JohnK6404

With the latest July 4th sale underway naturally I was curious if any of my previously made purchases had dropped in price.  Sure enough, one of my excursion is now on sale. 
You have the option to call Royal Caribbean to obtain the lower price or you can do it yourself online. 
Here is a guide showing how I just saved myself $29 using the online approach. 
While this is an example for a shore excursion, it works the same way for other Cruise Planner purchases such as Voom or Beverage Packages. 
For my cruise I visited the Cruise Planner and found my previous purchases.    They are pretty obvious, it tells you that you purchased this item before:

In order to see how much I previously paid, I went to the top of the page and found the "Order History" link.

Clicking on this provides a complete list of any previous Cruise Planner orders (including free one such as My Time Dining).  To see the details for an individual purchase click the "View Order Details" link:

Look at that, I paid $289.  Now it is on sale for $260!
To cancel my purchase so I could re-purchase it at the lower sale price, I clicked on the "Cancel" link

This brings up the next part of the cancellation process.  Since I do want to save $29 I clicked "Yes".

To make sure I really want to cancel it, it presents a review screen giving me the option to not cancel or to proceed.  I clicked the "Confirm Changes" button.

It then confirmed my original order was cancelled and how my refund would be made.  (If I had used on-board credit for this purchase the refund would be returned in the form of on-board credit. )

Now I am free to re-purchase the excursion at the sale price.  From here you purchase it again as if you had never purchased it before.

Clicking the Next button steps you through the normal Cruise Planner purchase process.

While it will take a few days for the credit card refund to process, I just saved $29 in a matter of minutes.
One word of warning for excursions offered at multiple times.  It is possible when an excursion is offered more than once that your original time slot may no longer be available.  For example a snorkeling excursion might be offered at 10am, 11am and 12 noon.  If you currently hold a 10am booking and you see there 10am is not currently available, don't assume that cancelling your order will immediately make the same time slot available for re-purchase.  If you really desire to keep your original time slot you are best to call Royal Caribbean to have them re-price it.
 

Most companies have insurance against this sort of thing in the first place.  

Here is a typical example of the onboard offers for platinum:
Platinum.PDF
Like most loyalty programs the benefits get better at each level.  Personally I think Royal's Crown and Anchor Society is superior to other cruise lines but that is for my needs and likes/dislikes. 
I was 3 cruises short of platinum on Carnival which is earned around the same point that Diamond is on Royal.  For the entire time from zero to that point the only real benefit of Carnival's VIFP program was one bottle of water in the cabin and eventually a drink coupon that could only be used on the last night after 6pm but not in the MDR.   Once you do reach platinum on Carnival the biggest benefit is priority boarding.  Contrast that to Diamond which is earned with roughly the same amount of cruising on Royal and you get priority boarding, nightly happy hour drinks, meaningful on board offers and much more. 
Like many loyalty programs, loyalty is rewarded - that's kind of the point.  It is provided in incremental steps, getting better and better at each level.  Like airline loyalty programs if you fly one trip on United, the next on American, the next on Delta and another on Southwest you aren't really displaying loyalty to any of them and while each appreciates your business, it doesn't get you very far in the respective loyalty programs. 
Cruising is much the same way in terms of each cruise line's loyalty program.   Only you can decide if the perks of each program is worth a long term strategy to remain loyal to any particular one.

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!

Saw this today in a local nautical theme store.

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! ☺️

You still get price adjustments before the final payment due date with non-refundable deposits.

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.

Sorry for the "panic" on my part! 
Looks like it was a website glitch... I'm modeling cruises now and getting both deposit options now and also the "usual" cancellation schedule/policy.
It seemed a little extreme to change their policy (see my screenshots) so that you would lose your minimum deposit ($500 for the above examples)...  

So, if that were the actual case you would need to cancel the cruise the date you booked it or risk losing your deposit!
 

Did RC just change their policy for deposits/cancellation?
We booked a couple of weeks ago and went with the fully refundable option. I went in today to see if the current promo is better, but the website no longer gives you the option of selecting non-refundable or refundable rate...
I've even checked other cruises/ships/departure dates and I no longer get that option. The refund policy keeps stating that any cancellation after the booking date is subject to a penalty of the minumum deposit...
Am I missing something?
Or is this only for the current promo that these rules apply?
 

 
 

These are the tough decisions we all love to have to make! 

I figure I'd have to lose twenty pounds for a 7 day cruise.  I'd have to lose forty for an 11 or 12 night cruise.

This will be our second B2B on the Allure. We did a B2B on the Jewel in 2010. Our first cruise, ever, was a 7 Day on the Navigator. After that cruise we decided that seven days was just not enough time. So from then on we only selected 10-14 day cruises or a B2B. For us, it's the only way to go. Mind you, we are fortunate enough to be able to drive from NC to the port in FL so we don't have to do the baggage dance at the airport. Plus, we get to bring home LOTS of duty free booze! The problem I have right now is that my wife is talking about a 3 week B2B and I am starting to like the idea.  Guess I'll have to break open another barrel of money!

