JohnK6404

We're going with friends on our next cruise (Allure, 5/19/19) and splurged for an over the water cabana at Nellie's Beach. Does anyone know how they assign the actual cabanas? Is there any rhyme or reason? First come, first choice? Thank you all as always!

Oh no! I guess I’ve been away from the forum too long! ? It’s sailing out of Cape Liberty from May-Oct 2020 after the dry dock... Port Canaveral, Perfect Day & Nassau... We may have to take advantage while it’s in NY/NJ! We’ve sailed Explorer & Liberty out of Cape Liberty (not Anthem yet)... Oasis would be crazy passing through NY Harbor and passing under the Verrazano Bridge!

Thanks! I figured I should do that... I think we’re going going to book one drink package at $49 and one combo drink/VOOM at $60 and as you suggested cancel/repurchase if it goes down! Thanks again!

Thank you! I figured that... I remember it used to be that way "pre-VOOM"!

I apologize if I'm going on a tangent, but when you purchase VOOM for one device, is it still one device at a time vs. only on one specific device? I'm assuming it's one device at a time so I can use it on my phone and then log out and later use it on say my iPad... thanks!!!

Just one vacation planned so far this year... can't wait! ? Allure - 5/19/19

As mentioned above, there appears to be no set time frame for the ability to make reservations on the Cruise Planner. We were able to make our dining reservations (set reservation times in MDR, make specialty restaurant reservations, etc.) last year in March 2018, 14 months ahead of our 5/19/19 departure on Allure. We were shocked that they opened it up so soon! We did have the option to purchase drink packages and make reservations for excursions also around that time, but held off to wait for upcoming cruise planner sales. I would definitely log in periodically to see if it opens up early... you may be pleasantly surprised. We are now just under 4 months from departure and the only feature that is not available (which is the norm from what the more experienced cruisers have mentioned on the forum) is making the entertainment reservations (shows, etc.). This will be the first RC cruise that we actually have to make reservations to be safe... all of the smaller ships we've cruised on to date (Majesty, Explorer & Liberty) automatically assigned your show times by muster station, etc. I'm not sure if that changed across the fleet and on Liberty (we cruised back in 2015 on Liberty)... I've been told that's the case on Oasis & Quantum class ships (recommended to make reservations). Most importantly, congratulations on your 15th wedding anniversary and have a great time! My wife and I cruised for the first time on our honeymoon (15 years ago this year!) on Disney... that's when we caught the cruise bug!!!

Yes, price for our 5/19/19 sailing on Allure is currently $49... was $52 last time I checked... Any chance it will drop lower in the next few months?

Welcome and have an amazing time! :) We're also on Allure departing on May 19, 2019 (Western Caribbean)... our first Oasis class cruise! Going with good friends that sailed on Oasis last year and had an amazing time... can't wait! :)

I believe Matt may have suggested these metal straws... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L1YXQEU/?coliid=IVO7O3U0XGGU1&colid=1QX6MGHIFLR87&psc=0&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it I hate the texture and taste of those paper straws... might have to pick up the stainless ones before the cruise!

Thank you! I went through the “ALREADY BOOKED” option on the main page drop down and I got in... did not attempt to make a payment tonight. I was just looking at that last night and could not figure out where to go to review remaining balance and make additional payments. I miss the old website for reviewing your reservation, charges, payments, deadlines, etc.

It’s full price ($579)... did not want to take any chances... does the cruise planner sale include cabanas? Correct me if I’m wrong... If they offer a cruise planner sale down the road, but the cabanas are sold out, I’m out of luck and can’t cancel/rebook or get an adjustment? Will keep checking! Funny, I never thought of that... was only thinking of the sale on the drink package! ?

Back in 2015, they showed the World Series all over the ship (we were on Liberty of the Seas)... I remember watching part of the Mets/Royals WS on the pool deck on the big screen a couple of times.

My wife and I are 9 1/2 months away from our Allure cruise (5/19/19-5/26/19) - Western... we're going with another couple. Can't wait! First time on an Oasis class ship and first time with just friends (they did Eastern on Oasis last year and absolutely loved it)! Just an FYI... the Labadee cabanas and bungalows are available already in the cruise planner!!! Just reserved one at Nellie's Beach over the water... we were nervous that they would sell out if we waited too long! I just wanted to remind everyone (especially the relatively less experienced cruisers like us... this will only be our 4th RC cruise) to constantly check the cruise planner to see what opens up for reservations even this far out! We booked our dining months ago (14 months out from departure date). There never seems to be a set guideline for when certain reservations become available... Now, we need to wait for some really good cruise planner sales for the ultimate drink package, etc., and wait for the entertainment reservations to open up... less of an urgency to book the other excursions. Also, we cannot rave enough about how awesome and invaluable this forum is! Matt's articles, blogs, videos, etc., are also amazing and extremely helpful! Thank you all for sharing your live blogs and experiences so we can all learn and have some fun!

