WAAAYTOOO

I recommend that if you are close to moving up to the next level, go ahead and book the cruise (or cruises) that would push you over. Then, if they move the goal posts on you (which happened to me when I was about to make Diamond), you have a strong case for asking them to grandfather you in. The last time they made the big shuffle, I had all of the cruises booked that would have resulted in me being Diamond and they were very gracious about bestowing Diamond to me when I finished the last of 3 cruises that would have pushed me up. They know that when they change the rules on you, they end up with very unhappy loyal customers so they will do whatever they can to make it right....at least, they did in my case a few years ago. While I have heard LOTS of rumors, I have heard nothing official from RCI about making changes to the C&A levels.

Actually, I have found that waiting almost never produces a reduction. I have friends that swear that airfares are cheapest 60 days before the cruise but I have never found that to be the case. The airfares that I booked for the Blog group tour in July have steadily climbed since I booked. Presently, they are more than $300 more than I paid in July. I would feel terrible if I advised you to jump on it and then the prices went down...but honestly, I have never been the beneficiary of a lower airfare price by waiting. It has always just cost me more.

I'd go with ya if I could !

There is a huge thread on CC right now about this. Apparently someone on the Jewel tried to go and get cash from the casino for unused OBC and was refused. I don't know the specifics (those threads are hard to follow most of the time) but I suspect that you can still get cash in the casino if you are willing to pay the 5% convenience fee. Generally though...PRC is right. If it's OBC that was provided by a TA or RCI, then it is not considered refundable. If it's OBC that you brought on the ship yourself, and apparently in cases where you have a cash account set up vs a credit card account, you can get a cash refund. I personally NEVER have to worry about any OBC left on my account ! I have absolutely NO problem spending all of it !

I'm with you, Jerel. I am very concerned about the aesthetic affect on the Harmony. I won't be using the waterslides but I'm sure it will be a big draw for many. I have a girlfriend who chose Carnival JUST b/c they had waterslides for her kids...so I'm sure it will be a big plus for families with children. I hate to see it ruin the beauty of the big ships though. I kinda wish they would choose a class or 2 and leave the rest as-is.

I saw a thread on CC this morning that they are no longer putting water slides on the Majesty and that all mention of water slides has been removed from the Majesty page. Anyone else hear this ?

Welcome ! We're excited with you !

So...the only time you would need to pay for 2 people is if you wanted to be able to have 2 people be online with 2 separate devices at the same time, right ? So they must charge not only by the number of devices that you logged on, but also by the number of login accounts that are logged in simultaneously ? Otherwise, you could pay for 2 devices but just 1 person and both use the same login.

Seems to be working for me today using Explorer but I have been having problems lately with Safari on my iPad.

The thing I recall about Falmouth is that if you want to hire a "private" taxi at a reasonable price, you have to go outside of the complex into the streets. I recall being extremely frustrated by the taxis inside the compound. I can't really remember why, but I ended up having to go outside to find what I wanted. Either the prices were exorbitant or they wouldn't take me where I wanted to go...just can't remember. We did that a year or so ago to go to an AI and going outside at Falmouth isn't a particularly pleasant experience. I will say, however, that we were successful in finding someone to take us to the AI, he was extremely reliable and was there to pick us up to take us back to the ship and we were very happy with the trip overall. So, if you are willing to brave the hard selling "outside" and willing to filter through the hustlers to find a reliable taxi then go for it. As Montocguy mentioned, Dunns River is a GOOD distance from Falmouth. It's likely to be a very expensive ride.

Well, if you made any typos, I certainly don't see them !! Well done !

I have to laugh...you asked about probably the only 2 things I do NOT know about. Too funny. I have never tried to Flow Rider but I can tell you from reading others' discussions that the best time to try the flow rider is the first day (if it is warm enough) and that the lines are never really all that long but as with all such things, the earlier in the day you try, the higher the probability of shorter lines. Afternoons tend to have the longest waits for such things. I do not eat cheese so I would not know about the cheese and crackers. My guess is that you can find them in the WJ. I just have never noticed since I pass quickly by anything with cheese ! Others will know....

