Crazycruiser50

1 hour ago, KJ1231 said:

I get The Key on shorter sailings. We have a 7-day Western Caribbean on Enchantment the end of November. Departure isn't until 8:30 PM. What time is boarding? I'm assuming we get dinner? I would probably spend the day in San Juan and not use the Chops lunch on embarkation day. Voom is $18 for 2; Key is $17. Not thinking it's worth it this go round on Enchantment

Enchantment is a smaller ship too, so the boarding and disembarking is much easier.  
 

I think you made the right choice.  

1 hour ago, BB1 said:

Thank you all for the good advice. Unfortunately I have to work the day before my cruise so I am taking a red eye. I'm sure I'll want to take a nap as I live out West and there is  a 3 hr. time change. I'm just trying to figure out what to do. Again, thanks.

 

As far as taking a nap in the airport terminal, most people plop down on those $5 for 15 min massage chairs... It is def more comfortable than sitting in a regular chair.  Bring a good eye mask and some noise cancelling headphones, but don’t forget to set your alarm! Haha

51 minutes ago, BB1 said:

I don't know the airport.  I guess what I'm asking is, after we get our luggage, what can we do? Is there somewhere at the airport we can wait with our luggage, possibly take a nap?

I’m not sure which airline you are flying or when your cruise is, but the schedules have been reduced like crazy.  Even if you were allowed to book a flight that shows arriving at 6am (assuming that is a red eye) they might cancel and re-book you on a later flight the closer you get.  I am hoping for a quick recovery for the airlines sooner than later (I work for one), but point of my story is just keep an eye on it.  My personal recommendation would be come in the day prior and relax in a hotel and enjoy the stress free travel.  You can get a decent price on a hotel near the airport especially since the majority of them are hurting for business.  (Those that are even open.)

If this travel is in 2021 I’m hoping they will all be close to fully recovered by then and the schedule should stick.  

2 hours ago, jaredhamburg said:

Just snagged it for $16.99/per person/per day for my sailing in late September 2020.  We were buying the Internet anyway and wanted the special meals coming and going....Plus, being expedited coming and going could be very useful in the coming months.  I am not sure how social distancing will work with a large queue trying to get off of the ship, but I think having a way to skip it could give a lot of peace of mind.  I just want to use The Key to hit the easy button for the cruise.

PS - I know there are different thoughts on the value of the key, but it was quite economical when comparing it and the other perks to just the Internet, which we need to have (medical reasons....otherwise, it would be in a no data mode just as a camera....).

J

I was thinking along the same line as you. We have a junior suite in October so we get to use the expedited line, but I might still buy the key anyway for ease off the ship.  As far as November we are trying two of those adjoining panoramic rooms up top.  I already purchased the key for that one.  
 

The lunch coming on and bfast getting off is very nice in my opinion too.  Get to avoid the WJ during 2 of the craziest rushes... priceless hahaha
 

After buying Deluxe Drink, Unlimited Dining, and The Key for 2 of us, we still have $221 left.  My kids will easily spend the rest at the arcade and Ben and Jerry’s

3 hours ago, Pooch said:

As we will be right below the pool deck, I'd like to be on the non-smoking side.  Port or Starboard?

As for Rhapsody, I did a search on cruise critic and someone said the smoking side was on the starboard side. That post was from 2016 though.  Maybe someone who has been on it recently can chime in.  

This is what it will look like when it finally shows up.  

I think it depends on the ship.  For instance on Enchantment and Liberty it was on the Port (left) side if facing forward.  I don’t smoke, but would walk my daughter on laps in her stroller trying to get her to nap.  
 

Always had to make a detour around that area of those ships.  

For those waiting for their incorrect 125% FCC to get corrected... (5/14 promise)

I had to call yesterday about something else (who knows the list is so long of mess ups).  Anyway, they said the correct amount is now showing on my FCC certificates even though we never received an email with the new amount.  

