cruising diva
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Posts posted by cruising diva
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After previous cruises with a companion, I will be cruising solo in a few months. I would appreciate any insights, tips, warnings, or comments from former or current solo cruisers. Thanks!
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Definitely out of Fort Lauderdale; however, there's no mention of Miami.
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=luggage_valet_service
Definitely out of Fort Lauderdale; however, there's no mention of Miami.
http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=luggage_valet_service
Thanks for the info. Southwest was not included when I checked it before, so I am glad to see them added in Ft. Lauderdale.
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And I made $3.35 an hour at my first job in high school; that doesn't negate the fact that by removing something that costs them money--and was previously included in the cost of the cruise--they've effectively raised the cruise fare as you now have to pay more onboard for the same level of service.
Personally, I think this is an underhanded way to essentially increase fares rather than actually increasing the fares by a few dollars a day. In all likelihood, this is an attempt to stay competitive price-wise against the competing lines. Unfortunately, it looks like Royal, and perhaps the rest of the industry, is going the way of the airlines.
Perhaps I need to start looking up market . . .
$3.35/hour for a high school job??? I made $0.75/hour for my first one........a true "senior citizen" !! :)
- SFLcruiser and DocLC
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Some of the events are exclusive to those who booked through MEI, so I'd recommend transferring your reservation over. Also, keep in mind that you only have 60 days from the date that you made the reservation to make the transfer.
Matt previously suggested emailing [email protected] to arrange the transfer.
Cruise has been transferred to MEI, so I am now officially on board for the blog cruise....same as in September this year. YEA!! Thanks for your help.
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Does anyone know if the Luggage Valet program works for Southwest out of Ft. Lauderdale? Miami? Thanks!
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Someone once said one was seasonal sailings and the other was year round schedules.
Thanks! Guess we will find out when the scheduling starts!
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New (tweaked) release schedule
What does Phase 1 mean for the Caribbean posting this week? Thanks!
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I will say that email does seem to be the preferred means of communication, most likely because it's the most common now and also the simplest. No chance of a missed call, the other person can reply at their leisure and be sure that the TA will see the reply when they get back.
That said, not getting back to you for 3 days isn't right, especially if that only happened because you called them again. I'd have ditched the agent as well.
If you do decide to give Heather a try, I'd suggest letting her know up front that you prefer that "personal touch" of a direct phone call for all correspondence and that email really doesn't work for you. She does call back quickly the times I've had to leave a message for her, and if she's going to be away for a while she makes that clear on her outgoing voice mail message.
Even if you go with another agent, I'd advise making that request up front. I'm sad to say, but the days of people calling everyone are basically done with unless you ask for it. If the agent is someone who really prefers email, they should tell you that up front and you can make an easy decision to look for another agent.
Regarding not hearing anything from the TA about a particular sale, I will relay my own experience for comparison (some of the details around timings might be off, but the key points are all true):
- Made the initial booking with Heather at the end of December last year
- RCI announced a new sale in January; called Heather and asked if she could check on that
- Heard back from Heather by phone, told me the sale only shaved about a hundred bucks off the total cost. She also reassured me that she would be checking each sale as it came out and would let me know if that particular one saved us some more
- February WOW sale came out at the start of the month; I decided to "test it out" and didn't email or call Heather
- No contact from her through the first half of February
- New sale after President's Day weekend came out that Tuesday, which further boosted the current WOW sale; I wasn't even aware this had happened yet
- Got an email from Heather at like 9:30 or 10:00 AM, telling me the new sale had just started and she checked it out, saw it would save me a ton on our current reservation
- She had already rebooked us, and included in the email was an updated invoice showing the new price of our cruise -- to the tune of $1600 less than before, plus the $200 in OBC available for our two balcony rooms! I called her on the phone to thank her, happened to catch her while she was still in the office. She said she has never seen a promotion that saved so much off the original booking, especially when we had originally booked 18 months out.
So they absolutely do that legwork for you, but you shouldn't expect a contact for every single new promotion that comes along. They'll just reach out when there's actual news to report. :)
I hope this is reassuring, and makes you feel more comfortable with using a TA / finding one who "fits" with you.
Thank you so much for the information about your TA. She sounds like one I would choose to have. Today I contacted mine about making a payment on my upcoming cruise. It still has not been posted on my credit card nor have I received an updated sheet with my new balance. She sounds totally disinterested in helping me whether by text or phone. I do not feel I can switch agents at this point, but I will definitely contact yours for future cruises.
