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Peter D

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Posts posted by Peter D

  1. I have never been in any of them, but as I look at the deck plan, 8500 as the front-facing cabin, and I would think it would give you a good view of both starboard and port sides.

    I just did a quick Youtube search for radiance of seas 8500, 8502, and 8002.  The search returned many views of these cabins for Radiance or sister ships Brilliance and Serenade.  Here is a good one for Serenade of Seas (should be identical to Radiance) that features both forward facing and side facing cabins. 

    The forward facing cabin seems to have two windows vs one window on side cabins.

    Conventional thinking on the Alaska cruises (whether true or not) is that starboard side for northbound cruises and port side for southbound cruises are preferred, but front facing is probably very nice as well.  Basically, there are a lot of great views from the ship on the Alaska cruise and where ever you are, you will have something to look at. 

    For what it is worth, a balcony room is very nice and might be able to suit your family needs.  If views from your cabin are important, there is no comparison between the balcony rooms and these ocean view rooms.  Balconies have superior views.

  2. 43 minutes ago, CruiseGus said:

    Really what bothersome protocol's are in place other than the silly testing 2 days before the cruise.  No masks anymore for customers. No Vax only areas.  No masks in terminal. Almost no Caribbean ports requiring only ship's tours (that is not under Royals control anyway)  No more testing for b2b.

    Things sure have been getting better compared to last year at this time during the initial start up.  But then that's just my opinion

    The two most bothersome protocols are the 2 day testing and the vaccination mandates.  I have many friends and family would love to cruise, but will not do so under these current rules.

    2 hours ago, Toby said:

     I think the term "return to normal" is a pipe dream.  It is a popular political slogan to garner support and votes.  "Learning to live with the disease" is really what it is about and we still have much to learn! 

    I do not agree.  What I am looking for with 'return to normal' is for Covid to be treated the same aboard cruise ships as it is in every other industry/business.  'Return to normal' also means 'Learning to live with the disease' which is what everyone did for every other disease prior to 2020.  The days of Covid being treated as special given all the medical advances is what needs to end.

  3. 4 hours ago, CharmMicah68 said:

    The question I    have is, would anyone participating in this blog NOT cruise if RCCL dropped from the CDC voluntary program?  Would anyone actually cancel their cruise or NOT book one because of dropping the protocols of the CDC program? 

    For me, its the exact opposite.

    I've done 5 cruises since July 2021 and have one final shutdown/FCC/lift-shift related cruise happening in August and then nothing else booked until mid 2023.  Over the last few post cruise surveys, I have shared my thoughts to Royal on the protocols/requirements and that this August cruise will be my last cruise while the protocols are in place.  I currently have two booked in 2023 and one booked in 2024, but I have had enough of it all and will not go on them if protocols are still in place.  I certainly hope things change sooner than later.  

  4. 18 hours ago, JimnKathy said:

    Hello cruising friends!

    Anyone have good hotel reservations for the Port of Boston area they wish to share? We would love a place near the Port that has cool local restaurants nearby.

    Thanks!

    The seaport has tons of restaurants and bars.  There are also several hotels in the immediate area.  As I live in the area, I have never stayed at any of the hotels near the port, but a quick search shows many.  Hampton Inn Boston Seaport District appears to be the closest to the cruise terminal.  Hyatt Place/Boston Seaport District and Renaissance Waterfront Boston are also very close.

    While Marriott Long Wharf is not as close to Seaport, it is within walking distance of Aquarium, North End, and Faneuil Hall.

  5. 8 minutes ago, OrlandoDad said:

    So I just got off the phone with RC about another issue I am having.  While I had them on the phone, I asked about Pre-Cruise Covid testing.  She stated the test must be done no more than 48 prior to my boarding time.  I was under the impression the time didn't matter, just the two days.  So I thought I could do the testing anytime Saturday (tomorrow) and be good.  My intention is/was to do the at home eMed test very early Saturday morning, and I have a backup appointment with Walgreens that I was going to cancel if/when the eMed at home test went well.

    Do I really have to wait until 48 hours prior to boarding, or did get a little bad advice?  Do they look at the time on the documents at the port, or just the day?

    I think you got bad advice.  it has been 2 days for over a year, I am sure that it is still 2 days. 

  6. We are doing our first cruise in August with CK as an option.  How does it work with regards to seating times?  Do you make a reservation on day one for the entire week or is it more a 'my time dining' format and dinner time changes every day?  What do you do with MDR seating?  Right now I have a traditional time on the books, but should that also be changed to 'my time dining' as we will definitely not be going there everyday?  I like the flexibility of going to one or the other depending on menu option.

