WAAAYTOOO

I just booked an Empress cruise yesterday (Nov 2020) with the intent of L&S it to Odyssey in Dec. 21.  Guess I'll find out soon how that works out !!

3 minutes ago, DanielB said:

I did purchase the UDP for the 4 day and should just do the same for the 3 day so we are not regretting that.

I would definitely consider purchasing the 3 day UDP as well.  That way, you will get lunch on both embarkation days (unless they change the rules on us before they start cruising again).  Right now the UDP is a pretty good price.  I paid $76 PP for the 3 night and $99 PP for the 4 night, which is really quite reasonable considering all of the dining options on NAV. 

9 minutes ago, DanielB said:

How does the b2b procedures work on Royal?  We are in the same cabin both cruises so hope it is painless, Disney makes you wait a few hours onshore before reboarding.

B2B is so easy if you have the same room.  You don't have to pack a thing...They will tell you where to meet to get off the ship and then you will be back on the ship very quickly (usually within the hour).  Since they don't have to vacate your room, you can go right back to your room once you reboard if you want.  Of course, this is all pre-plague and I have no idea how B2B will work once they start cruising again.  I have even heard whispers in the shadows that they may not allow B2B at all....at first.  ...but I'm not going to let that worry me at this point...

12 minutes ago, DanielB said:

Was looking for something to do for my birthday (April) and well I booked a 4 night and 3 night on the Navigator.  Have only sailed on Oasis Class ships (and all of Disney's ships) so hoping this wasn't a mistake.  Unlimited Dining Plan is a few bucks cheaper I guess since there are not all the options, but for $25/day we may just do on one cruise and not the other.  Also noticed there is not a Sorrento's on Navigator, is there pizza anywhere else?  I honestly thought that Sorrentos was on all the ships....oh I have so much to learn.  LOL

With the Unlimited dining plan looks like we get $20 for Playmakers, is that just once a day or can we eat there for lunch and dinner?  Honestly my husband would enjoy Hooked and Jaime's and I would go and sit with him but I don't eat seafood or pasta so hoping I could just slide in for a burger.

Please share tips and suggestions.  

We have a B2B on NAV booked in Nov, but of course, it is almost certainly going to be cancelled.  We have done B2B on NAV before.  It's an awesome ship since the Amp.  Since we have to fly, there is no way I would consider flying to FL for a 3 or 4 night cruise, but 7 is acceptable, if not ideal.  Personally, I think it's a very smart move.  The only problem with the shorties on NAV is that the drinks packages are waaaytooo high and itins are very limited but if you're just out to get on a ship for a few days, and don't really care where you're going, I think it's a great option.

As for the UDP, I think it is some of the best money spent on dining on any ship.  There are lots of eating options and the last time we were on NAV, they actually had Izumi open while in the Bahamas, so we were able to get some lunches in addition to the dinners.  I certainly wouldn't count on that happening now, but it did the last time we were on her. We love, love, love Hooked so we ate there a lot.

I think you made a very smart move !!

The worst (and last) meal we ever had in a MDR was the Thanksgiving Turkey/ham on NAV about 5 years ago.  It was completely inedible. We have not eaten a meal in a MDR since.

Dan also has a very bad lamb shank experience a few years ago.  We were eating in the Coastal Kitchen (Allure, I’m pretty sure) and b/c the lamb shank is Dan’s very favorite, he ordered it.  We had even told the Genie to notify the CK that we would be ordering it so that it wasn’t a big surprise.  What they brought was full of gristle and fat.  He didn’t eat any of it.  Frankly, it’s the first and only time he had lamb shank that wasn’t perfect. Maybe they were just p’ed off at having to bring it up to the MDR.  Who knows.

I really wish they would go back to rotating the bread options nightly.  You used to get a whole new option of warm (I won’t say they were hot...they rarely were) breads to select from every night.  Then they went to the same few standards every night and then finally, you were stuck with whatever selection of bread they put on your table every night.  That was about the time we stopped eating in the MDR - ever.

27 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

I wish I could L&S some of mine.

I know what you mean.  Almost all of my upcoming cruises are either casino comps (not eligible for L&S) or are paired with a casino comp to create a B2B.  So I can (in a few cases) L&S the non-casino comps but that breaks up the B2B pair.  Ugh.  So for now, I’m moving nothing. Unless they change some of the FCC use rules (discussed on numerous other threads), I will be taking refunds for everything they cancel.

