Traveling Mike

This is your future...

 

I did that in the 1980's but in the past few years I do not see prices dropping just before a cruise.  

We did the Allure in April.  We took Lyft from the Hotel by the GB Airport to the port.  I prebooked the ride to guarantee my ride and price.  It ended up costing me about $90 for the trip but it was hotel pickup and cruise ship door drop-off.  At that time Uber was not allowed in the port.  When we got off the ship it was Easter Sunday and I was afraid of getting a Lyft, so I booked the Cruise Ship Shuttle.   That was also about $90 for the two of us.   It was not as convenient as the Lyft, but it got us there.

Note:  The day we boarded the ship, we seen people backed up trying to get to their Uber rides because they did not realize they had to walk out of the port area to get their ride.  I was told Uber got approved to enter the port, but I do not know if that has happened yet.

I am looking for advice for excursions for Moorea, Papeete & Raiatea.  I am looking for snorkeling or full island tours.

I don't know anything other than what I would try.  I would talk to the Crown and Anchor representative on your Harmony Cruise and see if they would give you a statement of Diamond Status.  Then take that on the Celebrity and see if they would Hornor it.  

I know it has come and gone on the same cruise.  Keep watching, my next cruise it was not there then it showed up and after I booked one it went away.  I am guessing it is based on the number of internet packages they have sold.

I would start the conversation out with "What do I want from my Travel Agent".  Then you can start your comparison based on your needs.

Sounds like a Travel Agent supplied the guarantee.   I have booked lots of GTY cabins and have never seen a 0% obstruction guarantee.  Most of the time you will get an obstruction on a full ship because very few people want them.

Both RCL and Celebrity have solo cabins.  I have done NCL in the solo cabins and have solo cabins booked for both RCL and Celebrity.  NCL just has the inside cabins, but they give you the Solo Lounge that is very nice.  On the other hand, both RCL and Celebrity have solo balcony cabins.  The prices I booked are not the price of 1 person but not as much as 2 people.  When I booked mine, the price was about 130%.  Now on some cruises I have looked at the Solo Cabins where at 250%.  The ones I have booked filled up very quickly and I booked almost two years out.  One of the problems is as soon as they are full, they don't show up on the booking choices as filled.  They are just removed.

 

RCL offer an inside studio stateroom, virtual balcony staterooms - as well as a super studio ocean view stateroom with balcony - and these rooms range in size from 101 square feet to 199 square feet. They are available on Brilliance of the Seas, Anthem of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas, Ovation of the Seas, Harmony of the Seas and Spectrum of the Seas.

Celebrity Beyond has 32 solo staterooms with an Infinite Veranda, as does the new Celebrity Ascent. Celebrity Apex features 24, while Celebrity Edge is home to 16 solo staterooms. Celebrity Silhouette will also have 4 inside single staterooms perfect for solo guests.  These single staterooms start at 131 square feet.

 

I spent 14 days on the Vision of the Seas April 2022. 

I had the 5-night specialty restaurant package.  Chops was good but not great and I felt comfortable in blue jeans and a polo shirt.  Giovanni's was very good.  I changed one of my nights from Chops to Giovanni's because the filet mignon was better at Giovanni's.  The first night I wore blue jeans and a polo shirt and the other nights I wore slacks and a polo shirt.  Izumi was very good but way too much food for one person.  The restaurant was not very crowded, and I ended up talking to the other two tables all night.  Any dress would be good there.  

I had my time dining all the other nights.  They asked if I wanted to share a table and I told them I preferred to eat alone.  They set me at a table not far away from 2 other solo travelers.  The wait staff soon learned my likes and dislikes and I was able to eat and be done with dinner in under an hour.  One night I was in a hurry and did a full dinner in 30 minutes.  The other important thing I learned is I could get desert to go.  They would give me my desert with a top, napkin with silverware.  I would take them back to my cabin and have them as a late-night snack.

In the last 1 1/2 year I have done 7 solo cruises and have loved every one of them.

April 2023 on Allure of the Seas = Only ate specialty restaurants and all food was very good.

November 2022 on Navigator of the Seas and both specialty restaurants and buffet were good.

September 2022 on Voyager of the Seas and specialty restaurants were great.  Was told MDR was bad but that had short staff and food from Europe.

July 2022 on Ovation of the Seas and specialty restaurants were great.  Buffett was not good.

April 2022 on Vision of the Seas and MDR was very good with great service.

*** My question is what expectations do you have?  5 start restaurant or local restaurant or better than you can cook.

Looks like they booked that entertainment already.