Thank you. To date, we have never taken advantage of a cruise planner sale and did not know that you lose reservation flexibility when you select a specialty dining package.
I guess we'll just book them now while we have total flexibility and play it by ear! 
Side note... today's promo saved us a little (only $75). Called RC during lunch and was off the phone in literally less than 10 minutes with an updated invoice via e-mail... will help with those specialty restaurants!  

If you book each specialty dinner reservation separately you can choose you exact date and time well ahead of time.  Individual restaurants don't always go on sale though in the cruise planner.  YMMV.
If you book a specialty dining package you can only pick the 1st night time, the rest will be assigned/modified once on board.  These are the packages that might be influenced (to a slightly larger degree) by occasional sales.
Either way, any cruise planner purchases made in advance can be cancelled, refunded and repurchased at any time up to around 3 days before sailing.  Canceling an individual reservation and re-booking may not yield the same choice in dates and times though so you may need to be a little flexible in doing so.
In my experience doing so for cruise planner purchases by phone or yourself online has the same effect but I've never tried to call in a price change to an individual specialty dining reservation (I've never seen the price drop, only increase).

Kids are having Sorrento's pizza and chips on the balcony and I had some time to put this together. This was probably the coolest sailaway I have experienced. After putting this together I had to laugh at myself, I am the whimpiest Canadian. Can you tell I hate the cold? Lol. Hence the retirement plan to move to Florida.
 

I haven’t forgotten about this blog, but the last three days have been jam packed! What free time I’ve had (and it hasn’t been much) was only enough to edit my (many, many) photos and take notes for the daily recaps I’ve yet to write. They are coming and right soon! Now that we’re clear of our four port days and have a sea day tomorrow, plus a chill day in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday, I’ll be getting back to writing about everything that we’ve been up to!

452 days have passed since I booked.
Now it's just 6 days away!
I'm single digit dancin'! I'm super excited, and I just can't hide it! No more waiting, no more holding back, it's time to get this ball rolling!
This will be my live(ish) blog for our long-awaited first-ever cruise. My family and I will be on Freedom of the Seas, sailing out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale. It's an Eastern Caribbean itinerary with four sea days and four port days, and we have a fair bit planned on those port days. BUT, that's not all we're doing! We're flying down to Fort Lauderdale 3 days early, as it saved us a ton on the airfare, so we'll be taking in the sights and activities around Fort Lauderdale for a couple of days before we board. AND we're staying one extra day in Fort Lauderdale after disembarkation, to get in one more beach day (and maybe an air boat ride) before flying back home.
Here's the full cruise itinerary, plus what we have planned each day:
March 31 - Embarkation from Port Everglades at 5:30 PM April 1 - Sea Day April 2 - Sea Day I'm doing Chef's Table this day April 3 - St. Kitts, 9 AM to 6 PM Dolphin push/pull/swim excursion in the AM Wandering around town in the PM, after we shower and have lunch on the ship April 4 - St. Maarten, 7 AM to 5 PM This is the big big day; we're doing an all-day beach and snorkeling tour around the island with Soualiga Destinations I'll be curious to see how the snorkeling is after the hurricane roared through there last year; haven't really heard much about that on the other recent live blogs to St. Maarten, so I will be sure to report back April 5 - Old San Juan, PR, 7 AM to 2 PM We're meeting up with a friend my older daughter met last summer, who lives in Old San Juan We plan to visit El Morro, and around that my daughter's friend said she'll show us some other interesting places, as well as the best places to eat; this might mean we'll miss a stop at Barrachinos as originally planned, but who am I to ignore the advice of someone who's lived there her whole life? April 6 - Labadee, 9 AM to 5 PM Wife and kids are doing the zip line in the morning All of us are doing the alpine coaster, as I got all-day passes for a really good sale price The rest of our time we'll be chilling in an over-the-water cabana! I heard @Matt's recommendation and rave reviews on his podcast, and I said, "This is my splurge item this trip!" April 7 - Sea Day April 8 - Return to FLL Why this itinerary?
We needed a cruise that timed well with the girls' Spring Break week, but wanted one that filled up as much of that time as possible and also gave a good mix of port days and sea days. Our only other options were 7-day trips on Harmony or Allure that only gave us 3 ports, or a 10-day on Navigator to the Southern Caribbean that we'd have loved to take, but ran over the time we had (and before we knew we'd want to fly down early anyway). So this wound up being our "Goldilocks" cruise, especially with Freedom being liked by so many as a first-time cruisers' ship.
We also wanted something kind of big for a first-time cruise, because we're celebrating 3 simultaneous milestones that will all happen in May / June of this year:
Our 20th wedding anniversary Our older daughter graduating high school Our younger daughter wrapping up middle school Our TA actually has "20th anniversary" down on the reservation for the room my wife and I are in, and "High School Graduation" for the girls' room; I'll be curious to see if there are any decorations in either room when we arrive, or if the staff does anything out of the ordinary. Not expecting it, but ever-hopeful.
Our Cabins
We booked two D3 Superior Balcony rooms on deck 8, forward. The rooms are connecting, so my wife and I were able to book in one room together and the girls are in the other room. This was after looking at the prices of suites and realizing that we got more space and saved a ton of money going the two-balcony route. We plan to get the divider opened up as soon as possible, so even though we won't have a suite, we'll at least have a suite-size balcony! 
The rooms included $100 OBC each, we have no idea what we'll spend that on at this point. The girls are thinking of putting theirs into a purchase at the salon or maybe to get some on-ship merchandise.
Drink / Dining / Other Packages
I've purchased the Deluxe package for myself, and I'm planning to at least try and keep a running tally of everything I get to see if it works out. I think it will, but time will tell. The rest of the family has the Refreshment Package.
Since it's our first cruise, we chose not to plan on any specialty dining and just use the MDR for all dinners. Not sure yet if we'll use the MDR for breakfast, at least on sea days, or go to the Wind jah-mehr for all the morning food. WJ will likely be our go-to for lunch, at least when we're not in port. Depending on whether any lunch specials are offered, we might try Giovanni's for lunch one day. For sure I'll be visiting Sabor, even if only for guac and margaritas.
I did get the 4-device VOOM Surf and Stream package on a fairly good sale in the Cruise Planner. We mostly plan to use it for communicating with each other through iMessage and Google Hangouts (my wife is the lone Android user), and of course I'll be taking advantage of it to post updates here as I'm able.
Updating this blog
I'm only bringing my phone with me, no laptop since the one I have is employer-issued and I'm not working on this trip. I'll post updates as I'm able to each day, but they may be on the shorter side since typing on the phone is a lot slower than I can manage on a proper keyboard.
 
