JohnUK

We once had a free upgrade on Liberty from a Grand Suite to an Owners Suite. We were so surprised it should happen to us.

Will do. We will be doing your itinerary in 2019. There are some great places included. We haven't been to Rhodes or Malta so it will be interesting to hear your feedback, if you wouldn't mind. Cheers.

Hi, Please add: Vision - 2nd May 2018 Mediterranean Venice Navigator - 2nd September 2018 Western Mediterranean Navigator - 16th September 2018 Western Mediterranean Grandeur - 24th January 2019 USA East Coast Grandeur - 2nd February 2019 Eastern Caribbean Explorer - 31st May 2019 Norwegian Fjords Vision - 3rd September 2019 Mediterranean Vision - 15th September 2019 Mediterranean Liberty - 2nd February 2020 Western Caribbean (a bit special as we will achieve Pinnacle on this cruise) Liberty - 9th February 2020 Western Caribbean Thank you, John.

Hi Elaine - no problem. It was just over 2 years ago that we were last on Vision but we are sailing on her again in a couple of week's time (May 2nd). So I will give a brief summary of our experiences when we get back. Vision may not be the latest and greatest but we really enjoy this class of ship. It is easy to find your way around and the Centrum provides a good focal point for entertainment away from the theatre. The itinerary on this cruise includes an overnight stay at Venice, which gives a chance to explore a little bit more of this unique location. Is this included in your sailing? In our opinion, another plus point is that Vision is home ported in Barcelona for these cruises. We find it so much more pleasurable to use Barcelona airport and the taxi ride to the docks is relatively short and at a fixed price (we don't usually use RCI's transfers). I will report back mid May. John.

Hi, Vision has 110V US outlets and 220V European outlets in cabins, which is the same as all other RCI ships that we have been on. We usually take both types of adaptor to give ourselves the maximum of usable power supplies.

We first took a Royal Caribbean cruise on Explorer from Port Bayonne in March 2009. We had previously been on a Carnival cruise from Los Angeles some 9 years before and it was such a bad experience that it nearly put us off cruising for life. However, we wanted to visit New York and also go to the Caribbean as a 50th birthday celebration (for Sue, my wife). As it transpired, the best way to achieve both objectives was to take a cruise, so we took a chance - but not on Carnival! It was brilliant. We had managed to get an Owners Suite (without really knowing what that was) at a very good price and everything, apart from the transfer from the hotel to the ship at the beginning, was just fantastic. It set the pattern for the future and we have now taken 24 cruises with Royal Caribbean. Strangely, despite having been on newer and bigger ships, we still have a soft spot for Explorer, so it will be great to welcome her back to the UK next year.

I found these Google sheets sometime ago. They are generally good although not always quite up to date. If you are in a suite (not Junior) or Pinnacle or Diamond Plus, the Concierge will respond, in my experience. If you are Diamond, I expect the Diamond concierge would do the same. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Pz4Im5qh4cqd1zE5A9srLm3wGd0_SNZwTdbLTa59EF4/edit#gid=0 I found the Concierge was extremely helpful when trying to sort out arrangements for my 9 month old (at the time) granddaughter, who had dairy, soya and nut allergies.

Sadly not. We are sailing on 24th Jan and 2nd Feb. It's a shame as I would like to meet some of the people that contribute here. I need to have a look at Roll Call and start comparing sailings.

Usually I read about re-pricing with a tinge of envy as the UK Ts & Cs don't allow a change without losing the deposit, which usually wipes out any advantage. But the other day I discovered that our B2B cruises on Grandeur next year had reduced in price by a total of £1,100 - even after taking the lost deposit into account. I couldn't believe it at first and got my TA to check just in case I had got it wrong. It was true. So happy cruising all round!

Good to know - thanks Matt.

Now the Select package has been discontinued, does anyone know what will happen to bookings where that had been included as a promotion? We sail on Grandeur in November 2017 with the Select package included. I know the Ultimate package would have been replaced with the Deluxe version, but the only reference I could find concerning the Select package was that it would be honoured whilst stocks last. That is a bit enigmatic to say the least.

To date, we have booked suites every time, simply because we like to spend a lot of time in our stateroom and the space (and balcony) is, therefore, important to us. We did this even for a transatlantic cruise, which started in Southampton and went via the Canaries to the Caribbean, ending in San Juan. The weather was fine and the seas calm so we made more use of the balcony than is often the case for transatlantic. However, Quantum sailed on exactly the same date as us (we were on Adventure) but it took the northerly route for its maiden voyage to Port Bayonne. From what I heard, a balcony would have been a bit of a waste on that trip, due to some very rough weather. I guess what is best all depends upon how you use the stateroom, where you are going, and what weather/seas you encounter. Incidentally, we may change our minds now, regarding suites as, having just retired, we have less money but more time for vacations!!

We were fortunate enough to be upgraded from a Grand Suite to an Owners Suite on Navigator, back in 2012. But that has been the only time. However, on a cruise around Australia and New Zealand, when we originally booked a Grand Suite on Radiance (with $1,000 OBC) we saw the price of all rooms fall dramatically. So we were able to change our booking to an Owners Suite for less that our original booking, even taking into account the loss of the OBC and our deposit (UK ts&cs). Effectively, an upgrade by a different means.

It's interesting that you were able to get Champagne on the Premium package. We had a strange situation concerning Champagne on a previous cruise (on Adventure, I think). We didn't have a drinks package, but we did have a "buy one, get one free" offer for wine on C&A. So, we ordered two glasses of Champagne, only to be refused by the server on the basis that Champagne is not wine. No amount of reasoning (or appeals to read the label on the bottle) availed. We were offered Californian sparkling wine, however, which presumably does count as wine. It is just as well we are not French! Obviously, Royal Caribbean can stipulate whatever conditions they like but I would expect such to be clear, unambiguous and consistent. Whilst on the subject, I do find it mildly irritating that the term "champagne" appears to be used to refer to any white, sparkling wine. To the best of my knowledge, it should only be applied to wines that originate in a specific region in France. So the "champagne" offered at Art Auctions, Captain's Reception, Concierge, etc. is a bit of a misnomer. I don't have a problem with what is served (especially if it is free) and some non-champagne, white, sparkling wines are arguably better than some Champagnes. I just think it is better not to mislead people. Anyway, the Premium drinks package was included in the price of an upcoming cruise on Navigator, so it will be interesting to see what we are entitled to have.

Hi. I don't know if there is a limit but I can tell you that we booked a grand suite and 3 balcony rooms for a family holiday at the Next Cruise office and received just over $1,000 OBC. This equalled the deposit paid so, effectively, the deposit is free. This made it particularly worthwhile for us as, being from the UK, we cannot change a cruise or cancel it without losing our deposit. This way means we don't lose out in any event.