Welcome to our family !! I LOVE Freedom. It is a great ship. I know you will enjoy it.

I have the opposite approach. I divide my cruise balance by the number of months remaining until final payment and pay a little every month to a AVOID having to make one big payment at the end. I do not pay it off early but I do pay it down systematically so that I don't have such a huge bill facing me at one time. It's much more palatable.

No doubt it's pricey. The only week more expensive than Christmas week is the next week - New Years.

I think it's the old "a bird in the hand..." principle..." that they are using here...

You made it sound so wonderful. Tell it again.... :)

So it has changed. The OBC you get is for the cruise you are on and you get nothing for your future cruise. I was never given the option of using OBC on my current cruise. This program is already worthless to me. Sorry that it seems to be going that way for everyone else, too !

The down payment is not refundable but isn't it still transferrable ? It has been a while since I used the onboard booking program b/c I get a much better deal through Club Royale but the last one I used was a couple of Christmas's ago. I booked the Adventure out of SJ but later decided to change it to Grandeur. Not only did the down payment transfer, but the amount of my balcony discount actually increased b/c I went from a 7 night to an 8 night and the C&A OBC for 8 night is more than it is for a 7. So if you want to book a cruise for 2017, for which the dates have not yet opened, you can always (unless things have changed !) book onboard and then change the reservation to the 2017 booking once the dates open up.

What a talented story-teller you are ! So very much fun reading your work. Thank you so much !

I have been on several Christmas cruises. One year Santa arrived in a small vessel - I don't think it was a lifeboat but it was a small vessel like a lifeboat. I cannot recall whether Santa has "appeared" on every Christmas cruise I have been on. I should know, but I don't. I love cruising at Christmas.

Very interesting, Booroo. Great observations. I can comment on 2 things - because of the All Inclusive Ship Tour (or whatever it's called....) that I took a couple of year's ago on the Jewel. 1. I was able to visit a "typical" crew's quarters and it is MORE than just cramped. It is downright sardine-esque. 2 crew share a cramped room with a tiny porthole and there is no room for anything ! I felt bad for them ! 2. I was able to visit the Captain's quarters and while VERY roomy, not nearly as grandiose as you might think. They have no balcony, for instance. It is larger than an Owner's Suite but not as large as one of the Royal Suites...at least, it seemed that way to me. OF course, I did not see his "bedroom" so it might have been very spacious there. The Captain's quarters is 1 deck immediately below the bridge on the starboard side of the ship. It's located there for a reason. The Captain will ALWAYS enter the bridge on the starboard side just as the Chief Engineer must enter the bridge from the port side (his/her quarters, presumably, is in a similar location on the port side of the ship). I guess this is an old maritime tradition that has carried over from whenever.... It is considered bad luck for the Capt. to enter the bridge from the port side and vice versa for the CE to enter from the starboard side. I love maritime history and traditions ! They are so interesting, I think.

I'm pretty sure the Explorer had one when we were on the repositioning cruise out of Port Liberty (Nov. 2014) to PC but now it does not show one on the deck plans. If you look on the deck plans for Mariner there is still one (they call it the screening room) on Deck 2 forward. Unfortunately, it appears that they are removing these small theaters systematically - at least, on the Voyager Class...it's a real shame.

...but Oasis class ships do not have a separate theater, do they ? Don't they just have their 3D movies in the big theater ? I know the Radiance class has a separate small theater and the Voyagers used to...but not sure if they are being systematically removed during refurbs on the Voyagers or not ? Most people don't even know those screening rooms are there... I normally don't go to the movies on a 7 night but they were soooo awesome during long cruises and TA's where there are lots of sea days. I really like them.

Welcome, Gill ! So glad you found us !