WAYNO

These are only my experiences... We have used the medical facility aboard ship, twice. The first time, was at the end of 2019. My Wife was quite ill, and she required multiple visits and treatments. We now believe it was Covid, but at the time, nobody had heard of Covid. When all was said and done, the bill was substantial, and of course it was included and paid with our final cruise statement. We submitted it to our Medicare Advantage insurance provider, Kaiser Permanente, and we were reimbursed quickly. Now this year, early May, my Wife again needed to see the ships doctor. At the end of the cruise, we submitted the medical bill to our new Medicare Insurance provider, Providence Health Plans. Two months later, we had heard nothing. I contacted them, and they apologized for taking so long, and to expect a letter. I received a letter saying they could not pay the medical because I had not provided all the information they need. Well, yes I did. So I sent them all the same information they said they were missing. And that was identical to the information I sent originally. Just another stall tactic by Providence. One thing that did get in the way, at least slightly, was Quantum is apparently not giving either an electronic or printed end-of-cruise statement. We did not know that, and will now know to take a picture of the room charges as they appear on our in-cabin television. And finally, I always buy the travel insurance directly from Royal at the time of our bookings. I contacted them also, but they will not provide medical coverage if a passenger has other coverage. Leaves me kind of stuck. Be aware. Cover your own bases. Insurance dealings are not always simple.

I have not been upcharged for an accessible room on Royal. Is there any chance the only available accessible room booked was a Junior Suite? And this would cause me to ask for myself... The only accessible room we've had was a Jr. Suite, and it was gigantic. If accessible rooms are offered in the Balcony rooms, are they quite substantial in size also?

Great. 72" will work. Thanks.

I guess I don't know what standard fleece size means. Is that 72" ?

I see this offered often, but nowhere can I see dimensions. Anybody have one? Is it a real full-length blanket?

We have found, as a West Coaster, sailing from either Seattle or Los Angeles, is both super convenient and super cheap. That said, cruise choices from either Seattle or Los Angeles are very limited, with Royal Caribbean. Therefore, subsequent cruises from either port are almost always the same itinerary. But, we like Navigator, so duplicate cruises are still wonderful for us. As are the cruises from Seattle, regardless of the vessel. Last year, my Wife and/or I cruised Navigator 5 times, with more booked, and this year, we will have cruised Quantum, 3 times. There have been a couple itinerary changes with each cruise, swapping Mazatlan for Ensinada, or swapping Skagway for Icy Strait Point or Sitka. We expect to book more of these cruises, and we will never be sorry. We've cruised a lot from Florida and Galveston. And although there are more ship choices, the Ports of Call are very redundant there also.

Our closest booking was 6 days, and it was a casino comp. It was after hours for Casino Royale, so we called Royal Caribbean Reservations. They said it was too close to use a comp. We called Casino Royale the next day, and they said sure! You're booked! And since we are driving to the port, this cruise came together without a hitch after that point.

You can't miss it.

My experience, and I have a lot of it South of the border... The locals want American money. That's the #1 reason. Peso's are adjusted for value, so often, even the locals don't want to constantly guess what their pocket full of peso's will buy. Get off the tourist path, and yes, they will better understand their own currency, but even then, the exchange is so easy to figure, it's just not worth the hassle. And buy just a few things, and your change will likely be in peso's. You'll end up with a pocket full of peso's yourself, that wont even buy you a drink. So at the end of my tourist day, the last poor vendor gets a wad of peso's as his tip. And sometimes, right or wrong, they are quite offended with a tip of peso's. We've bought some relatively expensive jewelry and/or watches while in port. In every case, when we ask a price, their answer begins with a question. American money?

I am again the dissenter. I think the 'Jammer Burgers are great, But if you're sure they are not, then for you, they probably wont be .

I use a rigid, but soft, rolling carry-on, with extra pouches on the face to store quickly accessed documents, meds, etc. Interesting too, luggage such as my carry-on that is handled only by me lasts a long time. Checked luggage is now only lasting a very few flights or cruises. The monkeys are receiving extra training on how to more quickly destroy suitcases.

