TessFromFlorida

Taxes?

I am so sorry this happened to you. Their billing "system" is so F'd up for a company of this size. They need to just pause all transactions for a week and set up a new payment processing system with a whole new team because what they have in place now is a joke. I am currently at risk of losing thousands because of a $150 they can figure out how to process

Absolutely!!

We did Positano, Sorrento, Pompeii small group and it was a perfect day. We will visit Capri when we go back next summer.

On embarkation day, soon after boarding, I go to the MDR with a list of times. Some days I may need to shift by 30 minutes or so, but all in all, it works. We show up about 10 minute before our scheduled time and are seated quickly.

Virginiae is fantastic! https://www.ristorantevirginiae.it/en/menu/

I mean no offense, but if you have a passport and a state ID in 2024, if you walk down the street of any major city, fly out of a major airport, or, if according to Snowden, even use a smart phone, this is a moot point. Not trying to be a jerk, but the jig is up- unless you live Kaczynski style-living off the grid- there is no way to escape biometrics when it comes to security.

That is the average price in my experience, I have actually seen it offer around $200 or more if lunch is included.

Can't make this stuff up... I just received another balance due notice for the same amount. Checked my cards, no refunds, just asking for this $159.18 again. So, paid it through the app, AGAIN, full on Kardashian style- just throw money at it to try and make this issue go away. The payment received invoice came through and now there is a random casino code (YKD9) attached to the payment Every time I have made any kind of price adjustment (reprice when the fare dips) a new code is added - it is very odd- now they slapped a code on this black Friday debacle. Yes, I know- I should have a TA

I have been in this situation a couple of times. If it is just a refund it isn't an issue- if I understand you correctly, that your new card is with the same bank, you were just issued a new card with a new number.

Yes! I can second this.

Hi there! Sharing this as a possible warning to those who may have canceled CP purchases last fall and have a final payment due soon. I want to preface this with the fact that I experienced the same issue with our Allure spring break cruise but chalked it up to Black Friday systems overload. Last week, the final payment was due for a cruise this July. I paid everything in full two weeks before that date and received an invoice confirming as much. After about a week, still a few days to go until the official final payment due, I see a balance of $159.18 in the app, but the desktop cruise planner shows I am paid in full. I double-checked all payments went through, reread the invoice several times, all looked fine on my end, so I decided to give it a few days to work itself out. Well, Sunday I received a notice of balance due, but the kicker is the body of the email states zero balance, but the attached invoice states $159.18 due. So, I called the Casino Royale desk. After investigating, the agent can see that I paid in full, but 4 days after making that payment in late March, I was mysteriously refunded $159.18 back to the card that was used for the deposit (the statement hasn't come so I did not notice this credit). After 1.5 hours on the line, I was told the refund was for two canceled cruise planner purchases for Chops lunch. I could verify purchasing Chops 2x (10/7 & 11/9) but canceling both back in November and December as better deals came up. I tried to pay the balance during the call, but the system would not accept payment because it looked as if I was paid in full... um, OK. We hung up and the agent's supervisor called an hour or so later and promised to remove the charge. At this point, I am over payment due and experiencing some serious anxiety about losing our room, so I entered my card info into the app and lo and behold, it accepted payment and I received a new invoice stating I am PIF. I am sharing this drama because canceled cruise planner purchases from last fall led to all of my issues with our spring cruise. Because this Anthem cruise ordeal all culminated around final payment time, just as it did with the Allure cruise, I cannot help but wonder what the heck is going on. Why would I just now be refunded for a canceled purchase over 4 months ago and suspiciously right before final payment? If I put my tinfoil hat on, I would get suspicious when comparing the fare I paid and the going rate of both rooms at the time of final payment... but, in reality, I am 99% sure it is just their crappy billing system that cannot separate CP purchases with the cruise fare and waiting to run payments/refunds until right before the final payment date.

Oh, snap! Get the PR team out ! I have to believe this blog has grown into so much more than he could imagine at the time. This is funny though, great share. (recon, of course you need to see what the competition is up to to better evalutate overall value )

I agree. Speaking for myself, something that I could handle today felt insurmountable back when I was 20.

I just saw the headline- very sad. At 20 years old, it is absolutely tragic and I am sure the investigation into how he consumed alcohol in the first place will put the family through the ringer during an already tough time. I do hope they remove 'drunk' from the RCB headline though since it is an ongoing investigation.

You will love Allure, she is a great ship!

Ovation is BEAUTIFUL! If you have the option, you may want to switch to a room that is not beneath a heavy foot traffic area. Definitely avoid anything near/above Music Hall.

Spot on regarding the SeaPlex, it is a catch all. A space just for the bumper cars and laser tag would be ideal, but still a beautiful ship.

Matt posted a video a couple of months back in which he speaks to the ease of taking the new Brightline train from Orlando to South Florida (apx 3.5 min mark). It will be some time (years), but with a yet to be built station in Coco Beach, taking a B2B between Port Canaveral and Miami or Ft. Lauderdale seems almost palatable.

I order room service each morning- coffee and tea for 4, which lasts until evening. I buy 2 or 3 drinks per day on ship @ $15 max. I do not find the drink package a value add at all, but I am not a heavy drinker and am OK with standard coffee. I spend about $180 USD for a 7 day cruise, buying as I go. This is taking into account 4 of those days are typically in port.

The sofa bed pull out is on 2 levels, so it isnt the same as sleeping the same bed, really. We have air mattresses for sleepovers and they can be stored behind the curtain in the morning, so not heavy or in the way at all, the issue is where to put it when it is time to go to bed given the chairs and table in the living area. I dont see the need to splurge on a larger room, it will be fine. The only issue I see is they may question the thing used to inflate the mattress

You will need Voom to keep us all updated on your amazing trip!

My two youngest will be off to college soon, the time we have with the kids just zooms by (as a mom of a 30 year old I know this to be true!). Having the family camp out in one room, in tight quarters, is a good- a great- thing! You will have an amazing time. Alaska is a destination cruise, so your focus will be on the ports and I am sure you will be exhaused at the end of each port day. No regerts with your original booking- spend some of the money you have saved on excursions, or a great meal together as a family... or put it towards a future cruise

Hi! I will be on Anthem this summer with my two youngest (teenagers) and it will be our first time on a Norway cruise - this thread is very timely! Based on one of the posts Matt shared and @FionaMG's and @cedricmr great advice, I booked direct. From what I understand, the Flam rail times do sell out so I booked through Norways Best to ensure I have my first choice of time slots because we have a RIB tour that afternoon. It was also a fraction of the price Royal is offering. Unless you have a tender port, you may not need the Key unless you get a fantastic deal- especially if you get the dining package.

Correct. It was a hot mess. I was double charged, then over credited, then they were refunding to the wrong card somehow (I used 1 card for the cruise, 1 for excursions). I was very surprised that a company in 2023/4 could even run a system that makes such errors. I called resolutions and worked with a woman named Hazel.