Reigert2008

I feel "seen" This just came across Twitter https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2022/06/06/ultimate-guide-last-minute-cruise-deals

Question: In reality, what is the closest to a cruise you can really book? Are we talking a week? Two weeks? Reason: So with the hotel prices being what they are in the areas we were trying to look for a "long weekend" trip, it looks like it would be cheaper for us to: Drive from Kentucky to Port Canaveral Buy the Refreshment Package Take a 3 night cruise Drive home from Port Canaveral This is even after factoring in gas and parking at the port and possibly stopping in the Atlanta area to sleep for a few hours and then continuing on. We're stuck not leaving until at least 6:00 PM the night before the cruise due to work schedules, so it's drive through the night or sleep over about half way there. Obviously, the earlier we can leave the better, but we won't really know when we can leave until closer to the date and it's looking like it will be this cruise or stay home and chill. Why "force" in the cruise? if we are able to squeeze in a 3 night cruise this year, then we will reach diamond after our other two cruises we have booked, meaning that we probably wouldn't need to purchase a drink package on the cruise we will probably take early in 2023 with her parents, saving us at least $300. Thanks!

Never cruised from Boston, but I do recommend the Courtyad Downtown/North Station (link below). If you’re staying in the North End (or anywhere :)) then I recommend the following which are all on Salem street and close to the hotel I recommend. Italian — Al Dente (http://www.aldenteboston.com) Bakery — Bova’s (http://bovabakeryboston.net) Sandwich — Pauli’s North End (https://paulisnorthend.com) hotel - https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/bosne-courtyard-boston-downtown-north-station/overview/ my wife and I were just Portland Maine and ended up driving to Boston to eat dinner at Al Dente since it was only about 92 miles from Kennebunkport which we were doing a side trip for

Thanks! I had not noticed that on safety screen. I was seeing the station by looking under the "person icon" at the top where it give you your room number and date that check in opens.

Has anyone been able to update their preferences online? When I use the address and login, I cannot find any place to make selections. It’s not a huge deal since we already have the refreshment package, but I’d at least like to see the list and make and pick something. Thanks!

I just wish you knew where on the ship your muster station was before you boarded. Either in the app Orem on your printed set sail pass. I know we can see our stations in the app (B21 and B2 for our upcoming cruises) but it doesn’t say where they are located. Sure over time you may remember where they are on the ships, but for newer cruisers or your first time on the ship, you may not know. ideally I’d like to see something listed like (these locations may. It exist Muster Station: B21, Deck 3, Sabor Restaurant then at least you would have the name of where you need to be. I could totally see a new cruiser intending to do it and then getting distracted when they board. Maybe having a name to match the number could help.

I'd highly recommend working with a good travel agent. They can make sure nothing gets missed in the process.

We probably would have cashed out some, but at some ports like Barbados, St. Kits, and St. Lucia we had to take an excursion in order to get off the ship and see the islands. Since we had the FCC, we really didn't have to spend much additional money. We also learned during the "weird times" that from that point on, if we want to do something, we're just going to do it since you never know what could come up and alter your plans. We really enjoyed our excursions, we just normally wander the island on our own, so this was different. We also got to see many things that we never would have made it to on our own, so we've changed our stance on excursions for the future and may take an excursion or two when we travel to new places. We're not "beach people" so the ones we've looked at tend to be more history related.

This is correct. We had a 10N Canadian cruise from Baltimore scheduled for May 2019 and was hit as part of the initial shutdown. We took the 125% FCC for BOTH the cruise and the cruise planner, when we thought we'd be back in a few months

I highly recommend adding a credit card now to make things easier when you board and not require you to go by the desk on embarkation day. Once you are onboard, you can then totally swing by the desk and "pay your charges" so nothing really ever hits the card. I would not put a debit card on the account since there could be holds placed on your account until after your cruise is completed.