We were on a 10-night cruise on Liberty of the Seas back in 2015 that ran through Halloween. They asked for a bunch of volunteers to learn the Thriller dance... looked like fun. They practiced out on the pool deck for a couple of days. They also had a big costume parade through the Royal Promenade... lots of fun. Have a great time!

I do... it actually hurts a little each and every time they change the day of the week on the elevator floors... I tell my wife never to look down! The last night is very tough too, LOL!

The corporation charters the ship... not my actual local boss... LOL! They must have a business relationship, like other large corporations I’m sure, with RC since the recognition trips (for my department which is nationwide, not just local) every 2-3 years tend to be a cruise on an RC ship... usually a smaller vessel since they book the ship for around 2,000+ employees, guests, and representative local and corporate leadership across the country. The other years in-between they do destinations like WDW, etc. I wish RC would offer a discount for us for personal travel... no such luck!

My first cruise ever was on the Disney Wonder back in 2004 for our honeymoon. Needless to say, my wife and I caught the bug on that cruise. Our first cruise on RC was back in 2010 on the Majesty of the Seas. My employer chartered the ship for our big annual recognition event/trip (Fortune 100 company) which I was so lucky to win/earn. That started our love for RC!

Thank you so much for sharing! I watched it with my wife and sent the link to a couple of my friends! This upcoming Sunday will be 364 days for us until we sail on Allure!

I agree we need more details. I can tell you that every time I have called for an adjustment recently with our current booking, once they take my reservation number, they immediately confirm that I have selected the fully refundable deposit option. I’m not sure if that’s even a factor in preventing the adjustment... which deposit option did you select? Non-refundable or fully refundable?

Same here... Allure, May 2019... we can, once again, make Dining purchases/reservations and book excursions only so far... no beverage packages, internet, entertainment, etc. (not surprised at all being over 1 year out).

I agree, apparently no solid guideline across the board... very unpredictable. My wife and I scheduled our dining (and linked to our friends too) already for our May 2019 Allure cruise at the beginning of this month (April)... almost 14 months out! ... I just periodically check just in case!

Welcome Fuelman! My wife and I did the same thing back in 2004 for our honeymoon. Neither one of us had ever gone on a cruise at that time, so we elected to try the Disney "Land & Sea" option (3 nights on the Disney Wonder & 4 nights at the Polynesian Resort in Disney World) to see if we liked cruising. Our 3-night itinerary was very similar to yours... we departed from Port Canaveral and stopped in Nassau and Castaway Cay (Disney's island). Needless to say, we are absolutely hooked on cruising now! Due to the usual stuff (work schedules, finances, etc.) we cannot go nearly as often as we'd like, but I see many cruises in our future! Our Disney cruise set the bar very, very high, but I can honestly say that we've never been disappointed with an RC cruise. We believe that RC gives us the best bang for the buck (Disney charges 50%-100% more than RC for the same itinerary & cabin class). We've had the opportunity to try a few different classes of ship with RC (we've sailed on Majesty of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas) since 2010. Every ship has it's own charm and we've been nothing but completely satisfied on every cruise to date. Our next cruise is next May with friends on Allure of the Seas out of Ft. Lauderdale and we are also looking at Harmony and Anthem (so convenient for us here in New York) as possibly the next couple of cruises. Until then, we can live vicariously though all of the great blogs and posts on this awesome forum. I love the fact that Royal prides itself on building the newest, largest and most innovative ships. I believe they have the largest fleet in the industry (and Celebrity is a sister cruise line) which gives us so many options. I've seen the charm of the smaller ships, but we're personally hungry for the newer, larger ships right now. Have an amazing time on your first cruise! I have no doubt you will! Please keep us updated. I think the 7-night cruises are the sweet spot once you've made your decision on cruising. Long enough to completely relax, explore the ship and enjoy the ports.

It’s back... it’s now working the way it used to... for the next ten minutes... LOL! Comes up immediately as usual after selecting # of cabins, # of guests, and room type.

I’ve tried again this morning... Chrome, Chrome in Incognito mode, deleted my cookies... Internet Explorer... Safari... none give me the option to choose deposit option/rate and they all immediately default to the non-refundable rate... I’ve also priced different cruises, different ships, different departure years... no luck... strange and frustrating to say the least!