Ian T

11 minutes ago, Maggie M said:

I'm pretty sure you cannot get the 20% discount for Diamond in the pre-cruise planner as the prices are already discounted and you can only get 1 discount; "offers cannot be combined." That's what they told me on the last cruise I was on. You're almost always better off still booking in advance than the 20% onboard. I hope this helps!

I suspected as much. This does help though, thank you!

Our Symphony sailing in January will be our first as Diamond C&A members (Yay! ). We are thinking of taking advantage of the Black Friday sale to book a spa treatment via the cruise planner but I cannot see anywhere to apply the 20% C&A discount.

I have also looked at the treatment in question under a linked booking for first time cruisers with whom we will be sailing and it is the same price, so it seems the discount has not been pre-applied.

Can anyone offer any guidance how to go about applying the discount?

Thanks in advance as always 

Not sure if this will help but the escape room on my January Symphony sailing is showing up in Onboard Activities rather than Entertainment.

Thanks everyone, this is really helpful!

My wife and I are looking forward to taking our first cruise as Diamond C&A members in January - a B2B on Symphony, Yay! - and have a few questions...

1. in Matt's article from Feb 10th he lists the following amongst the on board perks:

* 50% off coupon for any glass of wine, beer or soda (two coupons per sailing)

* 20% off any wine, beer or soda by the glass

Given that there is no mention of coupons for the 20% discount, does this apply throughout the sailing or is it a "one and done" deal?

2. Either way, do we need to ask for the discount to be applied or is this done automatically?

3. We will be sailing with other family members, 2 of whom are Gold and the other 2 are cruising newbies, and we all have a dining package. Can we go to the Diamond Concierge on Day 1 to organise our dining reservations rather than one of the venues?

4. If so, can we do so for all of us despite our other family members not being Diamond (our bookings are linked)?

Thanks in advance as always!

18 hours ago, Vancity Cruiser said:

Any signs that the US will be following Canada and eliminating the need for fully vaccinated international travellers to be tested before flying into the US?

 

 

I have not heard anything yet - and I am keeping a close eye as I live across the pond - however I was looking at a sailing on Freedom in May and the following advisory appeared at the top of the Promos and Offers page, which I noted only references testing requirements for unvaccinated guests.

This got me thinking so I selected a number of other sailings (different ships and embarkation ports) and the advisory appeared on all of the sailings in April and May but not for those in March... could this perhaps be a sign that pre-cruise testing may become a thing of the past for vaccinated guests come April, I wonder?

They have been more prevalent of late in the UK too - predominantly Royal and NCL from what I have seen.

Viking River Cruises are also sponsoring drama programmes on one of our primary terrestrial channels, ITV. 

Hi all

Off to Coco Cay in just over two weeks however I am a bit confused.

The Cruise Planner is offering the following excursion (among others):

The Coco Cay stop is a change to the original itinerary which was Nassau so I am assuming the excursion is a system glitch as it is listed as 3 & 1/2 hrs in duration and Coco Cay and Nassau are around 100km/65miles apart.

Anyone got any insight before I part with my money?

Many thanks as always

33 minutes ago, Ray said:

Thats good to know! 

@Ian T just a heads up that the PLF on the UK.Gov site for re-entering the UK is a bloody nightmare! 

Also if flying BA or parnter companies ignore Verifly emails complete waste of time 

Yeah, I recall having fun and games with the PLF when coming back from Menorca a couple of months back.

We are travelling Virgin. We have LFTs booked with Expresstest at LHR a couple of hours before we fly out. Still seeking confirmation from RC that they meet the criteria for boarding but as they are good enough for entry into the US we are expecting them to be.

We also have PCR tests booked upon landing for the return so are hoping we have it all covered. We are a party of 6 so it is proving to be an expensive exercise but we are determined to go ahead with the trip!

That's such a relief. Thanks very much.

5 hours ago, Ray said:

Uk ( England ) has just announced the need for Testing before flight to UK expect Scotland to follow soon 

Have just posted a new topic on this asking whether anyone knows if we can get tested on board to meet the Fit to Fly requirements for the return to the UK.

We are booked on Anthem out of Bayonne next Sunday (Dec 12th) and returning to the UK after disembarking on 24th.

Just when we thought we had everything covered the UK Govt has just announced that we will need to show a negative COVID test result from max. 48 hours prior to leaving as a condition for getting back home.

I seem to recall that some time back RC announced that they would provide testing where it is required for guests to return home. Is my memory correct? Does anyone know whether it will be possible to get tested whilst on board in order to meet this requirement?

Many thanks

On 2/21/2020 at 8:04 PM, teddy said:

My mini review.   

We went there for the first time last month.  All we reserved was a Beach Lounger for Two.  We originally paid $45.99 but found it at $34.99 around Black Friday.  I'm glad we reserved the lounger....there were plenty of lounge chairs available first come, first served, but we liked not having to chase the shade.  We felt comfortable leaving our belongings in the lounger while we went exploring

We really enjoyed Labadee, although we are kind of boring people and are content sitting on the beach and occasionally going in the water.  

