FSUFAN

I am looking at The Key and cannot justify the cost/benefit. Two of us for The Key is $588 ($42/pp/d). Voom Surf +stream is $189 ($27/day - 1 device). That means I am paying $399 for the other stuff. Both of us are in our mid 60s, so no rock wall climbing, no flow rider surfing (although I grew up in a Florida beach community and surfed a bunch). We are docking at all of our ports, so no Priority Tendering. I heard that you had to arrive 45 minutes early for the VIP seating. I don't know, but it just does not seem like a bargain at all.

Don't want to hijack the thread, but don't want to start a new topic on the boards either. Do the Internet packages ever get discounted? I know that Matt is a big proponent of buying the drinks package when you see a good price in case the prices go up. I'm wondering about the Voom + Surf which is currently at $26.99/day for our sailing (June 2023).

Going with our 3 grown kids and spouses/partners. Had to schedule that far out due to summer plans already in place for 2022. Really juiced about going since we have been pretty much locked down due to Covid. Mrs Fan and I retired Jan 2020, about 2 months before Covid slammed everything. We had hoped to travel a bunch, but it was not to be. We had to cancel an Alaska Cruise that was supposed to sail in May 2020. We've been to Alaska before with Princess, the others have not. We did a bunch of excursions on our last trip (float plane, whale watching, White Pass train). This time, I want to do a fishing charter for salmon or halibut at one of the stops. Mrs Fan says she will cancel unless she is booked for at least 1 spa day on board - LOL. Probably nothing else at the other stops, but I am telling the kids to do the White Pass Train. Never sailed with RCCL and really look forward to the new experience.

We were with a group on a ship sailing out of Miami (not RCCL). We were late leaving port and when we had dinner (early seating). BIL ordered a few bottles of wine as a treat for our large table (multi-generation family cruise) and was dinged for the tax as we had not quite entered Intl. waters. He was not happy due the fact that it was not our fault that the line had delayed the sailing time from the port. If we had left port on time, there would have been no issue. I don't remember if they gave him some sort of credit.

Local PD are not always your friend. Went to the Bahamas (Paradise Island) some years back (not on a cruise) as a work reward for top sales reps. A couple of the guys rented scooters and took off to some far reaches of the island to, in their words, "find some local food/bars". Well, they found the non-tourist areas and they got robbed, wallets, cash, even their watches. They went to the local police station to file a report. Cops basically called them dummies for leaving the tourist area, said that they should be thankful that nothing worse happened and sent them on their way.

Thanks to all for the clarification. No free access to steam/sauna is a bummer. I will probably get the Thermal Suite for myself. Mrs Fan does not like either steam or sauna. She does want a massage sometime during the sailing. Might do a couples massage if they offer it and the price is not too out of bounds.

I have a couple of Airbnb/VRBO homes that I rent out in the mountains of Western NC. Neither site has a "Vacation Mode" for bookings so I have to respond to booking requests as they come in. I have to be able to log onto the web sites, and accept bookings and then e-mail calendar updates to my cleaning people via G-mail. I don't really have a need to stream anything. I am just wondering about the Voom Surf vs the Voom Surf +Stream. Are you able to make and receive cell calls if you are using WiFi calling? What about phone apps (again in WiFi mode)?

We’ve never been on a RCL sailing and I have some questions about the spa area that I can’t seem to find online. Last cruise we were on (another line), the Spa was one floor above our room. I would get up early (6:00ish) in the morning and do a sauna/steam visit and then shower/shave in the larger spa showers (I’m 6’4”). No one was ever there and it was easy and relaxing. Mrs Fan could get ready without me getting in the way. I like the idea of the Thermal Suite, but if it is too crowded or restrictive, then I just won’t do that. Do they offer free access to a steam room (and showers)? Free access to the sauna (and showers)? Is the Thermal Suite worth the cost (I know it depends)? What are the pros/cons of the Thermal Suite? With the Thermal Suite, are there restrictions? Are there other options (paid or free) that I am not aware of on the Quantum?

Going to Alaska for 7 days in June 2023 on the Quantum. Drinks package just showed up today. $90/d/pp. At that price I'll just buy as needed. I stated in another thread that Mrs Fan would be a huge liability for this. No way she is drinking that much and I have a hard time seeing myself breaking more than even. We will bring our 2 bottles of wine and take one to the dining room and keep one in our room. My grown kids (3) and their spouses are going and claim they are going to grab the package. I might get 1 or 2 of them to bring wine on as well and hand it over to pops once onboard. Last Alaska cruise we did (Princess), I put a 2L box of chardonay in my checked bag and it made it to the room without incident. I figured that if it was grabbed, I was out $20 and no big deal. I'll probably try to get my hands on a 10 drink card near the end.

Never sailed RCL before. So do they have any steam/sauna options without the pass? Last cruise we were on, we were 1 floor below the spa. I would run up in the morning and get some steam/sauna time and then get a shower (in the spa area). The shower was so much more spacious than the room (I'm 6'4"). DW is not really a fan of the steam room or sauna so I was hoping to get some time in the early morning while she is drinking her tea. So I guess my question is available options without having to purchase a day or week long pass.

I assume that these are only available for purchase once on board? Mrs Fan would be a liability (for me) with a drink package with probably just a glass of wine with dinner. Might convince her to get a Mimosa one or two mornings. This would be a perfect fit for myself. Not sailing for a long while so I hope they have implemented this ship-wide by that time. Thanks for posting.

Rookie poster for RCB here. While not on an RCL ship, Mrs Fan and I went on an inside passage a few years back with another line. We did the White Pass and Yukon trip. Then booked independent, a float plane trip and a whale watching outing. The train trip is a near all day excursion. We literally walked from the ship to the train and then got back just an hour or so before leaving port. The float plane was a blast. Got to ride in the co-pilot seat for part of the trip. Pricey but worth it. Then the whale watching trip was excellent. Smaller boat (still probably a 35-40 footer) with 8 people. The mate brought a cooler of drinks (including beer/wine) and a huge slab of smoked salmon with crackers. Less money than what the cruise line offered. I saw the cruise line excursion, people were shoulder to shoulder and a crowd of 40-50 (or more). We are going with our 3 grown kids and their spouses in June 2023. Looking hard at the Quantum. I might do the whale watching again or look at a 1/2 day fishing excursion. I want to hit some of the craft brew places that have popped up since we were there last. The WP & Y train was great, but I'll skip it this time (even though I am encouraging my kids to go). Also, I am telling them that they MUST get a balcony (Mrs Fan and I are gifting them enough to cover about 2/3 of the balcony cabin cost). I told them there is much to see while sipping a glass of wine, or morning coffee, from the balcony on an inside passage trip.