Chadster

I echo both the endorsement for MEI and for Sharla; she's been both helpful and patient with me as I find my way as a still-wet-behind-the-ears cruiser. I honestly wish I'd found a good travel agent sooner -- I made some costly mistakes...and discovered a cruise that would've been an upgrade for me over my upcoming one in every way. I'm still looking forward to my 9-day trip, but if I knew sooner what I know now because of a travel agent and this blog... ?

Back on Feb. 21, I booked a December cruise to Nassau/CoCoCay on Grandeur, and yesterday, I noticed there were $100 OBC rewards available -- so I grabbed one. Followed the instructions, emailing Club Royale with details of the cruise and my personal info -- verifying my contact info, my citizenship, and my age. This afternoon, I got an email stating that it's been applied to my cruise. Not too shabby for having an extra tab open in Facebook and/or letting my phone do something while it sits next to me while I'm at my desk. ? If I end up deciding on a voyage to "test cruise" one of the larger ships later this year, I'll grab another with my available loyalty points (you can use two rewards in a rolling 180-day period, so I could use another later this year).

If I end up getting the Voom package for my May cruise (I kinda like the idea of disconnecting for a few days!), I'll likely get The Key because prices are running so close -- though being on a smaller ship like Grandeur does limit some of the benefits. ?

I just had to email my TA about canceling my planned October 2021 cruise to/from Montreal. ? Not only am I sad about that, I feel bad for having to have my TA deal with that -- and lose out on commission! This just might mean going a bit bigger on my May 2021 cruise to Alaska, though -- especially because I think I might have a travel partner for it!

Thanks for your insight! For my May sailing on Grandeur, "The Key" is currently pricing at $16.99 per day, and the Surf n' Stream package is pricing at $13.99 per day. So that'd shake out to $27 more for the whole cruise in my case, though I'm still not 100% sold on whether I want internet access or not or just to unplug for a few days. I already have a specialty restaurant lunch booked for Chops on embarkation day ($21.99), so just for the lunch on embarkation day and the breakfast on debarkation day, it might be worth it for me, along with priority boarding and debarkation, since I'm not much into the sorts of activities the program offers priority hours for -- though I might be willing to give the rock wall a try since there'll be fewer people to watch me! ?

FWIW, it's what it says in the Cruise Planner under the description of Chops for my May cruise on Grandeur, too. Based on what I've read around here, I'm not sure I'm quite so stoked about my Chops lunch plans. ?

I love cruising because they're this multi-destination trip with an amazing hotel experience sandwiched in there -- oh, and there are sandwiches (and other delicious foods...)! I get to see something a little different in each port, and my view from on deck is a little different every day, too; even on sea days, you see something a little different -- the color of the sky, the color of the water, a particularly cool wave... Plus, there are people all around, so if I feel like interacting with others, I can...or, I can do my own thing. It's pretty sweet! Dream cruise? Something around the world, especially through the Northern Hemisphere and its northern latitudes. Icebergs, fjords, auroras, whales... Though honestly, I'm not sure what ship I'd pick -- I don't need a floating amusement park, just a nice variety of activities, especially for the bad-weather sea days!

Thanks for this info -- I'm signed up to take it on Grandeur in May. Back when I cruised on Carnival and took a ship tour, we couldn't even bring our phones.

These are all terrifying! If I start having cruise nightmares (and here I am, getting ready for my second-ever cruise in a couple of months...), I'm blaming all of you! ?

Thank you all for the heads-up both about MyVegas (and as of today, MyKonami). As I type, I've got MyKonamiSlots running on a tab in Facebook on my desktop, and my phone is sitting next to me, spinning away with MyVegas slots. I'm slowly but steadily building up reward points and haven't paid out any real money yet to get any extra chips. I just grab the bonus chips as I can from Facebook or from the app notifications. I figure "slow and steady" is my mantra here! I also enjoy giving my brain (and my limited gambling skills) a workout with the blackjack, too. It's a great way to make quick (but sometimes risky) chips! In a couple of weeks of playing, I've accumulated just over 88K in reward points. A drop in the bucket, but it's getting me toward more rewards than I even knew about a couple of weeks ago! I'm not a big mobile/Facebook game player, but this feels like gaming with a purpose...the purpose of furthering my fun on future cruises!