I was on the Navigator of the Seas in November doing Mexico and on Voyager of the Seas in September doing the Artic Circle.  On both ships I had Starlink and had no issues.  I was able to do Microsoft Team Calls and remote into our servers in California without an issue.  The only issue we had was in my cabin on the Voyager I could not get WiFi.  After a couple of days, I figured out if I leave the Cabin Door cracked a couple of inches it would let the WiFi signal through.  With the door closed all the way the steel door would block the signal.  On the Navigator I did not have that issue and I took meetings every day on my balcony.  

 

One Note:  Alaska did not work above Juneau but that was not with Starlink.

After you book them call customer service and have them marked as B2B.  That way everyone dealing with you know you are a B2B cruiser.  It also helps them setup your disembark and reload between cruises.

We just got off the Alure and I did the evening service.  That allowed us to stay in the room as long as we liked and not worry about the cabin steward waiting on us.  When we leave for dinner, he comes in and the room is cleaned and ready for sleep and the next day.  One thing I did was request extra towels.  I shower in the morning an defore dinner so we needed extra towels.

 

You can get the GTY cabin, but you have to call in.  I check the price for 2 people and if there is a GTY cabin I like I call in and can get that price minus the taxes and port fees.  I have done it multiple times in the past two years.

I do not think you need a travel agent.  You know what you are doing and what you want.  I book all of my own stuff with the cruise line then move it to Costco for the rebate they give me.  It is nice to get the Costco card after my cruise.  

I see that and if that sticks going forward, I will bring my own water at $3 a case.

I just got off the Allure of the Seas and there were lots of door decorations for easter.  The one issue is there were tons of kids and some of them were taking or moving door decorations.

I just got off of Western Caribbean cruise with male looking person that wore Girls' cloths and was 6' 4".    No one seemed to notice them even at the pool.  Everyone is busy doing their thing.   

If you are wanting to say away from kids do not worry because they are not packed like a spring or summer break cruise in the Caribbean.  If you are wanting to say away from the old people just make sure it is a regular TA cruise and not one of the Artic Cruises and you will be fine.  if you are worried about your kids don't worry your kids will have more fun with less kids.  I have done several TA cruises while my son was growing up and he loved them.  He has less friends to choose from, but they have more access to the kid's area and quicker access to the wave runners and rock walls.  Growing up my son's favorite cruise was a Panama Canal where there were only 20 kids on the ship.  He had 4 ten-year-old friends and they had full run of the ship.

@DoomSlayer  did a good job answering but here are a couple of additional things:

 

• I don’t drink, but I do enjoy AF beer and wine. Does the refreshment bev pkg include those?  
  • Don't think you have to purchase a drink package.  You need to compare how much you are going to drink compared to the package price.  I purchase the soda package because I only get one or two mixed drinks a day.

 

• Is the Surf internet service good, or should we get the Surf and Stream instead?
  • I am on the Allure of the Seas right now.  The internet is very good and allows me to do everything I need to.  This also goes back to why you want an internet package.  Do you plan on doing work or communication back home.  If not, then you might not need the additional expense.  The RCL App has free texting to communicate with people on your cruise.
  •  
• my husband has IBS and prefers to use a single stall bathroom when those flare ups happen.  Are there single stall bathrooms around the ship?
  • If it is real bad pick a stall.  If he has time, you can get back to your cabin in under 5 minutes.  I am on a mega ship and can get back to my room in about 5 minutes from anywhere on the ship.

I am like everyone else, get them now.  You can do without them until there is an issue.  Just think about this, you have an issue while in the Caribbean.  You have to fly home because of medical issues.  Your grandchild that is with you does not have a passport and cannot fly back with you.  What do you do?  I always plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Update ....  I just rode Lyft to the port of Galveston.   I pre-booked my lift for Sunday morning at 8:15 am for $91.  It was a smaller SUV and not in the best shape but a very friendly driver.  When we got to the port they told her what number to drop us off at in front of the Royal Caribbean Cruise Terminal.  They did not ask her any questions if she was UBER or Lyft.  As soon as she dropped us off she had a pickup 50 yards further up.   There were hundreds of people waiting for rides.  We were told part of the problem was facial recognition was not working correctly and the other part is because people booked Uber and they were not letting Uber in to pick up.  Our driver did tell us she has see Uber drivers dropping people off outside of the pickup area.  That would mean you would have to walk with your bags about 2 or 3 city blocks.  

With the contract signed it should get better with both Uber and Lyft being able to get to the port terminals.  Currently the price is still the same as shuttle busses with less the hassle.

If you are purchasing the single dinner, you book when you purchase it.  If you purchase a package, you book as soon as you can get on the ship wifi or on the ship.  I would recommend booking as soon as possible because the good times will fill up.