GrandmaAirplane

16 hours ago, twangster said:

I have no issues using the website.  It doesn’t always have the price I want to see but I can book anything I want. 

That’s good. I, on the other hand, find it very buggy. This week-end was a perfect example of that, with plenty of issues.

It depends on the device & browser that you’re using... and, nowadays, there is no reason to not be able to fix that.

On 11/29/2019 at 11:34 AM, twangster said:

Exactly.  They are master in data analytics.  While we all want website updates and functionality updates they put most of their IT resources into data mining so they can figure out how to maximize revenue.  

From a business perspective it is smart business.  From a customer perspective it isn't greeted with the same enthusiasm.  

... IF they spent their IT budget wisely and actually enhanced and improve the customer booking experience... then they may even increase their revenue even more.

54 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

So Black Friday was really on Wednesday..leave it to Royal

Yep! I got all the deals I was hoping for (drinks, Internet, & discounted Beach Club day passes) on Tuesday.

Check prices on Black Friday - then again Cyber Monday - then again Travel Tuesday.

From a marketing point of view, each sale is considered to be different, so different things will be re-priced. Since ‘dynamic’ pricing is aimed at making more money, that too will play into prices yo-yo’ing some more in the days to come.

I can confirm that the CocoCay Beach Club Day Pass has dropped significantly today:

It was originally priced at $71 CAD (bought at that price.)

This week, the price went up to $105 CAD

This morning down to $53 CAD (cancelled & re-bought.)

16 hours ago, MelissaM said:

Soda package down to $6.50 from 8.99

Refreshment package down $19 from $28

Same pricing on our sailing... cancelled and re-purchased.

Soda package down to $8.65 CAD

Refreshment package down to $25.27 CAD

Classic soda + VOOM 1 device down to $22.61 CAD

We’re not interested in the Deluxe package, but that one is down to $86.45 CAD / $97.09 CAD with VOOM 1 device.

3 hours ago, Paul Martin said:

So Monday they raised the price of the cruise I was going to take and removed the on-board credit of $75 so this Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale is going to cost me $175 more    so crossing my fingers that a real sale appears on Friday.

Also check on Cyber Monday, and maybe even better yet on Travel Tuesday to price out your cruise.

50 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

Sorrentos and Cafe Promenade are quick places to grab some food. 
 

Is there a Sorrento’s on Mariner?

3 hours ago, stormchaser said:

My family and I ate at Jamie's Italian for our embarkation lunch. 
 

I see in our cruise planner that Chops is offered on embarkation day, rather than Jamie’s (offered for lunch on one of our Coco Cay days instead.) It has a very limited menu and seems expensive for what is offered.
Would this Chops lunch be discounted on the spot? I see it at $30 CAD pp. right now.

We are willing to pay an up charge, but the value has to be there too... which is why I was asking about Johnny Rockets. 
Would Playmakers be suitable, if we have young kids in our party?

Thanks for all of your responses.

Not sure how to handle lunch on embarkation day on Mariner, and would appreciate suggestions.

I will be using a mobility scooter and my then five-year-old grandson does not do well being crowded in & jostled. From what I’ve read, Windjammer seems to be a zoo that first day and, if so, won’t be a good option for us. Evening meals won’t be an issue, as our family group of 8 is booked with early assigned dining in the MDR.

We will likely aim for an early lunch. Will Johnny Rockets be open for lunch that first day? Any other venue that you can suggest for us to try instead of Windjammer?

The Key does not appeal to us, esp. not at $150 CAD per person X7, so that special lunch is not a viable option for us either.

If we are indeed stuck with the Windjammer on that first day, what will be our best strategy?
Will the lines be very long at 11:45? 
Will the scooter be a problem?

Thanks!

On 7/3/2019 at 3:52 PM, AJK said:

I was excited about the adults only solarium until I saw some videos of the crowds there. Even though I have lost 65 lbs, I am still very self conscious about pools and hot tubs (which my husband adores!).

I suddenly put on a lot of weight in my late forties, and became very self-conscious about it. I’m now very, very round. It did take me a very long while to realize that I’m not the only Reubenesque beauty in the pool, hot tub or beach.

