineraries have both Coco Cay and Labadee. What do you prioritize when booking subsequent cruises within the same region of the world? If we like Oasis class, will we be disappointed with a different class of ship even if it offers new ports to visit? (I know this is a personal preference but would like to hear your experiences.)

Hello, my family of 6 enjoyed a couple of Caribbean cruises on Oasis class ships in the years leading up to the pandemic. We had a third Mediterranean cruise on Allure booked for summer 2020, which obviously did not happen. We are now again considering a spring Caribbean cruise and I am curious how the feel of cruising may have changed for some people and how you now base your decisions. Realistically, with a family of 6, my thought is it is highly likely someone in our group could contract Covid, which would impact the whole family. I am the most cautious in my family, though I'm not particularly cautious any more in my day to day life. My teens would certainly balk at the idea of masking on vacation. Anyways, I am hoping others might share their thoughts about how they have approached family group travel decisions in this new age of cruising, in a respectful way. I'm genuinely excited to cruise again, but am not sure how the experience might be different from our previous pre-pandemic cruises. Thank you!

Our family of 6 (DH and I plus kids aged 9-15) did this excursion in March. We really enjoyed it! We had about 60-90 minutes at Honeymoon Beach which was a nice amount of time to spend in the water. The limbo contest was fun and we enjoyed the steel band.

So many great places on Symphony but one that was an unexpected highlight was the laser tag area. I had so much fun with my kids and husband, and we were able to play many times!

Thanks ... I think we will definitely appreciate putting the savings towards some great excursions, as well as a drink or two! ? Enjoy planning your trip!

I will be following with interest as our family is planning to sail this same itinerary in 2020. I'm leaning towards booking RCI excursions as I tend to feel anxious about getting back to the ship on time, and I know that with at least some of the ports, the travel time to sights is more significant.

Our Nassau stop in March was on the shorter side, so we also did a walking tour. We walked up to Fort Fincastle, had a short tour, and the kids spent some time looking at the stalls for some souvenirs. We then walked down the Queen's Staircase, and through some of the streets, enjoying the different buildings. We then checked out some stores before heading back to the ship. It ended up being a relaxing, enjoyable day, and some of my kids even rated it as their favourite day!

Thanks... my TA was able to hold three Central Park view Interior rooms, two of which are connecting and the third being next door, for a sailing two weeks earlier (which is better timing with back to school), with refundable deposits, for $5000 less than the suite. I think this is the best scenario for us. We will be so busy as it's a port intensive cruise, and as you said, the savings can go towards drinks, excursions, etc.

Thanks for your thoughts. I just played around with some other options. Three Central Park view Interior cabins, all in a row but none connecting, would save us $6000 CAD. No nice perks but we could pay for some nice extras (drinks, excursions, etc.). We've never not had a balcony but with this itinerary being so port intensive, I'm second guessing the suite. Edited to add the $6000 is CAD currency. As well, I realized after this savings would be if we chose a non refundable deposit. I'm aware that there isn't a refundable option with the Grand Suite.

The travel agent could not find us connecting balconies for our preferred date. Two adjacent ocean view balconies were quoted as approximately $3100 CAD less. Not having connecting rooms would not be ideal, and I think we would enjoy the perks (eg Voom, suite lounge evening drinks, room service). Still, $3000 is not insignificant. Thanks for your thoughts so far.

Hello, looking for some advice on a possible future cruise. We are a family of 2 adults and 4 kids who will be ages 10, 12, 15 and 17 at the time of the cruise. We are quite new to cruising, but have been very fortunate to enjoy two spring break cruises, on Harmony and Symphony, in recent years. On both of those cruises, we stayed in connecting Boardwalk balcony cabins, which worked well for our family. We are looking at a Western Mediterranean Allure of the Seas cruise for August 2020. Our travel agent has put a hold on a 2 bedroom grand suite (9244) for us. I had not initially thought of a suite, and the cost is higher. However, it is tempting, as we will be celebrating a milestone birthday and this will be a special trip! I also think we would enjoy some of the suite perks. Can you confirm that this suite would be considered a sky class suite? I would love to hear about others' thoughts on this cabin for a Med cruise. I think we might enjoy the complimentary room service , especially after long port days. The complimentary drinks in the suite lounge could be a nice perk, as unlike the Caribbean cruises, we wouldn't be purchasing the alcohol drink package. What types of drinks are typically available during this complimentary time? Any cocktails or mixed drinks like rum and cokes? I would love to hear any other thoughts related to this cabin, the Allure Western Med itinerary, etc. Thank you!