Riley

Any of the three tests Walgreens offers is accepted.  I've used the 24-hour and the 1-hour results reporting without issue.  PCR (48 hours) would also work but it's risky based upon the time.

Yep - that's how we hit D+ and will approach Pinnacle.  Love those double-doubles.

Did you check your big travel packet, the one that's 20+ pages?  Our vouchers usually show up there.  If not, I would try to call again and specify they need to re-issue the travel packet including vouchers.

1 hour ago, CrimsonCruiser said:

ooh ooh! let's talk about the mountain climbing adventure that is getting into the tubs in the suites!

I'm a little bit out of the first quarter of my life but I still have to do some yoga and send a prayer to the ocean gods that I don't snap my ankle against the edge or pull a muscle getting in!

Still beats the capsule shower though!

Ha I had not thought of that! Also, those little cannister showers are a challenge.  I'm not a fan of body wash so I bring a bar of soap in with me and simply hope I don't drop it mid-lather.... I'd have to get out of the shower completely to be able to pick it up again. 

7 minutes ago, Riley said:

 

Welcome home, Veteran!

We will be Pinnacle this Fall and I have zero intention of wearing a pin. One of our "cruise friends" (older lady we met on an Alaskan cruise last year we have kept in touch with and will be coordinating for September cruises) is longtime Pinnacle and said she stopped wearing hers when she saw a lady get out of the hot tub and transfer her pinnacle pin from her bathing suit to her wrap.  Some folks like the attention. I personally do not, though I am looking forward to the other perks!

34 minutes ago, twangster said:

The policy is two bottles of wine per cabin.  

Yes, but my point is security doesn't cross-reference to cabins.

2 hours ago, Toby said:

Maybe this will help with your decision.  I received this email from RCL yesterday regarding our Aug 12 sailing on Ovation:

 

Dear Guest,

Due to port congestion in Ketchikan, we've had to slightly adjust our arrival. Instead of arriving directly at Ketchikan, we'll now debark a little further north in Ward Cove - just a short 15-minute drive away. As a result of this change, we've had to slightly adjust some of our shore excursion offerings to allow additional time for the short drive.

Unfortunately, making this change means we have to cancel all Cruise Planner reservations for the old tours impacted by this change. We've issued a full refund to your original form of payment, which you should see within 14 business days. Additionally, we'll also be providing you with a non-refundable Onboard Credit which should reflect on your account in the next 3 business days, so you can put it towards booking a new tour in Ward Cove! Please feel free to visit Cruise Planner to book and explore other exciting tour options for your sailing.

We're sorry for any confusion caused by this but appreciate your understanding. We can't wait to welcome you onboard!

Sincerely,

Royal Caribbean International

 

So how are they moving people to Ketchikan? It's a nice little walking port and I'm sorry if you're going to either miss it or have to taxi to see it.

It is also possible for you to bring two bottles and your wife to bring two bottles - just go through two separate security lines. 

I didn't get to be this size by turning food away... I pretty much enjoy everything! 

Also - though we are happy carnivores, we've tried items off the vegan MDR dinner menu and some of them are really good when we're doing multiple B2B and want to mix things up.  There's a grilled peach salad appetizer that is superb, for example, and a grilled asparagus and white bean hummus dish very much worth a try.

4 hours ago, Bazza said:

Hey all. Happy Friday. 

Just booked back to back on Oasis from Miami in Jan 2024 - only about 660 days to go...!

Looking for some local tips/advice please as not sailed from Miami before, and from other posts on here I know it can get quite hectic!

When the flights are released next year our plans would be to arrive the day before (Saturday) and with most UK flights tending to arrive mid afternoon there won't too much time to kill. We would then hope to board as early as possible on the Sunday.

Where would be best to stay for cost/convenience/evening activities? Blue Lagoon area gets decent reviews with hotel shuttle buses from the airport etc, plus looks like only a 15-20 minute Uber/taxi ride next day to the cruise port. Or should we consider down by the water (Biscayne?) for more evening options?

