AspiringCruisePlanner

Technically, you're not supposed to modify this gratuity amount unless you're unsatisfied with the services onboard. "In the unlikely event that a guest onboard being charged the daily automatic gratuity does not receive satisfactory service, the guest may request to modify the daily amount at their discretion by visiting Guest Services onboard and will be able to do so until the morning of their departure." https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense

I think Royal needs to accommodate a more targeted audience with a "lesser" deluxe beverage package. One that includes basic liquors and a couple of selections of beer and wine. Celebrity currently uses this pricing structure (classic versus premium). I had the classic package on our honeymoon and was still able to order everything I wanted. Only difference was that top shelf liquor wasn't in my glass. I'd be much more inclined to purchase a lower tiered alcoholic package even for a small decrease in the daily price.

I was also curious about this and found details on Royal's website: "As a way to reward our crew members for their outstanding service, gratuities are shared among dining, bar & culinary services staff, stateroom attendants and other hotel services teams who work behind the scenes to enhance the cruise experience." https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/onboard-service-gratuity-expense It's good to know that more than just the waiters, bartenders, and stateroom attendants get a piece of that pie. When I was working as a line cook, the tips were always appreciated.

Royal modified their final payment deadline to 30 days prior for sailings through May 31, 2022. With this being the case, here is what I would do in your situation assuming you've already paid the full ammount (before the deadline in this scenario). If you booked a refundable rate, just request a full refund in cash (not future cruise credit through cruise with confidence) and ignore the steps below. 1. Call and request that all money paid, less the deposit be refunded to you since it is not yet due. 2. Wait until that money hits your bank account. Not sure how long this takes, but expect over a week. 3. (Assuming you booked a non-refundable deposit rate) after you've received the money, call and cancel the reservation under the CWC policy. You will be issued a FCC equal to the non-refundable deposit that you can apply towards your March 2023 cruise. The FCC is valid for sailings until one year after your original sail date, so you would have to cruise on or before March 5th, 2023 if your sailing was March 5th, 2022. You can book the March 2023 cruise whenever and have the FCCs you receive in step 3 applied towards that booking once you receive them. Doing this allows you to have less money tied up in FCCs that have an expiration date. Cash is king. Hope this helps.

All free to play. No real money wagered. You can pay for extra chips, but I have not and would never spend a dime on any app like this.

Originally, I thought MyVegas was a casino reward program for playing actual slots in the casino. I got curious and downloaded the myvegas slot app. Then I found out they have 7 apps (plus the Facebook app) that generate the loyalty points. I've been maxing them out for the past week (each app has a daily limit on loyalty points earned). I also found out that it's easier with the Android versions because the points accumulate based on time spent in the app rather than number of slot pulls (iOS versions). In one week, I'm already up to 225k loyalty points! Which means I'm 22.5% on track to a free cruise based on the most recent point costs per sailing. I'd estimate 1M loyalty points earned in a month would be the most you could squeeze out of the apps. I've played several of these "real life reward" games and have never actually gotten anything out of them. Mostly because they are scams. MyVegas seems like the only legitimate real life rewards apps I've ever found.

vacationstogo.com has a search option for repositioning under the region filter

Or on a sailing departing before one year after the original sail date.

Whoa, that's a lot of shooting down and not thinking innovative. Sure the ideas are a little out there, but shooting down single approaches to implement the ideas probably isn't the most helpful approach in a creative environment. Let's take for example your response to location tracking. Instead of tracking happening on your phone, let's think about tracking via a wearable device that is then viewable via the app. This is one of the coolest onboard features that princess cruises is using on their medallion class ships. Just think of all the benefits of being able to see people's location: find your kids or friends, order drinks to your pool lounger, see how busy it is at the Windjammer. Sure, there's a large cost associated with the data equipment to support this platform (especially for existing ships), but I wouldn't be surprised if Royal implements this feature on the new Icon class ships. I get these kind of responses from my IT department at work. I challenge them to think about implementation in an innovative mindset rather than a brute force implementation mindset. Usually the best ideas come about after 2 or 3 iterations of planning. This sentence reminded me of someone I work with and i just had to laugh: Thanks for taking the time to respond to people's ideas, but I think you missed the spirit of this topic. It's a wish list.

I also found this update on the Barbados travel site regarding pre-arrival testing. I think the update clarifies the timing requirement for rapid PCR testing versus RT-PCR testing. So, not much change to the original requirement. Effective January 7, 2022, travellers are permitted to travel to Barbados with a valid negative Rapid COVID-19 PCR test result done within 1 day prior to arrival in Barbados OR a negative RT-PCR COVID-19 test result done within 3 days prior to arrival. Accepted tests include tests which were taken at an accredited or recognized laboratory by a healthcare provider via a nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal sample (or both). LAMP tests, self-administered tests or home kits and tests using saliva samples will NOT be accepted

Apologies for not reading the policy accurately. The third bullet point indicates that quarantine and travel home accommodations are only covered if you test positive while on the cruise. It does appear that if you test positive prior to boarding, they might not cover this. I'm not sure of how they would handle this with a flight and hotel package purchased through Royal though. Thank you @David Bennett for catching that.

Thank you for confirming my suspicion @Matt Our son is going to be right around 12 months old on the cruise so he'd be eating things like soft fruits, steamed vegetables, oatmeal, etc. We're staying in star class, so would the genie be able to accommodate these types of foods along with all the other snacks for the adults? If so, that should be added to the star class perk list: baby friendly food delivery Also, if we're at a specialty restaurant, would they be able to accommodate these types of foods, or would this only be available at the MDR and Windjammer? One last question. For excursions, would they charge for a 1 year old (assuming he's allowed on the excursion) or is this dependent on the excursion? Can't find much info on this. Also, if there's travel involved with the excursion, would they not allow him to ride without a carseat? Sorry for all the questions, but it'd be nice to have this all sorted out during the planning stage. Thanks again!