So, if you are getting close to your final payment date you might want to call for an update on your FCC as I suspect the emails might never show up.  

They told me the same thing and I didn’t want to miss out on this weekend’s sale.  I asked to speak to a supervisor and after a 10 min hold he did it immediately.  
 

They have the ability, it’s just a matter of finding someone willing to do it.  
 

You might be out of luck since they will force your TA to handle it.  

42 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

This is super-harsh for me, since that means I either have to pay the minimum on my card and get hit with some interest while I wait for a refund that would more than pay it off; OR I pay in full now and then have a huge credit balance sitting on the card until I’m at a point to re-purchase internet package, excursions, etc. Neither is a great option, and I really hope they’ll start speeding that up.

I’m in the same boat.   I don’t want to pony up another $1053 in cash to pay off the balance.  I assumed it would go through by now.  That being said I don’t want to get hit with interest.  

13 minutes ago, SpeedNoodles said:

It dropped down to $12.99/day for my Oct cruise (I snagged it at $16.99 about 6 months ago).  I should cancel and rebook but I'm still waiting for my money to come back from something I canceled two weeks ago (not long, I know, but I kind of only want to do one at a time so I can keep track of them, lol).

I cancelled a bunch of items 15 days ago.  When I called this morning to ask why they haven’t been refunded to my CC yet (usually takes a couple of days), they said it’s going to be 45 days now.  
 

For a cruise planner cancellation... I was not happy.  They are hanging on to our money for as long as they can.  

$12.99... Wow!!! 
 

I’ll keep an eye on it then.  
Thanks! 

I know some of you love it and some of you hate it, but it’s on sale for $16.99/day for our Oct and Nov cruise.  (It’s been $26.99 for a few weeks)

DX and dining packages are still high, but I’ve never seen the Key that low and jumped on it.

Figured I would give you a heads up for those waiting for it to go on sale.  
 

Enjoy your day!

7 minutes ago, Kcusack89 said:

@Crazycruiser50 of course I'll attach a screen shot I asked the same question on a fb group and I also tested it myself

Beautiful!  
 

Thanks again!!

4 minutes ago, Kcusack89 said:

If you cancel something you brought with obc it automatically credits back your credit so no worries about having to wait.

Perfect!!! Thanks for letting me know! 

1 hour ago, Kcusack89 said:

Current you call and they apply it all to your cruise planner account and you use it like traditional obc. Very simple. I had to wait 2 and a half hours on hold though

Thanks, I got through on the phone a few days ago.  I posted my experience on a diff thread, but basically they told me I had to email someone to get it applied.  I asked to speak to a supervisor and they got it applied immediately.  Go figure...

I had some items I cancelled on my cruise planner as I was going to use this credit instead.  Usually when we cancel online it takes 5-10 days to refund to my CC.  Well, after 15 days I called again this morning and they said now it’s going to take 45 days.  Very annoying...

I highly recommend using this credit at the sale price you are comfortable with because trying to get them to make an adjustment if it goes on a deeper sale is going to be a nightmare.  
 

I am hoping to see some decent cruise planner sales this weekend.  

Everyone calm down a little bit... I am just conveying what my friend on board has told me.  His home country’s border is open and yet RCCL won’t get him or anyone else that is allowed in to their respective country home.  
 

As far as pay, I apologize, I was wrong.  They are still receiving $13/day.
 

I know everyone on this forum wants to get back on the ships just as bad as I do, all I was trying to say is it’s not like the crew is having the same experience that we do when we go cruising.  I feel bad for them and hope they can get home to their loved ones as soon as possible.  
 

Crack a cold one and enjoy your day! 

Self isolating in your home is completely different than self isolating in a 10’ x 15’ room with no windows.  
 

As far as getting home?  Carnival has already figured out a way to get all their crews home minus the bare minimum to keep the ships running at sea.  That was over a month ago too.
 

The country’s are closed to foreigners, but if you are a citizen of that country you are allowed in as long as you self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival.  
 