This happened to me, too. And the only reason I would have known, is I was tracking my cruise points early on, and they didn't add up. In trying to get it corrected, it was Royal that discovered I had two separate C&A numbers., Royal, insisting on mis-writing my last name, is what caused two separate accounts. One with the correct name and one with the incorrect name. My last name is two words. So many data enterers run the two words together, insisting it doesn't matter. Well yes, it does matter. A perfect example is the mis-writing of Dutch or other European names, such as the ex-weatherman on Royal, James Van Fleet. Entering it as Vanfleet finds its way into a different alphabetical order and a different file.

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Regardless of the math, (and the amateur mathematicians), I enjoy being connected. I surf constantly, and I enjoy being connected to the folks at home. That makes it a worthwhile expense. If you had no interest or need in the internet, then it would be expensive, paying for something you wouldn't use. Only you can decide if it's worth it.

Yes, we were recently hacked, or at least there was an attempt. The credit card company picked up on the incorrect vibes and notified us. And although I use my credit card often over the phone, including with Royal, I cannot say the hack was because of a Royal purchase, or because of a purchase elsewhere. Be vigilant. It happens every day, everywhere!

Gettin' closer.

It's all just part of the experience. I tolerate it and I don't let such cruise experiences/routines/rituals spoil the experience. And I wont let the folks that are enjoying it think otherwise. We've experienced this song and dance, many times. Recently, we brought our adult son on a cruise. He was beaming ear to ear during this routine. Betcher kulo I was not gonna burst his bubble. Cruisers sure do get spoiled, and want to make sure others are as bored or unhappy as they are. If I ever sound that way, please kick me.

A very loaded question. One person says the food is great, the next person says the food is not great. I'm most often of the positive side, so best I can get on board with, is just because somebody doesn't like the food, doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. It just means the person didn't like it.

We do have some cultural differences, don't we? Maybe we are just less stuffy, less reserved, or less pretentious, out West. I've been around the sun 71 times. I've celebrated many occasions for myself and for the folks I care about. It's common for a whole bar or restaurant to join in on a perfect strangers celebratory toast. If that's offensive, ignore us. I so much love folks celebrating and having a wonderful time.

Plan all the celebrating yourself. Then, if the maitre d' or waiter does get involved, it will be that much more gravy, er frosting. And if they don't, your bases are still covered. I say this, as when we celebrated a 50th anniversary for a family member aboard ship, and the MDR did nothing in spite of their promises, I took the bull by the horns and announced it to the dining room, within earshot, myself.

I agree, and an Uber Black SUV is what we used. Public transportation may work well for the locals, but it frustrated me endlessly, with no help of any kind from the hotel or the locals.

I am the dissenter. Put a luggage tag on it, drop it off, and my bet is it will arrive at your cabin. Nobody knows what's in any given box, package, or suitcase. I cannot imagine the crew delivering thousands of suitcases or other luggage, but then saying, "ah, this is just a box. Don't deliver it.".

My Wife has stayed, multiple times, in Moody Gardens. It is wonderful, and a destination in itself. Not cheap, nor is anything else cheap, in that area. She has also used Galveston Express to get from the airport to the hotel, and has been pleased. And the hotel offers, for a cost, a shuttle to the ship. She signs up for this service once she is checked in to the hotel. [email protected]. Please call our office at 409.762.4397 And at the end of the cruise, she buys a shuttle directly from the ship to return to the airport. This has turned out to always be our best option, regardless of port.

This could be good news for those of us in the West. Los Angeles, in my experience, ignores a potentially huge cruise market, while doing little for the current captive cruise market.

We've done this Alaska cruise a couple times, and we will do it twice more this cruise season. A self tour in Skagway is quite okay, just wandering the streets and shops. The "To the Summit" bus tour is a reasonably priced tour up the Klondike. and for a bit more, the basic train ride is also reasonable. Also, after either of these excursions, there will still be ample time to wander the streets of Skagway.