The beach immediately in front of the loungers was not the best for swimming....not overly protected and there was a lot of surf that day.  We would walk over the the right (as we faced the water) and that area was well protected.  Great place to hang out in the water.

We don't drink, so I can't say anything about the service, but the guy who took us to our lounger told us to let him know if we wanted anything at any time.  I spoke my rusty Quebecois to him, and he really appreciated it.  

We ate the complementary lunch, and it was good...Windjammer quality stuff.  I ate more there than I usually do at the Windjammer.  There was plenty of room to sit under the canopies, and the lines moved very quickly.  One thing I realized right off was that everyone lined up at the first place to get plates/silverware, but there were at least two more places to get them and start in on the buffet.


Both my wife and I are in agreement that an itinerary with Labadee will be a priority for us in the future.  I will do the zip line next time.  It looked awesome.  

We have booked a Labadee beach lounger for two on our Feb 2022 sailing for what I believe is a steal at $27.99.

It is listed as being available from 10.30am (we are scheduled to arrive in Labadee at 10am) with the note "Please enjoy at your leisure between start and end times." However there is no end time listed and it is showing in my cruise planner calendar for the period 10.30am - 11am, and given that there is a more expensive "Full-Day Beach Bed Rental" at $156.99 I am wondering whether the option that I have selected will only allow us usage for 30 mins.

Has anybody got wind of any post pandemic changes to the rules around this item that may support/refute my concern?

I just want to congratulate @Matt on reaching 100,000 YouTube subscribers. It goes to show how entertaining and informative your videos are, and I for one am excited for the opportunity to once again join in your cruise experiences now that you are sailing again... and I look forward to seeing your well deserved silver creator award on display in your office! 

Tony at La Lido Loca has picked up on a recent change to the RC FAQ on the subject that now indicates that the requirement applies only to sailings from Seattle or the Bahamas by virtue of specific reference to these sailings (where previously - I am led to believe - it referred to all US sailings).

I appreciate that this does not help those booked on those sailings who may still have unanswered questions, but it does suggest that, as @JeffB has opined above, RC is not intending for this to be a long- or even medium- term protocol.

25 minutes ago, JeffB said:

I'd add that a good metric for the CDC to throw in with what you suggest is that the county (make sure you read that as COUNTY, not country as this metric should be regional) the cruise port is located within have a %positivity below 5%. If that criteria is met, un-vaxed, under 16s as well as everyone else can cruise after a negative PCR. I'd prefer that a second test after 72h be performed to catch leakers creating as close to a perfect bubble  that is reasonably achievable. 

Side note, Broward Co., home of PEV, has a % positivity rate of under 3% and has been maintaining under 5% for weeks. To my knowledge, Ports of Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville and Canaveral are all in counties with circulating virus metrics below 5%.

We are scheduled to sail on Anthem out of Bayonne in December. Hudson County currently appears to be around a 3% positivity rate so I am determined to remain upbeat about our chances of sailing by then.

14 minutes ago, JeffB said:

I think this is spot on. My take is that Fain knows something the public doesn't and that is something to do with relaxing of some of the stipulations within the CSO as we move forward. Fain talks about 1000% better dialogue between the CDC and the cruise lines. That's code for the idiots at the CDC are starting to deal with real world data and what RCL (and others) have offered all along as sensible infection control and risk reduction measures to allow a re-start is being adopted within the CSO.

I've argued that Celebrity has a better approach than RCL and that Fain should take a page from Luttoff-Perlo's play book .... everyone needs to be vaccinated to board. That's fine for Celebrity that has a much older passenger demographic (late 40s is the median age) and rarely has a lot of under 16s. It's not fine for RCL who I suspect is providing the CDC with rational input on the risk of the under 16 cohort of transmitting the virus as in creating a large outbreak on an RCL ship. RCL may know it's going to get a break on that from the CDC, something exactly like you are suggesting. 

I'd add that a good metric for the CDC to throw in with what you suggest is that the county (make sure you read that as COUNTY, not country as this metric should be regional) the cruise port is located within have a %positivity below 5%. If that criteria is met, un-vaxed, under 16s as well as everyone else can cruise after a negative PCR. I'd prefer that a second test after 72h be performed to catch leakers creating as close to a perfect bubble  that is reasonably achievable. 

Your still dealing with a proportionally higher risk of a COVID outbreak aboard ship if you allow a mix of vaxed and un-vaxed passengers, introduce questions of who needs to mask and who doesn't and introduction of COVID after a cruise port is visited. Maybe Fain has a plan to deal with that. If he does, he's not telling us. 

Makes perfect sense to me at least and I certainly hope you are right... and that @Matt is wrong in the previous post (Matt - I would never of course normally dream of saying such a thing, but hope you will forgive me in this instance! )

5 hours ago, icf75 said:

Regarding this quote:

"Mr. Fain echoed a new policy posted on its website that says everyone who is eligible to get a vaccine will be expected to get one."