I’ve never tried to get a group rate on a Star Class room, but I did get a group rate on an Owners Suite for the <now cancelled> Oct 2020 NE/Canada Brilliance Group Cruise.  It would have meant a very nice savings.

10 minutes ago, cman2020 said:

So a little story here sorry in advance , I was originally booked on a Odyssey sailing for 3/2021, but that was obviously cancelled, we have since re booked on a diff cruise same week in 3/2021, but we are concerned cruising won't be 100% normal at that time, trust me I wish it was, but we are considering moving our cruise back to maybe November. March worked well because the kids were off for the week we were going etc. Looking at calendar and seem Thanksgiving would work well because we would only have to pull the kids out for say 2.5 days. So I was eyeing a few cruises that week and realized the royal caribbean blog group cruise is that week, on the Harmony, its a bit more then the other ones I am eyeing, but I have seen in the past there is some social events, excursions that happen with the group, am I correct? I am already booked with MEI, so if i do indeed switch my cruise to the group, is that still available to join in on? TIA 

Absolutely. Just tell your Agent that you would like a quote for that cruise with the group rate.

7 minutes ago, Auto said:

Fair enough. I was planning with a pre-COVID mindset. 

That’s all any of us have !  It’s hard to guess what the new situations will be.

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Apparently I had more than I thought in the pub last night but shaking off the cobwebs it's now time to wake up and continue.

Wait a minute... what cabin is this?  

What ship is this?

Where am I?  

Perhaps it's time to stick my head out the cabin...

You are suffering from TDS (Transporter Disorientation Syndrome).  It’s very common.  You’ll be ok soon.

49 minutes ago, CrznTxn said:

I find that if you click on MY CALENDAR in the Cruise Planner section it will show your entire cruise and what you have purchased. If you click on the item you purchased it will show the price you paid, if you click on DETAILS it will show the current price. Found that made it easier for comparison.

Thanks !  I don’t see where it shows the price I paid, but I do see the current price.

All of the above....plus, they no longer allow FCC's to be placed on cruises that have been paid in full (essentially resulting in a CC refund).  That is a particular problem for me, as so many of our future cruises are casino comps, and casino comps must be paid in full when they are booked.  So even though I have 17 cruise booked between Nov. 2020 and April 2022, there are a limited number of them toward which I can apply an FCC.  And my BIGGEST peeve about FCC's is that they only allow you to apply 1 FCC per person per booking so if I have a small FCC (which I do....from the cancelled May Majesty sailing) and I apply it to one of my big $$ Star Class cruises, then that cruise becomes off limits for any other FCC's.  Unfortunately (or maybe, fortunately), I do not have the problem that @Dad2Cue has...my FCC NEVER covers the entire cruise fare.  I would love to be able to apply more than 1 per person/per cruise.

So....unless they start allowing us to

• use FCC's on paid in full cruises

AND

• allow us to apply more than 1 FCC per person/per cruise

 I will not be taking ANY more FCC's.

40 minutes ago, KBrad said:

Has anyone noticed that the cruise planner no longer shows the current price of something you have already bought?

This is not the case for purchased items from my cruise planners.  All of the specialty restaurants and drinks/VOOM packages that I have purchased are still showing up.  I do price comparisons every day.

We do the opposite - fly into MIA (AA) to cruise out of Port Everglades.  We almost always take Uber.  That is often the least expensive but sometimes, if we are in a big hurry, we will take a cab for convenience. I think a taxi runs about $90 with Uber being a little less than that.

They do have to be under way to make fresh water but I doubt that’s the reason that they are moving.  

Bummer.  I hope you are recovering comfortably.  At least you will have recovered and have the antibodies (hopefully).  Honestly, if I knew for sure that we would not be particularly sick, I would wish to get it myself....but I'm a chicken.  I'll settle for staying away for now.

1 hour ago, ScooterScott22 said:

Wow, 4 b2b that sounds awesome!!!!!!  Hope you guys have a great time.

Wish we would have known before we did the L&S to the Monday on Quantum.  We were trying to decide which Sydney - Honolulu to take and it didn’t really matter at the time.  I did look at the rooms to see about switchIng and it looks like 10720 was the only one left on the Ovation sailing.  We probably are not going to change since right now because we have 8724, and you sold us on that stateroom.  So unless 8324 or 8724 opens up we are locked in place.  We’ll just have to wave bon voyage to you from the Sydney shoreline.

Definitely do not switch to 10720...you are far better off on deck 8 in the middle suites.  Who knows....things change every day !!

