Canguyrd

35 minutes ago, PRMLVM said:

My son shared a GS with his grandmother on Brilliance.  She slept on the sofa bed, since he is 6'2".   She is just barely 5' tall and stated that it was lumpy and ended up sleeping sideways on it.  They said if the 2 people sharing it enjoy sleeping cuddled up, it's doable.  If we can find any pictures of the bed made up, I'll come back and post.

This is great information, thank you so much @PRMLVM!! I have 2 short older adults in my party, so it sounds like there will be a little wiggle room! If you do come across some pictures on your end, I'd love to see them. 

Hello Fellow Cruisers!

Does anyone have a photo (bed made up) or know if 2 adults can share a sofa bed in the Grand Suite on the Brilliance? We booked a last minute Alaska cruise in a few weeks and usually sail in OS but we opted for GS due to availability. We are a family of 4. 

Thanks much 

18 minutes ago, HolyShip said:

Yeah. It makes me wonder if there are any limitations to the discount fare they booked on the cabin, and since the "Gov't Charges and Fees" was what was billed separately to the agency, I know some of that includes their commissions, but I wonder if there are additional fees that Royal will charge us. I understand you pay gratuities separately anyways? But, don't understand what other fees I may be liable for.

It honestly sounds odd, all taxes fees and port expenses should be included in the overall total which would be charged directly by RCL. Gratuities can also be added to this total and processed at the same time. This can also be done afterwards but the client should have been advised of this and expecting this charge. I am not familiar with US travel agency practices but the client must know exactly every charge expected and laid out prior to the credit card being handed over here in Ontario. 

6 hours ago, Ryan79 said:

We did the underground cave/cenote tour and it was amazing!! This one required the ferry to Playa Del Carmen, but that’s not a big deal and in included and coordinated through the excision. The people who run the actual tour were some of the best people I’ve ever met…..period. 

I would agree that the cave and cenote tours are excellent! We loved it 

36 minutes ago, CruiseGus said:

But I would expect my TA to be UPFRONT about charging me a fee to do something.

About the only travel related service that does not pay commission is the airlines

As mentioned earlier, before we even start to look at pricing or dive into booking requests, we let client's know that we charge a booking/ticketing fee in addition to fares from suppliers (if the fee warrants). I would certainly hope that any transparent agent would do the same! 

Whom ever the poster's TA was, they were definitely doing some shady business and I was only stating that agents should be advising clients of any fees prior to a commitment being made to book (if they charge fees....some do and some dont). 

We will be joining for this one 

Decided to surprise my mom with a trip to Florida and jump onto a Bahamas cruise to escape the cold weather 

18 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

I get all of this service with my TA without any fee.  Whatever....

I love to hear this! Not every agent does charge a fee for every booking especially with repeat clients. 

8 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Why do you charge any fees?

Well, many professional services charge a fee structure to access knowledge and product. In the travel industry, many suppliers such as airlines stopped paying commissions, so it became standard to charge a service fee to book an air only ticket for example. Many people seek advice and assistance when it comes to booking travel and travel agencies have unique relationships with a plethora of suppliers which allows for personalization and premium services. Not every traveller wants to do their own research, so they look into someone else doing it for them which again is why a service fee is charged. Keep in mind that not every supplier provides commission and commission is not very high generally. Agents also aim to provide clients customized support before, during, and after travel that you would not get through other mediums and this is why a service fee is charged. 

As others have mentioned, definitely not transparent in services fees up-front. I own a travel agency myself and before we even start to look at pricing or dive into booking requests, we let client's know that we charge a booking/ticketing fee in addition to fares from suppliers. This way clients can make an informed decision that they are utilizing a service which incurs a fee. These fees are also itemized and separate from the booking fare and is generally always processed prior to any supplier booking. From what I read, it sounds like their fee is very out of the ordinary (at least in my market) and this agent is not the most transparent or honest.

I always stay at the Hilton Miami Blue Lagoon - close to the airport and nice quick trip to the port via uber! I always take a late flight in, so its convenient being close to the airport and then a quick ride in the morning to the port  

Hi Cruisers!

I am booked on the Freedom of the Seas for a sailing this winter and spring in the Owners Suite. I wanted to bring my laptop to stream Netflix and was wondering if the older ships still have a gaming console in the room? (In which I can disconnect the HDMI from that and connect to my laptop). 

Would anyone still know if these tv's/entertainment units still have easy to reach HDMI connections? 

Thanks friends!