JohnK6404
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Posts posted by JohnK6404
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Looks like it's up and running again!
... for me and my FEB 2017 cruise, it's no better since the base rate has increased and effectively negated the $300 OBC offer, plus the free unlimited Voom internet package is only good on sailings between 5/1/16-9/30/16.
That's OK, there will be other offers!
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Yes, same here, the site stops responding once you try to select a specific cruise/sailing to price.
You just get the "loading bar"... it appears base prices went up (from the little you can see), but curious about how the free internet package and $300 OBC shakes out in the end compared to my recently made reservation through NextCruise (30% off, $200 deposit and $200 immediate OBC)... The internet package caught my attention.
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Welcome to the forum!
Yes, if you booked through the website, you can call RC directly and ask them to make the adjustment. I did that 3 times for my Allure of the Seas cruise and they are very easy and pleasant to deal with on the phone. Once the adjustment is made, they will e-mail you the updated booking confirmation in PDF format. From what I have been told, you can do this until the final payment is made on your cruise. I can also say that each time I was literally off of the phone in no more than 10 minutes from when I first placed the call (and the e-mail confirmation comes immediately).
Good luck and enjoy your upcoming cruise!!!
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I agree with Matt, they must have some strategy. We did My Time Dining and booked a couple of specialty restaurants. We had an amazing Head Waiter in the MDR that made sure we either were seated at the same table (#514 :) on Liberty - Merry Chris was our waiter and Hank was her assistant waiter) every night regardless of time or another table in the same section (if we had late reservations and the table was occupied) so we could have the same waiter/assistant waiter. He (Shareef) always took the time to stop by our table to chat, etc. We were usually a group of four so we never had to sit with another group. We must have driven them crazy... some nights our reservations were at 6:00, 6:30, or 8:00!
For lunch (when we chose the MDR over the Windjammer or Johnny Rocket's), since we did not always dine with family, my wife and I would ask for a table for two and they always accomodated us... usually by a window.
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Also, if you are considering booking onboard, I would recommend going to the NextCruise office (for us on the Liberty, it was in the Royal Promenade) very early in the cruise and schedule an appointment in the book. They had a table outside of the NextCruise office with the latest RC cruise catalogs, flyers and two logs. One log to schedule an appointment (time slots set up for duration of cruise) and another to sign-in as a walk-in (you just wait until they call your stateroom number from the log).
Pre-scheduled appointments booked fast and the last couple of days of the cruise tend to be extremely hectic for them of course! I believe the normal office hours were 9:00AM-5:00PM (or maybe 6:00PM) and on the last day they stayed open until 8:00PM.
If you book, you will get the onboard credit on your current cruise account the next day and also an envelope will be delivered to your stateroom with the booking confirmation paperwork.
- David Bennett and Jerel
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I just booked a cruise onboard through "NextCruise" on the Liberty of the Seas last week. It's for the Anthem of the Seas for FEB 2017 (12-night southern caribbean). We are only Gold level (until we get credit for this past cruise) so we basically got the current promo (30% off) like everyone else (I hear sometimes higher levels can get balcony discounts)...
The benefit for us specifically was:
(1) a significantly reduced deposit of $200 (modeled online today and they want a $900 deposit for same cruise) to reserve the balcony stateroom, and
(2) an immediate onboard credit of $200 on our Liberty cruise "tab"/account...
You retain all other flexibility... you can have the rate adjusted anytime before final payment if a new promo comes out that is better than the current 30% off promo. They will credit your travel agent, or in my case, just set it up so I can monitor it myself through royalcaribbean.com (I did not use a TA for the last cruise). Also, if you are booking far enough in advance you can of course hand pick your stateroom.
I'm not sure, but they may offer deeper discounts on specific cruises... you can make an appointment ahead of time for a later date or just sign up in the walk-in book and just speak with them...
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Do they charge extra for the filet? Either size?
No additional charge unless you order the porterhouse or other specialty/dry-aged steaks (I forgot which types), etc... Filet Mignon is included in either size... I just knew all of the other food would fill me up so I ordered the 6 oz. to play it safe! It was very tender and was cooked exactly as ordered.
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I have only been to Chops on Liberty of the Seas (last week) and our food was outstanding. We all ordered the "petit" filet mignon (just the 6 oz. portion - they offered a 9 oz. too!) and they brought out all of the sides for the table to share... it was what we expected from the reviews we read on this forum. The appetizers and desserts were excellent too!
We also enjoyed Portofino (also was excellent on Explorer), but from what I understand they are being phased out or converted/replaced by either Giovanni's Table or Jamie's Italian, etc...
