recogneyes
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Posts posted by recogneyes
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20 hours ago, AmyE said:
Hi!
Doing a cruise this summer and I'm really interested in doing the Delos Tour while I'm in Mykonos. However, I know that there's nothing on the island. So how if I need to use the bathroom while we're there, what happens? Anyone have experience on this?
We did this tour while on Explorer last summer. There are washrooms on the island close to where you embark/disembark. I believe there are also washrooms on the ferry that takes you over to Delos. It was a wonderful excursion. Enjoy
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8 hours ago, ScottD said:
Yeah, MOST group rates are for Double occupancy rooms. At this point anything we book now, he'd be past the KSF age, so at this point that's out. BUT next year, we may do that and book two rooms, one under each adult\one kid and let him bring a friend. If we can manage adjoining rooms AND 2 group rate rooms, it might be worth a shot!
This is what we've been doing for a few years now and it works well for us. Harr travel offers some great group rates (for 2) and their service is wonderful . We have referred them to friends and they've been finding the same. It works especially well that they get the benefit of only having to purchase one beverage package as only one adult is in the room (spouse wouldn't get enough use out of UBP or refreshment package).
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15 hours ago, Ampurp85 said:
I am not saying never in regard to creating a new tier, I just didn't agree that the promotion backfired.
I am also hoping the casino changes, but not for the worst. I don't want them to make it harder to get comps, but I would like a level between Prime and Signature, master's seems impossible to me.
That would be a really good change as there is such a gap between levels. I would also like to see the option for Diamond/D+/Pinnacle passengers to be able to forgo a drink package should they be booked in a cabin with a guest 21+ who wants to buy it. This is even more of an issue when you become Prime (or higher) in the casino. There is the option to contact Royal and just purchase the refreshment package if you don't drink alcohol, but if you do, then this isn't an option. When you are getting 4/5/6 drink vouchers per day plus when in the casino, purchasing a drink package is likely not necessary for most.
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21 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:
Yes, your TA can be removed but my experience is that it is very difficult to do and if your TA doesn’t want to give up the booking it’s next to impossible to do. For this reason, I would not use the app to purchase the NC open booking if there is a TA attached to your current sailing.
Thank you - that makes perfect sense. Taking the time to purchase the NC certificate while on the ship is likely better than the headache of moving it afterwards.
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On 1/28/2024 at 7:24 PM, asquared17 said:
i will say, the in app booking worked like a charm last time.
just make sure if you use a travel agent (which i don’t think you did haha) for your current booking, they put the open booking under that same agent.
at least that’s what happened to us!
This is super helpful, thank you. When existing cruise is booked with an agent and NC cert is then sent to them (if you use the app), is there a way for it to then be transferred back to RCCL so that you can book and use with casino? We've never had our agent book a casino cruise - we contact Casino Royale directly.
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On 2/1/2024 at 4:43 PM, JPit said:
I got an answer. They admit it says 4 people but only if you have 4 in your stateroom. Of course I said that it doesn't say that. And they apologized. I also didn't get the free water or the floaters. They are checking with the boat. Which I doubt will yield anything. At best a credit might happen for the future which I don't see using anytime soon.
Oh I would be so annoyed at this too! We've rented the beach beds at various parts of Coco Cay and have always received 4 wristbands (while only being 2 in our cabin & having family join us from another cabin). I understand why they limit to 4 as anyone who has booked these does not want to have 10 people in the bed/loungers beside them. We do have a beach bed booked for Labadee next month and now you've got me considering cancelling it. Thank you for sharing and I absolutely would be pushing for a refund or at the very least a FCC for what you paid for the bed.
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On 1/29/2024 at 6:03 PM, JoeFan said:
Good point about the other specialty booking. My last cruise on Oasis I was the first in line at Izumi and made my Izumi reservation and I had booked two more. I didn't even realize, the long line that gathered behind me. I should have booked my Izumi and moved on.
I'm sure you're not the only one - why go to a bunch of different places to book when you don't have to. Plus, if you've waited in that long line then people are likely less inclined to risking having to wait in another one. We just try to book it and move on where there is less people and help move that line along.
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You can go to one specialty restaurant and make all of your reservations at that one place - other than teppanyaki. If you are wanting to dine at teppanyaki then I believe you still have to go directly there and I suggest going straight there and booking that first. We usually do that and then head to one of the other specialty restaurants to book the rest of our meals (I'm not sure if you can book the others at teppanyaki but with the line up always being long I would feel bad taking up that much time there). We usually grab a drink in between - then we don't mind waiting in line for a little bit!
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20 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:
See ya later “Tot Town”!
This is great news Sabrina - congratulations. You will have to let me know if Justin participates in the best of the best again at Flowrider and if they once again announce him as the guy who spent more time there than with his wife lol. I'm guessing that won't be the case this time - but I'm not as hopeful in March. Have a wonderful cruise.