The other question is when we get disembark 2 weeks later, we may decide to stay an extra night in which case book a hotel and sort the cases etc with the hotel BUT if we decide we are flying home same day, do RCI offer any transfer excursions for Miami? Assume they do but thought ask the question here as my planner ain't gonna have anything listed for quite some time!

Many thanks. 

RC offers an Everglades debarkation tour and drop-off at either Miami or Ft. Lauderdale airport. There is also a hotel inside the Miami airport, depending on how you want to work this.  The hotel is nothing exciting at all but it's reasonably priced and very convenient - I stayed there one night late last fall when I changed my flight to avoid incoming bad weather.  A single (and seriously, this was a crackerbox of a room but it was clean and quiet) was under $100 and the location could not have been more convenient.... 

46 minutes ago, Fairlynew said:

What motion sickness medicine do you recommend?  I've never needed it, but one of my travel companions does.

Depends on what works for that person - we have never used it but keep a small supply of bonine on hand just in case. The medical clinic will very likely have a tub with single-serve packets of generic dramamine (often on a wall outside the clinic door so it is available 24/7) - some people swear by the patches or the bracelets and unfortunately it's sort of experimental. All ships carry Gosling's ginger beer (to make Dark and Stormy drinks, yum) - try a can of that to settle the stomach in a pinch.

Side note I recommend one that has a little flotation device as part of it... otherwise if you drop it overboard on a snorkel adventure you're chasing it to the bottom of where ever you are!

No such thing as a dumb question, though below may be some dumb answers....

1. It depends on the ship.  We have been on "Serenade" but I do not recall the number of outlets. There is likely a few in the cabin and one in the bathroom. NOTE: you can't ordinarily bring a multi-plug power strip so I'd recommend a couple pre-charged batteries in case your phones are running low and the outlets are taken. 

2. Can't help you on this one but someone with more technological know-how might be able to.

3. Yes if you have the streaming service you should be able to use WiFi.  We use WhatsApp and it's seamless.

4. Continental room service breakfast is complimentary (tip your crew person a buck or two!) which includes coffee, tea, juices, cereal etc.  Breakfast in the main dining room is usually pretty good and the Windjammer has anything/everything you'd like to try. 

5. Depends on the cabin (interior cabins are seriously dark!) but yes, there is a double curtain to keep light down. 

6. Once the gangway drops at each port you can wander on and off at will.  There is a big crush first thing to get off, especially if you end up disembarking when all the shore excursions are heading out as well, but you're only looking at maybe 10 minutes... they have to scan everyone's seapass card leaving and coming back plus xray to get onboard, which is the delay. These ports are SMALL and you can cover the whole place on foot in a few hours so you'll have plenty of time. For example in Skagway we got on and off several times to eat lunch, pick up a jacket, etc. (NOTE: if you stop in Ketchikan look into the Totem Bight State Park - it's way better than the Totem Pole places the shore excursions take you too and it's a $4 bus ride round trip. Ask at the information stand.)

7. Never encountered bed bugs but one of our folks had SOMETHING bite her in bed (could have simply been the scratchy sheets....) and she reported it to the cabin steward.  A guy from maintenance came and went over the cabin with great care including taking the entire bed apart and examinig each seam with a flashlight and blacklight. He didn't find anything but they take it seriously.

HAVE FUN!

On 3/25/2022 at 2:47 PM, FionaMG said:

Just a friendly warning that most cheap flights within Europe only include a carrier-selected seat and a personal item, nothing more. Choosing a seat, bringing a normal-sized carry-on and checking luggage are all extras, each of which may cost more than the price you paid just to get on the aircraft. When checking prices, you need to add in any of these extras that you might need in order to get the actual price for your flight. Note too that some carriers charge more for these items if you add them later than at the time of making the original booking. And they are very, very strict when it comes to excess weight. You will regularly see passengers at bag drops having to open their bags and re-arrange their stuff (e.g. by wearing several layers of clothing. I promise, it's true.).

In many cases, sticker shock will apply. I hope it doesn't in yours.

Yep - our ticket includes one small personal item and a carryon up to 10kg (HA HA) so I added one checked bag up to 25 kg as part of the cost and we will stuff everything even remotely heavy into it the night before.  Thanks for the alert.