So looking forward to this!

On a recent 4 night cruise I bought the Cafe Select card for 15 coffee drinks. My daughter and I used 14 of them...still a bargain off of the a la carte prices.
I did not buy the drink package, and did not miss it since I only bought four girly drinks and a couple beers while on board. I liked not having the feeling of needing to drink to get my money's worth.

We've done the trip to Bermuda (7-night) on the Explorer of the Seas in 2013 and Bermuda/Caribbean (10-night) on Liberty of the Seas in 2015 out of Bayonne, NJ/Cape Liberty. I believe our Liberty cruise was the last, or one of the last, trips out of Cape Liberty before they moved her and brought in Anthem.
We went in early October both times, so it was of course a little cooler out of NY/NJ until we were half way down the coast. I remember the trip down was smoother, but that may be due to the fact that the ship's cruising speed south was a little slower from what I recall. The trip back was a little "rougher" (I remember the last night was a little rocky) due to the time of year, the ocean that night, and the fact that the ship was moving faster to get back into Bayonne.
I definitely believe you will enjoy yourself even more than we did since you're going on Anthem and in August!  Anthem is on the wishlist since we live here on Long Island, but the next booked cruise for us is Allure in APR 2018! We also are eyeing the 12-night Southern Caribbean cruise they offer on Anthem during the winter months!
Have a great time! It's fun sailing out of NY harbor, past the Freedom Tower, Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty and sailing under the Verrazano Bridge... you get so close to the decking you think the ship will not make it!
Here are a couple shots from that hazy/misty OCT 2015 departure day on Liberty of the Seas!

I booked these last year and was able to get the same cabin for both weeks. First week is the western Carib. and the second is the eastern. We've been doing B2Bs on a lot of our cruises. We drive from NC to Florida and visit friends an end up at the port in Ft. Lauderdale. We used to fly, but not anymore. Too many restrictions on baggage and the cost. Our first cruise was a 7 night on the Navigator and we both felt that was just not long enough for us. So, we seek out the 10-12 night cruises or go B2B, especially on the Allure! 

Definitely total cost, so only book 1 for your group.
 
Water will be great. I have been in early Feb and definitely warm enough for swimming.

Total cost

If you had several different servers, and did not really connect with any of them, I would not feel too guilty about not leaving additional gratuity.  
 
In our case, we were fortunate each of the last 2 cruises with MTD to have the same team throughout the cruise (just sometimes a different table in their section depending on the time of our reservation). We really liked them so we gave them an additional amount on the last evening (and the cabin attendant). Our head waiter for our last cruise was outstanding and each night he would always ask us what our plans were for dinner the following evening and told us to make sure we asked for him when we checked in upon arrival to the MDR (if we had a later reservation than usual).