Dan and I are going to Sydney a few days early so that we can see a little bit of Australia before we set sail so maybe we can all get together before anyone leaves.  I'm sure we could sweet talk @twangster into arriving a day or so early.

2 hours ago, CJS2766 said:

Add me to the list of confused/not getting it! Here's my situation. I have a Nov 8 cruise on the Oasis. While I am hopeful, I doubt it will happen. It's a 7 night cruise. I paid it in full a long time ago. Now, if RCG cancels this, I would assume I can left and shift, right? Problem is, when I looked into 7 night cruises to the Caribbean next November, all I saw were two 6 night and two 8 night cruises neither of which are going where I am this November. Of the 2 options, I prefer the 8 night on the Odyssey. So, how would I figure out how much extra this would cost me? I have a great deal with a balcony this year. I'm just nervous that I will not get as nice of a room if I have to end up moving it to next year. Thanks all!

You can L&S to any 7 night eastern/western (whichever you have) Caribbean cruise regardless of the ship....so if you are willing to move to a different ship (and perhaps a slightly different itinerary), you should be able to make it work.  Also, you don't have to wait until they cancel the cruise.  If you want to go ahead and L&S this cruise now, you can.

I count 5 Eastern Caribbeans and 3 Western just in the month of November 2021.  Remember that you can go +/- 4 weeks in either direction of your original date (Nov. 8,) so you can also look in late October for suitable L&S cruises as well.  The itinerary does not have to be exactly the same as the original....it just has to be labeled "eastern" or "western" as your original.

A qualified L&S cruise is price protected, so if you find a qualifying cruise that you want to L&S to, your current price is locked in.  All you would pay would be a slight difference in taxes/port fees, if there are any.

33 minutes ago, Javasharp said:

 Is the refund usually issued in parts, or should I contact customer services regarding the rest of the funds? 

It is very common for the refunds to be refunded in parts and over a number of refund events...unfortunately.

7 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

And I have YOU to thank for it, because you encouraged me to have Michelle check again. So THANK YOU!!!! 

Yippee !  I won’t steal Michell’s laurels.  She’s THAT good. I can’t tell you how excited I am for you.  Only problem is, that OS is going to ruin you.  You might as well know that, up front.  That is just the BEST news I’ve had in the past couple of weeks.  Sooooo happy to hear it.

23 minutes ago, cruisellama said:

This is an interesting story.   Oops!     https://cruiseradio.net/false-positive-one-wrong-test-cancels-alaska-cruise-season/

Hopefully this will stop the knee-jerk overreactions that have been so prevalent. What a shame and such a high cost to everyone involved.

Those antigen tests have an unacceptably high false positive record.  They just aren’t reliable enough to put your entire livelihood (not to mention, vacation) on.  So glad Royal is taking time to let others make these mistakes, first.

2 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

I'm in the process of Lift and Shifting my Jan 2021 Empress sailing to 2022 Odyssey.  I haven't received confirmation from Royal Caribbean, but the sailing is showing up on my Cruise Planner, so I'm assuming that's a good sign.  The difference between the Owner's Site on Empress and the Owner's Suite on Odyssey is $9200.  Keeping my fingers crossed!!!

WOW !  Waaay to go !  If it’s showing up in your online account I think you’ve done it !  That’s the best deal I’ve heard of yet !

12 minutes ago, Thecatlady said:

I posted this EXACT post, word for word, around a month ago:

 

Even the subject line is the same.

 

Wow !  

60% of the bookings are from “new people” ?  Hmmmmm ???

Rather an esoteric term.  I don’t believe for one minute that 60% of the new bookings are “new”.  MAYBE new money....but definitely not new people.  The article is a bit misleading (IMO) but nevertheless, on the positive side, so a welcome change.

3 hours ago, MrB said:

I see little or no incentive for the operators to keep up high levels of service once the entire boat is purchased. Yes, they do have all-inclusive monthly fees, but the incentives would be at best to keep it barely better than acceptable. A regular cruise line has to earn every cruiser's trust and $$$ every time a ship embarks. Not so here. They got you, because you already bought into this. Literally.

Thanks for bringing up this point. I hadn’t even thought about it.  It’s an excellent thought point.

One of the things that I thought about is the very fast depreciation that with this type of investment.  These vessels have a definite life span and the value of your “property” will begin to depreciate on day 1.  Unlike real property, the value of the investment will go down as the ship ages.  For someone who doesn’t care about their investment (for whom money means nothing), it would be an interesting possibility but if you don’t like seeing your investment depreciate rapidly, probably not a good investment.