I also wonder if some of the pricing is in relation to the number of people that have some onboard FCC from past cancellations. We had a 10 night cruise get cancelled in the first wave of things and had only purchased the Refreshment package for two people. When they offered the 125% we took it and ended up with a ton of onboard FCC that we ended up using much later when we visited places that required excursions to get off the ship. Normally we don't do excursions, but we were able to do an excursion at each port with very little additional expense.

I think that’s the same thing with a lot of things. We have a local water park which is nice and a second one not too far away, so the one on island is not of any interest to us. However, we are considering dining at Izumi hibachi solely because our “good hibachi” at home has taken a nosedive. We don’t typically do speciality dining or excursions to save on cost but When we vacation, We tend to do things that we can’t do at home. I bet there are a lot of people who don’t have easy access to a water park and for them the price is “reasonable”.

To be clear, I wasn’t taking shots at anyones belongs, just making a safety recommendation. I’ve been replacing that style of extension cord when I find them at my families houses and figured I would share the same recommendation to the OP. My brother in law is a fire fighter and each winter they get so many runs due to people using these cords and plugging in space heaters, Christmas trees, running them under carpets, etc.. if I offended @Walt Golasthen I apologize as that was certainly not my intent.

Personally, I wouldn’t use the middle one ever. That style of cord is far too old and I’d be concerned that it isn’t 3 prong and the sheathing is probably not protective enough for todays appliances. If you need an extension cord to plug in an approved device, then Royal should be able to provide one for use.

This seems like something that would best be answered by Royal directly. I would contact your travel agent or Royal Caribbean. They should be able to answer your question and make sure all sides have the relevant paperwork completed, if this is even allowed.

You will want to complete the special needs form at the link below. They specifically ask about accessible excursions and can work with you to ensure you are able to enjoy all the activities. Good luck! https://www.royalcaribbean.com/resources/guest-special-needs

It’s because of things like this that many of us always recommend using a good travel agent. I wouldn’t have wanted to pay another deposit while getting it all figured out and I believe a TA would have been able to prevent that.

No one should panic and that was not my intent, i was just sharing how we do things and the thought process I went through the first time I saw this requirement on an excursion. While they probably won't ever check, there is always the chance that you are on an excursion that is "being tested for compliance" so in theory they could check. At the end of the day, i take whatever steps I can to minimize any hassle and shared my process. Everyone has thier process and people can choose whatever they like, not a big deal.

I'm just saying they could check and for that reason we carry the "allowed" sunblock. I don't want to have any hassle while I'm on vacation, much less when I'm away from my home country and have to deal with thier requirements. I'm a "rule Follower" and I read all the documents, policies, and excursion notes and make sure I'm compliant. In my opinion, I'll never have a hassle for following the documents. This is how we cruise, but many others here will have differing opinions. Not a big deal, i was just sharing how we do it.

You should probably direct this question directly to Royal as they would have the official answer.

While you will "probably" be ok, In my opinion, it's best to have the reef safe "in case" the excursion vendor checks your sunscreen when you pull it out of your bag to apply. Of course, they can't check what you put on in your cabin before you arrive, but once you are on the excursion, you may fall subject to rules, regulations, and fines in the other country. For us, it's just easier to have it and use it and never have to think about it.

We've seen it listed on a few excursions, but so far no one has checked. We purchased some for our last cruise and as we use up the "bad stuff" we will only buy the reef safe versions for ease of travel.

I am an adult and I was obsessed with it as well I so suspect they will disappear as upgrades occurs because it was never busy on Oasis back in February. I got the majority of my drinks at the Bionic bar because is was never busy and as a non-alcoholic person, it was neat and fun to see all the various combos and how they tasted, so I know what i may want to get later in life at a "regular" bar. Too bad the Bionic bar couldn't do the Blueberry "no"jito, or I would have lived at the Bionic bar.

I wondered how that worked. We had a situation where we were going to leave a TA and was curious how to do that onboard, but then that last cruise with them was cancelled and we just booked the replacement with the new TA.

While many of us on this board are helpful and wouldn’t intentionally provide bad information, you really need to contact the onboard medical staff. While it’s probably motion related, they will best be able to diagnose the problem and work with you on a solution that works with your medical history.