WAAAYTOOO

So exciting !!!  Can't wait to hear from you once you are onboard !!

Just now, Baked Alaska said:

@WAAAYTOOO and @dodgestang, if I were to win the bid, would they refund the intern drink special, UDP, and tour as OBC (since we may not find out until less than 2 days prior to sailing?) I can take or leave the Genie. I do like the concierges, but I don't really have an opinion one way or the other on the Genie. 

If your RoyalUp is within 48 hours of sailing, most likely your refunds would be in the form of OBC but you can always cash out that OBC onboard if you do not use it...so essentially, it will be a cash refund.  You would be refunded for any drinks, gratuities and/or food packages that you have already paid for.  Be aware that the tours that you would get from being Star Class is NOT the same as the All Access Tour.  If it were me, I would KEEP the AAT as it is much more comprehensive than anything you will get with Star Class.  Dan and I did an AAT years ago and we still talk about it.  You get to visit all of the areas that the standard tours take you plus the laundry room, the engine room (although you do not get to enter the engine room), some of the crew areas (we saw the crew dining room and their "party" room), the food storage areas, the garbage and recycling areas (waaay more interesting than it sounds !!), the area where they make fresh water and I can't remember where else.  We got to see the area where they store and post the ship's flags.  Some of the best money we've ever spent on a ship's excursion.  We got some aprons and bags that we use on every cruise (the bags, not the aprons !!).  We even got to visit the Captain's quarters but this was not part of the tour.  We just got lucky....

Back to the prepaids and OBC.  This is one of the areas where the Genie would be extremely valuable.  He/she will make sure that everything is properly credited.  You will not have to lift a finger or leave the couch to get this all taken care of.

9 minutes ago, RockerDom31 said:

I apologize in advance if this is a silly question but I don't know too much about the process of publishing ports of call...but just out of curiosity...is it possible that they are reserving a spot for a 3rd or 4th ship, just in case a ship needs to redirect due to inclement weather? Therefore, if all goes well and no itineraries need to change, only 2 ships will be there. A lot of these dates look like it's in the middle of hurricane season.

I wouldn't imagine that this is the case but stranger things have happened !!

2 minutes ago, bossdog421 said:

So i saw a post on reddit's r/cruise (dont go to cruising, different type of board o.0 ) that had progress pics of the beach club area as of 1/19/20. It looked like there was a long way to go for the areas.

 

When i finally got my concierge email i expressed my concern and asked if they knew if they would be ready by Feb 1st. I just got the response back today that they will be ready by Feb 1st!

 

Excited!

Fingers crossed for you !!  We are there on Feb. 11 and I am very worried...but if it's ready for you on Feb 1 it will be WAAAY ready for us on Feb 11.

Not sure that Southwest even uses LV.  Back in "the day" they did not.  Maybe they do now.  At any rate, I wouldn't expect an 11:30 AM flight out of MCO to qualify for LV.  That is waaay too early.  Even in FLL your flight must be after noon and the airport is a stone's throw away from the port.  I wouldn't hold my breath on this one.

I agree with Neesa.  I would not spend another dime for either the ATS or the UPS.  I would, however, for the SLS...especially since you covet the proximity to the CK.  While it seems like a lot of $$, you could try out Star Class for a very good price and see if it's something that you would ever spend a LOT of money on. IMO $1600 to move up to SC is well worth the money.

Also remember that with MTD you don't even need reservations.  You can always just walk up when you are ready to eat without reservations.  There may be a short wait but they will always take you on a walk-in basis if you do not have reservations.  That's one of the things that makes MTD so popular.

6 hours ago, twangster said:

Maybe a class?

Must be

I would avoid the deck immediately below the pool and Windjammer to avoid overhead noise from moving chairs, etc.  I’ve always found Deck 8, midship to be convenient. 

Dan said he paid $35 to rent snorkel gear on Coco Cay last year.  He did it on a walk-up basis....no rezzie or Cruise Planner so apparently there is no savings for pre-purchase.

OMG. So sorry to hear this.  Atlantis charter. I hear those can get very wild.

There’s a charge for using the fitness center ?

What did you think of Eliana ?  I am not a fan.

1 hour ago, Lryoon said:

@WAAAYTOOO did you find that Yen was good at thinking out of the box and being creative? Basically going above and beyond what you ask.

Sadly, no.  The most spontaneous thing she did for us on our 16 days with her was to book a sushi-making class for us.  It turns out that we had done the class before on Grandeur and really had no interest in doing it again....but we did anyway b/c we didn’t want to hurt her feelings.

She’s really a very nice person and she was a wonderful Genie but if you are looking for someone who will anticipate and go above and beyond, she may disappoint. She will give you exactly what you ask for but nothing more.

39 minutes ago, Kathleen said:

Do suite guest also get priority debarkation at ports?

Not usually unless it is a tender port.