As far as work, I get it.  Most of their home country’s don’t have much work, but at least they have the opportunity to do something to feed their families and pay their rent.  Being stuck on a prison ship with zero pay is far worse than making $3 a day doing whatever job they can find.  
 

We all know the pay is significantly better on a cruise ship than most jobs they can get at home, but with zero pay and the “go home” plans being pushed further and further back daily, don’t you think you would at least like the freedom to work any job for any pay??? 
 

They are stuck at Sea because RCCL won’t pony up the money to get them home.  We are living in a fantasy world if any of us think that cruising will resume before Aug 1st.  They want to keep them on board so they can start bringing in money again as soon as the CDC allows.  That being said how pleasant do you think your on board experience is going to be with crew that have been held prisoner for 4.5 months with zero pay? 

On 5/17/2020 at 11:53 AM, Ray said:

So let me get this correct

 

They are proresting about being locked on a ship with 100s of fellow crew for company, with food and drink available at no cost, still getting paid their wage, lots of things to do such as games, pool, ice skating etc YET they want home to their countries where they will be in lockdown in their home only talking with those in their household, food and drink will be whats available at local shop they have to que to get into and they wont have wages.....makes a lot of sense

To me this photo is a small group organising a protest and as everyone knows when something is happening others come out to watch, those watching are probably the laundry staff wondering how the hell they are going to get the pen marks off the bed sheets for new guests arriving 

 

BTW anyone notice its only the Miami newspaper that poster links? Probably works for them and is trying to further their career by looking for negative posts on here 

Ray, they were in lockdown in their rooms for 21 days to ensure that every single crew member went fever free for 14 days.  
 

They haven’t had pay since April 1st.  They are basically being held as prisoners.  They are being fed, but have to pay for alcohol if they choose to drink.  As far as pools etc, they have been only allowed in them a few hours a day and are required to social distance.  

How do I know all of this??? 
 

A very dear friend and his wife are crew members on board one of the ships and we talk almost every other day on FB messenger.  
 

It is a nightmare for them and there is no end in sight.  They want to get home so they can work whatever job they can to feed their families.  Have a little compassion. 

28 minutes ago, KevinJ said:

Has anyone received a corrected FCC without having to call? I got the 5/9 low ball credit. I did get my CPC on 5/14 and it was correct. 

Not yet, I called this morning to get my cruise planner credit applied to a booking in Nov (which will probably cancel anyway).  They said I had to send the info to some email address and it would take a few days to apply.  I was not happy with that answer and waited an additional 15 mins for a supervisor and he applied it immediately.  
 

As far as the wrong FCC amount, I asked him if he could fix that for us too and he said it’s already in the re-processing phase and he can’t mess with it now.  He said expect it updated in a day or 2.  
 

Not holding my breath...

12 hours ago, mworkman said:

@Crazycruiser50 If you booked using a TA, they will have to add it to your reservation.  If not, call RCL and they will add it to your reservation and it will show up like OBC does. Then you use it to purchase whatever you want in the cruise planner.

Thank you!

I still haven’t gotten through on the phone.  (Life got in the way).  Anyone know what the story is?  We just call and have them apply the certificates to a particular reservation and then we go online and book cruise planner items?  Or do we have to call them every time we want to purchase an item?  
 

Option 1 would be significantly easier as things go on sale at different times.  

I accidentally hung my iPhone up after being on hold for 1:45... ughhh

Ill call again tonight.  

11 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

If you are doing it to take advantage of a price drop, yes.  Then anything you don't spend before the cruise will be available for you to spend while onboard the ship.  You just won't get any left over refunded to you if you don't use it all before getting off the ship.

I think he meant spend it now, then cancel and re-apply to a price drop.  
 

Personally, I’m going to wait for the $44/nt DX and $118/pp for the unlimited dining sale before I cash it in.   (5 nt cruise in Nov).