JohnK6404

Would be nice, although unlikely, that they add them to Allure before SEPT 2016!

I guess neither since I've never experienced it on RC... I like the MDR with the changing menus and the option to go to the specialty restaurants. I did the rotational dining on Disney, but did not miss it on RC at all. Neutral I guess!

Yes, you are probably too far out to set the actual reservations... most I understand cannot be set until 60-90 days prior as mentioned above, but keep checking just in case! I do not know how RCL determines when to open up the booking for a specific cruise, but for our upcoming Liberty of the Seas cruise this OCT, we made all of our MTD and specialty restaurant reservations mid-April (over 6 months prior to cruise)... I was shocked when they opened it up so early! I believe it was 60 days prior for our last cruise back in 2013 on Explorer... keep checking and have a great time! :)

Welcome!

We always lock up our passports once on the ship... as long as you are around the ship, on excursions, etc., you normally just need your Seapass (no one will ask while at port) to get on/off ship...

Not a ton of experience, but we typically shoot for a mid-ship ocean view balcony room (watch for obstructed balcony views near "bump-outs", etc.) on a cabin deck somewhere in the middle of the cabin decks (buffered by cabin decks above and below for maximum peace and quiet when we finally make our way back to the room to sleep). Mid-ship is also good for simply getting anywhere... central location... we try to stay away from congregation areas (elevator lobby, internet cafe, etc.)... Since we fortunately do not suffer from motion sickness, we like the higher decks! The only time we felt the motion of the ship was our last cruise on Explorer (2013) on the way back to NJ from Bermuda... rough seas on the coast in October. My wife actually told me she liked the rocking... helped her fall to sleep! :)

Have loved this forum since I found it (wish I had found it 5 years ago!)... thank you all for sharing your experiences and knowledge!

I had asked this question last week when I called to take advantage of the recent promo... Unless you set up more than one account (each linked to a different credit card) they will simply apply/make available the full OBC through the one account (much easier too).

My wife and I have recently elected to go in Sept/Oct (2013, 2015 & 2016 : Bermuda/Caribbean regions)... yeah, it's a slight gamble with the end of the hurricane season, but the cost of the cruise tends to be at it's absolute lowest. Also, kids are back in school at that time and there are no major holidays to contend with until Nov/Dec... the temperature is still warm enough to enjoy the beaches, etc. We do not have children so we do not have to coordinate with school. Just remember if you are departing from Cape Liberty, NJ (or any northeastern port) in early fall, the cooler air temperature on the way down, along with potentially rougher seas, will come into play until you get to the warmer southern regions. Since the current itineraries are somewhat limited with RC from Cape Liberty (at least prior to the Quantum class arriving), we are starting to accept the fact that we need to go back to flying down to Florida again to catch the cruises (especially for the Oasis class ships)! Our first 2 cruises (2004 & 2010) were in early/mid June with destinations that included Key West and the Bahamas (Nassau, Castaway Cay, Coco Cay)... we felt like we were bacon in a frying pan, placed inside a sauna... never again will we go during the summer (at least if we have a say in the planning)! Also, that is the more expensive time of year to cruise due to summer vacations, hottest temperatures, etc.

Looks like the cruise fare returned to the rate I had prior to the 72 hour cybersale (30/30 rate), but the $100 OBC would apply I assume... net reduction of approx $61 since fare went back up $39... will call later when they open... Update: Made the adjustment... fare up $36, but $100 OBC credited... Question! I see the OBC listed on the reservation confirmation just e-mailed to me, but is there a place online to view that OBC balance when I'm logged in under the reservation? I do see they have a notice that future updates to the reservation must go through a specific telephone number since OBC is now involved... Thanks!

Even if the cruise fare is the same with this upcoming promo, would we be eligible for even just the $100 OBC (7 nights)? Thanks!

Called again just now... another $36 saved with this cybersale... chipping away at that airfare to Ft. Lauderdale from LI, NY... also saved $69 a couple of days ago when the new promo (30/30) took effect... $93 saved with base rate reduction while the last promo was still in effect (50/50..) too... definitely pays to book early and closely monitor the sales! Fare down a total of $198 (just 2 of us) since I booked this past March 19th and we thought that price was awesome! Every bit helps! Thanks!!! :)

I also agree 100%! It's ridiculous to charge a la carte/full pricing for any specialty restaurant when the cruise fare already includes the cost of you MDR meal. A small upcharge is fine with me, but a la carte pricing?

Just wanted to thank you all for the heads up! RC is so easy to deal with when making adjustments prior to paying that final balance (took less than 10 minutes including the wait time)... this is the second adjustment in the last couple of weeks (first was $93 drop in last promo price from time of booking) for our 2016 cruise on Allure (9/18/16 sailing). It all adds up (not huge, but we'll take it!)... called tonight and got the new promo rate for our superior ocean view (balcony) room which dropped it another $69 (total $162)... will help with the airfare from up here in NY! Thanks again! :D

Very true... if this becomes popular it may be harder to make reservations...

