BowTieBrigade

Yep, that makes total sense. Thanks!

I was doing some daydream mock bookings and came to realize I have no idea how the pricing system works. I selected the $450 per person option, which with four of us, should come out to about $1,800, minus the current 30% and kids sail free, so like $630. But the total was nearly four times that. What am I missing?

Ship tours are starting to show up on the cruise planner activities page. Hopefully the rest will follow soon. 

Interesting. We found the Windjammer to be top notch on Ovation in July. Though we didn’t have to knowingly share the buffet with finger-tasters. 

I would love for crew members to have the option, at least. Our cruise over the summer had a large majority of cruisers unmasked and, juxtaposed with the crew all being masked, felt very classist. 

We did this in July and would have preferred to explore the town in retrospect. Between tendering and the 3-hour train ride, we didn’t get to see any of Skagway. And there just was not enough to see to justify three full hours. 

What about for kids? The rave reviews for Mayachan seem to be for things that matter to adults, like food, drinks, and service, but are there activities for kids there?

If it’s anything like tmobile, don’t count on it at all. Best I could get was 3g. How did we live like that?!?

We prebooked the terminal lot in Seattle online and it was a delight to not have to worry about it. The lot was pretty full so I would recommend not just showing up and hoping. 

Our agent will send out promotional emails for various cruise lines or destinations. She has handled all sorts of bookings, rebookings (due to price changes or schedule changes) and cancellations. She sent a swag package with items like lanyards and sanitizer, and she had chocolate strawberries delivered to our cabin. If she is not traveling herself, she will always respond within a few hours, even on the weekends. 

I’ve done a forward room on the pool deck and it was fantastic. Easy access to stairs and pools and no noise bleed. Enjoy!

I’m not even sure Navigator’s is open yet. Might want to check roll calls and ask recent cruisers. 

@10-42What was the situation in Seattle? Arrival times enforced?

Yes, the escape rooms and laser tag were advertised over covid, despite them being closed. I eventually learned through these forums that they were not operational, but not before deciding with my kids to book a sailing on a ship that featured those activities. Needless to say, they were very disappointed that the distinguishing features of the ship we chose would not be offered. And disappointment is not what Royal should be chasing when trying to pull its business back from insolvency. 

22 minutes ago, GatorCruiser said:

I understand. But every sector of business in the world has been a shyteshow since March 2020, expecting the cruise industry to be any different is willful ignorance. In some ways it feels  like we’ve lost our innocence and I feel like things will never be the same. Pessimistic I know. When they ran out of kraken on my December cruise I knew things had changed for the worse. 

But that’s not what anyone is expecting. We’re expecting transparency and truth in advertising. Don’t highlight restaurants and features that aren’t open. Let us know what we’re paying for. That’s all. 

This is exactly it. We had a sailing booked on Serenade. We paid the deposit penalty to switch to Ovation because we felt the advertised options were more kid-friendly. If those are not available because RCCL made the decision to sail more ships than they had the staffing for, I think it's only fair that my deposit penalty be returned.

Also, it seems like the limited availability of Alaska cruises, combined w/ the desire to really take in the scenery, results in far less cabin availability on these ships than I have seen to other destinations. Book the cabin you want now.

What’s the rule on the app portion of the drill? Can I run the family through it before we leave home or does it have to be registered as played through the ship’s WiFi?

13 minutes ago, 10-42 said:

Yep, many/most understand that Landside Royal vs. Seaside Royal has no comparison.  Seaside is much more responsive to your needs and desires.  If it wasn't for Seaside Royal, I'd probably move on.  Landside Royal is one disappointment after disappointment, bureaucratic nonsense after bureaucratic nonsense.  

Besides the inconvenience of being short crew, I'd like to know the impact of "SAFETY".  Is there enough crew to meet the requirements of ALL emergency situations.  Also, what information are they covering up/holding back. 

For example:  On my May 13th Alaska cruise on the Ovation, 2 of the 3 Genies, within 2 days of each other, supposedly "INJURED" themselves, by rumor only, one hurt his ankle and the other his back.  We told the remaining Genie that we hoped to see them on the ship somewhere/sometime and wish them well.  The remaining Genie said, "No, that isn't possible as they are restricted to their crew cabin.  Restricted sounds a lot like "Quarantined", to me.   Now, I fully understand that I could be way off base here and completely wrong.  

That was the story going around on my last cruise - the main production show was shut down due to “injury”.

2 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Balcony cabin isnt bad advice. Just not advise that works for everyone

The in-laws are diamond plus and keep insisting that everyone should get interior cabins because you’re never in there anyway. Since we travel with our two young boys, I have to disagree with their take. Balcony cabins can be lifesavers for the right cruisers. 

I don’t recall them on either Adventure or Navigator 

Between staffing shortages, supply line problems, and the natural time it takes for the staff to get used to their new surroundings, I don’t think it’s worth the price, which is higher on the inaugural sailing. 

I heard you hid the staff