WAAAYTOOO

2 hours ago, S.Marie said:

I foresee that if cruising does restart, many of the cruise planner items are going to go up in price

I believe this is 100% likely.  I fear that onboard prices are going to be sky-high.  At some point, the Cruise Planner prices are going to shoot up and stay there. I really don’t see any downside to purchasing CP items on sale.  The worst that can happen is that you get a refund or FCC if the cruise is cancelled.

I purchased the DBP+1 Voom for our May Serenade Alaska cruise for $48 PP/PD.  The DBP only is $40 PP/PD.  I realize that the Voom is highly unreliable on Serenade in Alaska but it is what it is.  Pretty good price, IMO.

1 hour ago, Va4fam said:

Just wondering out loud.......if we are boarding later in the day, how long will it take our bags to make it to our cabins?  

That's a great question.  I would guess that there will be additional "precautions" taken with luggage - perhaps some type of disinfecting mist or something....so it may take longer than it used to....but then again, we won't be onboard until later, so maybe it's a wash.

Other than the "big move" we don't have anything but cruises planned.  Believe it or not, Dan has never gone to Disney World.  He grew up in SoCal so he's been to Disneyland a brazillion times but never WDW.  We may sneak up to Orlando once we get settled if the parks are open and we can fit it in between cruises !!

We have 21 cruises on the books from Nov 2020 through April 2022.  I hold out very little hope that our 4 in 2020 (2 in NOV and 2 in DEC) will actually sail, but they're still on the books and I received cruise docs for my B2B on NAV Nov 6-13.  Most of these are B2B with 1 B3B (Jan 2022 on Oasis).  1 casino comp to Alaska (our first time to AK !!!!) and the big AUS/NZ/HI/? trip in March and April of 22.

Our last cruise was the Anthem cruise that was truncated due to suspected COVID cases (which proved to be completely false).  We were supposed to go to the Bahamas and ended up in Bermuda instead.  The nice part of the cruise was the reduced capacity - I think we sailed with around 60% capacity.  It was nice, even though shorter than it was supposed to be.  We had a great time.  We were supposed to receive OBC for 50% of the cruise fare and receive an FCC for the other 50%...essentially a free cruise...but somehow we came out ahead by about $650.  No idea how that happened.  We went out with a bang !!

4 hours ago, SpeedNoodles said:

Have you lived with an HOA before?  I will never do it again....ever.

Yes, and I said the same thing !  I hope I don’t regret this decision. 

3 minutes ago, twangster said:

That means no more shoveling snow!  

Yeah, I guess it does !  If global warming leads to an ice age (one of my geology professor's hypotheses) then I guess I may have to worry about that !

22 minutes ago, kadmgs said:

When we built, one of the upgrades was a sprinkler system and it was a must have for DW. It was $2,000 to add it and it has been well worth it. Our yard is much healthier than most of our neighbors. The guy across the street and the guy next door both have said they regretted not adding it. Their grass and flowerbeds look terrible compared to ours. 

Dan had an automatic sprinkler system installed here about 12 years ago.  He's a "yard guy" (he's out there right now, picking up twigs and leaves) so he has enjoyed the green yard, all year round.  The nice thing about our new community - no yard work !!  It's all included in the HOA.

On 9/15/2020 at 1:54 PM, Pima1988 said:

Just be ready for the sticker shock when you do the options/upgrades. 

You're right about this !  They gave us a price list for upgrades when we were there last time.  YIKES !  $285 to have a power outlet installed in the floor (so you don't have to run extension cords all over the room for a table lamp).  I think we have already accumulated in the neighborhood of $50K in upgrades ! ....and that's just from looking at the list they gave us !  I'm sure there are plenty of upgrades that aren't even on this list.

Under normal circumstances, I would agree with you about not financing the appliances and upgrade flooring, etc. ...but with the interest rates as low as they are, they're almost financing them for free !  Sure, we could buy all of those things ourselves but we've decided to hold onto our cash.  ...and there's another factor.  Dan is absolutely DONE with home improvements and DYI.  He wants a turnkey operation and I don't blame him.  We went through 1 entire year of home renovation and he said "never again !".