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November 2015
6 - Matt (Anthem of the Seas)
7 - Jerel (Independence of the Seas)
8 - blueders (Jewel of the Seas)
9 - monctonguy (Majesty of the Seas)
13 - rekkie (Explorer of the Seas)
13 - Steve (Liberty of the Seas)
13 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
25 - dh1ch1 (Freedom of the Seas)
26 - Matt (Brilliance of the Seas)
26 - vandy96 (Brilliance of the Seas)
29 - dh1ch1 (Freedom of the Seas)
December 2015
6 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
12 - Krazykitty (Oasis of the Seas)
13 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
19 - WAAAYTOOO (Grandeur of the Seas)
January 2016
2 - Dan (Oasis of the Seas)
3 - DocLC (Liberty of the Seas)
10 - Michel (Allure of the Seas)
11 - monctonguy (Independence of the Seas)
11 - ian91 (Splendour of the Seas)
17 - Huntley (Freedom of the Seas)
22 - Forsyth71 (Mariner of the Seas)
February 2016
7 - jlynn222 (Freedom of the Seas)
7 - Nicole (Freedom of the Seas)
7 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
7 - JohnK6404 (Anthem of the Seas)
14 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
21 - Matt (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!)
21 - AGSLC5 (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!)
21 - WAAAYTOOO (Allure of the Seas Royal Caribbean Blog Group Cruise!)
21 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
21 - Jerel (Allure of the Seas)
21 - eaglesfaninfl (Freedom of the Seas)
22 - monctonguy (Brilliance of the Seas)
March 2016
4 - Dan (Anthem of the Seas)
13 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas)
13 - Cowcrazy65 (Grandeur of the Seas)
13 - Knisley96 (Navigator of the Seas)
April 2016
3 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
3 - Steve (Liberty of the Seas)
10 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
23 - Adventure of the Seas (monctonguy)
May 2016
21 - Welshrose15 (Navigator of the Seas)
June 2016
12 - Shocked (Harmony of the Seas)
16 - MikeK (Navigator of the Seas)
24 - Steve (Explorer of the Seas)
July 2016
4 - Cruiseman (Radiance of the Seas)
24 - DocLC (Serenade of the Seas)
August 2016
7 - amejiajr8 (Allure of the Seas)
21 - Davyb33 (Jewel of the Seas)
25 - AGSLC5 (Anthem of the Seas)
28 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
September 2016
18 - JohnK6404 (Allure of the Seas)
18 - sulross (Liberty of the Seas)
October 2016
3 - WAAAYTOOO (Harmony of the Seas)
9 - Marc (Liberty of the Seas)
23 - WAAAYTOOO (Harmony of the Seas)
23 - sulross (Harmony of the Seas)
November 2016
28 - Jerel (Majesty of the Seas)
December 2016
3 - dh1ch1 (Brilliance of the Seas)
January 2017
2 - DocLC (Allure of the Seas)
9 - rekkie (Ovation of the Seas)
February 2017
18 Jerel (Harmony of the Seas)
21 - AGSLC5 (Harmony of the Seas)
March 2017
4 - Marc (Freedom of the Seas)
... Matt, just a correction to above... Anthem in FEB 2017 (2/7/17)... I wish it was next FEB... :)
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Just booked Anthem of the Seas for FEB 2017 (2/7/17 sailing) while onboard Liberty last week... can't wait!
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Thank you Michelle!!!
We just booked Anthem for FEB 2017 (12-night southern caribbean) while onboard the Liberty last week... can't wait!
Have a great time!
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Just a couple of shots of Liberty sandwiched between the NCL Getaway and the Carnival Valor in St. Thomas last week... figured out how to attach photos finally! :)
... and just a couple of pics related to the prior post (port in St. Maarten)... Liberty and Independence together... just needed Freedom and the triplets would be complete! :)
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All of the above suggestions would be nice (all great musicals)... Jersey Boys would be nice too... probably an easier production to put together too (simple set design, etc.)... definitely has a ton of songs that almost everyone knows (even overseas) and mostly presents as a live concert which got the audience on Broadway standing and singing. The witch reference might be thrown in just to throw us off... If not, then Wicked it is... and we loved that too!
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How was the Liberty? I'll be on her in two months just before her dry dock.
Very nice ship. The Liberty's layout seemed very familiar to us as our last cruise back in 2013 was on the Explorer. To us, to over-simplify, the Freedom class seems to just be a larger Voyager class vessel (similar layout which was nice). It was funny when we returned from our excursion in St. Maarten to find the Independence of the Seas docked right next to the Liberty! From the distance it was naturally hard to tell the difference... only the scrubber on the Independence made it easy to distinguish from the sister ship. While we were on the Liberty, they had a crew working on the installation of Liberty's scrubber, so they had to close off an area on the port side near the rock climbing wall near the basketball court and Flow Rider.