13 hours ago, Davif said:

I use my triple A card to keep my lights on, any card will work 

Agreed - I use an old business card. Slip it in behind the seapass card then take the seapass card out.  Works like a charm.

Be sure to check on B2B lunch options in the main dining room.  Depending on the ship, they offer  nice early lunch (11:30 or so) to give you something to do while the next batch of travelers is checking in. 

Back to back is easy and you're going to enjoy it!

Anyone sailing to Europe has to complete an entry document (check the country's web site for more details) - Italy you can register ahead if you know your entry point and where you are staying but Spain can only be completed 48 hours prior to arrival, which is going to make for an interesting time on ship.  It *seems* that even if you are going directly to the airport from the terminal you have to complete the registry, but that is not 100% clear. Like other posters said, things might change in just a couple of weeks.

As far as I know cash tips for cabin stewards and wait staff do not go into a communal pot. Tipping the bartenders may go into an open jar and get split at the end of the shift (which is what happens at land-based bars anyway) but table service (the kids walking around) and other staff I do not believe so.

5 hours ago, CJS2766 said:

Hello all,

We are excited for our first ever Alaska cruise coming up this May. We are excited and ready for our adventure. While we did pick some amazing excursions in Alaska, we decided to just explore Victoria BC on our own. My questions are:

 

1) How far is the walk from the cruise port to the Inner Harbor area? We are thinking about exploring the Market Square area. Not sure if we should look for some type of transportation or if downtown is less than a mile walk??

2) This will be our first time in Canada. Do we need to have Canadian currency or are US dollars accepted?

3) Is there any "must see" places besides the gardens? Wife and I are not really interested in that.

Thanks all!!

There is a great museum in the area, some nice walking paths, the Fairmont Empress hotel (terrific High Tea) and whale watching tours, depending on what you want to do. HOWEVER the inner harbor where all this sits is not near the cruise port. It's probably a mile and a half walk each way to the museum and the city is hillier than you might think.  I think they have a hop on/hop off bus tour though - maybe check into that.

It should be - off the ship when they release it, through the shipside customs and grab a taxi, it's only 15 minutes or so to the airport that time of the morning. Even taking my own sweet time I've always gotten to the airport by about 10. Unless you're flying International 11:30 should work.

2 hours ago, Lexster said:

So, I'm already looking toward a cruise after my upcoming one and was looking into European trips. To me, I just don't see this ever being financially feasible unless you have a ton of money. Am I wrong? There don't seem to be any cruises which start in a US port, go to Europe, and come back which means I'd have to fly internationally, take the cruise, and fly back. That's already nearly $3000 for two people to fly round trip on top of the cruise cost. Do people usually get packages for this sort of thing or what?

We are going across FtL to Barcelona and then flying home for about $800 per person but I got creative - cheap flights within Europe are well under $100 each way so we are jumping Barcelona to Paris for about $59 each then Paris home to Chicago.  You should be able to search which major European hubs are the most reasonably priced and then cheap flights there.  Same with landing in the US - check flights to O'Hare and then a cheap flight O'Hare to Cincinnati. Or stay a day downtown and take the train for $42 a ticket (nice ride, I've done it) or even drive the .53-4.5 hours to Chicago or Detroit (which has a big international hub as well), depending on how much you can spend.  

I print out the test result paper and highlight each person's name and the "negative" line - speeds up the process and the check-in person really appreciates this.

Heard Allure was at about 5,000 this week, which is 95% capacity. 

5 hours ago, DJ VINCE said:

Sorry if the question has been raised before, but didn't found a topic about it.

We are on the Wonder of the Seas cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona and I'm curious to know if the MDR and Windjammer would just have repeated menus after week 1 or is there more variation ? Same question for the entertainment especially now that that doesn't seem to be up to par yet on the Wonder. This is our first cruise longer than 7 days that's not a back2back so we are a bit in the dark on what to expect.

 

 

You can always request something different or order off the vegan menu (no really - some of the appetizers at least are really good, like the grilled peach salad). We usually request a side of grilled veggies regardless of the day's offering, for example, and it's never been a problem.