This is what I read as well. They refund the original form of payment for shore excursions or if the entire cruise was canceled. It is possible that this is a sign they are canceling the port stop as well, but that cannot be confirmed from this message alone. @D AltI'd call Royal to confirm whether the port stop is canceled or just the excursion. Hopefully it's the latter. Might also want to update the topic title if just the excursion is canceled. Can be done by editing your original post.

Correct. I just didn't want the OP to worry that they might be booked in a 2 occupancy room. I would also assume that they are putting in a new sofa bed after April 16th. It appears the balcony rooms with the Pullman beds are the staterooms that show the 5 person occupancy symbol on the deck plan. It also appears that these rooms are only bookable through a TA or by calling in. The 1A utra spacious category also has the 5 person occupancy symbol but has the Convertible king, two bunk beds, and sofa bed.

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Thats what is shows for sailings through April 16, 2022. Thereafter it shows room 12342 as a 4 person occupancy room.

Hi all, I was wondering if anyone has had recent experiences with the Babies 2 Go program. It says on the website you can pre-purchase diapers and baby food via the Royal gifts page, but I only see diapers. Is this something you'd call in for or did they discontinue the baby food option? Thanks in advance!

Apologies if this has been addressed already, but why are the suites shown as sold out for all the Nov '22 through April '23 sailings? I know she was moved from Port Canaveral to Fort Lauderdale to allow Wonder to sail at PC, but the suites for these sailings have been sold out since the itinerary change. My initial thought was they kept these closed to accommodate people who were not satisfied with their suite cabin change to Wonder, but it seems like it has been a while that these people would have needed to make a decision by now. Any other ideas or news?

This FAQ page should be helpful. I made sure it was listed on the UK site as well. https://www.royalcaribbean.com/gbr/en/faq/questions/if-i-test-positive-for-sars-cov-2-what-is-your-refund-policy-and-costs-covered If I test positive for COVID-19 right before my cruise, at the terminal before the cruise, or on the cruise, what is your refund policy and what associated costs are covered? Guests sailing on or before April 30, 2022 will have the following COVID-19 Assistance at no extra charge. 100% cruise fare refund for you, and your Travelling Party, if any of you tests positive for COVID-19 within 14 days prior to the cruise or at the boarding terminal prior to the cruise. Pro-rated cruise fare refund if your cruise is cut short for reasons related to COVID-19. If you test positive for COVID-19 during the cruise, Royal Caribbean will cover the costs of COVID-19 related medical treatment onboard, any required land-based quarantine, and travel home for you and your Traveling Party. Will Royal still help with flights home if we don’t board as booked as a package with them? According to the above policy, Royal has promised to cover the land based quarantine and flight home for your party. This includes testing positive at the terminal. It's not clearly stated so I'd presume that quarantine and flight arrangements are at their discretion so don't expect to be able to pick a hotel or a date your flight home. is it worth the risk going as I have heard a few rumours re positive tests at the terminal? There's always a chance of testing positive at the terminal. I might add that since you're already going to have a PCR test (not antigen) to fly into Barbados, you've got a little better info before showing up at the terminal. What would you do if you were in my shoes? International travel during this omicron variant outbreak is manageable but there are risks of testing positive at the terminal or on the cruise. I'm not afraid of the omicron variant based on the latest information. I will say that if you decide to go, invest in some comfortable N95 masks to wear on the flight and on the cruise. It would surely give me better piece of mind. Another thing to make sure is that if you have a mixed 2 dose regiment for your vaccine they must be Pfizer and Moderna. They are not allowing a mixed dose that includes the AstraZeneca vaccine. If you have a 2 dose regiment of the AstraZeneca (no mixing) they are allowing that. It seems silly they wouldn't accept the mixed dose with the AstraZeneca, but that's the way it is. I mention this because I know the AstraZeneca is used in the UK. All in all, if you're flexible and can roll with the punches in the event someone in your party tests positive, I'd say go for it. Have a nice trip!

I was thinking along the same lines. Similar to the XD Cinema on some of MSC's ships. Obviously scaled up based on the size of the structure.

Become an airline employee or recruit your parents or kids to become one! Royal offers around a 25% discount on top of the regular 30% discount for all categories, including suites. Cruises within 3 months are often 50% off the price available to the public.

Live views of the various entertainment venues so you could watch production and game shows while doing other activities or hanging by the pool. Would also be nice to have this feature on the TVs so you can have dinner and a show in your stateroom for those people that are less mobile.

Noticed that today as well. Here's the Ts&Cs Crown and Anchor (“CAS”) Bonus applies to new bookings made between January 4 – January 31, 2022 to Gold, Platinum, Emerald, Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle Crown & Anchor Society members. CAS Bonus provides up to $50 USD to spend at sea (“Onboard Credit or “OBC”) per stateroom on select sailings departing on or after February 4, 2022. OBC amount is determined by sailing length: On sailings 5 nights or less, $25 to spend at sea; on sailings 6 nights or longer, $50 to spend at sea. OBCs are not redeemable for cash and are non-transferable. When reserving, a valid Crown & Anchor Society membership number must be included in the reservation.

Wouldn't testing positive and being exposed to someone positive (self exposure) be synonymous? Yes, as a warning if you answer yes to this question on the health questionnaire, you will get denied boarding.

As of right now for CWC, you must rebook using the FCC by May 31, 2022 for a sailing that departs by December 31, 2022 or one year from original sail date, whichever is further out. The future cruise credits are non-transferable so each person is only allowed to use the credits for themselves. The exemption is for minors where there parents or guardians are allowed to use their FCCs.