ransrider

38 minutes ago, Mike P said:

I opted for the 125% back for my Cruise Planner purchases.  I have a hold on a Navigator sailing in July, once booked will that OBC automatically be applied to that sailing?

That's my question exactly. Has anyone called to find out how the 125% Cruise Planner refund works if your cruise is on the "extended" hold?

1 minute ago, Bakerette said:

You can select either the 125% FCC or the 100% refund back to your original form of payment!

the FCC must be used by December 31, 2021

I'm referring to the cruise planner purchases. Royal is offering 125% OBC or 100% rufund. How does this work if the cruise I want to use it on is not fully booked. I do not have a booking number and won't until my FCC appears April 30. 

I have until April 8 to claim the 125% on items purchased through the cruise planner for my May canceled cruise. I have Symphony on hold with my TA until my FCC shows up on April 30. Can I still select the 125% offer or do I have to select the 100% refund to my credit card? Anyone know how this works?

I have until April 8 to claim the 125% on items purchased through the cruise planner for my May canceled cruise. I have Symphony on hold with my TA until my FCC shows up on April 30. Can I still select the 125% offer or do I have to select the 100% refund to my credit card? Anyone know how this works?

Good advice. Do they only show once in a 5 night cruise? 

Awesome. Thanks much. 

Can anyone verify that Grease on Independence is the full production show and not just music from the show? I was sure that it was the full production but a friend was thinking it's just the music.

Thanks,

Deb

That's wonderful. I'll be watching. 

Thanks Matt. I thought I missed the "boat" on booking a choice cabin.

Hello all. Looking to book for October-November 2021. Would like a 7-night from Florida, ideally out of Fort Lauderdale or Miami, cruising the Eastern Caribbean. Wondering if all ships have been assigned for this time of year. Seems only the mega ships are available and I would think booking 600 days out there would be more cabin availability than what is showing up. Where will Explorer be sailing? I see nothing listed after April 2021.

Thanks!

11 minutes ago, mworkman said:

I'm sure it's because we're so far out from any Airline's schedule, but have you ever seen this before?

If you are referring to the red text, that's what I always see. I just recently booked using Air2sea and these are the messages I saw. 

Thanks much for your detailed answer. 

10 hours ago, USCG Teacher said:

Basically last-minute sailings.  Any trip that's departing within the final payment period.  You can usually find some pretty good deals on them if you're flexible, BUT you have to pay in full when booking.  Pros and cons to everything!

What's the best way to find these and is there a greater discount for being emerald and above? 

No need to use a site such as Expedia or Kayak to book. Once you see the price you are willing to purchase for, go directly to that airline to book. Consider applying for an airline credit card for the points and free luggage such as Delta. Also consider Royal's Air2sea program. Good luck. 

Capilano Bridge Park in Vancouver is a must see. 

13 minutes ago, Kim&N8 said:

Hey guys! It’s been a bit but I YOLO booked it tonight! I’m curious for suggestions.

Independence of the seas May 11-16, 2020.

Girls Cruise! 
Visiting labadee and then coco cay. 
 

This is a cruise for just my friend Julie and I. We’ve been living on opposite sides of the country for ~8 years and not been able to meet up. We for the last 6 months or so have tossed around ideas but we’re both busy moms and a few weeks ago I said let’s hop a cruise we don’t need to plan anything other then airfare after it’s booked the rest will work out. Needless to say we cleared some dates and talked to my TA and here we are! Deposit is paid this is her first cruise my 3rd. But first on Independence. I’m also super excited about going to Labadee and Coco Cay back to back but we have no other ports. Does anyone have suggestions for what to do (except thrill water park I’m saving that to do with my family). Share to me all your tips and tricks and things I shouldn’t let her forget  

Hey Kim, Congrats on your booking! My high school friend and I are also doing a girl's cruise and will be sailing on Indy May 11-16, 2020. We are children of the 60's that enjoy cruising together. We are both flying out of Minnesota to FLL and staying at the Hilton FLL Marina one night pre-cruise. I have cruised with Royal on 8 sailings now with one more before this Independence cruise. If you have questions, let me know. You might want to join us on the Cruise Critic roll call. It's not too busy yet but I expect it will pick up as we get closer to our sailing. 

