jbrinkm

Oh my goodness, that is adorable! My kids loved the towel animals when they were younger, but we never got anything like THAT.

@Pooch yes, I see both on the website but I did have to add my kids there once the cruise was booked (and supposedly linked during the booking process). I used their booking number, added them, and now I always see both reservations. It is only the app that is working strangely for me. But maybe it is fixed now - I am able to see both reservations in the spot you mentioned earlier. Either way, I'm going to stop stressing about it now and just wait and see! Thanks for all the help.

So everyone at Royal assures me that my reservations are linked correctly. What the customer service rep conveyed to me on the phone about the app is that my ship (Allure) hasn't been moved over to their new system yet. I don't know what new system, but that is what they told me. She said my view might change after I check in at the end of February, or it might not show everything correctly until the day of sailing. I did uninstall and reinstall (AGAIN) while on the phone with her, and I can now see my kids when I "select a different sailing" as @Pooch and @TeresaMc mentioned. So maybe it is fixed? But I still have to enter their reservation number when I go to book something - I don't just automatically see their names. Does that sound right?

That sounds like a story! I'm thinking we may just not grant charging privileges at all based on what I'm hearing - they'll just have to come and find us if they want something other than what is complimentary (yay, forced family time...). Especially the arcade. Just confirming - the SeaPass is the ONLY way to pay for anything on the ship, correct? I'm still fuming about the fact that they can extend you a credit beyond what you want to spend - without your permission. Wait - I just now realized that the post is missing - someone shared on here that the credit limit could be overridden by the arcade machines and that RC would grant more credit than you wanted and had to be settled before getting off the ship. That is now missing. Was that info inaccurate?

We're not getting the drink package. We don't drink that much soda or other beverages besides water, so it's just not worth it for us. I just wanted to give them some flexibility so if they wanted something, they could have a small amount to spend on their own without having to track us down. They may or may not use it. They have their own debit cards at home where we put their allowances and I wish they could use those on the ship instead of the SeaPasses. The whole thing with the arcade and the credit sounds like really sneaky business practices to me.

If you'd like to point me to one, that would be appreciated. I did search but searching on these boards is not as easy as it is in a search engine. The search strategies of using quotes and using AND doesn't always work the same way and I got pages and pages of topics that didn't address what I was asking. And I don't have time to search through hundreds of topics to find an answer. Plus I'm sure you're aware that many things have changed since covid. And isn't this the place to ask for help?

Yes, yes and yes! I agree with all of @CruisingNewb's advice but especially these!

Thank you - and that's ok. Considering that specialty coffees near me are at least $4 for a double shot, I at least feel like I'm not being overcharged with the coffee card - it might be a deal, or it might just be on par with what I'm used to paying.

Thank you. I have an email in to her, as well as Royal's customer service, so we'll see what they say! My check in is still a few weeks away, so I have a little time to get this figured out. I really appreciate all of the advice.

An update... I deleted the app and reinstalled it (cleared cache and data beforehand), but when I logged in again, it was the same - only showing the kids' room and not mine. I messed around with that "person" page in the app and was able to SWITCH my reservation (not add) so now the app only shows the adult room and not the kids. I'd be ok with this, as long as I knew that I could book stuff for all four of us, since we are supposedly linked. I also put in an email to my TA to see if she has encountered this and if I should contact the IT department. I'd really hate to find out this is a problem when we're first on the ship and trying to make reservations for something. Something feels really off about having minor children in a separate room and not having a different process of "linking" than what would be used for separate adult rooms who are traveling together. My kids are pretty independent but they are not adults! I think it would be nice if there was a different type of linking - maybe called something else - when it is kids in the other room. Like one reservation with multiple rooms, or a sub-account for those reservations, rather than just linking. And I know you can get one if you ask, but it seems like you should automatically get a keycard to the kids' room as well. I know that is wishful thinking and we'll just keep trying to make sure the existing process works for us as well as it can this trip.