2 minutes ago, kadmgs said:

Congrats on retirement and the new house! Y'all's plan is our plan when I retire in 9 years.  The only difference is the heat and bugs are the same in Houston, so not a big adjustment for us. 

I'll save a lot for you !

Got it. Sorry.

You betcha.  It would have to have a casino on board though.  Aside from that, we would definitely do it.

11 minutes ago, silentfaith said:

What the heck am I missing waaatooo? we are d+ and though we do not gamble much we don't know anything about casino royal.

What are the details on signing up? 

Club Royale is the Royal Caribbean casino player loyalty program.  You are automatically enrolled when you use your seapass card in the casino (either in the slot machine or at the table).  Like all loyalty programs, your rewards are based on your level of play in the casino.  The more you wager and the more you play, the better your rewards.  You accumulate points on your cruise(s) and every year your account gets restarted back to -0- and you get to start all over again !! 

Of course, no one has sailed this casino year yet (the casino year goes from 1 April - 31 March of the following year) but Club Royale extended everyone's current level for another year anyway.  If you reach Prime level, you receive 1 complimentary cruise for 2 (inside cabin).

35 minutes ago, twangster said:

Border to be kept closed through the Canadian Thanksgiving, through to Oct. 21.   

Oct 21 ?  More than a year from now ?

6 minutes ago, twangster said:

For the average cruise in a standard cabin it's easier to address this concern.  For more unique and special cabins it most likely varies on a case by case basis.  

This isn't a done deal.  This could have been something from weeks ago that someone neglected to remove from an autopost when the idea was nixed.   Time will tell.

What you can do is begin exploring alternatives just in case it does come to pass.   This way you'll have a head start over other cruisers should this be announced soon.

I seem to recall your Charlie Foxtrot when Allure was cancelled and they moved you over to Liberty (I think ?).

4 hours ago, ScooterScott22 said:

May have to reach out to you all about moving a Club Royale cruise week have in December.  Since it will likely be cancelled we figured it was just going to be lost.  After a quick look at this thread it sounds like it might be possible to move it.  We were lucky to upgrade all the way to the Owners Loft Suite for a good price so doubt that will happen but it would be nice to at least move it to another sailing.

After the last round of cancellations we moved a casino comp cruise from Sept 2020 to Feb 2021.  IIRC, Feb 2021 was the furthest out they were allowing cancelled cruises to be pushed.  Who knows what they will do next time.  Previous to this last round of cancellations, we had lost any casino comps that were cancelled. 

I suspect that both Fascination and Imagination will go bye-bye.  I was on Triumph years ago but don't remember much about it.  

6 hours ago, CruisnMike35 said:

Does anyone have any suggestions, or have you heard of any BTS tours for a person who loves to cook and eat great food?

This is where your Genie can be a real asset.  My guess is, before COVID, the Genie could definitely have put a special tour together for you.  We got a private tour of the Central Park garden with the man who created the concept and has "installed" every Central Park on every Oasis class ship (Laszlo Turos).  It was amazing.  The problem might be that, due to COVID restrictions, you  may not be able to.  It would be a shame.  This is the kind of thing Genies are best at.

6 hours ago, CruisnMike35 said:

We are planning to get a cabana in Labadee. Do you guys have any pros or cons for the different types? Over water, beach, or hill side?

We have had all of the varieties of cabanas at Labadee except for the hilltop ones.  While the over-the-water cabanas are very nice, I think, for the price, the ones that are on the beach are a better value.  I think we've had B1 and B2.  I don't know if you have any true beach bunnies in your crowd, but I will warn you that I found the water to be too cool to swim in February.  If you are a very hearty group and will be spending a lot of time in the water regardless of water temp, then going for the pricey cabana may be worth it to you.  All we ever did in our cabanas was sleep....so we don't get them anymore !  It's a great experience and I recommend you do it at least once.  You can then determine whether it was worth the money or not.