Would this mean that as I am a UK resident and my children will not be eligible to be vaccinated by my cruise date, we can still go?

I am wondering the same thing. Ever the optimist I am interpreting the above, along with Mr Fain's advice that RC will be taking a different approach to the 95% vaccination route due to the importance of families to the brand, to mean "Not eligible (in the UK) = not subject to the requirement for vaccination", in which case I presume a PCR test at the port (likely along with other measures) will be the workable alternative. However I guess RC is not under any pressure to formally confirm what these measure will be until we are once again allowed to fly to the US anyway!

1 hour ago, icf75 said:

Im guessing by doing this they hit the 95% vaccinated target?  Very unfair on some families, unless this changes.

Just been in contact with RC and these new rules apply to my Aug 22 cruise.  Thats going to go down well with the family!

Ouch! We are also based in the UK and scheduled to sail out of NJ in December. We are holding out hope that the protocol will change in time as, after much cajoling on our part, good friends of ours who were in the "Cruising would not be for us" camp finally agreed to join us; however their kids will be 12 and 16 so are not of course eligible for the vaccine here... if they are unable to sail I fear they will be lost to cruising forever, which would be a huge shame. 

Maybe it's time to get excited again about our Anthem sailing in December... I know things are expected to be different by then but this is of course a major step in turning the hope into reality

17 hours ago, icf75 said:

Thats the route im going down, just trying to find somewhere that gives me a late enough free cancellation.

Booking.com typically (but not in every case so make sure you check) allows you to book accommodation with no deposit, pay the provider directly when you arrive, and cancel without penalty up to 24hrs before yours scheduled arrival.

So RC is advertising drink packages to use at CocoCay on our Odyssey sailing in September 2022. Not unusual you may say; just one detail however... the sailing is 8 days around the Greek isles out of Civitavecchia (Rome).

Eastern Med + CocoCay... now that's what I call a once in a lifetime itinerary! 

4 hours ago, JeffB said:

uhhhhh, I know where that picture came from. I highly doubt that is a picture of current cruise ship crew quarters.  Maybe the SS France. The web page where this picture is on display is here: https://bestlifeonline.com/cruise-ship-facts/

More modern cruise ship's crew quarters look like this:

@CHRIS WONG himself posted a good video tour of his crew cabin on Oasis.

I know that at times interactions with the RC service team can come with an element of frustration so I thought I would share an example of where the RC rep showed initiative and flexibility to resolve my query...

I booked one of the UK only sailings on the day they became available; however upon browsing the RC web site the very next day (as I am in the habit of doing whilst I await the green light for operations!) I noticed that the sailing was available at the same price but this time with OBC as an added extra.

I called RC and explained the situation, asking whether I needed to cancel the original booking under CWC and re-book in order to acquire the OBC. The rep (Christian) advised that the answer was technically yes I did, but as I would then be unable to apply the FCC from the CWC to the same sailing he would see what he could do.

After a few minutes he returned and advised that under the circumstances he had obtained authorisation to apply the OBC to my existing sailing, thereby saving me the inconvenience of cancelling/re-booking/dealing with the FCC/etc. Within two minutes of ending the call I received a revised invoice from RC showing the OBC and it was also available on my cruise planner.

Way to go Christian, and way to go RC! 

11 hours ago, HeWhoWaits said:

The official reflection on your account won't happen during your trip. However, my wife was in this exact situation. She reached Diamond during a 7 night cruise with two friends, then stayed on B2B for a family trip.

All you need to do is head to the Loyalty desk during the first cruise to get the information added for the second. Your SeaPass will not say Diamond, but a sticker will be added. You'll then need to visit again to have the card activated for the Diamond Lounge.

10 hours ago, twangster said:

I turned Diamond in the same scenario.

The natural course of events would be for points to post around 7 days after a cruise completes.  In the case of a B2B sometimes points for both cruises post only after cruise #2 completes.  

Most loyalty ambassadors will recognize the situation and grant the "premature" change in status.  They may need to research it, validate the points and that can mean they have to email Miami and wait for a response.  For this reason it's best to approach the LA early in cruise #1.  Their hours and location are posted in the Cruise Compass and in the app should this occur during the restart when paper Cruise Compasses may not be widely distributed.

In my case I was on a ship that could print new RFID cards and the LA did just that.  My new card read "Diamond".  I kept my old Emerald card that I used to keep the lights on in the power slot for this cabin.

A few days after this B2B completed I boarded a 3rd cruise on a different ship.  My points from my B2B hadn't posted yet so I still appeared to be Emerald.  On that ship the LA couldn't print new cards but placed a sticker on my card that said "Diamond Member" and sent me to the DL where the DL concierge gave me a separate card that was said "Extra Key"  to use for opening the DL door.  On that cruise I had to carry two cards, my Emerald card with Diamond sticker and the extra card for the DL door.  

Left: Cards from 2nd cruise of B2B after making Diamond on cruise #1

Right: Cards from boarding 3rd cruise shortly after B2B completed.

Thanks very much to you both for some very sound advice. I will report back on whether we are successful!