Geektastic

Update: when I last mentioned my target order I got the book I canceled later the other day like 3 weeks later. So just a frame of reference that shipping is a mess.
The retailers really need to stop with their shitty expected ETAs that don't update to actually reflect the shipping vendors . It'd save them headaches with all of this too.

From what I've seen the Optum experience is,  pay more for the test but free shipping and despite a snafu during the holidays I got it ( was FedEx and then used USPS when I had an issue)

emed had the cheaper tests but you had to pay for shipping. And from this thread... its not great.

Feel like at least a month buffer is a good idea but you don't want to cut it too close.

The other shipping issues is what's going on in LA with the trains coming from thr ports. Not sure where the tests originate from but that's just making a mess in general with shipping.

1 hour ago, WannaCruise said:

Same with respect to convenience and no concern for the bill.  Royal definitely makes money off of me, but it's the convenience.  One big plus for me, is reading what's in a specific mixed drink or a new wine and being able to give it a try without worrying if I'll like it or not.  If we pay per drink, then I will just stick to drinks that I know I like.

This! I never felt like I wouldn't try something at least once. It was absolutely not just alcohol that made it worth it for either. There lovely non alcoholic drinks at Jamie's that I loooooved.

You are not paying for an item that has a flat rate that always costs x dollars. None of the packages really work like that. It fluctuates based on how far ahead your cruise is, how many people have purchased the package and other factors. So no one can give you it costs x dollars for your ship and sailing exactly. The biggest thing is to buy it at a price you think you can afford and wait to see if it comes down and cancel and rebook. I've seen it fluctuate from $55 (pre covid)  per person per day to like $75 (post covid)   per person per day and then varying prices in between those. Maybe for budgeting go as high as you're comfortable paying for  and then watch the cruise planner.

Personally, I think it's not a "this will save you money" purchase its more of a purchase of convenience. I just wanna budget and pay x dollars ahead to avoid playing drink calculator later. If you really math it out it's cheaper to just budget a drink budget on your own but I don't wanna do math on vacation and I'm able to spend that because I'm not cruising with kids.

They also don't have a magic crystal ball that tells them so they might not have more time to warn people. Sometimes things happen.

1 hour ago, SPS said:

My opinion for several years now: FedEx is THE WORST delivery company out there!

I think the worst is vendors are preprinting their labels and they're getting blown up with orders and they aren't actually having the stock. So then what's really happening is FedEx/UPS isn't it even the one to blame. Had this issue with my tests and then with stuff I was ordering from Target.

I think the most important tip is order your tests early!

Not sure if it's true of Oasis class ships but on the Quantum Ships (Anthem in 2019 at least) Cafe 270 had breakfast tacos and I wanna say burritos but all I remember with the tacos. They were lovely and my favorite!

I had an issue with the Optum tests. If you call them they can address it. They resent the tests and I'm all set. Their support was great.

I ordered mine last week from Optum and the tracking info is still stuck on pending.... I don't really need them in a rush but this kind of sucks.
I think by Monday if I don't see an  updates I'll reach out.

11 minutes ago, Jax said:

Yes you purchase them through cruise planner. Not part of star class. Not ship dependent but I have heard that star class guests receive one complimentary guest pass (that may or may not be ship dependent) Our past experiences have been very good. 

Thank you!

19 hours ago, Jax said:

Vitality Spa - Thermal Pass 

This morning was our first chance to try out the relaxation area. Their hours are from 8am-8pm and we find it’s best to go first thing in the morning.   It received a failing grade today but I trust the experience will improve.  Shane is looking into this. 
They lady greeting us knew it was our first time and said we would receive a tour of the relaxation area. We were taken downstairs and directed to the change rooms.  Things deteriorated from there.  I didn’t know where the relaxation rooms were so a staff member showed me. I made a remark that I forgot to remove my mask and made an effort to return to the changing area and was told no, masks were required.  Once in the relaxation area, there was no water and no one there to explain the various thermal areas.  I found someone and asked for water.  Once done in the relaxation area I made my way back to the change room and decided to shower there.  Once my shower was underway I found out the shampoo and conditioner containers were empty. I mentioned this to an attendant and was told to complain upstairs on my way out.  There are no disposable amenities of any kind and we were not prepared.  So I made my way back to our suite with wet, tangled hair to finish my shower. To top it off Lindsay tells me they gave him my sea pass card and if not for him leaving it I would have been locked out of our suite. 
Will try this again tomorrow and report back.  

I've seen mixed things about the Thermal Passes and Star Class. Do you have to buy them ahead of time on the Cruise Planner? Are they included as part of Star Class? Does it depend on the ship class?

2 hours ago, BrianB said:

Outside the terminal at Bayonne there was a van set up where you could get a rapid test done. I saw a few people using that service during each of my cruises. I guess they didn’t get their test results in time and this was the last resort. I don’t know how expensive it is…maybe someone here has used them…but I can guess that it’s not covered by insurance, or the government. Curious if anyone has any first hand experience with them.

I looked on the site Royal had for Bayonne and you can't book far out and it's $150 a person. And Royal's site says they are limited.

(https://www.royalcaribbean.com/faq/questions/what-if-i-dont-find-a-pre-cruise-test-or-get-test-results-in-time)

Emed's website you can get a 6 pack of tests for the same price.