6 hours ago, CruisnMike35 said:

It sounds like we can have any drinks delivered to our suite. Is this done through the genie?

The Genie will notify you approximately 1 month prior to sailing.  At that time, you will tell your Genie what to stock in your room.  Once you get on the ship, there is a beverage guy who comes around daily to check your beverage supply and ask you if you want anything different from what you've got and have been getting.  They are very diligent.

6 hours ago, CruisnMike35 said:

some on RC Blog, believe it is a little overrated. Is this the consensus?

I am a Wonderland hater....so I cannot give you any positive feedback on that restaurant.  I thought the food was horrible but the experience is very different.  Many people rave about the food.  I found it to be so bizarre that I couldn't enjoy it even if I had found it tasteful, which I did not.  I hope you have a better experience.

6 hours ago, CruisnMike35 said:

Are the main dining rooms even worth trying due to all of the specialty options?

I think most SC customers stick with the specialties, but with a 9 night itinerary it might be fun for you to try the MDR.  If there is a specific menu that you particularly enjoy (for instance, Dan loves the lamb shank and never misses it) then you could either go to the MDR or have it delivered either to your suite or to whichever specialty restaurant you happen to be going to that night.  If you choose to have something from the MDR served in one of the specialty restaurants, it is helpful to let the restaurant know that in advance.  If you order from the MDR, someone has to go and fetch that item from the MDR kitchen....and if they know in advance that they need to do that, they can be prepared.

Interesting that they don't name the ships.  Why would you make a big announcement about ships leaving your fleet and then not tell us which ships they are !?!

9 hours ago, WannaCruise said:

Yes thanks...but wondering if upcoming shows can be currently booked during covid.  i.e. are they releasing schedules while ships are suspended?

I can't answer for Anthem, but I can tell you that for Oasis (Dec. 6), this is what shows up when I look at booking a show:

Now, granted....this is a sailing that is almost certainly going to be cancelled...so that may have something to do with it.  ...but ordinarily, I would have thought that entertainment venues would be showing up by now.  There's really no dependable rule about when entertainment opens up for reservations.  Sometimes it's 200 days out and sometimes it's 60 or less.  You just never know.

14 hours ago, Fairlynew said:

You may want to check out long term Airbnb options.  We were planning to downsize (put on hold when youngest came back home due to college closure and online classes-we're glad to still have plenty of space for all of us to work/learn from home) and were told the market is really intense in our area.  We wanted to sell first and our realtor said that Airbnb properties are really affordable right now for long term (3-6 months) rentals because so few people are traveling.  The advantage is you only have to move your furniture to storage, then to your new home, and at least here in Charlotte, 2-3 bedroom Airbnbs are way less expensive than 2 bedroom apartments.

Wow !  Thanks for the information.  I had no idea AirBnB would do long term rentals.  I would never have thought of it !!

5 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I have wondered several times now if Covid will change that...thinking for our August cruise together...

Good point.  Hopefully the hysteria is over by then !

Don't be afraid to think out of the box.  For instance, if you wanted to have food delivered to your party while you are at Vintages - you can do that.  Your Genie will need advance notice for such a thing but it can be done.

Officially, you can only have food delivery from one specialty restaurant at the time.  So, if you are having surf and turf from Chops delivered to your suite, you would not expect to also order lasagna for someone from Jamie's.  Would they do it if you asked ?  Probably....but it's quite a lot of coordination to deal with multiple restaurants for delivery at the same time and so they generally ask you to stick to 1 restaurant at the time.

Don't be afraid to ask the Genie to coordinate a party for you !!  Again...advance notice required, but if you want to have some of your new best friends over for drinks and a snack, they will do that.  The thing to remember is....they don't care who is visiting and/or participating in your events.    I've had as many as 50 people over during a cabin crawl and the Genie arranged food and drinks for everyone.

The Genie does not stay at your events and help or participate.  They do not serve.  The coordinate and supervise.  That's it.  They will arrange for room service to bring everything, including glasses, plates, napkins, silverware, food, drinks and they will make sure everything is cleaned up.  It's up to you to tip the folks when they bring deliveries and come to clean up.