1 hour ago, JLMoran said:

There is a (true? Pretty sure, but maybe just urban legend-level) story of a guy who proudly talked about how he never tipped anyone, and true to form skipped out on the Cape Liberty porters after they took his bags before boarding. That "gentleman" found himself with no suitcase and had to buy a bunch of stuff on board just to get through the trip. The day they disembarked, there was his bag waiting for him in the terminal, in the "other" / unclaimed area.

Sometimes even when you DO tip you have unpleasant outcomes.  On our first cruise out of Bayonne, someone cut the metal and paper luggage tags off of one of our suitcases.  Apparently the Longshoremen were in the middle of a labor dispute with the port authority.  There were many who suffered the same fate as we did.  Luckily our bag made it onto the ship but we had to go and dig it out from a piles of many dozens of bags that also had no tags. We had tipped very generously, as we always do.

Back in "the day" (prior to DBP)  they used to restrict drinks from being removed from the Lounge but these days, with the drinks package, they do not really care if you leave with drinks.  In fact, I have been encouraged (by the servers) to take a drink with me when we leave for the dining room.

49 minutes ago, pezgirl said:

My husband and I are looking at a a Liberty of Seas cruise out of Galveston at the beginning of August going to Mexico and Roatan.  We are thinking about going in a Grand Suite. It mentions that this includes Concierge services.  What exactly does this include? Does it include drinks? Any advice at all. Any thoughts on the ship? Thanks everyone. 

Yes, you will receive services from the Concierge, if desired (see emsff02's post, above).  No, drinks are not complimentary except for the complimentary drinks that you would receive in the Suites Lounge during Happy Hour (generally 4:30 or 5:00 - 7:30 or 8:00).

To my knowledge, nothing that is included in the 3, 4 or 5 night package is exempt from the UDP.  Having said that, however, I do not believe that the "cooking/decorating" classes are included in any dining package.  These are considered special "events" and not meals. It is my understanding that the only time these "events" are complimentary are for those in Star Class.

5 minutes ago, saytheb said:

If the unlimited dining is sold out, does it typically get the sold out "treatment" like other items do in the cruise planner?

I ask because as of last week or so, the option is just... gone. No rhyme or reason, just gone!

I suppose it’s possible for the UDP to sell out but I haven’t seen that happen before.  I’m not sure how it would “look” in the Cruise Planner.

I agree with Matt.  Go with Oasis.  What a great ship !

16 hours ago, jake1004 said:

Just booked a 6 day Western on Adventure. It will be stopping in the Grand Cayman and I am looking into excursions there. We did some snorkeling with sting rays previously and were looking at 7 Mile beach. I see two excursions: 7 mile beach break and Coral Beach club at 7 mile beach. I don't know which one is better! Any advice?

Not sure exactly what you're looking for....but our go-to day at Cayman is to walk to the right, along the ocean, as you're leaving the compound (you will pass the Harley Davidson shop and the Hard Rock on your way)...maybe a 10 minute walk to Paradise.  It is a restaurant but there is a dive shop on the property as well.  For just a few dollars ($18 I think) they will rent you snorkel gear and allow you the use of the covered pavilion, tables, chairs and access to food for the day (food at the restaurant is a bit $$ but then it is everywhere on GC).  The snorkeling just off the property is excellent.  Some of the dive/snorkel excursion boats actually come to the exact same location to bring their paying customers !! They have metal stairs down to the water and the snorkeling there is some of the best we've ever done.  Dan actually followed a nurse shark around for about 40 minutes.  When he got back to the shop and told the workers there that he had seen the shark, they were all excited and ran into the water.  They said that was only the second time EVER (and these were locals) than anyone had seen a nurse shark.

If you decide to do this, be sure and bring some dry cereal from the Windjammer to feed the fish.  The place is SWARMING with tarpon right off the deck.  The tarpon are snobs and won't eat the cereal but the little fish love it !

Just now, codyh21 said:

 Residence Inn are right nearby as well and nice hotels as always.

Residence Inn is our regular hotel at Port Canaveral due to the proximity of the Hertz office basically on a shared property.  Be aware, however, that recently it has been reported that they are doing construction/renovation at the Residence Inn.  I don't know if it is still ongoing.

3 hours ago, Pima1988 said:

Make sure you keep your carry on separate from your luggage.  Learned that the hard way the 1st time.  

Very good point.  ...and be aware that the luggage handlers at Bayonne are Longshoremen and they can be grumpy.  

17 minutes ago, Karannk said:

Genie Switcheroo

We received an email yesterday stating that Andres will not be our genie after all. He will be “departing the ship momentarily” during our sailing, therefore has handed over official Royal Genie duties to Yen Lee.  I have heard some very good things about Yen, so I am sure that we are still in good hands. 

We had Yen last Feb on our Anthem B2B. She is a great Genie but she lacks anticipation. She is extremely literal.  Tell her what you want and she will get it for you but there is no spontaneity or anticipation.  She is a bit impersonal - particularly at first. I have no idea how she is with kids but I think she might do well.  She rode the North Star and bumper cars with us and seemed to have fun.