Traveling Mike

I have done a lot of GTY Cabins and have been assigned 6 months out and have been assigned 2 days out.  For me, I book them because I do not care where it is so it is no big deal to wait.

On Friday I am leaving for Sydney and will be gone 33 days.  I will be on the Ovation for 28 days.  I just realized I am going to need a 2-pack of Deodorant.  Will the bottle of shampoo be enough for 33 days. 

So what I am asking you experts is...  What am I not thinking about that I might run out of?

I just find the best deal around the Airport.  Unless you are going to spend the day enjoying the town of Galveston there is no need to pay those high prices.

The question is  not can you get on the ship with the food but can you get off the ship with food.  

11 hours ago, Carpe Diem said:

Thanks for the info.  I am eagerly awaiting the release so I can book several more cruises out of LA.

 Now that you mention it, I wonder if the delayed release was due to the addition of Quantum of the Seas?  I wonder if they delayed the release because they needed a little more time to work out the schedule of 2 ships in LA??

They already have the port schedule booked.  I seen it on a different post.  

On 2/14/2024 at 3:56 PM, Suzanne Elise said:

Interesting. When we went last year, flights to Houston from NY were impressively low. That was a big part of the reason we were able to try a cruise. We rented a car and made visiting Texas and Galveston part of the adventure. 

We ended up going on our cruise and really like the cruise and the three ports.  I have family that live in Texas and I lived there for 3 years.  For some reason from central California the airline price to Texas has always been high.  Back 20 years ago we could fly from California to Florida cheeper than we could fly to Texas.  That still hold true.  I will probably book more cruises out of Galveston but will take extra time and drive to the cruise port.

Here is my review of what you get to see.  I was not impressed.   I set the video below to skip to the 2:20 time to see the VB.

I have been on the Millennium, Reflection and the service made me want to come back.  I was on a B2B on the Beyond and the wait staff in the bars was lacking.  The bar tenders were in good supply and fantistic.  The wait staff in the buffet was also great and always ready to give me everything I needed.

I am on the Ovation in April for a 18 night cruise and they do not offer the UDP.  You can get a 3 night, 5 night and 10 night dinning plans.  the 3 and 5 night is about $44 USD a night and the 10 night is about $36 USD a night.  The 10 night cruise that I am on just before the 18 night has the UDP for $415 USD.

16 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

They are trying to go through the normal booking process to check the final total cost

That is what I thought but I do not understand why they are entering their information.  I have done this for years and as soon as you select your room you get the final price on the left hand side.  That price has always been my final price.  

I am confused what you are trying to do.  

I did the artic cruise in Sept 2022 and they did not let us know about the lights.  the trick is most of the time you just seen a white smear in the skyline and when you looked through your camera/phone you could see the colors.  I did get to see the lights without anything but it was 3 am and the only ones out was me and 4 deck hands cleaning up.  You just have to be lucky.

The bid process is designed to fill the ship.  They are not selling very many Large Balconies so they want to move people to be able to sell more smaller balconies.

Great Diogram above.  The only thing it does not point out is your brother can connect his phone and his computer and take 2 of the 4 devices.

If you live in LA it is easier for you because you have direct flights to most places you wan to go.

I always fly in the day before but I am traveling out of Fresno where I have to drive to LA or San Francisco or fly with connecting flights.  I book a lot on Air2Sea and know they will help if I miss my flight or connection.  The problem I have is they will get you to the next port if you miss your cruise;  where is that next port and how many sea days are you missing.  I just find it easier for me to fly in the day before get a good night sleep and make my way to the ship rested.

Notes:

1. You can move or cancel your air2sea flight anytime before your finial cruise payment.  You will have to pay difference or you can get the lower price. 
2. RCL sells hotel rooms but they are no bargain.  You are better off finding your own hotel.
3. Most of the time the hotels near the port are expensive.  You are better off finding a hotel a short uber dive away.

7 hours ago, CanHardlyWait said:

And common courtesy.

You hit it on the head.  I came home with covid 5 weeks ago and am still fighting a cough from it.  I know exactly the person that gave it to me.  I was at the buffet the last day and two men came and sat at the table right next to me with a couple that was at the 4 top table and did not ask them if they could set with them.  he spent the time there coughing and spitting in his napkin.  I was working on my computer and did not notice until right before they left.  No Courtesy at all.

I agree with @smokeybandit get a couple cartons at breakfast and put them in your room for later.  I keep waters and sodas in the cooler and they are cold when I drink them later.

13 hours ago, Shanethegriff said:

Hey guys, can just clarify, please, are you saying you can just pay them a 200e deposit and not actually pick a cruise there and then and just select one at a later stage or what do you mean by the 6 month think and keeping OBC?

Celebrity is 6 months to pick a cruise.  Royal Caribbean is 2 months from the date of purchase.

I am like everyone else and use Uber and Lyft.  Lyft is cheaper but Uber is more on time.

• I like the Cruise Next because of the low deposit.  I get to book a cruise or cruise booking for $200.  That allows me to cancel my cruise for $200 if something comes up.  Celebrity's program is even better because it only costs me $100, and you have 6 months to book the cruise.
• I like to have freedom of booking my cruise and use any travel agent I want in case I find a good deal with someone that is not my normal TA.  I always make sure they do not assign my Next Cruise to my current TA.  Then when I find the cruise, I want I can book with RCL or any travel agent by moving the booking to them.
• The last thing is the OBC is always nice to have.

I don't carry any cash around the ship.  The only thing I have is my cabin card.  If I have a bartender or waiter that is going out of their way for me, I will take a larger tip and give to them.

I am only guessing but I do not think you can because a next cruise certificate is a real booking without a cruise attached to it.  In December I purchased a Celebrity Next Cruise Certificate and a Royal Caribbean Next Cruise Certificate.  Each one gave me a booking number: one for RCL and one for Celebrity.

I have 188 days on Royal Caribbean as a Solo cruiser.  I have never paid more than 2 people.  Most of the time I get the same price as 2 people minus the port fees and taxes.  If you call in, you can get the same GTY cabins that they only show for 2 people and not a solo traveler.  The newer ships have solo cabins, and they normally will cost 150%.  I am finding lately they are setting the solo cabins at 300% so they will not be sold.  I can only assume they are holding them for group bookings.

You do not have to use the app.   You can still do everything with paperwork and documents.  Your travel agent can print and send you all of your documents.  On the ship check with your cabin Stewart to see if he can leave you the daily Cruise Compas.  If not, you just have to stop by customer service and pick it up.

You do not have to have the cup to use your soda package.  You can get a glass soda at any bar on the ship using your sea pass card.  The soda cup only comes in handy when you want to use the free style soda machine.