Dad2Cue

5 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

That has been my experience as well for the last year and a half, never to drop back down again, even after final payment,

I more or less have stopped checking for price drops.  We have cruises booked last year that currently list for $100's more.  One cruise that I thought was expensive when we booked last year currently lists for about $5,000 more ... more than double the price we paid.

For some inexplicable reason I checked the price on our trans Atlantic cruise in April 2025.  I know the price had increased significantly so I stopped checking.  I was very happy with the price we paid last year so I didn't think there could possibly be any price drop.  We can cruise to Europe for less than it costs to fly.

The trans Atlantic cruise appeared to be nearly sold out since online it only showed 2 more rooms left in our room category  The price on the remaining 2 rooms in the same category appeared to be $400 less.  I called thinking it must be a glitch but CS said it priced out at $546 less. 

The additional savings was because the allow you to keep the original taxes and fees that were paid.  The current taxes and fees are much higher.  

The way Royal prices a cruise never did make any sense to me.  The economic laws of supply and demand don't seem to apply to Royal.

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Oh yes, that's right. For a short time they made that allowance. Those where the days of Lift and Shift etc.

But general rules, in normal times, re-pricing after final payment has never been thing.

 

Cruise with confidence ... Lift and Shift ... 125% FCCs ... those were the good old days.  The flexibility was nice but it sure was confusing.  I wonder what happens now if someone tests positive for Covid. 

On a recent cruise, I went down to medical with symptoms rather than do an expensive excursion.  Fortunately I tested negative for Covid.  I mentioned the excursion that I missed and they said the cost of the excursion would be refunded due to "medical reasons."   I didn't get charged for the doctor visit or the Covid test.  They said it was all "Covid related" even though I tested negative.

We have a cruise out of NO booked for Feb 22 - Mar 1, 2025.  The cruise disembarks on a Sunday with Fat Tuesday on March 3rd in 2025.  It should be interesting doing the cruise out of NO but it could be a big mistake trying to disembark.

1 hour ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

You definitely cannot reprice after final payment. It's been like that for ages. You can upgrade though with the price difference.

It seems like repricing after final payment date was allowed during the restart after Covid.  I remember getting a large nonrefundable onboard credit when a price drop happened after the final payment date.  I wasn't sure how I would spend the entire credit onboard until someone on the forum said I could go to the casino and spend it that way.  I gambled part of the onboard credit but cashed out most of it.

11 hours ago, frank23 said:

So, are these people paid below minimum wage and need tips to get by? TBH I feel tipping is a scam. Pay your people properly and charge accordingly

I consider the daily gratuities as part of the charge for the cruise. I prepay these gratuities as I would the taxes and fees.  I hope all the gratuities go into a big pot and distributed fairly to the crew that aren't noticed but do a great job behind the scenes.    It is impossible to interact with the crew members who work behind the scenes but I wish to show my appreciation to them too.

I give additional gratuities to the crew I have direct contact with.  There are hundreds of other crew members who I don't interact with.  I appreciate "these people" just as much. 

12 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

... sometimes you just don’t want to do a specialty the first 2 nights in a row.

This is how we feel about it too.  We like going to the MDR on the first night just to meet the waiter and the assistant waiter.  We also evaluate how long it takes for the entire MDR experience because it can sometimes take 2 hours or more.  Some of the time is on us depending on how enjoyable it is.

To a certain extent our experience on the first night in the MDR  dictates how often we might be willing to consider a specially restaurant for the rest of the cruise.  I'm thinking the overall MDR experience is going down so people will go to the specialty restaurants more often.  I used to think the MDR experience was equal to the specialty restaurant experience. 

As it currently stands we plan on touching base with someone who does the reservations on the first day of the cruise.  We will ask what is allowed and not allowed. We always find the crew to be accommodating but more consistency would be better.

I'm eligible for either a senior discount or a military veteran discount. One or the other discount used to pop up occasionally last year ... not this year.   It is sad because the military discounts used to be substantial.

I still look for opportunities to reprice a cruise but those opportunities are few and far between too.   I don't recall seeing any discounts this year except for C&A discounts.  Price increases are mostly what I see.  I'm glad I booked my remaining cruises last year.

7 hours ago, Traveling Mike said:

I started mine on my Birthday so I would remember to renew it.  It goes for a year, and I figured I would not forget that date.

 

I was going to buy my travel insurance on my birthday in August.  My birthday came too soon and there wasn't time.   It seemed liked my birthday would be a good day if someone wanted to buy me a birthday present.  Unfortunately,  nobody liked the idea of gifting me travel insurance for my birthday.

4 hours ago, wrh2016 said:

 Also, what date do I use as a start date - the date I purchase the travel plan, or the first day of my next trip?