  7. For the Voom question, each Diamond Plus person is eligible for 2 free nights worth of discount off the voom package when purchased onboard.  Typically that is ~$52-$54 per person off the full voyage plan, as long as you each get single device plans.  if you get two device plan, you will only get one $$ discount.  For me, I always wait until at least morning of Day 2 for the internet, because I don't like paying full price on embarkation day. 

    I am pretty sure there is no diamond plus discount for the UDP/Voom combo while onboard.  You just get the 30% off UDP per person, and the separate Voom discount mentioned above.   

  8. We used the Diamond Plus free Wash/fold on our last Radiance cruise in May.  We asked the room steward for a wash/fold laundry bag, and he provided us with the plastic version mentioned above, and the wash/fold form (also above, not ala carte pricing form).   I would estimate that the plastic bag is about 5-7 gallon bag.  Royal returned the clothes in the paper bag.  

    I think the plastic bag is frequently (always?) hanging in the closet, so as long as you are using the wash/fold form, I would have no problem using that bag as well.

  9. 3 hours ago, Funeegal said:

    Our standard attire is going to be jeans/joggers, tshirt, sweatshirt, rain jacket/poncho.  We will being some shorts just in case.  I am more concerned about the daytime attire and how much I need.

    For 14 days, I would typically pack this standard attire plan (including sleepwear and bathing suit). I plan to wear things like jeans and sweatshirts multiple days, but plan for clean underwear, socks and shirts every day.  Anything that can get wet, I make sure I have additional items to allow time for wet to dry.  I would also plan for a couple pairs of shoes/sneakers/boots.

    As for ship laundry, we do use the wash and fold service for underwear, socks, shirts, shorts (maybe jeans).  It costs $35 per bag (discounted or free for Diamond/Diamond +).  Not sure of the cost for other laundering services.

    Your other option is laundry off ship after 7 nights.  If this ship goes to Seward, the laundromat is about 1.5 miles from the ship and there is free shuttle service.  Call it a shore excursion 😄.  

  10. 2 hours ago, Gears said:

    The cruise fare for Celebrity is 'drinks included' as their classic package. There are no 'x' drinks per day based on your loyalty tier level anymore, and no happy hour. Every hour is happy hour. 🙂

    I suppose that is true with the 'Always included' booking option.  As I look at the booking options, there is a cruise only booking option where the Elite tier benefits might be of value.  The premium drink package is more extensive on Celebrity, but it seems more comparable with the Royal drink options.

    11_24_Beverag-Flyer-Branding-update.indd (celebritycruises.com)

  11. As a beach alternative.  Last time we were there, we went to Warwick Long Bay beach.  It's a very nice beach similar to Horseshoe Bay, but it was not nearly as crowded.  Further, there are paths/trails that we walk back toward Horseshoe Bay and saw the other smaller beaches on the way, which was fun also.  My recollection was the walk was about a mile beach to beach and while uneven paths, it was not bad at all and I'd definitely do it again.

    We also took the boat/ferry from Cruise port dock to St George on other side of island.  The boat ride can be rough, and there are instances where the ocean conditions cause them to cancel ferries.  We took the town bus back to the port.  In fact, the town bus is very easy to use for transportation around the island and you can get an unlimited pass. 

  12. 36 minutes ago, Neesa said:

    Okay and one more gees, someone kept charging drinks to our accounts after the first two I told the concierge, he tried to help but I heard the person on the other side saying it had to be us! No, we are sailing next week and they had no White Zinfandel so we had water & ginger ale. Okay while not removed 0.00 was reflected on account. Day 3, Day4, Day 5 more drinks, Trellis Bar, Chop's Grill. Problem being there were so many people we avoided this area so someone was just writing down our cabin number or giving our cabin number or the servers in put our number. I had to go to the Guest services several times to have them removed. Ugh, it was so frustrating, so accusatory. I missed my Genie, he/she would have that under control in a minute. Pulling up my account and seeing drinks charged to the cabin felt like a violation, who does this?? Oh boy, Rant OVER!

    We were on Symphony back in March while at CocoCay with Independence.  While at the floating bar, the bartenders also just asked for cabin number.  There was nothing preventing a person from picking a random cabin from either ship.  If the cruise line is not going to require the card every time, then they should have given you the benefit of the doubt from the very beginning.  It's surprising and disappointing that guest services would not make it right, because they typically do.  

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