A few years ago, I got properly fitted for a very nice one-piece bathing suit, suited to my shape. I received excellent advice about the type of suit that is best for me, and to avoid prints. I now own a couple of beautiful solid-coloured bathing suits that do look good on me - so the attention is positively placed on the suit, rather than the body. In addition, I also invested in a couple of beautiful cotton cover-ups that are comfortable to be in, even when wet. I wear these as soon as I step out of the water. That helps a lot with my feelings of self-consciousness about my body shape.

I decided that I like a Penbrooke swimsuit model best. Over the years, I have bought it in several gorgeous and rich colours and I always travel with two. I *always* keep one in my carry-on bag, because it would be impossible to replace quickly if my checked luggage is delayed or lost.

As an example only, this model fits my body shape beautifully (esp. in the back, as I have narrow shoulders): 

https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/penbrooke-krinkle-plus-size-chlorine-resistant-one-piece-cross-back-swimsuit-7534078/?color=9325 
Penbrooke has several different models of these ‘Krinkle’ suits; the texture adds interest to the colour, and they are of good quality. I used to buy cheaper swimsuits, but these turned out to be the best investment in myself that I could make, as far as feeling more comfortable in the pool again.

I hope that you get to join your husband in the pool and hot tub - he’s the one who will be most happy to see you enjoying yourself too.

I started backpacking in the 70s...think of an adventure?? yep, that was me. Mammy trucks in West Africa, dodgy old Russian planes, a Taiwanese junk in the Sea of China, a day designed by Salvador Dali on a bus in China in the early 90’s, crawling through the tombs of nobles under people’s houses in Luxor’s west bank - I had some really fun decades of travel adventures. 

I never owned much (except for where I’ve lived), I studied long, worked hard & saved like crazy, but took long breaks to travel. If I can buy what I need second-hand, that lifelong habit never left me - that really nice Talbots dress that I’ll be wearing on my next cruise, I got it on eBay.

My body simply won’t co-operate anymore.
I can’t risk getting dengue again, that last one put me in hospital. I can’t walk/hike everywhere anymore, I now need a mobility device. Over the last 10 years, cruising has become an easier way to travel for us. Now my focus is spending time with family and, luckily, the grandkids are more taken with cruising than ‘exploring’ unfamiliar places and eating weird food.

Short extended-family cruises, mixed with longer b2b cruises (book-ended by some independent destination travel) is what our next 10 years of travel will be looking like.

Try contacting Consumer protection in the province where you reside, like:

https://www.ontario.ca/page/booking-trip-your-rights

You booked online directly, so if I’m not mistaken, you may have some limited recourse this way.
If you had booked online, say through CAA, then TICO and a CAA agent could have been involved to help you fight (ON).

I usually book direct, unless I fear problems down the line (like whenever I have no choice but to go United). When I think I may need help down the line, I book online through the CAA. Darn if that really has not come in handy for me in the past...

By the way, the bigger the travel agent’s network is, the better their ability and clout to have problems dealt with.

Good luck.

Not 100% accurate, but pretty close...

16 minutes ago, raahc said:

Thanks, I'm in Canada, and I haven't seen them at our local Dollar store.  $3 is a bargain!  

So am I. We have Dollarama in Ontario, as well as Dollar Tree, so check for the bigger franchise stores.

Taxis are not plentiful on the Island of Hawaii, and very expensive. The tram will be your best bet.

22 minutes ago, MO & LO on the go! said:

We had a chill island cabana and we had 8.   That was the maximum allowed 

Thank you!!
When I first booked our cruise, it said 6 in our Cruise Planner - being 8 in our family group, we didn’t book it.

I went back and checked again, and now it allows for 8... sometime this year it must have been changed, and I’m very pleased about it - let’s see if it becomes a Black Friday deal!

First of all, why no car seats??