We  paid the premium on an annual travel insurance plan on Sept 1st.  I was asked what date we wanted the insurance to take effect. I arbitrarily choose Sept 15th.  That date sounded like as good of a date as any.  There was a 15 day right of cancellation so I'm currently reading all the insurance policy jargon to figure out what I bought. I don't see any reason to cancel the insurance.

Our first trip begins on Sept 20th and includes a Canadian cruise beginning on Sept 28. We have several cruises planned in the next 12 months included a trans Atlantic cruise in April-May 2024.  We booked both the Canadian and trans Atlantic cruises about a year ago.

My annual plan is from Allianz.  It seems like as good of a travel insurance plan as any for unforeseen "emergencies."  My plan doesn't have too much trip cancellation coverage because that would have cost much more than I was willing to pay.   I'm more worried about the expenses of medical care and repatriation if something happens in the middle of the Atlantic. 

I'm not too worried about the cruise to Canada as everything seems good to go.  We could lose a fortune if we had to cancel in the next week or two  I'm thinking trip cancellation wouldn't be covered anyway since the insurance policy isn't even effective yet. We booked the Canadian cruise refundable but after the final payment date  --- less and less of the cost of the cruise is refundable.  I probably should have bought the travel insurance 3 months ago or maybe a year ago --- I don't know.

39 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

You can try. It has worked for some, not for others. If they follow the rules, you must make the reservation onboard at the onboard price.

Chances are it will work, but they may or may not reprice it at the onboard price.

Sounds like there's no harm done by trying this ... I wouldn't want to blow up their reservation system.  We are doing a B2B on Jewel soon.  I will figure out what works on the first cruise and try to replicate it on the second cruise. 

Gratuities are always a dilemma with these BOGO deals.  We try to be generous.  The gratuities can wind up being more than the cost of the dinner.  We usually consider the prepaid 18% as part of the cost of the dinner.   We add additional gratuity but sometimes that seems overly generous.

8 hours ago, Pattycruise said:

Yes.  When you board head to any of the locations that book specialty dining and discuss your wishes and they will guide you

If I make a reservation for just me on cruise planner before the cruise with the reservation being on the first or second day of the cruise.... when I'm on the cruise can I subsequently invite my wife as my guest and still get my BOGO Diamond+ benefit?

57 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Many will let you use the BOGO on any nights you want (as long as you book on night 1 or 2), some let you use it on lunch, etc.

Can I use my Diamond+ benefit at Chops on the first night or second night so my wife gets her meal for free?   

Before we leave Chops,  can  my wife use her Diamond+ benefit and reserve another restaurant so my meal can be free at the second restaurant?

3 hours ago, twangster said:

Having said that every ship does their own twist on the D+ BOGO so it never hurts to ask.  

What sort of twists???

"Buy any specialty restaurant dinner on the first/second night of your cruise and receive complimentary dining for second guest. Reservation must be made for dinner on the first or second night (excludes Izumi Hibachi, Teppanyaki, Chef’s Table & Hooked Seafood)"

This seems to say it is for 2 guests at the same restaurant on the same night and only the 1st or 2nd night of the cruise.

We like the Chops +1 dining package.  We just reached Diamond+ so you got my hopes up that we wouldn't need to purchase Chops +1.

3 hours ago, emmef said:

Neither Houston airport (IAH or Hobby) is close to Galveston Island.  You will need at the very minimum one hour and 15 minutes transit time between airport and the Island.  Can't stress enough that traffic can be a real factor.  I've lived in the Houston area for 30-plus years. If there is any way to fly in the day before, please do.

Thank-you for all the information.  That clarifies many questions I have.  I really want to give this a try.  I have never cruised out of Galveston.  I would like  to spend more time there.  As it stands, we will only be able to do the Space Center excursion with IAH drop off after the cruise.  

3 hours ago, bobroo said:

The Royal transfer to/from IAH is about $60 per person/per trip.

$39.95 per person for one-way from IAH to the port is what I'm being charged.  A total of $79.90 for 2 people.  

I cancelled my day of cruise flight with Air2Sea and booked directly with United on the day before the cruise.  Air2Sea said that was okay as long as I found my way back to the airport the following day.  When will I be assigned a time to be back to the airport to catch the bus?  Is the designated time always 9:30 a.m. in the baggage claim area of Terminal C?  I assume my hotel shuttle driver will know where that is and get me there if I left the hotel by 8:30?

It sounds like it could be a hurry-up and wait scenario.  Is the bus booked through Air2Sea the same bus that people book directly with Royal Caribbean?

2 hours ago, Matt said:

Yup, travel insurance is a lot cheaper than most people think

We are one month away from our Canada cruise.  My wife just had a problem which would have been terrible if it would have happened on the cruise.  The problem has resolved but she is still having some tests done.  Is it too late to get travel insurance for our Canada cruise?