What I do is break down each day of my travel and look at what will cost me. If I have a tour or excursion booked, I allow 10-20% for tips. I also plan tips for any maid service, luggage porters, cabin steward, wait staff throughout the trip. Most port stops take credit card and most ships have an ATM at a cost. My next 5-day cruise I have planned for $100.

Remember to protect our reefs and choose a sunscreen without oxybenzone or octinoxate if you plan on going into the water. Google: Reef-protecting sunscreen. I am also an Irish ginger by heritage and have just begun to research this topic since we go to Hawaii every year and beginning in 2020, proper sunscreen must be used. Sure is expensive, though. If you find a less expensive solution, please let me know. 

Check out cruise tips TV recent podcast episode. They did a great job comparing cruise line drink packages. 

54 minutes ago, Carol A said:

Can you hang bathing suits on the balcony to dry?

You should not hang any clothing etc, over your balcony. The shower in the bathroom on most ships has a draw string for drying clothing. There are fines should anything go overboard.

16 minutes ago, Fawnd89 said:

My family and I (6 adults and a 9 year old and 1 year old) are traveling on the Adventure of the Seas in August 2020 and our itinerary includes a stop at Labadee. I was looking into a bungalow rental for our day there, as a shaded home base for the kids and the older adults in our group. However the bungalows are showing sold out on the cruise planner. Are all the bungalows made available on the cruise planner or do they save some for on board reservation? If they are sold out are the cabanas is worth the extra money?

 Thanks in advance!

Hi Fawn89, I think you are too early for booking the cabanas. We did this for 6 of us when we sailed to Labadee in 2018. Grand kids were 4 and 6 at that time and it worked out very well. I was off the ship as soon as I could get off so I could pick which cabana worked best for us. The others in our group came soon after. We were on Nellie's Beach cabana NB2. Our cabana boy even set up some loungers down by the water's edge. They took very good care of us. Good luck!

Hi DMLM. We use tripinsurancestore.com to get quotes, pick our plan which is usually TravelSafe Classic (they are the only ones that do not penalize if you don't purchase for the total cost of your travel), pay and we're done. I always purchase within the "no look back" period. My last purchase was for an upcoming Independence cruise of 5 nights and will include flight because we live in MN. I don't care much about losing the cost of the trip only want to make sure I have medical coverage. We are in our late 50's with no current health issues but I feel much better spending $60 ($500 coverage for one) to make sure I am covered if needed. The team at TIS.com are wonderful to work with for any purchases or changes to your policy. I have never had to use the insurance so can comment on TravelSafe. Good luck and happy cruising!

51 minutes ago, michelle said:

I was just in St Thomas - I took a cab /bus from the Pier and had them drop us in downtown and
then got another Cab to take us to Magen's Bay.  The driver did tell us what we were seeing
on the way but it was not a true "tour".  you can look at www.shoretrips.com and they have some
tours that will drop you at Magen's Bay for a few hours.

Thanks Michelle. I forgot about shoretrips. I did hear back from Big Moe and he is booked for the day. I think he would be a great tour. He did add us to his wait list so I think we will plan to go it on our own and if we hear back from Moe that we are in, we can then book with his tour.

34 minutes ago, WaterBaby said:

The current sale for the Deluxe Beverage Package is $55 per person with a buy one get one 50% off.  *Savings are applied as 25% off to each guest(s) package.

I've already purchased the package at $46 each paying $759.99

I did the math and it seems the current package should be a little better deal but when I put in cart it doesn't show any discount it gives me a total of $907 the full $55 per person !

How can that be ? Why doesn't it show the discounted price when in the cart ? I'm afraid to cancel  my first purchase to buy this one if I'm not positive of a savings.

Very confusing !

 

 

Did you factor in the 18% gratuity? That makes it $64.90 per day per person. 

You do pay when you purchase. Don't forget to add the 18%to the price listed.