Not at this point... we probably look to go to specialty dining 2-3 times per cruise (for 7 or 10 night cruises)... we like the MDR.

Final update and resolution... Verizon rewards CS was great! I mailed the certificates back to them and they fully refunded my purchase price plus S&H and the Verizon rewards points used for this transaction. Looks like they took the GC off of their rewards site... maybe they will provide a more detailed explanation when they put it back up... lesson learned... time to pay off more of the cruise the "old fashioned" way!

Yes, my thread was specific to the RC gift certificates offered by Verizon Wireless as part of their rewards program (eg. pay $90 and some rewards points for a $100 GC). Those can only be used at the time of booking while making the reservation directly through RC (no agents) using the telephone number listed on the GC. Since I initiated the request for reimbursement, they have taken the GC off their rewards website (maybe just a coincidence). I think the "regular" gift certificates sold directly by RC can only be used toward your cruise balance before the sail date... I agree that OBC or cash for your purposes is probably the easiest and best way to go. Have a great time!

I agree with WAAAYTOOO... some people like to complain and you may not know the true intent or source (also you know what they say... people by nature are more likely to speak out to complain than they are to compliment). The main dining room food and service is excellent... you are generally served by the same waitstaff team each evening and they get to know your preferences. Even the casino dealers and staff are very friendly... it's not a typical casino atmosphere where they cannot offer any advice/suggestions if asked, etc... You will be hooked after the cruise... that cruise (although our 3rd overall) led to the booking of RC cruises this year (Liberty of the Seas) and next year (Allure of the Seas)!

Hello! I can only speak from my experience on the ship prior to the refurb/upgrade back in October 2013 (7-night cruise... Cape Liberty, NJ to Bermuda)... Back then, the captain was Henrik Loy... the cruise was enjoyable with absolutely no issues... food, service and entertainment was excellent in our opinion (went with my wife, mother-in-law, and my wife's aunt and uncle). Yes, especially pre-refurb as an older and smaller class of ship, it could have used some cosmetic upgrading/updating, but we knew this going in and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves (we also chose a balcony stateroom). I believe they have added more dining and entertainment choices and really spruced up the ship... back in 2013, the only specialty dining choice was Portofino (which we enjoyed!). I'm sure there are more experienced forum members that can answer your other questions... I hope you have a spectacular time! :) - John

Thanks all! Very easy... took only 10 minutes since I booked online (shhh... called while I was at work!)... that little adjustment will help with the airfare! They adjusted the rate and immediately sent me the revised booking confirmation pdf doc (adjustment of course is immediately visible online too).

I'll give them a call to see... it's "only" $93, but it all adds up! :)

Just an update... I received a call and an e-mail today from Verizon Rewards CS apologizing for the confusion and requesting that I return the gift certificates with some sort of tracking for a full refund. I'm happy with the resolution and I've learned a lesson to really scrutinize these rewards cards/certificates! These could only be applied while making a NEW reservation through the RC reservation telephone number provided on the certificate... NOT on any existing reservation(s) or any made via travel agent...

Thank you for all of your responses! I'll have to wait until the dust settles with my RC gift certificate nightmare before I look into any adjustments on my 9/18/16 Allure cruise... I may have to cancel and re-book in order to use the GC's... thankfully, that cruise is next year and I haven't ordered anything beyond the deposit, etc., to date.

Hi Matt! I agree... always read the fine print. The Verizon Rewards site was very limited in detail (funny, they have taken the RC $100 Gift "Card" option down for now it appears... normally they leave it up and just state "Sold Out" if not in stock). Nothing on their site led me to believe there were such restrictions... I even called RC CS before placing the order with Verizon to make sure I did not have to jump through hoops. They must have been half listening and assumed I was referring to GC purchased directly from them. Nowhere does it state limitations like only new bookings or quantity limitations even on these gift certificates... it actually states on the back of the gift certificate underlined and in bold, "Travel agents, agencies or any other travel intermediary service cannot be used in conjunction with this certificate." It also states, "Certificates must be redeemed directly through Royal Caribbean International for the U.S dollar value shown on the face of the certificate. Certificates can be used in multiples and can be used to supplement cash payment or credit card." Hopefully, Verizon will refund my money if they cannot work something out with RC... lesson learned... all to try to save a little... I wanted to use these to pay a chunk of my remaining balance for the 10/22/15 Liberty cruise... Here's a question for you! If I'm stuck with these certificates and need to make a new reservation in order to use them, how does the RC cancellation process work for an existing reservation? I'm assuming I can simply cancel online and at some point I will be credited the amount/deposit paid to date (I'm referring to my 9/18/16 Allure cruise) back to the credit card I used to make the reservation. I guess I would just start over and make sure these certificates would be accepted at the time of the new booking... thanks for your input in advance! - John (and Christine!)