In Kailua-Kona, there’s an open-sided tram that travels all along Ali’i Drive - the kids will definitely enjoy that ride. Towards the end, there’s a very small beach area that would be safe for the young ones at Kahulu’u Beach park. At the very end of the tram ride is a shopping center (Keauhou) that has a great shave ice shop next to the grocery store - again a big hit with the kids. That shopping center also has a great little bookshop (Kona Stories) with a good selection of kids books and two resident cats. There’s also a very good Long’s drugstore, with a good selection of affordable souvenirs and things that you may want to bring back on the ship.

I can’t think of anything else that can be done without a car...

The downtown area near the pier has quite a few transients that hang around and can be insistent with their panhandling... not the most pleasant for the kiddies.

Don’t the Chill Island cabanas have a maximum of 6 - as do the Thrill Island and Oasis pool cabanas?

From what I can see in my Cruise Planner, the only cabanas that can accommodate 8 are in the Coco Beach Club restricted section (landside & overwater). For those, in a landside cabana for sure, all you’d need would be two extra child-priced Day passes to the Beach Club.

Book the landside cabana in the name of one adult, and add the two kids’ Day passes from the same room to the booking at the same time. That should fly without a hitch, as there’s no restricted access to those cabanas once in the Beach Club. However, expect some difficulty with doing that with the overwater cabanas though, since those are “off” the beach.

Saline is sterile, sea water is not.

Although most bacteria don’t do well in salt water, certain types (such as Staphylococcus aureus) thrive in salt water.

Dollar to donuts your DH will himself have some bacterial hitchhikers that he will have picked up in the hospital setting, and the pools will have some bacteria that will have come in with the salt water and brought in by other swimmers.
Either way, yuck and double-yuck.

I just saw full-size cheap hanging shoe organizers at Dollarama for $3. They also were selling cheap packing cubes as well, and I use the mesh laundry bra bags to pack socks, cords, doodads, etc..

isn’t packing fun?!

However, I did order my hooks through Amazon.

OK - a few clarifications:

The overwater cabanas are NOT at South Beach, they are going to be in the Coco Beach Club area. The overwater walkways to the cabanas shall be accessed from inside the Beach Club only.

The overwater cabanas come with 8 Coco Beach Club area access passes.

3 more Coco Beach Club Day passes will have to be purchased. There is a Child price for the Coco Beach Club Day pass (for now, anyway.)

The vow renewal can be done in the Coco Beach Club restricted area if all 11 have Coco Beach Club access passes (8+3).

At minimum, all 11 (with passes) can access the Beach Club restaurant, pool and other amenities, together.

Won’t know until January if the extra three will be able to access the overwater walkway just from already being inside the restricted Beach Club area, or if there will be a secondary checkpoint.

How the Coco Beach Club area shall be managed will be different than how the other cabanas in non-restricted areas are treated. For example, a Thrill Water Park cabana for 6 has had extra family members with Day passes drop in.

There is absolutely no swapping that can be done with the Coco Beach Club access passes.

Hope this helps.

On 9/10/2019 at 9:12 PM, WannaCruise said:

• Option 3 - Waterpark Cabana on  first CoCo Cay day OR second day stop for $397.67 CAD?

On a two-stop cruise, I would pick the day when only one ship is docked at Coco Cay. Personally, I wouldn’t do the waterpark on a day where I’d expect really long lines for the slides, or too many people in the wave pool.

‘Basketed’ only shows the intention to buy... but without paying for it, it’s not actually bought yet.

53 minutes ago, Mr. Candyman said:

But having already made up their minds about the company, and then lurk around the boards waiting for that one specific post that coincides with their experience, makes no sense.  I already spend way too much time online looking up stuff I'm interested in.....definitely don't have time to troll.

Exactly. It reduces what may have been a legitimate gripe, at some point in time, to the worthless status of a troll post.

30 minutes ago, Mr. Candyman said:

Is it just me or has anyone noticed that some members that have said they will never sail with Royal again, it's usually their first and only post and that post is always towards the tail end of a topic, that they didn't even create.....but yet they are on a Royal Caribbean based forum.  

These “one-post-wonders” are a pest infestation all over Internet forums. Ignore them and FGS don’t feed them!