- Neesa, Lovetocruise2002 and Cactus527
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3 hours ago, Michael Birchfield said:
Hello I would like your opinion is unlimited dining worth it on my upcoming 9 days explorer of the seas Cruise it seems there's not alot of speciality restaurants on board.
Just my opinion but I would not purchase the UDP for a sailing on Explorer. You are limited to Chops, Giovanni's and Izumi (plus Johnny Rockets but I don't consider that when making a dining plan decision). If the 3 day dining plan is an option on your sailing then that would be wort considering depending on price. Sometimes you are best to just to make your reservations on the dates/times ahead of time for the small savings the 3 night plan offers. I would save the splurging of the UDP for when you are on an Oasis class ship when the restaurant offerings are that much better. Enjoy your cruise.
- RCIfan1912, KristiZ, Michael Birchfield and 1 other
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13 hours ago, Cactus527 said:
Oh, @recogneyes, I found it: https://collegepartycruise.com/. This will definitely skew the average age a little younger!
That's the one! We were on a 4 nighter years back and had no idea we were on the college party cruise. For the most part it was ok; definitely skews the average age a little younger as you say. It's not a full charter which is why it's open for other bookings.
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15 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:
Oh, he is well aware. He is too cheap to do it. Private Flowrider rental is on the "no" list along with cabanas, and NYE tables lol
We've done it a few times for the kids and it is awesome. My two oldest are not travelling with us in March so we won't be doing it then as my youngest doesn't enjoy it like they do. I think Dave could talk him into it lol!
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18 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:
Omg! I did not find out until dinner on that last night that he joined the “Best of the best” competition!
I heard that you were there too. They introduced him as the guy who saw “Charlie” (another FlowRider guy) more than his own wife on that sailing! That's exactly the way they introduced Justin - I wanted to stand up and say "that is the absolute truth". There's no way he was letting another ride on the Flowrider pass him by. I'm not sure if he knows it or not, but you can rent the Flowrider for an hour and have it all to himself. You can use that as a little negotiation tool for any future cruises you are looking at!
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On 1/6/2024 at 10:29 AM, Lovetocruise2002 said:
I think that is everything. If I left anything out, please ask.
It was great meeting @WannaCruise and @recogneyes this week! I always love to meet others in this blog community. We should be sailing with @recogneyes again in March, so that is good, Hubby will have more company at the FlowRider!
Next up for us if all goes well is the Icon inaugural! That one will just be Hubby and I. As for blogging, I sure those of us on it can do something joint
Thank you all for following along with us this week and for the well wishes for my Dad.
Sabrina, it was wonderful meeting up with you and @WannaCruise. We will certainly look out for Justin in March on Oasis as he continues to show his Flowrider skills! Sending good thoughts your way in the hopes your Dad continues to be stable and I really hope Icon can be a great week for you and your hubby.
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20 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:
Moving on to our NYE sailing on Odyssey of the Seas…
This is our first time on Odyssey. We were booked on the original inaugural sailing of this ship with quite a few others from this blog community. That was cancelled by the pandemic, and this NYE was our first opportunity to re-book this ship. I booked this sailing the day new itineraries were released. I am truly looking forward to this. I feel like OY got lost a bit in the shuffle by Wonder, and then Icon, but she is still fairly new and has a lot to offer.
As many of you know, I am not a fan of Quantum class ships, however, I am intrigued by how OY will differ.
Who’s Going?
Me, Hubby, D17, D15
Flight
Delta from DTW-FLL; booked through Air2Sea. Flying in on the 29th (tomorrow!) as our family policy is now 2 days early if we can swing it. Flight prices are horrendous for this trip, even compared to past NYE trips that we have taken. We were able to price it down a few times before final payment, but it was still double what we paid last year at this time. We even contemplated driving down, but in the end, Hubby was not up for that. Hopefully this doesn’t backfire, and he ends up driving anyway!
Pre-Cruise Stay
I booked our pre-cruise hotel for this trip the as soon as hotels released prices for our dates. The first reason was because I knew from the last few NYE sailings we’ve done; these hotels sell out fast and prices skyrocket the closer you get. Also, booking early allows me to grab the room type that I wanted because there was something specific that I had in mind.
When we sailed out of Port Everglades in the past, we have always stayed on 17th Street. I cannot even remember a time when we did not. However, because we are flying in 2 days early, and because we have no idea which, or if any freeloaders will be cruising with us for future NYE sailings, we wanted this one to be a bit more special. D15 has always looked longingly at the beach during our PE sail aways. She always asks why we cannot stay along the beach (Hello child, you know this family loves La Bamba right?), so for this pre-cruise stay, we are doing just that.
I have always wanted to try the Conrad on Fort Lauderdale Beach, however @Jax persuaded me to try out the Hilton Fort Lauderdale Beach Resort. I was really impressed by her review on this property last year and I’ve been following them on Instagram for about a year now. I think this property is a better fit for the 4 of us over the Conrad. In addition, I persuaded D17’s best friend to stay there with her family back in September, and they loved it as well, so we are pretty excited for our stay.