$19.99 per person is fairly inexpensive compared to Escape Rooms near where I live. Can you reserve a time in the app/cruise planner or in person? Ahead of time, or only on the ship?

That would be perfect! Do I do that ahead of time, in the app, or at Customer Service on the ship?

So the price on this is total, it sounds like? Not per day? So if it is listed on my cruise for $32, I get 15 specialty coffees for $32? That seems like a great deal if you drink coffee, or am I not understanding it completely? Can the person holding it get two at a time and share, or is that against policy?

How do those of you with teens deal with money and spending on board the ship, if those teens won't be with you for the majority of time on the ship? I'm fine giving mine a small allowance for a soda or some time at the arcade, but don't want to give them unlimited access to spending (not because they would take advantage, but more that they wouldn't remember/realize what they'd already spent). Is there a way to put only a certain amount of money on their SeaPass cards? They are in their own connecting room, if that makes a difference.

Do you pay extra to do the escape room? It might be one way to get our teens to spend some time with us onboard, LOL!

We're like the Progressive Commercial about not turning into your parents!

I WISH I was staying on a cruise ship long enough for this to become habit, but alas, we only have 6 nights...

I don't think this would be a problem for us, unless we're unable to get a noon boarding for some reason and have to pick 1pm. At most, if everything went perfectly (we're also going to make a stop to grab 2-3 things), we might be 10-15 minutes early, and wouldn't mind waiting. Late is more of my concern if the flight or luggage or ride get delayed, and sounds like it could go either way if we are late. Are there certain boarding times that are more popular and "sell out" quickly?

Could someone help me understand the process of boarding times, as it currently stands? I am reading about people choosing boarding time when they check in but the last time we cruised (2017), I think we just put in our flight info and they assigned us a time. What are the current boarding time ranges, earliest to latest? (i.e. 11am-3:30pm?) Do you get an exact time, or a range within that time? (i.e. 12pm-1pm) What happens if you arrive earlier or later than what you pick/are assigned, due to circumstances? Our flight lands at 11am, so if I have a choice, should I pick noon if I have that option? (flying into FLL and cruising out of Ft. Lauderdale, as well) Any insight into luggage retrieval at FLL? We're just going to grab a rideshare to get over to the port. Please no comments about how dumb it is to fly in the day of the cruise! I know the arguments against it, but we made the best decision we could and I did buy insurance just in case something happens.

From what I understand, you do it in the app or the website via the cruise planner. Or there is a number to call, once on board.

I was thinking more of getting a room for the day, with access to the pool as a benefit. Does Marriott Harbor offer rooms for the day or just outdoor passes?

We have a later flight on the day of our cruise (both disembarkation and flight in Ft. Lauderdale) and are trying to think of something to do for the day. Any suggestions? We have 2 teens and we will have our big suitcases with us. We could be happy just hanging out at a hotel, if anyone has a suggestion for a day hotel with a pool. Or a fun tour, if there's something that would allow for luggage storage. We just don't want to sit around the airport for hours & hours waiting for our flight.

Thank you, @SolariumSnoozer! This is exactly the info & advice that I was hoping for.

Hi Everyone, What is the best way to know about all of the things that need to be booked when I get on my cruise? Is there a list somewhere? And what fills up pretty quickly? And what are your strategies for when to see shows, etc.? The last time we cruised was in 2017 and I've never been on an Oasis class ship, so this is very new to me! I understand from reading some other posts that I have to do it in the app, and I know that the headliner show is part of the reservation process - but what else? I'm also curious about what are your strategies - assuming the event has multiple options for day & time - for when to book different shows & activities? Are at-sea days the most popular? Early shows vs late shows? Are there shows that you have to reserve that only happen once and at no additional times?

Thanks for the step-by-step, and it confirms that something is screwy with the way my reservations are showing up... I'm not linked there in the app and my room isn't showing as being linked either. And I can't add my room either "some reservations may not show in the app, but rest assured..." So I need to contact my TA if things don't work themselves out in the next month or so, or call for help with the app.