CJS2766

I got a 10:30 for our Alaska cruise next Friday 

I agree that the prices are getting beyond crazy. What gets me is the fact that people are still paying these prices!!! That is the unfortunate thing, as long as people keep paying these insane prices, there is no reason for Royal to lower them.

Sadly, this is the case for homes, cars, cruise, etc... Guess there is ether A LOT of people with stupid money or people that don't mind being in debt for the rest of their lives. We have a Alaska cruise in 9 days and another cruise for Oct. 2023. If things do not normalize somewhat, we will have to seriously rethink a lot of things in life. I refuse to over pay for anything especially when we work as hard as we do.

Are you asking about the Flow riders? I would assume that water is not heated. I think I have seen them in use for Alaska cruises. I guess I will know soon as we cruise Alaska in 18 days 

CP purchases finally available for our Oct. 2023 cruise. Sadly, all prices are crazy high!!!!  Thankfully, I have time on my side and will monitor prices. Hopefully this coming black Friday will have better prices than they are right now. If not? this could be the first time ever we do not buy anything and will just have to be careful on our spending.

I hope things get to normal soon, otherwise cruising will no longer be a viable option for us 

We cruise on May 20th. Vaccine validation "finally" confirmed a couple of days ago. I was never worried as they will be checking it when you board anyway!

I am on this cruise the following week. I wonder if it will be cancelled for that sailing as well??

I have a WeatherTech desk phone holder. Love it!!!

22 minutes ago, CrznTxn said:

Going from a Balcony to a JS is just a step up in room size. Not a lot of perks to go along with it unless you consider getting to board before the rest of the unknowing a major perk (I will say boarding early has become one of the wife's major points). It is the next step up with it's perks that you should be afraid of. Once she experiences that, there is never going back.

Double points never hurts either!! That's a nice perk for sure 

25 minutes ago, Matt said:

I don't know that a JS will give you the "suite bug", as it's really more of an extra large balcony. Very nice to have that space, but it's not like Star Class or some of the larger suites.

Then again, everyone has to start somewhere!

It's baby steps for me!!! My wife also loves baths, so I know this will be a hit with her!!!

So after many years or only ever booking a indoor cabin, last October we "finally booked" our first ever balcony room on the Symphony. Needless to say, we REALLY loved it. My wife said she can't ever go back to an inside cabin now!!!

Well???? Now??? I decided to book our first ever Junior Suite for our next cruise on the Harmony of the Seas! I have a fear that now "I" will never be able to go back to a standard balcony  Anyone ever make this mistake?? I better not ever book the next level up otherwise I'm sure to be in big trouble!!! 

A "newbie" to the site and wanting to be um? deceitful? Not a good first post. 

Curious to see what everyone's habits are when it comes to cruise planner purchases? Do you buy the 1st day it's available for your cruise regardless of the price or do you "hopefully" wait for the next holiday sale?? Of course I know that you can buy and cancel and re buy, but that at times seems annoying as you are potentially tying up funds on your credit card until that is all sorted out.

Anyway, what are your habits when cruise planner items go live for your upcoming cruise???

Excited as we are on the Ovation in 30 days for our first ever Alaska cruise! Can't wait!!!!

Guess Royal is trying to make up for lost revenue these past couple of years. I feel like cruising is quickly on the way of becoming unaffordable for a lot of people. I already fear for when cruise planner goes live for my October 2023 cruise on the Harmony. I will have to really pick and choose carefully!!

Hello all,

We are so excited for our first ever Alaska cruise in 44 days! We are arriving a day early and will be staying at the Marriott Waterfront hotel. My wife and I love seafood and was wondering what places are recommended for good seafood (especially King Crab) that may be close to where we are staying? This will be our first time there and would love to try some good food while there. Also, is there any "must see" while we are there? We arrive around 10:30 and I figure by the time we get to our hotel, not sure how much actual time we'll have, but would like to try and make the most of it!

Thanks all!!!

I'll be on that sailing as well! I wake up at 3:45 everyday. Maybe I won't sleep that night! 

18 minutes ago, HeWhoWaits said:

Homelessness doesn't create a lack of safety.

 I don't think it's the homeless situation. I think it's the crime and potential open drug use that I don't want to be around. Also, desperate people tend to do desperate things. Being a tourist also doesn't help as we are not familiar with how things "work" there vs being here close to the city where we live.

7 minutes ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

We stayed at waterfront last September and walked everywhere (including to the space needle and back) and never felt unsafe.

I hope that is the case for us as we are staying at the Marriott Waterfront as well. I would love to explore as we have never been there, but after watching the YouTube video travelling around most of the city, it did not give me the warm fuzzy feelings I originally had about visiting the city. Thankfully we are only staying in Seattle a day before the cruise. We have a afternoon flight home thank goodness!

Man, We leave for Seattle in May for our Alaska cruise and I to just saw that YouTube video as well. So depressing! This will be my first time there and I really hope the hotel we chose is no where near those areas. While I am excited for my first ever Alaska cruise, I'm starting to wonder about my day before the cruise being in the city.

15 minutes ago, twangster said:

Google maps is your friend, or Apple maps on iOS devices.  

It is walkable but so many "it depends" associated with that.  How is the weather?  Are you okay with long walks?  Kids in tow?  

Victoria is much like any Canadian city.  They'll gladly accept US money but the exchange rate will not likely be favorable.  You are better using a US credit card especially one that doesn't charge a foreign transaction fee.  

No kids!  Guess I will use my AMEX that doesn't charge me foreign fees. As for the walk? Assuming weather is decent, we would rather do the majority of our walking around town vs 1 to 1.5 miles there and back. I'd be ok with it, just not sure about the Mrs!

Hello all,

We are excited for our first ever Alaska cruise coming up this May. We are excited and ready for our adventure. While we did pick some amazing excursions in Alaska, we decided to just explore Victoria BC on our own. My questions are:

1) How far is the walk from the cruise port to the Inner Harbor area? We are thinking about exploring the Market Square area. Not sure if we should look for some type of transportation or if downtown is less than a mile walk??

2) This will be our first time in Canada. Do we need to have Canadian currency or are US dollars accepted?

3) Is there any "must see" places besides the gardens? Wife and I are not really interested in that.

Thanks all!!

47 minutes ago, CruiseMom82 said:

Are we still going to have to test to get on a ship?

Yes, testing is still required until further notice. We cruise in May to Alaska and were told we still have to test 48 hours before.

2 hours ago, LizzyBee23 said:

Are we on the same one? Ovation at the end of May?

May be!  May 20 out of Seattle? Our first ever Alaska cruise and we are so excited! 

Bigger question is???? When would pre cruise testing go away? 2022? 2023?? I have 64 days until Alaska, so you know what I would be hoping for!!! 

65 days until Ovation to Alaska. Wondering what the capacity will be for that cruise? Any way to see what those numbers may be??