I was going to wait until next year to get travel insurance for our TransAtlantic cruise.  We have several cruises in 2024 so maybe an annual travel policy would be wise.  I suspect a policy that would cover costs in Europe and returning from Europe back to the US would be expensive.

On 8/25/2023 at 4:01 PM, bluebirdjad said:

Has anyone used the transfer system to Port Galveston?  Where do they meet you?  Is it quick? 

Is this booked through Air2Sea?  I can't answer your questions but I hope you get some answers.  I need answers to these questions too.

I was also under the impression you had to book a flight on the day of your cruise.  I found out later that you can fly in the day before the cruise.  You need to call Air2Sea to do this because it can't be done online. 

I ended up cancelling the flight altogether and booked it directly with United. It seems easier to change the flight if I need to.  Plus, I can have my bags checked for free when I use my United credit card.  Checking my bags would have cost extra if I booked through Air2Sea.

I'm only left with the transfer from IAH to the port.  I still have 4 months to figure out this part of it.  I'm beginning to think there might be an easier way to get to the port.

12 hours ago, Robert M said:

we stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites near the airport, they offered a shuttle and parking in a secured lot but it was actually cheaper to just drive the 20 minutes to the terminal and park there at 30.00 a day.

How long ago did you stay here because this hotel was part of Radisson when I made a reservation.  Choice Hotels brought Radisson but not this hotel apparently. 

Hampton lists this hotel as a "new" hotel but I'm hoping it is still a nice hotel.  I think there was some renovation but that doesn't make it new.  I called the hotel directly and they confirmed my reservation.  Is this hotel still nice?

9 hours ago, Matt said:

Many times. More than I can count, but I always have my travel agent do it.

Same here ... I call myself.  It takes about 5 minutes not counting hold time for high call volume.  

I have repriced after the final payment date and received a nonrefundable OBC.

I don't think they ever refund money if you pay in full before the final payment date but I could be wrong.  Prices have gone up so much, I don't see many price reductions anymore.

Sometimes you need to call right away because the price may change again. They go by the price they see when you call.  I have never filled out the online form.

Sometimes they don't see the same price I see online.  In that case, I hang up and call back again and try someone else.

I don't have much luck when my room category is sold out.  Then I can't check what the current price is.

4 hours ago, ScottD said:

we already paid to upgrade from Boardwalk to ocean view balcony a few months ago (saw that it was only like 100 bucks more so we had our TA jump on it)

I have upgraded myself this way and feel better about it.  At least the cost/benefit ratio is more obvious plus I can still pick my room.

The whole pricing scheme Royal uses is hard to comprehend.  I have seen ocean view balconies priced less than Central Park or Boardwalk.  Sometimes I would rather have Central Park but I'll take an ocean view if it costs less.

I booked two rooms not that long ago.  Ocean view for my daughters and Junior Suite for wife and me.  Adjacent rooms but not connected. There were slightly different discounts involved. 

The issue of refundable vs. nonrefundable came into play. The Junior Suite had a $1,000 premium for refundable.  The ocean view refundable was about $200.  I got the Junior Suite NRD for less than the ocean view refundable. 

My daughters change their minds too much and aren't so committed.

23 minutes ago, OCSC Mike said:

Then I don’t think RU is for you.

That's what I thought.

Another question ... Is the minimum bid based on the category of room you are upgrading from?

For example,  an upgrade from an interior room to a grand suite might have a minimum bid of $2,000 whereas an upgrade from a junior suite to a grand suite might only have a minimum bid of  $500.

I have never done Royal Up.  I understand it this way:

I pay a premium so that I can select my room.  Then I make a Royal Up bid and potentially pay more so Royal can select my room.  Would you only do Royal Up if you let Royal pick your room in the first place?

I care more about location than the size of my room.

We are on Symphony in January so we thought we might see you then.  We can't afford Icon yet unless Royal reassigns us with price protection.  

We really enjoy your videos and congratulations on your reassignment.  I won't hold my breath waiting for our reassignment.  We will enjoy Symphony but we would volunteer for Icon.

3 hours ago, twangster said:

I made Pinnacle while living in CO.  It was because of flying that I did a lot of B2B or B3B which helped accelerate Pinnacle.

How did double cruise points factor into this?  We have a long way to go for Pinnacle but we jumped up quickly to Diamond Plus with one long cruise in a suite.  We had FCC's to use and we wanted to use them all at once.

We spend a month or two in Florida during the winter and usually do a cruise or two when they are less expensive during January and February.  Being retired allows us to get away from here.  I'm not so sure I would want to live in Florida year round though.  I like Florida ... but not as much during the summer.  We would rather drive to Colorado in the summer.