21 hours ago, MattG said:

We saw Spectra and WWRY this past week - Spectra was REALLY good, and we had seats right in front of the bar, up next to the stage. I think this show requires immersion - you need to be down front, or real close. Distance (back of the lower deck, or the balcony) work against you. 

WWRY was NOT our cup of tea. My wife and I were giggling at the ridiculousness of the entire plot. The tech was good, the band was good, but we just couldn’t get past “Scaramoosh, we have to get back to the Hard Rock Cafe!” Much cringe was had by all. 

Yeah see! I think everyone's a little different but I enjoy that I don't have to pay a lot to try an experience I might not otherwise. I can get the cringe lol it's a little weird lol

My biggest pro for a TA is to do with the FCC and Cruise Cancelations. I've read enough posts here to see the headaches involved with not having a TA. We missed some OBC when she had to reschedule our cruise the last time and it was fixed in two days with no effort. I'm sure it's work on their end and they don't get additional compensation for dealing with it but it makes it something I'd keep booking my cruise with my TA.

I've never noticed that much of a price difference but I've only booked suites and I'm not trying to get the absolute lowest cruise possible. It's a privilege for sure but to me I'd rather go less than cruise in a cubicle because it's cheaper. I'm not an extrovert and I worked Call Centers and I need none of that. It really just depends on your goals and preferences.

Having worked call centers I don't wanna be on phones so happy to not save as much to have my TA do it.

You can also book Next Cruise and move it to your TA and it's pretty easy.

Not a gambler and cannot help with the casino stuff.

I remember someone recently posting a live blog about Autism on The Seas or something to that affect. Not sure if they're specifically on certain cruises but if you poke around in the live blogs you might be able to find some posts about that to help.

I don't know about TAs with that experience level since I haven't had to do that but I agree that it would be helpful to find what you need. Wishing you the best of luck in your search and with your vacation.

23 hours ago, Rita Yates said:

I know - but I need the voice recorded message to be released from Royal before the lawyer can move forward - that is what is so frustrating - Royal is not cooperating - despite me doing everything they told me to do to obtain the voice recording

Your lawyer should be able to get the legal/formal request that Royal would need to disclose those to them. Typically data/things like that they're not going to just hand over. It's a good thing too. Think if you could just call in and have their data like that how it could otherwise be used

7 hours ago, JimnKathy said:

While this entire story is certainly unique in many ways, it does highlight a benefit of using a good travel agent instead of dealing directly with Royal's call center. No doubt a good agency would have better success working out a quick financial fix with Royal on the cancellation of the original cruise. 

I feel like most posts with people who are upset seem to be... Should have used a TA.

I think most people aren't used to this type of dynamic and think directly communicating with the company is preferable. It's a little weird to me that it's sooo difficult that the solution is a TA but there's enough advice out there that it should be very easy to find.

Makes me glad that when I argued with my partner that we didn't need one I gave up and got one. She's been the best and anytime I needed to get something addressed she did the calling and etc. Especially with all the FCC stuff glass she's there to figure it out.

Cruise Compass

You can look for previous similar sailings that were recent to get an idea but could change when you're on board.

Your Mileage with the shows my vary.

I didn't get to see The Gift but I loved Spectra. Love the music, the different styles,  and the music. I've heard people go both ways with both shows. My thing is it's included in your cruise fare so why not check it out. If you try to think about the cost of actual shows like this unless you just hate performances in general it's worth trying something new.

Case in point,  My partner is a hater of musicals but loooved We Will Rock You. 
 

I mean they've all been changing and they are absolutely clear about it on their website... You can't miss it. I get it's stressful but the requirements everywhere have changed and I mean other putting neon flashing signs I don't get how they can be more clear.

I mean even posts on this forum have had people painstakingly documenting their process for the benefit of others.

No disrespect but I find it unfair to blame Royal when they do try to educate and end emails regularly.

My partner was not great at checking emails so I made him set up a rule to forward emails from Royal to me so we wouldn't miss the email. I'm glad because I had it filled out and done before he'd even thought that it could have come in.

I still find it funny that this topic has 3 PAGES. I am part of the ND team so I know I get picky about certain things but I'm just like looking at the scrunchie I wear on my wrist and realizing it's literally the same thing. So worst case when I get to wearing one I'll just wrap it with my scrunchie.

I also really like seeing everyone's "hacks" for handling this.

I had a wallet clutch and I carried mine it. We also had the WOW bands but I kept both just incase. That's kind of what I do when I stay at hotels as well.

We booked ours with next cruise. You can also put it under a TA and have them reach out for any price drops. To me what I've seen is usually you get OBC which may be worth it depending. Suites probably make out the most that way tho. My experience with that pre COVID so not sure if that's changed either.

I personally see trying to stress to get the lowest deal defeats the purpose of a vacation. I have friends do this for hotels and I'd rather just not go if I really can't afford it without the savings. Unless I'm saving hundreds or thousands it feels like a lot of work and not the biggest bang but perhaps I'm too new to cruising yet. Maybe it's a privilege too.

I did a quick Google and found others referencing this.

https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/royal-caribbean-free-cruise-giveaway

9 hours ago, Curtis Kari said:

I would like to set up a birthday dinner for my wife. If I set her up an account of the same reservation will she be able to see that?

@Curtis Kari

Yes she will be. It's not like right in front of your face but if you navigate around you can find where the purchases are.