I decided on the 3-night package plus lunch at Chops on embarkation day on Grandeur. I typically really enjoy dining-room fare, but since "Lady G" has fewer specialty dining establishments than larger ships, the 3-night works well, since it lets me sample each...and should I decide to skip a fourth MDR night, I can always pay a little extra for one more special treat. I also personally decided to go with just the soda package (to get my Coke fix) and do my other drinks a la carte. But if you think you'll get the mileage out of all those options, live it up -- it's a cruise...enjoy to the fullest! ?

I also definitely wouldn't want to be in a foreign country without a passport, no matter where it is.

I don't spend a lot of time in the casino, but this is exciting, even for just walking through or grabbing a quick drink.

According to the U.S. Dept. of State, the passport must merely be valid at the time of entry.

Thanks for the clarification! Thanks a ton...this is what I thought, but I can be a bit dim sometimes!

Not to sound dense, but is "Izumi Hot Rocks" on Grandeur the same as "Izumi Hibachi", and is there a "separate" Izumi where I can just enjoy sushi/etc. (and the $35pp credit without the up-charge)?

This is one of the first things I booked after I booked my May cruise on Grandeur. A lot of the Canada/New England ports, I'm planning on just doing "on my own" style, so I had a little extra OBC to play with. I've only done one other cruise (Carnival Fantasy in October 2018), and I really enjoyed the ship tour -- though thanks to Hurricane Michael, the captain closed the bridge, so I had to miss out on that part! ? So, I'm hoping to make up for it this time! Even without the bridge, I totally thought it was worth it!

I was really contemplating this one. I was torn between it and a cruise to Alaska in May '21. The Alaska cruise won out. I'll add that to my list, by the way; May 16, 2021: 7-Day Vancouver-Sitka-Hubbard Glacier-Juneau-Ketchikan-Vancouver via Celebrity Eclipse (it still counts -- it's RCCL-adjacent!)

Maybe for those 3 "ultimate" nights out of the 7, the waiters juggle fire while delivering food to your table. On unicycles.

Ahhhhh! I just saw the Oasis Bar. I must sail Enchantment when she takes up station here in Maryland next year! And @RoyalGreek, your video was FANTASTIC! At the beginning, I was half-expecting my mom to tell me it was time for bed and to not sit so close to the TV! ?

I'll try to remember to post a not-so-live blog of my Canada/New England cruise from Baltimore in May; of course, I'll be on Enchantment's sister ship, Grandeur, but since they're both Vision-class, I'm guessing it'll be a comparable experience. And I've definitely heard good things about "Lady G". ?

The only concession I've made so far to anything but an inside room is thanks to this weekend's sale, the price dropped enough that I was able to switch to a non-refundable deposit for my holiday sailing on Grandeur and upgrade to an ocean-view stateroom. Did I need it? No...but the price is dead-even with what I owe for final payment for this particular cruise. Plus, I was able to get the ocean-view cabin directly across from the inside cabin I'll have on my May cruise on Grandeur. Hey, I'm easily entertained! ?

I went ahead and pulled the trigger on the 7-day itinerary aboard Eclipse (Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, and Ketchikan) round-trip from Vancouver. I'm going to keep an eye on the price of the 9-day cruise, but for now, a 7-day introduction to Alaska works great for me and my budget. To say I'm beyond excited is putting it mildly -- especially because it'll be interesting to experience yet another cruise line and get a unique experience (though I must admit, by the time I take this cruise in May 2021, I'll feel like I'm cheating on RCCL, since I'll have been on two cruises with them by then! ??

What makes 2 Canada cruises so attractive for me is the fact that I don't drive -- so it lets me get places up the coast a lot easier than via train or bus or paying out the nose for flights into regional airports! As was said above, cruise what you can afford -- and right now, the scenery I can afford is up the coast, and I'm really excited about both my trips! ? Of course, I'm also salivating at the notion of Alaska. I was just thinking tonight that if I put it off until 2022 as my "main cruise" for that year, I'll be able to save up a lot more and have an experience that is much more grand without costing me grands more (Coast-to-coast flights are a lot for both the body and the wallet! ?) Of course, that means I'll have to come up with a spring cruise for next year, because I'm not sure I can make it from December until October without a cruise! ?

Wait...you mean there are other things to pass the time besides read this blog, plan more cruises, or book more cruises?? ?