- OrionJus, AntoineFek and Shawnemact
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My agent, Heather Coursen, has been great. Very quick to follow up on issues and right on top of every promo that comes out where rebooking can save me some cash. Saved me a ton with the last promo (which I have been told by here as well as others here is the exception, not the rule). And very good at answering questions.
Her phone # is (818) 748-8308
Thanks for the name and number of your agent....sounds much more efficient than mine.
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May I ask what aspect of the service has not been to your liking?
Personally, I like having a TA for things like
- Quotes for possible cruises to take
- Repricing when new sales come out so I don't have to
- Dealing with RC when there is a billing problem (this is a big one)
I had called and left a message regarding a possible price reduction, and she did not get back to me for 3 days....when I finally called her again. Based on the items you suggested a TA might do for you, I have not had any of these services offered. All communication from her is via e-mail....no phone calls. If we had better rapport, I would not have booked 3 more cruises on my own with the RC agent.
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When you re-book, you are essentially canceling and rebooking. From personal experience, re-pricing/rebooking is so much simpler when you use a good TA.
On the Harmony OTS blog cruise, I am using an MEI travel agent because I want to be in on the activities planned by you. So far, I have been "underwhelmed" by the service of the agent and have booked my 3 other existing cruise reservations with an RC agent on the phone. Maybe I was expecting too much from the agent, but I rather doubt it. If you have any recommendation of a specific agent, I would be happy to try using one again. Thanks!
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Make sure you're not in mobile view. Go to the drop down menu by your name in the upper right corner. My Settings, then Signature.
I am testing this out.....not sure what "mobile view" is....
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Has anyone visited Chichen Itza? My wife is a history professor and that's sort of up her alley. Just wondering if it's worth the $129 per person price!
I was there 10 years ago. It was a long, bumpy ride in an open air bus. The ruins are spectacular...we were there about 2 hours. I think you would find it worth the price if it is high on your wife's bucket list.
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Snorkeling and diving on Bonaire are really superior....but the beaches are not that great. They are very rocky and full of coral.
There is a little beach area that you can actually walk to from the ship that has a little pier where the water taxi docks... but again, it is very rocky so if you decide to go there (or any beach, IMO) be sure and bring your water shoes or flip flops. Otherwise, you will tear your feet up.
Thanks for the warning about the beaches...will be sure to have my water shoes.
Off this topic, how do you list your prior cruises on your profile? I would like to list mine, but I am not sure how to do it. Thanks!!
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If anyone has a recent Serenade OTS Cruise Compass, please post it in the Cruise Compass section. The most recent one there is outdated. Thanks!!
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Just noted that Sip & Stream promo is being offered on our May Harmony sailing.
You receive both the Deluxe alcohol package and Voom Surf & Stream package for a total $392 for 7 nights.
Appears to only be on certain sailings.
Wow!! Such a deal! I am on Harmony in September for the Blog Cruise, so maybe that promotion will be offered again before then. Does it show up as soon as you click on the Cruise Planner? Enjoy your Sip and Stream!!
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April 7th Serenade OTS now 30% off on Deluxe Beverage Package....largest discount I have seen on this
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Only complimentary beverages can be ordered through research without being charged which would include basic juices (not fresh squeezed), regular coffee, and regular hot tea.
I think you meant "room service" not "research", but I understand your message. If the drink package can't be used for room service, I think I am better off just buying the drinks as I go. Thanks for the info.
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Can non-alcoholic beverages from the deluxe beverage package be ordered for room service? I know alcohol cannot be ordered but am unsure about bottled water, premium coffee, and freshly-squeezed juice.
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I always use the Luggage Valet option (I know this option is disappearing at some locations....boooooo.....) and you must have a flight later than noon to use that option so I have always had afternoon flights.
...but I think, from your experience, if you do the express walk-off and you have always arrived at the airport in plenty of time, I would probably risk a flight departing at 10:40...but certainly no earlier than that.
I enjoy using Luggage Valet as well. Do you know if it still available in Ft. Lauderdale? Thanks!
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Parking at Port Liberty
in Royal Caribbean Discussion
Posted
If I am flying in, is there any arrangement with RCCL for a hotel package? I need to come in the day before, but I am leary of finding a hotel on my own. I know many years ago, RCCL had pre-cruise packages with transfers and hotel rooms. Thanks!