This will sadly mean that we have to Uber/Lyft our way to our beloved La Bamba.
Itinerary
29 DEC Arrive Fort Lauderdale, Florida
30 DEC FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
31 DEC FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA (Cruise Day !)
01 JAN PERFECT DAY COCOCAY, BAHAMAS
02 JAN CRUISING
03 JAN LABADEE, HAITI
04 JAN PUERTO PLATA, DOMINICAN REP
05 JAN CRUISING
06 JAN FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
Cabin
The recurring theme for our next few family sailings is, “Go Big, or Go Home” because D17 is graduating high school this June and we have no idea what that means for sailing as a family of 4 in the future. For this sailing, we will be revisiting a cabin that we fell in love with when we sailed Anthem to Norway.
Pre-Cruise thoughts
- This is probably one of the most relaxed sailings for me in terms of pre-cruise planning. With two beach days (PDCC and Labadee), Hubby and the girls are going to do their beach things and I will likely not get off the ship at all, except for the day in Puerto Plata.
- Long time blog members, @recogneyesand @WannaCruise will be on this sailing too. Hoping that we can find a time to finally meet each other. Canadians need to stick together lol
- This was unfortunately one of the first times where both hotel and cruise fare never dropped since initial booking. Both were booked on the day it was released, and prices have just climbed over time. Zero opportunities for price adjustments this time around.
- Once again, in the spirit of a live blog, please do not hesitate to ask any questions. I will do my best to find out whatever I can for you.
- When responding to a post with a series of pictures, please do not include the pictures in your reply. It just makes for easier scrolling.
- Lastly, I will try to post videos and stories on Instagram. You can follow me @lovetocruise2002
We will absolutely make this happen! I am glad that your family can make this trip happen and prayers for your dad and his health.
- Lovetocruise2002 and Neesa
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On 12/20/2023 at 8:40 AM, jupiter03 said:
I emailed ShareholderBenefit@rccl.com on Dec 12 with all my info and got the automated response, but have not heard anything back yet. It's never taken this long before. Would it be a bad idea to resubmit using the link too? My cruise isn't for a few more months, so I suppose I should be more patient. Anybody else with recent results from requesting this?
I submitted mine two weeks ago and had a response that it was applied the same week
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8 minutes ago, Cruise Pirate said:
I usually go to this sight for the link to submit my stock benefits but now the link goes nowhere and says it has been moved. Anyone have the link to the online submission form?
https://www.rclinvestor.com/contact-us/faqs/shareholder-benefit/
I have always found the easiest way is to send an email with your name, confirmation number, ship & sail date and a copy of your statement showing ownership of the shares to ShareholderBenefit@rccl.com
They usually respond within 72 hours showing that the credit has been applied.
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5 hours ago, DUCKMAN2010 said:
Having issues booking a cruise for next May for myself and girlfriend and we will both be 20 - this is the Explorer of the Seas.
Looking at the International Age policy it should be ok? https://www.royalcaribbean.com/aus/en/faq/questions/international-age-policy
What can I do?
Cheers
Royal's policy for international sailings also indicates that they retain the right, on rare occasions, to raise the minimum age to sail when local laws require or permit such a modification. Perhaps one of the ports you are planning to visit has such local law. If you are trying to book on Royal's website and it's not allowing you then try phoning and asking the question. My main suggestion though would be to book through a travel agent who will be able to provide you with the most accurate information. Especially when booking an international trip, I'm sure you will benefit greatly from involving a TA in your planning.
- RCIfan1912 and ChessE4
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On 11/9/2023 at 6:47 PM, AandD said:
if you like the animals do Easy Roatan Monkey and Sloth thru Royal. Paradise beach Cozumel. it was our first time at Paradise beach, and they have my business. Price is right, food good and nice beach. It is not that far from the port and plenty of taxis to go back and forth. When Maya chan beach is open, that is where we go in Costa Maya.
Paradise Beach and Maya Chan are our go to's as well!
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11 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:
I wanted to come back to add to this thread. Last night I stayed up until midnight to do my online check in for Odyssey 12/31/23 leaving from Port Everglades. The earliest time available at midnight was 11:30am. All others in the FB roll call group who checked in at midnight noticed the same thing.
I did the same thing and the first available time was 11:30 am. Perhaps they feel it will take longer to have guests disembark from the Christmas cruise?
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2 hours ago, Vancity Cruiser said:
Prepare to be shocked. Cruise ship spa prices are ridiculous! Doesn't slow down my wife though
Agreed - it's not even just the price of the massages it's the upselling that comes afterwards.
"Cruise Big, or Go Home" – OA 3/10/2024-3/17/2024
in Live Blogs
Posted
Looking forward to seeing you again Sabrina - we will likely find Justin at flowrider first and I will look up and wave to you while you enjoy your fabulous balcony. How wonderful that you can share this with your girls - what a lovely way to create another March Break memory.