Back to emarkbation day.  Some people like to have a special snack delivered on boarding day.  They can do that...but generally, it is too much to ask for a full meal to be delivered at boarding.  Later, once the restaurants have opened ?  Absolutely...but it's not really possible to have a full meal delivered when the restaurants are not in full operation.  The "rule of thumb" for food delivery...you can have anything delivered to your suite from any restaurant that is open.  In other words, don't expect lobster at midnight.

IMO, the best meals to have delivered are breakfast.  Dinner is great, but I prefer eating big meals at the restaurants.  There's something about having breakfast outside that is so special.  

Regarding room service of ANY kind (even if you're not Star Class) ask for EVERYthing that you want.  They will bring you exactly what you ask for.  If you want grape jelly, be sure and tell them that.  Butter for your bread ?  Yep....have to ask for that.  Bread with your meal ?  They will not automatically bring it unless you ask for it.

Congratulations, Mike.  You have made an excellent choice.  Star Class on Anthem is very special.  You have priority access to many unique actives and events.

1.  In-suite dining from the specialty restaurants (or the MDR or Coastal Kitchen) is a unique experience that only Star Class enjoys (specialty, that is).  Take advantage of it as often as you like.  You’re paying for that privilege.  Enjoy it.  

Speaking of “paying”, I think you got a GREAT deal, if you are paying $21K for 9 nights in the RLS.  Waaay to go !

2.  My best advice to you, regarding arrival at the port is the same as I give to every new SC passenger. DO NOT SURRENDER YOUR LUGGAGE to ANYone except the SC greeter !  It can be difficult to accomplish. Everyone will be trying to grab your luggage from you but ignore them and go straight to the purple Star Class banner. Even after you get there, someone will most likely try and take your bags, claiming that they are SC porters.  IGNORE them all.  The greeter will give you directions once you check in.  Make sure your Genie is aware, ahead of time, that you expect your luggage to be taken upstairs.  If you don’t do that, your luggage will be left downstairs and it is a lot of work to lug them up those stairs. Unfortunately, the suites waiting area at Bayonne is pretty lame, but your Genie will be down to meet you and take you onboard within a few minutes.

3.  The gratuities are included except for the Genie, as you already noted.  Whether or not you tip in addition to that is entirely a personal choice.  We always tip our room attendants (you will have at least 2) and we always tip for meals but it is a personal choice to do so.  It is pretty much expected that anything delivered to your suite is worthy of an appreciation (tip).

4.  Book nothing in advance. Trust me on this one.  The only exception to this would be a cabana at Coco Cay, since the Genies no longer control those, but for Labadee, your Genie will have priority access to cabanas.  You’ll be fine.  If there are any excursions that you really want, I would reserve those in advance just to prevent them from selling out.  It’s rare, but it does happen. For dining, shows and other events...no need.  Your Genie will take care of it for you.  I promise.

5.  Star Class has a super DBP.  It includes everything that the normal drink package includes plus unlimited water, soft drinks, juice and beer in your suite.  You can get as much as you want delivered and replenished.  Wine costs extra and <bottled> hard liquor is very limited.  Interestingly, you can have hard liquor drinks delivered to your suite but they strongly discourage bottles of liquor.  I can be done but it’s not easy and it’s not cheap. The big difference for the UDP is the fact that for SC, it includes all of the “add-ons” that are usually up charges, such as the lobster at Chops.  ...and then of course, the fact that you can have specialty dining delivered to your suite.  If you choose to do Chef's Table (and I highly recommend it), there is a $25 PP charge for the upgraded wines.  Other than that, it’s all included.

More later...

I received an email offer today for several casino comps for Alaska (May and June 2021).  I don't recall ever seeing a casino comp offer for Alaska - ever.

We booked 23 May 2021 Serenade.  We were lucky enough to snag the 2 BR Ocean View Suite (no balcony).  So looking forward to this one !!