Of course these ships have a dated decor, but personally I would only expect the Quantum and Oasis classes to have an ultra modern decor. It still has Portofino and Chops Grille as the specialty dining restaurants which are located on the starboard and port side of the ship just as you enter the Windjammer Cafe/Jade Sushi on Deck 11. Also, of course it has the traditional 3-level MDR (Decks 3/4/5 with large chandelier and piano on the staircase landing between the levels. One flow rider, basketball court, mini-golf, rock climbing wall, golf simulator, ice skating rink (Studio B, etc. Johnny Rockets too... Large Royal Promenade with the usual Sorrento's (no matter what they claim it "ain't" New York pizza - more like microwave pizza with a white, tasteless crust), Cafe Promenade, Ben & Jerry's, Cupcake Cupboard, Vintages, Hoof & Claw British Pub, etc. As usual, plenty to do!
My wife and her aunt and uncle enjoyed the shows. Saturday Night Fever was nice - we went to the matinee (last show) on Halloween and they had technical difficulties near the end of the show (it's about 1 hr, 20 mins or so), but we enjoyed it. They had the usual parades with the Dreamworks characters in the promenade and a Halloween costume parade on Halloween. A bunch of folks spent a number of days learning the thriller dance up on the pool deck and then performed it on Halloween in the promenade. We liked the cruise director (Dru Pavlov - looks a little like a taller George Clooney).
The wi-fi is painfully slow most of the time... I waited until about the half-way mark of the 10-night cruise to order it. You have only 3 choices: (1) $20/day for the rest of the cruise for one device, $30/day for the rest of the cruise for 2 devices, or (3) $40 for one day unlimited access for one device.
We enjoyed the service in all of the restaurants... all of the crew including maintenance and housekeeping were very friendly. This was just our 4th cruise overall and 3rd with RC, but we booked another for FEB 2017 on Anthem (replacing Liberty in Cape Liberty, NJ) onboard. We selected a balcony stateroom and basically reserved it for the online price (30% off), but only had to leave a reduced deposit of $200 which was effectively eliminated with the immediate $200 OBC they applied to our Liberty cruise account! Yeah, we're hooked... Allure in Sept 2016 and Anthem in Feb 2017 if all goes as planned! :)
Sorry for the novel! Hated getting off of the ship this morning! :(
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I searched and didn't see an answer.
What is the dress code for the shows? Traveling on the Independence of the Seas.
Thank you!
The suggested dress for the dining room is the standard for the show venues; however, it's only rarely enforced in the dining rooms and nowhere else. I've personally have changed into more casual attire, polo and dockers, on formal night between dinner and the shows.
Outside of beach/bathing attire, no one is going to stop you. Casual or up will be acceptable.
DocLC is dead on... I just got off of the Liberty of the Seas this morning (11/1/15) after a 10-night cruise.
I too usually follow the dining room attire suggestion... I did however change to more comfortable clothing after formal evenings (collared shirt, Dockers and shoes) when I had the time... no way was I going to wear a suit or jacket and tie to the show. Most nights were "Casual" so you are good with even jeans and a golf shirt... just no pool deck wear, etc.!
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They have greatly simplified the internet package options now.
Given that 24 hours is $40, it's really difficult to pass up on the unlimited option. Probably what they planned on!
That stinks... I miss when you paid for minutes and you could use them throughout the entire cruise... I wonder if the internet cafe still works that way? Who would pay $40 to sit in the cafe all day?
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Hi!
I'm going on Liberty of the Sea next week and had some questions. I read a cruise compass from June and it had a "wear white" night for the Saturday Night Fever show. Does anyone know if they still suggest white? I wasn't planning on packing white in October. I packed a Halloween costume because I expect something fun for that day.
I am also an avid Mets fan and I know I'll be sailing with plenty of New Yorkers. Can we safely assume the NLCS games will be easy to watch? In special locations and in our rooms? Maybe we can wear blue and orange for "white night". HA!
Thanks and happy cruising everyone!
I'll be on the ship with you! 6 days to go!
I would not worry... I'm curious to see what they do on Halloween (last full day of the cruise and at sea)...
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Yes, we were definitely planning on taking our iPhones/iPads... so it has not changed?
You can elect to purchase blocks of access time "a la carte" in the cafe and then sign in using the wi-fi network vs. paying for the unlimited access? It's a 10-night cruise and the thought of tacking another $200-$300 for unlimited access is an absolute last resort option.
I believe on our last cruise (OCT 2013 on Explorer) I logged in and paid for the time (I believe using the SeaPass) while in the cafe and then as you mentioned, from that point forward, was able to use the wi-fi (I believe the wi-fi signal was relatively limited at the time - I do not believe they upgraded the wi-fi network back then)...
Thanks Matt!
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My wife and I do not plan on spending the ridiculous $20-$30/day for the unlimited wi-fi access since we can live with limited access while cruising, but would still like to sign on throughout the trip to check in, etc.
Does Liberty still have the standard Internet Cafe for all passengers where you pay for blocks of access time (minutes/hours vs. unlimited)?
I read somewhere that some ships have teen only internet cafes... just want to make sure the "normal" internet cafe for all cruisers is still available!
Thanks in advance!
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